#why was it completely bright outside when they dropped off those boxes
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airenyah · 1 year ago
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love it when series (or movies) pull an "it was night and now it's day"
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universallydestinytaco · 7 months ago
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The Little Smiling Mermaid PREVIEW
As I promised, a preview excerpt of my Charpim fanfic which will drop May 20th! (^o^) Also after reading the fic, PLEASE give me your feedback in the replies/reblogs, Thank you! 💗💛
Charlie couldn’t sleep on nights like this when the moon was big and bright, something about it made him want to stand outside by the ocean, drink from his flask and play his ocarina. As he played his beloved instrument he fondly recalled a childhood memory of his own when he was about 6 or 7, wearing a cape and an old hat Mr. Boss wore while armed with a little wooden sword, gallivanting around the beach while loudly-and-proudly proclaiming he was King of the Pirates. Little Charlie didn’t have much friends at that time but what he would do was based on one of Mr. Boss’ bedtime stories: writing mercritter runes in the sand and coming back later to see the response. Charlie did exactly that and eagerly waited for the response while distracting himself best he could fighting imaginary monsters and bad guys. Lo and behold Charlie always got a response, while in hindsight Charlie figured it could have been possible that someone, perhaps even Mr. Boss was playing along writing the responses in runes, he couldn’t shake off the magical sensation he got from the afternoon ritual. If it really was a mercritter responding to him this whole time he’d be over the moon.
......
Alan followed Glep and Pim back to the grotto and was astonished at all the "land things" Pim secretly acquired and hidden away for so long, how did he manage to hide it all for so long without Amy tattling on him for kicks? He hid behind a pair of slightly-cracked goggles and inspected upon the mischievous twosome. Pim was combing his hair with a "dinglehopper" as Glep played with a golden bangle, the latter noticed the bittersweet-sad expression on Pim's face and asked: "Yaskawaboyo? (You okay man)?" Alan wondered if Pim was starting to get homesick, (un)surprisingly that wasn't the exact reason why the usually excited mercritter was so somber despite freeing himself. "...Maybe he's right, what if there is something wrong with me?" said Pim, who then seconds after shook his head in disgust at his father's hatred of the surface getting to him. "I just don't see why a world that makes such wonderful things could be so bad?" Pim felt strong and long-bottled up emotions gushing out, he stimmed a little bit by twirling the dinglehopper but that wouldn't do. Whenever Pim had to share his feelings he would sing and dance it all way much to the annoyance of his siblings, but after a period of masking, Pim had to share exactly how he felt.
"Look at this stuff, isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete? Wouldn't you think I'm the boy...the boy who has everything?" Pim gasped in excitement and opened his arms wide while slowly spinning, "Look at this trove, treasures untold, how many wonders can one cavern hold?" quickly turning to Glep with his hands on his hips and sashay-ing with his hair swaying in the water, "Sure! He's got everythiiing~!" Pim swam around observing his collection with Glep following as he continued:
I've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty...I've got whozits and whatzits galore~"
Opening up a mustache-care box, jokingly offering to Glep: "You want thingamabobs? I've got twenty!" The two shared a little laugh before Pim solemnly closed it. "But who cares? No big deal....." Looking upwards, those longing words sweetly slipped out of his lips: "I want moooooore~"
"I wanna be where the people are-" Pim gently held Glep's fins and twirled around, "I wanna see, wanna see them dancin'~ Walking around on those.... what do you call 'em? Oh!" He playfully teased Glep's fins as the guppy squeaked. "Feet!"
Alan thought to himself: "This is the most elaborate venting I ever witnessed."
"Flippin' your fins, you don't get too far Legs are required for jumping, dancing..." Pim swayed his hips emulating how one with legs can walk on ground: "Strolling along down a... what's that word again?"
Glep playfully answered: "Skeewaboyo (Street)!" Pim smiled and swam up dramatically above where the light was shining through the grotto: "Up where they waaaalk, up where they ruuuun...up where they stay all day in the suuuuun!! Wanderin' free, wish I could be.... Part of that wooooorld~" Continuing with his acrobatics, "What would I give? If I could liiiive out of these waaaaters? What would I pay to spend a daaaay-" He sunk down and rolled around with a big smile on his face imagining what would it be like, in his own words: "-warm oooon the saaaand?" He then turned on his stomach with a humorously pouty look, "Bet'cha on land they understand, bet they don't...reprimand their soooons~" Pim almost relucantly called himself one of King Pimling's daughters up until realizing he wasn't in Meeplantica anymore, he then smiled while gazing upwards, "Bright young men, sick of swimmin'..." He lifted himself up again with a more hopeful and triumphant demeanor: "Ready to staaaaaaand AAAAAAND-" Observing a gilded storybook with a childlike energy he flipped around the pretty illustrations, "Ready to know what the people know! Ask 'em my questions and get some answers!" He came across one such illustration depicting Prince Charming and Fair Maiden cozening up by the fireplace, holding it up and longingly placing his stubby pink fingers on the painted flame, "What's a fire and why does it...What's the word?" He closed the book and held it to his chest, holding his head back and belting out: "Buuuuurn!!" Pim let go of the book, spinning upwards once again and reaching out to the light: "When's it my tuuuurn? Wouldn't I looooove, love to explore that shore up aaaaaabooooooove?" His octave raised at that last word he sang out...then his whimsy melted into wistful melancholy, for there wasn't any way he could achieve his lifelong dream, so he sank back down with a heavy heart..."Out of the sea....wish I could be...." As Glep sadly witnessed Pim floating back down on the sandy ground, he couldn't help but look back up at the light one more time: "Part of that....woooooorld..."
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feverinfeveroutfic · 2 years ago
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like blood from a stone | chapter thirty-four
(ao3 title: rockets and waterfalls)
I had led Lars outside to the back porch, which had been shrouded in shadow from the morning sun, and yet, I stood there with no clothes on over my body as if it was the middle of summer. We kept the box of donuts right next to us there on the small table right next to the back door, and I kept the ring on my pinky finger as safekeeping. Then again, I had no clue what to tell Alex once he and Chuck came back home later that day.
Then again, I was more concerned about the freshness of the donuts we had saved for him. He was going to be home at some point during the day, and those things only lasted for so long in the safety of that bright pink box.
Lars, meanwhile, seemed completely unfazed by everything as he took his spot there on the porch right next to me, and we indulged in our donuts for a bit.
When he finished, he licked his fingers and brushed his hands together as if he had just eaten at Buckingham Palace.
“You should dress for the wedding,” I told him as I licked some extra Boston cream off my lip.
“For their wedding? Absolutely. Kirk and I are ready to dress to the nines again for a great wedding with the two of them, wherever they choose to marry.”
I pictured them once again in those little suits that they wore at the chapel, and I wished we were back home in upstate New York, specifically around Niagara Falls, the unequivocal place to get married no less. If anything, I wondered why we weren’t packing up and heading out that way for a big getaway to those waterfalls because it felt so obvious to me.
“Also, I lost my letter to Chuck,” I confessed once I took my final bite of donut.
“Lost your letter?” Lars raised his eyebrows at that. “You wrote a letter to him?” I nodded, and then I swallowed the bite.
“I did, and somewhere along the way, I had lost it on the way over here from the school. I had dropped it somewhere in the streets. I had written it on this really nice stationery and everything.”
“Oh, man. That shit’s like losing a limb.”
“Yeah, for real!”
“While I am here, you ought to write a new one to him,” he suggested.
“You think so?”
“Yeah! You should find yourself a little piece of paper and a pen and get down to it. I don’t plan on being anywhere today, so I can help you with it if you would like.”
“That’s really sweet of you, Lars,” I said, to which he shrugged.
“Just trying to help a brother out,” he confessed, “especially since we’re all marrying one another lately.”
I drummed my fingers on the tabletop, and then I ducked into the house for a piece of paper and a pen from the kitchen. I scribbled the pen in the top corner to ensure it worked, and then, like the feeling of Niagara Falls itself, the words roared out of me.
I had taken my time on that nice stationery paper, but since this was cheap lined paper from the bottom of a trash drawer, I let it have it. I stood there and let my own heart guide the way.
Once I had signed my name at the bottom, I took it off the binding, and scurried back out to the table on the porch.
“Okay, how does this sound?” I cleared my throat and held it before my face.
“My dearest Chuck… I want to write these words out to you because I don’t know any other way otherwise. This is my second time writing a letter to you and I feel that I have lost a limb upon losing my initial letter. I can’t really recall everything that I wrote to you the first time around, but all I can tell you is this: you cannot get married. I want you, my prince, my king, my everything, all for me.
All of this as it emanates from the sour pain of my own broken heart and my own nauseated stomach to the point I cannot take it anymore. Trying to have you with me feels like a stone bleeding on the cold sand of the earth, in that I seem to feel as though I cannot have you. But I’m bleeding for you, Chuck. I am bleeding for you, through the breaks in my heart, all because hearts were meant to break and bleed. I yearn for the touch, the feel, the taste, all of it, and I simply cannot afford to remain silent or with good feelings towards your marriage to Alex.
I know that neither of you want to be married to one another, but that’s how the game is played with us. We bleed through the veins of the heart of the game, all because this is the life we chose. Between a rock and a hard place with all of us, and yet nothing can deny the sheer power of how we all feel about one another.
I need you to know, Chuck, and I need you to know these things should I die in my sleep tonight from my own heart. I need you to love me to death when I’ve gone to sleep because my heart can’t take any more shtick, all because I love you to death, especially once you’ve gone to sleep yourself.
Please keep in mind that I’m not out for Alex, although I do confess to sleeping with him before and during Lars and Kirk’s wedding. But rather I wish we could do as we please, even if it means slicing our own hearts out of the chest and letting them drain dry.
All the love in the world,
Joey
I set down the paper on my lap and turned to Lars, who gaped at me with his eyebrows raised and his hand upon his chest.
“What’d you think?” I asked him.
“Gruesome. Twisted. Tormented. But haunting. Absolutely haunting. I wish Kirk would be like that with me, that incessant pleading and begging for the feel of his heart and body right up next to me…” He ran his fingers through his smooth hair, and then he stopped for a second.
“Back up, you slept with Alex during the wedding?” he demanded, to which he stifled a chuckle and snorted. “How the fuck did you manage that?”
“During the reception, he and I got alone in the back hallway of the chapel and did it on the floor,” I explained in a single breath. “It was a bit difficult given he was achy from the first time I had fucked him silly but he seemed to enjoy it.”
Lars lowered his gaze to my chest and my stomach as I said that, and I wagged my finger at him.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking about, but stop it,” I scolded him. “It’s bad enough I slept with Alex and caught Chuck with Cliff—” I clasped a hand to my mouth, and he gasped.
“WHAT!” His squeaky accent-laden voice raised itself into a big bold bellow which echoed over the backyard. I pursed my lips at that. I knew I had done too much and said so much more than I had originally intended, but I never intended for that one to slip out. Lars kept his hand in the table between us as he slid down in the seat of the chair: he pressed his chin to the top of his chest and closed his eyes.
“Shit, man,” I muttered.
“How did you find out about them?” he asked me in a muffled voice.
“I caught them—out on the street back in Santa Cruz. They didn’t see me, but, boy, I sure saw them, though. I can’t unsee them, or unhear them for that matter.”
Lars closed his eyes and slid further down inside the seat of his chair. For a second, I thought he was going to fall down onto the concrete before us, but he never did, however. He instead rested one hand upon the top of the table and his other hand on the rim of the seat, and he pushed himself up off the seat of the chair with a slight grunt under his breath. He leaned back in the chair itself and ran his fingers through his smooth hair once again.
“Is there something I should know about you and Cliff?” I asked him, to which he shook his head.
“Not really,” he replied, but something told me that he was hiding something from me right then. We all hid from each other and none of us were willing to admit to that under any circumstances whatsoever.
“By the way, when you said ‘don’t tell Cliff’, who were you referring to?” I asked him in a low voice, and he cleared his throat at that.
“Chuck himself, actually, oddly enough,” Lars replied with a straight face. I opened my mouth to say something when I caught the sound of tires on the other side of the house. They parked to a stop and as far as I knew, it was the mailman. But I couldn’t afford to take a chance on that, though.
With that, I stood up and folded the letter into thirds. I held onto it as if it was the precious jewel that had fallen clean off one of our crowns at some point.
“I’ll be right back,” I told him, and I ducked back into the house. It was undoubtedly the mailman as no sound emerged from the front of the house: I made my way up the stairs to Chuck’s bedroom, and on the way there, I passed Alex’s bedroom which still had the door slightly ajar. I needn’t afford to waste any further time as I continued on to the room next door.
Chuck had left the drapes drawn even while we were all down in Santa Cruz for a weekend, but the whole room remained slightly dimly lit and somewhat warm and cozy as I set the letter down on his pillow. I looked on at his narrow bed, at the other side where Alex was going to sleep at, or at least that was my thought. I held still with the letter on the pillow and my other hand upon the top blanket before me.
I was so close to him right then, and without him actually being there with me. I closed my eyes and bowed my head towards the pillow: it smelled of him, soft cologne and spicy incense and everything. I glanced across the pillow to the other side of the bed, and I pictured Alex parked there on the edge with his guitar plunked across his lap. Even with the small sliver of sunlight through the parting in the curtains for the softest room in the whole entire house, the image I saw was not happy: Alex had his head bowed to hide the look on his face, whereas Chuck lay there on the spot before me with a vacant look upon his face.
A part of me wanted to put the letter on the nightstand so it would be the first thing he would see once he walked into the room, but I knew that he would miss it in there. Though the wedding wasn’t for another few days, something told me that he would have to hide it from Alex once he moved into that room with him the night afterwards.
“I have to put this on his pillow,” I declared to myself. I lifted my hand and the letter lay there upon the pillow case, the poor man’s Dear John, but it had to be done, however.
I let out a low whistle and made my way back out to the hallway: the house once again remained silent around me. I stood before Alex’s bedroom door for a peek inside, and then I looked down at the ring on my finger. I had no clue who it belonged to, but I felt a little wary to figure it out for myself. I peeked through the crack in the door to the dark bedroom behind there, and then I wondered if this would be my room once Chuck and Alex were married. Alex would move out of that room and into Chuck’s bedroom, which in turn leave that room vacant.
I could move in from there…
I doubled back to Chuck’s room for the letter. Second time around, but this time was not going to be the least bit worth it, however. I held the folded letter with two hands and tore it in two.
I was a greedy bastard, but then again, I had no way back home at the moment. I needed a proper room to stay in for the time being. 
Chuck would have to learn about my feelings some other time.
I returned to the kitchen downstairs to toss the letter in the garbage, and then I made my way back outside to Lars, who still had the distant look in his face as if he had just seen life itself crumble at the seams before him. He raised his head to me as I stood there in the doorway next to him.
“Okay, so… what do you want to do now?” I asked him, and he gazed out to the grassy backyard before us.
“Go over to the water’s edge?” he offered me.
“I’m not dressed, though,” I pointed out with a gesture to my body. “And remember—” I gestured to my chest, and he nodded his head.
“Oh, yeah, that’s right, crossdressing isn’t really allowed. Uh… it’s a bit of a drive but you wanna go up to Wine Country?”
“I’m not really a drinker, though,” I said.
“No, no, it’s okay. There’s a bunch of stuff to do up there. I can find you some clothes, too.”
I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed through my nose. All the while, my heart remained on the down low with its incessant pounding in my chest. The donut helped tithe me over for the time being, but I knew I would have to follow it up somewhere down the line.
“Just pray that James doesn’t see us up there, either,” Lars said.
“Why is that?”
“Did you see him at the wedding at all?”
I shook my head. “No. Why?”
“He actively refused to come to the wedding,” he confessed.
“Why,” I repeated, that time in a flat tone of voice.
“He doesn’t approve of our marriage, or of the arrangement for that matter.”
“Like how… I don’t approve of Chuck and Alex’s marriage,” I followed along, and my voice slid down to a near whisper.
“In principle, yeah, but—at least the three of you came to the whole occasion.”
He showed me the thoughtful look on his face. Suddenly, Alex sneaking around made a lot more sense to me.
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ednaeflowers · 3 months ago
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@crystallizedflowers : [ darkness ] sender and receiver makeout in a completely dark room
DIFFERENT KINDS OF KISSES  /  always accepting from bf 💛
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𝟎𝟎:𝟒𝟎 𝐬𝐞��𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬
she tried. she really tried to not let it happen, but no one in their friend circle will listen to a damn thing she says. it's like they're all deaf, or as rose dubs, they're all just '𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨,' which makes edna feel more inclined to enact vengeance of some kind the moment this door unlocks, whenever that is.
this closet is rather small, she notices, grimly, and there isn't even a light switch available. she doesn't want to stand, so she is seated on the floor, her back against the wall. she doesn't know if he wanted to sit as well, but meebo is right next to her, both of them quiet and waiting out the long, upcoming seven minutes left of this blasted game. zaveid is supposed to be a professor here and professors are supposed to be professional, so why the hell did he feel such a dire need to suggest playing seven minutes in heaven when he was passing by? to humiliate her for that cool remark she roasted him with during his class? and why did everyone else agree to play? why did everyone immediately pick her and meebo to go first?! and why is everyone laughing outside?! did they planned this?! idiots, all of them.
idiots, edna seethes in the silence.
𝟎𝟏:𝟏𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬
she glances around at what she can still see, noting the plethora of random jackets and sweaters hung behind them overhead. there are also some boxes stacked across them; some opened, some closed. a storage closet? she never knew there would be such a tiny one here in the corner of the student lounge, and she mourns over the juice she didn't even get to drink prior to this madness. idiots, she reiterates again.
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❛  meebo.  ❜ she is now poking his arm with a finger. ❛  i'm bored—  ❜
something collapses at her other side, making a thud noise. edna jolts, startled, barely seeing a heap of jackets sprawled beside her like a small landslide. squinting, she slowly reaches for it—
she suddenly sees pure black, feeling something like wool drop over her head. she grunts, already struggling to free herself. her hands are small, all balled up around the sweater to tug off, but from the way it still stubbornly clings onto her face, she is not faring well in this war. she will not give up, though.
𝟎𝟏:𝟑𝟑 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬
finally, edna is victorious in this battle, scowling at the sweater in her hands, then the scowl deepens as she faces meebo with a promise of death in her eyes. she doesn't know if he laughed at her or not, but if he did, then she wants justice for herself.
because of the jacket landslide still to her right, she leans left towards him to toss the sweater over at his other side. ❛  if you were laughing, then i will hit—  ❜
at this moment, she learns that it isn't wise to discard things in a place void of light, because she ends up accidentally tumbling into meebo. the sweater flies out of her grasp, and she knows she fell in front of him since she hears a grunt when her left shoulder collides into what she thinks is his chest. those must be his hands trying to steady her back up, lightly settled on her arms; she is about to say she's okay and then complain about how everyone is evil for locking them up, her frown already in place—but she finds herself pausing instead as she regards him.
𝟎𝟐:𝟎𝟒 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬
the room is dark to a point where she can barely see his face unless they have very close proximity, but that's exactly it: his eyes are so purple and she has never met someone with eyes of that color before—and paired with his bright hair, he practically glows to her in this darkness.
she has always wondered which parent he resembles more in his family. blue hair and purple eyes aren't exactly common, and that's one of the reasons why she thought he was weird when they first met. bumping into each other on the way to class, then finding out they coincidentally have the same environmental science class together as an elective: one could compare it to the likeliness of a typical boy-meets-girl story. edna doesn't particularly like those; they're so cliché and boring, and she wonders if that makes her a hypocrite because meeting mikleo was probably the most interesting thing that's ever happened to her here in this uneventful school.
she doesn't really know what to feel towards him. after all, they're in different majors with different schedules, with only one elective class keeping them somewhat intertwined. he hangs out with mainly sorey, and she is usually by herself. he dorms with sorey, she commutes from home; he likes architecture and history, she likes art and science. he did mention having an interest in marine biology, though, so she wonders why he's even taking environmental science. one is about the life of sea creatures, the other about earth and nature. opposites in every way. it's like they have nothing in common.
𝟎𝟐:𝟐𝟖 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬
but if that's the case, she wonders, then why is he not letting her go yet?
another jacket drops behind her, adding to the landslide. some of the pile shifts downward from the impact and blocks out the crack of light seeping in from the bottom of the door, so she can't see his face all that well anymore, not even his eyes, not even a sheen of light reflecting off his glasses—or maybe she just can't see his eyes anymore because she can't focus right now. he still holds her by the arms, the touch is careful and gentle, and edna actually starts feeling nervous because what is happening right now? what's going on? why isn't he letting go? this is so unlike him. he has always respected her personal space...
❛  …m-meebo?  ❜ she tries, tentatively.
it is quiet for a moment. she feels his hands clench a bit around her arms, and the nervousness continues churning in her chest at his silence, even more now that it's absolutely dark in here. she can't see what face he's making anymore, and that's a little scary to her: he's always been more open and expressive, so it was easy pinpointing what he felt—but now, that's null for both her and him.
then finally, instead of hearing words, she feels something brushing against the corner of her mouth. it then brushes against her lips this time, and stays there—and suddenly, she cannot breathe.
𝟎𝟑:𝟏𝟐 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 
the hands still seizing her arms, the feeling of her lips being sealed, the way she is pulled forward: it is a kiss, she realizes. he is kissing her.
why?
her heart has never skipped this way before, and it's strange. it has never occurred to her, the idea to kiss him—but maybe a part of her did think something about him because she doesn't remember anyone else who is so apparent in her life outside of onii-chan until they met.
even though they have different class schedules, edna sometimes spends her free time on campus personally pestering him. if he goes to the library, then she also goes and settles into the seat next to him, and doodles on some of his notes, and steals his glasses when he's not looking. if she sees him in passing, then she tries to tiptoe and spook him from behind for a greeting. the boundary line between them starts getting muddied when they're both in the environmental science class: she bothers him for his notes, she talks to him about anything she can think of from whatever she watched on tv last night to how she spent two hours figuring out how to incorporate normins into her newest art project, she sometimes plays with his hair when they wait for class to start, he is the first person she goes to whenever they need to pair up for a new assignment, she takes it upon herself to hog his textbook if she forgets hers, she automatically sits in a seat right next to his whenever she arrives to class later than him, she will wait for him by the door to walk together if she is the first to leave the room after class ends—
maybe she already felt something by then. maybe.
𝟎𝟑:𝟑𝟓 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬
this is why she starts closing her eyes and accepts the kiss, returning it by leaning forward to chase after him when she feels him parting away. that was her first kiss, and it felt nice: it was as fluttery and sweet as people say first kisses are, and he's her first kiss. he's her first kiss, and also her second kiss.
𝟎𝟑:𝟓𝟐 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬
she doesn't know what face he made about it, or if he even reacted at all in this darkness, but he must've felt something to lean back against the wall and press their lips together even more by pulling her with him. she isn't sure if the airiness in her chest right now is due to how long they've been at this without breathing, or if it's because of this soft tenderness sprouting in her chest from the way he gently settles his hands on her.
edna doesn't lie when she claims that she's a frail girl; the most she willingly carries is her favorite umbrella, and she tends to get sore muscles easier than others. some call her a princess because of it, but she prefers '𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘺,' and she has already dubbed meebo as her one and only manservant. it was their routine to be witty at each other, and other times, to be witty with each other. she likes the consistency of it; never makes her doubt their relationship—but right now, she is doubting. everything is not balanced anymore.
it's brand new.
𝟎𝟒:𝟏𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬
that's a tongue, she realizes, dazed, so she timidly allows access after it lightly prods at her lips for entry, and it feels very different: it gives '𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴' a whole new definition. her face feels hot, and it's also hot at where he touches her; she feels the warmth of his palms and fingers so easily through the fabric of her dress.
he hasn't once hesitated because he kisses her very surely, a telltale sign of his own personal stance on their relationship. she wonders when did it even start for him. after all, she has never picked up any signs and he has always behaved like usual around her—but in retrospect, she grew up with only a brother throughout her entire life, and onii-chan has always warned her about being wary around boys and men. ( what about you? she had asked, eyebrow raised. i don't count, onii-chan replied back, watching some tv documentary about beetles. ) edna thought he was being ridiculous, and made it clear to him that she decides who she wants to talk with, even if that person is mikleo.
mikleo had always been fair to her, treating her normally with sorey when they all first met. sorey is a kind, cordial person and his best friend, and that's how edna remembers him. unlike sorey, though, mikleo is easier to pester, and that's why edna decides to do it so much. it was fun. she just didn't realize this one decision sealed her fate.
𝟎𝟒:𝟓𝟒 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬
eventually, she vaguely notices she is somehow in his lap because she's sitting on something softer than the floorboards, and her neck hurts less now, and he was sitting to her left but he's now at her right, and her skirt is bit hiked up her thighs from the new position. her mind is a blur, all muddled up, but it's coherent enough to decide that she wants to stay there as their tongues dance and sneak in brief in-between moments of catching their breath.
but soon, she has to force herself to part again, feeling a bit lightheaded and warm and dizzy, but once she takes an audible breath for more oxygen, he probably did the same before recapturing her lips again with the same amount of love as before. it makes her heart hammer loudly, so her arms rest upon his shoulders to pull him in this time, and she shifts to angle her head comfortably to kiss back, mouth open again for him, their tongues meeting once more. his arms are encircled around her waist, and he's parting away again—
𝟎𝟓:𝟏𝟖 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬
she squeaks, her bottom lip feeling pained. did he just bite—
his tongue returns, sneaking back into her mouth, wrapping around her tongue. the abruptness invokes a whimper from her, despite herself, and leaves her breathless again, some saliva dripping down her jaw. she isn't sure how he's so good at this: she thought nerds only read books and study and geek out, so this is unfair. very unfair.
unfair, edna thinks, indignantly, and blindly moves her hand until she finds his ponytail and gives it a light tug. he pauses, so she assumes he felt that.
mikleo parts away again and is still for a moment, so she takes the opportunity to breathe for air. she assumes he will return for her lips, but this time, she feels something tap against her neck, startling her.
that's his finger, she concludes, feeling his hand slowly rest on her nape. it slides up to her head to gently nudge her forward, pressing their bodies even closer as the other hand nudges from the middle of her back. she can literally feel his heart beating like hers. something flutters tremendously when she feels his lips and breath on the right side of her neck, and—
she moans, softly and shakily, and hopes that won't leave a visible mark because she doesn't own any turtlenecks. his glasses aren't bumping into her anymore like how it was bumping against her nose during the earlier kisses, so he must've taken them off prior changing targets to her neck. belatedly, she also notices that the right strap of her dress had somehow slid down her arm, and she never knew how hard it was to stay quiet until now.
𝟎𝟔:𝟒𝟓 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬
he keeps rotating between slow, gentle pecks and sucking and bites that always invoke a noise from her. she starts thinking it's deliberate when he bites a little rougher this time, and she stiffens while giving a shaky whimper in return. it pulsates below; the amount of love is overwhelming, and she finds herself starting to crave, so she tilts her head to offer more of her neck and likes that his arms hold her securely. it feels right like this.
she has never cared much for romance, but she has also never felt so loved before. is this even love? she doesn't know how to answer, but she does know that mikleo has never done anything that would seriously dissuade her trust, and she finds it comforting that he's in her life because she wouldn't know what to do if he isn't there to anchor her. she has onii-chan, but he's family, and edna's never had any actual friends that stuck around until mikleo literally bumped into her that one day he was tardy to class. meeting him led her to meet sorey, rose, and alisha. in a way, he has really changed and expanded her life, like how an ocean will carry and bring new discoveries to the land. she knows so, because he is so many of her firsts. he is the ocean to her, letting her see a bit of the world beyond the horizon little by little. it's such a vast world out there that she's never seen before.
she wants to kiss him again, so she removes her arms from his shoulders to find him. when she is certain that it's his face, she interrupts him by cradling it with her palms, lifting it away from her neck so that she can lean forward, tilt her head, and press a gentle kiss to his lips. there is so much warmness seeping out of her heart, pooling throughout her whole body, and she thinks it wouldn't be so bad to fall in love as long as it's him.
shyly, she is the one who prods her tongue out to ask for entry this time—
𝟎𝟕:𝟏𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬
the door is loudly knocked, and a voice casually announces, ❛  heeey, i'd hate to interrupt your 'waiting', but time's up. some people also want their jackets back, so you might want to hurry... hint, hint.  ❜
        !!!!
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edna immediately scrambles away, finally remembering where they're at and why they're in here. her hair is already disheveled from that sweater assaulting her head earlier, so she quickly unties her hair, gathers it to cover the right side of her neck ( she doesn't even know if there are any marks at all ), fixes her dress, wipes at her face with her hands, then starts helping mikleo pick up the fallen jackets and sweaters. the light from the bottom of the door seeps back in again, and she stubbornly avoids his eyes as she helps hang the jackets. her face is scorching hot, so she's grateful there's no light switch in here.
( outside, an amused snort could be heard, and there are footsteps that sound close, as if they're guarding the door. )
her heart and lips are still tingly, and she is fairly certain there will be questions being asked to her that she will never, ever explain, so once she hangs up everything from her end, she mumbles, embarrassedly, ❛  you walk out first...  ❜ he's taller, so she'll be hiding behind him from everyone's eyes, and already, she finds herself wishing this wasn't originally a game limited by only seven minutes. this might be a game to others, but to edna, these past seven minutes are irrevocably real. she's embarrassed, but she also doesn't regret returning that kiss, and in turn, returning his feelings.
is this love? she still isn't completely sure, but she wants it to be true: she wants him to be her first and only love because she trusts no one else to love her like this. she trusts no one else to be the ocean in her world.
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dycefic · 3 years ago
Text
Have An Evil Day
No prompt this time, just a sequel to ‘Welcome To Evil-Mart’
Working at Evil-Mart is usually… well, it’s retail. It’s physically exhausting, you have to deal with a lot of idiots without being overtly rude, and your feet hurt. Even though the hours and pay are very good, the benefits are great, and our bosses treat us well compared to most retail employees, it’s still not what I’d call a fun job.
But it’s not what I’d call dull, either. Especially not on days like today.
I was promoted to supervisor after the Food Poisoning Incident, so I have a little more authority and a little less obligation to be pleasant and I got issued a weighted cosh because sometimes Evil-Mart customers get… feisty. I’d never had to use it, though, because those who hadn’t seen what I did to Majority Rules, either in person or on one of the cell-phone videos that circulated afterwards, had at least heard about it.  They didn’t give me any trouble.
I was halfway through my shift, and the worst things that’d happened had been running out of croissants and a machine oil spill in Aisle Seven, when our greeter pressed the alarm button, which sent an alert to my handset. As front-end supervisor, that meant me, so I went over. Sam, who is unusual in the henching community for having actually aged out rather than ‘being retired’ jerked his chin in the direction of a tall, swaggering figure. “He just came in,” he whispered.
I did a full double-take before I took it in. Superdyne. Fucking Superdyne.
We’d all heard about his dramatic heel-turn a couple of months ago. The whole world had heard about it. Superdyne, who’d skated closer and closer to the line for years, had decided to cross it in a blaze of bloodshed. He was a villain now, he said. There’d been a whole speech about how ingratitude had driven him to it blah blah blah.
I work at Evil-Mart. I’m from a hench family. If someone becomes a supervillain because they hate Mondays or want to turn us all into dinosaurs or whatever, I don’t judge. I will sell depth-charges and laser guns to anyone who can prove they’re over eighteen without hesitation. But even we get kind of grossed out by the ‘I am forced to turn evil because I haven’t been given enough love’ thing. People who are actually so fucked up by emotional abuse or neglect or some superhero killing their family, we’re fine with them. But they don’t say that’s why they do it, and most of them need a lot of therapy to even realize it. People who actually say that’s why are entitled dickwads.
And now the dickwad had walked into Evil-Mart like he was entitled. Like he thought he was one of us.
“Lockdown protocols,” I told Sam quietly. “On my authorisation.” That takes a minute or two, though, so I went over to talk to Superdyne. “Sir, I have to ask how you even knew where to find this place.”
He smirked at me. “I have my ways,” he said smugly. He’d either bribed or beaten someone, that was my guess. “So this is where the villains shop? We all thought you went to Wal-Mart.” He laughed, like he thought it was clever.
“Yes, so you all say,” I said dryly. I didn’t feel like pretending he was the first person to make the bad joke. “My next question, sir, is what made you think it was a good idea to come in here.”
He spread his hands. “I’m one of you now!” he said happily. “I’m a bad guy! So now I guess I shop where the bad guys shop!” He looked around, frowning a little. “Although I was expecting more weapons and explosives. A… more villainous atmosphere. I didn’t know Evil-Mart had fresh produce.”
“I don’t advise buying herbs here unless you’re a magical practitioner. Some of them have… unusual effects.” A lot of our produce is normal stuff, but some of it not only isn’t legal, it doesn’t exist anywhere else.
“Oh. Well, that makes sense. But the bright lights and the bakery?”
“We have excellent gluten-free breads. In many ways, Superdyne, this is just another store. We have sales, we mark down the breads in the afternoon, we even have a PA system.” I pulled out my handset, and thumbed the button that tied it to the PA. “Attention, shoppers,” I said in my most soothing Customer Service voice, which made him grin. “Evil-Mart wishes to inform you – “ The countdown on my handset reached zero, and I turned to look at the entrance as a huge blast door thudded down. That was the last part of the sequence – staff outside the area were already in lockdown and security were on their way. I smiled, and continued almost without a pause. “- That we are in lockdown at this time, due to the presence of Superdyne in the store. Please remain calm, and be advised that security are on their way to deal with the problem. If you have a personal grudge that you wish to address with Superdyne at this time, he is standing near Register Six with a stupid expression on his face.”
He was staring at me, stunned. “But… but…” he stammered, and damned if he didn’t look puzzled. “But I’m one of you now!”
“No,” I said flatly. “You were always evil, that’s true, but you’ll never be one of us. And for the record, I’m one of the people with a personal grudge. All those henchmen you’ve killed and maimed had families, asshole… and they all shop here.”
He swung at me, then, but I spent years in hench training. Even someone super-strong can be dodged, and once I slammed my cosh into his groin a few times his punches got a lot more aimless. Around then, Tiger Ty came over the register, claws out and snarling, and I figured I should stand out of the way.
About ten minutes later, I turned on the PA again. “Clean-up to Register Six,” I called, in the same special voice. “Category 7, class three. Shoppers, please be advised that lockdown is now lifted but Register Six will be closed until clean-up is completed.”
Hunter, who’d been working Register Six, came out from underneath it. He looked a little green. Well, he was still in his teens, this was probably his first fatal mobbing. “What’s Category 7?” he asked in a shaky voice. “I haven’t heard that before.”
“Biohazard.”
“Oh. Class three?”
“Send three people. He was a juicy one.” I stepped away from a spreading puddle of blood. “Run and get a couple of caution signs we can put around this mess.” I eyed it measuringly. “And one of those fifteen-gallon plastic tubs with a lid, I’ll damage it out.”
He eyed the mess. “Are you sure that’s big enough?”
“Yeah, the average human is only about seventeen gallons by volume, and I’m not going to put all the blood and mush in there, just the big pieces.”
He gulped. “Ah. Yes, ma’am.”
I called after him when he ran off. “One of the black tubs, not a clear one!” Which honestly should only be common sense, but you can’t count on a flustered teenager to have common sense.
We frown on killing customers at Evil-Mart, up to a point… but when a particularly murderous super-hero walks into our store, well, that’s something else. I’d have to fill out a ton of paperwork, though.
I had to chase off one of Doctor Malign’s minons and two members of the Genetic Reign before the clean-up crew arrived, both of whom urgently wanted samples. In the end I scraped a few pieces of liver and unidentified organ into two of the bags we use for possibly-contaminated money just to make them go away. (They’re good customers, and it was just going to go in the trash anyway.)
By the time the clean-up was done, all the big pieces were boxed up, and I’d finished the paperwork, my shift had been over for twenty minutes, and I’d been asked to come up to the boss’s office.
“Listen, I have no issues with how you handled the situation, I want you to know that.” Mr Trent leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingertips together. “It was quick, it was efficient, and… given your personal history with Superdyne, not to mention mine and that of half of our customer base… richly deserved.”
“Yes, sir,” I said. It came out too meek, and I cleared my throat and straightened up. It’s hard not to be intimidated by Mr Trent, when you’re in the same room with him. It’s not his fault, and he does his best, but even under the strictest control his fear-inducing powers tend to unsettle anyone who gets too close. We all know he’s not doing it on purpose and we try not to show our reactions. “Do you have any orders regarding the remains?”
“Doctor Order wants them.” He rubbed his chin. “Get someone from the pharmacy to prepare samples for him, please, including brain tissue. He’s our primary supplier, and we can’t offend him. As for the rest… as you know, I’m retired, and I don’t usually participate in the Endless War.” One of his hands dropped to his left thigh. His prosthetic leg is some of Doctor Order’s best work, but the injury that led to his retirement had been brutal even by our standards. “But this is different. Superdyne came here. To our place of safety. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
I nodded. “Do you want the remains dumped somewhere public? Some kind of dramatic display?”
“No. Something more direct.” He rubbed his chin again, then tapped the intercom on his desk. “Iris, please send up Miss Fedorova from Marketing and Mr Levy from the warehouse.”
“Yes, sir,” Iris responded, and he clicked off the intercom again.
“The three of you worked together very well, during the food poisoning incident,” he explained. “And I believe they can assist us in a satisfactory conclusion.” He hesitated, then smiled ruefully. “Perhaps you should wait outside until they get here. I can tell I’m unsettling you.”
“Sir, I know you’re not – “
“Not doing it on purpose.” He sighed. “I do appreciate how hard you all work to make me feel… accepted, I really do. But I’m very annoyed right now, which makes control more difficult for me, so I think we’d both be more relaxed if you waited outside while I do my meditation exercises.”
I waited outside. When the three of us went into his office again, the miasma of low-level fear was definitely a bit lighter, and he smiled. “All right. Now, this conversation is going to be very confidential, and I will remind you all of the agreements you signed when you were employed.” We all chorused agreement, and he nodded. “Good. Now, this is very much a secret, even among Evil-Mart staff, but we do have a few online clients who are… ah… on the other side of the fence.”
Ms Fedorova blinked. “What?”
Knuckles sighed. “We ship to a few heroes,” he explained. “The ones who are… less homo than sapiens, if you get my drift.”
I didn’t, and from her expression Ms Fedorova didn’t either. Mr Trent spread his hands, drawing our eyes to his fingers. Which as a rule nobody looks at, because there’s fourteen of them, with four joints in each finger, and we know he’s self-conscious about it. “The less… purely human ones,” he said quietly. “One of the reasons I created Evil-Mart was to give those who can’t pass for human, like me, a place to be… people. To have dignity. So that the obligate carnivores weren’t reduced to living on pet-food or scavenging for scraps, so that those with complex metabolisms could get the supplements they need so that people who are still people, for all their outward differences, could shop in safety. There are a great many more monsters, demigods, abominations of science and other non-standard persons among our set than among the heroes, and I wanted to meet their needs, as well as selling weapons and Lair-away-from-home sets and so on.”
“And there are a few heroes who order from us for that reason,” Knuckles added. “The ones who can’t get medications to suit their metabolism, or need to eat things that you can’t get easily anywhere else.”
I nodded, because that much I understood. We have some very esoteric ‘dietary supplies’ that start with fresh, healthy, well-treated and disease-free prey animals frozen whole (from mouse up to calf and goat kept in stock, larger sizes by pre-order, halal and kosher certified where possible) and end with human blood (rejected blood bank stock mostly, we have an arrangement), and human flesh and organs (sourced from hospitals, morgues and crematoriums, guaranteed no murder, at least not by us). “Well, I suppose that makes sense. I’m surprised we ship to them, though.”
“Oh, they don’t know we know. It’s all assumed names and secret bank accounts.” Knuckles grinned. “But Mr Trent has all our online customers identified before we ship. And for the ones who don’t have any other options, well… we let it slide.”
“I can see why you don’t want that to get out.” Ms Fedorova tapped her chin. “What does this have to do with disposing of the body? I was planning to set up a really ghoulish display in a public place somewhere, I already have some sketches.” Marketing for Evil-Mart is… well, it includes more than designing our sale flyers.
“No. We’re going to deliver them to a hero… one of the ones who owes us… and make it very clear that just because someone decides to admit he’s a villain, that doesn’t make him one of us and it doesn’t entitle him to union services,” Mr Trent said flatly. “I want to make it crystal clear to all of them that a heel turn does not mean their sins are forgiven, or that we will accept them as anything other than a very brief amusement.”
Late that night – we were all on overtime, but it couldn’t be done in daylight – we wheeled a cart down the run-down hallway of a shoddy apartment building. “This is a terrible address for a hero,” Ms Fedorova muttered. “Are we sure he lives here?”
“I deliver here a couple of times a month.” Knuckles was pushing the cart. “I’m sure.”
“Okay.” Ms Fedorova cleared her throat, coughed once or twice, and suddenly her voice was deeper and her very faint Russian accent was as thick as pea soup. “This is intimidation tactic,” she said, grinning toothily. “Do not act surprised.”
I knocked on the door, but let Knuckles do the talking. “Delivery, Mr West,” he called, using the fake name the guy had been giving.
It worked… the door was unlocked and opened almost immediately. “I scheduled the order for next – “ the mark said, and then we were pushing inside, slamming the door behind us.
“Do not be alarmed, Mr… Dinoid, is it?” Ms Fedorova said, folding her arms. “Evil-Mart is knowing all along your real identity. But you are needing to eat, and we are not turning down regular business, so we make no trouble.”
Knuckles rolled his eyes behind her back at how much she was hamming it up, but I waved a hand. Let her have her fun. So Knuckles started unloading the boxes onto the table while she talked. “First, your Budget Bunny Box. Your favourite, da?” The next box, smaller, plunked down. “Two fresh chickens, halal certified, healthy and having lived good life, gift for good customer.” Knuckles dumped the plastic tub on the floor. “And mortal remains of Superdyne, with note.”
Dinoid was staring at us, but that made him shift into a combat stance, his long claws spread. “The… Superdyne’s dead? And in there?”
“Well. Most of him. The big pieces.” Ms Fedorova shrugged an impressively Russian shrug. I hadn’t even known that was a thing, but when she did it, it was obvious. “You must understand, when a mob tears a man apart, it is hard to find every little piece.”
“I’m pretty sure Doctor Malign and the Genetic Reign took off with doggy bags,” I said, as if I hadn’t handed them over myself. “And Doctor Order probably has some of him too, by now. So looking out for clones would be a good idea, I don’t know if that’s in the note.”
Insofar as that reptilian face could show readable expressions, he looked shocked. “Why on earth would… why? He changed sides? And why did you bring him to me?”
“We know your address, we know you don’t want to turn us in because we’re the only ones who can supply your meals, and our boss wanted us to make this very clear.” I indicated the note. Since Ms Fedorova was hamming up her Sexy Russian Supervillain act, and Knuckles was very obvious Muscle, I figured it was on me to be the Reasonable One. “He might have stopped being a hero, but that didn’t make him one of us. That didn’t make him acceptable to us. Our boss wants it made very clear that your failures shouldn’t expect to be accepted by us… or even spared by us.”
He shifted slowly, the tip of his tail twitching. “I… see. I understand why you would reject Superdyne. He was notorious for killing and maiming people on… your side. But I know other defectors have been accepted. Philomel, for example.”
“Philomel was child of villains. She is young, she is rebellious, she sides with heroes for a while.” Ms Fedorova shrugged. “Is understandable, da? The young do foolish things. She comes home, all is forgiven.”
He nodded slowly. “Tenebrous?”
“That story I don’t know.” Ms Fedorova glanced at me.
I nodded. “Tenebrous was just a kid. He was twelve when Varide recruited him. Nineteen when he broke with the guy. Varide put a kid into combat, left him with massive PTSD, then ditched him when he had a breakdown and went too far. Mx Frantique at least made sure he had a safe place to stay and some therapy.”
“It’s happened a few times.” Knuckles rested his elbows on the cart’s handles, his inhumanly big, strong hands dangling. “But there’s a process. A system. If someone’s sponsored by a villain in good standing, like Frantique sponsoring Tenbrous, they can be accepted. Nobody gets to just choose to join. Especially not a smug, entitled prick like Superdyne.”
Ms Fedorova suddenly leaned forward, scowling. “And why are you called Dinoid? You are not dinosaur. You are clearly monitor lizard. Golden monitor, I think.” She reached out and prodded his arm. “And not healthy, either. Look at colouration! You do not keep environment humid enough. Are having trouble with shedding, da?”
Now we were all staring at her. “You’re a lizard expert now?” Knuckles asked.
She shrugged. “What? Is hobby. Mamma’s little Varanus Acanthurus are pride and joy. Sadly, cannot keep larger monitors in city. Is unkind.”
Dinoid ran a hand over his head slowly. “Not many people realize,” he said slowly. “That’s why I order from you guys. I used to get frozen… food… from a pet supplier, but then I got contacted by someone who told me there was another option.”
“Is good thing. Those pet suppliers, they are rogues. They do not keep animals healthy, can get diseases or mites from those things.” Ms Fedorova sniffed. “I would never buy from them. My babies would get sick.”
He actually chuckled, then, seeming to relax a bit. “You’re not wrong. After… this happened… I got really sick a couple of times before I figured out what to eat, and where to get it. And even the reputable suppliers don’t always have the healthiest stock.” He opened his mouth wide, making a gagging noise. “You have no idea how bad that ‘reptile food’ is. Eating whole animals may be a little disgusting, but it’s nothing to some of that stuff.”
“I believe it,” I said emphatically. “There’s a reason Evil-Mart has such an extensive pet-food line. The horror stories we hear from some of our customers… well, you’d believe it, I bet, but most humans just look confused.”
Knuckles nodded, and spread his hands. “People who can’t pass for regular humans… or even for people, the way most normies see it… are a lot more common on our side of the fence than yours. That’s why we delivered to you. We figured you really needed it.”
“Does he order from the pharmacy?” Ms Fedorova was around behind him now, examining his back. “He is having calcium deficiency, am betting. He needs nutritional supplement.”
“I take a nutritional supplement,” he said defensively.
“The one for normal-sized lizards is not enough for man-sized monitor/human hybrid,” she said firmly. “Check pharmacy section next time. We are having excellent selection of supplements for hybrids, and chart to tell you how much to take for body-mass.”
He looked back and forth between the three of us. “You people are… not what I would have expected from an evil supermarket.”
“We may be… morally challenged,” I said, shrugging, “but we’re not heartless.” I looked around his tiny, shabby apartment. “Unlike some of your lot. I thought you were on a team. Why are you living here?”
He ducked his head. “I couldn’t live at the base,” he said, his tail drooping. “My… I made people uncomfortable. And the stipend isn’t much.”
“Isn’t much? With the merchandising deals they have?” Ms Fedorova sounded shocked, and the accent had dropped back a lot. “I know for a fact that if the accountants ever got hold of their books they’d owe more in back taxes than… well, than Evil-Mart would if our illegal product arm ever got discovered. And we pay our taxes on the legitimate stuff scrupulously.”
Dinoid blinked rapidly, though I couldn’t tell whether he was more surprised by her suddenly dropping her act or the idea that Evil-Mart pays taxes. “You do?”
“Of course. Not under that name, of course, there’s a shell company.” She sniffed. “All villains do. Al Capone, you know. We’re not getting caught that way again.”
Knuckles and I both nodded when he looked at us, and he shook his head. “Huh. Makes sense, I guess.”
“It does.” I looked around again. The place really was crappy. “I know it’s a personal question, Mr… West, but under the circumstances I’d like to know… how much is that stipend?”
He looked down at the floor for a while, then cleared his throat. “Uh. $1100 a month.”
We all stared at him. Ms Fedorova’s mouth fell open. Knuckles looked shocked, and I was horrified. “$1100 a month?!” I asked, my voice coming out louder than I’d intended. “For risking your life on a superhero team?! I have teenaged cashiers working part-time who make more than that!”
He looked almost as startled as we did. “For working a cash register?!”
“Evil-Mart pays pretty good.” Knuckles shrugged. “But that stipend is disgusting.”
“You are being exploited,” Ms Fedorova said, sounding really aghast. “That is terrible. Why, baseline henchman pay is twice that, and there are danger bonuses and…” Her voice dropped suddenly. “You don’t have a union, do you?”
“A union? Of course we don’t have a…” He trailed off. “You mean you do?”
“Of course we do. An extremely well-armed one.” Ms Fedorova folded her arms. “Henchmen And Allied Industries has represented us for generations. The last time a supervillain executed a union henchman for failure, he was boiled in oil… literally. On camera. Oh, of course some of the less reputable villains just pick up small-time trash from the streets, untrained rabble from the gangs and so on, so they can treat them as disposable, but we union members are skilled workers, with rights and protections. I bet you don’t even get overtime.”
“Of course not. Crime happens when it happens, and we have to…” He trailed off. “You guys get overtime?”
“We’re getting double time and a half for this conversation. And an extra day off.”
His eyes widened again. “Really? Wow, that’s… even when I was working a regular job, before this, I didn’t get pay like that.” He looked down at his hands and bared his teeth in what looked like an unhappy expression. “And now I can’t work anything but this kind of job. People don’t like having a scary dinosaur in their restaurant.”
There was a long pause.
“You can cook?” Ms Fedorova asked carefully.
“Yeah. I worked in my parents’ restaurant before… this.” He gestured at himself. “They were killed when we were attacked, and I was… changed.”
We all looked at each other. “After you’ve returned Superdyne’s remains to whoever you consider appropriate,” I said, grabbing a notepad and scribbling down my number, “I’d like you to give me a call. Evil-Mart is always hiring in the bakery and deli, and I mean always. Most bad guys aren’t great cooks. We don’t know why, it just seems to be one of those things.”
“You want me to join the bad guys?”
“I want you to work in a bakery. Villains and henchmen need to eat, and so do their families. Nobody’s going to ask you to rip superheroes in half, just maybe make a sandwich that won’t give anyone food poisoning.”
“That’s a regular concern?”
“Six months ago the three of us ran Evil-Mart’s physical store completely unassisted for most of a day because the only people who weren’t down with food poisoning were the ones who’d had the vegetarian and kosher meals.” I shuddered at the recollection. “Trust me. Someone who can cater staff functions without a major disaster would never have to live in an apartment like this working for us.”
“And we get full benefits, including dental.” Knuckles was shaking his head. “I bet you don’t even get hospital.”
“What hospital would take me? I always figured I’d go to the zoo and talk to the vet if – “
Ms Fedorova actually put her arms around him. “You,” she told him firmly, “are going to resign your terrible exploitative job, and then I will personally sponsor you to the union immediately. I have a spare room. You will like it. Humidity and temperature can be set just how you like, and Mamma Yelena will take you to real doctor expert in health of hybrids.”
“Those exist?” he asked, sounding a bit overwhelmed.
“Yeah, the Genetic Reign has like three of them,” I said sympathetically. “Listen, you can take some time to think it over, but you don’t have to put up with this kind of exploitation just because you don’t look human. Nearly a third of Evil-Mart’s staff can’t pass, and they’re treated just like everyone else.”
Superdyne’s dramatic demise got a lot of news coverage. Apparently it came as a real shock to the ‘good guys’ that there were some monsters even the superest villains wouldn’t embrace.
Dinoid no longer exists. Ismail Jameel works at Evil-Mart, and has expanded our fresh food lines a lot already. He’s a nice guy, and after Ms Fedorova told everyone how disgustingly he’d been exploited by those so-called ‘heroes’, he was welcomed with open arms. Literally, in at least one case – he’s dating someone from the warehouse, I’ve heard, though I don’t know who. He says we should rename the store, because we suck at being evil.
But evil is a really relative term. It can mean the blackest depravity, or a moment of viciousness, or even just ‘people on the other side’. Evil-Mart is called that because everyone, at least everyone on our side, is welcome. Plus, we all think it’s funny that the least-evil megacorporation is called ‘Evil-Mart’. What can we say? Bad guys have a sense of humour too.
Have an evil day!
7K notes · View notes
sunmoonandeddie · 3 years ago
Text
and he kissed me right here
pairing: modern!bucky barnes x reader
word count: 6,100
summary: I've always been sure that all I ever wanted was a glamorous life.
warnings: Cuss words, mentions of the Afghanistan war (Bucky is a veteran), angst, happy ending, cheesy romantic confessions, age gap
a/n:  This is based on the song 'Stars and the Moon' from Songs for a New World! It's the first one shot in my musical series! This is written in first perspective, but there is no physical description or use of a name in this!
Twenty-Two
I sighed as I tossed a few more dirty plates into the dish window, wiping my brow. After a shitty dinner rush and an even shittier rush around two in the morning consisting only of drunk ass college kids looking for some sort of carb to suck up all the alcohol in their systems, I was ready to go the fuck home.
“Sweetheart, you head on home now,” the head chef insisted as he watched my head nod slightly as I tried my best to fight off sleep. “Ain’t nobody comin’ in before Melissa gets here. No point in you staying on your feet any longer.”
Louis was a godsend. At sixty-seven years old, you’d think he would rather be anywhere but a diner at almost four in the morning.
“Nah,” he had said when I’d asked him a few months after I’d first started. “My Ginny died a few years back, and since she’s been gone, I don’t really have the stomach to sit around that house all alone.” He had laughed, but there’d been a deep sorrow that had come over his deep brown eyes. “Kids are worried, but… Sleeping the day away is better than laying up at night staring at her side of the bed…”
“You sure, Lou?” I asked even as I headed for the back room where all the employees clocked in and kept their possessions in their own little cubbies. I did my checkout in view of the security camera, just like always. I didn’t want anyone to be able to say I stole anything.
Everyone who knew me knew that I wouldn’t, but I’d worked at two many places where the girls tried backstabbing each other and sabotaging everyone else to get them fired.
Though people were a lot nicer in Louisiana than any of the other places I’d lived.
Louis chuckled as he set a to-go box in the window, nodding towards it. “Mmhm. Long as Buck is getting you home safe.”
I gave him a joking eye roll as I took the to-go box gratefully, grinning at my name written in all caps with green Sharpie on top. “You know you don’t have to make me dinner every night.”
“Yes, I do,” he said, shooting me a look. “How else do I know you’re getting enough food in you, huh?” He pointed his rag at me. “Now you go ask him to get you home. Tell him I said he can clock out, and that he’s supposed to text me when he sees you safe inside. You better not say you’re gonna ask him again just to walk yourself home.” The old man shook his head as I headed for the back door, muttering to himself, “Damn girl thinks I’m gonna believe she’s feeding herself good enough when she’s risking her damn ass walking home alone.”
Despite the fact that I’d put off asking for Bucky Barnes’s service, I really did appreciate how fiercely Louis cared about me.
It had been a real long time since anyone had cared so much.
I hesitated at the back door of the diner, my hand resting against the cool metal.
What if he said no?
Granted, he most likely wouldn’t. But what if he said yes, and he secretly thought me some dumb little girl that couldn’t take care of herself?
What did I care if he thought that?
“I don’t care what he thinks of me,” I huffed as I straightened my shoulders, holding my chin a little higher.
“Stop talking to yourself and get going!”
I jumped in surprise, before shooting a glare in the direction of the kitchen. “Stop listening in on my private conversations!” I demanded before storming outside with new found vigor.
Only to freeze when Bucky looked up from where he was sitting on the curb, smoking a cigarette.
God, he was handsome.
“You okay, doll face?” He asked, his New York accent a sharp contrast to the southern drawls you were used to.
“Um… Y-Yeah,” I said faintly, glancing back at the door that I’d come in from. “Um… L-Louis wants me to ask you… Can you walk me home? Or give me a ride? I don’t… I don’t know if you drive…”
“I do drive.”
“O-Oh. Okay. Great.”
“But I don’t have my car on me.”
I peered at him curiously. “Oh. Um… I can just walk by myself. I don’t wanna… I don’t wanna be a nuisance…”
He stood up, tossing his cigarette to the ground and stomping it out. “Don’t be ridiculous, darlin.’ Come on. I’ll walk you.” He shoved his hands in his pockets as he began to head for the street. “Besides… It’s a real nice night.”
“Oh…,” I said in surprise at how ready he was to be of service. “Okay. But only if you’re sure.”
A faint smile graced his lips as he glanced at the ground, letting out a faint chuckle that rumbled deep in his chest. “I’m sure, darlin.’ But you gotta lead the way.”
I was surprised by the rapid pitter patter of my heart beat as we walked side by side down the street, the chorus of ‘Yellow Brick Road’ getting stuck in my head on a loop.
Bucky was an enigma that I found myself wondering about more often than not, but I always ended up talking myself out of going there. After all, he was an older man. A much older man. At least fifteen years older than my own twenty-two years, or something along those lines, not that he looked it. The man looked like some kind of rugged Greek god. Like Hades if Hades was born in the eighties. His dog tags clinked together under his shirt as we walked, his metal prosthetic glinting in the moon.
“So how did you end up in NOLA?”
It took me a moment to even realize that he was talking to me, my heart skipping a beat and my face going hot in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” I asked.
His bright blue eyes flickered over to look me over. “How’d you end up in New Orleans?”
“I actually don’t know,” I snorted, avoiding his eyes as I kicked at a few broken up pieces of asphalt. “I just… Picked a bus ticket and ended up in one of the Carolinas. Then I picked another bus ticket and ended up in Minnesota. And then I picked another, and another, and another, and then I actually just… ended up here.” The months I’d spent alone on those Greyhounds felt both so long ago and also like it was just yesterday. “The diner was the first place someone recommended for food that’s good but cheap, and as I was eating my mountain of cheese fries, I saw the flyer that said they were hiring. So here I am now…”
“Huh,” he said, his brows furrowed. “I didn’t take you for the type of person to run off on your own… riding buses all over the country…”
Head tilting to the side, I gave him a long look. “You didn’t? What kind of type did you peg me for?”
Bucky gave me a long look, a single brow raised as though silently telling me that I jumped to conclusions. “Just that jumping from place to place can take a lot outta someone,” he said slowly, his voice low and soothing. “Hell, if you were my girl—” He broke off as his cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink, his long hair falling in his face.
I swore my heart had stopped inside of my chest, and I swallowed thickly around the lump in my throat. “Oh?”
He rushed to try to correct his wording. “I-I just mean, a lady should be comfortable. And if I had a g-girl like you, well… You’d never want for anything,” he stammered, stumbling over his words like a flustered school boy. “Hell, I… I’d give you the stars and the moon…”
I was shocked into silence, staring up at him like he was the sun itself. “Bucky…”
“No, no, don’t say anything. I… I know that was a lot,” he insisted quietly, unable to meet your eyes as he stared up at the shitty apartment building you called home. “Hell, you probably don’t want a gross old man hitting on you.” His metal hand, glinting in the low light of the street lamp, reached up to brush against my cheek for just a moment before it quickly dropped. “Just let me walk you home each night so I can make sure you’re safe, yeah?”
“Yeah,” I breathed out, unable to take my eyes off of him as he took a few steps back.
There’s a somewhat playful smirk on his lips as he watched me stumble up the steps, continuously glancing back at him. “Goodnight, baby doll.”
“Goodnight,” I said, barely audible before I finally headed inside.
Bucky kept his word. He walked me home every night, and honestly, there wasn’t a moment that I wasn’t thinking about what he had said, about if I was his girl.
What if I was his girl?
But… with that meant I’d have to give up the life I’d dreamed for myself. I wanted luxury, to never worry about bills or where I was gonna get my next meal or if I could afford to buy the nice work shoes or if I could only get the cheap ones that would fall apart in three months and then I’d just be right back where I started.
I wanted the life that celebrities lived. Hell, I wanted to go to parties on the same yachts the Kardashian-Jenners did, even if I couldn’t fucking stand them.
And with Bucky… I wouldn’t have that.
“So why’d you go on the run anyway?” Bucky asked one night as we sat on the curb, eating ice cream in the Louisiana heat. “I know you told me how you got here, but you’ve never told me why.”
“You’ve never told me how you ended up here or why either,” I shot back, nudging his shoulder with my own.
Somehow the age difference seemed non-existent as we sat there. Honestly, I felt like we were just a bunch of dumb teenagers, shooting the shit and enjoying each other’s company.
Bucky took in a deep breath, his shoulders sinking in a way that made it look like he had all the weight of the world on his shoulders. “I was over in Afghanistan for a long time,” he admitted quietly. “When the war first started, I was 19. I had no idea where my life was going and I had no options except my dad’s mechanic shop. So I enlisted with my best friend, Steve. The one I told you about.”
It’s completely silent except for the sound of an occasional car horn off in the distance.
“Neither one of us knew what we were doing. We realized very quickly that we had no reason being over there, but… but there was nothing else,” he said, swallowing around the lump in his throat. The ice cream he was holding was melting in his trembling hands. “I didn’t know how to do anything else, so I stayed. Steve moved up in the ranks, but I stayed pretty low… I didn’t mind. Kinda liked being the older guy all those young kids could talk to, could rely on… Because they were just like me, getting into a fight that wasn’t theirs because they had nothing else.”
My heart was shattering inside my chest as I scooted a little closer, my knee knocking against his as I tried to give him some sort of silent comfort. He’d been through Hell and made it through.
Bucky let his head rest against mine, his eyes closing as he breathed in the scent of my perfume. “They eventually moved me to some kind of specialized team… Called us the Howling Commandos. I found out that Steve was heading it and he picked me to be part of it. That’s how I met Sam, because he was on some sort of similar team with the Air Force, except it was just him and his friend, Riley,” he continued, taking a bite of his chocolate fudge brownie ice cream. “I am proud to say that I didn’t kill a single person while I was over there. I just couldn’t. Hell, they’re people just like me, terrified and unsure of what’s going to happen.” His lips pressed against my forehead, letting it linger. “But then about five years ago, I was on a mission with the Commandos, Sam, and Riley, and… this bomb went off while we were playing a game of soccer. I wasn’t even in a fight. That thing took my arm and it took Riley.”
Tentatively, I let my fingers find his, holding his hand and squeezing reassuringly.
“Sam decided to come home with me.” There was a forlorn look in his eyes, as though he was right back at that game of pick-up soccer. “After losing Riley… he couldn’t find a reason to be over there. And then Steve decided to stay, and hell, he’s still over there, leading that fucking team…” Glassy baby blue eyes finally found mine, the both of us doing our best to not cry. “I couldn’t face my family for a long time, so Sam asked me to come stay in Louisiana with him and his family, and I haven’t left since.”
“Have you gone to see your family?” I asked slowly, almost like I was scared I’d frighten him if I spoke too loudly, like a wild animal. “Let them know where you are? That you’re safe?”
He turned to look at me, his baby blues shining. “You worried about me, baby doll?”
“I can’t help it,” I said honestly, unable to tear my eyes away. I hadn’t opened up to someone like that in so damn long. “I can’t help but worry about you.”
The way that I felt about Bucky absolutely terrified me, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. It snuck up on me, like a train coming around a bend.
I hated it.
“What do you want out of this life?” Bucky asked on one walk home, his arm linked in mine. He’d become so much more… tactile. If anyone took a moment to look at us, they’d think we were a couple on a romantic stroll.
Perhaps we were.
But I couldn’t help but grin as I looked up at the sky, taking in the warm air. “I wanna live like how the movie stars do… I want a big house on the beach and twenty cars and a yacht and… and…”
He looked at me long and hard. “And you never wanna have to worry about where your next meal is coming from, if you’re gonna have a place to sleep at night…”
For some reason, I’d felt a bolt of panic over whether or not he’d understand. Whether or not he’d think differently of me, but I should’ve known that he wouldn’t. Hell, he knew me better than anyone else.
“You understand,” I said quietly, my hand squeezing his bicep gratefully. “I want to live how the other half lives for once. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”
A small smile graced his features as we shuffled along. “There isn’t. But… What about love?” He asked.
“Love?”
“Love.”
Love.
Could I even have love? Did I want it?
“I don’t know if there’s a lot of room for love in my plans,” I admitted after a long moment. “In my experience, love has always just been a lie. A word used to manipulate and eventually abuse.”
Letting out a snort, he let his fingers tickle down my tricep until his fingers intertwined with mine. “I’d show you it’s not… I’d show you what real love is,” he said. “I’d give you every part of me, give you all my strength to help you grow into who you wanna be, even if I don’t particularly care about being famous or rich…” He brought my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles. “I’ll give you a love story, a life, that’s a million times better than any recycled Hollywood plot… I’ll give you the stars and the moon, if you would just let me.”
I hated the way that he made my heart beat faster, the way my breath hitched. “Jamie,” I breathed out quietly, the two of us having stopped in our tracks to just… take each other in. Live in each other’s presence for a moment. “I…”
“You want a big life… one a lot bigger than little old me,” he said simply, shrugging. His blue eyes were so honest, so loving. So warm. A warmth I hadn’t ever experienced before. “I know. But that doesn’t change that I’m in love with you. And if you ever change your mind…” Bucky reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card, pressing it into my free hand. “This is where you can find me. I figure it’s time for me to go home.”
We’d come to a stop in front of my building, and I was shocked at how tight my chest felt. My eyes watered as I stared at him long and hard. “Jamie, please… I⏤”
“Don’t say it. It’s okay,” he insisted as he cupped my cheek, letting his thumb run over my skin as though he was memorizing it. “I just want you to be happy, darling. You got that?” His lips pressed to my forehead, letting it linger. “Go get that life you’ve been dreaming of.”
Twenty-Three
I left New Orleans the next day, grabbing a bus ticket after throwing all of my belongings into my old duffel bag. It was time to move on.
But God, did it hurt.
I didn’t stop crying for weeks, fighting the urge to go right back to Louisiana and tell Bucky to take it back, to get him to beg me to stay with him.
But what kind of life would that leave me with? Working in the diner day after day? Never getting anywhere?
But you’d have James, a voice inside my head reminded me snarkily.
Then again, he most likely wasn’t even in New Orleans anymore, if what he said was true when he gave me the business card of his father’s mechanic shop. Was he really planning on going home to New York City?
A few months later, and I’d worked my way all through the southwest to Santa Fe, where I met Pietro.
My heart was pounding as I pressed in the familiar numbers, having memorized them from the business card now soft and faded from how often I held it in my hands like a lifeline. “Come on… Pick up… Pick up…”
“Barnes Tires and Motors, this is George,” a man said in a gruff voice when he finally picked up. “How can I help you?”
“H-Hi, is James there? James Barnes? Bucky?” I stammered out, hands trembling so bad that the old payphone was almost rattling.
There was a pause, and then muffled talking away from the phone.
And then I heard it being picked up. “This is Bucky,” he said.
It felt like the wind had been knocked right out of my lungs. How had I gone so long without hearing his voice?
Breathing in sharply, I tried to figure out the words to say. But my throat was dry and it was like I’d suddenly forgotten the entire English language.
That was all that it took for Bucky to realize it was me. “Baby doll? Baby doll, is that you?” He asked quietly. “I…” He took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “You don’t gotta say a thing, sweetheart… But just know that if you’re in trouble or you need help or… or anything at all, you better call me…” His voice wavered, as though he was fighting tears just like I was. “God, I miss you so much, baby doll. I love you.”
I love you, too.
I hung up before I could actually say the words. “God, I’m so fucking stupid,” I whispered as I leaned back against the wall of the gas station I’d found myself at, rubbing the heels of my hands into my eyes.
My dumb ass had decided to wander from the bus station, and I’d walked over a mile away. Unless I was staying in Santa Fe for a bit, I’d need to start making my way back.
“You okay?”
In my distress, I hadn’t even heard the rumbling of the motorcycle or noticed the handsome man making his way to me. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” I said even as I wiped my nose with a pathetic sniffle.
He eyed me for a long moment, his eyes roaming over my figure. “You hungry? I know a great little place nearby. My treat.”
And well, I was never one to turn down free food.
Even if that ‘little place’ ended up being a food truck.
“You know, when you said it was a little place, I didn’t picture it having wheels,” I said teasingly, licking salsa off of my lower lip. “Though, it is the best food I’ve ever gotten from a food truck before.”
“Oh, come on. This is the best food of all time!” He laughed, shaking his head.
“I don’t know if I’d go that far,” I snorted, finishing off my flautas.
Pietro looked at me long and hard. “So, are you gonna tell me what the hell was going on to have a pretty girl like you all teary eyed?” He asked, his head tilting to the side.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Was this your plan all along?” I asked. Wiping my hands off on a napkin, I did everything I could to avoid his eyes. “Get me all fed and then question me?” But at the same time, the thought of being able to finally talk to someone about it was so appealing… After a long moment of hesitation, I finally gave in. “I fell in love with a man, and he let me go because he knew that I want a life he can’t give me,” I said. “And I was a bitch who didn’t even tell him I love him back when he said it to me.”
Pietro took in a deep breath, slowly letting it out. “Damn. You really are a stone cold bitch, aren’t you?”
“Hey!” I indignantly threw a chunk of tomato at him, glaring. “I just opened up my heart, you dickwad.”
“Dickwad?!” He said, blinking at me in shock. “No one’s ever called me a dickwad before.”
I raised a single eyebrow at him. “Maybe not to your face, but they definitely have.” He gave off the vibe of a fuckboy, of a really, really bad fuckboy.
“Well, since you’re running away from your feelings, how about you spend a week or two with me on the road?” He asked with a grin.
I couldn’t help but blink at him in shock. “What?” I let out a laugh, pulling one of my legs up to my chest. “Do you throw that line out to every girl you meet? Or am I just special?”
Pietro threw a chip at me, and I barely managed to dodge it. “No, I don’t. But… You remind me of me. Needing adventure. A life bigger than four walls and a fence.”
Instinctively, I wanted to snap back that sometimes, four walls and a fence could be an adventure, could be the biggest life there was, as Bucky’s face flashed across my mind.
But I couldn’t do that. Not when I wasn’t ready to face the truth myself.
“Come on, sweet cheeks,” he teased as his foot hooked around mine. “Just think of it. The open highway, a rhythm beneath your feet… Nights full of passion and days of adventure…” Pietro’s voice was deep and husky, as though he was trying to lure me in. “No strings… just warm summer rain soaking us to the bone before we find some cheap motel to huddle down in…”
Plastering on a smile, I stood up and brushed myself on. “Thanks, but… I’d rather be drinking champagne, and the quicker I get to LA, the sooner I will be.”
He let me go with a kiss on the cheek and his cell number pressed into my hand, with a promise to come and pick me up the second I rang.
And despite how sweet he was, how wild and funny and charismatic, there was only one man I wanted to call.
Twenty-Four
I sipped at my martini as I sat at the rooftop bar, absentmindedly watching the television that was mounted on the wall as people droned around me. I’d been in Los Angeles for a year, and I’d spent my time finding the best places to find a husband who could give me the life I dreamed of.
As much as I didn’t want to admit it, it took connections to build a career, and the best way to get a foot in the door when nepotism was so rampant was by marrying someone in the industry.
My silk dress was the most expensive thing I owned, something I’d saved up for months for, had skipped meals for. And fuck, was it worth it. I could feel the stares, the lingering gazes on the little bit of thigh that was exposed by the slit in the dress.
I’d already turned away several men, able to tell just from their expensive watches and cheap suits and shoes.
It was amazing how all the up and coming finance bros thought they fit in with the truly big dogs.
“Well, hello, gorgeous.”
I turned to see who was speaking, my heart skipping a beat when I realized who I was speaking to.
The world famous (or infamous) director, Tony Stark.
“Hello, handsome,” I said smoothly, my lashes fluttering innocently as I took a sip of my horrible drink.
I fucking hated martinis. Always had.
But ordering a martini was more sophisticated than ordering a frozen strawberry margarita.
“Is this seat taken?” He asked as he motioned to the empty bar stool right next to me, even as he was already sitting down. “Let me buy your next round.”
“I can’t think of anything better,” I said, feeling as though my dream life was already in reach.
Twenty-Eight
“Tony, where are you taking me?” I laughed as I let my boyfriend lead me to the private dock at our Malibu mansion.
Well, his mansion. I just happened to also live there.
It had been a whirlwind of a year since I had met Tony, and he’d bought me that second round. He’d taken me all over the globe, anywhere my heart desired.
But I made sure to avoid New York City, though he never understood why. I would never tell him.
Not when I was so close to my dream. I could practically taste it.
“Come on, come on. I have a surprise for you,” he said, keeping his hands over my eyes. He was sure to keep me from tripping and busting my ass, thank god.
The ocean waves were so comforting as they hit the shore, a sound I’d gotten used to over the past year.
He finally brought me to a stop, quietly telling me to keep my eyes closed. “Okay,” he said finally. “Open them.”
My eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the bright light of the California sun. But I was more shocked by the sight of Tony on one knee in front of me, holding out a box with a sparkling diamond ring in it. “Tony?”
The ring was the size of a fucking meteor. It was easily the biggest ring I’d ever seen.
“You know, I never thought I’d meet someone like you,” he said quietly, his dark eyes shining. But his voice was steady. “Someone who understands me, who doesn’t expect me to change into someone I’m not. You accept me as I am, and that’s why I want to give you the world.” He couldn’t help but grin as he nodded to the right. “Starting with that yacht you’ve always dreamed of.”
I hadn’t even noticed that there were two yachts at his private docks instead of just the one. The new one had SS Princess emblazoned on the side, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh… Tony…”
“So, what do you say?” He asked, bringing my attention back to him. “Will you be my wife?”
“Yes.”
Thirty-Two
Swallowing nervously, I looked down at the business card in my hand for the millionth time, the stock paper soft from how often I’d looked at it in the past ten years.
Hell, just how often I’d looked at it in the past six should’ve made it fall apart by now. Not that I didn’t have it memorized.
I’d finally ended my marriage after being miserable for so long. I’d gotten my yacht, my fancy houses, my career, all the jewelry that I could dream of, and none of it made me happy. Tony and I… never grew. And I never dreamed. Every day was the same, and every day was torture as I realized that I didn’t have the one thing that actually mattered.
The garage in front of me was busy, music blasting and the sound of men shouting to each other as they worked.
Suddenly I felt absolutely ridiculous wearing a Chanel dress and Gucci heels, an Hermés bag on my arm.
BARNES TIRES AND MOTORS was lit up along the top of the shop in bright red letters, though the lights in the ‘r’ of ‘motors’ were out.
I felt like a fool. I had wanted the life I had so desperately that I gave up everything for it. I got the movie star life, my name on billboards and my face on magazines.
But it wasn’t ever enough.
My heels clicked against the blacktop as I slowly made my way towards the front area of the shop, bells clinging above my head to let them know someone was there.
“Can I help you, ma’am?” A man asked as he came around the corner.
He looked so much like Bucky, it punched the air straight from my lungs.
“H-Hi. I’m looking for James Barnes. Is he here?” I asked after a long moment of hesitation. There was no way that the man was Bucky, but I didn’t doubt he was related.
The man raised his brows, wiping his hands on a rag. “My son’s in the shop. I’ll take you to him.” His full head of hair was white, his thick facial hair matching. Even with all the wrinkles on his face, he was a handsome man. Holding open the door for me, he led me into the loud shop, some eighties rock song blasting over the speakers.
I couldn’t help but smile as ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’ by Scorpions came on. It was one of Bucky’s favorites back when we worked in the diner together.
“BUCK! YOU GOT A VISITOR!” The man shouted, causing several people to look our way.
My cheeks felt hot as I avoided their gaze, hoping they wouldn’t recognize me. I didn’t want to be a famous movie star anymore, a celebrity that had to beg for scraps of privacy.
My mind went numb, my heart stopping inside my chest as he stepped around a gray Ford Escape another man was working on.
He was even more handsome than he was the last time I saw him.
“Can I help y—” He broke off, his blue eyes going wide when he realized that it was me. “Hi.”
All of a sudden, everything I’d planned to say flew out of my head. All of the eloquent words I’d strung together were gone. And I just proceeded to word vomit.
“Did you know that, uh, when you marry someone you’re not in love with, you won’t… you won’t grow into it?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Um… I married a man who could give me a life I thought I always wanted, and he just… sucked.” Eyes stinging, I fought back against tears. “And I thought that all I ever wanted was the life I have now, was the life movie stars and the Kardashians lived. But… But I hate it. I hated every second I was away from you.” I let out a weak laugh, unable to stop the tears. “I wanted to turn around the second I got on the bus in New Orleans, but my stupid stubborn ass didn’t. I should have. I should’ve gotten off and just run right back to you because I… I love you, James. I always have.”
The garage had gone almost deadly quiet, and my heart sank when I realized Bucky looked almost frozen in shock.
“I know that I shouldn’t have showed up like this,” I scrambled to say. “But I… I’ve been trying to get my divorce finalized for two years and I finally did, and I kept telling myself that once it was done, I’d never hold myself back from what I really want ever again. From who I want. If… If you want me.” My face felt like it was on fire, my hands shaking. I shook my head as I took a step backwards. “What am I thinking? There’s no way you’re not married. I… I’m so so—”
Before I could finish the word ‘sorry,’ Bucky had closed the distance between us, his hands cradling my face so gently. He held me like I was made of fine crystal as he kissed me. He kissed me like his life depended on it, like I was the one source of oxygen.
And I kissed him back just as fiercely. “I love you. I love you so much,” I breathed out in between kisses, unwilling to let him go as my Hermés bag fell into the dust and oil on the concrete below.
Bucky smiled into the kiss, his arm wrapping around my waist to keep me pressed to his chest. “I love you so much, darlin.’ God, I’ve missed you…” His nose nudged against mine as we finally broke for air, both of us breathing heavily.
My knees felt like Jell-O as I held onto him. His grip was the only reason I hadn’t fallen to the ground already.
“I’m sorry I was a dumb twenty-two year old,” I said, snorting as he stole another kiss.
“No… Don’t be sorry,” he insisted, his fingers massaging my scalp as our foreheads pressed together. It was like he was scared to stop touching me, like I would disappear at any second. “You were young… You had to go out and make your own mistakes… I’ve just been waiting for the day you were ready.”
All the years apart melted away and all that remained was the two of us, two souls so intertwined that there was no way to truly separate us.
Our lips were half molded together as I said, “I’m never leaving you again. I promise I swear on everything…”
My heart almost stopped inside my chest as I heard someone clearing their throat, looking to see Bucky’s father staring at us with his arms crossed over his chest. “M-Mr. Barnes, sir…”
He gave a crooked smile that was so reminiscent of Bucky that I couldn’t help but grin back. “The Mrs. will wanna know if you’re staying for dinner.”
“Yeah,” I said as I looked up at Bucky, toying with a strand of his hair. “That sounds perfect.”
Later that night, Bucky and I laid in his bed, a mess of bare limbs as his fingers ran up and down my back soothingly. “What do you want from this life, baby girl?” He asked absentmindedly.
Humming, I traced shapes on his bare chest, sometimes pressing a kiss to where his prosthetic met his shoulder, on the tender scar tissue. “You.”
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, despite the already mischievous look on his face. “Really? Not even the stars and the moon?” He asked teasingly.
I knew he’d give it to me anyway, give me all that he could. But I was sure now that the only thing I wanted from this life was his love. “Not even the stars and the moon.”
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tommyspeakycap · 4 years ago
Note
I love your work! I was wondering if you’d be willing to write something about (toddler) baby Shelby having Alfie help her bake a cake for Tommy
omggggg that’s so so cute!!
A Bakers Help
The burly Camden Town ‘baker’ was nothing short of completely shocked when he heard a soft banging on his office door in the mid afternoon. His eyebrows had furrowed and he had kept his hand readily on his weapon so he was prepared in the event of an enemy being on the other side of the door. He was surprised to say the least when he tugged open the door and had to look down multiple inches to spot she who knocked on the door.
There stood a little girl. One he knew fairly well but who’s appearance outside his office was still a shock. That little girl was notorious around most of England, especially in heavily gang populated territories where the “Shelby” was a household name and everybody who knew that name knew the littlest member of the family was something akin to a jewel in Tommy Shelby’s crown. Alfie had been curious as to whether or not she was actually attached to Thomas Shelby’s hip in consideration to how much time she spent right by his side, teetering along on little legs so he knew she was safe right by his side. It wasn’t often that Tommy entrusted others to watch over his youngest sister, so it would be safe to say that Alfie was incredibly confused.
“Good morning.” The little girl greets, her lips plastered with a bright smile as she lifts a hand to wave at him. Alfie braces himself on either side of his doorway with strong hands so as to lean out of his office to look out into the ‘bakery’ to both the left and right before stepping back in. “Mhm yes it was actually. Where’s your brothers?” He asks, turning his eyes back to the girl in the doorway who fights to pull her wool coat back up from falling off her arms due to the fact it hadn’t been buttoned up. The girl shrugs, “Dunno...Can I come in?” She asks politely, “It’s very cold.”
Alfie Solomons squints his eyes and forms a crease between his brows, but even he can’t deny the chill in the winter breeze through the unheated factory and the shivering of the child, and so he steps to the side and gestures her in the door. Alfie hums, or maybe something more akin to a grumble, in thought as the five year old wanders around his office to take in the whole surroundings. “And where are your pikey brothers then yeah?” His voice rumbles deep and gravelly the same way it always does, not missing the chance or thinking twice about dropping an insult to the Shelby men as he speaks. The youngest of the clan shrugs her little shoulders. “Dunno,” she says again, “I’m with Ada. Told her i was going out to play.”
The words most definitely do worry Alfie Solomons after the girl with Tommy Shelby’s striking blue eyes and his heart in the palm of her tiny hand finishes speaking flippantly. It occurs to him that she’s simply too young to understand both risk and consequence. She knows that Tommy Shelby dotes on her like the little princess he believes her to be. She knows he loves her, he tells her every day. However, Alfie knows the far darker side to that love. He’s heard of people brutally murdered with remains unidentifiable after coming close to her, and although Alfie has no desire to harm a child who probably doesn’t even understand what it is the rest of her family do when she’s not around, that doesn’t reassure him even in the slightest that Tommy, Arthur, Ada and John Shelby along with Polly Gray wouldn’t rip him to shreds if they knew their little princess was stood in his office for whatever reason.
“Right,” Alfie states, “Better get you home then,” He strides easily towards the door to hold it open, but the little girl simply quirks one eyebrow and remains where she stands. “It’s Tommy’s birthday soon.” She declares, looking up at the hardened London gangster as if he poses no threat nor fear to her in the slightest bit. She smiles at him, big and bright. She didn’t know him. She didn’t know if he was violent, didn’t know if he was supposed to be scary. She just knew she had met him before, he was relatively funny as the 5 year old obviously did not pick up on the thinly veiled threats hiding beneath the verbal back and forth between her favourite brother and the man she stood with now, and more importantly than anything; she knew he was a ‘baker’. “You need a cake on your birthday, you know.” She adds very matter of factly, and Alfie Solomons doesn’t fight the little grin he gives. “And you’re a baker, so you can make good cakes. I need you to help me make Tommy’s cake for birthday cake time on Saturday.”
There’s virtually no way this little girl had just come up with this by herself. The way she acts, her generosity, her sweetness and her absolute insistence of cake for her brothers birthday was not something she had adapted by herself. Children don’t just come up with these things. That thought, for Alfie, means that those who have raised her have drilled a certain kindness into her. Thomas Shelby has raised his little sister to be the kind of kid who will find a man she thinks is a baker just because her brother told her he was, so that he can help her make a cake. That makes Alfie want to laugh. Tommy Shelby acts the part, but Solomons now knows he’s the type who taught a little girl about the importance of cake and birthday fun.
“Fine.” Alfie responds, out stretching his arm to gesture the little girl out into the factory. He did actually have a designated area for the ‘bakery’ just in the event that someone came looking or investigating and he needed to show there was actually a bakery there. He was thankful for that now, because he got the feeling that there was little to no chance he would have gotten away from the very very persistent little Shelby trailing behind him. It becomes apparent very quickly that little (y/n) will have no luck when it comes to seeing what was going on up on the counter, considering she wasn’t even nearly the same height as it, never mind tall enough see over it. Alfie has to get creative in that respect, eyes flicking around until they lands on a a stack of crates that he grabs a couple of to pile them next to the counter so that the youngest Shelby can contribute as she pleased to the cake making.
All things considered, Alfie was actually a fairly good baker. He didn’t come up with the idea of a bakery to cover his illegal business work for no reason. He knew he could bake if it was necessary (which it sometimes was to smuggle alcohol), so this ask from the little girl who had a list of ingredients and an exact image of how she wanted this cake to look, wasn’t a huge task for him.
In the process of the bake, Alfie learned a lot. He learned that little Shelby couldn’t quite pronounce her L’s (which Tommy was apparently working on with her), so she called him Afie. He learned that Tommy’s favourite cake was vanilla sponge, which was why it was a four tier vanilla sponge with extra strawberry jam that his sweet little sister had chosen. He learned that the little girl got here by very discretely tripping up her cousin, Karl, so that Ada was preoccupied giving him a plaster for his knee and stopping his tears and (y/n) snuck off from Ada’s London home in the direction she felt like she remembered Tommy going when he had taken her to Alfie’s bakery once, albeit leaving her in the car with Arthur and John. She had to ask for directions from confused strangers a few times, but ultimately she found the place on her own. Alfie learned that little Shelby talks a lot. She’s very clever, can follow instructions a lot better than most children of a similar age. It had become increasingly clear she didn’t see any problem with talking about the fun things she did with her brothers. The way Arthur and John like to throw her about to hear her giggles, how Tommy tucks her in every single night that he can. How he tickles her, how he still carries her around even though her aunt Polly protests it. How good her aunt Polly’s cooking is. How much she loves her family. She sees no problem with divulging these soft family moments, although Tommy would probably be absolutely appalled that people knew these things about him and his brothers. It made the head of the Peaky Blinders seem so incredibly mundane.
Alfie could see now why that sweet girl was so loved and held so dear by the family. He also had to wonder if she truly was one of them. She was funny and bright, she giggled with him and babbled on about sorts of rubbish. Alas, she was bossy as Thomas himself. She was loud like Arthur, sarcastic as John, self assured as Polly, as independent as Finn and opinionated as Ada. She made sure to tell Alfie exactly how to stack the first layer while she mixed ingredients for the next layer and he was kept on a very short leash, reminded every so often that he was not to dip his fingers in any of the mixtures and leaning over as he worked to tell him Tommy liked more jam than what Alfie had put on.
“Wait!” She yelps out, leaping off the makeshift kitchen stool made from those bottle crates to chase after Alfie until she reaches the man who was carrying the cake towards a box. “Finishing touches,” she insists, ever so slightly dusting the cake with powdered icing sugar to give a final decorational appearance. Alfie smiles subconsciously as the small girl stands back with a proud grin, turning her eyes to man holding the cake, “Thank you Afie,” she beams, her cute little way of saying his name never lost on him as his heart flutters. “Welcome, baby Shelby.” He responds as he slips it into the cake box he’d ordered one of his men to go and get without question.
Alfie was certain he would step outside his bakery and London would be burning. He expected to have Shelby’s killing people on the streets searching for their baby, their sweet little princess. He assumed (and rightly so) that Ada hadn’t told Tommy that she had absolutely no idea where his most precious little love was for genuine fear of his reaction and so she had mobilised some friends and acquaintances she had made while in London to try finding her little sister. Albeit they were evidently unsuccessful and absolutely no one expected little (y/n) to be baking with Alfie Solomons for her gangster brothers birthday because she just loves him so.
Ada literally burst out the front door frantically when she saw the car headlights pull up outside her house, wrapping herself tightly in her coat as Alfie Solomons lifts her little sister down out of the car. The 5 year old stands innocent as ever next to the man who Tommy never truly knows if he can trust or not as he reaches back into the car to lift out a white cake box with two strong hands. “Better keep a closer eye on this one yeah?” He gestured his head to (y/n) who runs towards Ada and jumps into her open arms to be squeezed incredibly, almost painfully tightly. “Never run off like that again!” She hisses, her concern and anxiety clear behind her words as she speaks into her sisters soft hair, stroking it with her hand for some form of reassurance.
“Sorry Ada,” she hums cutely in response, “We made Tommy a cake though, for his birthday!” Ada let’s go of (y/n) and turns to the little girl. “Go inside and find Aunt Pol, i’ll be in shortly.” She says as she eyes Alfie Solomons with the stoney faced glare he assumes she learned from Polly Gray and her often stoney resolve. “Bye bye Afie!” The 5 year old chimes, scuttling up to him to wrap her arms around his legs for a moment before turning and running off with a wave at the doorstep with Alfie a little bit to stunned by how kind she was to him despite the bad man he was to do much else than wave after her. “You,” Ada snipped, cutting him out of his thoughts and crossing her arms firmly over her chest, “Baked a cake with my little sister?” Her words leak with confusion, eyebrows furrowed with her head tilted in question as she continues to be unable to think of any reason why Alfie Solomons hadn’t turned the little girl away or even used her as a bargaining chip with threats of harm to the child if Tommy didn’t do as Alfie wanted. Instead he baked with her a cake for Thomas and she was returned without a bump, not even a hair on her head harmed. He had returned the little Shelby who was uncharacteristically clumsy for a Shelby without her falling off of anything, burning herself on any ovens or accidentally eating something she was supposed to.
“Yeah.” Alfie responds, shrugging his shoulders at the same time. Ada steps closer to him to try in some way to read what he’s not saying, her heels clicking with each step. “And you want nothing for it?” She presses, her eyes narrowed as he shrugs. “Birthday gift innit yeah?” He grumbles, handing the cake to Ada. “She’s the best of you lot,” he states firmly as he turns his back to climb back into his car, “Keep her that way yeah?”
Ada’s frown turns to a soft smile as she nods, watching as Alfie Solomons pulls his door shut firmly and turns on his ignition.
“Mr Solomons, Oi!” She calls after him, forcing him to roll down his window to hear what she has to say. “Thank you.” She breathes, “For looking after her and bringing her home. And for the cake.” Alfie nods his head in acknowledgment. Ada isn’t sure what else to say. She still feels fairly nauseous at the fact her little sister was missing for virtually the whole day and littered with further nerves at the fact Tommy would be around to pick her up in a half hour and it wasn’t like little Shelby to keep quiet about anything, especially not when it came to Tommy and especially when it came to her adventures that her favourite brother hadn’t been part of, so assuredly she would let him know all about her baking day with Alfie after the cake was revealed tomorrow afternoon for his birthday. Alfie knew this too and he imagined he’d get a visit from the head of the Peaky Blinders relatively soon after he found out.
Tommy would probably be as confused as Ada as to why Alfie looked after little (y/n) the way he did. Alfie couldn’t even really explain it himself, she just warmed up his heart and the sweet little girl showed Alfie truly why Tommy loves that little girl so much. She brings laughter and happiness and fun. She brings light into a very, very dark life and Alfie appreciates that dedication Tommy had to keeping her safe a lot more now. He himself now had a soft spot for the kid and there was a part of him that knew for a fact he too would be making sure no one in his circle was breathing words of harming that little girl who had promised she would bake with him again, and had his birthday written on her hand so she could bake for his birthday.
Maybe the Shelby’s weren’t so bad after all.
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bakuhoes-dumbass · 3 years ago
Text
ABERRATION BOYS BIRTHDAY SPECIAL!
A/N: Hello my nerds, today is my Birthday! So to celebrate my unfortunate birth, I'm doing a special scenario post for my Ab!Boys!
~~
What do the boys from Aberration get you for your birthday?! (GN!Reader!)
These are NOT cannon to the storline.
Warnings: VERY DARK CONTENT. Yandere Headcannons ahead. Mentions of skinning, non-con cum-eating and video recording, stalking, murder, mutilation, manipulation, etc. If you are uncomfortable with these types of things, DO NOT READ. Proceed with caution, as I do not feel bad if you choose to do so while being warned.
MINORS DNI
~~~
Tokoyami
You're seated on the bed, staring at your simple but beautiful ankle bracelet Tokoyami bought for you. Smiling, you fiddle with the gems, entranced by the sparkle that reflects off them.
"Starlight?"
Your head snaps up to see your boyfriend sticking his head through the door way. A love-sick smile grows on your face. "Fumi, you're back!"
He chuckles before slipping through the door way and sits down on the bed, hands behind his back. "Do you remember what today is?" Your face scrunches up in thought before shaking your head. He sighs warmly at the cute look on your face. "Today's your birthday, my starlight. And I got you something."
Tokoyami moves his hands from behing him and your eyes light up upon seeing the book he hands you. "Fumi, thank you! It's beautiful." Your hand traces over the cover, following the lines of the ornate designs. "It looks so familiar..." you mumble.
Tokoyami swallows the lump in his throat. "It's one of a kind, love. Would you like me to read it to you?" He tries to steer the conversation away from your feeling of familiarity, not wantinf you to realize it's one of your old books from before he took you.
You nod excitedly and climb into his lap. His arms circle around you and hold you tight, as his thumb grazes over your anklet, eyes boring into the gems that track your every movement.
Kirishima-
"Happy Birthday to my Pebble~ Happy Birthday to my Pebble~"
You glare at the redhead smiling and dancing in front of you as you tug at your restraints. A low huff leaves your lips. "Can you stop? I don't want you celebrating my birthday."
Kirishima stops dancing and gives you a puppy-dog stare. "But why? It's the day my beautiful wife was born! It should be a day to rejoice!"
"Kirishima, I'm not your wife! I'm nor your girlfriend! I'm not anything to you!" You sit up in the bed you were restrained to, only able to move so far forward. "You drugged me, kidnapped me and are currently holding me against my will."
Kirishima watches with a mixture of sadness and anger at your defiant attitude. He hates it when you struggle. He doesn't understand why you're so reluctant to be here! With him! Your husband! That's when he remembers your gift.
"Oh! This is a perfect time to give you your birthday present!"
He drops to his knees and crawls under the bed. You hear rummeging underneath you and your terror spikes. You knew what he kept under the bed, so this couldn't be good. As he comes back up, he's holding a pair of black leather cuffs.
"Surprise! I got you new cuffs!" He climbes onto the bed and straddles you. "These are so cool because instead of being just normal cuffs, they have these two little metal rivets that will shock you whenever I want!"
Your eyes widen and your mouth opens to scream. Kirishima is quick, however. He grabs your face with his hand, hardening it so your scream is muffled. His face geta closer to yours, that sickening grin never leaving.
"Baby, you don't like it? Do you want something else? Don't worry! I have another gift in mind. How about a fresh, bloodied heart that was ripped out of the chest of that mean boss of yours?"
Hawks
"You see this right here?" Your cowroker holds her hand out, showing you and your fellow employees her brand new diamond ring. "He finally proposed! It was about time. It took him awhile to get an ACTUAL ring worthy of me, though. But it's so expensive and beautiful, EEP!"
Keigo watches as you roll your eyes for the thousandth time. He could tell you were getting annoyed, and I mean, who wouldn't? Your coworker has always been a complete bitch to everyone, a lot directed at you.
"Oof, it just sucks that Y/N can't seem to find someone. That's probably the only way they'll be able to look a little less," she looks you up and down. "Er, homeless."
Keigo watches from his perch as you flip her off snd walk away. His hands clench tightly into fists, desperately wanting to knock a bitch out. That's when it hit him. It was your birthday today! And now he knew just what he wanted to gift you.
~~~
"Bye guys, and thank you!"
You wave to your friends after they drop you off at home. They had taken you out for dinner for your birthday and you bad fun. Definitely something you needed after the crappy morning you had.
As you walk up to your door, you notice a small package waiting for you outside. You smile, wondering of it was your long distance partner sending you a birthday gift. You carefully open the package, but once you see the contents, a scream is ripped out of your throat and you stumble away from the box.
Inside, what a severed finger with an absolutely beautiful diamond ring still on it. You failed to notice a small blood-covered note flitter to the floor.
'Happy Birthday, babybird. I hope you like it.'
Tamaki
Tamaki stares at you from behind a tree. He's been following you for a few hours now, just basking in all your wonderful glory. He stares at you with nothing but pure love and adoration in his eyes, wishing he could actually get up the nerve to speak to you.
Finally you're off of work and headed home. He really hates seeing you talk to all those really pretty people. What if you were to get a partner?! That wasn't him?! He whimpers at the thought, hands clenching and unclenching.
"Y/N!"
The sound of your name snaps him out of his thoughts. He watches as your friend, whom he deemed not-a-threat yet, skip up to you.
"Are you doing anything for your birthday tomorrow?"
Tamaki's face turns pale. Your birthday! How could he forget the most important day of his life?! The day his precious bunny was born. You would be so disappointed in him. He reluctantly scrambles away from his hiding spot and runs home to get your gift.
~~~
"Oh?"
You stand in your doorway, a package sitting on your front steps. You tilt your head in curiosity and pick it up. Opening it up, you find the most adorable stuffed bunny you've ever seen. And a note.
"Y/N, Happy Birthday! I hope you like this bunny, I thought if you when I saw it. Love, your secret admirer."
You squeal slightly and hug the soft fluff, thinking this was from your flirty coworker. You bring it up to your room and sit it on your bed next to your other stuffies.
Tamaki stares at the screen on his phone, his face bright red at the hug you gave the stuffed bunny. It actually felt like you were hugging him! His happiness was through the roof. He knew you would love it!
But his attention now is back on you as he watches you slowly take your clothes off, one by one, to get ready for bed. His tongue practically falls out of his mouth, watching your bare back closely.
One day, he swears he won't have to watch through the camera.
Overhaul
Chronos watches you closely over the top of his book. You glare at him with tears in your eyes while huddled up in the furthest corner of your human sized cage. Hugging your knees tighter to your chest, you turn your gaze away with a sniffle.
"You know the boss wouldn't want you to cry on your birthday."
You roll your eyes and grip you legs tighter. "I doubt someone who keeps a human in a cage really cares about when they want to cry." You sigh. "Besides, he probably doesn't even give a shit if it's my birthday. I don't even give a shit, at this point."
"Of course I care."
The hair on your body stands up on end as the voice of your captor appears. Fear shoots through you upon seeing his masked face. In one hand he has a gift bag, the other stuffed in his pocket.
"Why wouldn't I care about my pet's birthday?"
He squats to unlock the cage and gestures you over with his finger. You swallow the lump in your throat and crawl out to him, knowing the consequences if you don't follow his rules. He sits down in his chair and pats the side of his thigh for you to kneel next to him.
He opens the gift bag and pulls out a dog collar. A part of you wanted to gag at the thought of being collard to this maniac. But another part of you couldn't help but think how absolutely gorgeous and expensive this collar looked.
"Oh, it's beautiful... Master." You wanted to slap yourself for calling him that, but you had no choice. The last thing you want is to be punished.
Kai hums with approval at your words before buckling the collar around your neck. He finsihes it off with a small padlock to the back, so no one can remove it except for him. A gloves finger grazes over your neck in admiration before looking over to Chronos.
"Prep them for a routone cleaning."
The calmed state you were in was once more replaced by terror. "No, please Master! I've been good, I promise! Please dont do this!" You scramble backwards, away from the two masked men. But Kai was quick and hooked his fingers under your collar, dragging yoi back to him.
"You know this is a must, pet. I need to make sure every inch of you is cleansed before I send any more time with you." He taps the side of your collar with his free hand. "And there is no use attempting to run away. This will forever track any movement you make from here on out."
Kai throws your body over to Chronos, who throws your struggling self over his shoulder.
"Oh, and Happy Birthday, my pet."
Shoto
"Darling~"
You stir in your bed, hearing your boyfriend's voice.
"Darling, wake up~"
Eyes open to see a blurry red and white haired man softly smiling down at you. You stretch your body out and yawn with a cute smile.
"Mmmm Sho, good morning~"
Shoto sighs softly, admiring your beautiful features. "Guess what day it is today. It's a very special day."
You tolt your head, trying to remember the exact date but you are the sure. It's been while since time actually mattered.
"It's your birthday, darling! Happy Birthday! I've got something fun planned for you~"
You sit up, your chains rattling against the bed frame. "You do? I'm so excited! What is it?"
Shoto holds up his black card. "We're going shopping. I'll be getting whatever your heart desires."
Your eyes widen. "Wait, does that mean I actually get to go out? Really?!"
Shoto's smile falters before returning to a softened look. Slight guilt flashes in his eyes. "Darling, you know I can't let you go outside. It's not safe. No, we're doing online shopping~" Shoto grabs his phone and crawls behind you, sitting you in his lap. "Here lets look through some sights and get you some cute stuff."
"I want my darling to have everything they want, so they don't want to leave~"
Dabi
"Mouse."
You stay huddled up in the corner of the room, knees to your chest, not even daring to look at him. Dabi frowns at your defiant behavior. He knows he took you without your permission, but that was so long ago. Shouldn't you have been broken in by now?
"Little Mouse."
You continue to rock back and fourth on the floor, chains clanking together. Dabi sighs, annoyance starting to eat at him. He walks over to you and grabs yoi by the throat, lifting you up.
"You are to respond when I'm speaking to you. Understand?" You let out a little squeak and quickly nod your head with widened eyes. He sits you down on the bed and gives you a lazy smile. "That's better. Now, I have something for you."
He opens the closet door to bring out a box. He places it in front of you. "Happy Birthday, my little mouse."
"Oh, yeah. That's today." You mumble quietly. Kmowing Dabi, this gift was going to have some sort of catch but curiosity got the better of you. But curiosity turned into regret immediately as you throw the lid and scream.
Inside the box were a pair of boots. But they weren't jusf any pair of boots, they were handmade. It was human skin staples together, making them look just like Dabi himself.
"What, does my little mouse not like them?" He smirks before climbing on the bed. He grabs your legs and pulls you down towards him with a manic look on his face.
"That's fine. How about I burn my name into you instead?"
Bakugo
"KATSUKI!"
You jolt up in bed, suddenly awakened by a nightmare. Looking next to you, you see your boyfriend's side of the bed empty. A whimper escapes your lips as yoi trt to calm your racing heart.
"Angel?!" The door to the bedroom slams open, Bakugo's quirk popping in his hands and waiting to attack whomever touched his precious angel. He looks around frantically but notices nothing except your heavy breathing and sweat covered body. "Are you alright? What happened?"
You motion towards him with a sniffle and grabby hands. "I had a dream that you locked me back up in the basement again for days, without you." He comes sits next to you on the bed and pushes the hair out of your sweat covered face. "It was dark and silent and terrifying. Please don't do that again! I would miss you! I've been good, I promise!"
Bakugo sighs and pulls you into a hug. "I know, Angel. You've been doing so well, I'm so proud of you." He plants a kiss on your head as you relax into his arms. "I have a surprise for you actually. Stay right here."
You nod your head, watching him leave the room for a moment, your ankle tugging on the chain that attached you to the bed. I mean, it's not like you would get very far. Bakugo comes back in with a plate of cake and a candle.
"Happy Birthday, my beautiful angel."
Your eyes light up as he sets the piece of cake in front of you. You blow out the candle and take a bite, savoring the taste. "Kats, this is so good! The cake is so fluffy and the frosting is creamy and sweet. Thank you!"
Bakugo watches you with a lovesick grin on his face. He goes to adjust the tightness in his pants as he watches you devour his specially made cake without hesitation.
Denki
"Yeah, it's been super weird. I've been finding these little pieces of jewelry on my bed almost every night the past week."
You continue cleaning the counter as you explain to your cowroker the weird things that have been happening to you. She gives you a strange look.
"Are you sure you haven't misplaced your jewelry on your bed and just forgot?"
You turn your head to give her a dumbfounded look. "Uh, yeah. I think I would remember putting jewelry I've nevee seen before on my bed at the same time every night."
"Well, I don't know! It's just so weird. I don't have any other rational explanation." She suddenly gasps. "What if you have a stalker?!"
"Shh, don't say things like that." You hiss at her but a part of you is wondering if that might be true.
After your shift ends, you wave goodbye and begin your journey home. Unbeknownst to you, an energetic blonde watches as you walk home, excited for you to see your final birthday gift.
Once you step through the door of your house, something feels off. Having a weird feeling, you immediately but slowly make your way to your bedroom and turn on the lights. That's when you see a small but long white box placed on your bed, this time with a note. You carefully open the box to reveal a gorgeous necklace with a small black and yellow lightning bolt charm. Swallowing the lump in your throat, you reluctantly open up the note, hoping to finally uncover some answers.
"Happy Birthday, my dear. You can call me Kaminari. And soon, you will be all mine."
Midoriya
*Click*
You turn around upon hearing the closing of a camera shutter but see nothing. Thinking it's all in your head, you shrug and continue to walk to your parents for your birthday dinner.
"Shit, that was too close." Midoriya mumbles under his breath as he hides in a set of bushes just beyond your vision. He scrolls through his camera roll, looking through every single shot to make sure he's got what he needs.
"These aee perfect! Oh they're going to love it!" He checks to make sure you're long gone before he scrambles out of his hiding spot and runs home to make your gift.
~~~
You unlock the door to your house and step inside with a sigh. As much as you love your birthday and seeing your family, sometimes they can be a little much. Now it's time for you to sit back and relax. You change into your pajamas and turn on your comfort movie with a drink in hand, when suddenly your doorbell rings.
"Who the hell is here at 10 at night?"
You carefully peek through the peep hole in your door, not seeing anyone. Slowly, you open the door and look down to see a neatly wrapped gift. You know you probably shouldn't take a strange gift off of your doorstep, but curiosity gets the better of you.
Taking it back to your livingroom, you open it to reveal a scrapbook. Anxiety raises through your body as you open the first page. Eyes widen in horror the further you flip through, non-consentual pictures taken of you and your family litter the pages. Not only are there ones from being out in public, but private, intimate moments that no one should have seen. But the moment you found a lock of your hair glued to one of the pages was the moment you called the police.
Shinso
Shinso squats infront of you as you stare at him with dead eyes.
"Kitten, I have a surprise for you today."
You shake your head, mumbling. "I don't want it."
Shinso caresses your cheek with his hand before giving it a quick slap. You try ti3 jerk your head away but he grips your cheeks, squishing them together. "Stop being a brat, you don't even know what it is yet. Now, stand up."
You don't even get a chance to stand up yourself as Shinso hauls you up by your face. "I'm taking you out for your birthday."
Your eyea widen in fear and you shake your head. "N-No, please. I'd rather stay here. L-Let's do something together here. Please."
Shinso clicks his tongue. "Come now, kitten. I'm letting you go outside. We don't do this very often, it's a special treat. Is it not?"
You shake your head. "Please, no, everytime you take me out you-"
You go silent, mind fogged over and once again, under his control. There are moments when he mind-controls you to where you don't remember anything the morning after and those moments are awful. But when he feels like being extra cruel? He finally takes you outside, taking you out to eat, to see a movie, to go shopping. You're under his control the entire time but you remember everything. You are right there, fully aware of whats happening around you but can't do anything to ask for help, to save yourself. And it's terrifying
A tear rolls down your cheek as you follow him out the front door, his hand in yours. He smirks, knowing you could never leave him.
"Happy Birthday, Kitten."
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dameronology · 4 years ago
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you have my number {bucky barnes x reader}
summary: bucky barnes' memory is a little selective, thanks to all the brainwashing - but one thing he'll never forget is his love for you, even if you're a complete & utter pain in the ass. his ass. (based on deja vu by olivia rodigro)
^even tho this fic refers to bucky as having a new gf, the reader is still g.n :)
this is spoiler free! enjoyyy
- jazz xx
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Your relationship with Bucky Barnes had been nothing short of a train wreck.
And frankly, that was putting it nicely.
It had been a short & passionate affair; intense and sweet and filled with so much emotion in such high concentrations that you'd both almost drowned in it. For every euphoric moment, there had been one so low that you'd scraped your knees on the ground. Climbing a ladder to heaven whilst simultaneously digging your own graves had taken its toll on you both, and eventually, you had no choice but to go your separate ways. It had been for your own sanity, really.
So there he was, tucked away in a neat little box in your brain, labelled don't touch, ever. Even when you were completely wasted, surrounded by your friends and their respective lovers, you never dared to venture back down that particular memory lane. Forgetting all the bad parts and selectively remembering the good parts was easy enough to do, but you had the common sense to remember why you'd broken up in the first place. Because Bucky Barnes, despite being easy on the eyes and having a charming sense of humour, was a pain in your fucking ass. He managed to press every one of your buttons without even trying and his ability to bring out the best in you was completely and entirely wiped out by his tendency to bring out the worst. That wasn't even getting started on his emotional hold-ups; a can of worms neither of you had dared to open until it became the very reason for your demise.
Six months had passed, and you'd managed to expertly avoid him. You worked different missions and Sam Wilson, god bless his sweet soul, went the extra mile to ensure your paths never crossed in a professional sense. On a personal level, however? That was a little more difficult. New York City felt a lot smaller after your break up. You found yourself occasionally ducking under your hood when you saw him on the F-train, or rushing to cross the road when you saw him coming towards you on the street.
That was when you had the whole city to lose yourself in; streets and shops and little food carts to distract yourself with should you need to. Being confined to the same room for a work party was a different story entirely, and one you didn't want to read. Yet, thanks to some insistence from your boss and a little grovelling from your colleagues, you found yourself rocking up to the former Avengers tower on a Friday night.
"So you do exist outside of your work uniform?" Sam Wilson greeted you with a quirked eyebrow.
"Yeah, yeah - nice to see you too, Wilson."
Despite your initial attempts to elbow him in the rips, he wrestled you off of him and pulled you into a tight hug. Sam was one of your favourite colleagues and oldest friends - he'd witnessed the rise and fall of your relationship with Bucky, and been there for you both during the break-up. That had been an exhausting few days, running between your respective apartments in an attempt to offer emotional support to you both.
"D'you want some champagne?" He asked.
"I'm good, but thank-"
You froze, eyes widening at the sight of James Barnes across the room. He looked quintessentially the same, bar for the fact his hair was a little longer and he had a fresh, pink scar under his left eye. Having ditched his usual attire for a black blazer, he looked good. Annoyingly so, in fact. It made you secretly grateful that you'd chosen to dress up a little more than usual too.
"- on second thoughts." You took the flute of champagne from Sam, also grabbing a shot of vodka from the same trey. It was gone in seconds.
"Need I ask?" Sam gave you a playful frown. His brown eyes followed your gaze over his shoulder, landing on the man you'd been staring at. "Ah. I need not."
"Sorry." You murmured. "We haven't actually spoken since, y'know."
"Since you had a break-up that made Ross and Rachel look good?"
"I don't think Bucky has ever seen Friends." You quipped.
"His loss." Sam shrugged. "You should talk to him."
"Nope." You snorted. "Absolutely not. I don't even know if he's moved on."
"Judging by the pretty blonde on his arm, I think he has," Sam replied. "Would you look at that! They're headed right for us."
That was a lot of information to process at once. You would have needed a week alone for your poor, tired brain to deal with the fact that Bucky had someone else on his arm, and a further three days to big yourself up enough to talk to him. Alas, that was not the case tonight. Instead, you had about five seconds between Sam finishing his sentence and your ex-boyfriend reaching you. It was just as well you found the energy within that timeframe to down your champagne.
You could see the woman on his arm clearer now. To give credit where credit was due, she stunning. She looked like the sort of girl who smelt of strawberries and Chanel, and grew her own vegetables on the fire escape. The kind of person you swore to be with every New Year that came, but quickly ditched after a week, returning to drinking coffee from the Starbucks under your apartment rather than going to the organic, vegan place a few blocks over. There was an ethereal glow about her and fuck. You were mad.
"Sam!" Bucky called out to his friend - for a minute, you thought he was ignoring you, before you realised he genuinely didn't recognise you. Your name rolled off his tongue with a tone of uncertainty, as though he was learning a new language and still learning how to pronounce things. "Wow. You look...different."
"So do you." You shot back. "Who's your friend?"
"This is Katie." He awkwardly smiled. "My...my girlfriend."
"It's nice to meet you." You forced an equally pained grin, taking her hand in a shake.
"How do you and Bucky know each other?" She asked.
"Work." Bucky quickly said. You thinned your eyes at him, almost in disbelief.
"So you're an Avenger like these two?" Katie asked, clearly not picking up on the tension. "That's so cool."
"Not in an official capacity." You replied. "But they'd be fucked without me."
--
The night only got longer from there, really.
There wasn't enough champagne in the world to help the void in your soul. It was a gaping wound that Bucky Barnes had both filled and widened - and tonight, he was doing the latter. It sounded as though him and Katie were having a grand ol' time of it. From the parts of the conversation that you'd actually bothered to listen to, you'd gathered that she'd arrived in New York from London just over three months ago. That meant she had a fucking accent. Of course she did. It made everything she said a thousand times more interesting.
"We were in Paris, in this little cafe. What was it called, babe? Maison de vie?"
"Maison de l'amour, doll." Bucky corrected her. It had only sounded right when he was calling you that.
Your eyes shot up from your drink, immediately staring daggers at them both. The slimy bastard. You had been the one to show him that place. You'd been in Paris for a mission, and after realising it was your four-month anniversary, you'd taken him there for pancakes. It had been a slow morning, filled with hazy eyes and pink skies, and it had ended with him dropping the L-bomb for the first time. The photo you'd taken of Bucky, sat beside a pile of pancakes the same size of him and with whipped cream on his chin, had been your phone background until the day you broke up.
"I've been there." You didn't break away from his gaze, holding cold blue eyes in a trance that he found to be almost suffocating.
"Oh, nice!" Katie beamed. "Did you enjoy it?"
"Yeah." You sniffed. "The company was shit, though."
"Oh, man." She replied. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's not your fault." You gave her a sweet smile - to Bucky, it was a look of venom. "So, tell me more about your trip to Paris."
He quickly cleared his throat. "We didn't do much. Just a weekend getaway-"
"- are you forgetting that we saw Billy Joel?" Katie cut him off with a laugh. "The Billy Joel!"
"Right." It looked as though his mouth had gone completely dry.
"He told me he loved me for the first time to Uptown Girl-"
"-excuse me for a moment." You shoved your glass in her hand, before backing away from your little huddle.
Your brain was focused on getting away and only on getting away. The room suddenly felt a thousand times hotter, and a thousand times smaller too, as though the walls were closing in on you. Maybe that wouldn't have been so bad if they'd just collapsed around you and swallowed you fucking whole. Anything to get away from this situation.
Making a beeline for the balcony doors, you elbowed them open and stepped outside. The cold air of the rooftop gardens was a welcome contrast to the stuffy indoors, biting, night air hitting your face like an icy hug. The sounds of the city rung below you - sirens and yells and tourists - and tangled into the faint sound of the music, all parts of a world that your brain was working overtime to block out.
You focused on the city instead, using the bright lights of the surrounding buildings to anchor you to reality. None of it really even made sense - you were over Bucky. Had been for a long time. It was just the thought of him doing all the things that he'd done with you, with someone else. It made you feel a little bad for Katie, too.
"I was going to tell you about Billy Joel."
You glanced over your shoulder, giving a derivative snort. "Piss off, Bucky."
"I'm serious." He ignored your demand, cautiously approaching you.
"I brought you those tickets!" You turned around to face him. "We were meant to go together. Billy Joel was our thing."
"We broke up!' He reminded you. "Like I said, I was going to tell you that we went together-"
"- I don't care." You cut him off. "I genuinely don't care."
"That was a lot of storming off for someone who doesn't care."
"Okay, maybe I care a little bit." You huffed, taking a seat on a bench. "It's not even that you're with someone else, it's that you're doing all the things we did. The nicknames, the pancake place, the concert."
"I..." Bucky took a seat beside you, pondering for a moment.
"And declaring your love for someone to Uptown Girl is fucking weird." You muttered.
"Do you have a better suggestion?"
"Vienna, obviously."
"You're such a pain in the ass." Bucky replied. "But for what it's worth, I wasn't thinking of Katie in that moment."
You glanced up at him, frowning. "What do you mean?"
"D'you remember that morning when we were in New Orleans?" He asked. "And we had a few hours to kill before our flight, so you started dancing around the hotel room to Uptown Girl?"
"I remember." You softly smiled.
"That was when I realised I loved you." He admitted. "I was replaying that in my head at the concert, and it just kinda came out, and Katie heard."
"Damn." You muttered. "Sucks to be her, huh?"
"I like Katie." He said. "Truth be told, doll, I'm still stuck in the past a little bit. With you, and with what we had."
"We fucking hated each other by the end, Buck."
"I know, but I mean all the stuff before that." He explained. "You were the first person who saw me for who I am and not what I've done. The first person that actually made me feel loved and worthy."
"I do try."
He lightly elbowed you "I'm serious. I think I'm just projecting my longing for what we had onto my current relationship."
"You're being painfully honest tonight." You observed. "It's fucking weird."
"Who taught me to be painfully honest?"
"Right." You rolled your eyes. "So this is how Frankenstein felt when he created his monster."
"You're the worst," Bucky muttered. "I genuinely am sorry, though. I shouldn't be recycling our memories. I should make new ones.'
Dusting off your trousers, you stood up. "You're right."
"Thank you, though."
"For what?"
"For finding me first," He replied, "and for teaching me what love is."
"Well, if you ever need to be reminded? You have my number."
787 notes · View notes
vinylhazza · 4 years ago
Text
For Keeps (G.D)
Summary: Jesse knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to say it, or rather demand it. Grayson, who carries respect and dignity like a shield of armor, walks the line of being the vanilla boyfriend he always thought she’d want, or the guy that listens to the devil on his shoulder and embellishes on the fantasies that won’t leave him alone every night. There is a first for everything, a time and place to try something -- or some one new. There is a chance to set the fire in motion. He might just take it.
Word Count: 4.9k
Warning: Strong sexual content, giving head, fingering, spitting, explicit language 
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          There is a first for everything.
          The first time you ride a bike, the first time you try your favorite food, the first time you win an award, the first time you hear your favorite song, the first time you talk to the person you’re meant to spend the rest of forever with, the first time you overcome your worst fear, the first time you read your favorite book, the first time you travel to a different country, the first time you have thoughts that should damn you for eternity and for some...there is even a first time for eating pussy.
         It’s an embarrassment he’d never wanted anyone to discover let alone put to the test. Sure his friends had their time to talk about their extensive knowledge on female anatomy, but whenever the topic of him and Jesse doing anything outside the box he himself had placed them in, his lips were sealed. For one thing it wasn’t their business, for two he’s not entirely sure what he would say. He knew the time would come. He didn’t view their relationship like a race and he knew Jesse didn’t either. They’d been friends for too long and knew each other too well for him to base their relationship off of sex. 
       Grayson keeps his eyes glued to his hands holding Jesse’s hips tight -- unsure of what to do now that he’s got her beneath him and wanting him to have his way with her. He knows what he wants, but doubts that he has the courage to pursue it within him. He’d watch her with careful eyes as she peeled off each article of clothing before pulling him close by his belt loop and on to the bed to kiss her rough busy day away. A picnic was nice, but his complete and undivided attention was better. Even if his eyes trailing up and down every part of her body made her nervous. 
          He’d done plenty of things with his ex before Jesse, but none of those things had involved his lips and tongue anywhere beneath the waist. Not anything like he’s inevitably about to do. 
         “Cat caught your tongue?” Jesse had snickered minutes ago, a sly smirk lacing up her ruby red lips from so much kissing -- moment’s before he’d gotten them both all hot and bothered. He couldn’t help it when he was with her, his self control falters and he’s drunk off her touch once again, swimming in a pool of despair he can’t control. All he can think about is her. Wanting her. Needing her. Touching every single inch of her velvety skin. Wanting to do things to her. Wanting her to do things to him. Things he would blush at in the future.
         Jesse was a woman with desires he’d only dreamed of women having. She was shy at times but the devil danced in her bright eyes. Grayson knew she wanted things she’d never had the guts to say out loud and things she only wanted from him alone. It all made him a fierce kind of nervous, but gave him an electrified thrill. A challenge for him to explore the workings of her body and all the ways he can make her more satisfied than she’s ever been. He didn’t plan on letting her go anytime soon - and if he wanted to do her right, he had to go outside of his comfort zone for her.
         Knowing Jesse was more experienced did things to him that he couldn’t begin to hide -- but more than anything it made him jealous of every set of hands that had ever touched her skin before his. It made him reckless and competitive, focused and haughty. He was better than them, he could be better than them.
         He could rapture her into a whirlwind of pleasure that would ruin her image of every man except him, wanting no one's mouth but his, daydream of no one’s lips but his own, beg for no one else’s touch, want no one else’s hands but the ones holding her now. It wasn’t about him, this wasn’t about his pleasure for once, it was truly all about her. 
         Pulling him back into the flames, he’s burning up under her intense stare, waiting for him to do something, do anything. Anything but watch her long enough to find something less than stellar, less than grand, less than exceptional. With her fears unfolding she pulls him down for a kiss of her own, a soft feather of a thing he can feel all the way to his toes. She’d always been good at that, giving  him more to miss when she’s away. The way she hugs him close is one of those things.
         Grayson fell hard into love—which wasn’t particularly unusual for the hopeless romantic he was, but he always knew Jesse was set apart from the seasonal heartthrobs. He was truly bewitched by her creativity, wanderlust, unapologetic confidence, patience, and beauty.
         An enchantress she was, beautiful beyond anything he could ever deserve. Drop dead gorgeous with the personality to match, there wasn’t a head that didn’t turn when she walked into a room, not a man that didn’t fumble over their words at any opportunity to talk to her, not a woman who didn’t want to be her friend. Sure her beauty was undeniable, but her benevolent heart beat it all.
         He may never know why Jesse had leaned in to kiss him seven months ago save for three days in a hidden corner in Café Verona -- a quaint treasure he’d always hold dear to his heart. Fairy lights criss-crossed along the ceiling, soft Jazz waltzing with the beat of his heart, emerald green leather bench pressing into his thighs. But he’s glad she did. He’s glad she leaned in to kiss him when he’d been building up the nerve for weeks. So afraid to go there but more afraid of not knowing what would happen if he didn’t. He’s glad she took his chin in between her fingers to hold him still enough to feel her lips press to his securely, a warmth swarming in his chest where the heart shaped hole once was.
          If he flipped through the pages of his memory, he would remember a statue-like stillness about him before he sunk into her touch, caging her head in his large careful hands. Feeling the gasp she tried to hide, the smell of grapefruit shampoo and the way her flushed cheeks felt under his stroking thumbs. He would see himself fall into her, around her and through her, off the edge of the rocky cliff and into the dark blissful deep of nothing but her.
          He’d be eternally grateful she looked at him with utmost sincerity and whispered with a raw kind of intensity that he’d “driven her mad you see” -- and he’d heard it then, the brittleness of her voice because fear rattles her to the core, and she had been scared out of her mind. A crack that tracked through her careful confession and to the root of him. Jesse was scared of what he meant, what he was in terms of her heart, what he could be if she continued to kiss him the way she was.
          In that quiet moment he remembered what made her so deeply rooted in his heart: the laugh that rattled him, the soft smell of peaches and vanilla, the way she never drives without sunglasses because her mom who passed away much too early did the same, the dance she does when she finally eats the first bite of food after damn near breaking the world in half in hanger, the way she punches the roof of her car after making it through a yellow light because her best friend in high school did the same, the way she always turns her spoon upside down when eating ice cream, and the way she always has answers for everything no matter what topic, even the way she laughs entirely too hard at Family Feud. 
         For that reason alone he waited for the physical parts to come when they may. It was new and exciting sure, and he’d always loved her heart of course, but her body was uncharted territory. He was patient, yes. A gentleman guarding some assumed virtue, even if he knew better than to think she was anything but a seductress. Patient enough to tell her no when she’s had one too many drinks and not enough discipline. They’d been friends before anything else - the best of friends with a foundation of trust. He’s spent years trying to gain that trust and he vowed to keep it.
          Of course he could have been that guy on many occasions: possessive, selfish, greedy and crude. He could have played his cards and dealt his dirty hand at the wrong moment and still pulled out ahead. I mean hell, how often do guys get out of the friend-zone? But he wasn’t that guy. No matter the relationship status — they weren’t ready.
         They hadn’t been ready to cross that carefully drawn line in the sand, not until now. With the strawberry White Barn candle burning in the corner on the cluttered desk one could expect from a college student and a half full can of Arizona tea on the night stand...her face lit with a mystical kind of magic he’d only ever seen the day she leaned back after their first official kiss. 
         “Hold my hair.”
         Grayson found the words slipping off his tongue easier than they’d come all night. All he’s planned on was a simple date in the park that was tucked away and secluded from all the people that could interrupt, he’d even brought her favorite book and laid back on a soft patch of grass to listen to her melodic voice read to him. He’d planned to come back and share a peck or two while watching a new episode of Daredevil and holding her through the night. She’d had a long day full of texts to him, trying to get him to give her the okay to walk out of her low-paying job and not look back. He never planned on laying her down on his bed and caressing every inch of her skin until he was finally delving into a place he’d never been quite like this.
          He was nervous but he could do anything, be anything with her hand in his hair and her kind eyes watching him defile her. He just knew from this moment on he would have a reputation to uphold, as cocky as it sounded. He had to prove he wasn’t as lost as he felt. He felt like a virgin all over again, like he was doing something raw and real and scary. A secret only the wrinkled sheets would remind him of later.
          Her touch, her soothing him through something that frightened him has always been a crutch for him to lean on. When he got in a fight with his brother, she was there to comb through his hair and talk him through the proper apology, when he decided to change majors and had a breakdown so crippling he couldn’t breathe she rocked him through it until his breath was even once again, when he wrecked his new car on the way home from a party he never should have been at she was right there to give him a kiss on the cheek and help him call the insurance company and his erratic mother who loved her like a daughter. She led him through the rough parts of life and then some.
           He never imagined she would be leading him through something so sensual, but he needed her bringing him back to earth all the same.
          Jesse obliged with a grin of her own, feeling him shuffle down to trail a string of kisses across her torso and down to the base of her need and desire. The fireball of want burned in her stomach, turning her rational thoughts brown and charred. He was good at that, making her need him fiercely. She’d never wanted anyone so much, and even if she thinks back to past flings - she’d never been satisfied like she was with Grayson, and they’d done much less.
         “What are you thinking?” Jesse wonders, distracted by his soft supple lips and his nibbling at her hip, but wanting to hear the inner workings of his brain. Her fingers fidget, wanting to push him by his brown mop of hair down lower - just to feel him at last. She needed this distraction, she just needed his help to forget. Not that she hadn’t been waiting for months for this exact moment, there was just urgency in the way she’s stripped herself bare before him. 
          She almost expects him to wait for her direction, but jerks against him when he takes the lead all on his own. How could he not with her as his complete mercy, giving him the fuck me eyes and twisting a lock if hair around her finger? 
          Grayson thinks on that as he trails his mouth down, down, down to slick his tongue up the base of her, smirking to himself when she wiggles against him. “I’m thinking that I like you this way.”
          The contact was a shock to her nervous system and a promise of what was soon to come if she kept tempting him the way she was. She was a heathen with angel eyes. Someone infatuated with his innocence (at least he was more innocent than she) and curiosity to learn every curve and dip of her body. He made her feel powerful, unstoppable, undeniable. She craved it as much as he craved her own lips tracking across his skin - in the heat of the moment or in the still of the night.
          “Naked you mean?” She laughs then, trying to keep herself at least somewhat under control now that he’s grown some balls and taken the first step. She’s shocked momentarily that she didn’t have to practically order him into touching her.
           She grips her breasts at another bold swipe of his tongue. Rolling her hardened nipples between her fingers and tensing at the sparks flying up her center. The feeling of him spreading her open, blowing against her throbbing clit is almost too much to bear. Jesse curses then, a soft “fuck” she tries to reel back before he gets too big of a head. She knows it fell on eager ears when he delivers another bold stripe of his tongue up her center -- slow and deliberate. 
           “Unguarded,” he finally grumbles, rubbing away the goosebumps that pepper her thighs. She thinks for a moment that she could gave turned off the ceiling fan circling over top of them, but feared she might burn up if it wasn’t for the white blades blowing on her crown of hair going every which way on the pillow. 
          She ignores how right he is - that she’s never been this vulnerable with him before, but instead rolls her eyelids shut to feel him really delve into her - opening his mouth and pressing his tongue to her flat. This is just what she needed, her favorite person trying something new and succeeding at it. 
            For someone that’s never given head, he was pulling it off. He was going to ruin her.
           Glancing down at the yellow glow of the lamp illuminating the right side of his face, Jesse curled her fingers into his plush head of hair once again, somewhere between heaven and hell with no real knowledge of the difference.
           She moans at his lips wrapping around her, the suction to her lower region and the way his thumbs dig into her skin to hold her in place. No running this time, she had no choice but to feel it all. This is what she wanted right? 
          “This feel okay?” he teases, tentatively trailing the tip of his tongue around the place she wanted most. He loved to see her eyes alight with that devilish incomprehensible lust. He was truly winging it, doing anything he’d heard from friends or watched himself late at night, anything to further her soft pants and moans tumbling out of her O shaped mouth. She was too good to be true and felt like one lucky bastard. 
           Nodding down to him she groans, wanting him latched to her. “M-more than okay just keep going.”
          He never knew it could feel so pleasurable to be the giver and not the receiver nine times out of ten. He didn’t know how selfish he’d been and the opportunities he'd missed to feel compliant and...obedient. He liked it. He loved it. He loved the position he was in - her looking down at him like the goddess she was and always had been, him crouching down at the end of the bed to devour her in the best way he could, his hair disheveled, eyes dark with hunger, hands gripping her tight.
          He lets instinct take the wheel, peppering kisses to her clit and bringing his own  hand down to slip in a finger to add extra stimulation - pleased when Jesse releases another string of curses. Fowl language huh? Wonder what she’d do if he stopped-
          “You’re such a dick-“ she tugs at his roots, rolling her hips into his mouth that savors  her now, lips slick with her wetness. She tasted good, he’d concluded. It wasn’t anything like what he imagined it would be, no, it was better. It felt better than all of the horror stories he’d made up in his head. He’s sure if he wanted to - he could stay right down between her legs for hours -- until his lips were sore and his tongue tired. Stopping wasn’t an option. Not when she’s been waiting so long, fantasized too often. She huffs out again “Thought you’ve never done this before.”
            That must be a good sign, right?
           “Never,” he slurps at her, shaking his head and groaning into her core. He felt the slickness of her on his cheeks now. Bowing down to eat her out was harder than it looked, especially with back problems as it was. 
            Focused and drunk on Jesse’s gentle hip thrust into his mouth he hugs her thighs and stands upright, just off the edge of the bed, bringing her lower half up in the air with him. He can feel her trembling now, wide eyes gleaming at him with surprise and delight at the new and better position.
            She was losing it. She’d had him compliant at first, her soft-hearted boyfriend trying something new...but damn he was tugging the ropes from between her fingers and leading her to a path less traveled. Quick learner he was.
           “Grayson put me down! Have you lost your mind?” Jesse squealed, grinning at his closed eyes and moving lips, deaf to her antics. She was expected something quick, maybe even simple, but him switching up positions was not in the game plan as great as it was. 
           She could see it now, the guy that was always hiding just beneath the surface. She could see how her sounds urged him on and made him try harder. She could see his arms shaking from the weight of her legs and the effort it took to hold her pussy as close to him as he could. She could feel the heavy breath fanning out across her pelvis from his nose. She could feel the tickle of his hair dangling down and whispering across the skin of her stomach. She could feel that same ball of fire seated in her stomach slip lower and lower with each passing second - until the words that fell out of her mouth were nothing but strings of profanity would make a sinner blush.
             It was going to sear her in half, that fucking ball of fire. Hot lava stirring up a flood she couldn’t stop. It was splitting her in half just as his digits were now, pumping into her hard and fast, curling at his knuckles. His rings gleam from the yellow lamp-light and shock her when they touch her dewy skin. She had lost all sense of control.
            Hearing his own moans, hearing how desperate he was to keep eating her pussy and make her feel better than anyone had, got her inching towards the edge. It was a low kind of growl itching at his throat.
            The taste of her blurred his senses, the soft smell of her making his mind spin out of control, the tightening walls of her cunt around his fingers fucking her fast, the light sheen of sweat that glowed in the dim light of his room - he was a madman with no direction but forward. He had to keep going, for stopping would surely break them both. He would love to tease her, but knew if he stopped one more time she would kill him in a heartbeat. 
          “Open your fucking eyes and watch me.” He barked down to her, stopping only for a moment to glare at her. His fingers continued their fast paced in and out, in and out, in and out.
                         He’d figured if he was going to take it all the way, he needed to pull every string. Needed to pull out the nasty daydreams and make them a reality. This is something he would have for keeps. Something he’d want to do over and over, something he couldn’t wait to do again. Something he’d want to remember. 
          Peeling her eyes open she sobbed at the sight of him spitting into her pussy with a smile, staring at her darkly. Light eyes blacked into pits he ruined her through and through. He had to be lying, he just had to be.
          “Fast learner,” Grayson sneers, leaning forward to smear his saliva around her slick folds, arms circling her midsection to hold her close again.
           “ Fuckfuckfuckfuck- keep fu- keep going!” Jesse begs, barely holding on to the light threatening to slip away into the fire burning her up. “Doing so good Gray, so fucking good.”
             She had discovered soon in the relationship and the minimal sexual acts they’d indulged in that Grayson was a man that adored praise. He wanted someone to tell him how good he was doing, even if he already knew it. He wanted someone to look him in the eyes just as she was doing now and watch him succeed. He wanted complete undivided attention, verbal acknowledgment. 
              He sucked at her still, sliding his tongue into her quickly then — remembering someone in a poorly shot amateur porn video did the same to the tatted up blonde he was practically fucking to death, and hoped it would have the same effect on his beautiful princess begging for him to keep going. He kept note while he watched the video, knowing one day he would be standing where he is now relishing in the gold mine that belonged to him. He fucker her with his tongue, humming into her cunt for the added stimulation. 
               Fuck all she was the end of him. “Pretty pussy all wet for me, yeah? Want to cum? Bet you doubt me huh? Thought I wouldn’t do you right…”
               He chucked at the vigorous nodding of her head, the eyes rolling in the back of her head, the hand that leaves his hip to pull at her own hair. Her eyes squeezing shut in panic now that she feels the tip of the iceberg coming up fast. 
               “Don’t even know how crazy you drive me, how long I’ve wanted to do this to you.”
               Hearing him admit it only made her thighs quiver against his strong arms, only made her want more, made her creep dangerously close to the edge she was for once in her life afraid to fall off of. The crash into the sea would be the biggest shock she’s ever had. Jesse tried to focus on her breathing, trading the heaving for squealing when he dipped his tongue in her entrance to give her something to fantasize about. She’d never had someone tongue fuck her, let alone stair into her soul while they did it. 
              Fuck he was good. Too fucking good.
             “Baby you have t-to slow down,” she warns, the big splash terrifying and so close. He was a wicked man for doing just the opposite, spreading her legs wider and shaking his head against her again, eyes squeezed shut like he knew what would happen in only a few seconds.
               “Grayson step back,” she tried to warn more firmly, afraid of the unfamiliar feeling of something new about to happen, embarrassed already but too worked up to stop it. “Shit - Grayson step back!”
                And there it was, the strongest orgasm she’d ever had and certainly the wettest. Her release soaked the bed beneath, sheets spotted with her arousal and breath stolen from her lungs. She’s not sure when Grayson had dropped her, or whether her convulsing body wiggled out of his grasp during the black out she’d just had. She was spread on the bed in her own mess, her chest flushed, damp hair stuck to her forehead in waves, vision blurred, eyelids drooping in exhaustion, hand somehow in Graysons.
              He’s there then. He’s everywhere and nowhere all at once, his hand a ghost on her forehead brushing away those tendrils of hair, his thumb rubbing over her knuckles with tender care, his lips smoothing the furrow of her brows. Grayson is lifting her without a word, caging her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck, and smoothing her head against his chest to feel the weight of her there - just to feel the heat of her consume him.
              “Holy fuck,” she breathes, spent. 
              “I hope it wasn’t too much,” he whispers into her hair, hand smoothing over the locks while rocking her around the room, mind racing with every image of what he’d just done and the feeling of complete bliss flooding his body.
                He’s almost worried she fell asleep in his arms until he feels the shaking he can only assume is laughter, before she’s hugging him tighter. “Idiot. I can’t believe you’ve never done that. And I can’t believe I’m this tired. Feel like a rookie.”
               “Guess I passed the test then?”
               “Flying colors.”
                Jesse nuzzles in as far as she can, tucking in her arms against his chest and letting the state of Nirvana wash over her. With a sigh Jesse thinks over the shocking events of her boyfriend being 100% nastier than she’d initially thought — not that she’s complaining.
               She barely remembers Grayson running a bath, or setting her in the steaming tub with a kiss, or waiting for him to strip the bed with a giddiness sitting in his chest at all that they’d done, barely remembers him joining her in the tub and catching soap in the calm of his hand to smith the suds over her post-sex body. That’s the only way she would describe herself in the moment, her skin felt sensitive to the touch, sparks still shooting through her with the feeling of his hands on her.
             What Jesse does remember is laying with Grayson in a bed freshly made, arm draped over his stomach, head resting against his arm, lips peppering kisses against his chest randomly through-out the night. She remembers the feeling of adoration and understanding. What they’d done was both the most foul thing she’d ever done, but also the most liberating and beautiful experience. To lose yourself in another person in such a way that you’re utterly consumed by them was...foreign to the pair laying together in the still of the night.
              Jesse waited until Grayson was softly snoring until she said the only thing she’d never had the guts to tell him in the months they’d been dating. He’d been waiting on it patiently. It was different between friends, but it meant so much more when you don't want to say it to anyone else for the rest of your life. The moment she says it, she can’t ever take it back. Maybe that’s why she chooses the early hours of the morning to lean in and press her lips against his feather soft, blinking back the mist clouding her vision. 
              “Don’t know if you could tell...but I'm kind of in love with you...so just be patient with me please I’m trying for you.”
              Maybe she would get the guts one day to say the words while he’s awake, maybe face to face or with the lights off because she has some kind of comfort in the dark, or maybe it would slip out on accident. In any way that it happens, she hopes he will smile. She hopes that he knows how insanely incandescently happy he makes her each and every day, and how honored she feels that she got to experience another first with him.She hopes he will be comforted that his feelings are 100% reciprocated. She hopes that she gets to see that beautiful  smile he wears on special occasions -- the true smile that he doesn't show too often. For now she presses her lips to his once again, smiling softly as the slow ride and fall of his chest, arm holding her close, the ring she won him out of a shitty machine in the corner of a tattoo shop he’d stopped into on a whim secured on a thin chain around his neck, and the fluttering of his eyelashes while he dreamed. 
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itsallyscorner · 4 years ago
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Gray Spot
Pairing: Sebastian Stan x reader
Summary: Reader appreciates that gray spot in Seb’s beard even though he hates it.
Warnings: None, kinda fluff.
A/n: I’m definitely writing about his gray spot more because I find it so cute, I have no idea why.
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(Have ya’ll noticed that prominent gray part in Seb’s beard? Cuz I have and now I’m writing about it:))
Dragostea ~ Love
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“Dragostea?” Sebastian called from the bathroom. You placed the knife you were holding on the cutting board and quickly rinsed your hands.
“Baby, can you come in here?” He called again, urgency in his voice. Growing concerned, you threw the dish rag you were wiping your hands with onto the counter.
Speed walking down the hall to the bathroom you ask, “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything!” His voice softly replied down the hall. “Just come in here.”
Stopping at the doorframe, you see Sebastian bent over the sink with his face almost flush against the mirror. His head is tilted as his hand holds his chin up at an angle. Sebastian’s eyes meet yours through the mirror.
“Hehe, hi.” He greets you with an adorable smile.
“Hey...what are you doing?” Your voice trails off as you see a box of hair dye on top of the toilet seat. Sebastian stands straight and wraps his arm around your waist as you enter the bathroom.
“I’m just thinkin’.”
“Thinkin’ bout what, Seb?” You leans against his chest as you look into the mirror with him.
“I want to dye my beard.” He tells you. Your brows knit together as you turn around in his arms.
“What? Why? What’s wrong with it?” You begin to question him. Sebastian looks down at your frowning face. Your hands cradled his jaw, fingers stroking his beard.
“What do you mean? It’s turning gray, (y/n)! Especially that spot!” He roughly motions to the place where your thumb is stroking. The spot right on the side of his chin that’s grayer than the rest of his beard.
“So? That doesn’t mean you have to dye it! Seb, your beard looks completely fine!” You reassure him.
“I hate it, it reminds me that I’m getting old.” He huffs grimacing at himself in the mirror. You sigh realizing it was probably making him insecure about himself. You honestly didn’t mind that his beard was turning gray, in fact it didn’t even cross your mind that he was “getting old”.
“I mean, if you want to dye it you can. Whatever you’re comfortable with, it’s your beard.” You start as you stare at the gray spot. “But I like the little gray specks in your beard.” You hum pressing a kiss onto the spot.
Sebastian takes his wild eyes off himself and brings them to look at you. “You like it?”
“Yeah! That’s my favorite spot!” You answer, your thumb brushing against the gray hairs of his chin.
You loved Sebastian’s beard. It was all nice and fluffy, it framed his face perfectly, and it felt really good in between your legs when you guys were getting intimate. You loved Seb with or without the beard, but you thought he just looked more complete with a beard. You were never bothered when he decided to let it grow out. You didn’t care if it tickled or scratched your face when Sebastian would kiss you. You actually became fond of the little gray spot on his chin. You weren’t sure why, but it became one of your favorite places to kiss him. Maybe it was because it stood out compared to the other short gray strands of his beard? Either way, that little spot was just one of the many little things you loved about Sebastian.
“That gray spot is your favorite spot?”
“Yes, it is.” You confirm. “It’s my favorite place to kiss you besides your lips.” You shyly confess sinking into your shoulders.
Sebastian’s eyes remain on you as he thinks back to the multiple times you’ve kissed his chin. He’s noticed that once he began growing his beard out, you would kiss his chin more. Usually you’d go straight in for a kiss, but when his beard became a thing, you’d always kiss his chin first and then kiss his lips.
You guys were getting ready for dinner with some of the members of the Avengers movies. Sebastian’s been invited by Robert Downey Jr and he even suggested that Seb should bring you along. So there you two were standing side by side in your shared bathroom.
You were wearing a beautiful black silky dress that hung by spaghetti straps on your shoulders and stopped at your knees. You were doing your makeup while Seb stood beside you fixing his hair. You reached for the tube of red lipstick and pull the cap off. You’re about to apply the lipstick but Sebastian stopped you, holding onto your wrist.
“Wait, give me a kiss first.” He muttered, taking the lipstick from your hands and placing it beside the sink.
“Baby, I could still give you kisses with lipstick on.” You chuckled against his lips. He’s pulled you close, your chest against his as his large hand pressed onto your back.
“Yeah, I know. But I don’t want to mess with your lipstick once it’s on. I just watched you put all that work in to put makeup on and if I kiss you I might mess it up.” He huffed out pressing a peck onto your lips.
You smiled against his lips and wrap your arms around his neck. “You are such a sweetheart, I appreciate you not wanting to mess up my makeup. I love you.” You hummed.
“I love you too.” He whispered, as you pressed a kiss onto the gray spot on his chin that has appeared once he began growing his beard out. You moved you lips to connect with his and pulled him into a deeper kiss.
When your lips pulled away you motioned to his beard, “I like the beard, you should keep it.”
Sebastian shook himself out of his thoughts and cradled your face.
“So you don’t care that my hair is getting gray? Or that I’m getting old?” He asked towering over you. You stare into his steel blue eyes and wrap your hand around his wrists, thumbs stroking the outside of his hands.
“Sebastian, those things are normal, they’re going to happen even if you try stopping it. But no, I don’t care if your hair is getting grayer or if you’re getting older than me. They’re the things that make you—well you. And that’s all I care about Sebastian, I love you for you. I’m with you because I love you, not because you’re hot or some actor. I love you because you’re the most sweetest man I’ve ever met. You’re so smart and you make me laugh all the time. You’re always so kind and caring. There’s so much more to you than your age and some specks or gray hair, Sebastian. I hope you realize that one day. And if you don’t, I’ll make sure you do, because, I love you.” By the end of your little speech Sebastian’s eyes have teared up, a little drop spilling from his eyes and down his cheek.
“Seb.” You coo as you wipe his cheeks. He sniffs while he wraps his arms around you for a hug. Though he was much taller than you, his head was in the crook of your neck. You felt his tears fall onto your shoulder as he held you tighter.
“Thank you. I just— I was feeling insecure and thought you wouldn’t love me anymore, it was stupid.” His voice is quiet as he continues to hold you.
“It’s not stupid, your feelings aren’t stupid.” You pull away from him and hold his face to look at yours. His blue eyes were a bit gloomy, a frown was on his face, and his cheeks were wet from his tears.
“How about next time you’re feeling like this again, you tell me. We’ll find a way to get through it, alright?” You suggest.
“Yeah, I’d like that.” Sebastian nods, “The same thing goes for you, you know.” He presses a kiss onto your palm, the gesture making you smile.
“I know.” A few seconds pass before you speak again.
“Alright, do you wanna help me make dinner now?” Sebastian stands upright, eyes back to their bright blue.
“Aren’t we having pizza?” He asks softly, smile hinting on his lips.
“Yup.”
“Of course.” Before you can both leave the bathroom, you press a kiss onto his gray spot and to his lips. A little gesture that Sebastian’s grown to love, now that he knew the meaning behind it. The two of you make your way back to the kitchen, the box of hair dye now forgotten.
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homoose · 4 years ago
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Weird is Good
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Summary: A story about two people tryna make it through the age of COVID-19 in a country where people are fucking dumb lmao. My hc is that Spencer would be like wtf at all these science-denying anti-maskers. Also, two teachers just tryna make it through quarantine and remote teaching in a one bedroom apartment (this is taking place during a mandatory leave/lecture cycle).
Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!reader
Category: fluff
Warnings/Includes: no warnings. reader is both a kindergarten teacher and a bruh girl with a pirate’s mouth. lots of Spencer x factz.
Word count: 3.1k
———
“We’re home for the next two weeks. ”
Spencer looked up from his desk to see Y/N kicking off her shoes, dropping her bag, and walking directly to the sink. “Starting when?”
“We get to go in on Monday to say goodbye to the kids and get any materials we might need. Then we’re home for two weeks. They’re calling it an early, extended spring break.” Y/N began her hand washing routine. As a kindergarten teacher, she’d always been a strict hand-washer. In the time of COVID, she had only become more zealous. She looked at Spencer. “Have you heard anything?”
“Since we’re so close to the end of the semester, the department head thinks they’ll try to finish out the year as normal.” He set down his pen. “I honestly don’t know. It will all depend on whether people follow the CDC guidelines. The spread of any virus is deducible mathematically, and SARS-COV2 is no different. Based on the outbreak in Italy prior to their lockdown, we can accurately describe its reproductive number, or Rt, to between 2.43 – 3.10.”
Y/N shut off the water and dried her hands on a paper towel. “In layman's terms, Dr. Reid.”
“The Rt tells how many people are infected by the contagious host,” he explained. “In the case of this strain, each infected person is infecting between two and three others. For comparison, the standard seasonal flu has an average Rt between 1.4 and 1.7.”
“So in other words, fucking yikes,” Y/N groaned. She moved to perch on the edge of Spencer’s desk.
“Indeed,” Spencer agreed. “We know how fast the flu can travel through an office or a classroom, so imagine if it was two times as transmissible. But it's also really important to understand that this number changes depending on the mitigations in place. Even prior to full lockdown, mask wearing and social distancing was somewhat common in Italy, so it’s likely the uncontrolled Rt is higher.”
“Jesus Christ.” Y/N scrubbed a hand over her face. “We’ll probably never go back.”
Spencer rubbed his hand up from her ankle to the inside of her knee. “The good news is there’s nothing special about this virus compared to others in terms of how it spreads— it’s just aerosols. So if everyone wears their mask, we’ll be able to keep the spread low.”
⧭⧭⧭
“It’s safe to say that everyone did not wear their fucking masks,” Y/N snapped. She watched from the couch as Mayor Bowser delivered the news that DC Public Schools would remain closed for the remainder of the year. “This is crazy. I mean, I knew it was coming because people in this country are absolute buffoons.” She looked at Spencer, fingers pressed to her temple. “But holy shit, are we ever going to be able to go outside again?”
“With schools and universities closed, people working remotely, and lockdown orders in place, the Rt in the US could stay low. But masks have to be worn at all times, and social distancing has to be strictly followed.” Spencer pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I just— I can’t believe people are refusing to wear masks. The empirical, peer-reviewed data clearly shows—”
“This is ‘Murica, boy.” Y/N mocked. “Ain’t no tyrannical government gonna tell me what to do!” She rolled her eyes. “Trust me, your choice to abstain from social media is paying dividends to your sanity right now.”
Spencer looked truly dumbfounded, setting his newspaper down in his lap. “But that’s just it. It’s not just in social media circles.” He gestured to the article in front of him. “This economist just argued for ‘reopening’ the economy using the justification of herd immunity. Herd immunity can be a plausible option for less lethal diseases. But this virus is not like varicella—the chickenpox,” he clarified at Y/N’s raised eyebrow. He waved his hands around in exasperation. “Putting aside the fact that one facet of herd immunity is vaccinating as many people as possible, its success completely hinges on the Rt of a disease. If you model a population based on an Rt of 2.5, herd immunity wouldn’t be achieved until approximately sixty percent of the population has been infected. Consider that the US population is currently 328 million, and sixty percent of that is 196.8 million. The current mortality rate for SARS-COV2 is 3.06 percent. 196,800,000 multiplied by 0.0306 is 6,022,080. Over six million people would die. It's simple mathematics.”
Y/N let out an exasperated breath. “It used to be that simple math and facts were enough. Now you’ve got basement scientists who think they know better than actual, literal scientists who’ve spent their entire lives studying these things.” She ran a hand over her face and gestured at the news conference still playing. “How long do you think it’ll be before we’re both trying to teach from this tiny ass living room?”
⧭⧭⧭
“Goooooooood morning, kindergarten! It’s Friday, and no Friday is a bad Friday!” Spencer smiled. As he poured his first cup of coffee, he hummed along with Y/N and 23 six-year-olds as they sang their morning song. Observing fourteen days of remote kindergarten from across the living room had given Spencer a new appreciation for elementary school teachers, particularly Y/N. She sang, danced, conducted science experiments, held puppet shows, read stories, led art projects, and fielded questions for four hours a day— three hours less than when they were in the school building. He was exhausted by proxy.
But he was also grateful for the opportunity to watch Y/N in her element. Even though they were at home, she still got dressed every day in bright, patterned sweaters and dresses— her Ms. Frizzle attire, she’d told him once. She was able to channel her personality into a kid-friendly version that her students clearly adored, never afraid to be silly or strange to get their attention and keep them engaged during the long days. He worked from home whenever possible, strangely happy to have the background noise of kindergarten over his quiet university office.
...
“Okay, but where do I put the biiiiiiiiiiiig number?” Y/N made a wide gesture with her arms. “Ariah, where should I put it? In the big box, yes! But oh no, my small number needs a friend. My three is soooooo lonely!” Y/N drew her mouth into a pout. “DJ, how can I help my three not be so sad? You’re absolutely right, let’s put that two right next to him in our number bond.”
“I’ve been waitin’  for a girl to mute,” Y/N sang into the gold karaoke mic. “I said, muuuuuuuuuute, I’m blinded by loud sounds. No, I can’t hear the friend who’s tryin’ to talk.”
“Oh boy. Kev, honey, we can— we can see you. Kevin, Kevin, Kevin. We can see all of you. I can’t turn your camera off, buddy. You gotta— there we go.”
“Mute please, I need— I need everybody to mute, please. Oh my goodness where is that music coming from?” Y/N frantically searched for her index card with the picture of the mute icon, as the sounds of a highly inappropriate song blared through the computer speaker. “I know it’s so loud, guys. Why is my mute power gone?! This is why we need to make sure we keep our mute button on, kindergarten.”
“No sweetie, it’s not time to log off yet. I’m sorry, I know it’s such a long day. We have about an hour left. Do you guys wanna do a countdown? It’s the fin-al count-down! Do-do doo dooooo. Do-do-d-do-dooo…”
“Annnnnd, I should see all my friends on mute. William, hang on just a second. All my friends need to look at my picture, it’s an oval with a line through it… Okay, William, what did you bring to show us?” Y/N leaned toward the computer screen. “Grandma Kathy? O-oh, she’s— she’s in the—“ Y/N’s eyes widened. “Is that— is that an urn? Oh wow. Um, well, wow. It’s beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing that with us, William. Grandma Kathy, may she rest in peace.”
⧭⧭⧭
A week into Y/N teaching kindergarten from their living room, the university had announced its transition to online coursework for the remainder of the academic year. Spencer had to host his first zoom lecture, and he was absolutely dreading it.
“Spence, it’s going to be fine. It’s not like you’ve never been on a video conference,” Y/N assured him. She sat cross-legged on the couch, waiting for him to let her in to his practice zoom.
“Yeah, but I wasn’t running those meetings. I just showed up.” He squinted at the computer screen. “Are you in?”
Y/N barely resisted the urge to make a joke, knowing that Spencer probably wouldn’t appreciate the innuendo. “No, you have to admit me.”
“What do you mean? How do I do that?”
“There should be a box with a button that says admit.”
Spencer gestured at the computer. “Well there’s a bunch of boxes— which one should I be looking at?”
Y/N sighed and got up from the couch. “IQ of 187 and can’t find the box.”
Spencer dragged a hand through his hair. “I know I shouldn’t find this so difficult. I’m sorry you have to waste your time on this.”
“Hey, it was a joke.” Y/N grabbed his hand from where he was frustratedly pulling on his frazzled curls. “I’m sorry. That was mean and you’re already stressed enough.” She used her free hand to smooth his hair back into place. She scrunched her nose. “I love you and your limited technology skills. And honestly it’s kind of nice to have one thing I can actually teach you about.” She squeezed his hand, leaning over him to peer at his computer screen. “All right, let’s find that elusive admit button.”
When the day of his lecture rolled around, Spencer thanked all the atoms in the observable universe that Y/N had a break during his class. Within the first ten minutes, he’d managed to accidentally kick himself out of his own meeting and then somehow lose track of the screenshare button.
“No one can see me and I don’t know what happened to the screenshare option. It was there and now it’s just… gone,” he told Y/N.
She leaned over his desk, eyes tracking over the screen and mouse clicking around the desktop. “How in the world did you manage to block your camera?”
“I don’t know! I didn’t even touch it!” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t understand how it’s even possible to be this bad at this.”
Y/N bumped his knee with her own, pulling up his camera settings and preferences. “Relax. You can’t be good at everything. It’s a refreshing reminder that you’re a mere mortal like the rest of us.” With a few rapid clicks, Y/N unblocked his camera and located the screenshare bar. “There. Crisis averted. I’m just going to share your whole screen in case you want to toggle between application windows. So just be aware that they’ll be able to see everything. And then you just click here when you’re ready to stop sharing.”
When Y/N turned her head toward him to check that he understood, Spencer grabbed the side of her face and caught her lips in a kiss. Y/N smiled against his mouth, heart speeding up as he traced the seam of her mouth with his tongue.
“Um, Dr. Reid? Your um— your camera’s working now.”
Spencer nearly fell out of his chair, his cheeks about the color of the Leave Meeting icon. Y/N dropped her head, debating whether she wanted to laugh or let the earth open up and swallow her whole. She ultimately decided to compose herself, stepping back and giving a little wave to the sea of tiny, grinning zoom faces before slinking out of frame, miming sorry to one very mortified professor.
⧭⧭⧭
“Would you want to be our mystery reader next week?” Y/N asked, bookmarking the page of her novel and reclining back in bed. “You just have to pick a story to read. Oh, and think of four clues about your identity to give the kiddos.”
Spencer raised his eyebrow, continuing to read. “Any story?”
Y/N laughed. “Well they’re six, so maybe hold off on the Chaucer and Bradbury for now. A picture book would be preferable.”
“Did you know that the first picture book, Orbis Sensualium Pictus, or Visible World in Pictures, was published in 1658?” He looked up from his own book. “Czech educator John Amos Comenius wanted to create a book that would be accessible to children of all levels of ability. The educational theories he explored are actually still in practice in the field of early childhood education.” He turned toward her from his spot under the covers. “For example, when you have your students make a hissing sound and slither their arms when they produce the sound represented by the letter s? Comenius included an alphabet chart with various animal and human sounds representing each letter. He wanted to demonstrate that the incorporation of multiple senses could help increase learning.”
“I guess you don’t fix what isn’t broken,” Y/N mused. “300 years later, and we’re still using the same methods.”
“362, actually,” Spencer corrected.
She gave him a look. “Maybe we can save the Comenius for another time.”
“The genre of children’s literature encompasses some of the most profound and philosophical story telling of all time.” Spencer returned his attention to his reading.
“...So is that a yes?”
Spencer smiled. “I’ve got a book in mind.”
“And clues,” Y/N reminded him, snuggling down under the covers and reopening her book. “We need some fun clues, mystery reader.”
“Kindergarten, we have a very special mystery reader this week. Oh man, are you ready for the first clue? The mystery reader loves jell-o! Raise your little hand if you love jell-o, too. Okay, kindergarten, I see you! Lots of jell-o lovers in the house.”
“Okay, clue number two! Our mystery reader works as a community helper— remember we learned about all different kinds of community helpers; firefighters, nurses, police officers. But if the mystery reader could be anything, they’d want to be a cowboy! How cool is that?”
...
“Clue number three for our mystery reader!” Y/N sucked in a gasp. “You guys. The mystery reader can do magic. Oh my goodness, I am so excited for Friday,” she sing-songed. “Will they show us a trick? Hmmm, I don’t know. Maybe if you ask nicely.”
“Okay, my friends, the last clue. The mystery reader loves reading. They read every day, and they’ve been reading since 1983! Yes, that was a very long time ago.”
⧭⧭⧭
“Okay, any last guesses about who our mystery reader might be?” Y/N questioned.
“I think it’s your dad,” a little voice called out.
Spencer made a choking noise from where he sat, slightly off camera. Y/N laughed. “The mystery reader is decidedly not my dad, Keyshon. Remember I showed you guys the picture of him— my dad’s a farmer, so he’s kind of already a cowboy.” She clapped her hands together. “Okay, without further ado, drumroll please... Our mystery reader is…” Y/N pushed her desk chair out of frame to allow Spencer to roll in, holding her hands out. “Spencer!”
He gave a little wave, smoothing his hair, suddenly painfully self-aware and nervous about the opinions of two dozen six-year-olds. “Hi guys.”
“You’re the boy on Ms. Y/L/N’s phone.”
“Your hair is so fluffy!”
“Do you have a cowboy hat?”
“I like your sweater.”
“Can you really do magic?”
“What’s your favorite jell-o?”
“Whoa, okay, let’s remember our mute button,” Y/N, holding up her index card. “I promise you’ll get to ask Spencer all your questions after he reads the story.”
Spencer smiled at the excited faces beaming through the screen. “Yes, I’m on Ms. Y/L/N’s phone; I don’t own a cowboy hat, yet; yes, I really can do magic; and the red jell-o is my favorite.”
Y/N watched with interest as Spencer pulled out his book. He’d been secretive about his choice, so she was as curious as her students.
“This is one of my favorite stories. It’s written by Munro Leaf, and illustrated by Robert Lawson. It’s The Story of Ferdinand.” Spencer held the cover up to the camera. “Ferdinand is the bull here on the cover. This story was written in 1935, which was a long time ago! Okay are you ready?” Spencer looked out on a sea of thumbs up, turning the page to the beginning of the story. “Once upon a time in Spain, there was a bull, and his name was Ferdinand.”
Y/N smiled as she listened to Spencer read each page, recounting the story of the peaceful bull. He was an excellent storyteller, changing the inflection and expression of his voice to match each sentence. He held each page up for just the right amount of time, panning it so her students could see each detail of the black and white pictures. He added his own wonderings and exclamations here and there, and her students were decidedly enthralled. Her heart ached at how comfortable he was, how natural this was for him. She rested her chin in her hand, trying to keep her mind in the present— ignoring the persistent little mental image of Spencer as a dad.
“So they had to take Ferdinand home. And for all I know, he is sitting there still, under his favorite cork tree, smelling the flowers just quietly. He is very happy… And that’s The Story of Ferdinand.” Spencer closed the book with a soft smile. “I love this story. Ferdinand is a very special bull. What do you think makes him so special?”
“Ferdinand didn’t fight,” a little voice piped up.
“Yes!” Spencer agreed. “He practiced pacifism in the face of the persistent, ingrained militarism of his country’s culture.”
Y/N placed a hand on Spencer’s knee and gave a quick squeeze. “Right, Ferdinand chose not to fight, even though everybody else he knew wanted to.” Y/N winked at him before turning back to the screen full of kids. “All his friends thought he was kind of weird, but he just really wanted to hang out in the shade and smell the flowers, huh? Sounds pretty good to me.”
“He wasn’t bothered that the other bulls thought he was strange for wanting to be peaceful,” Spencer added. “Sometimes being different can be a good thing. The Story of Ferdinand reminds me that it’s okay to be yourself, even if other people think you’re weird.” His eyes met Y/N’s. “Because there will always be people who love and appreciate you for who you are.”
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rostovs-lover · 4 years ago
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dalí on tuesday
charlie dalton x reader | cursing, smoking, brief mentions of sexual things, charlie (probably) has daddy issues, cameron | she/her pronouns | fluff | wc.2562
i am in love with charlie, this is now a charlie dalton centric blog, also ignore how terrible the title is please
anon : Hi!! I love your blog! can I request a charlie Dalton x reader fluff where reader is an artist and he visits them while they're painting? (maybe they end up wiping paint on his face?) I don't know, something really sweet at cute <33333
Charlie Dalton had been resigned to relish in small pleasures to keep himself sane at school, never did he think the library would be one of those. More specifically, the painter tucked into the basement of the library. 
                            ───☮︎───
     Charlie Dalton was a connoisseur of many things. Pretty girls, expensive wine, shitty poetry, and hand rolled cigarettes - to name a few. His imprisonment at Wellington made only one of those things readily available. So he settled - boxes of cheap smokes bought through upperclassmen, bottles of grocery store wine someone would sneak in from a party, and the two girls that occasionally came with Knox. The shitty poetry was always on deck, he had that at least. It was a tragedy to be resigned to such a bland life, there was absolutely no carpe diem-ing happening in a school that held adolescent boys to uniforms.
      It was miserable, truly, but Charlie scrapped by on the thought that soon enough there would be no more stuffy Catholic school and he could finally have a taste of freedom. In the meantime, he would have what little fun he could. The meets in the cave were always the highlight of the week. A place where he could talk and people would listen, and not because they had to but because they enjoyed it. They enjoyed his words and thoughts and presence. No one else had ever really seemed to enjoy Charlie’s presence. They could tolerate it, handle it, but they always had more pressing matters. A business meeting to attend, a bill to pay, a dinner to go to. Always something just a little bit more important and never quite enough time for Charlie. But the other Dead Poets, they valued him. He wasn’t just a kid, a college tuition to pay and a life to layout. He was a person, with interests and hobbies.
      It had been there, in the safe haven of the cave, that the idea for the library first came up. Meeks had already talked Pitts into coming, Neil didn’t take much convincing at all, Todd was also easy to lure, Cameron groaned about leaving school grounds but refused to be left out, and Knox agreed to go but only if Nuwanda came too. Charlie had already started to cover what there was to do at a library, read?
      Meeks dove into the technical manuals and Pitts followed tentatively, cradling their science project in his arms. Todd had followed Neil to the S authors, Cameron was trying to chat up the woman at the register, and God only knew what Knox was doing. He had been stranded with few options. He could find the geniuses and be talked over for the next hour or third wheel Neil but that guaranteed intruding on something he probably shouldn’t. The polite thing to do would be to rescue Cameron from making a complete fool of himself, throwing bad pick up lines at a clearly uninterested college student, but it was amusing to watch.
      Charlie settled on trying to find Knox, at least then he could have some company. Said company was absolutely nowhere to be found. The rows of shelves wound in a confusing maze and Charlie was lost before he could even begin to look. Weaving around he did come face-to-face with a rather large picture of Charles Dickens that made him recoil. It was perched just at eye level above a short staircase and it seemed to judge his every movement. Charlie followed the carpeted stairs down to escape Mister Dickens’ strange little beard and beady black eyes.
      The further down the steps Charlie descended the brighter it appeared. The lower level was the children’s section. Considerably more fun than science books or Shakespeare. The big oak counter was abandoned but the lights were still on. He was alone, still.
      Charlie sighed, sitting down in one of the bright red wooden chairs. He was much too big for it but it held well under his weight. A sad stuffed bear stared dully into him from the green glossy table.
      “Well hello,” He mumbled, picking it up under the arms, “And you must be?” He cleared his throat to take on a gruff baritone, “Mister... Bearington,” Charlie sighed, that was bad. He dropped the bear into his lap, “This is so stupid,”
      “Bearington?”
      Charlie shot around in the chair, tipping himself off center and stumbling to his feet, bear still clutched in his arms, “Where the hell did you come from?”
      “A few blocks over, walked here actually.” You turned back to your work. A painting. Not just a painting, Charlie realized, a mural. It stretched the length of the wall, roughly sketched in pencil and waiting to be finished.
      He blinked, “That’s good. The wall I mean,”
      “Thank you,” Your face flustered and Charlie took notice, “It’s not much of anything yet, just an outline. It’ll look better painted.”
      He took a few steps closer, sidling up to you, “What’s it supposed to be?”
      “A forest,” You pointed to a rotund blob perched on a long line, “That’s an owl, and there’s going to be a fox somewhere down in the grass,”
      Charlie grinned, “That’s an owl?”
      “That-” you tapped the blob, “Is a shape, objectively. Subjectively, it’s an owl.”
      His brow creased, “Subjectively it’s an owl? That's like saying Mister Bearington is a rabbit, subjectively,”
      You stared at him, baffled. It was almost irritating that he could so casually come down to your domain and invade your creative bubble. And it was even worse that he talked to himself as a stuffed bear but now he was challenging your judgment on what was and was not subjectively an owl. But he had a wonderful smile and it lessened the intrusion. Plus, you had never seen a teenage boy develop an attachment to a stuffed bear as quickly as he had, “What’s your name?”
      “Nuwanda,” He grinned, setting his chin atop his bear’s plush head.
      “Nuwanda?” You blinked at him, “That’s… neat. I’ve never heard that before.”
      “What can I say? The only Nuwanda this side of Vermont. What’s your name?”
      As you opened your mouth to answer several sets of footsteps thundered down the stairs. Knox spun around the corner first, closely followed by Pitts and Meeks.
      “Charlie!” Knox called, “We gotta go before Cameron proposes to the clerk.”
      You looked at the boy in front of you, “Is Charlie short for Nuwanda, or just a nickname?”
      He shrugged, “I’m Nuwanda, subjectively. It was truly a pleasure meeting you. Can’t wait to see your thing DaVinci!” He set the stuffed bear back on the table as he made his way out of the room. With Charlie’s energy gone it became much quieter and you were plunged back into the impressionistic outline of your artwork.
      The next time a library trip was suggested Charlie didn’t completely dread it. Yes, it was still numbingly boring because it was a library and he didn’t have clerks to fall in love with, people to write love letters to, anyone to kiss in the aisles, or a spaceship to build, but he did have his own personal Van Gough to torment.
      The lower level was the first place he went, not even hanging his coat on the rack inside the big double doors. He made his way past Cameron’s preoccupied receptionist and under Dickens’ hard glower. Halfway down the steps, the smell hit Charlie. Wet paint.
      You had just picked out a brush when he pulled one of the wooden chairs next to your station. He sat in it backwards, holding Mister Bearington out in front of him, “Never got your name Monet,”
      “Well, it's not that. Or Da Vinci.” You stroked the brush up the grassy outline.
      “Do you want me to guess?”
      You had yet to look at him, “Nope,”
      “Are you gonna tell me?”
      “Should I?”
      “Obviously, I told you my name.”
      You set the brush down and turned to face him, “(Name).”
      “Pretty,”
      Charlie Dalton liked many things and the musty old library uptown had never been one of them. It had ancient red carpets and gaudy gold ceilings and it was trying too hard to look regal. So it was a sheer shock when he began to leap at the suggestion of going and even more so when he chose to go by himself one afternoon. Naturally, the other poets followed him, they had to.
      Charlie didn’t dally upstairs, waving hi to the clerk and rushing down to the children’s section. A sign was posted outside the entrance warning of wet paint but he stepped around it.
      “You’re making progress Picasso!” He set his hands on his hips and took in the wall.
      You turned back to look at him, “Did you not see the caution: wet paint, do not enter sign?”
      “Oh no I saw it,” He pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head, “It's bright orange, hard to miss, really,”
      “So you just chose to ignore it?”
      He nodded, making his way over to sit by you on the ground, “I choose to ignore lots of things, it really makes life easier,”
      You shook your head, “Are you just going to sit here and bother me?”
      “Yes, that's actually the whole reason I came today, believe it or not.”
      You blubbered in vague disbelief, “Please tell me you’re not serious,”
      “Dead serious,” Charlie grinned, leaning closer, “I had to see how your weird owl was going. And also make sure you hadn’t gone mad and cut your own ear off yet,”
      “You’ve already used the Van Gogh joke, Charles,”
      “Maybe I want your ear,”
      You paused, “You… what?”
      Charlie’s confidence cracked, “That was bad. Shit, that wasn’t supposed to sound that way. It was like, a bad pickup line? Because Van Gogh cut his ear off to send to his girlfriend,” He sighed, shaking his head, “Sorry,”
      “I mean if I had to pick someone to give my ear too I guess you would be my first choice?”
      Charlie looked at you, eyebrows pinched together, “Why?”
      You shrugged, “No one else has asked, first come first serve.” You dipped your brush back into the blue paint and went to work on a patch of flowers.
      “Huh, well I do appreciate it,” Charlie scooted closer, leaning over your shoulder. He was close, very close. When you took a breath you could smell his cologne and whatever it was he used in his hair and you could feel the edge of his sunglasses brush your ear. He brought an arm around to dip his finger into the soft sky colour on your palette. And then he wiped it on your nose.
      You gasped sharply at the foreign feeling, snapping your head to the side to glare at him, “Why?!”
      Charlie snickered, leaning back, “The opportunity presented itself, how could I just let that pass?”
      You reached back, squirting a touch of purple paint over the palm of your hand, “That was truly a horrible idea,”
      Charlie shot up just as you did, stumbling backwards, “I’m sorry-” He stuck his hands up in surrender, “I regret my actions and if I could take them back I would,”
      “Hmm, but you can’t” You took a step closer, “Surrender now and it doesn’t have to get any messier than this,”
      He pointed towards your paint coated hand, “Do not,”
      You grinned, “I might,”
      “I’m begging,”
      “Fine-” You offered him your other hand, “Truce?”
      Charlie mulled it over for a moment, “Fine, truce,” He grabbed your clean hand and you used it to pull him towards you.
          “Why on earth would you trust me?” You tugged him even closer as he shrieked and smeared your hand down his cheek, “There, now we’re even,”
      Getting distracted by your triumph gave Charlie the upper hand. He pulled you to him the same you had done to him and pressed his cheek flush to yours. The paint was cold against your skin and you jolted back, away from him.
      “Vile,” You hissed, “You are vile and evil. That's so cold. You will pay, I hope you know that.”
      Charlie snorted, “Oh please, what’re you gonna do?”
      “You underestimate me, you ass, I’ll figure something out,”
      “Will you?” Charlie grinned, “I will be waiting in anticipation,”
      “You better be,”
      Meeks elbowed back into Cameron’s ribs, “You’re going to knock me over,”
      Cameron craned his neck further to peek around the corner into the children’s section, “I just want to see, let me look,”
      “Nothing is happening-” Meeks snipped, “They’re just talking now and I might be able to hear if you could can it!”
      Cameron rolled his eyes, “Of course, whatever you say,”
      “Will you shut up?” Knox batted at Cameron’s shoulder, “They’ll see us, we’re not super well hidden,”
      “If you don’t stop talking they’ll realize we’re here,” Pitts mumbled, rolling his eyes. Cameron started to rebuttal, turning to look at Gerard but the motion knocked Meeks out of place and he gasped, stumbling forwards. This did indeed draw Charlie’s attention.
      “Meeks, what the hell?” Charlie snapped. He was in a state, sunglasses askew in his hair, paint smeared from his cheekbone down to the corner of his mouth, and his shirt was wrinkled away from his collarbone.
      Meeks stared, “Hi Charlie. Are there any textbooks down here, uh… the science ones?”
      Knox groaned, stepping out from behind the wall as well, “We wanted to see why you came here on a Tuesday afternoon by yourself,”
      Charlie blubbered, “Did you all come? Is Keating there too?”
      “He could be,” Meeks shrugged.
      Charlie rolled his eyes, “Will you leave, I’ll be upstairs in a second,” The other poets nodded, scampering up the steps to the first level.
      “Assholes, should have known they’d come,” Charlie sighed, adjusting the sunglasses atop his head, “I need to go before they decide to intrude again. I’ll see you soon though, anxiously anticipating payback,”
      He was almost out the door when you bucked up the courage to call out to him, “Charlie, wait.” You let him turn back to you before continuing, “Could I have your phone number?”
      He clicked his teeth, “Don’t have one, private school. But I’ll find the library number in the books and try to shoot you a call sometime,” He winked and started back up to his friends.
      Knox was waiting at the landing with a handful of tissues, which he shoved into Charlie’s hands, “So you’re gonna read your stupid poem about tits at a Dead Poets meet and then not tell us you’ve got a girlfriend?”
      Charlie grabbed the tissues, “Not my girlfriend, I meet her like two weeks ago,”
      “Didn’t stop Knox,” Neil elbowed him.
      Charlie wiped at his face, “Well I’m not Knox. I like her painting, she's good.”
      “It looks like she was painting you,” Cameron slapped at Charlie’s chest and he threw the tissues at him in retaliation.
      “Shut up, at least my library worker actually talks to me,”
      Cameron fumbled with the dirty material, batting it away from his chest, “You dick!”
      Charlie grinned, pulling his glasses down and starting towards the door. Something about it was thrilling, having this to himself. A little secret that he and you shared. His personal Salvador Dalí, something to look forwards to besides bad tobacco and Keating’s eccentric lectures. It was bright and exciting and he felt seen. He felt important. The blue paint he had stolen from your tray was still on the tip of his pointer finger and he wondered how long it would be until he could see you again.
 ( @interwebseriesfan24 )
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venustar-r · 4 years ago
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𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 | daisuke kambe (1/2)
daisuke kambe fluff, part 2 is smut so...
enjoy! word count: 2.8k
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❝ 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚, 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩; 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞. ❞
- WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Daisuke Kambe found that mornings in her apartment were much more pleasant than those at the Kambe residency.
It was the way that the smell of food being made danced through the ajar door and into the bedroom, tempting his nose with the aroma of coffee and breakfast. The kitchen at his house was sealed away shut by large wooden doors and unpractically far so that he wouldn't ever have a chance of smelling food being made until it was on a plate served in front of him.
It was the way the sun swam into the room, resting comfortably on his bare back as he snuggled deeper into the pillow. In his own room, the curtains were thick and sealed closed. Unless he got up and opened them, or a maid did so, he wouldn't get to be welcomed by the morning sun as he did there.
He liked the mess of blankets on the small bed. They weren't silk or cashmere, but he enjoyed how light they felt. The soft noise they made when he shifted around, how cool they felt with the sudden change of position. With the mess of pillows, he felt he was sinking into his own fortress, the child in him enjoying how they closed around his figure. Almost like a hug. At the house, he'd have a mass of harsh pillows at his back at he slept straight up (because they insisted he sleep like that), the heavy blankets feeling oddly suffocating.
He would be awakened into a cold, dark room, his suit resting on his chair that's shadow he could make out, though it was far. He appreciated the largeness of his room, he did, but it was never ... homely. No, not at all. It was harsh and chilled. Icy, even in the middle of summer.
But his heart smiled when a soft kiss was pressed to his forehead, a cold hand (though not uncomfortable in the slightest) resting on his shoulders.
"Morning, Dai," the voice he had grown to love cooed.
His eyes fluttered open and were met by the flourish of plants that sat on her windowsill, the sun feeding them with its generous brilliance. His gaze travelled to the person above him, a blurry image of her sparkling (E/C) eyes looking down at him, "Too early,"
She let out a laugh, one that sounded like absolute heaven in his dazed state, "Breakfast's in ten minutes. Stay there for nine of those, get your beauty sleep," She teased lightly, stepping away from him. He rested for a quick second, hearing the door swing open and close slightly, though it didn't click shut. He was going out soon anyway.
It was a struggle to get up as the mattress sunk with his body weight, almost as if begging him to stay. As his eyes lazily made their way around the room, and he slowly gained consciousness, he registered the sound of cooking. The mouth-watering smell was probably the few things coaxing him out of the comfort of the bed, along with the image of a certain someone cooking said meal.
He had never wanted to stay in bed more, and at the same time, he had never had a reason to get up like the grinning face of his girlfriend and the day that lay before him.
Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he took the glass of water and medication and sculled it. A single drop escaped his mouth and began sliding down the side of his chin, which he wiped away with his hand, a liberty he appreciated with utmost honesty. He would've gotten yelled at if he had not done so with a handkerchief.
With a groan, he got up, his legs feeling like jelly from not having any weight on them for hours, and maybe from the night before. A slight smirk played his lips at the thought.
He looked around on the floor for his discarded t-shirt, realizing quickly that he didn't need it. He could walk around in just his black sweatpants if he wanted to and no Grandma of HEUSC or whatever could tell him off about it. Plus, he had an inkling that his item of clothing had been stolen by a certain someone.
Swinging open the door, he found that his theory was correct.
(Y/N) (L/N) stood there, back facing him, clad in his oversized plain white T-Shirt and boxers she no doubt took from the drawer in her room reserved for his clothes, cooking what smelled like eggs. Not that he minded her wearing his stuff. In complete honesty, he really liked it. A piece of him that she had, other than his heart, as cheesy as it was.
A window lay in the wall in front of her, once again having an abnormal amount of plants resting by it. Well, plants were splayed out everywhere. If a place on a shelf didn't have books or some other more practical item, it was very likely that a plant would be squeezed in there. Other than a few flowers in expensive vases, his house never had any plants. He believed they added a lively touch, the sun that lit up the room aiding them in doing so.
He tried to sneak up on her, but he knew it was a futile attempt. She'd probably heard him as soon as he stepped out of the bedroom.
Trudging over to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, planting a small peck on the bare piece of skin where her neck met her shoulders before burrowing into said crook, closing his eyes as he felt her head turn.
"Dai...?" She mumbled, a smile present in her words.
He slowly glanced up at her, positive he looked like a lost puppy.
"I don't see how I’m supposed to cook when I have a giant teddy bear weighing me down,” She said teasingly, a single brow quirked on her gorgeous face. He was smitten. Absolutely, positively smitten.
“Well, then. Guess we can’t eat,” He said back.
She gave him a look, “We have time for all your cutesy shit later. Get off me and eat your breakfast,”
He complied. He would comply with anything she said, really. She had him wrapped around her finger.
Now at the small table in the cutesy apartment, eating (Y/N)’s heavenly food (at one point caviar and lobsters had gotten boring), he hummed happily. 
She looked at him softly, a tender smile gracing her lips. “I’m going grocery shopping today, yeah?”
He looked up from his food, eyes wide with the thought of having to lounge around all alone all day, “Like, just you?”
She frowned, “Uhm, yeah? Haru said you were, uhm, lost when you went last time.”
His mouth widened, feigned offence written all over his face, “I was not. Why are you talking to Kato anyway? All he’ll do is lie about me,”
(Y/N) rolled her eyes, “I used to work with Haru. But I mean, if you want to come, come. There’s nothing stopping you,”
And like a child finding out they were going to Disney, Daisuke practically inhaled his food to get ready to go out, excitedly going into (Y/N)’s room to change. 
And (Y/N), who watched him with an incredulous expression, shook her head, eating the rest of her food at a more reasonable pace, “I swear, he’s a different person entirely in bed,”
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“Uhm…” Daisuke had wandered away from (Y/N), and was most definitely lost.
He had no idea how it happened, really, but this thing had caught his eye. It was colourful and looked absolutely mouth-watering, as if they had sprinkled rainbows on this piece of cookie. They were called… Pop-Tarts. Yes, that was it. 
Pop-Tarts.
Either way, the colourful blue box with the pretty looking dessert on the front cover had caught his attention, and he had chased this curiosity, and after staring at them for a good minute, he looked around to find that (Y/N) was gone.
The panic hadn’t set in until he saw a balloon to advertise some sort of chocolate milk powder, and had brought him back to an absolutely terrifying movie (Y/N) had decided to make him watch. He was alone, in this very strange world, and there was a big chance he would be kidnapped by a killer clown. 
None of this panic had actually appeared on his features, though. It was internal, as externally, he just looked like a normal young adult who was wandering around the supermarket with a box of Pop-Tarts in hand. 
Eventually, once he had wandered what was most of the supermarket (there were certain parts that were terrifying, though, because why the hell was there this giant tower of plastic bouncy balls) (it seemed like a health and safety risk, in all honesty), he finally decided to wait outside.
If he recalled correctly, he’d have to go to the cashier’s and pay for his Pop-Tarts. He was sure that was how it worked… (Y/N) had given him money, and half of him guessed it was because she had predicted something like this would happen.
It went smoothly. The cashier had asked him if he’d care to donate to the National Foundation for Cancer Research and Daisuke just put most of his money in there, saving ten dollars in case he saw any more multicoloured food somewhere. 
The cashier had given him an odd look though, thanking him profusely...
Oh well. He had thought. Now out of the one thousand dollars (Y/N) gave me, I have ten. I’d say that’s pretty good. 
He had very little knowledge of money, because why would he need to? He had an unlimited amount. 
He was now outside the supermarket, and he hadn’t much of an idea what he was going to do. He vaguely recalled hearing about children having to wait where they were when they’re lost. Should he wait? Stand by the door awkwardly?
Can you eat raw Pop-Tarts? It said to put them in a toaster, but they looked rather delicious.
Daisuke got over his panic of being lost quickly. 
Halfway through his very first Pop-Tart (slightly disappointing, but not bad), he had spotted another colourful thing. Not food, really, but most definitely bright, a plethora of hues burning his eyes.
He went over, eyeing the flower stall. He liked colourful things, yes, but (Y/N) did always like the more simple ones. He could mix the two, maybe. It was romantic to get flowers, right? For your girlfriend? 
The old man selling them watched him peculiarly. Maybe it was because Daisuke was looking at the flowers as if picking one were a life-changing decision.
In his mind, it was. He needed to get the perfect flowers for (Y/N). For various reasons.
1) He loved her.
2) He needed her not to be mad at him for getting lost.
3) He really loved her. 
So really, this was a life or death situation.
“I can wrap them in pretty fabric if you want,” The florist guy said, pulling him out of his thoughts as he scrutinized his decision. 
Daisuke met his eyes, ���Can you?”
“Yeah, two more dollars though,”
Maybe if he got a plain flower and a nice pretty material to wrap it with…
“What colours do you have?” Daisuke asked, eyes sparkling at his ingenious idea.
The old man blinked, but answered nonetheless, “Erm… Red? Green? Blue-”
“Can I see the blue?” Daisuke interrupted, looking way too eager for a fabric to wrap flowers around.
“Sure…” 
And then he pulled out the most gorgeous baby blue, which Daisuke loved, and he knew (Y/N) would love.
“So which flower will it be? Or a mixed bouquet?” He had asked after guessing his customers oggled eyes were a yes.
Right, flowers.
Once again, Daisuke returned his gaze toward the many many rows of single flowers, complete bouquets, etc. analyzing and considering every option. He went back to her apartment, the plants that flourished verdant green, the nice light colours of the white tablecloth and the yellow vase with the dying tulips she needed to replace.
He couldn’t get tulips, because he wanted something different.
Maybe, say, something equally simple and elegant. 
The lilies.
Yeah, the lilies. They were perfect. A nice white, not too plain, not too basic, the yellow went nicely with the blue.
It was perfect.
And so, “The lilies, please!” With way too much enthusiasm.
But the old man got ten dollars and Daisuke got his lilies wrapped in a pastel blue doily-like fabric so everyone was happy.
Daisuke whistled merrily as he went his way back to the exit of the supermarket, when over the speakers came a voice, saying, “There is a report of a missing child. He’s uhm, quite tall, around 170cm, with dark black hair with bluish grayis eyes. He goes by the name Daisuke Kambe-”
Oh.
He was getting a few stares, given that he matched that description, but he just ignored them, going to find the lost and found child place, wherever that was in a supermarket, to find (Y/N) and give the flowers to her.
He was quite excited to give her the flowers.
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That afternoon, after (Y/N) had found him, chastised him, thanked him for the flowers, they made out in the car, and they got back to her apartment, they cuddled on the couch.
On the shelf on top of the TV, where the tulips had once occupied the vase, bloomed a bouquet of white lilies, looking like it was right at home nestled along with the other plants. 
It had been a tradition for (Y/N) to read to him, and he loved every second of it. She would have her back pressed up against his chest, and his arms would wrap around her loosely, and the sun would begin its descent, enveloping the world with its golden buttery glow, and everything was alright.
She read him what he would call ‘intellectual books’. Daisuke was a bookworm. Well, not really. But he had spent countless hours wandering the empty halls of his house, and they had a library, so naturally, he’d found himself reading quite a bit. But, either way, he much preferred listening to the voice of the girl he loved as he got to hold her. 
“Why should it be essential to love rarely in order to love much?” She read softly. Camus, today. The Myth of Sisyphus. He’d generally stay away from the philosophy section of the library, but with the way she read he would’ve brought every single one and listened to each and every word.
Sometimes she’d fall asleep, and he’d get HEUSC out of a soundproof box in his pocket and do some work, because despite being away from the Kambe residency, there was always stuff to do.
He seldom returned, these days. The place where he found solace was here, in her arms, so there wasn’t much of a reason to return. 
And then dinner would roll around, and they’d cook together. Well, (Y/N) would cook and Daisuke would distract her with teasing, flirting, and anything really. Usually, she’d call him endlessly annoying and pepper his face with kisses.
“Alexa-” (He’d refuse to put HEUSC in her apartment)
“Dai, no,” (Y/N) said sternly, stirring the broth for Pho while also chopping the toppings while also boiling the noodles.
“Put More Than a Woman on,” He grinned, mischief dancing behind his eyes.
The familiar cheesy beginning of the song started playing from the speaker as Daisuke went over to (Y/N), prying the knife and wooden spoon away from her hands, replacing the cooking equipment with his hands instead, intertwining them.
She shook her head, though couldn’t help but let the smile that she had failed to suppress grow on her lips.
“You’re impossible,” She said, with an eye roll as he wrapped his arm around her waist, beginning to sway them around the kitchen to the music.
“Impossibly handsome? Kind? Amazing?” He grinned, nose oh-so-very close to touching hers.
“Impossibly idiotic,” She said, but then pecked his lips quickly, happily complying with his wish to dance, because she, like him, was smitten. 
More than a woman, More than a woman to me~
He mumbled the words in a squeaky high voice, much like Barry Gibb but, well, treacherous for the ears.
A laugh bubbled up her throat, her smile impossibly wide as they did an impossibly domestic thing after a domestic day.
And that was enough. Them with their pet plants and their kitchen dances.
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animeomegas · 4 years ago
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Omega!Naruto getting married
Anon: Omg omg bro I just saw the amazing and wonderful art of naruto in a white dress and it just got me thinking. Could you do naruto and his alpha getting married pllleeeaaassssee🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺I also wanna show you the picture soo badd he's so beautifullllllll
(Omg tag me in this 🥺I want to see!!! Naruto is so so beautiful you’re absolutely right and I love him and this was so far down my writing list but I just really wanted to write it anyway. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. <3)
I wrote for a Western wedding because I have no idea how Japanese weddings work (although I’m taking a degree in Japanese rip)
Warnings: Alcohol mention.
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This boy will never admit it, but he always dreamt of getting married when he was a child.
When he was really young, he asked the Sandaime why people get married and the Hokage told him that marriage is what two people did when they loved each other more than anyone else.
Naruto always wanted someone to love him and so he clung to this in a similar (but less extreme) way, to how he clung to his dream of becoming Hokage. 
He always imagined his future self as the most badass ninja/Hokage with  a beautiful mate/spouse and some little prankster pups who would love him and who he would love unconditionally in return. 
And so when his alpha finally proposes to him.
This man goes a bit crazy.
As soon as the shock wears off, you suddenly get bombarded with him shouting about a thousand different things he wants at the wedding, and what food there should be, and “Do you think they sell orange wedding cakes?”.
He wants an insanely big and extravagant wedding.
It’s probably best to just humour him.
Proposal:
You were already mated to Naruto when you proposed.
Naruto lowkey believes in soulmates and when you had been courting for about a year he knew you were his. 
His very next heat came around, and boom, you were mated. 
You proposed about a year and a half after that, spurred on by Naruto’s less than subtle hints about it.
Naruto loved being around his friends and he also loved positive attention, so the idea for your proposal came naturally. 
You threw a get together for him and his closest friends. Good food, plenty of drinks and board games.
Naruto was laughing and smiling all night. He teamed up with you for the games, sitting on your lap the entire time. 
He used this vantage point to demand congratulatory and commiserative  kisses everytime something happened in the game. You could feel him smiling into the kiss each time.
The plan was working perfectly so far. 
As the evening began to wind down, you stood up, immediately garnering the attention of everyone in the room.
You cleared your throat awkwardly as all the eyes in the room settled on you. Sakura gave you a thumbs up behind Naruto’s shoulder.
‘You got this!’ She mouthed, eyes twinkling with excitement. With her encouragement in mind, you took one final deep breath before beginning.
“Sorry to interrupt you all, but there’s one more thing I have to do before everyone goes home.” You started, successfully avoiding any unfortunate stutters or out of control nervous scents.
Naruto furrowed his brows at you, confused. You only smiled, silently telling him to wait. 
“I have an... announcement of sorts to make.” 
“Then get on with it.” Drawled Shikamaru, smirking at you from the corner. You glared at him for teasing you, but he was too busy dodging a ‘shut up’ punch from Sakura to notice.
“As you all know, I’ve had the honour of being mated for Naruto for almost two years now,” You focused your gaze onto your mate, watching him perk up at the mention of his name. “and I have been madly in love for every minute of it.” You paused thoughtfully. “Even the minute when he drank out of date milk and threw up all over my bed.” 
Naruto went red as his friends giggled at him. He let out an embarrassed whine as you joined in the laughter. 
“You didn’t have to tell them that!” He groaned, voice muffled from the cushion he had temporarily buried his face in. 
“What I’m trying to say, is that when I met Naruto my life changed forever, for the better. I can no longer fathom a life where I could live without him.”
You turned to address Naruto directly. He was watching you closely. Maybe he was starting to guess where this was going.
“When I wake up next to you, when we invent terrible ramen flavours together, when I bandage you after training because you tried to show off and hurt yourself,” You laughed breathily. “Those are the moments when I am the happiest. The common denominator is you, Naruto, my beloved mate.”
No one else in the room mattered now apart from you and Naruto. You took one final breath to steel yourself, before dropping on one knee. Naruto gasped, his hands coming up to cover his mouth. 
“Which is why I want to be with you for the rest of our lives.” You pulled the ring box out of your pocket, opening it to reveal a simple golden band. 
“Will you marry me, Naruto?”
Naruto nodded furiously, his bottom lip wobbling as his eyes filled up with tears.
“YES! YES! YES! A thousand times yes!!” 
Naruto threw himself into your arms as his friends applauded and whooped in the background. You caught him with a happy laugh, leaning to kiss him. Naruto reciprocated enthusiastically, earning a few wolf whistles from his friends.
Naruto’s scent was that of pure sugar and you revelled in it, certain that your own was the same. Eventually you pulled away from the kiss, wiping a tear from Naruto’s eye, cradling his face gently in your hands.
“A toast,” Chouji’s voice called out, interrupting your thoughts. “To the newly engaged couple!” 
All your friends cheered, raising their glasses in a toast to your engagement. 
“May their love last forever!”
You laughed gleefully. Forever indeed.
Planning:
Naruto has a lot of ideas and a lot of passion, but not so much in the planning skills department. 
I hate to say it, but Naruto is a little bit of a Bridezilla type. A cute one though, so that’s better?
He really really wants a lot of random specific stuff that he dreamt about as a child, but he’s not good at organising it so you get a lot of:
“Alphaaaaa, can you book [insert incredibly specific wedding thing]?”
“Alpha, alpha, alpha, can you find a [insert incredibly specific wedding thing] for me, please???”
Here is a list of some, not all, of the things Naruto wants for his wedding. Bolded are ‘no compromises allowed’.
A traditional, white wedding dress (He knows he can wear whatever he wants, but his life has only ever been atypical and he just really wants a traditional white male omega wedding dress.)
An orange wedding cake (Naruto wants an orange wedding cake, but he can be persuaded to settle for orange detailing instead of the solid orange monstrosity he originally wants.)
A ramen course ( he wants one of the courses to be ramen of course! The idea of a really expensive, fancy ramen course just makes him melt with excitement. Nobody is surprised when they see ramen on the menu.)
A big wedding (He will invite the whole village if you allow him to. Ultimately though, as long as there’s room for every friend he’s ever had, he’s happy.)
Double barrelling your surnames (He really wants to take your name. Now that you’re married and mated, you’re a team for life and he wants that reflected in your names, but he also spent most of his life without family, and his name is one of the only connections he has to his mother. As such, he would never be able to lose it completely.)
A stag do/bachelor party (He just thinks it would be fun to get together with his other omega friends. He wants to hang out with his friends and wedding party for a night without anyone being away on missions for once.)
A honeymoon in Konoha (Naruto doesn’t want to travel for his honeymoon. Konoha is his home and his favourite place to be, so he wants to be there. If you desperately want to travel, you could probably organise a half-and-half style honeymoon. Half in Konoha, half wherever you want.)
Two empty chairs for his parents during the service (He has lost so many people, he could never leave empty chairs for them all. He keeps everyone he’s lost in his mind on his wedding day, but his parents are the ones he misses the most on his special day. When he looks at the empty chairs, he likes to think that they would be proud watching him get married.
The Wedding:
Naruto is fully bouncing off the walls.
He’s so excited. And nervous. But excited.
He gets ready and when he gazes at himself in the mirror, he feels amazing. As a child, he always thought he would cover his whiskers with make up, thinking they were on of the reasons people treated him differently. But now, as he stares at his reflection, he wears his whisker marks proudly.
Everyone pitched in to make the wedding perfect. Ino with the flowers, Chouji with the food, etc.
The wedding was kind of a bizarre mix. Some parts were strictly traditional and other parts were... orange. 
Naruto had plenty of fireworks set up to go off in the evening, and this ended up being one of his favourite parts of the day.
Naruto asked Iruka to walk him down the aisle about a month befpre the wedding. Iruka 100% cried when that happened. And then Naruto cried because Iruka was crying, it was an adorable mess. 
You got married outside. The sun was so bright, and the weather was warm but with a slight breeze. 
Naruto and Iruka wait just out of everyone’s view. When they send the signal, everybody stands.
You watched in awe as your mate turned the corner, grasping tightly at Iruka sensei’s arm.
He was stunning.
The sunlight reflected off his blond hair like light off of water, his white dress adding to the blinding effect. Naruto had refused to tell you what he would be wearing today, but this was more beautiful than you could have ever imagined. 
As he reached the end of the aisle, your mate gave up on being graceful, running the last few steps and throwing himself into your embrace. You caught him easily, twirling him around. Laughter rang through the hall.
“You look stunning.” You whispered in his ear, gently stroking up and down his arms.
“So do you.” He grinned in return.
The ceremony flew by. You had tried your hardest to listen, but you couldn’t stop staring at your mate instead. His eyes were always one of your favourite of his physical features, but they had looked especially magical today. 
Before you knew it, it was time for your first dance.
You hadn’t planned anything and you certainly didn’t take any lessons, so it was just you and him, in each others’ arms, swaying together to the music. 
Naruto felt warm in your arms as you swayed. You took a moment to nuzzle your face into his scent glands, pressing a firm kiss to his mating mark while you were there. Naruto hummed in delight, holding onto you even tighter.
“My omega. My mate. My husband.” You breathed into his ear, knowing how much he loved his new title.
Naruto shivered and purred in response. “I love the sound of that, you know.”
“I’m aware.” You laughed, using the distraction to twirl him. Naruto completed his twirl before trying to twirl you as well. 
Other couples soon began to join you on the dance floor, but you and Naruto only had eyes for each other. 
“I love you, more than anything else in this world Naruto, never forget that.”
“I love you, too. Forever, I promise.”
“Do you love me more than ramen?”
“What? Can’t you just be happy with second place?”
“Narutoooo.”
“Fine... Joint first.”
“I hate you.”
Naruto barked out a laugh at the look on your face.
“No, you don’t.”
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Go Go Let's Go! Let's Go! Dateko! (Pt.1)
⚠️THIS FIC IS 18+ NSFW, MINORS DNI ⚠️
Warnings: Swearing
Word count: 7000+
"You're looking at the face of the new captain of Date Techs iron wall" your son Futakuchi Kenji shouted as he burst through the front door of your humble abode.
"So they really went with you huh" you snicker "good maybe now you'll finally learn some respect for Moniwa and those other nice third years"
Kenji huffed as he set his bag down taking off his school tie and jacket.
 "You know mom, most parents would be like 'oh my god Kenji I'm so proud of you we can order your favorite tonight I love you so much you sweet sweet child'" he mocks as you stare at him trying not to laugh.
"Since when has that been our relationship Kenji" you smile as you proceed over to your son.
You grab him forcing him into a tight squeeze "Oh I love my boy so much you are so precious I can't wait to go cheer for Date Tech every single game now" you gush as he tries to force his way from your grasp.
"Eww mom please stop" he says as he gags "I didn't mean that supportive. Please don't show up at our games."
"I don’t know Kenji those team mates of yours really do like me" you snicker as you turn around "I wouldn't ever want anyone to think I don't support my precious baby boy."
Kenji rolled his eyes as you laughed. You had always had a really good relationship with your son. You had him at the age of 20 while you were in a relationship with his father. Unfortunately the relationship didn't work out and his father left the area. You didn't see him much and neither did Kenji. You struggled as a single mom, finding your main support in your parents. You had a great relationship with them and the 4 of you together made up a tiny happy family.
Your parents helped you finish school while your mother watched Kenji. You graduated and getting the job you had worked years for. Now that you were established, things were going well. Kenji was doing well in school, playing volleyball for one of the top schools in the Miyagi prefecture and you were working long hours at a job you loved. No matter what you always made time for your son. He didn't really want you to attend his games so you would occasionally sneak into one watching from the nosebleeds. You loved seeing your son doing what he loved and you always encouraged him.
"So what does a team captain do" you ask as you place the order for your son's favorite take out.
"I mean I run pratices, lead drills and encourage the team" he says nonchalantly as he looks over his school work.
"Not a strong suit of yours Kenj" you smile as he shots a death glare at you.
"Well it's alot easier now that we have a manager to help too" he says.
"Oh you found one then?" You smile
"Yeah Nametsu Mai, she's a second year. She will be doing a lot of the note taking and helping with set ups. Also it's nice to have someone making bentos for the team" he says.
You look up from the bills on your counter "wait she's doing all that alone? That poor girl why does she have to do all that?"
"It's her job mom chill" Kenji says as he laughs at your outburst.
"And your job Kenji is to make sure your team runs efficiently so I expect you to be helping you" you turn as you raise your eyebrows at him.
"Mom ser-" Kenji starts as he sees the glare in your eyes.
"I'm 100% serious Kenji. If you don't help that girl I swear to God that I will be front and center at every single match. Every single tournament with a giant sign in the shape of your face and a shirt that says 'I'm Futakuchi Kenji's number one fan'" you glare as his eyes widen.
"Ok mom ok ill invite her over to help her my god you're mean" he says as you smile.
"I'm off Friday so I can help you make bentos too. You really suck Kenji at doing anything domestic" you smile as you walk to the door to get the takeout you ordered.
Kenji shakes his head as he groans.
Thank God I'm only captain for 1 year he thinks as he signs going to help you get the food.
Friday approaches quickly as the team gears up for their first round of tournaments
"Mai" Kenji calls as he motions for her to come over
"Yes Kenji?" Mai says with a bright smile
"So I want to help you prepare meals for the team for the tournament" he says.
The team stops. Mai looks at him in shock. Middle blocker Aone Takanobu just stares. Fellow outside hitter Obara Yutaka smiles as Libero Sakunami Kōsuke looks on in complete shock.
"Stop looking at me like that! I'm a helpful person!" He screams as they all go back to their activities.
"Ahh it's ok Kenji I really don't need he-" Mai waves shaking her hands.
"Just come to my place tonight ok" Kenji says as the gym doors suddenly burst open.
Coach Oiwake Takurō just shakes his head as he witnesses to former 3rd year volleyball players parade into the gym.
"Well hello our precious underclassmen" Former Middle blocker Kamasaki Yasushi shouts as he walks over to the team.
Kenji just shakes his head "you guys really must lead boring lives if you always have to come bother us during practice. Haven't you found a job yet Kamasaki?" Kenji smirks as he sees the third year began to get heated.
"And here I thought you changed Futakuchi" he says as he goes to grab the captain by the collar. 
 Suddenly someone yells "Aone" and Aone goes to break up the fighting duo.
"Still no respect for your upperclassmen I see" Former captain Moniwa Kaname says with a laugh.
"Well since you're here you might as well make yourselves useful" Kenji says as he stares at Kamasaki "go block for me."
Kamasaki loosens his tie as former wing spiker Sasaya Takehito says as he shakes his head "not again."
Practice ends as the team clears the gym. Mai and Kenji walk to the Futakuchi residence. 
 As they approach, Mai looks at Kenji.
"You really don't need to help me" Mai says "it's my job as manager."
"I know Mai but you see- umm well my mom kinda insisted I help you" Kenji says "she's a bit- much."
They walk to the front door as Kenji opens it. Y/N comes running from the kitchen to greet her son and hopefully their team manager.
"KENJI I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DIDNT BRING-" you stop as Kenji just stares at you.
"Oh hello! You must be Mai!" You say extending your hand to the young girl.
"Hello Ms. Futakuchi! It's so nice to meet you" Mai says as she bows, saying Y/Ns hand.
"You as well! Kenji you didn't tell me how cute she was! You must get attention for all the boys" you smile as Mai blushes.
"Mom seriously" Kenji says as his face turns read and he walks away putting his and Mai's bags on the floor.
"What? It's true! But take it from me honey, boys are nothing but trouble! Look at Kenji" you say as you smirk to your son, Mai trying to hide her giggling.
"Ok mom did you just invite her over to ridicule me?" Kenji says to you completely unimpressed
"Nope I can do that without inviting her over! Now let's go to the kitchen Mai" you say as you lead the young girl to the kitchen.
You and Mai work to prepare bentos as you put Kenji to work where you need him.
"Honestly Kenji just stay out of the way" you shout.
"Mom why did you even ask me to invite her over?! I'm literally doing nothing" he says as he sits at the table
"Yes and you're terrible at it" you roll your eyes.
Mai finds your relationship with Kenji amusing and lighthearted. She can tell you have a great relationship with your son and you both feel comfortable picking on each other.
"Ok that's the last of it Mai. You did such a great job! The boys are so lucky to have you. And if they ever say anything rude to you, you let me know and I'll take care of it" you nudge Mai as she giggles.
"Oh don't worry Ms Futakuchi, Coach Oiwake makes sure they appreciate me" she smiles.
"Coach Oiwaka? I don't think I've met him" you turn slowly looking at Kenji
"Why would you need to mom? You always tell me you're happy to get rid of me to whomever will take me off your hands" he says to you in a mocking tone.
"Still! Is he cute?" You say as Mai laughs out loud
"Mom we are not having this discussion " Kenji says as he places his hands over his ears and walks out of the kitchen.
"Well is he?" you say smiling at Mai.
"For an older man, yes" she says giggling "he's been divorced for a few years now. No kids to speak of. He's pretty dedicated to being the coach"
You smile. It's been forever since you've been out with a man. After Kenji's father left, you were top focused on your career and school to even consider dating, let alone be intimate. It had been at least 5 years since you last had sex. Honestly you weren't even sure that was accurate.
"Ms. Futakuchi" Mai says to you as you stare off into space "umm Ms. Futakuchi?"
"Oh gosh I'm sorry Mai! Just thinking. How about we keep the bentos here and I'll bring them tomorrow morning before you leave?" You smile as Mai nods.
"Heck maybe I'll even get to chance to see this gorgeous coach of yours" she winks
"LA LA LA MOM I CANT HEAR YOU" Futakuchi sings from the other room as you both laugh.
Saturday morning approaches as Kenji leaves early to help load the bus. You leave the house at 7:30 in your leggings and old date tech t shirt, figuring it would just be a quick stop to drop off the bentos and back home to enjoy a day free from Kenji and responsibilities as an adult.
You arrive at the school and see the bus outside. It seems like the team is in the gym so you quickly grab the box making your way to the gym. You start to press the door open as you enter slowly.
Coach Oiwake looks up from his notes to see a beautiful young women standing holding an entire box of bentos.
Who are you? And how in the world are you so attractive?
"Kenji you jerk get over here and help your poor mother" you say sarcastically as the team snickers.
"More like 'poor me having to deal with my MOM showing up to my volleyball gym’" kenji rolls his eyes as he quickly walks away from you.
"Love you too sweetheart" you blurt out as every laughs and Coach Oiwake smiles.
"Futakuchi is this really your mother?" Coach says as he watches Kenji out the bentos on the floor.
"Unfortunately yes" Kenji says as he rolls his eyes rejoining his team.
You turn to walk out as Coach Oiwake stops you.
"Mrs. Futakuchi, hello I'm Coach Oiwake Takurō" he says as he extends his hand to yours.
"Oh no 'Mrs' please. Just Y/N" you say as you blush.
The team is observing your interactions.
"Awe that's so cute" Mai gushes as Obara places a hand on Kenji's shoulder.
"Man I don't blame coach at all. Your mom is hot" Obara laughed as Futakuchi glared at him.
"Can we please load the bus and stop talking about my mother? Kenji says.
"Well Y/N we very much appreciate you helping Mai with the Bentos" Coach Oiwake says to you as you smile.
"Don’t mention it Coach Oiwake! Kenji should be doing it anyways AS THE CAPTAIN" you sarcastically shout to him as he walks by you.
Coach Oiwake laughs "I can see where Futakuchi gets his whit Y/N and please call me Takurō."
You smile.
"I hope you'll be able to make it out to the tournament this weekend. I know the boys would appreciate the support" Takurō says as Kenji snaps his neck around.
"Oh no coach my mom is busy this weekend right MOM" Kenji says as he bores holes into your face.
"Actually I don't work this weekend Kenj! Hey that's a great idea! I'll come to support our boys" you shout as you go to hug your son.
Takurō laughs as he watches how cute you interact with your son.
"I look forward to seeing you there Y/N" Takuro says as he turns around winking at you.
Is the coach really flirting with me? you think as you giggle to yourself.
"Oh my god" Kenji shouts as he walks away "Oh don't worry sweetie I promise I won't cheer too loud for my precious angel" you tease as you bid the team and Kenji a farewell.
Damn I need to get to know her Takurō thinks as he smiles as you walk away.
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