#yesssss these were all such good moments

[eternalsa2z]

GGLAM: Krystal

"Hiiiii Krissy! Welcome to GGLAM!"

Kristie had been going to "GGLAM By Polly" for a few weeks. Normally a high end salon wouldn't be her thing. But after "Paula's Cuts" shut down and was replaced by this Barbie-like boutique, her choices were limited. Of course, it also helped the the bubbly and beautiful Polly 'grandmothered' in all of Paula's old clients, offering the old prices for whatever their old styling used to be.

Of course, Polly was always pushing for this or that. Telling her client that she'd look cute with extensions. How she should totally go blonde. That thick and curvy waves with a full body were sooooo in right now. Kristie would always decline the over-enthusiastic bimbo, who to her credit would always drop the subject and do something simple. Kristie did appreciate that her stylist always listened and obeyed her...or maybe the ditz just forgot she offered a total makeover just a few minutes before.

"You're hair is soooo soft and shiny and pretty! Do you trust me?"

Honestly, she did. Polly was exciteable but never did anything Kristie didn't want. So whether it was the stylist's adorable eagerness, the endless happy salon music, or an inner curiosity wearing her down, she relented and consented.

With a squeal of excitement, Polly got to work. Blowing. Teasing. Fluffing. It felt like forever and Kristie almost dozed off as the bubbly beautician tried something new and exciting. When the makeover artist's long acrylic nails tapped on her shoulder, Kristie stared at the mirror in a daze.

"You're such a good girl letting me give your hair a makeover! Do you like it?" Polly asked hopefully.

Kristie nodded. It was...pretty. Sexy almost, but not too over the top. She liked it. Somehow, for some reason, she wished Polly had gone further.

"OMG your face is flawless! You're, like, a literal Barbie!"

Kristie blushed, even if her face didn't show it under all that foundation. Polly's compliments were what convinced her to do more this time. Sure, her hair was kept simple, just washed in a special silicone enriching bath that Polly kept gushing about. But this was the first time Kristie had agreed to pay for the 'Pretty Girl Package'.

The results were stunning. The pink lipstick, the pink top, the little sparkly earrings all made her mind sparkle. She couldn't help but giggle with giddiness alongside her stylist, especially after Polly told her that the package meant she could take all the products home for free.

"Look at you Krissy! Ur, like, a living advertisement for GGLAM! An adorable doll on display!"

As Kristie posed, she processed the words. Her new blonder and curlier hair. Even her somehow curvier form that fit that new dress juuuuuuust right. For a moment she tried to think about it, whether the change was too much. But Polly played that catchy little jingle from the salon as she snapped some photos and Krissy forgot what she was worried about.

There was nothing to worry about! All she had to do was let Polly make her pretty. Wear the cute clothes. Be a GGLAM model. It was soooo easy and soooo nice to let someone doll her up and dress her so sexy. It's like Polly was always saying - Good Girls Love A Makeover!

"Yesssss Krissy! Look at my little blonde angel! You're shining like a diamond...or like, a Krystal!"

Krissy felt amazing. After weeks of makeovers, special supplements, enriching hair treatments she finally went blonde. 'Bimbo blonde' as Polly called it. They left a bit of Krissy's dark roots as a reminder of her old self...but, like, Krissy could barely remember what she looked like before she started working with Polly.

But Krissy didn't worry. Or think. She just did what she was told. Sat obediently in the chair. Gave a smile for the camera. Did a little twirl on command. Polly knew best. Krissy trusted Polly. Krissy would be GGLAM's good girl model.

"Krystal you've been, like, an uh-may-zing client! I've sooooo loved helping you become the super pink girly girl bimbo you told me you were on the inside!"

Krystal just posed and pouted prettily. She, like, didn't 'member telling Polly that she wanted to be a bimbo. Or even looking like such a girly girl before. But, like, Polly must've known. She always knew what was best!

Now Krystal looked her best. She was a bit sad Polly said that after her latest pink makeover her 'Good Girl Package' was done. But quickly happiness took over as her cotton candy pink brain saw her candy pink new hair and yummy new body. As pink and pretty on the outside as she was on the outside, with a hawt new bod to match her mind.

"Hiiiii this is GGLAM by Polly, 'cuz Good Girls Love A Makeover! I'm Krystal...how can I, like, help make you beautiful?"

She stared blankly at the mirror, absent-mindedly brushing her hair and admiring her makeup. Her simple little mind couldn't memorize much beyond that silly short intro line, but luckily Polly had a 'lil repetitive tape that helped drill the greeting into her head. GGLAM's new reception needed to make a good first impression!

After month going to GGLAM, Krystal always made a good first impression. Especially after Polly plumped up her lips even more. It was sooooo worth it quitting her old job. Not only did she, like, get to hang out at the salon allllll day, but Polly gave her comp...complimen...like, free makeovers for working there! It was totes the best deal ever!

She was a total GGLAM girl now. But as she talked the next client...she hoped she wouldn't be the last. Good girls love a makeover...and bimbos need besties...

[redr0sewrites]

I’m obsessed with your hazbin stuff rn it’s incredible

idk how much you could write for this but you write a bit about sub vox after you finish fucking him. so basically just vox aftercare. I don’t think he’d be super into non-sexual touch but I think while in subspace/while coming out of it he would be super clingy and touchy.

I’ve been thinking about taking care of a fucked out vox for a while and I’m obsessed with the image.

thank you in advance and have a nice day <33

YESSSSS!!!! im a huge sucker for aftercare ♥️

🥀Cw: fluff, aftercare, mentions of smut but nothing explicit, bathing

listen, no matter what type of sex yall are having, whether its rough and fast or slow and soft, vox always ends up exhausted

after subbing vox is always clingier than usual, but he's also a lot more emotional than usual

wipe off his tears, wait for him to calm down and just let him cling to you before even starting the aftercare process

vox just needs to be held for a few minutes as he slowly begins to become slightly coherent

i don't see him as the type to want to talk much after sex, he'll mumble a little request or an "i love you" here and there but thats about it

vox pretty much melts into your touch, and he wants you to take care of him

he very rarely feels taken care of, and hes so stressed out most of the time that it just feels very foreign to him

when it comes to actually cleaning up after sex, vox is normally still too deep into subspace to do much

hes always overstimulated, and will def glitch out when you wipe off his thighs and clean him up

vox loves the intimacy of just laying back while you wash the slick off his thighs with a warm towel, pressing soft kisses to his screen and praising him as he comes out of subspace

he needs your praise and reassurance, especially when you were rough or mean to him

he'll try to be nonchalant and ask you if you really meant all the degrading things you said, but you can tell that vox's genuinely insecure about what you think of him

praise him and tell him you're so proud of him, tell him how he took you so well and how he's your good bot

vox is too incoherent and embarassed to reply but he clings a little closer to you and his screen flushes to a warmer pink

a lot of the time vox's claws will rip up the sheets and blankets, he feels bad about it but he can't control it in the moment so he'll try to help you out with setting the bed even though his legs are shaking and he's still barely coherent

PLEASE just shush him and tell him you can handle it, then run him a warm bath

considering vox is rich af ur bathtub is def big enough for the both of you, and he enjoys just laying with you in the warm water

he likes to admire all the marks you give him in the mirror, he adores seeing the hickeys and scratches on his skin

like i said he's not much of a talker after sex but he doesn't mind listening

he'll play with your fingers or trail his hand up and down your arm as you talk to him about your day

when you're both all cleaned up and relaxed, i think he'd (secretly) like it if you dressed him

theres something so intimate about you buttoning up his night shirt, giggling and pressing kisses to his screen as he pouts at you

vox pulls you on top of him when you guys are cuddling so that he can wrap his arms around you!

by this point he's def more coherent and out of subspace so he's not as clingy, but still wants your touch (if that makes sense lmao)

like he's too prideful to cling to you or ask you to hold him but really wants to be held

he'll pout when you spoon him but the fact that he practically melts into your touch betrays his true feelings

vox sleeps like the dead after being fucked and mornings after sex are the few mornings he actually sleeps in

overall, post sex vox is a side thats much softer than usual, and truly shows how much he loves and trusts you

pushing through these long ass work days yall- tmrws my last day so i'll be posting more next week!!!!!!! i need to write more fluffy stuff w vox its come to my attention that i literally only write nsfw for him 😭

[makoredeyes]

(are these still open?x) 30. Misraaks and Saint x

YESSSSS thank you for sending me probably one of my favorite prompts! <3 <3 <3

#30 - as a comfort

The Market District was a bright place full of color, movement, light, and sound. Life moved all around Saint as he ambled carefully around shoppers and booths alike, admiring the people as much as the wares on display.

There were enough humans here mingling with the Eliksni of House Light that Saint almost blended in, if it weren't for his significant stature, and that, for the moment at least, he was the only Exo in the crowd. It warmed his heart to see Humanity and their once enemies mixing peacefully. It was a beautiful day. The sun was out, the sky was clear. The scent of flowers mixed with sweetly with roasting meats and breads. A pair of Drekhs plucked away on acoustic guitars in the shade of a tree, the couple tinkering on a duet together. Saint shot them a smile as he passed and one raised a secondary arm in greeting. The other, a transplant from another house, was still regrowing docked arms, but tipped its snout up instead. Saint's smile brightened as he passed along, ducking under low-hanging flower pots and through an archway.

Eido's grotto was cooler, but no less bright than outside. There were flowers everywhere, and butterflies danced in sunbeams filtering down through the ceiling. Saint reckoned they must be drawn to her sweet demeanor because he'd seen them nowhere else outside. One curious, sociable creature knew another, he reasoned warmly.

The young Scribe was nowhere to be seen, but her concoctions burbled and bubbled quietly on overladen workbenches, so Saint thought she must not be too far away. She never was.

She didn't like to leave her father out of her sight for too long these days.

Neither did Saint.

Unconcerned with examining Eido's work too closely, Saint turned away from that patch of sunshine to the shadow in the corner, his eyes dimming.

Misraakskel sat slumped in his throne, arms folded tight around his carapace, head lowered, the lights of his helm dim as he slumbered. For a minute, Saint stands planted where he is, watching. Misraaks is shrinking, his armor loose on his body, his limbs slim. The seat of the great chair supporting him seems to swallow his body instead of surround it.

There is no ignoring that the Kell of the House of Light is ailing.

As Saint watches, Misraaks' head tosses, the Kell hissing audibly with a hard vent of Ether. His legs twitch, and the claws of his hands scrabble against the armor covering his thighs. He jerks, moaning. The shadows surrounding him have grown longer. Darker.

Saint knows the evil that haunts him.

Looking around and confirming they are alone, he strides across the room and right up the dias, squaring his shoulders as he walks.

"Leave him alone, you vile wretch," he hisses, his voice low. He is looking at Misraaks, but he is addressing someone - something - else. He knows what is there, even if he cannot see it, and he is not afraid. "You are not allowed power here this day. Be gone!" He reaches Misraaks, and a distinct chill, wet and slippery like an ice cube, slides right down his spine to settle uncomfortably low in his gut, but Saint ignores it.

"Misraakskel," he whispers, bending low over his friend. "You are strong. You are loved. And today, you are safe with the Saint." He bends at the waist and kisses the knuckles of one of Misraaks' hands gently.

The shadows seem to ease, and Misraaks heaves a sigh, his slumber becoming restful as soon as Saint touches him. 

Saint pulls back, surprised that was truly all it had taken, but then nods curtly to himself, satisfied with the results.

"Good," he murmurs to himself. "Then I will stay."

With that, he folds himself up at Misraaks' feet and settles down to stand guard for as long as it takes.

It was the least he could do, after all, after everything.

[skidtheperson]

HEAVY HEAVY SPOILERS

GO WATCH THAT ENDING RIGHT NOW THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!!!!

Beautiful... It was.. Beautiful. That is the ending we deserved!!

First things first, gay people basically confirmed.

"My theory was right" of course it was.

My babies had some part in this! And the fact they just were doing that with the hope it worked, so now they're proud they looked cool, FGIBIRBKEBIBS I LOVE THEMMMMM

Go family!!! You got this!!! Survive together!!!

NOO HE'S A BABY, HE'S A LITTLE KID, SHAKING AND CRYING, NOOOOO 😭😭😭

The fact Lightbulb and Clover are STILL happy and all cheerful even when faced with becoming a ghost forever gaaahh

THE ARCS THE ARCS THEY OVERCAME EVERYTHING LET'S GOOOO

WE ARE SO BACK WE ARE SO BACK WE ARE SO BACCCKKK

The fact she acted scared but then was like "Don't move" to the others, she knew, GO GIRL!!!!!

YEAAHHH DIE DIE DIE DIE ABUSER ROT IN HELL DIEEEEEE CHEESY REACTION IS ME YESSSSS

They both knee slapped. We've evolved. People are fine with his goofy jokes now I love Cheesy <3

NOOOOO HE GHOST NOOO but at least he's still here SO YAAAAYYY!! Wonder where the others that got hit by the beam are.

Kinda sad Knife lost, but hey, Suitcase deserved that win after all this. She really evolved. Love her. Go girl, girlboss, you the best!!!

Everyone is happy... Yay... .. There's 14 minutes left.. THERE'S 14 MINUTES LEFT OH GOD PLUS BACKUP AIN'T HERE YET SO

Man.. Wish he didn't leave, but you know, sometimes you gotta...

GF vs EX.

Nevermind we good, the backup was this guy. Thankfully. Glad to see him back! Now they can be together and live a happy life without their abuser of a "father".

Mepad Dedication Ceremony. He deserves that. Moment of silence for Mepad...

The fact Nickel was so happy he could join in with stomping, GAHHHHHH MY HEARTTTT 💖💖💖💖

THROWBACKS TO THE SONGS YEAHHHH LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO

I have to do ANOTHER post to fit all of the pictures and my thoughts so yeah

[bohemianblasphemy]

OOOOHH WAIT I HAVE MORE TO ADD!!!!! What if reader got her nipples pierced a couple weeks before and she’s been kind of pushing off anything sexual with him because she wants to wait for them to heal and so when she calls him up telling him that he better be in a pair of boxers, a Santa hat, and nothing else and she walks in with that lingerie 🫠🥴🥴🥴 I think he would absolutely lose his mind!!!! Like she was waiting to surprise him as his Christmas present from her 🤭

OHHHHHH YESSSSS

you’d have gotten them done a few weeks before Christmas, making up every excuse under the sun to Billy to not see you naked or touch you just to make sure the piercings are healed.

It was absolute agony for the both of you, BUT… it was going to be worth it.

As Christmas rolled around, the piercings weren’t tender or sensitive to touch- and they looked fucking good.

You were admiring yourself in the mirror, finishing tying up the perfect bows around your body before Billy gets home- smoothing the lingerie on your body, fluffing up your hair and swiping on the last of some red lipstick to match the ribbon.

“I’m home!” You heard the front door slam, his heavy boots echoing through the hallway.

“In here! But- don’t come in just yet…” you called back out to him.

“Now why the hell not?” He chuckled from the outside of the closed bedroom door. “Not until you come in with just your boxers and that Santa hat in the living room.” You giggled, settling yourself down on the edge of the bed.

Billy wouldn’t hesitate; not having had you for weeks had lead up to this moment as he quickly stripped himself off and grabbed that hat from the lounge- knocking on the door and opening to reveal you as you were- ribbons and all.

All he could do was stare- running his tongue over his lips. “Fuckin’ hell…” he smirked, walking over to you as you looked up at him.

“Merry Christmas Billy…” you smiled, batting your eyelashes at him.

“All this f’me?” He chuckled, his hand reaching down to stroke your cheek as you nodded.

“Go on, unwrap me…” you teased, standing up so he could see the bows adorning you.

Billy’s hands fiddled with the bows on your hips, pulling them in a swift motion as the material fell to the ground before reaching to your chest, tugging at that as the ribbon joined the other bit of material on the floor.

His eyes widened, seeing the new addition of jewellery on your body. “Fuck me… you’ve been hiding these from me?” He groaned, cupping your breasts and looking at the shining silver bars in your nipples.

You nodded. “Didn’t wanna ruin the surprise…” your breath hitched as his thumbs ran over your nipples gently, testing the waters. He chuckled, the puzzle pieces of why you didn’t want to have intimacy with him those past few weeks falling into place. “Was startin’ to think you didn’t want me no more…” he placed some kisses along your neck, the sweet scent of your skin invading his senses.

“Wouldn’t dream of it…” you giggled, twirling your fingers on the Pom Pom of his Santa hat, the small bell attached to it ringing slightly.

He hummed against your skin.

“Cmon love, wanna enjoy my little gift… lay down f’ me…”

[sunshine-zenith]

You opened up a can of worms with that post detailing Peri's apparent horrible taste in men and now I'm gonna subject you to my ramblings about it.

Like with peridale I see it as completely one-sided from Dale's end and he knows that Peri hates his guts but it doesn't matter to him.

With perirep it's more of an on-and-off thing (situationship?). And when things truly did end for good, Irep wouldn't really be over it and tries to get his attention.

The point I'm making is that I then thought about Irep x Dale and how that would just be a really terrible rebound. I think I saw one post about Irep being Dale's crooked lawyer to contrast with Peri being Dev's babysitter and how they interacted in the Battle of the Big Wand that inspired this.

But poor Dev man, everyone wants to get with his godparent.

Yesssss, I love all this — Dale and Irep rebounding with each other screams disaster, and a human AU where Irep is the corrupt lawyer totally works

Between baby Peri spending months trying to befriend the guy who was actively trying to kill him in the original show and Cosmo specifically wording Peri quitting on Dev as “he said you two were on a break, he was waiting for you to call!” I 100% see Peri as the type of person who, upon seeing a red flag, goes “I can change him”

In all scenarios involving him and Dale, I imagine it starts with Peri trying to get custody of Dev while not breaking any human or fairy laws — he just needs to be Dale’s spouse long enough to legally adopt Dev, becoming his legal parent and not just a godparent or stepparent. Dale almost certainly would be as bad a significant other as he is a parent lol, but he’d still be blindsided by a breakup/divorce. At some point, Peri realizes that underneath Dale’s layers of negligence, greed, and corruption, there’s more layers of trauma and daddy issues, and he can’t help but get invested

It isn’t worth it, but at least he gets Dev and (if he plays his cards right) some hefty alimony out of it

As for Irep… calling them a situation ship is perfect tbh. There’s so much history there, so much genuine positive and negative feelings on both sides. I deffo headcanon that they at least dated in the past (again, Cosmo’s wording about Peri waiting for a phone call felt very specific — possibly unintentional projecting, like that’s how Peri and Irep’s last attempt at dating ended). If you think about it, there were probably times where Irep was the most consisted person in Peri’s life (he ended up low/no contact with his parent after they retired and he basically lost his big brother. I can’t see Irep necessarily being his rock throughout this, but he was probably at least a steady figure).

I really love all the fanart of Peri and Irep co-godparenting Dev and I lowkey hope that if we do get a season 2, we get at least one episode with them doing that — it’s both incredibly funny and incredibly wholesome to think about

That said, I agree lmao, if they’re officially done done, Irep would be significantly less willing to accept it that Peri. Shoot, I’m pretty sure that’s a little bit the point they’re at in the episode Irep is reintroduced in — Peri barely gives Irep the time of day and acts smug when he brings Jorgen onto the scene, and attitude that probably comes from years of having your emotional investment in someone tossed back in your face

As for your last point, yes yes yes I am rotating Dev’s face when he realizes his godparent has such trash taste around in my head. He absolutely openly judges Peri and is constantly mortified. If you’ll tolerate me being wholesome for a moment, though… we see that between Dev stealing Hazel’s hat to protect her and him going back to save her from Vicky that Dev is actually very protective of the people he loves (a character trait I do plan on taking advantage of in my fanfics). I love the idea of him getting to the point of being protective of Peri. He’d see the type of people Peri dates and decides to sabotage those dates, possibly with Hazel’s reluctant help. It drives Peri up a wall, but let’s be real, it’s almost always justified lmao

(Cupid, whose known Peri since he was a baby and was likely an uncle figure to him, probably sees his pseudo-nephew as a disaster, but at least it keeps him busy)

[amica-aenigmata-naboo]

Father

Christian Yu/Mito x Y/N - drabble - 880 WC

Masterlist

Warnings: none lol this is pure fluff, pregnancy

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

You laid on the couch watching your stomach move. Your little one growing inside you was getting increasingly more active and you loved watching them move around. You heard the front door open and close and the rustling of plastic bags. 

“Love?” Christian called out to you.

You raised your hand and waved so he could see you, “Here!” you said.

He walked over, smiling at you when he saw you. “I got the goods!” he beamed at you as he sat down, unpacking the food he brought home.

“Yesssss…” you cheered as you saw the ramen he brought home. You had been craving it all morning so he slipped out between working on his new music to grab it for you both. You tried to sit up, rocking slightly before plopping back down and reaching your hands towards Christian. “Help.” you said as you made grabby hands at him. 

He chuckled, setting the utensils down on the table and helping you sit up. He kissed your cheek, “How are they?” he asked as his large hand gently ghosted over your exposed stomach.

“Active,” you chuckled. “I feel like I’m growing an alien now that I can see them moving around.”

Christian laughed as he handed you your bowl of ramen, you rested the warm bowl on top of your bump as you started eating. Christian smiled at you, he loved how you glowed. Happy and filled with the life you created out of love. You both decided to not know the gender until they were born but whatever they were he loved them to death already. 

You moaned at the taste of the ramen, the warm broth hitting your stomach making the baby kick repeatedly. You snatched Christian’s hand, holding it to your belly. He loved feeling them move around. “That’s definitely my child, little ramen lover.” he chuckled. You kissed his knuckles before letting him go so you could both eat. You turned on the TV, flipping on a random movie. You both ate in a comfortable silence; once you finished you stretched your arms above your head, letting out a yawn. You rubbed your eyes before cuddling up to Christian, resting your head on his chest. He played with your locks, lulling you to sleep. He smiled down at you when he heard your soft snores. 

You grunted when the baby gave you a particularly hard kick, so hard Christian could see it through your shirt. “Hey, you be nice!” he whispered to your belly. He shifted softly, picking you up and carrying you to your shared bed. He laid you down, positioning your pregnancy pillow just the way you liked and putting a pillow under your feet so your swollen ankles could rest before he pulled the covers over you. He kissed your forehead before quietly shutting the door and going back to the living room and tidying up. He made his way to his home studio to finish what he had started that morning. 

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

You woke up due to a wave of nausea. You groaned, laying still and waiting for it to pass. After a moment it did, you pushed yourself up to look for Christian. The sun was setting, you must have slept the rest of the day away. You shuffled around the apartment, checking each room for him. Finally, you found him sitting on the balcony, watching the sunset slowly dip behind the cityline. 

You slid the glass door open, “Hey baby.” you softly said to him. 

He looked at you, a certain sadness in his eyes that you recognized immediately. “Hello.” Mito replied. 

You slowly made your way to sit with him, he helped you down with a protective and strong arm wrapping around you to ensure you made it to the ground gently. He kept his arms around you, drawing you into his chest. You kept your head tilted up, looking at him. “What troubles you my love?”

He let out a long sigh, as if he had been holding it in for ages. “I’m just… what if…” he stumbled.

You kept your eyes on him, encouraging him to continue. 

“What if I’m not a good father…” he whispered, finally connecting his eyes with yours. 

Your eyes widened slightly before you sat up a bit in his embrace. You moved his hand to your stomach, he instantly rubbed over it gently. “We made them. We made them out of love. How could you be anything less than perfect for that?”

His lips twitched upwards for a split second, “What if they don’t like me?” he asked.

“Of course they will love you. I do. Think of how well you have taken care of them this whole time and they aren’t even here yet!” You smiled at him with every bit of sincerity you could possibly have. “Mito, they will love you, you’re going to be a wonderful father. It’s you and me honey, we can do anything together.” You kissed him slowly putting all your passion for him into the kiss. He cradled your face, kissing you back. 

“I love you. Both of you.” he said, leaning his forehead against yours.

“And we love you.” you pecked his lips again. 

You both watched the sunset and the stars begin to shine.

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

Naboo's Note:

Hey! This was based off a request so I hope everyone likes it :) thank you for reading, comments motivate me ton. XOXOXOXO!!!!!

[souperbloom]

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPR3Bwg74/ yesssss sir🫡

i know where your head’s at anon. trust me.

the tiktok of ash talking crazy during the valentine genius interview can be found here.

————

cherry pie. [A.I.]

🍒 boyfriend!ash

valentine’s day smut. tee hee.

a/n: happy belated valentine’s day soup nation <3 sorry for my inactivity. school has been whooping my ass but i promise ill be back soon ! :3

CONTENT WARNINGS: smut!, oral (f!receiving), pet names, overstim.

WORDCOUNT: 2.5k

⋆⭒˚｡⋆

It wouldn’t take long for Ashton to figure out what your Valentine’s Day surprise held in store.

Your body, at his disposal, splayed out on his plush king-sized mattress; dressed head to toe in red lace and satin. You were like a gift-wrapped present, tied up with a little red bow.

It was everything you’d been dreaming about since the moment you saw that little red set in the window of your local lingerie shop. The perfect surprise for the most perfect boy.

"Ash, baby?" you call into the distance as you hear the shower turn off from the master bathroom.

After dinner, you told Ashton you’d rather head home and unwind, as opposed to going out and getting an after-dessert drink. And of course, despite putting up a bit of a fuss about it, your boyfriend agreed.

You told him to hop in the shower and get ready for bed: setting the expectation that there’d be no sugar tonight, and all you really wanted to do was cuddle in bed and watch a movie.

The disappointment laced through his features when you told him what you wanted from him was quite obvious. But since he had fussed enough about not going to the bar, he figured a little less bitching would do him some good on this special day.

It was hard enough for you to bite back your smile while lying in his face, already knowing what would be waiting for him after his shower.

"Yeah?" He finally replies from the bathroom, the echo of his voice bouncing off of the tiles and into your ears.

"You comin’ in soon?" you ask, hints of innocence in your question as you adjust your position to fit the steamy energy you were trying to exude.

"Yeah, yeah— gimme a minute. I’ll be out before you know it, sugar.”

You couldn’t see it, but you could practically hear the smile that sprawled across his face within his lewd reply. He knew how much you adored that nickname.

Maybe he had a better clue than you thought.

A few more minutes pass you by, subtly quiet music streaming from the TV filling you with anticipation. You couldn’t want to see the look on his face when he walked out to you like this. It took you long enough to find a set of lingerie as perfect as this one; only to have to speedily change into it the moment you heard the faucet turn on.

"Baby," you whine, faux impatience woven into your tone, "M’gettin’ tired."

You hear Ashton scoff playfully, slightly seeing his bare silhouette through the mirror as he takes a towel to his head to dry his hair off.

"I’m coming, I’m coming—" he coos, the towel still covering his head as he begins to whistle.

You dip your head back into the pillows for a moment, letting out a satisfied sigh. Seeing his body in the mirror was already getting you hot and bothered, not to mention the button-down shirt and leopard print jacket combo he had decided on wearing to dinner tonight. The thought of him drove you wild; and you were more than happy to submit to that.

Soon enough, Ashton emerges from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and tucked into itself, accentuating his physique. Along with the other towel that was still on his head, causing him to lead himself back into the bedroom blindly.

"So I was thinking we could watch—"

His thought stops in its’ tracks the moment he slides the towel off of his head.

"—Holy shit."

When his eyes meet yours, they double in size instantly. There’s a longing in his gaze, as if seeing you whipped him through the space-time continuum and barely brought him back down to Earth.

"Oh, baby," he hums, his eyes continuing their journey down your body and taking you in, in all of your crimson, lace glory, "You’re too good t’me."

"Happy Valentine’s Day, Ash," you purr, running a seductive hand up your thigh and letting your index finger collect the fabric of your satin slip.

"My God. What am I to do with you, sugar? Wrapped up all pretty n’ nice for me… Fuck, you’re wearing the hell outta’ that thing, baby…"

His lovesick babbling continues as he nears the bed, dipping his knee down into the mattress. Your eyes still lingered on him, bottom lip caught between your teeth as the two of you have an erotic stare down.

"Do whatever you want t’me. This is your gift, after all." Your coy smile grows wider as he slowly starts to crawl towards you.

"Whatever I want, you say?" He repeats your question as if the answer wasn’t obvious, "I’m not sure if you’re ready for that."

His body now hovers over yours, savoring his last few glances before he tears you out of this outfit and has his way with you. You knew he’d get you out of it faster than you’d gotten into it.

"I’m ready for anything. I’ve waited all fuckin’ week for this." You giggle up into his sparkly fern eyes as he’s now fully on top of you, eyeing you like you were the last cookie in the cookie jar.

"All week? Jesus, baby… If I knew you were gonna’ get dolled up like this I’d have thrown a Valentine’s Day in January." His playful remark sends a chill down your spine as he takes the back of his hand and caresses your cheek.

"I’d get dolled up every night for you, you know this. Just thought I’d save it for a special occasion."

His hand begins a trail down your collarbone towards your chest, "I had a feeling you were up to somethin’. You had that look in your eye."

You chuckle, trying to ignore the moan threatening to spill from your lips, "What look?"

"The look you have when you’re up to no good. You’re a pretty shit liar," he teases.

"Well, I’d say I pulled this surprise off successfully, shit liar or not— That’s all I was really hoping for."

"Successful is an understatement, sugar. You look sweet enough to eat…" He hooks his finger onto the fabric between your breasts, tugging it down gently. "…Sweet like cherry pie."

Not another moment passes before Ashton is dipping down to wrangle you into a passionate kiss. His hands roam with fervor, feeling the contours of your body with his broad palms and taking breaks to gently squeeze the parts he loves most.

His tongue entwines with yours seamlessly, as he makes a sly effort to grind his hips down between your inviting thighs. You sigh into his mouth, lacing your arms around the back of his neck.

"Fuck me, baby, you’re obscene," he sighs, breaking the kiss momentarily to leave a trail of kisses down your neck towards the valley of your breasts, "Think I might have to have a slice of my cherry pie."

You nod as if to say, ‘duh, Ash', wordlessly consenting to his request. He always aimed to please you, despite sometimes being sent to bed unrewarded. But he was such a good sport about it; you sometimes believed that he preferred giving as opposed to receiving.

Generous. There’s the word for it.

"This outfit is gorgeous," he sighs dreamily between kisses trailing down your stomach, "I feel bad takin’ it off so soon."

You shake your head, an electric current shooting up your body as his kisses start to near towards the apex of your thigh. "Don’t feel bad, it’s served its’ purpose."

"Was it’s ‘purpose’ to drive me insane? Because— it’s doin’ a great job at that."

You shrug playfully, enjoying the fiery path of destruction that this little get-up was causing in your sweet boyfriend’s head. He could barely contain his excitement as he parted your legs, gazing at you hungrily with a smirk. His slender fingers then hook onto waistband of your panties, pulling them down and off of you at a tantalizingly slow speed.

"Gonna give you my hand. Squeeze when it’s too much for you, m’kay?"

You nod down at his mellow smile, and grab his extended hand as he positions himself.

"Mhm."

With a sigh, he caresses your inner thigh gently, taking in the sight of you. It was hard enough to be patient after he had promised something he was sure would drive you crazy; you knew him well, but not well enough.

You were sure he had some tricks up his sleeve.

"’Gonna make you feel so good…"

His gravelly voice trails off as he lowers his mouth to your core, lips hovering inches above where you needed him most. You’d be lying to yourself if you said you weren’t growing a bit impatient.

"Yeah?" you taunt, rubbing your thumb in circles over the back of his hand, "You’re all bark, no bite."

He chuckles lowly, still leaving patterns across the sensitive flesh of your inner thigh, "And you’re gonna regret having such a smart mouth, sugar."

Without warning, he dips his head down and licks a stripe up your slit, gathering the wetness on his tongue with a sly smile. You groan on impact, naturally, watching his sandy curls scatter across his forehead with his movements.

You almost regretted what you said when he started to prod at your entrance with his tongue, letting his nose do all the work on your clit for him. It felt like a sensory overload; he had always shown his love for pleasuring you but, never to this magnitude.

"Ash, oh fuck—" your words come out choppy, staccato breaths breaking apart each syllable as your free hand flies to grip his hair. He hums into you in reply, the vibration from his baritone voice causing a ripple through his tongue to rip right through your lower half.

You start to writhe above him as his tongue works in tandem with the tip of his nose, all while peering up at you over your silky lace babydoll dress.

"Fuck, baby. F-feels so good," you groan, attempting to keep your eyes from lulling closed. The eye contact between you was far too mesmerizing to pull away from.

Upon hearing your sultry compliment, Ashton begins to move faster. He switches the focus to your sensitive bud, flicking his tongue quickly and causing another wave of pleasure to shoot through your limbs.

His free hand then moves to push up the fabric of your slip, resting his palm flat on your stomach while his mouth moves in circles. Your body lurches forward when he hits a particularly sweet spot, the pleasure almost becoming too much to bear.

You remembered briefly what he had told you about his hand… ‘squeeze when it becomes too much.’

So, you did.

It was too much.

Your heart rate was doubling and it was growing difficult for you to keep the stars away from the backs of your eyelids. You knew you were close to your limit.

But when your grip tightened around his hand—

He didn’t stop.

In fact, he began to move even faster. His eyes shimmered as he peered at you above your hips, watching your jaw fall slack as you’ve now lost any ability to keep your composure.

"Fuck, oh my god. Please—" you beg, mushing into a whining mess, "Ashton, please."

His ears perk up at your exasperated plea, quickly ripping his hand from your grasp and using it to replace his tongue. He pops his head up, upper lip and chin drenched in your juices as he studies you with a pout.

"Can ya’ give me a few more minutes, sugar? Tastes so fuckin’ good…"

As his skilled fingers move in place of his tongue, he makes sure not one moment of your time is unoccupied. He uses his thumb on your clit to draw moans out of the back of your throat; index finger dipping in and out of your entrance.

"B—but… It’s too… too much…" you whimper, interrupted by your own moans betraying you, "M’ so close…"

"Please? I’ll go slow…" Ashton pleads, starting a gentle trail of kisses onto the inside of your thigh, "Not gonna be too much for you, sugar… ‘Said I could do whatever I wanted… Just need a few more minutes t’ taste you, my love."

You open your mouth to reply, but the sound of your voice is replaced by a pitchy moan as he dips that index finger fully inside of you. He curls it upwards and starts that familiar ‘come hither’ motion, creating pressure in your tummy and bringing you to cry.

"O—okay…" you mumble meekly, "F—few more minutes."

Ashton lets out a quiet chuckle at your words; finding the audacity to smile before he’s diving back in to indulge in you. You no longer had control over your shaky limbs, nor any control over the loud expletives tumbling from your lips. The sounds of your wetness boom through your head, as that familiar feeling begins to creep up on you.

"Ashton, baby— gonna’ cum… Gonna’ cum really soon…" You try your hand at warning him; but he was one track minded. He kept his pace, never faltering, using his fingers and tongue in cohesion with one another to send you hurdling towards the finish line.

As he savors his last few tastes of you, he groans in delight. The sounds of his smug satisfaction are just what you need to fully push you to the brink of your orgasm.

"Fuck, Ash! Oh, shit—"

Your pleas were merely encouragement for Ashton. His rhythm continues to pick up speed, climbing and climbing until galaxies were fogging your vision and your legs were tensing up.

"Ashton!"

The final shout of his name had you doubling over in ecstasy, yet his tongue continued on, as did his fingers— you were relishing in the feeling of your orgasm as the butterflies once encaged in your abdomen had set loose and began fluttering throughout your body. He rode you through your high with a final few kitten-licks to your clit, for good measure.

The tension in your shoulders and thighs had finally cracked once his movements came to a slow. Your breathing, heavy and labored, started to readjust to the oxygen levels back down on Earth.

"Ashton… oh— oh my god," you sigh, watching as your boyfriend tenderly starts to massage your jittery legs after he had practically sent you into orbit.

"I know, right?" He smirks confidently at your airy reply, pleased with his ability to ruin you so effortlessly.

You can’t help but giggle, listening to the thunderous beating of your own heart through your chest. He moves to comfort you instantly, kissing your thigh gently before resting his head in its’ place, "Dinner and dessert for Valentine’s Day? What a lucky guy I am…"

"The luckiest, I think," you hum, petting his head with a smile, "We should celebrate holidays like this more often."

Ashton chuckles, reaching up to interlock your fingers before planting a kiss on your knuckles.

"Got time for another round, sugar? President’s Day is right around the corner."

⋆⭒˚｡⋆

[thesymphonytrue]

Hiiiiii I just have to ask if you have any Neal/Peter fic recs? On or off ao3, I'm just really craving some good sweet stories w them 😩

Hiiii!!!!

oooooo yesssss!!! Here are a few that I love:

a particular type of hat by natlet

I am obsessed with this fic. The writing style and language is sooo beautiful. GAH 😭 It's written with quite a few time jumps...so for me I had to take it slow and really enjoy and savor the fic. I mean just read this:

It's the first chance he's had to look at Neal, slow down and really look at him, and he's so - Peter can't find the words for it. Neal looks like a fascinating new case, like Mozzie's car, like the sun setting behind home plate. He looks like something Peter wants to get his hands on. His hair is longer, bleached light by the sun and curling in the sea air, and Peter wants to reach out, brush it back off his forehead, run his thumb along the line of stubble hugging Neal's jaw.

UGH gorgeous!!! I love this paragraph so much and the entire fic is written like this, so soft and beautiful.

this body is yours (your mess is mine) by multifandomjess

This is another fic I have read over and over. It's so well done and "fixes" that season five argument we all cry over 😭

an excerpt:

Peter is still against him, and for a moment Neal is worried that he’s misread everything and made a terrible mistake. But then, Peter makes a tiny, wanting sound and his eyelids are fluttering closed as his lips part beneath Neal’s. Neal smiles into the kiss, his heart racing as he threads his fingers through the short hair at the nape of Peter’s neck. His tongue sweeps along the seam of Peter’s lips to tangle with Peter’s, and they’re kissing, and kissing, and kissing.

T^T it's so soft. and I love it.

Cleaning Out the Wound by melenafrey

More Cape Verde goodness because god those episodes were romantic!! This one features protective Mozzie. 😂

 “Don’t you get what I’m trying to say here?" He closed his eyes and let his head fall forward the short distance to rest against Neal’s. He heard Neal’s surprised intake of breath, and then nothing. Neal stayed, and Peter could feel the weight of his heavy head as he relaxed into the touch.

MY HEART 😭

Company Picnic by laulan

This one is just short and literally sweet and SO them.

Then Neal catches Peter's wrist in his hand and brushes his lips over the pad of Peter's thumb, his eyes warm and devilish. Peter jumps, giving Neal a stern look and pushing down the lingering thought that he should go for it anyway, damn whoever's looking.

lol Neal literally is just tempting Peter this entire fic and it's adorable.

Awakening by Sulwen

haha can you tell I like Cape Verde fics? This one is really good. Very true to their characters.

“This wasn't supposed to be a chase!”

There's a long pause before Peter speaks again. “Tell me, then, Neal. What was it?”

Neal bows his head and stares at the floor, long enough for Peter to step forward again and reach out a tentative hand. He takes a deep breath. This isn't going to help. If anything, it's going to pull Peter in deeper, make him that much more determined. But he's talked himself into a corner, and he can't find a way to slip it. The only way out is through.

THAT DIALOGUE THO!!!

Undeniable by cookiegirl

This one is just cozy and soft and sweet and set in Copenhagen so what is not to like? It's like being wrapped in a warm hug!

Everything would be easier, Peter thinks, if Copenhagen wasn’t so damn romantic. He’s not usually one to notice things like that, but even he can’t miss the way that the October late-afternoon sun turns the water in Nyhavn harbor golden, and deepens the burnt orange and burnished yellow shades of the townhouses. Tourist couples stroll past, hand in hand, or sit close together at the outdoor tables of the tiny canalside cafes, and the air swirls with happy chatter and the strains of restaurant music. It is undeniably idyllic, and it’s making Peter’s skin itch.

Things would also be easier, of course, if Neal wasn’t so damn… Neal.

heeeheee!!!! so cute!!!

Five Kisses That Never Happened by china_shop

Just check out all of china_shop's stuff. I love their Peter/Neal fics and this one is pure fluff and warm feelings.

"Shut up," says Neal and leans into him, kisses him softly, over and over like he'll never get enough.

~~~~~~~

Okay those are my top favorites, but I think I have some more on my bookmarks on AO3 I think, so feel free to check them out. I don't usually recommend my own fics, but if you haven't read them I have a few fluffy Peter/Neal fics as well that I can share here if needed! <3 <3 <3 I hope this helps!! Thanks for the ask! I love talking fanfic!! :D

[imagrindylow]

Would you pretty please write a leander fic with female MC that takes place after hogwarts. He is dating her roommate, but the roommate is awful and is not nice. He and MC end up falling for each other?

Yesssss! I love this idea and I loved working on this! SO SORRY that it took me such an embarrassing amount of time to finish your request, but thank you for sending it to me!

Worth the Wait

Leander Prewett / Samantha Dale; Leander Prewett / f!MC 14.8k Words Content Warnings: 18+ Explicit content; cheating, alcohol use, fluff, angst, oral sex, fingering, sex Summary: You were used to your flatmate's frequent complaints about her boyfriend, but as you got to know him better for yourself, none of those complaints made sense to you.

~~~~~~

It was over a game of Summoner’s Court with Samantha Dale during the final weeks of seventh year, when then two of you came to the decision to become flat mates upon graduating. You had mentioned how you wanted to move to London, because you had a goal of working at St. Mungo’s as a healer, but that you were worried about moving to the city on your own, and all of your close friends had plans to reside elsewhere. Samantha’s eyes had lit up, her mouth curling into a grin as she explained that she had plans on taking a Ministry position within the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, and as it happened, she was in the market for a flat mate as well. You and Samantha were little more than casual friends, on the outskirts of each other's main social groups, but you got on well enough with each other that you felt fine taking the opportunity as it appeared, and that was that.

The two bedroom unit was tiny, but it worked, and had been home for the past almost two years. Despite being flat mates, you saw relatively little of each other, with both of you working full time to save for something better, the goal having been to keep the living arrangement as temporary as possible. Especially over the last several months, Samantha was absent. You knew she was seeing someone, as she would return from nights spent away with stories and complaints. This Sunday evening was no different.

Stumbling out of the fireplace in a blaze of green flames at eleven at night after a weekend spent with her boyfriend, you could smell the fire whiskey wafting from Samantha’s breath as she slumped down on the other end of the sofa with a sigh. Her bag dropped to the floor at her feet as she relaxed.

Lifting your gaze from your book, you turn to Samantha with furrowed brows. “Don’t you work tomorrow?”

She nodded and groaned before listing her head towards you, her eyes drunkenly rolling in exasperation. “He’s so dull sometimes. The alcohol helps.” She muttered lazily, slumping further into the cushions.

You shook your head. “If he’s that bad, why keep seeing him?” It was a question you’d asked her at least a dozen times over the last five months. Sometimes he was dull, other times he was clingy, sometimes he was too sensitive. You rarely heard a good word from Samantha in regard to the man she spent so much of her free time with, and it was a conundrum to you.

It was a question she usually managed to dodge, but in her inebriation she opened up. “He’s nice and all...” She slurred. “And… it’s not like I have a better option at the moment.” She replied with a shrug, nonchalantly.

“So, you’re with this man because you’re bored?” You asked, trying not to sound too judgy, though Samantha’s dismissiveness made it difficult.

Samantha chuckled, a grin on her face. “Don’t act as though you wouldn’t if you could.” She said, her speech mumbled, then back peddled. “Not saying you couldn’t, if you tried… Oh, you know what I mean. I’m not doing anything wrong.”

“I suppose it’s not my business.” You said with a shrug. You knew it really wasn’t your place to lecture her. She was going to do what she wanted regardless.

“Sure isn’t.” She grinned. “Going to bed. See you.” Samantha said and pulled herself up from the sofa with a groan, and headed to her room with staggered steps.

~~~

It was untypical for Samantha to have her boyfriend over to your shared flat, she usually opted to spend time at his place, as he lived alone. It was even less typical for her to bring him round while you were home – the small space you shared not giving much opportunity for privacy. You hadn’t even met the man the entire time Samantha had been seeing him – didn’t even know his name – as though he wasn’t an important enough part of Samantha’s life for her to bring up that detail in conversation with you.

It hadn’t crossed your mind at all that the knocking on your door Wednesday evening could possibly have been your flat mate’s mystery boyfriend.

“Are you expecting someone?” You called from the sitting room to Samantha, who was in her room, getting changed out of her work robes – the knocking coming within minutes of her arriving home that evening.

“No!” She called back from behind her closed door.

You hadn’t been expecting anyone either, so with her answer, you expected the knock to be from a sales person. You lifted yourself from the sofa and made your way from the sitting room down the narrow hallway to your front door. Looking through the peephole in your door, you were shocked to see someone you hadn’t seen since leaving Hogwarts. Leander Prewett?

“One minute!” You called from the other side of the door, through the peephole you saw him nod in response. You would have had no problem just letting him in right away, but as a courtesy you wanted to give Samantha a heads up that someone was coming in. You made your way back through your flat and towards Samantha’s room, where she was just stepping into the hall, now changed from her work robes.

“Leander Prewett is at our front door. What in the world?” You asked her with a chuckle, making your way back towards the door to answer it, curious what he wanted after so long. You stopped in your tracks when Samantha’s hand found your shoulder, her jaw dropping in surprise before her lips turned up into a seemingly embarrassed grin.

“Ohh. It’s for me, then.” She began, and squeezed past you in the narrow hall. “That’s who I’ve been seeing.” She admitted, a look of what you could only describe as embarrassment crept over her face.

You looked at her with wide eyes, as you took in this information and pieced it together with everything she had said of the man she’d been seeing. All of her previous complaints had been about Leander? You weren’t very close with him, most of your interactions having been from fifth year when various students had been assigned to show you the ropes. You remembered him as being brash at times, yet reserved and fumbling at others, never really knowing which persona was closest to accurate. Sixth and seventh year you were friendly acquaintances, chatting in mutual classes but nothing much further.

When Samantha opened the door to allow him inside you were still in the hallway, trying to make sense of it all. You had been fairly sure that the pair didn’t even like each other, at least not back in fifth year, recalling that Samantha had badly beaten Leaner in numerous rounds of Summoners Court… back then, it was him who’d complained to you about her. You shrugged the thought off, knowing that time changes things. They obviously had gotten closer at some point in the later years of school.

Snapping out of it and trying not to be so overt in your eavesdropping, you headed off the hall and into the kitchen, starting the tea kettle while keeping your ears alert. From what you gathered, Leander had dropped by to surprise her with dinner, and despite her kind words, Samantha’s tone sounded less than thrilled with his unannounced appearance. The pair chatted in the threshold for a few minutes before the sounds of their voices drew closer as Samantha allowed Leander inside, their footsteps approaching the kitchen as you readied the tea.

Stepping into your kitchen together, Samantha spoke first, an informal re-introduction. “You two know each other, if I recall. Leander’s brought us dinner.” She said casually.

You and Leander each nodded at Samantha’s presumption, exchanging friendly smiles. Leander looked both surprised and happy to see you. “I knew Samantha had a flat mate, I didn’t know it was you.” He said with a chuckle. “How’ve you been, MC?” He asked.

“I’ve been quite well, thank you, and yourself?”

“Couldn’t be better.” He grinned, wrapping an arm around Samantha’s waist affectionately. His other hand held a fairly large brown paper bag. “I hope it’s not an imposition that I stopped by. As Samantha said, I’ve brought dinner, for all of us.”

“Of course it’s no imposition.” You said and invited him to sit at the table. “Tea?” You offered, and he nodded politely after taking a seat.

Samantha, having taken the bag from him, set it on the kitchen counter and pulled a large ceramic container from it. Clearly the bag had been enchanted to accommodate the large and heavy looking contents. She gathered dishes to eat with, while you served tea for the three of you. You shot Samantha a look, a grin that went to your eyes along with a subtle approving nod at his gesture, communicating silently to her, and perhaps trying to convince her – this is a good man. The half-hearted grin she gave you in return left a bad taste in your mouth.

The meal appeared to be a beef stew, still steaming hot as Samantha served it into bowls. “I didn’t know you cooked.” She complimented, smiling at Leander as she brought the bowls to the table, the three of you sitting down to eat, now. “It smells wonderful.”

“Actually, it’s my mum’s cooking. She turned up at my flat not thirty minutes ago with this massive pot. I told her I could never finish it all before it would go bad but she wouldn’t hear it, you know how mums can be. So, I thought who better to share it with.” He said, smiling adoringly at Samantha as he spoke. “I wanted to come by while it was still hot. I do apologize for showing up unannounced.”

“Of course.” Samantha nodded, tasting the stew. She gave the dish an approving nod, though learning that he didn’t prepare the meal himself seemed to have dulled her previous enthusiasm. “Well your mum is a lovely cook. This is delicious.” You said, thoroughly enjoying having the night off from cooking, something you and Samantha took turns doing. Tonight would have been your night. “I’ll let her know you both enjoy it. If there’s one thing she’ll never tire of, it’s people complimenting her cooking.” Leander said with a chuckle, dipping his spoon into the stew and eating.

For not being how you had anticipated spending your evening, it went well. Leander only spent about an hour or so visiting following dinner, worried about overstaying an unannounced appearance, though neither you nor Samantha had other plans that evening. Regardless of the short duration of his stay, you enjoyed catching up with him. You’d learned that he, like Samantha, also worked for the Ministry, though in separate departments. He currently held a position in the Improper Use of Magic Office. The longer the three of you talked, the more confused you were of Samantha’s frequent complaints of this man. He’d clearly come into his confidence, not coming across as overcompensating or nervous as he had in school. He held a good job, and clearly cared a lot for Samantha.

You silently reminded yourself that Samantha’s reasoning for dating Leander was not your business, after he left for the evening, when Samantha let out an audible sigh as she made her way back to the sitting room after walking him out.

“Sorry.” She said, looking apologetic as she sat back down on the sofa, idly fidgeting with the throw pillow beside her

“For?” You asked her, utterly confused on what she could be apologizing for.

“Unexpected company, having to entertain on no notice.” Samantha explained, her voice sounded drained, as though she’d just dealt with something arduous and unpleasant. As though the surprise of her own boyfriend coming by with a home cooked meal was anything other than kind and thoughtful.

“It hardly felt as though we were entertaining him.” You waved her off, assuring her. “Though, I am curious why you didn’t mention it was Leander that you were seeing.”

Samantha shrugged. “I didn’t think it was important, it’s not serious.” She said simply, her tone indifferent.

“He seems serious.” You retorted with a smirk. You didn’t want to argue with her, it was her relationship after all, but it was obvious, at least to you, that he seemed to be on a very different wavelength than Samantha was.

She sounded exasperated, “It’s only been a few months.”

“Right.” You disagreed with her definition of ‘a few’ but that was neither here nor there. You nodded, acknowledging her reasoning, leaning forward to the coffee table to grab the book you’d been reading lately.

Only a beat had passed before she groaned and started venting to you, sounding as though she was looking for your validation of her opinions. “Am I alone in thinking it’s… immature for him to have his mummy cooking him food and delivering it to him? And coming by unannounced...”

You laughed out loud. “Surely you’re joking? I’m sure he didn’t ask her to cook for him. You’re the one spending weekends at his flat, is he immature?” You asked her, looking at her inquisitively. When she didn’t reply after several seconds, you spoke up again. “It sounds like you’re actively looking for flaws to take issue with... Dropping in unannounced is one thing, but you’ve been seeing him for months, and I’m sure he thought you’d enjoy the surprise.”

“You’re right.” She said. You were unsure for a moment of which point she was agreeing with, but then she added, “Maybe I am just looking for flaws in him.”

Well, her admitting it was a start. You’d hoped that her realizing this point would lead her to either be more appreciative of this man who is clearly putting in effort, or, stop leading him along like a puppy and cut him loose.

~~~

It was just two weeks later when you found Leander at your doorstep again, though this time, you’d expected him. Samantha had let you know before she left for work this morning that he’d be over after work to pick her up, as they’d be heading out to dinner together. He’d arrived nicely dressed, and with a bouquet for her, and was visibly confused when you answered the door rather than his girlfriend.

Between now and your last conversation with Samantha about her love life, she’d stopped complaining about Leander, and the only assumption that you could draw was that her opinions of him were improving. You were very surprised that she wasn’t home from work yet when he came by to meet her.

“Hello, MC,” he smiled and nodded to greet you. “Is Samantha ready yet?” He asked after you opened the door for him.

“She’s actually not home from work yet.” You told him, your brow furrowing in commiseration for his evening not beginning as expected.

“Really?” He asked, his voice that of disbelief.

“Sorry… I’m not sure exactly when she’ll be back. She hadn’t mentioned needing to stay late, so something must have come up.” Your voice was soft and you had a look of sympathy on your face for him, as he was clearly put off by the whole turn of events.

He didn’t respond for a beat, looking at you with confusion, unsure of what the best move would be. “Umm… Well…” He began before trailing off again.

“You’re welcome to come in and wait for her, if you want to. And we can get those into a vase.” You offered, and gestured at the flowers.

“If that’s really alright, I’ll take you up on that. But I wouldn’t want to impose. Are you sure?” He said, sounding a little hesitant.

“I promise, it’s no bother.” You said and stood aside, gesturing for him to come in. He gave you an appreciative nod and stepped inside. “Alright let’s find a vase.” You said and led him into the kitchen. After a quick search through the back of one of the cabinets, you pulled out an old glass, which you transfigured into a suitable vase with a flick of your wand. You added water and he added the flowers, and you set the vase on the counter.

“I appreciate that.” He said.

“Mhm. She’ll love to see those after a long day at work.” You told him as you leaned back against the counter whilst you chatted.

“Is it often that Samantha works late?” He wondered, standing in the doorway to the small kitchen, resting his shoulder against the frame, his arms crossed casually.

“It happens from time to time, especially lately it seems.” You said, thinking back on the last few weeks. “But anyway, can I get you some tea while you wait?”

“No, no. I really don’t want to trouble you.” He said, waving the suggestion off, shaking his head. “You just… carry on with whatever you were doing and don’t let me bother you.”

“It’s not trouble. Are you sure you don’t want anything? I think tea sounds good right now. I think I’ll make some either way.” You said.

“Well… If you were going to make some tea for yourself anyway, I suppose I could take a cup.” He said with a grin. “Thank you, MC, again, I appreciate you letting me come in and wait.” He added. “Hopefully she wont be long.”

“Hopefully, but you’re welcome to wait as long as you’d like. I was just reading. You aren’t interrupting anything.” You said as you filled the tea kettle with water with a flick of your wand and sent it gliding through the air to the stove top, another point of you wand lighting the flame beneath the pot.

Several minutes later, after some idle chit chat about how your respective day had gone and about the weather, the two of you retired to the sitting room with your teacups. Leander took a seat on the arm chair beside the sofa you sat down on, and sipped the drink.

“When Samantha does end up working late, does she typically send an owl?” Leander asked you as he crossed his legs and got comfortable in his seat.

“No, I don’t think she’s ever sent notice, honestly.”

“My apologies for quizzing you – but, on her late evenings – when does she typically arrive back home?”

“Oh, it’s quite alright, Leander.” You assured him. You completely understood his line of questioning. “It varies. Sometimes an hour late, but occasionally more. Always with rather entertaining stories of whatever outstanding catastrophe kept her busy.”

Leander hummed and nodded his head, a faint look of disappointment on his face to hear that he may be waiting awhile. “May I?” He asked and gestured towards a copy of the Daily Prophet that was sitting on the coffee table in front of you.

“By all means. Like I’d said, I was just reading a book when you arrived, anyway. I can get back to that, then.”

Leander got up to grab the paper before settling back down in the armchair, and you reached for your book once again, picking up where you had left off before. The silence in the room while the two of you read was only mildly uncomfortable to start. Leander had the paper folded open for only a few minutes before he laid it on his lap to sip once again on his tea, and you noticed his gaze lingering in your direction while he drank… Though he wasn’t exactly looking at you.

“Hm?” You hummed, drawing his attention to your face.

“Oh, your book.” He said, gesturing to the hard bound copy of a large muggle book entitled Moby-Dick on your lap. “I didn’t know the Hero of Hogwarts was such an intellectual.” He teased.

“I’ve always enjoyed reading… I couldn’t very well duel and fight all the time.” She said with a smirk. “And don’t call me that.” She added, rolling her eyes, though her tone was light.

“Oh? Tired of that title? Fair enough.” He smirked.

“Have you read it?” She asked, nodding down at her book and ignoring the reminder of the title she’d earned in fifth year that seemed to continue following her around despite her best attempts at normalcy.

“I have. We can discuss it once you’re finished.”

“I’d like that.”

He nodded and gave you a smirk before turning his attention back to the Daily Prophet. You resumed your reading, slowly sipping your tea, hyper-aware of the quiet ticking of the antique clock mounted on the wall above the fireplace, as you turned page after page after page… Samantha was very late.

You were sure more than an hour had passed since you let Leander in to wait for his girlfriend, and with every passing minute you felt increasingly bad for him, as you racked your brain for the right things to say to him. It was well past dinner time, and Samantha had still not arrived or sent an owl.

Leander sat tapping his foot, you looked up from your book to notice him checking the time with his pocket watch against that of your clock, as though he was unbelieving of his current situation. The man looked anxious, not dissimilar to the teenager you knew in school.

You had to say something at this point, to try to ease the tension for him, to break the silence thick in the room. You’d thought back to your own dinner plans. You hadn’t counted on cooking for just yourself since you were anticipating being on your own for supper. You were going to treat yourself to a meal out at a local pub.

You cleared your throat before you finally spoke up. “You know, I was going to get something to eat at this pub around the corner.”

“Oh, gods MC, I am so sorry, I’m impeding on your dinner now. I can go, just… just tell Samantha I came by and to send an owl when she gets back home.” He said, speaking quickly, his tone apologetic. He shut the paper and tossed it gently back to the coffee table as he stood up, as though preparing to leave.

“Actually I was going to ask if maybe you’d like to join me?” You asked as you stood as well, closing your book and laying it on the arm of the sofa.

You noticed Leander’s face go immediately red at the invitation. A dinner alone with his girlfriend’s flatmate certainly did not sound appropriate to him at that moment, and his facial expression gave away his thought process to you. You regretted the proposal almost instantly, but you were already committed to the invitation so you stuck to it. Was it really so wrong to ask?

“We could just catch up some more and grab a quick bite. I didn’t stop for groceries, I hadn’t planned on cooking tonight thinking that Samantha would be out with you for dinner. And well.. I need to eat but it doesn’t feel right just telling you to leave when you’ve been waiting for Samantha for so long.”

Leander looked at you quizzically, but was weighing your offer. “What about Samantha?” He wondered, folding his arms as he debated.

That was the dilemma wasn’t it?

“I’m not sure.” You said and shrugged your shoulders. You had a lot of things you wanted to say about the situation itself and about Samantha in general. But that wouldn’t be appropriate. “You’re free to keep waiting while I go, if you don’t want to come.”

“You know what, I’ll come.” He decided. “I’m hungry… I’m… annoyed. And having dinner myself at home certainly won’t make me feel any better.”

“Well then. I’ll lead the way. The place is just around the corner.” You say as you head towards the front door of the flat.

Leander followed behind you as you headed out into the streets of London, but stopped before rounding the corner, looking behind him over his shoulder, clearly hoping to catch sight of Samantha, but there was no one. Waiting a few steps in front of him, you watched him shake his head, clearly disappointed, before catching up with you.

“I’m sorry.” You said as he walked beside you the final block to the pub.

Leander let out a half-hearted “mhm” as the two of you approached the pub, he pulled the door and held it open for you. Taking seats at the bar counter, the two of you ordered butterbeers while he looked over the chalk scrawled food menu on the wall behind the counter.

Raising his pint glass, Leander’s tone shifted towards something of amusement. He chuckled and shook his head before saying, “Well this is odd isn’t it? I don’t think we’ve ever shared a drink together.”

You thought on it for a moment before smirking and nodding in agreement. “You’re right, we haven’t. Cheers, then.”

“Cheers.” Leander grinned. Clinking your glass to his, you sipped your drinks, and made some small talk until the bartender interrupted to take your food orders.

It didn’t take long for you to forget your intentions of making this a quick outing. Your meals had arrived when you were each on your second drink, conversation flowing easily as you reminisced on your not so long since passed Hogwarts years. The more you spoke the more you wondered why you weren’t closer friends with Leander back in school. Hearing his stories from his time at Hogwarts, there was definitely more to him than had met your eye back then… Furthermore, you wondered what the bloody hell Samantha was talking about all of the times she had spoken poorly of him. He was funny, engaging, witty, and confident enough to poke fun at his previously awkward teenage self. Not to mention charming… and handsome. 

Not ready to head back immediately following your meal, you each ordered a third butterbeer just for good measure, and carried on conversing about school, quidditch, work, life. It was Leander doing a double take on his pocket watch, a laugh falling from his lips at the shock of more than two hours having passed since you arrived that finally prompted the two of you to call for the cheque.

“What are you doing?” You ask as Leander snatches the cheque before you could even get a look at it. “What do I owe?”

“You don’t.” He said. “You’ve been too kind to me, letting me wait in your flat for Samantha for so long, making me tea, letting me impose on your dinner plans. I’ve got it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I can pay for myself.”

“So stubborn, MC. I absolutely insist.” He said as he pulled a few galleons from his pocket and laid them on the counter. “Now, will you let me walk you back to your flat? It’s getting late.”

Charming, handsome and a gentleman.

You nodded. “I’ll allow it.” You chuckled. “You can pop back in, surely Samantha will be home by now.”

“I‘d appreciate that.” He said.

The two of you left the pub, and took the short walk back to your flat. It was dark outside now, dim light filling the streets from the lamp posts lighting the way. You were surprised when you unlocked the door to your flat and saw that the lights were off, as though no one was home. Not wanting to jump immediately to conclusions as you walked through your silent flat, you knocked on Samantha’s bedroom door while Leander waited in the kitchen. You assumed that maybe she had come home and laid right down. When after a few moments she didn’t call out or answer the door, you cracked it open just slightly, peering inside. She wasn’t home. 

You closed her door and headed back down the hall and to the kitchen where Leander was leaning back against one of the counters with his arms crossed in front of his chest. “She’s not in there.” You told him. “I’m sorry, Leander.”

He shook his head, the disappointment and confusion apparent on his face. “You think she’s alright?” He wondered. He began to pace, fidgeting with his hands. Something about his stance and actions transported you right back to fifth year. This anxiousness of his was familiar to you. “Something serious must have happened in her department, then, right? I mean why else would she not be here yet? To just not show up when we had plans. Do you think-”

“I’m sure she’s alright. Probably just a staffing issue.” You suggested, cutting off his uneasy rambling. Honestly had no idea of what could have possibly been going on. You just wanted to reassure the man standing in your kitchen. “I’ll tell her to send you an owl as soon as she gets home.”

“Right, thank you again MC, for your hospitality. I'll just be going then. It’s getting late after all.” He said, talking quickly now, and heading back down the hall and to your front door. You followed behind him, seeing him out.

Standing in the door frame as he headed down the front stairs of your small porch, you found yourself speaking without having considered the words before they left your mouth. “I had a nice time with you this evening.”

You felt the warmth of embarrassment in your cheeks the moment the words left your mouth. You wondered why you had said that. He hadn’t been in your home to spend time with you. He was merely waiting on his girlfriend. Your flatmate. No matter their truth, if you could have sucked your words back out of the air, you would have. Leander stopped and turned around on the stairs, looking up at you, you saw his lips curve into a subtle grin. 

“Me too.” He said. “All things considered, it was a rather pleasant evening.” 

Him returning your sentiment while not sounding like he’d spoken out of pity or to ease your clear embarrassment, was a bit of a surprise to you. He was too kind. Much too kind to be wrapped around Samantha’s fingers, you thought.

The eye contact held between the two of you, remaining even after he’d spoken, was too much for you to keep up with for another second. “Goodnight, Leander.” You said, putting an end to the exchange you shouldn’t have started to begin with. 

“Goodnight, MC.” He said, showing off that damn grin of his again before he nodded and turned, heading down the final stair onto the sidewalk, and away from your flat. You shut and locked your front door, leaning back against it with a sigh when he was gone. You shook your head, willing yourself to snap out of whatever delusion had you believing that it was appropriate to think of your flatmate's boyfriend in the ways you’d begun to as of late. 

~~~

Samanatha was still not home by the time you’d readied yourself for bed that night, but the following morning, you awoke to the sound of the tea kettle whistling on the stove top, and you knew she was back. Pulling yourself from your bed, you headed to the kitchen, curious what had ended up keeping her so late last night. You knew it wasn’t really your place to question Samantha, but you couldn't help but let your curiosity get the best of you this morning.

Walking into the kitchen, you leaned against the wall, facing her, watching as she pulled the lid off the tin of chamomile tea on the counter. She looked as though she’d been up all night. 

“Rough night at work last night?” You asked her.

“It was very busy.” Samantha replied, not even looking up at you when you spoke, but keeping her attention on her tea as she prepped it. Her short tone immediately gave you the impression that she was not interested in having this conversation at all.

You let out a short hum in acknowledgement at her statement, then cut right to the chase. “I told Leander I’d tell you to send him an owl when I saw you.”

“I already sent him one.” She said, glancing at you  letting out a small huff as though annoyed. “In fact, he sent me an owl before you were even up.”  

Samantha leaned against the counter opposite you, waiting on her tea to steep. “His brute of an owl was pecking at my window before 7AM. I’d still be asleep if it weren’t for that damned bird.” She added and shook her head in displeasure.

“He was worried.” You said, justifying Leander’s actions on his behalf, unable to blame him for reaching out to her this morning, even if it was quite early for an owl on a Saturday. “You stood him up. He thought something bad had happened to you.”

“I was busy. At work.” Samantha said, emphasizing her excuse but offering no further explanation as to what specifically held her up. 

You couldn’t help but feel Samantha was being disingenuous with both her short response and her dismissive  body language, casually drinking her tea as she spoke. She didn’t seem to have a care in the world over the fact that she’d upset her boyfriend with her unexpected absence from their date night

“Still, you could have sent him an owl and let him know you wouldn’t be home to meet him, couldn’t you have? It wouldn’t have taken more than a few moments.”

“But I didn’t, and it’s a new day. I replied to his owl. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back to bed.” She said shortly, leaving no room for further discussion. She took her tea and headed past you and down the hall towards her room.

“Are you going to be home this weekend, then?” You asked her before she disappeared behind her door, your nosiness getting the better of you, you could tell from her facial expression when you’d asked.

“Yep.” She replied, increasing annoyance at your questioning in her voice. She shut the door behind her as she retreated into her room, leaving you in the kitchen with more questions than you had answers for. You sighed, your mind wandering. 

Did they argue in their letters this morning? Are they even still together? Why do I care so damn much? The last thought weighing heavy this morning.

Not two minutes later, while you were still  in thought in the kitchen, Samantha reemerged from her room, this time with a question for you. Her arms were crossed as she stood in the doorway between the hall and kitchen. 

“You said he was worried. So worried he’d thought something bad had happened to me?” She began, her tone incredulous.

You nodded, recalling how anxious Leander had gotten by the end of the night, when she’d left him wondering and questioning for hours after she was supposed to have met with him. 

“Hard to believe that would have been his immediate conclusion, even with how terribly anxious he can get. His letter said he waited awhile, hoping to see me. So, just how long was he here with you last night?” She asked, her question sounding almost like an accusation of wrongdoing on your part. You’d never heard Samantha sound this way over him before. As though she might have actually cared that you’d been alone with him.

“It was a few hours. I’m not even sure what time he left.” You answered honestly, curious the reaction this would get from her.

She looked shocked, though not angry with this information. If you hadn’t known better given  the situation, you could have almost sworn you’d seen some  faint amusement behind her eyes. “Sounds like he wasn’t as lonely as he’d let on in his letter, then.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? He was waiting for you.” 

“Nothing.” She said, and smirked. So… she had been amused… It struck you as odd and unfitting. “It’s fine. I hope the two of you had a pleasant time catching up.”

“We did.” You confirmed, trying to keep your face from looking absolutely smug, but your tone conveyed that she should, in fact, be jealous that you got the time she missed out on with her boyfriend.

“Right, well, I’m glad.” She said, sounding too sincere for the scenario. “I’m exhausted, work was busy, as I said. I’m going to lay down.” 

~~~

The next week brought more late nights at work for Samantha, and aggravation for you, as you were left with more responsibilities around the flat in her absence. During your twelve hour shift at St. Mungos on Saturday that week you found yourself hoping that your flatmate spent at least part of her day off back at home cleaning up the place a bit. You were feeling poorly and the last thing you wanted was to come home from such a long shift to a flat that needed cleaning.

However, as your morning went on your prevailing thought shifted to simply surviving your shift, as you started feeling worse after your lunch break. You must have looked ill, because the matron healer on your shift noticed your condition as soon as you’d met with her to discuss afternoon rounds. The older woman took one look at you, noting your pale and clammy state, and ordered you to go home and rest, sending you out the door with a bottle of Pepperup potion in hand.

When you apparated to your doorstep, you were no longer concerned with the state in which you’d find the flat, but rather just getting into your bed, drinking your potion, and sleeping whatever this is, off. 

You strode through your front door with a groan, immediately starting to complain about how you felt, knowing Samantha was somewhere in the flat to hear you. You heard her muttering something or other from the living room as you headed down the hall and towards her voice. 

Rounding the corner into the room, you dropped your vial of Pepperup potion in surprise when you saw Samantha. The glass shattering on the floor was what drew her attention to you, and you realized the muttering you’d heard hadn’t been directed to you at all, but to the man whose lap she was sat atop on the couch. A man who was not Leander. 

“MC! I- I didn’t expect you home so soon. You- I thought you had a twelve hour shift today.” She sputtered, looking as though she’d seen a ghost, likely as pale as you were with your ailment. 

“I was feeling poorly, and got sent home early.” You said flatly, your mouth hanging open, staring at her as she scooted off the man's lap and stood up from the couch. You didn't recognise her company, but the emblem on his shirt when he stood up beside Samantha had shown that he was a coworker of hers in the ministry. “You and Leander-”

“We broke up. Last week.” She said quickly, cutting you off from finishing your question, though her response had covered the answer you were looking for. 

You nodded at her explanation, relieved to hear you hadn’t just caught her cheating, though you wondered why she hadn’t talked to you when it happened. You weren’t that close but you’d have thought a break up would have come up in conversation at some point. You also couldn't help but find it a bit odd that she already had another man in your shared home only a week out from her breakup, but this was neither here nor there. You shifted a bit awkwardly with the scene you’d stumbled in on, wondering what the final straw was for Samantha, or if she’d simply found, in her words, ‘a better option.’ Regardless, you were glad Leander was free of her. You’d thought for a while now that he deserved better than your overly critical flatmate.

“We’ll just head to my room and let you rest, then, you look poorly.” Samantha said, and pulled her wand from her pocket, vanishing the mess of shattered potion at your feet before leading this new man across the living room and towards her bedroom.

“I need to go replace that, actually. I won’t be long.” You tell her, and she nodded in goodbye before disappearing behind her bedroom door, while you head back down the hallway, and apparate with a crack from your door to Diagon Alley.  

The shop lined streets were loud and crowded, especially with it being a Saturday. Diagon Alley was typically a place you loved the atmosphere of, but with your head pounding and your body feeling clammy and tired, you wanted to get what you needed and leave as quickly as possible. You dodged people left and right as you made your way down the street to the Apothecary, your head down in an attempt to keep the sun out of your eyes, the bright rays making your headache that much worse.

Finally making your way into the Apothecary, you navigate your way through the narrow aisles of ingredients to the back of the shop where ready prepared potions were kept for sale. 

“Excuse me.” You say politely to the tall gentleman standing directly in front of the section containing the Pepperup potions you were looking for, blocking them from your reach. 

“Oh, my apologies.” He said and shifted a step to the side and out of your way. It was then that you realized his voice was one you recognized. Stepping up from behind him to stand at his side, you look up and grin softly at Leander, a bottle of Pepperup potion in his hands, reading the back of the bottle.

“Are you coming down with something as well?” You ask him, picking up a bottle for yourself.

With your question, he finally shifts his eyes away from the label on the bottle and to you, his eyes widening slightly as he nodded. “I blame you, actually. You must have gotten me sick after dinner last week.” He teased, his face pale and clammy looking like yours, his cheeks lacking their usually rosy glow. 

You rolled your eyes. “I don’t feel well enough to argue so I suppose I’ll take the blame. I’m always catching these little bugs from my patients in the hospital.” You say, pausing for a moment in thought, wondering if it would be too much to bring up his recent break up. Having the information on your mind made you want to offer condolences.

“Well I hope you’re feeling better soon.” He says, before you had come to a decision on whether or not to say more.

You nodded, shifting to face him and deciding to just go with it, your face softening as you spoke. “You too. And, I'm sorry about you and Samantha. She told me this afternoon.” 

Leander’s eyes narrowed, his brows pulling together in confusion as he tried to make sense of your words. He tilted his head slightly to one side as he pondered. “What do you mean?”

“What do you mean, what do I mean?” You asked him, wondering how he could possibly not realize what you were talking about. 

“MC, what exactly did Samantha tell you?” He asked, his voice sounding impatient for the information.

You swallowed hard, your palms starting to sweat as they gripped the potion bottle a little bit tighter. From his reaction, you were beginning to realize Samantha may not have been being honest with you earlier. “She said that the two of you broke up last week.” 

Leander scoffed, looking absolutely taken aback. “She told you that we broke up? She told you that today? In person?” He asked, shifting his weight and shaking his head, his hand at the back of his neck in agitation.

“Did you not break up?” You ask him first, needing to know the truth before answering his other questions.

“No! We didn’t break up, we’ve never broken up!” He emphasized. “She told me she couldn’t see me this weekend because she was going to be out of town visiting her family.” 

“Oh gods, I’m sorry Leander.” You say and groan, looking even more remorsefully at him than you had initially when you’d thought he’d just been through a breakup. “Yes, she told me today, in person” You said and shook your head. You were furious with Samantha for doing this to him, for lying to you, and that you were now in this position, feeling morally obligated to give him the truth.

 “Let's pay for our potions and go outside, there is something else I should tell you.” You suggest, wanting to get the two of you out of the cramped shop before breaking the rest of the news to him, not wanting to bother the shopkeeper or other patrons.

“Bloody hell. Fine, let's go.” He said with a sigh and led the two of you to the counter where each of you checked out in silence before heading outside. 

“What is going on MC? You’ve got my stomach in knots here. Just tell me.” He urged you as the two of you walked the cobbled street together, turning down a quieter alley off the main row of shops. He leaned his back against the brick side of one of the buildings, antsy, fidgeting with his bag after stuffing his bottle of Pepperup potion into it.

You took a deep breath, gathering your words and preparing to tell him everything he deserved to know. “She was in the flat with another man when I came home from work earlier.” You tell him, and he swore under his breath. Your own stomach was twisting, you hated being the one to break this to him. But he needed to know. He deserved better. “She was sitting in his lap when I came in. She was startled to see me, and when I left to get my potion, they went into her bedroom. I’m so sorry Leander.”

“She’s cheating.” He said softly, his head leaning back against the rough wall behind him as he let out a groan. “I appreciate you telling me. I’m glad I ran into you today.” He added, tilting his head to look down at you as you stood off to his side, leaning against the wall beside him.

You nodded. Though you didn’t see anything explicit happening, the fact that Samantha had been in the man’s lap and had lied and told you her and Leander had ended things was confirmation enough. She was doing something wrong and she knew it, and you had caught her.

“It’s a coworker of hers.” You told him. “I saw her department’s emblem on his shirt.” 

He let out a huff of a chuckle at this information, staring ahead as he tried to piece this news together with thing’s Samantha had told him in the past. “She was never working late, was she? The night she stood me up. I was so worried, and she was with someone else.” 

This was something you hadn’t considered, but now that he’d asked, it made all too much sense. “I don’t know, honestly. Her and I aren’t actually that close. She would never have talked to me about it, if she was seeing someone else. I’d have told you sooner if I knew.” 

“Would you have?” He wondered, glancing back down at you, one of his brows raising.

You nodded. “You deserve better. That much I’ve thought for a while now.”

“Alright.” He said with finality and leveraged his body forward, stepping away from the wall. You got the feeling you’d said a bit too much for him at the current moment. You didn’t regret it though. In your opinion, he needed to hear it. “Well. I need to head home and drink this potion, and so do you.”

“Right… Sorry, again.” You offered. 

“Don’t worry yourself about it MC. I’ll be fine.” He said bidding you goodbye, and apparating away before you had the chance to say anything else decidedly awkward.

You followed suit, apparating back to your flat and heading directly into your bedroom. You unlaced your boots and climbed back into bed with your bottle of Pepperup potion, uncorking the vial and downing it before laying back against your pillow. You hoped to sleep through the unpleasant side effect of steam pouring out of your ears.

~~~

The remainder of your weekend, and the next several days in your flat were tense. You’d confronted Samantha once your Pepperup potion had you feeling well again and it had gone about as well as was expected. 

Samantha was unjustifiably bitter in finding out you’d told Leander everything you’d seen the day you ran into him in Diagon Alley, and you were completely unapologetic with her as she chastised you not keeping her indiscretions to yourself when you were supposed to be her friend. 

She attempted to justify her own cheating with the fact you’d spent such a late evening with Leander awhile back, while she had in fact, been with another man as she missed her date night with her own boyfriend. Hearing that you’d enjoyed that evening with Leander after the fact made her feel less guilty for her actions, even though you reiterated to her that nothing had happened between the two of you. She had decided what she wanted to believe and there was no arguing with her.

Their actual break up came in the form of several letters exchanged via owl. The morning it happened, Samantha stomped angrily through the flat, grumbling to you about how she was going to be exhausted at work all day thanks to Leander sending his owl at an ungodly early hour. She blamed the bird for costing her sleep when it incessantly rapped at her window until she’d wake and take his letter. You couldn’t help but think Leander was being slightly vindictive in the timing of his owl, but you also couldn’t blame him. There was no doubt in your mind that she’d cost him sleep as well, with what she’d done to him.

Despite your relationship with Samantha being quite strained presently, you did agree to go gather her belongings from Leander’s flat for her. You could appreciate that neither of them wanted to see the other, and over the course of roughly six months, he’d apparently accumulated a good amount of her belongings. Exchanging your own letters with him, the two of you worked out an evening for you to come over.  With a long list of things to collect tucked into the pocket of your coat, you spoke his address while standing in the hearth of the fireplace in your living room before dropping a handful of floo powder at your feet and disappearing in a rush of flames.

This was your first time in Leander Prewett’s flat, and you’d wished you were visiting under better circumstances. He was waiting in his living room to greet you when you stepped through his fireplace, a large cardboard box on the coffee table in the middle of the room with some of Samantha’s things already inside. The box was sitting besides a mostly empty lowball glass, still solid ice cubes being the only indicator that it had recently been full. Fire whiskey. You could smell it on his breath as he stepped towards you as you passed him the list of items Samantha expected back.

“I think I’ve gathered most of this stuff already.” He said as he read the list over, scoffing heartily as he worked his way through it. “Some of these on this list are mine! My cologne? Ridiculous, she gifted me that.” 

“Really? That is awfully petty of her.”

“Isn’t it?” He agreed and shrugged his shoulders. “What’s she even want with it? Gift it to the other bloke?” 

You couldn’t answer, simply shrugged as he headed out of the room and returned a moment later with the small glass bottle. 

“She can have it.” He said and tossed the bottle haphazardly into the box amongst Samantha’s things. “Can I offer you a drink while you wait for me to find this stuff?”

“Oh, erm, sure. Thank you.” You said. Leander gestured for you to take a seat on his couch, which you did, while he headed into his kitchen to grab you something.

“Firewhiskey alright?” He called from the other room. “It’s what I was having, but I have-”

“Firewhiskey is fine.” You reply, cutting him off. No need for him to list all of the options when the first of them had always been a favorite if yours.

He set a fresh glass with ice down on the coffee table in front of you, and filled your glass before refilling his own.

“Cheers.” He said, picking up his glass and extending it to yours. You clinked his glass and sipped your drink, the strong cinnamon flavor warming your face immediately. He took a long swig from his own glass before setting it back down on the table with a satisfied ‘ahhh’ feeling the alcohol warming his bones.

“Let’s see, what else?” He mumbled, picking up the parchment and looking over it again. He disappeared back down the hall and into the other room, this time leaving you standing in his living room for several minutes before returning once again with what appeared to be a few shirts and some makeup. He tossed them into the box and cleared his throat. “That should be all of it.”

“Great. Thanks for taking the time to find everything.” You tell him as he folds up the top of the box, sealing it shut.

Leander took a seat on the couch beside you, picking up his glass once again and polishing it off. “I don’t usually drink like this, but this hurts, you know?” He said, gesturing to the box of his ex’s belongings on his table and picking up his bottle of firewhiskey, refilling his glass once again. The ice that had been there when you’d arrived was still present in the glass. 

“I’m not judging…” You tell him, sipping again from your glass. “But maybe slow down a bit, yeah?”

“I don’t work tomorrow, I’m not worried about it.” He said, turning to flash a wide grin at you. “Maybe you should catch up.”

It didn’t take you much convincing beyond that, you had off work tomorrow as well. You shrugged your shoulders, returning his grin with a mischievous one of your own. “Ah, what the hell.” You concede, sipping more heavily from your drink, a smirk on your lips.

“That’s the spirit, MC. Live a little.” He encouraged with a chuckle, peering at you through his lashes while he tipped his drink back for another sip. “Can’t believe I’m telling you that.” He muttered.

But you did. You let yourself indulge in both the firewhiskey and in Leander’s good company. Spending time with him recently as Samantha’s boyfriend had been pleasant, but tonight was different, they weren’t together anymore. And though the evening had started as you just doing Samantha a favor by collecting her things, it was ending as the two of you spending time together because you both wanted to. You caught up to him in number of drinks over a game of wizard’s chess, sitting on the floor of his flat beside him, with the board set up on the coffee table.

You were terrible at the game, never having played it much in Hogwarts and not at all since graduating. Both of you were in stitches watching your chessmen falling to pieces on the board as Leander’s moved forward, taking control of the board. But the game didn't matter. The only thing that mattered to you right now was the way he teased you and questioned your moves before you made them; the way he leaned in towards you slightly when he spoke, looking at you with wide glassy eyes and a lazy, comfortable smile; the way nudged you playfully, teasing you for sending your chessmen to their doom or when you mistakenly tried to make illegal moves. 

The game met an untimely end when you reached for the now more than half empty bottle of firewhiskey, knocking it against the board and scattering the pieces accidentally in your clumsily drunken state. This only made you laugh even harder, needing to set the bottle back down for fear of spilling it as you rolled back on the floor with tears in your eyes.

“Oh that’s rich! I think you did that intentionally because you were losing so badly.” He sarcastically scolded you. “Couldn’t handle losing to me, hm?” He teased as he picked back up the chessmen and resetting the board. 

“Noo!” You denied, still laying on the floor and giggling. “In fact I demand a do over.” 

“Do you, now? Do you think you can handle it? How are you going to play chess if you’re laying on the floor?” He teased, leaning back on one of his hands and looking down at you. 

You shrugged your shoulders and sat back up, your cheeks red from your laughter and the alcohol alike. Leander took the liberty of refilling your glass for you. “Thank you. And yes, I can handle it. Can you handle it?” 

“Oh I'm sure that I can.” He said with a wry grin. “Alright then, you’ll get your do over.” 

Unsurprisingly to both of you, your second game was worse, but you were having fun. Leander couldn’t help himself from ribbing you on your moves. Any other more sober circumstance, he’d have taught you all about strategy, but neither of you were in quite the right mind for that tonight.

Paying more attention to the way Leander’s brows came together as he concentrated and how handsome his face was than the actual game itself, it was no shock to you when he’d won fairly quickly. 

“Well, well, well! I’ve finally defeated the Hero of Hogwarts at something! Who’d have thought?” He teased, reveling in his win, a playful gloating tone in his voice.

“I’m certain I’ve asked you not to call me that.” You say, rolling your eyes, your cheeks sore from their grin. 

“Oh, have you? I don’t recall.” He dismissed, smirking at you, resetting the board once again. “Besides, my win sounds more impressive when I use your proper title.” 

“You’re insufferable.” You jest, sipping your drink, unable to wipe the grin from your face, bracing yourself for more of his teasing. Your buzzed state had you giggling preemptively. 

But his mood had swung, and more teasing didn’t come. Leander’s gaze settled on the box of Samantha’s belongings on the floor beside the coffee table with a sigh. “Apparently so.”

“No, nonono. If there’s one thing we aren't doing, it’s being self depreciating.” You say firmly. “I was teasing. You aren’t insufferable at all. You’re actually quite pleasant to spend time with.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.” He said finishing off the last of the firewhiskey from his glass and setting it heavily back down on the table. He let out a long exhale and stared into your eyes as though searching for the truth.

“No, I mean it.” You protest, giving him a pout. “I wouldn't have stayed if I wasn’t enjoying myself.”

“I suppose I’ll have to take your word for it.” He said with a sigh.

“I think I could prove it.” You tell him, sounding quite sure of yourself, your lips pulling upwards into a confident little grin.

“Oh? And how exactly would you do that?” He wondered, unable to resist a little smirk at the confidence in your claim. 

You didn’t reply, just leaned in towards him slowly, unsteadily. The tip of your nose brushed upwards against his, and you could feel him sharply inhale at your sudden proximity. Your eyes locked to his, looking up at him through your lashes. When he didn’t pull away, you leaned in closer, pressing your lips to his and holding the kiss for several seconds before he pulled back from you slowly, resting his forehead against yours. Leander let out a slow and shuddered breath, grounding himself and taking a moment to process what had happened. 

He had a bit of a woozy looking crooked smile, and the look of it made your heart flutter. You moved a hand to the side of his face, your fingers grazing lightly along his jaw and back towards the nape of his neck, pulling him closer, your lips seeking out his again. 

But he pulled away. His eyes were shut tightly, his brows knitted together, as though every inch of space he put between the two of you was more painful than the last. With the distance in the way, your hand slid away from his face, settling back on your lap, your eyes searching his as he opened them slowly. 

“You’ve had too much to drink, MC.” He whispered.

You sat there in silence for what seemed like much too long, wanting with every fiber of your being to deny his statement, but in the end and with much reluctance, you nodded. It had crept up on you, but you were quite drunk. Unable to peel them away, your eyes remained on his lips after he’d spoken. You hadn’t thought about them much in the past, but after feeling how right they felt pressed to yours, the little taste you’d gotten had left you aching for more. 

“MC?” He asked softly, your eyes fixed on his lips making his already rosy cheeks burn an even brighter red. You finally brought your eyes back up to meet his, letting him know you were listening. “It’s getting really late.” He said.

You let out a defeated sigh, not wanting to take the hint he was giving you. You didn’t want to leave. In the back of your mind you damned floo travel for being such a safe and easy way to travel, even while intoxicated, because you’d have grasped at any chance to stay with him in his flat right now. But no such excuse existed. “Right. You’re right. I should get going.” You said trying to bury any shred of disappointment in your voice. Deep down you knew heading back home was probably for the best. 

Leander got to his feet first, steadying himself with the coffee table as he stood. He extended you his hands and you took them, easily getting hoisted up from the floor with his help.

You gathered the box of Samantha’s belongings, tucking it under your arm and against your hip, you stood in the hearth of Leander’s fireplace and he held out his bowl of floo powder for you to use to travel back home. 

“Have a good night, MC.” He said as you took a handful of the black powder. 

“I did.” You reply, a grin on your face, your glassy eyes giving him a final once over for the evening. “Goodnight, Leander.”

“Sleep well” He said, returning your grin with one of his own, a breath of a smirk leaving him, taking amusement in the way your hazy eyes traveled his form.

You cleared your throat, taking a moment in your mind to ensure you’d speak clearly before speaking aloud your address. You vanished from Leander’s flat in a flash of green flames, and appeared moments later back in your own, a bit more unsteady on your feet than you’d have hoped to be, you braced yourself on the sooty brick of the hearth before stepping out into your living room, where Samantha sat with a book curled up with a blanket on your sofa. 

Looking far too annoyed for someone who didn’t have to go gather their own belongings, she sighed when you stumbled into the room, marking her place in her book and setting it down to relieve you of the box you were carrying.

“Is it all here?” She wondered, setting the box down on the armchair beside the fireplace  and pulling the flaps open to dig through the contents. 

“Leander said he got everything.” You tell her, kicking your shoes off where you stood, far too drunk to care to set them at the front door. 

While Samantha went through her box, making sure all of her possessions had come home to her, you strode heavily into the kitchen, grabbing yourself a glass of water and gulping it down quickly before returning to the living room and sprawling yourself across the sofa with a groan, completely taking over the space Samantha had previously been occupying. 

She shot you a look, dumbfounded at your behavior, and you wondered whether or not she’d ever actually seen you in such a state of inebriation before. 

“I was going to continue sitting there after making sure my stuff is all here.” She said, scoffing at you as she picked up the box, preparing to take it to her room. You only shrugged as she walked away, setting the box just inside her door and returning to the living room, her hands on her hips as she stared expectantly down at you. 

It took her a moment of more closely watching your mannerisms, slow and unbothered, before she finally asked, “are you drunk?”

“Very.” You whine. You’d been feeling pretty good for most of the evening but now that you were laid out, your head was pounding, your several drinks had caught up with you and were making you nauseous. 

“I knew there was something going on between the two of you. Ever since the other week when you let him in to wait for me, something has been up between the two of you.” Samantha said matter of factly.

You shook your head, rolling your eyes a bit too dramatically thanks to the firewhiskey in your veins. “That’s just your guilty conscience. Nothing happened when I let him in to wait on you.” You said cooly, grabbing the blanket that Samantha had been using and pulling it over your body, tucking it under your chin.

“And what about tonight?” She asked incredulously. 

“Not your business.” You say with a shrug, trying to maintain a straight face, though your mind went instantly to the feeling of his lips against yours. 

Samantha was so smug, shaking her head and crossing her arms across her chest. “Something happened, you are so obvious. You might not have touched him the other week but something was building. Tonight wouldn’t have happened out of nowhere. Not with him.” 

“What do you care, Samantha? You were fucking your coworker while Leander was pacing our flat thinking something serious had happened to you. And nothing will ever change that fact.” You turned over on the couch with a groan, facing away from Samantha’s leering gaze. “Let me lie here. My head hurts.”

Samantha let out an exasperated huff, grabbing her book from the side table and taking it into her bedroom and slamming the door behind her, the clap of the door against the frame making your ears ring.

~~~

You didn’t know exactly when it would be coming, but you had anticipated seeing Leander’s owl at your window at some point after your time together in his flat over the weekend. So on Tuesday evening, when you were in your room changing out of your work robes after a long shift, you were not at all surprised with the rapping of talons against the glass of your window.

You’d been waiting for his letter, knowing him well enough to know that he wouldn’t leave what had happened between the two of you up in the air for long. Opening the window, you gently pulled the rolled parchment from the bird’s claws, and gave him a treat from a container you kept on your window sill for this very purpose, and the owl stayed comfortably perched at your window, seemingly waiting on your reply to carry back to Leander.

You sat on your bed to read his letter, grinning widely, your heartrate picking up at his words as you took them in. You’d been on his mind, in the same way he’d been on yours more and more frequently lately. He wanted you to meet with him, wanted to talk about the kiss you had shared. Shifting to your desk, you pulled a piece of parchment from your drawer and promptly started writing him back, agreeing to meet with him the following evening after work, as he’d requested. You sent your response back with Leander’s owl, already looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.

Leander had asked you to meet him at a park near your house at six in the evening, and you arrived promptly to find him already waiting for you on a bench near a pond. It was a pleasant evening, the early springtime giving the air a slight chill especially as the sun was setting, but your body felt warm with anticipation, your stomach turning over as you made your way to sit beside him. 

He turned towards you as you slid onto the bench beside him, a grin on his face and his honey brown eyes bright in the sunset. “Hey there. How was your day?” He asked.

“Good.” You said, trying to keep buried the feeling of eagerness you were feeling in his presence. “Uneventful, which is the best kind of day working at the hospital. How was yours?”

“Also uneventful, which is also good news in my office. It went by slowly. I was looking forward to this.” He said, nodding in your direction. “To seeing you.”

This made your cheeks warm, hearing him express feelings even remotely similar to the ones you’d been letting bubble inside. “I was looking forward to seeing you, too.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was merely the firewhiskey that had you so keen before.” He said with a smirk, but you could tell in his tone, and in the way his eyes hung on yours, he wanted the reassurance that what he said wasn’t the case.

You shook your head. “It wasn’t the firewhiskey.” 

Leander let out a breath, his smirk turning into a genuine smile as he nodded, looking satisfied with your confirmation. “Seeing you last month when I brought over dinner was… well it- it brought up a lot of feelings I'd let myself forget about from back at Hogwarts…”

The more he spoke the redder your cheeks got. Though you weren’t very close back in school you still had enough fond memories with him that made you smile to think back on. You were silent, a dorky grin on your face as you listened to what he had to say.

“I had the biggest crush on you in school, did you know that?” He asked, tilting his head in wait for you to respond. 

You shook your head, your cheeks still flushed. You weren’t happy to admit it, but you didn’t pay him the attention that he likely deserved in that way, back in school. 

“Well I did, I thought it was obvious.” He continued. “But I didn’t think you’d ever look at me the same way. So I never dwelled on it. I let those thoughts go.” He said and took a deep breath, looking out over the pond in front of you. His hand rubbed the back of his neck and he spoke again with some hesitancy. “And then the other day you just… kissed me. Out of nowhere. I didn’t know how to respond. I don’t know why you did it or how to process it… Why’d you do it?”

“I just… I wanted to.” You admitted, your eyes flicking up to meet his, your shoulder raising in the faintest shrug. “I was having a good time with you and I wanted to.”

“But were you just trying to make me feel better about Samantha?” He wondered, fidgeting with the cuffs of his jacket. “Was it out of pity?”

You shook your head. “No.” You tell him definitively and pause to further gather your thoughts. You knew you had to tell him more to satisfy his questions. And he deserved your honesty. “I can’t say that I felt the same back in school, but spending time with you lately, like when we went out to the pub the other evening… I feel it now. I like you a lot, Leander.”

Leander let out a contented little huff with your words, the confirmation that he hadn’t been alone in his feelings recently seeming to brighten him from the inside out. He didn’t seem nervous now, “I like you too. And I’d like to keep spending time with you, and to see where this can go. I just… need a little time.”

You look equally pleased with his confession, your face softening with a gentle smile. “I understand. We don’t have to rush anything. But I’d like to keep spending time with you too.” You said. Taking a few moments to sit in a comfortable silence together, you take one of Leander’s hands in your own, lacing your fingers between his and holding it on your lap, your other hand tracing his knuckles gently.

~~~

Spending time together on your mutual days off from work became a priority to both you and Leander rather quickly. Neither of you were looking to rush into things, with him both wanting and needing time to process and heal from his breakup with Samantha, but it became more and more apparent to each of you while spending time together that you truly enjoyed each other's company and meshed well together. Your weekends were spent with him in his flat, becoming more proficient at wizards chess, discussing books you’d both read, and just talking. Getting to truly know him was slow going, and you found yourself silently cursing Samantha for reinforcing those walls of his as you came to realize how deeply her cheating had affected him. But you’d decided from the start that you were in this with him. He was just too sweet, too kind, too much of a gentleman not to deserve your effort and a real chance. You gave him your all and it paid off.

All of the stolen moments between the pair of you towards the end of, and immediately following Leander’s relationship with Samantha, led into a friendship that was affectionate and tender, both of you relishing in the knowledge that each of you cared deeply for the other. It was hard taking it slow with him. The urge to claim his lips with yours, to dishevil his neatly styled hair in the most passionate of kisses, nearly overwhelmed you every time you saw him. But you gave him the time he needed, and he would love you for that.

It took nearly two months before you were able to say that Leander Prewett was officially yours, but when those words were finally able to leave your lips, the time it took getting to that point was more than worth it. 

You weren't home often anymore, and knowing what you were up to, what little relationship you had left with Samantha deteriorated rapidly. With every passing day, you watched the end of your rental agreement creep closer, and you took pleasure in telling Samantha you’d be finding your own flat and moving out in just a month, when the lease would be up.

You were able to find a new flat with relative ease, something smaller, since it would be solely yours, and close to St. Mungos so that you could walk to work on days when the weather would allow for it. 

Leander was at your side that month later when it came time for you to move, helping you pack your belongings into the enchanted trunk you’d kept from your time in Hogwarts, and in your new flat alongside you helping you as you put things in their new places. 

Magic undoubtedly made the moving process easier, but your day was still draining, both physically and emotionally. Leaving your flatmate of two years on bitter terms wasn’t something you’d anticipated at all when the two of you made the decision to move in together in the first place, but leaving felt like the right thing to do after all that had happened. 

Despite being full of your own belongings, a mix of items that moved with you from your old flat and things you’d conjured with old spellcrafts you’d saved from school, you felt most at home in your new flat while laying in Leander’s arms. Sprawled out on your bed that evening as the warm light from the lampposts outside of your window spilt in through your blinds, Leander laid with his head on your chest, his weight against you making you feel comfortable and secure.

“Thank you for all of your help today.” You tell him, your fingers running through his hair gently as you held each other.

“Of course love. I wouldn’t have let you do it all on your own.” He said, nuzzling into your touch, his breath warm on your skin as he exhaled with contentment.

“Stay here with me tonight?” You suggest, kissing the top of his head. 

He hummed happily and you felt him nodding against your chest. “I’ve no intention of leaving you alone on your first night in your new flat.”

“Good.” You murmur, your hands dragging softly up and down the span of his back, pulling at the hem of his top and raising it so your nails could tease along his skin, and he held you tighter. 

“When you touch me like this, you make it very difficult for me not to just take you already.” Leander said quietly, the faintest groan in his throat as he cuddled against you. His fingers gripped your waist and you could almost feel his wavering restraint in the way his fingers dipped just below the waistband of your pants.

“Oh? Do I now?” You ask him, the flirtation in your voice making him even more excited. “If you’re ready, then I’m ready.” 

This piqued Leander’s interest and he shifted his head up from your chest to look at you properly. “Do you mean that?” He wondered. “You want to?”

Having his eye contact made your breath catch. Your body absolutely ached for him. The longer you laid beside him, every single minute you spent in his presence, the harder it was to keep taking things slowly, the more you wished he’d make his move and tell you he was ready to take that step with you. Not that you wouldn’t continue waiting… But it was hard. “I mean it. I want you.” 

Leander knew perfectly well that you had been the one waiting on him to be ready to take this step, and hearing you express out loud your desire for him made the last shreds of restraint in him vanish. His last relationship had hurt him and those wounds were only just starting to heal, but in this moment keeping himself guarded from you was a pain in and of itself, something that became more difficult to do with each passing day. He didn’t want to wait anymore. He didn’t want his past relationship to set the pace of this one anymore. 

“I want you, too.” He said, leaning in towards you, his hand coming behind your head as he pulled you into a heated kiss which you eagerly returned and deepened, your tongue trailing his bottom lip before slipping into his mouth and pressing against his. 

When your kiss broke Leander shifted himself up, sitting at your side as he pulled his top off over his head and tossed it onto your otherwise spotless floor. He took your hands and pulled you up beside him as well, his large hands sliding up your ribs and around your back, his nimble fingers at the buttons of your blouse before he pulled it up and off of you. His grip settled firmly on your hips, pulling you to him, you shifted onto his lap, straddling his thighs. Lips meeting passionately, your arms rest around his shoulders, fingers through his soft auburn hair as he deftly unlaced and removed your camisole. His hands palmed your chest, kneading your breasts gently, his back hunching down so that his lips could graze your neck.

Your body buzzed with anticipation that had been building in you ever since your drunken evening in his flat months ago now. You rocked your hips against his lap needily, making him groan into the crook of your neck. You felt his teeth against your skin, nipping and sucking sensually, marking you as his. “You’re driving me crazy right now, you know that?” He breathed, his lips never parting from your skin.

“Mhm,” You hum, your fingers gripping the hair at the nape of his neck and guiding his face back to yours, you lean in, languidly pressing your lips to his as his arms wrap around the small of your back, his fingertips pressing against your curves and pulling your body down against his as he sought the friction you’d given him when you’d rocked your hips. 

Leaning forward against you, Leander guided you off of his lap and onto your back against your mattress. He slid from the edge of your bed, his eyes wide and longing as they took in the sight of you while his hands were at his belt, unclasping it and sliding his trousers and undergarments off. You bit your lip as you watched thoroughly enticed by the heat of his gaze and his body. You giggled when he took you by your legs, just below your knees, and pulled you to the edge of the bed towards him, where he unlaced your pants with a smirk and tugged at your pant legs, pulling them and your knickers off of you with help from a wiggle of your hips. 

His broad, muscular shoulders looked so good flexing as he dipped his head down, kneeling on the bedroom floor between your parted  legs as they rest against his shoulders over the side of the bed. He kissed up one of your legs, then slowly down the other, seemingly mercilessly skipping over spots in which you wanted his lips most of all. It would have been teasing if it was anyone else, but Leander Prewett wasn’t a tease. He savored and loved on you with a genuine appreciation for you and your body and for the opportunity he had to touch you so intimately. 

Working you up and making you needy beyond comprehension for him was just a side effect of his attention to your every detail. 

Hearing you whine and feeling goosebumps rise beneath his lips as they traced your inner thighs only reinforce his feeling that he was doing his job properly. Slowly, he kissed his way to your center, his tongue so soft and warm between your thighs. Your breath quickened as his tongue flitted against your clit, your fists gripping your bedding as he sucked at you. You felt heat radiating from your center as he worked you, lapping at you fervently, soft moans and hums coming from his lips as though he was savoring his favorite dessert.

Your breath only got sharper when you felt his long fingers rubbing against you below his tongue, grazing against you gently as he slickened them up with your arousal before slipping them carefully into your body. You moaned out his name and you could feel him grinning against your body at the sound of hearing your voice, so sweet and delicious as you called out for him.

Leander beckoned his fingers inside of you, his long digits rubbing that sensitive spot so expertly and making your back arch up off the bed and your legs tense against his shoulders. 

Not wanting to part his lips from your body to speak for even a moment, Leander’s free hand found one of yours and laid over it, squeezing your palm affectionately. You gripped at his fingers tightly as you had been to your bedding, clutching onto him while your body writhed through the radiating ecstasy of the climax he brought about you. 

Your breath was a shaky exhale of expletives and moans as you released against his fingers and tongue, panting still as he withdrew his fingers and leaned up over you, kissing his way up your body to your neck.

“You sound so lovely like that.” He whispered, his lips against your ear taking your lobe between his teeth playfully, nipping at it gently before pressing a kiss to your neck. 

You were lost for words, wanting him desperately, your core still throbbing from the faintest touches of his body against yours as he leaned over you. Leander nudged you gently and nodded, gesturing for you to move back from the edge of the bed, and so you did, shifting to lay against your pillow, Leander crawled onto the bed overtop you, parting your legs with his knees and settling himself between them.

Your heart was still hammering away in your chest, but you felt a sense of calm as Leander laid over you, something you always felt in his presence. The tender way in which he loved you was comforting, no matter the intense feelings he’d brought upon your body. 

Supporting himself on his elbows, Leander’s hands cradled your face as he kissed you breathless, his hips grinding against yours, you could feel the twitch of his arousal so eagerly nudging between your thighs. “Are you ready, love? Can I?” He asked, peppering your neck in kisses as you nodded eagerly.

“Please.” You murmur, your hands moving to his face and guiding his forehead to rest against yours. 

Leander let out a deep breath, kissing your lips softly as one of his hands slipped between your bodies,  adjusting himself to align with your slick and still very sensitive core, before finally pressing into you gently with a moan. Your breath hitched as you stared up into his eyes, the soft way he looked back at you as your body enveloped him had you completely transfixed. You adored him, and the look on his face, the way he held you so tenderly as he rolled his hips against yours, told you everything you wanted to know about how he felt in return. 

You wrapped your legs around him, wanting to feel his body with every inch of your skin, wanting to hold him as closely to you as possible. Your arms clung around his shoulders, fingers trailing his back, you pulled him closer still, feeling his nose and lips drag along your cheek before settling against your neck, his breath hot on your skin as he panted with his efforts, rutting into you. 

Your head lolled back, neck outstretched on your pillow for his lips to travel along. You let out a breathy moan, your grip tightening around his back, the way he hit that spot just right as with every hungry thrust of his hips had heat building deep within you, pressure building as his movements became more frantic and desperate, the sounds of his shuddered breathing telling you that he was right there with you.

Your back arched and your legs around his back gripped him as your muscles tightened. Your insides pulsing and clenching around him as he brought you to another climax made him whine your name against your neck. He chased his own release, body trembling overtop yours as he thrust again and again. Feeling his release approaching, he pressed into you with everything he had, his forehead resting against yours once again, gazing intently into your eyes he spilt inside of you with a low groan. 

Sweating now and totally spent, Leander let his body relax overtop of yours, the weight of him over you a comforting and secure feeling you could get very used to. Catching your breath together, your fingers worked back into his hair, running through the strands affectionately, you turned your head to kiss his face.

Leander hummed in satisfaction at your affection for him, and shifted himself slightly ro return your kiss. “Was it worth the wait?” He asked you, his voice low relaxed now, he nuzzled his face close to yours.

“Worth every single moment.” You assured him, closing your eyes in your own total satisfaction.

You couldn’t have imagined a more perfect evening in your new flat, and knowing that you wouldn’t be waking up alone in the morning made it even sweeter. You were his and he was yours, and it was worth the wait. Worth the road it took to get here. If this was how perfectly content you were with him already, you couldn’t wait to see what your futures together held.

[shittalkcornstalk]

“Take One For The Team”

Part 3

Synopsis- After another week of successfully placating Buggy the Clown, you start seeing him in a new light. You unassuredness on these feelings leads you to take some one on one time with him, maybe that’ll clear your mind, or just make things worse…

A/n: This chapter is longer than the previous ones since it was the first chapter I wrote after sharing the first one! I am still figuring out the order of how I want certain events to play out, but I have a few scenes/plot points figured out. This chapter is nothing but fluff. Any comments on missing tags is appreciated!

Warnings- xfemreader!, Use of Y/n, 18+ minor dni, Eventual Smut, mild manipulation on both your parts at h this point, alcohol use, weapons mention, age gap mention

Word Count- 3.8k

Chapter 3 “A Change In Course”

Your pretty outfits continued, as well as Buggy’s new style of flirting. Every so often you were pulled into his gaze and words trapping you in moments that felt more and more intense. He got very good at making you lose yourself for a moment only to pull you back out and act like nothing happened. Comments were often in passing but they still made you go blank. It became very clear you were stepping into uncharted waters, but life had never been better. Buggy may have been a mean Captain, but he could be just as fun and exciting. The last week had been nothing but fun, as the crew lavished in drinks and music in the nights as you docked onto a small town. Whenever you all trained he watched over you all with an encouraging support rallying you all to his cause. It made you believe he actually wanted you all to succeed by his side. It was kind of cute seeing him so passionate about all of you. And that’s where the problem arose. You found yourself calling him cute in your head, genuinely giggling at his jokes at dinner, and maybe even enjoying his lingering eyes. Shit shit shit. You are not developing a crush on him, not at all, you can’t.

You meet up with the “Keep Buggy Happy” team a couple times a week to go over plans and celebrate your continued success. Lately though you find yourself drinking heavier than usual as the two men discuss your recent attempts at winning the Captain over.

“You’ve really upped your game y/n you look like you're flirting with him so effortlessly-“ Moji commends you.

You aren’t doing much of anything intentionally anymore, other than the outfits, all the giggles and blushing is all too real. Cabaji and Moji haven’t noticed you’ve been slipping on your act, but a very observant woman is well aware.

“Yesssss she’s been doing such a good job -faking- all those reactions, haven’t you y/n.” She chuckles to herself and takes a swig.

“ Well it helps he’s an easy target and this liquor makes things a lot easier” You take a sip from your glass and appreciate the nicer richer flavors of the liquor selection that Alvida has permitted you to take from. The stuff in there is only really allowed to be drunk by her and…

She leans in to whisper in your ears suddenly.

“You know that’s Captains personal favorite~”

Your breath hitches , maybe it’s the alcohol hitting your system but your body gets warmer. You’ve smelt this drink on his breath before whenever he leaned in to whisper his advancements in your ear. As the drink hits your tongue you can only imagine him drinking it. The way his mouth must taste like this after a night out… You immediately start feeling the heat rise to your cheeks. Alvida laughs at your reaction and pats you on the back taking you out of your intrusive thoughts.

“Well it seems our honeypot is doing just fine at her job without your input, why don’t you boys give us some time alone. On a ship full of men us girls rarely get time for girl talk” She waves them away. Alvida had never been this chummy with you before, but based off of that last line you were expecting more teasing to come your way. Cabaji and Moji left and she leaned into you closer.

“You little slut, you really like him don’t you-“ She laughed at your expense as you droop your head down.

“I don’t know, maybe…” You really weren’t sure. All this attention from him was getting to your head. You’d seen a slightly different version of Buggy this past week, and this one wasn’t totally reprehensible.

She sighed at your apprehension. “Listen, why don’t you take advantage of us docking in town tonight. I was supposed to run some errands with the clown tomorrow , but I can send you instead, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind the company. It’ll give you some time to clear your head and get to see him out of the context of Captain a bit. Maybe it’ll help you figure out some of this confusion.”

You took a swig of your drink and took a deep breath considering your options. You hadn’t had a lot of alone time with Buggy before, maybe this would make you realize this silly crush was just a phase.

“Ok I’ll give it a go”

The next day you got ready without Alvida. You took the time to take care of your appearance but you opted for a more relaxed outfit. You didn’t want to work him up if he was gonna spend an entire afternoon with you. Heading to the docks you met up outside with Buggy. He grumbled looking at a small paper with a list of supplies for the ship, adding a couple of things with a small pencil he tucked into his hat. You tapped him on the shoulder as he concentrated on the sheet.

“Captain Buggy? Alvida told me you needed help shopping today and sent me to find you.”

Buggy turned around fast and crumbled the paper in his hands as he was shocked to see you.

“Gah! You scared me y/n. Sneaking up on your Captain like that is how you get a knife to the throat-“ His chest puffed as his breath quickened, you noticed his limbs had detached at the joints only a smidge. He was always so reactive like that, always on edge, but you’d imagine you’d be too if you were a wanted pirate captain. You pat him on the shoulders giggling at the response, hearing the subtle noise of his limbs reattaching.

“I’ll keep that in mind- now what did you need to do in this town anyway?”

“Well Alvida and I were supposed to pick up some food rations for the ship and ammo before we headed out, this will be the last town for a while so we’re docking here until we’re fully set. I needed to order stuff now and I was hoping Alvida could keep track of todays shopping for when we needed to load the cargo, but you’ll do fine-“

Most of the time Buggy had been either ordering you around or flirting with you, you weren’t used to seeing him this calmly professional. You obliged and followed him around doing this busy work, after all you were one of his crew. You kind of forgot he was your boss sometimes. You made your way to the food markets where Buggy pulled a knife on a butcher who noticeably tried to upcharge him on meat. You never took notice of how much money it took to keep the ship well fed, it made your portion sizes seem more significant. After the food market, Buggy rushed over to the ammo shop he’d marked out on a little map of the town you were in. He was so giddy to restock on his favorite items, he didn’t realize he gripped your wrist to pull you faster to your destination.

“You’re gonna love this y/n” He spoke so excitedly rushing through the crowded streets not letting go.

His eyes lit up at seeing the selection this shop had. He pointed out the bombs he inspired his own Buggy Balls after and the tiny cherry bombs he practiced with as a kid. He pulled up to the clerk to talk shop with him and you browsed the selection as he negotiated. You took your time looking at a small gun that sat under glass. It was a cute little revolver with a bright red handle. You’d dabble with guns before but always stuck to more hand to hand combat. The bright red was eye-catching, certainly flashy enough to be a weapon for a Buggy pirate.

You hear the shop clerk and Buggy make some joke only two weapons experts would get. They get a bit louder as the joking continues when you hear a deal being made.

“I’ll give you the lot for a discount, and I’ll throw in the cherry revolver your little girlfriend keeps eyeing up-“

You immediately turn your head away to keep Buggy from seeing how the little misunderstanding made you feel. Buggy laughs it off and shakes the man’s hand.

“You’ve got yourself a deal!” He turns to you. “Can’t go wrong with a little added self defense, right doll?” He played into the clerk’s perception and watched as you shifted your head back to respond, seeing if you’ll take the bait and play into the role.

“Yeah… of course babe-“ You are flustered but want to keep on the clerks good side, he was giving you quite the deal after all.

It takes a little longer than expected for Buggy to finish off the transaction and shopkeep left the room for a moment with your new pistol. You both leave the store and you take note of the added inventory the ship will be taking in. Buggy watched you fill out the form waiting for the silent concentration to break so he could tease you about what just happened. You place the papers in your bag and he hands you a nice leather box.

“Anything for my girlfriend-“ He teased you, really emphasizing the last word. You open it and as expected it was the gun, what you weren’t expecting was his name engraved on the handle in a swirly font.

“Just letting the people you plan to shoot with that thing, just who your captain is-“

He’d held off on any greater advancements early today, but after that little scene in the store he couldn’t keep himself from being assertive.

“You did such a great job as my little helper today, why don’t we get some lunch before doing the rest of the day’s itinerary, my treat-“ He grinned at you as you still inspected your new weapon, now branded with his identity.

You nodded and walked with him to a fairly nice seaside restaurant. Now you two were alone with each other truly, no distractions or store workers to keep you from really talking. He ordered a drink and you followed suit, hoping to get some liquid courage as he leered at you. When it hit the table you gulped it down rather quickly, he noticed.

“Are you thirsty doll? You could always order another if you want-“ He looked at you humming before taking a long sip of his drink, taking it all down at once as you see his throat bob. “In fact let’s both get another round, we deserve to loosen up a bit don’t we?” He chuckles and signs to the waiter to bring two more to the table. It takes all your courage to break the silence, but you finally pipe up.

“So what does the rest of the day have in store for us Captain Buggy? More shopping I assume-“

“Captain Buggy…I thought I was babe now?” He laughed at you and your face tightened. “Take a joke sweets, I just thought it was funny that guy thought a girl like you would be seen with a guy like me-“ He waves his hands over himself taking a little too much time around his face, specifically his nose.

“Oh Captain I don’t see it that way, it was just a little awkward ya know? Since you're my boss and all? I just played along so we could get that discount he was talking about-“ Even if this little crush was a phase, it was kind of disheartening to hear Buggy talk about himself like that. You never noticed how self deprecating he could be. He wasn’t unattractive and you certainly wouldn’t be embarrassed if more people thought you were his- now you were digging yourself in a hole… luckily he broke you out.

“Yeah well it was nice to get to talk about my speciality with someone, as for the rest of the day we mainly need to pick up smaller items. Stuff we won’t have to worry about having the crew load onto the ship. I need to pick up more map making supplies, Alvida requested more liquor as it seems it’s been running out faster, and we’ll need a bit more medical supplies.” You never realized how much Buggy was really in control of. He had a moderate crew but his inclination to hire ‘freaks’ left him with a lot of fighters, but not a lot of specialists. You wish you could lighten the load for him, but you weren’t hired for any special talents either.

“Wow that’s a lot to keep track of, I don’t know how you do it Buggy-“ You looked down at your drink swirling the tiny straw. You didn’t mean too but you did two things that rang in Buggy’s ears like wedding bells. You stroked his ego so subtly, praising him for his underappreciated efforts, and for the first time you called him by just his first name. He liked how casually you saw him in the moment. It made his cheeks flush, maybe he was closer than he thought.

“We’ll it’s always nice to be appreciated- but it helps a lot to have a crew like you… you all..” He coughs out the last words, to make it seem impersonal.

Before you knew it the food came out and you two shared stories about your lives. Buggy told about his past like it was a performance but you noticed him skipping over a couple of ‘unimportant’ details. He mainly brushed over a straw hat character, but based on timing, you’d place the kid who stole his map a few months back was far too young to be the same person. He got so excited telling you about his adventures that you got lost in his words. He really had so much life experience, and even with the caveat that you were younger than him, you really hadn’t had any big adventures in your life, at least not till him. Buggy opened up the world to you with very little to go off on. And now you were sitting across from him as he told you about his life, things you never heard before from him. That kind of trust shouldn’t be taken lightly. You feel a warmth rush over you as you smile and giggle at all the little flourishes he does to make the story seem grander, to make it more entertaining for you, his only audience member. He really is one of a kind. As you look into his eyes you feel the pit in your stomach form you break your attention from him. You excuse yourself to the ladies room and feel the impending dread rush over you. You pull the gun from your pocket tracing your fingers on the engravement. You look up at your flushed face and it all falls together.

“Shit-“

You have a crush on Buggy the Clown.

You give yourself a light pat on the cheek to get yourself to focus. He’s out there, you know how he feels about you, and now you return those feelings. How the hell are you supposed to go about this day like normal? How can you look at the guy and watch him flirt without losing your cool? Does this count as a date? The errands before could be chocked up to just a Captain and crewmate running inventory, but now you two were alone at a restaurant sharing drinks and stories. Maybe the second drink wasn’t smart. You could feel your cheeks get flushed and your head spin. You wondered what Buggy was thinking out there, you didn’t want to have him wait too long but you couldn’t bear to leave the bathroom just yet.

Meanwhile Buggy leaned back in his chair, thumping his leg up and down anxiously. He called the waiter over and requested another drink, anything to calm him down. This entire time he’s been flipping between that cool guy exterior he so desperately wants you to fall for and the absolute loser he believes himself to be. He can’t believe he talked himself into pulling that engravement stunt in the weapons shop, but seeing you get all shy at the clerk’s miscommunication did something to him. He wanted to draw more of that embarrassment out of you no matter how direct he had to be. He wanted to see you flustered and skittish thinking about how cute it was when you played along with the game. He tried to clear the air later, a bit of self deprecation always saved him from getting hurt, but when you fought back even just a little at the notion you two didn’t make sense he was over the moon. He wanted that to mean so much more than just an off handed comment. Buggy wanted himself to not be a joke to you. While you were held up in the bathroom he fought between wanting you back in his sight and wishing you’d stay in just a little longer. He needed to compose himself if you were to finish the meal in one piece

Meanwhile you finally calmed down enough to go back to the table. If this was a date or just two people sharing a meal there was no real reason to make it awkward. Buggy looked at you walking back to the table and gulped down his drink. He’d made sure to have the previous glass removed so as far as you knew he’d been sipping on the second drink just like you. He was already worried about looking like a jackass, he couldn’t deal with being a drunk as well.

“So this is the last time we’ll be on land for a while right? We’re heading out to a big stretch of sea after we get done here-“ You recall seeing the plans spread out at dinner a day ago. You’d be out at sea for at least a month before you’d be docking again somewhere.

“Yeah if all goes according to plan. Now's the time to pick up anything you’ll need in the incoming weeks. We’ve been making good time so if you need to stop anywhere while we’re out today, just let me know. I’ll add it to the list.” He leaned back into professional talk as it seemed to be the only way to calm his nerves.

You thought patiently about if there really was anything you’d run low on. You were fine on clothes, though you wished Alvida hadn’t ransacked your closet. Nothing came to mind until you realized you were low on shower supplies.

“Oh I think I need more shampoo and conditioner- the stuff stocked in the bathroom is running dry-“

“Ah well I’ll see if there’s a store nearby that sells that kind of stuff- what were you looking for anyways-“ He didn’t want to let on that he’d known the exact brand and scent of hair care you used.

You absentmindedly forget yourself and slip out how much you know as you respond “oh whatever you usually pick out for me works-“

Buggy gawks at you. Who told you this information? As far as he was concerned he’d sneak it to your room and drop them off without your notice . He never let on that he’d personally bought all of your shower supplies, taking special care to pick fragrances he enjoyed smelling on you when he had those moments where he was just close enough to catch it in the air. He loved vanilla and musky woody smells on you, it reminded him of sweets and old ships. But nevertheless you clearly knew something, what was he supposed to say?

You pick up on this slip of the tongue, you gotta save this somehow- “Well you pick out all our supplies, right? I always assumed you bulk ordered them, I’m sure the others will need some supplies as well. Should I add it to the list for all of us?”

Buggy could afford to maintain a ship, but he couldn’t afford to pay for a crew's worth of fancy soaps. It wasn’t cheap keeping you smelling like that, to give everyone the same treatment would not only break his wallet, it would totally kill the mood of your scent if he started smelling it on Moji…the thought of that pissed him off. He thought today was going smooth enough so maybe he could let this one little secret slip.

“Actually those are just for you- you always had such nice hair, I thought it’d be a shame to ruin it with the rest of the crew’s 3 in 1 garbage-“ He mumbled it a bit. You already knew he’d been going out of his way for you, but him finally being honest with you, especially about why, made your heart flutter.

“Oh, um…thank you Buggy, I really appreciate that-“Curling your hair in your fingers, taking notice to feel just how soft it really was thanks to him. He really did want to give you nothing but the best.

“You know I should’ve guessed you’d be the one on the crew to know about hair maintenance-“ You laugh a little. “You’ve always done such a great job on your own, I couldn’t believe it was real when I first saw it.”

Buggy had once again failed a task successfully. You were blushing at him, playing with your hair, and giving him compliments. He’d become jelly in the knees. You spent the rest of the lunch continuing with stories. After the little heart attack both of you endured, the conversation was a bit more stilted and quiet, both of you a little too on edge to really perform for one another. You told Buggy about your youth and how you used to want to be a marine till you saw how corrupt the system was. It had only been since you heard about Buggy and a couple others that the idea of being a pirate even crossed your mind. Back then when you heard he was in town, you’d rush to see if you could join them before it was too late. Now your audition seems a little different in context to what you now know about Buggy, but you'll keep that part to yourself. You didn’t originally plan on staying with the crew for as long as you’ve been, but the crew became more than a means to an end, they became your friends. As you voice this to Buggy he smiles softly and nods.

“I’m glad you feel that way y/n, we are truly all happy to have you on the crew-“

The lunch ends and you head out for the rest of the days shopping.

[graysparrowao3]

OK, this is a really silly idea but… Rugan “meeting the parents” aka bumping into Aradin’s dad in the Fugue plane/wherever two bit criminals go in the Faerûn system. Or via speak with dead. (Maybe there’s some information they need to get out of his corpse?)

First of all, not silly at all! I know a few people have had similar ideas coming at it from various angles (shoutout to @fangbanger3000 @faerie-with-a-knife @benicemurphy!)

Second of all, thank you so much for these amazing thoughts! I didn't suppose there'd be a response, this got me so excited!

Third of all... oh. my. gods. Yes. Yesssss! What if... what if we can somehow turn this into a chapter of the ongoing fic?

I'm picturing a scenario where they have to somehow, as you say, interact with Aradin's dad... but maybe it also turns out that this is not the first time that he and Rugan have technically met, and what if we also put in the origin of the original open the bloody gates!

What do you think of something like this as a trial snippet?

Rugan took a breath. “Something you ought to know." His hands had raised instinctively. "That’s not the first time we’ve met. Though, met might be a strong word for it.”

“Try to kill him too, did ya?”

“Not exactly.”

There was a beat of silence before Aradin’s eyes widened.

“No.” He took several steps back, sickened hand searching for a weapon. “No… no, absolutely not. If you tell me you shagged my dad I’m not sure which of the three of us I’ll kill first.”

“Get your mind out of the gutter,” Rugan scowled. “Nothing like that. Long time ago, on a job. Don’t even really know what it was about. Some estate or other, I remember that, owned by one of these rich toffs that have statues in their garden, big wrought entryway to the grounds. Guards were already taken care of, all I had to do was make sure the gate stayed closed while the business was being done. Your old man showed up with what I assume was his crew. Tried to break it open but the thing was designed to keep people out, not in. He wouldn’t stop hollering, that’s how I got a good look at him. Best I could tell he was going to take the brunt of whatever fallout the Network was causing inside.”

Aradin nodded appropriately, it was a reasonable enough story. Just enough vague detail recalled from two decades or so in the past. Everyone playing their part. The Zhentarim doing what it is they do, Rugan managing to cheese his way through an otherwise potentially deadly scenario, his old man failing to do what he was supposed to. Nothing ever changes.

Except maybe a few more lines on his face. Wonder if he wore his hair the same back then, skulking about in the dark, guarding the gate.

“Hang on…” Aradin’s eyelids twitched, a spark flickered behind them. “Say that again, your part in the heist.”

“Keep watch mostly,” Rugan scratched at the stubble on his chin as he strained his memory. “Hold the post. Not let anyone in, up to and including your old man.”

Aradin blinked, then stared. A comical glare of suspicion slapped across his face, it took a moment for his stunned brain to re-engage.  Eventually some incredulous words managed to growl their way out of Aradin’s mouth.

“...are you telling me you wouldn’t open the bloody gate?”

[my-own-walker]

hiiii can i request fem!reader x Tate!!! Tate holding you down while he eats you out...with themes like manhandling and overstimulation :)

Relax Your Lips, Long Blonde Hair

note: yesssss period love this request. also, how have i never used this song lyric as a title for a kyle/tate fic yet??? i'll try my best on this.

warnings: manhandling, overstim, sm*t of course, oral f receiving, gagging, yada yada yada

+++

We separated from making out for just a moment. His deep, pleading eyes met mine, such desperation in his gaze. He was looking to take things further.

'Tate, my parents are home, we can't,' I whispered.

'I'll be quiet, promise,' he mumbled, placing a soft hand on my inner thigh. Goosebumps raised almost instantly.

'The issue isn't you, Tate,' I muttered. 'I'm the loud one, we know this.'

'I can try something a little different, then,' he smirked, expectantly. God, I knew I shouldn't say yes, but his puppy-dog eyes melted my steel will like jet fuel. And I did want him. Intensely. I nodded in response, biting my lip.

Tate looked as if he were a bird in high spring, his smile as wide as the sky. He made it so hard to be able to say no. His happiness was as euphoric for me as it was for him.

He moved swiftly to lay me down. He lifted my dress up over my hips, exposing the panties underneath. Ever the experimenter, Tate took the hem in his teeth and pulled the underwear down my legs and off my body. I shivered in anticipation.

‘Now you’re gonna have to be quiet, Y/N,’ Tate instructed in a dark, hushed tone. ‘And I can’t keep going until you promise to keep it down.’

‘Okay, yes, I promise,’ I panted, impatient to relieve the ache in my core. I was already soaked.

He ran his fingers along my slick fold and my breath hitched. His touch found my clit and rubbed it hungrily. I bit my lip and threw my head back, a small whine slipping out of my mouth. Tate immediately removed his hand from my cunt and looked me in my eyes.

‘Shut up,’ he demanded through gritted teeth, a glint of a smile in his eyes. I nodded in response.

His hand reconnected with my tender middle, fingers making their way in and out of my weeping pussy. I breathed hard, trying my best not to make a sound. I looked up at him through squinted eyes and saw him smirking. He was enjoying making me squirm. Screwing my eyes shut, I stifled a small yelp.

Once again, Tate withdrew from me, this time crawling closer so that his head was hovering just over mine.

‘I think you don’t understand, you have to be quiet,’ he breathed. ‘But, I guess I can’t trust you to do it on your own. You need some…guidance.’ He grabbed my knees and spread them even further apart roughly, stooping down so that his head could nestle between my thighs. His hands rested heavily on my hips, holding me down. ‘Don’t move.’

His tongue made instant contact with my clit. I released all of my air, trying in earnest to keep quiet. He flicked and swirled his tongue. My hips tried to buck but Tate’s weight kept me down.

‘My god,’ I panted, unable to hold my tongue. Tate sat up and shook his head.

‘What? So I have to do this now?’ he asked, before putting a hand over my mouth and running his fingers back over my clit. My eyes squeezed shut. Tate’s hand stifled my moan. ‘If you can’t be good, I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.’

He took a pillow from my bed in his hands and removed it’s case. He rolled it up into a makeshift gag and stuck it in my mouth firmly.

Tate’s tongue met my soaking wet pussy once again, his weight once again holding me down from reaching physically. I bit down hard on the fabric in my mouth, breathing hard at the contact.

I white-knuckled the sheets beside me, feeling myself reaching my limit. With a final flick of his tongue, he made me orgasm. I came forcefully, and Tate’s mouth was still there for every second of it.

‘You taste so sweet on my lips,’ he growled, releasing me from his grip. He reached up and removed the pillowcase from my mouth, replacing it with his hand, yet again. ‘What a good girl.’ His praise was undeserved. I needed loads of help to stop myself from being so vocal.

He kissed my forehead softly, waiting until my breathing evened out to uncover my mouth. I didn’t dare make a sound.

‘You’re so fucking hot,’ Tate breathed, smiling wide.

‘Can I speak now?’ I asked sarcastically.

‘I don’t know…I think I liked you better silent,’ he joked, running his hand through a strand of my hair.

+++

Hehehehehehe I hope this was good….trying to increase my sm*t vocabulary. stuff I was writing before was kinda vanilla haha

[cailinsblog]

you gotta write for Aiden McCarthy

Yesssss queen I will pookie💕 I hope you like it

Go read her work it’s amazing @mialikeshockey

Skating into love | Aiden McCarthy

Aiden McCarthy x reader

It was a chilly Saturday afternoon when Aiden McCarthy, the star hockey player for the Chicago Wolves, decided it was time for a change of pace. With his busy schedule of training, games, and media appearances, he'd barely had any time to relax lately. That morning, after a quick workout, he'd come up with an idea to spend some quality time with his girlfriend, Y/N, outside the confines of their usual routine.

"How about we go skating?" he suggested casually as they were getting ready for the day, a mischievous grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Y/N looked up from the sweater she was pulling over her head, eyes narrowing. She loved spending time with Aiden, but she wasn’t so sure about this idea. "Skating?" she repeated, her voice betraying her hesitation. "I... I don't know. I’m not very good at it, Aiden. Like, not at all."

Aiden's smile widened. "It'll be fun, I promise. Plus, I'll be there to catch you if you fall."

Y/N shot him a skeptical look, but he was already pulling on his jacket and grabbing his keys. The idea of spending the afternoon with Aiden was too tempting to turn down, even if it meant risking her dignity on the ice.

---

They arrived at a small outdoor rink a few miles from her apartment. The rink was quiet, surrounded by tall trees that rustled gently in the cold breeze. A few families skated lazily around, while a couple of kids chased each other in circles, their laughter echoing through the crisp air.

Y/N’s breath caught in her throat as she looked at the ice, the smooth surface shimmering in the late afternoon light. The last time she'd been skating was years ago, and back then, she’d barely been able to stay upright. She was definitely not looking forward to the possibility of falling in front of Aiden, especially since he made it look so effortless.

"Okay, so here's the deal," Aiden said, pulling on his gloves. "I’m gonna teach you how to skate. I’m basically a pro, so you’ll be gliding in no time. Just follow my lead."

Y/N raised an eyebrow, her arms instinctively crossing over her chest. "Aiden, you’re a professional hockey player. This is your world. I... I don’t think I’m cut out for it."

Aiden chuckled softly, taking her hand and leading her toward the rink. "I don’t know, Y/N, I think you’ve got this. You just have to trust me." He grinned, clearly enjoying the teasing. "I’ll even hold your hand the whole time."

Y/N rolled her eyes, but there was a warmth in her chest at the thought of him being there to help. "Okay, okay. But if I fall, I’m blaming you."

"Deal," he said, winking as they stepped onto the ice.

The moment her skates hit the rink, Y/N felt her balance waver, and she instinctively grabbed onto Aiden’s arm. She hadn’t even taken a full step before she felt like she was going to topple over.

Aiden’s lips quirked up, and he wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her. "Easy there, rookie," he teased, his tone light and playful. "You’re not gonna get anywhere by clinging to me like a koala bear."

Y/N glared at him but couldn’t suppress the giggle that bubbled up despite her nervousness. "I’m serious, Aiden. I’m not good at this."

"Don’t worry," he said, guiding her slowly forward. "I’m not gonna let you fall."

As they shuffled along the ice, Aiden tried to show her the basic movements — how to glide, how to push off, how to stop without crashing into the boards. Y/N tried to follow his instructions, but each time she moved her feet, she felt like she was about to go down. Her legs were stiff, her ankles were wobbling, and every few seconds, she’d look at Aiden for reassurance.

"I’m gonna die out here," she muttered under her breath.

Aiden laughed, clearly enjoying the chaos. "You’re doing fine! You’re making progress. Look, you're not even falling yet!"

"I will if you keep making fun of me," Y/N said, her voice half teasing, half serious.

"I’m not making fun of you," Aiden replied with a sly smile. "I’m just helping you out. A little tough love never hurt anyone."

Y/N gave him a side-eye. "I don’t need tough love. I need actual help."

Aiden chuckled. "Fine, fine. Let's make this a game, okay? Every time you stay upright for ten seconds, you get a point. And if you fall? I owe you a hot chocolate."

Y/N narrowed her eyes. "So basically, if I fall, I still win."

"Pretty much," Aiden agreed, his grin never fading. "But I’ll still give you a lesson in skating. The faster you learn, the less

[differenteagletragedy]

I love the story you did of the MC proposing to Derek! I don’t suppose you could bless us with the other scenario, of Derek’s proposal to the MC? Pretty please 🙏?

Yesssss, the Derek love! Of course! Here we go:

One thing about Derek is that if he's going to do something, he's going to take the time to do it right.

So when he decided he wanted to marry you -- or, well, he'd decided he wanted to marry you when you were kids, but when he'd determined it was actually something that could really happen -- he didn't feel the need to rush.

After all, he'd been waiting over ten years for you. He was good at waiting.

By the time he took you for a date at the boardwalk, ring in pocket and raring to, he'd put months into planning his proposal.

First, he'd made a quick trip out to Sunset Bird while you were at work to ask for your parents' permission: he couldn't go forward with his plan without their blessing.

After your moms hemmed and hawed over him and told him that of course he had their blessing, he'd walked across the street to ask Cliff the same thing. Derek knew that you considered him your dad, so it was important to talk things through with him as well. He didn't really imagine the man having anything bad to say, but it was still sweet when he teared up and hugged him.

He talked to Cove about it too, of course, but the next step in his official plan was to reach out to Liz -- he needed to pick out a ring, and he thought your sister might be a good resource for what you might like. She gave him some tips, along with a healthy amount of teasing, then advised him to call Lee, too.

"Lee is going through this crazy phase," you'd told him that night after he spoke to your cousin. "Like she's not even seriously dating anyone but she's all into weddings, she texted me all afternoon about what kind of engagement ring she'd like and what she'd want at her ceremony."

You went on about how she must have gotten into those wedding reality shows, and Derek smiled to himself. The next day, Lee got back to him with the intel she'd gathered.

He took his time shopping, wanting to make the right choice despite how eager he was to put a ring on your finger, but eventually he found one he knew you'd love.

There were several venues that would have felt right for a proposal -- the beach, the park by your house, even the grocery store by your apartment held some special memories. But in the end, the boardwalk won.

"We haven't been here in forever," you told him when you parked.

He stepped out quickly and jogged over to open your door before you had the chance. You smiled at him, then smiled bigger when he reached a hand out to help you up.

"Just when I thought you couldn't be any more of a gentleman," you told him.

"I'm full of surprises," he replied, hoping his nervous laughter didn't give anything away.

You did the usual boardwalk routine -- face-painting (he got his star, and you decided to match with him), rides, games. It was a blast, as always, and every moment made him more sure that he wanted you by his side for the rest of his life.

Finally, you were walking along by the sand, taking a break from all the activity and simply enjoying each other's company. He saw the opportunity, and he grabbed it.

"Hold on, my shoelace is coming untied," Derek said, bending down to fiddle with his perfectly fine laces. "What do you want to do next?"

He watched as you looked around in thought, as he knew you would, and quickly grabbed the ring from his pocket. When you looked back down at him, about to answer, he was there, on bended knee, presenting you with the loveliest ring you'd ever seen.

He'd had a speech planned, a long, elaborate thing to tell you about how much he loved you and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life taking care of you, but in that moment, when he realized that he was finally in this position -- for real, not in his fantasies or with some kind of long timeline or stipulation -- his brain sort of short circuited from the sheer joy of it all. So he kept it simple.

"Will you marry me?"

Derek was strong and solid, but you nearly knocked him to the ground with how hard you threw yourself into his arms. He laughed, wrapping his arms around you as tight as he could without worrying he'd hurt you.

"Is that a yes?" he asked, feeling a few tears welling up in his eyes.

"Of course it's a yes," you told him. "It's always been yes."

He stood up then, pulling you up with him, and he slipped the ring on your finger. He held your hand close to his face, marveling at the site -- not at the ring, he'd spent long enough picking out to have every bit of it engraved in his memory, but at what it meant now that you were wearing it. He glanced over at his own bare ring finger, so thrilled at the thought of his own ring that would tell the world that he was yours.

Then you were back in his embrace. He held you there for a long time as people passed by on the boardwalk, stroking your hair, telling you about how happy you'd made him.

"I'll always take care of you," he said, leaning down for a kiss. "I promise. Always."

You could tell that was an important point for him, but you had to tweak it a bit.

"We'll take care of each other," you corrected. "Always."

[grim-faux]

Trigger warning for sensitive topics.

The ferryman is a predator!

I hate how a few people are interpreting him as a “savior” or as somehow being the Lesser of Two evils. When he is NOT!

He stalks Noone, awaits for an opportunistic moment where she is at her most vulnerable in order to take her, then there’s his connection to the Maw, which had “kidnapping children for the elite”as an old official description.

Seriously, the whole idea behind the Maw and the Ferryman taking children to work there or worse to be “eaten” sounds so much like child trafficking. All he is missing is an old white van.

We know how awful the Nowhere is and what awaits the children who have the misfortune to get taken there, they get mistreated, forced to work/perform, eaten, killed and far worse.

The story is not a “OMG, Yesssss! Noone got away from her abuser!”

Otto is terrible, but the Ferryman is much, much worse. I just can’t see how people can see the ending as a triumph, as being better off, much less being good for Noone, when her ending is pretty much a life sentence or Horror beyond her comphresion. (A quiet acceptance of the terrible reality around her)

If anything the story is a cautionary tale about how society has failed children, how trauma breeds more trauma and how this can drive kids into far worse situations than they were originally in. All because society and the adults and what should be their net of support all failed them.

This right here. Otto and the Ferry/Candlebro may both be monsters, but Otto is still and has always been a victom of the Candle/Ferryman same as the children that were directly taken.

But CandleFerry man is getting compensation and benefits for his work. Otto just wanted his sister back.