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woah-were-halfway-there · 8 days

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The Makeup

aka, The Fight: Pt. 3

a/n: alrightyyyy here's the last part of this bit of the series. i think after this i'll go back to writing the scare when little man is born and mia becoming a big sister if y'all are still wanting to read that :)

word count: 9.3k

“You’re sure you’re ok?” Lexie asked from the other end of the phone. “Do you want me to come to Toronto this weekend? We can do something fun. Get you out of Mitch’s condo and do something other than work.”

“Lexie, I’m fine,” Carson told her best friend while nodding a quick thanks to the Starbucks barista who handed her the drink she ordered. It was nearing the end of her lunch break at work, and this was her last stop before returning to the office. “You’re in Chicago, babe. You don’t have to come all the way here for me.”

“Carson, you’re not fine, so don’t even try to lie to me about it.”

Carson sighed and tried to keep her composure because she didn’t have it in her to cry again.

“I’m trying to be fine, Lex.”

It’d been 13 days since Carson and Auston's fight after she found out he’d been charged and tried keeping it from her. That also meant Carson had been staying with Mitch and Steph for 13 days, and it’d been 13 days since she last spoke to Auston.

Following the fight with Auston, Carson missed a couple of work days as her depression about the situation made her feel like she couldn’t get out of bed. By the end of the work week, she returned to the office only briefly but decided to take an impulse trip to Vancouver to see her dad and sister, Mya and get out of Toronto for a little bit as she navigated her feelings.

After returning from Vancouver three days later, things went back to normal for Carson. Well, as normal as they could.

She went back to work, all while acting like nothing was out of the ordinary and continued staying in the spare bedroom at Mitch and Steph’s place. But she still hadn’t talked to Auston about anything because she didn’t know how.

Carson’s friends and colleagues at work noticed something was up. Gone was the friendly, bubbly girl they came to know and loved having as a new addition to the office, as she became a much quieter and mopey version of herself. To them, it was apparent something had happened, but they didn’t want to overstep if she didn’t want to talk about it.

Two people in that office knew what was happening. Max and Tara worked directly with Carson on the same projects, and in the short month and a half Carson had been working there, she immediately clicked with them. They knew all about Carson’s relationship with Auston, having even met him in a non-work setting when the three of them went out for drinks, and he chatted with them for a little bit before driving himself and Carson home. They knew how absolutely in love Carson and Auston were with each other and how this fight affected Carson.

Max and Tara were Carson’s rock in the office, and despite feeling her chest get heavy while talking on the phone with Lexie, she knew they’d help her get through the rest of the day.

“I know you are, babe,” Lexie spoke softly and sighed, bringing Carson back to reality. “I’m just worried about you. And I miss my best friend.”

“I know, and I appreciate you,” Carson told her honestly. “I miss you too, so freaking much. But I don’t want you to come here while I’m like this. I know you’ve seen me in a worse state, but I’m just trying to decide what I want to do about everything with Auston. This is fucking hard.”

“I still want to give Auston a piece of my mind, but for your sake, I won’t. At least not yet. Have you thought about reaching out to him so you can talk?”

“Of course I have. I miss him, Lex—more than I can explain. I miss him, our conversations, our routine, talking with his family, and the feeling of safety I had being with him. But whenever I think about any of that, I think about how he kept such a big thing from me, and it hurts. I almost cracked and told him I was at the game last week, but I knew he’d want to talk afterwards, and I chickened myself out.”

“I understand,” Lexie sighed again. “But Carse, I’m going to give it to you straight here, okay? If you don’t want to fix things, let Auston know. You also gotta let him know if you want to figure things out. It’s been two weeks, babe. As mad as I am at him for hurting you, I know this entire situation is killing him, too, and I really think he deserves to know where you stand.”

Carson took a moment to respond but slowly nodded her head as she entered the front doors of her office building.

“You’re right,” she agreed. “He’s given me space and been patient. I feel like I’ve been stringing him along, making him wait so long and in the dark. God, I just wish none of this happened.”

“I know, it sucks. But you’ll figure it out, babe. You always do.”

“Thanks, Lexie,” Carson responded and took a deep breath. “I plan on figuring it out soon because I’m over feeling like this. But anyway, I’m almost back in the office, so I've got to go. Love you. I’ll text you tonight.”

“Love you too, girly,” Lexie said. “Keep your head up, and I’ll talk to you later. Bye!”

“Bye!”

Just as Carson hung up her phone and slid it back into her bag, the elevator door opened, and she quickly scanned her pass so she could be taken up to her office floor.

Once she was back at work, Carson was greeted by her coworkers as she passed them and headed toward her office. After she set her bag and iced coffee on the desk, her computer lit up and showed the time. She still had 20 minutes before her lunch was officially over, so she decided that was enough time to eat the last bit of food she had in the fridge.

Max and Tara were still in the breakroom when Carson entered, and she couldn’t help but smile at how it was just the three of them there.

“Carson!” Max greeted her excitedly and waved her over. “You have good fashion taste. Tell me what you think of this sweater. Tara thinks it’s too extra.”

“Let me see,” Carson replied as she grabbed her container of strawberries and joined the other two at the table. Once she was sitting, Max handed her his phone, showing a tie-dye sweater from a website he was looking at. “I like it. Auston has a similar one-.”

Carson immediately cut herself off and shook her head, taken back by her comment. In the last two weeks, she’d only mentioned Auston when talking about what happened. She hadn’t mentioned him in general conversation like she always did before their argument, which didn’t go unnoticed by Max and Tara as they sent each other knowing glances, and Max slowly took his phone back from Carson.

“Well, I doubt something like that would look as good on me as it does on Auston,” he said. “He looks fine in just about anything.”

“Oh, would you stop talking about her man like that? Go find your own to thirst over,” Tara scolded before glancing sideways at Carson and noticing she wasn’t reacting to what they were saying. “Speaking of Auston…”

“Hmm?” Carson hummed, zoning back in on what they were saying.

“Auston, babe,” Max spoke bluntly but softened his voice when Carson looked at him sadly. “Still nothing, huh?”

“No, we haven’t talked,” Carson replied, then stared down at her strawberries, suddenly losing her appetite.

Max and Tara looked at each other again and sighed, knowing full well the toll this was taking on their friend.

“I see you put your necklace back on,” Tara said, nodding to the designer white gold chain around Carson’s neck. “That was a gift from Auston, right?”

“Yeah, it was,” Carson explained as she gently brushed her fingers against the two bands that linked together in the middle, making her love necklace. “He got it for me when I graduated in June. I’d only ever taken it off to have it cleaned before I took it off after our fight. Not having it on felt weird, so I dug it out of my bag to wear it again.”

“I need a man who gifts me, Cartier,” Max tsked, hoping to ease the mood, but regretted it when Carson remained silent. “Carson, honey, is there anything we can do to help?”

“We hate seeing you like this,” Tara added, leaning over to squeeze Carson’s hand. Max quickly joined and placed his hand on top of both of them.

Carson relaxed at their gesture and smiled.

“Sorry, guys,” she responded and took a breath. “Unfortunately, I don’t think much can make me feel better until I talk to him.”

“Understandable,” Max told her with a soft smile. “But also don’t be hard on yourself for taking the time you need to figure out what you want to do.”

“Exactly,” Tara agreed. “If Auston were remotely the type of guy he’s always seemed to be to us, he’d be okay with you taking your time regardless of how he’s feeling.”

“You two always know what to say to make me feel better,” Carson smiled and squeezed both of their hands. “Thank you.”

“We got you,” Max stated.

“Always,” said Tara, patting Carson’s hand before pulling away. “We’ll let you eat your strawberries in peace.”

“OK, guys, I’ll see you out there.”

“And you better actually eat them, or we’ll have issues,” Max threatened as he pushed in his chair and sent Carson a slight glare before following after Tara.

Carson just shook her head as she watched them go, then glanced down at her strawberries again before picking one up and popping it into her mouth.

About 10 minutes later, Carson’s lunchtime was almost over. She stood up from the table and went over to the sink to rinse out her now empty container before heading back to her desk to prep for the remainder of the work day. However, just as she was about to exit the breakroom, she almost ran right into someone.

“I’m sorry,” Carson stammered as she stepped back and looked up to make eye contact with Spencer, another of her coworkers.

“It’s quite alright,” Spencer replied and smiled charmingly. “How are you, Carson?”

“Oh, uh, I’m alright, thanks. How was your weekend?”

“It was good, pretty uneventful.”

Spencer was nice. He had been nothing but friendly toward Carson since she started working in the office, but something just put her off about him. Spencer’s condo wasn’t far from the one she shared with Auston, and for a reason, Carson didn’t understand; he drove to work almost every day and always offered her a ride. Their office was located downtown. Therefore, driving wasn’t always necessary, but Carson would’ve been lying if she didn’t appreciate those rides on days she was running late or the weather was bad.

However, something still rubbed her wrong with him. Spencer was charismatic, meaning he was very good at conversing. He had a way with words and could chat with anyone about anything. But, he also made many comments that had Carson pausing, feeling as though he was hitting on her, which she’d always responded to, making it known she was in a relationship.

Spencer knew she was in a relationship, but there were still times he tested those boundaries, and Carson hated it. She didn’t think this would be one of those times.

“That’s nice,” Carson told him with a smile and internally hoped the conversation would end there. “Anyways, I should probably get back to my desk.”

Carson nodded, and Spencer did the same back, but before she could walk around him, he spoke up again.

“Wait, Carson, before you go, I was hoping I could ask you something.”

“Oh, sure, of course. What’s up?”

“Are you free to get drinks with me today after work?” He asked, making Carson go stiff.

“As colleagues?” Carson hesitantly asked, but she knew better. She was sure Spencer’s intentions weren’t just friendly, but that was a boundary she needed to set.

“I was thinking it could be more like a date if you’re interested.”

“Spencer, no. I have a boyfriend. I’m not interested in you like that at all. I’m sorry.”

Spencer’s entire demeanour changed at that.

“I see,” he said and adjusted his posture, looking slightly more intimidating. “I thought you and the hockey player broke up.”

“I- no, we’re still in a relationship,” Carson explained, despite feeling a little unsure. She and Auston were still together, right?

“You stopped mentioning him, and I noticed you turned the pictures of the two of you on your desk around, so I figured you called it quits.”

There was something about his tone that Carson didn’t like. Maybe it was ignorance. Perhaps it was arrogance. Either way, though, it pissed her off.

“We didn’t break up,” Carson confirmed out loud, mainly to reassure herself. “Things are… rough right now. But we’re still together.”

Spencer scoffed.

“I doubt this will be the only time he hurts you, Carson. Maybe you’re just too naive to see that.”

“And maybe you’re just a dick who made an assumption and then got his ego hurt by a girl who is not and will never be interested in him.”

Spencer blinked, surprised at how she snapped at him, but didn’t say anything.

“This conversation is over,” Carson continued, seething. “But before I go, just know that if you attempt to corner me or anyone in the office like this again, I’ll ensure HR knows all about it.”

Nothing else could be said, so Carson stepped around him and wasn’t stopped.

Part of her wanted to cry as she beelined for her office. She was annoyed and frustrated with the situation, but one thought was prominent in everything she felt: her desire to talk to Auston.

The remainder of Carson’s work day went by quickly despite an anxious nagging feeling she had. Spencer kept his distance while Max and Tara promptly addressed the tension between him and Carson, but not in a way Spencer would hear it. Tara immediately messaged in the group chat with Max and Carson, asking what happened, which Carson filled them in on. She ended the conversation by admitting that the ordeal with Spencer made her want to talk to Auston because she hated not knowing where they stood.

Carson then internally admitted that although she was still hurt and upset with Auston, she still loved him and wanted to be with him. But she didn’t know how to go about it. For all she knew, Auston thought she was overreacting and didn’t want to wait for her to come back around. Of course, she didn’t want to believe that could happen, but Carson’s brain could be so damn mean to her sometimes.

But that’s what she needed to remind herself. Her brain was just mean. There was no way for Carson to know the future of her and Auston’s relationship if she didn’t talk to him. It wasn’t fair to Auston or herself to make assumptions and let that scare her away without first talking to him about it.

Her mind was scrambled, so Max and Tara convinced her to leave the office early and have time to collect her thoughts in a place that wasn’t the office. Carson was hesitant to leave early, but she had completed everything she needed to do that day before her lunch break and got a head start on some other things despite feeling all jumbled. About an hour went by, and she was still on the fence about leaving, but that changed when Spencer went to the photocopier that directly viewed Carson’s office despite a different photocopier being closer to the break room and his office.

Carson went stiff when she saw him walk by and didn’t miss the way he looked into her office as he went. He said nothing, but Carson was not up for playing any of his petty little games. So, after sending a message to her supervisor explaining all the work she’d completed that day and asking if it was alright if she went home early, Carson wasted no time packing up her things and leaving the office once told it was okay to leave. She didn’t even look in Spencer’s direction as she stormed out of her office, only stopping to say bye to Max and Tara and waving at those she passed on her way out.

When Carson arrived at Mitch and Steph’s condo, it was quiet. She knew Steph had things to do that day, meaning her friend probably wasn’t home, but she wasn’t sure about Mitchy.

The Leafs played against St. Louis that night, so it was likely that her cousin was home having a pregame nap before he had to get ready to go to the arena. Carson glanced at her watch to see it was nearing three in the afternoon. Therefore, it’d be odd if Mitch wasn’t home, so she tried her best to be quiet as she took off her heels before heading to the guest room to put her work things in there and maybe watch a show. However, she didn’t make it far when a familiar brown lab entered the hallway and rushed toward her excitedly.

“Hi, Zeusy boy,” Carson quietly greeted the dog as she crouched to his level and scratched behind his ears. “Is your dad sleeping?”

“Nah, I’m right here,” Mitch said as he entered the hallway. He was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts, and his hair was dishevelled, showing that he had been lying down.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Mitchy. Did I wake you up?”

“No, you’re good. I was just scrolling on my phone. You’re home early, though. Everything alright?”

“Uh, yeah,” Carson mumbled as she stood back up and smoothed her blouse. “I finished all of my work early and have a really good start on the stuff I have to do for the rest of the week. I just have a lot of stuff on my mind. I know I’m not in the office for the rest of the week now because my boss is away, but I didn’t want to be there anymore today. ”

“I see,” Mitchy responded, then narrowed his gaze at his cousin, knowing something was bothering her. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Of course, she wanted to talk to her twin about everything bugging her, but Carson didn’t want to bother Mitch with her problems.

“No, no, it’s ok. You have to start getting ready soon anyway. I think I’m just going to curl up and watch a show. Have a chill night in.”

“Carson.”

The look Mitch gave her as he crossed his arms showed that he wasn’t impressed by her answer, which made Carson sigh.

“Fine,” she huffed. “Let me change into something comfy, and then I’ll tell you.”

Mitch smirked at her triumphantly before calling for Zeus to follow him to the living room, and Carson went to the guest room. A few minutes later, she emerged in the hallway again wearing a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, then made her way to the living room and curled up on the couch next to her best friend.

Carson spent the next few minutes telling Mitch what happened with Spencer at the office, including the back story of how he’d been flirty before despite knowing she was in a relationship. She then explained what Spencer said after she turned him down and what was on her mind afterwards.

“First off, fuck that guy,” Mitch said once Carson finished her spiel.

“I know, he sucks,” Carson agreed, then took a sip of the water bottle Mitch had grabbed for her.

“I’m glad you put him in his place, but it wouldn’t hurt to report him to HR or something, Carse.”

“I know, I’m going to tomorrow. I don’t want him to make anyone else in the office feel like I did today.”

“Good,” Mitchy replied, nodding his head, then stopping and glancing at his cousin again. “And you think you want to talk to Auston again now?”

Carson sighed.

“Yeah, I do. I miss him, Mitchy, and I need to know where we stand. It’s just frustrating because I still don’t know what I feel or what to do, but I know I need to talk to him. How is he? Is he good?”

“Matts? I mean, yeah, he’s alright. Same old now that the season has started. Not much else is going on at the moment. He asks about you a lot, though. Every day I see him, actually. He misses you too, Carse. I don’t want you to think he doesn’t. But, you gotta do what you think is best for you.”

“But I don’t know if what I want is what’s best for me,” Carson stressed, pushing her hair away from her face as she inhaled. “And that’s the thing. Can I trust Auston again after keeping such a big thing from me? I may have never known if the media didn’t get their hands on the information. Although part of me wishes I was as oblivious to the fact as I was two weeks ago, I still can’t believe it even happened and knowing that it did is a lot. But this is something I’d want to know. I just- how many other significant things hasn’t he told me? Is it too naive of me to want to think he wouldn’t keep something like this from me again?”

“It was extremely dumb for him not to tell you,” Mitch started. “It was even more ridiculous for him to do what he did, whether it was a drunken mistake or not. I will say, though, Auston seems to be learning from it. He’s trying, and that’s really all anyone can ask for. Of course, it doesn’t improve the situation, but he’s being cooperative. And I know one thing he really wants to fix is his relationship with you as he navigates moving forward from this. However, if you don’t think that’s best for you, you’ve gotta listen to that. I can’t see you tearing yourself up because of a relationship again, Carse. I’ve already made Auston clear of my feelings about the situation, and we’re okay now, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to say, ‘Yes, you two should figure things out and not break up.’ I love you and Auston together and am always rooting for you guys, but I’ll always care most about your happiness. You’re my best friend. And if you think Auston is who will still make you the happiest, you can’t let anyone make you think otherwise. If you can forgive him, great. But if not, I’ll still be in your corner and we’ll figure it out.”

Carson stayed silent for a moment, processing Mitch’s words. She inhaled deeply, reached up to wipe away a tear that broke free from her watering eyes, and then sniffled before looking back at her cousin.

“I wish I knew what to do, Mitchy. I wish I could go back to him and not be afraid he’d hurt me like this again. And I know I may have overreacted when all of this happened, but it was like being slapped in the face. I was blindsided, and now I feel like I’m in a hole. I don't know how to escape.”

“I know,” Mitch told her softly. “But I think you gotta do what you told me when we started this conversation, and that’s talk to Auston. You won’t know what you want regarding your relationship with him if you don’t.”

“You’re right,” Carson agreed. “I just have to build the courage to reach out to him. It should probably be soon, though, huh?”

“Carson, let me tell you it has been so pathetic seeing him mope over you,” Mitchy stated, making Carson cover her mouth, attempting to hide her chuckle. “Like good, he should know he fucked up, but Auston is so miserable because he misses you, and I can’t even tease him about it because the nice guy in me doesn’t want to make him feel worse.”

“Wow, how considerate of you,” Carson teased while Mitch nudged her with his shoulder. Carson pushed back, but soon enough, they stopped, and Carson leaned her head onto her cousin's shoulder. “Thanks for always looking out for me, Mitchy.”

“Gotta make sure my twin is always okay,” he responded, leaning his head against hers. “Like your mom used to say, it’s the two of us against the world.”

“It is. And I’m lucky to have you as my best friend backing me up every step of the way.”

“You really are stuck with me.”

“And I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Carson chuckled, then sat up again so she could look at Mitch. “But, you need to start getting ready, or else you’ll be late.”

“Shit, you’re right,” Mitch stated, quickly getting off the couch to gather his things. “You’re coming to the game tonight, no?”

“I don’t think so, Mitchy. I’m going to watch from here with Zeus. I don’t want to be back there just yet.”

“OK, fair. You’re welcome to join us after the game, though. Steph will want you there. I can give you a heads up if Auston comes out or not, too.”

“I appreciate it, but I’m ok,” Carson insisted. “I think I’m going to watch the game from here and think about what to do.”

“Alright. Promise to update me if anything happens or you decide you do want to come out?”

“I promise. Now go get ready.”

Mitch was ready and out of the condo within half an hour. Once he was gone, Carson put on Netflix and watched an episode of her show with Zeus before Steph got home. She was in a rush, too, having to get ready since she was going to the game that night with some of the other girlfriends. She tried multiple times to convince Carson to join her, but Carson was adamant about having an evening to herself, which Steph respected.

“I know you don’t want to come, but you’re sure there’s nothing I can do before I leave?” Steph asked as she battled with zipping up one of the tall boots she decided to wear that evening.

“I’m sure, Steph. You and Mitch have done enough for me,” Carson told her. “Go have fun tonight.”

“I’d have more fun if you came with me,” the blonde pouted, making Carson roll her eyes and smile at the dramatics. “But it’s fine, I’m fine. I’m sure Zeusy will love having you to hang out with.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

Carson then began scratching behind Zeus’ ears, which earned her a content noise from the chocolate lab before Steph spoke again.

“Ok. I’m going. You know to help yourself to any food or whatever, but please text me if you need anything or change your mind about coming.”

“You know I will,” Carson told her honestly. “I’ll watch from here and see you when you’re back tonight.”

“Ok, ok, I won’t press you anymore,” Steph said as she came over to give Zeus some love before leaving. “Alright, actually going now. Love ya!”

“Love ya too, have fun!”

And with that, it was just Zeus and Carson watching another episode of her show before it was game time.

Soon enough, the game started, and Carson hated that seeing Auston on the TV screen was still enough to feel a pang in her chest, but there was no arguing, just how much she missed him. As the game went on, Carson found herself paying more attention to Auston whenever the camera showed him than she did to the actual game, and before she knew it, the game was over.

The Leafs lost to the Blues, but Carson kept the channel on as post-game media started. She watched Will and Freddie do interviews and then felt her breath hitch when Auston came on the screen again. Hearing his voice answer questions about the game really hit her. It’d been almost two weeks since she last heard it, yet it still soothed her. She watched the entire interview, noticing how, along with the silver chain Auston wore around his neck, he was also wearing the Cartier love necklace that matched the one she wore. Both pieces of jewelry peaked out from Auston’s shirt, but when reporters kept bombarding him with questions, Carson noticed how he reached up to fiddle with the love necklace, gently rubbing his thumb over the two circles that linked in the middle.

It was then Carson decided she needed to talk to him as soon as possible. She wasn’t beating around the bush anymore; she knew they needed to speak, and there was no point in pushing it back then chickening out. But, as she waited to reach out to Auston, hoping he was home, her nerves returned, and she started convincing herself it wasn’t a good idea.

Carson’s heart pounded as she glanced at her phone again from where it lay between her and Zeus on the couch and debated what to do.

It was nearing 10:30pm. It had been over an hour since the game ended, and Carson knew Mitch and Steph wouldn’t return home immediately. Instead, they had plans to go out with some of the other guys and their girlfriends since the Leafs didn’t play for another few days. Mitch and Steoh invited Carson to join again, but she declined because she felt uncomfortable being the odd one out.

Carson didn’t know if Auston went with the group. There was a good chance that he did, and that was feeding into her debate about not calling him, but she wanted to. She needed to talk to him.

So, with a deep breath to calm her heart, Carson unlocked her phone. She opened the messages app and didn’t need to scroll to find her conversation with her boyfriend.

Carson felt like the wind was knocked out of her when she saw Auston’s name with the red heart emoji beside it and the photo of them in Arizona that past summer set as his contact picture. That feeling didn’t go away as she glanced at the text thread between them.

Despite not properly talking for almost two full weeks, Auston still messaged her every one of those days since their fight, saying that he loved her, missed her, was sorry and hoped she had a good day. The day after their fight, he still tried calling in hopes that Carson would pick up, but during his talk with Mitch, he was reminded that his constant calling was a bit overwhelming for her as she navigated her feelings about the situation. So, Auston opted to send texts.

Carson didn’t read or respond to any of those texts when she received them, but she found comfort as she scrolled through and read each one at that moment. In the days following their argument, she didn’t know what to think or feel, but receiving those texts made her feel normal. They were part of her routine, and although it was hard for her not to read them or respond, Carson thought she couldn’t until she knew what she wanted to say. Auston continued to send those messages despite her ignoring them, showing that he still cared and was willing to be patient with her like he always had been for the entirety of their knowing each other.

This was why Carson decided it was her turn to be patient with him and hear him out in a calmer setting than the last conversation they had almost two weeks prior. So, with another deep breath, she tapped his name at the top of the screen and hit the call button when it popped up.

It didn’t even take two full rings for him to pick up.

“Carse?” Auston’s voice sounded through the phone, making Carson’s breath hitch again. God, she missed him so much.

“H-hey,” Carson stammered before pausing in an attempt to recollect herself. “How are you?”

“I, uhm, I’m okay,” he responded, sounding surprised and as if he was still processing that he was talking to her. “Busy with hockey stuff, same old. How are you?”

“I’ve been better, and I’m sure you are. I still can’t believe you’ve got that ‘A’ on your jersey now, Aus. You deserve it. I was so proud seeing it for the first time in person during the home opener.”

“You were at that game?”

Carson nodded, even though he couldn’t see it.

“Yeah,” she almost whispered. “Mitch and Steph were trying to convince me to go 'cause I was originally going to watch from their place, but I didn’t decide until the last minute to actually go. So, I bought a ticket and went alone.”

“I wish you had told me,” Auston told her softly, which pulled on her heartstrings. “I would’ve wanted to know that you were there.”

“I know, but I didn’t know how Auston. Just seeing you out there made me so happy but so sad at the same time.”

Auston sighed at that.

“Carson, please know how sorry I am. I’ve spent the last two weeks beating myself up so much over this, and not saying I don’t deserve it, but fuck. I miss you so much.”

“I miss you too,” Carson admitted, deciding there was no need to hide her feelings from him.

“Is that why you called?” Auston asked, his voice a mix of unsureness and hopefulness.

“It is. I, um, I know it’s late, but are you home? Maybe I could come over, and we can talk.”

“Yes, please. I just got back. Please come home er-, I mean over. Do you want me to pick you up?”

“No, it’s okay,” Carson responded quickly, not wanting to be in such close proximity to him until she was at the condo. “Thank you, though.”

“Then, at the very least, let me order an Uber over here for you,” Auston suggested, not missing a beat.

“Auston, you don’t have to do that.”

“I insist. Please let me order it. I’d feel better if I could make sure you get here safely. Would they be picking you up from Mitch’s?”

“Ok,” Carson sighed in defeat. “And yes, it’s just Zeusy and me here.”

“Ok, perfect,” Auston said. “It says they’ll be there in five minutes. Is that too soon?”

“No, that’s great. I’ll put on my shoes and head downstairs.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you soon. Love you.”

“Love y-,” Carson started but immediately cut herself off, then internally cursed herself because who was she kidding? Of course, she still loved him. “I’ll see you soon. Bye, Auston.”

Once she hung up the phone, Carson wasted no time getting off the couch and rushing to the front door to get her sneakers on.

“I’m sorry, Zeusy,” Carson muttered to the lab, who was rudely awoken from his slumber when she stood up but was still happy as he trailed after her. Zeus looked up at her expectantly, thinking he was going outside with her, and Carson felt terrible for leaving him behind, wasting no time to crouch down and pet him after her sneakers were on. “I know. I’m the worst for not taking you outside again, even though I did an hour ago. But how about I give you a treat? Will that make up for it?”

Zeus’ tail started wagging at that, so Carson quickly stood up straight again and ran into the kitchen to grab him a treat. Then, with one final pet goodbye, she rushed out the door.

As Carson waited for the elevator, she texted Mitch and Steph to tell them she was going over to Auston’s to talk because she knew they’d come back wondering where the hell she had gone otherwise. Both were quick to text back.

“Good luck, babe. Let me know how it goes,” read Steph’s message.

“Are you sure? Are you staying there? I’ll wait up so you can tell me what’s going on,” Mitch texted back, making Carson smile at the difference between the two messages. They both cared but in very different ways.

She messaged them each back, saying she’d keep them posted, then entered the elevator and went to the lobby. Upon seeing her reflection in the mirror that covered the elevator wall, Carson made an unimpressed noise. The thought of changing hadn’t even crossed her mind as she rushed out of Mitch’s condo, but she sure didn’t love that the first time she talked to Auston in person in two weeks, she’d be wearing an oversized hoodie and sweatpants. Carson quickly reached up to take her long brown hair out of the messy bun it was in and tried to make it look presentable, but then remembered Auston wouldn’t care about her looking like that. He’d seen her in similar outfits over the almost three years they’d been in a relationship.

Carson knew she didn’t need to impress him but still wished she looked a little better than she did.

Once the elevator reached ground level, Carson inhaled as she stepped off and entered the lobby. Her phone buzzed with a text, and she was half expecting it to be Mitch or Steph, but it was Auston letting her know the details about the car that was picking her up. Carson replied to his message this time and let him know she saw the car was waiting outside. Auston asked her to tell him when she was in the car and when she got to their condo so he knew everything was alright, and Carson promised she would.

When she entered the Uber waiting outside, the driver expressed his surprise after Carson confirmed they were picking up a rider named Auston.

“Not going to lie, I thought I was picking up Auston Matthews, the Leafs player, for a minute when I saw the name,” the driver explained, and Carson had to contain the smile she felt tugging at her lips.

“No, sorry, just me,” she responded, chuckling but not telling them she was indeed on her way to see the Auston Matthews.

“That’s alright, maybe another time,” the driver teased, then turned their focus back to the road as they drove.

It was a short drive. In all honesty, Carson had walked to and from the two condo buildings many times before, but with it being so late, she didn’t want to be out walking alone. She also knew that if she’d even mentioned the thought of walking, Auston would’ve shut the idea down immediately. The Uber driver didn’t ask questions about the short trip either and made small talk, ironically about the Leafs, since that was the first thing they and Carson had discussed.

A few minutes later, after thanking her driver and getting out of the car, Carson was standing outside the condo building that she began calling home a little over a month prior. Another wave of nervousness hit her, but she quickly shook it off as she entered the building.

She got into the building easily, still having her keys and fob to allow her access. The concierge at the front desk recognized her, nodding and smiling as she walked by and went straight for the elevator to take her to her and Auston’s floor.

Carson almost walked right into the condo out of force of habit once she arrived at the door. However, her nagging thoughts made her stop just before she could and opted to knock instead. It didn’t take long for Auston to open the door.

He looked good, really good. He was clad in a simple outfit, a black Raiders sweater and a pair of grey sweatpants that Carson always complimented on how good they made his butt look. His hair was a little damp still from his postgame shower, and a shadow of a beard was growing, showing it’d been some time since he last shaved. Carson stood there in silence momentarily, just taking in being in the presence of her boyfriend once again.

“Hey,” Auston spoke up, snapping Carson from her trance. She didn’t realize how tense she was until she felt herself relax just by being so close to him again.

“Hi,” Carson replied, her voice already cracking. Tears immediately pooled in her eyes, suddenly reminding her of all the emotions she’d felt since the last time she and Auston spoke.

“Oh, Carse.”

It didn’t require any thinking. The moment Auston saw those tears, he stepped towards Carson and pulled her into his embrace. The gesture felt so natural. Carson immediately melted into his touch and wrapped her arms around his middle in a tight embrace while instinctively hiding her face against his chest, letting the familiar scent of his favourite body wash surround her.

“I missed you,” she whispered after the two of them stood there holding each other for a moment.

“I’ve missed you more than I’ve ever missed anything in my life, Carson,” Auston replied, not missing a beat while tightening his squeeze around her. “I don’t want to open my eyes right now because what if I do and you’re not actually here? And this was just a fever dream?”

Carson couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her mouth as she shook her head, still pressed against his chest, and then finally moved back and looked at him. Still, neither of them unwrapped their arms from around the other.

“I’m here. And we need to talk, Auston.”

“I know, I know,” Auston spoke softly as he finally let go of Carson, but only to reach up so he could cup her cheeks and use his thumbs to wipe away her tears. “God, I’m so happy to see you. But, you’re right. Let’s go inside so we can talk.”

Carson nodded in agreement and let her arms fall from Auston’s waist to her sides again, but Auston was quick to reach down his right hand and link it with her left hand, squeezing it after Carson intertwined their fingers, then leading her into the condo.

Once inside, Carson glanced around after she took her shoes off and walked further inside, not sure what she was expecting. Not a thing was changed. The same fluffy grey throw blanket she bought was still on the couch except instead of it being draped over the side neatly, it was bunched up and tossed to the side, indicating Auston had been using it. Her gaze then drifted to the walls and nearby bookshelf, which still had the same pictures of her and Auston and others of them with their friends and families displayed. On the bookshelf was her collection of books and trinkets she adored and the TV showed the paused episode of The Office Auston must’ve been watching when she called.

Carson felt at home again for the first time in two weeks and it was a perfect feeling.

“Uhm, can I get you water or anything?” Auston asked after a moment of observing Carson look around their living room, not missing how a small smile tugged at her lips as she did so.

“I’m alright, thank you,” Carson replied as she shook her arms so the sleeves of her sweater would fall since she’d pushed them up in the Uber. The sweater was large on her and it showed in the way the sleeves covered most of her hands. She then began to fiddle with and rub the hem of the sleeve between her fingers, something she tended to do when she felt uneasy or anxious. Auston knew that and wished she wasn’t feeling such a way, but mostly wished she didn’t feel that way because of him.

“Of course. Should, uh, should we sit?”

“Yeah, let's.”

The two of them made their way to the couch and sat down next to each other. It was a comfortable distance, but there was still a noticeable space between them which felt a thousand times bigger to Auston. He hated it. If it were up to him Carson would be right next to him with her legs over his thighs, both cuddled under the throw blanket as she told him about her day and he played with her hair while listening. He was yearning but was brought back to reality when Carson spoke again.

“I think you should start.”

“R-right,” Auston stuttered, shaking his little daydream from his head but not being able to hide how lost in his thoughts he got momentarily. However, he knew exactly what he wanted to say, he’d been thinking about it for almost two weeks. “You’re right. And I’m just going to start with how sorry I am, Carse. I’m sorry for what I did in Arizona and how it affected someone because of my ignorance and stupid drunk actions. I’m sorry that when me and you last talked, I didn’t take ownership of how I messed up. I know that what I did wasn’t ok. I wish I could take it all back. And I’m sorry that during all of this, I hurt you. I should’ve been honest with you about the charge as soon as it happened. It’s not an excuse, but I was embarrassed and didn’t want you to be ashamed of me. I told my family I would tell you, which is why they didn’t say anything, but I was a coward. It’s not that I didn’t trust you whatsoever, Carson. I trust you with everything I have, I was just stupid and thought I could ignore what happened. That it wouldn’t matter and I could move on with life normally. I should’ve known better. I made a huge mistake and I’m learning from it. I know I’m better than this, but I want to learn from it so I can move forward properly and nothing like this ever happens again. I don’t expect you to fully forgive me right away either, but you make me a better person. I know I can learn a lesson and grow from this. But, I really want you by my side as I do, if you’re still willing.”

Carson was so tired of crying, but she couldn’t stop the tears flowing as she hung on to every word Auston said to her. This conversation was already so different from the last one they had. She could tell the toll everything was taking on him and knew the weight of it all was crushing. But, he was taking full responsibility, seemingly accepting that this all happened on his own accord.

“I’m proud of you, Auston,” Carson spoke softly as she wiped her tears away with the sleeves of her sweater. “I feel like I’m having a conversation with a completely different person than I did two weeks ago.”

Auston felt good hearing that. During their fight, Carson voiced that she didn’t feel like she was talking to the man she loved. That, in that moment, he didn’t feel like home anymore to her, which hit Auston hard because Carson would always say it didn’t matter where they were as long as they were together, because he was her home. Hearing her say that was what pushed him over the edge that night truly realizing how badly he fucked up, but it was too late. Carson was already heading out the door and Auston couldn’t stop her.

“It shows me that you are learning from this and that’s really good,” she continued. “You owe that to that woman you distressed. But also the team, the fans, your family and yourself.”

“I owe it to you, too.”

“I appreciate you saying that, but this isn’t about me. However, that does lead me to talk about us.”

Carson paused to take a breath, already feeling herself get emotional again, but was soon met by Auston gently linking their hands together and stroking his thumbs over her knuckles. When she didn’t pull away, Auston gave her hands a reassuring squeeze.

“When I found out you kept something so significant away from me, I was hurt,” Carson said. “I felt betrayed, but also shocked because I never ever thought I’d feel the way I did and you being the one that caused it. I felt everything we built together, was a lie. Our castle was crumbling down because it seemed like you couldn’t trust me and I wasn’t sure I could trust you to not keep important things from me again. It was devastating feeling that way about the man I love more than anything in this world. We’re partners, Auston. And you didn’t treat me like one doing that.”

“I know, and again, I am so sorry, Carson. I never wanted you to feel that way and I feel terrible for being the reason you did. I-I can’t blame you for leaving,” Auston’s voice trailed off at the end of his sentence as he felt the words getting stuck in his throat. “Watching you walk out that door was one of the worst nights of my life. You’re my rock and suddenly that was gone and it was all my fault. I hardly slept not knowing when or if you’d come back, but I had to keep hoping, praying that you would. Part of me convinced myself Mitch was going to tell me that you weren’t coming back ever and I don’t know what I would’ve done if he did. I was a mess, I still am. These last two weeks have been hell and I deserved it. And I’m not saying this to guilt you into making a decision now, but Carse, if you did want to leave and not come back to this, us, I need to know. The not knowing is killing me. I don’t want to lose you, but I need to know if I have.”

Carson inhaled deeply again.

“The thing about these last two weeks, with how upset and angry I was at myself and you and the situation, not once did I think I no longer wanted to be with you. I love you, Auston. I knew I didn’t want to break up, but I wasn’t sure if staying in a relationship with you was what would be best for me. I fell into a depressive hole myself. I never thought I’d feel that low because of you and I wasn’t sure if I could forgive and move on or if this would have me feeling I could never trust you again. I can’t let myself get this destroyed by the person who is supposed to be my partner again, not after my ex. But, Auston, you are not him. You never will be him and that’s why, even with the space we’ve had since our fight, I knew I’d be coming back to you. I love you too fucking much to not even try to work through this and move forward together. I don’t want you to think we’re over because of this.”

Auston didn’t realize just how many tears had welled in his eyes until he let out a relieved sigh and smiled, allowing a couple of those tears to break free and stream down his face.

“You have no idea how badly I needed to hear that,” he said and squeezed her hands again.

“You have no idea how badly I needed to get that off my chest and actually tell you,” she replied and let out a small laugh at how emotional they both were. “God, we’re such messes.”

“I’ll accept being the biggest mess ever to exist if it means you’ll be by my side as I clean myself up.”

“Well, I can tell you that I’m not going anywhere. I mean it, Auston. You haven’t lost me.”

“Thank, God,” Auston sighed, feeling like so much weight had been lifted off his chest. “We’re good?”

“We’re good,” Carson confirmed, smiling as Auston let go of her hands and then held his arms out. She was quick to launch herself into his embrace and hold on for dear life while he fell back onto the couch cushion and she laid on top of him, feeling the safest and most content she had in weeks. “I’m glad to be home.”

“I’m never going to give you a reason to feel like you have to leave home again, Carse. That’s a promise.” Auston declared as he kissed the top of her head and started playing with her hair. “I love you, Carson.”

“And I love you, Auston,” Carson replied as she moved her head from Auston’s chest so she could look at him.

The two lay there for a moment looking at each other as Auston continued playing with Carson’s hair, debating his next move. He couldn’t help the way his gaze drifted to her lips, missing the way they felt against him so badly. He wanted nothing more than to cup her cheek with his hand and close the small gap between them with the kiss he craved. However, even though Auston knew he and Carson were good, he also knew they weren’t back to normal. Things being normal again would take time and Auston was ok with that. It didn’t matter how much time it may take because he had his love back and he wasn’t going to take any chances with anything that could push her away again.

Much to Auston’s pleasant surprise, though, Carson was the one to delicately place her hand under his chin and tilt it up before crashing her lips against his in a sweet, intimate kiss.

As soon as their lips met, Auston deepened the kiss as he wrapped his arm around her and rolled them over so that Carson’s back would be on the couch and he was on top. He used one arm to hold himself up and keep most of his weight off of her while his other hand cupped her cheek and jaw to prevent the kiss from breaking, finally getting what he had spent the last two weeks yearning for.

After a few moments of kissing, they pulled away to look at each other and laugh at how out of breath they both were. But that didn’t stop Auston from leaning in and stealing one more kiss.

“Will you stay over tonight?” He asked softly, not wanting her to feel pressured if she wasn't ready to come back home fully yet. “It’s an off day tomorrow and Mitch mentioned you weren’t going into the office, we could go get your work stuff from his place in the morning then come back here and have a lazy day together. Only if you want to, of course.”

“I would love that,” Carson replied, then pecked his lips again. “Let me tell Mitch and Steph I won’t be back tonight first, then can we go to bed? I’m exhausted.”

“Of course, beb.”

After they untangled themselves from each other and Carson texted Mitch and Steph to say she was staying, she and Auston turned off the lights before heading to the bedroom together. Carson felt so good after changing into a pair of her pyjamas she grabbed them from the dresser and then crawled into her bed after a long, almost two weeks. The best part, though, was being back in that bed with Auston. He felt better too having Carson in his embrace again as he fought to stay awake, wanting to make sure she fell asleep first. Once she did, Auston let his tiredness take over him too and both he and Carson had one of the best sleeps of their lives, together again.

#auston matthews fanfiction #auston matthews imagines #auston matthews imagine #nhl imagines #nhl headcanon #nhl fanfiction #hockey imagine #hockey imagines #hockey rpf #hockey writing #nhl headcanons

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ashleywool · 6 months

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Some thoughts and lessons from my first week on Broadway

(in no particular order)

Insecurities don't magically disappear when you hit The Big Dream. But the Big Dream has made it clearer than ever that my default instinct to downplay my achievements is kind of ridiculous. I need to accept that there's just no casual way to talk about my life right now. There is no pretending that any of this isn't a big deal. It's a huge freaking deal, and I earned it, and it's awesome, and I am no less deserving of its awesomeness than anybody else.

Autistic people have more allies out there than we realize. In advocacy circles, we tend to get rather cynical about what people don't understand, or don't want to understand. But there really are so many people who think we are worth listening to, learning from, and amplifying. There are so many people rooting for us, and actively seeking ways to include and affirm everything we are. They know they aren't going to get everything "right" immediately, and they know we won't always have the emotional energy for the hard conversations, but they are THERE, and they are there because they WANT to be. Yes, even on Broadway.

Fun fact: my first survival job was "Starbucks barista." (Other fun fact: the day I made my Broadway debut, Starbucks Workers United announced a massive strike for the very next day.) One thing that my time on Broadway has with my time at Starbucks is that I never seem to have enough Sharpies. At Starbucks, the Sharpies were for marking cups by hand (yes, I'm that old), and on Broadway, they're for signing Playbills at the stage door. (Like I said, there's no casual way to talk about this stuff.)

I honestly underestimated how much Broadway performers have to eat. It's easy to think most Broadway performers tend to be predominantly thin/buff just because the industry is fatphobic--and don't get me wrong, it totally is--but I also don't think most people really understand how athletic it is to do a full musical eight times a week, and what you have to do offstage to make sure you have the strength and stamina for it. It's genuinely harder than I thought it would be to make sure I'm not at a calorie deficit--and my less-than-stellar autistic interoception means that I can't always rely on "hunger cues" the way most people can. I really do have to PLAN to eat. And eat more than I would usually think I need.

I'm getting a lot better at doing my own wig prep. And I'm very excited about how pretty my hair looks at the end of the night when I release it from the pincurls.

Thanks to Mayte Natalio and Team Choreo, I'm also getting a lot better at learning choreography without a mirror. Poor proprioception is common in autistic people and it's one of my biggest insecurities, so it is always very stressful and overwhelming for me to learn choreography without a mirror, especially if I'm in a large group. It's difficult for me to visualize where I am in space and what my movement looks like in relation to others. But the choreo team knows this about me and helps me find other ways to learn and feel confident in the moves without constantly needing immediate visual proof. And that's something I never thought was possible before.

If I had the authority, I would ban pedicabs. Those things are like sensory assault. And they're RIGHT outside our show (and my bedroom window) every night with their lights flashing and their subwoofers blaring. But as a consolation prize to the drivers, I would equip each of them with a food truck. Let them solicit us and our patrons with chicken shawarma and Nuts 4 Nuts instead. That'll certainly get more business from patrons coming out of a show about autistic people.

#how to dance in ohio #musical theatre #broadway #spectrum club 7 #actually autistic #broadway debut

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thatfreshi · 7 months

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"Yeah, Besties" (Uni AU P. 11)

tw - slight mention of abuse

You and Astarion proceed to spend all your free time together, which isn't much for him, but it's nice in between the stresses of life. You go from barely being friends to almost inseparable, studying in his dorm and talking about nonsense. There's plenty of times when he has to disappear for miscellaneous modeling things, which he still doesn't really talk about, but you don't mind.

It's been about a week and a half since Astarion got back from LA, and things have been getting much better for everyone. Academics are picking up, sports are starting, and your little group of, 'friends,' has started to somewhat get along, which is a big relief. Since the seven of you are still working on that damned public speaking project, you meet up on Saturday to start discussing the presentation, but of course, you don't actually end up doing that. Besides, who goes to Starbucks and actually ends up studying?

"Ugh! Tav, I told you it was going to be far too busy here on a Saturday."

You roll your eyes at your white-haired friend.

"We're not even staying here, we're going over to the park across the street. Cool it broody."

He mocks you and you elbow him in the arm, making sure to be gentle about it in case there's some other 'scrape' he hasn't told you about.

"Can the two of you stop flirting and decide what you want please?"

Lae'zel is impatient, especially when it comes to caffeine.

"This? This is not flirting, we're like besties."

You throw Astarion a smile, and he responds, almost reluctantly.

"Yeah, besties."

You hear Gale and Shadowheart giggle to themselves somewhere in the back of the group, but you're not sure what about. Probably some bullshit they always find funny that no one else seems to understand. After some group discussion, Karlach decides to pay for everyone's drink, because oddly enough she's never been in a Starbucks.

"I don't know, I've just never gone! Drink a lot of protein smoothies, ya know? Coffee isn't really my thing."

Shadow of course is wrapped around Karlach's buff arm, and here's where someone would say that thing about sapphics and move-in vans on second dates. Eventually you all make up your minds. You get an iced coffee, something basic for your still-waking brain. The rest of the orders go as follows:

Astarion gets a caffè mocha, but asks for double the espresso, which you soon find out is six shots. You know from texting him this morning that he didn't sleep last night, and you're honestly not sure how he lives off of the amount of caffeine he drinks.

Karlach gets the dragon drink because she thinks it sounds cool.

Shadowheart orders a pink drink, blended, and proceeds to deal with intense teasing from Wyll about her edgy exterior. She yells at him about how she just like strawberries, and the aesthetic of her drink has nothing to do with how cool and mysterious she is.

Wyll then orders a chai latte, admitting he's never actually had coffee before after he was scared off of it as a kid.

Gale, like the classic man he is, goes with the caramel macchiato, but makes sure to ask three times that they're using almond milk, making a big deal about how his stomach will not handle it well if it's actual milk.

Lae'zel gets straight-up black coffee, hot. That's it. She doesn't add sugar, creamer, not even a little flavor, just hot black coffee.

So the baristas get to work on your myriad of drinks. You go to ask Astarion something, but quickly get interrupted by a stranger tapping you on the shoulder.

"Sorry, I just wanted to say, you are absolutely gorgeous. Mother Nature blessed us the day she made you."

You turn around to see a rather tall and built man. Your cheeks can't help but fill with red at the sincerity of the compliment you've just been given.

"Thank you! See, you guys really should worship my looks more."

"I know this might be strange, but I'd be honored to take you out sometime. Here's my number, you don't have to text me if you don't want to, but I just couldn't pass up this opportunity. Oh, and I'm Halsin, a pleasure to meet you."

This Halsin character soon walks off, leaving you with a receipt he's written his number on.

"Wow, and I thought I was a gentleman."

Wyll is clearly shocked by the sudden turn of events.

"Seriously, Tav you have to text him! What a heart throb."

Shadow eggs on the flirting that just occurred.

"I don't know, should I? What if he's like a weirdo."

"Oh c'mon, he seems so sweet! You'd be stupid to not at least give him a chance."

There are murmurs of support for Karlach's statement. Soon, your drinks are done, and your ragtag group starts to leave the building.

"I mean, he was maybe a little forward. And the line about 'Mother Nature?' Did he not have anything better?"

"We get it Astarion, you think you're a master flirt. Not everyone is as lusty as you are."

You don't see it, but Astarion proceeds to give Gale a solid middle finger, and Gale matches him. As much as everyone's getting better at getting along, those two still have some trouble.

"I don't know, maybe I should text him. I mean what's the harm?"

"I don't know, the possibility that he could be a serial killer freak?"

"Astarion, he's not a serial killer. There is literally no way the guy that came up to us is capable of murdering anything."

Shadowheart takes a drink of her pulverized fruity beverage in confidence.

"Alright fine, but if darling Tav gets murdered, don't blame me!"

"I mean c'mon Astarion, you hate every guy I'm interested in on the apps anyways."

It's true, because you've sat there and scrolled through Hinge with him far too many times, and everyone you've ever come across has received negative remarks from your pale friend.

"Because they're all weird! Besides, I find making a real-life connection is much more enticing."

"Says the guy who has never been in an actual relationship."

"You shut it Gale! This mystery woman is the first person you've ever been with, so you have no room to talk. Besides, I'm sure I've bed more people than you've ever laid eyes upon."

"Woah, cat fight. Calm down, you might scratch an eye out."

Wyll's comment earns a few laughs. The group eventually gets to the park across the street, finding a large shady tree to sit under. Astarion makes some off-hand comment about how his pants are too nice to be grass-stained, but he ends up joining the rest of you anyway.

"Okay Tav, so how do we craft this message to the hot nature guy? Because honestly I'd climb him like a tree if I could, you're lucky."

Shadowheart scooches next to you in order to brainstorm.

"Oh, so we're still on this? Great. I'll be over here, not thinking about the wannabe nudist."

"Come on Astarion, you have to help too! Shadow's too thirsty. I need a voice of reason."

He rolls his eyes, only obliging because you're the one asking.

"Fine. We will craft a text to this Halsin fellow."

While the others check their student email and actually do productive things, the three of you sit over your phone, wondering what to send to this hunky stranger. After Shadow and Astarion argue quite a bit, you settle on a sweet but intrigued message.

"Are you guys sure I should hit send? I don't know, what if he was kidding? Or it's like some prank?"

"Tav, if it was a prank I'll kill him."

Shadowheart agrees.

"I second Astarion, I would also kill him."

"Okay, fine! I'm doing it!"

You're a little giddy, excited that a stranger so kindly hit on you. It could've been creepy and weird, but he was so nice. With a slight tap, you've sent the message, and your phone emits a little whoosh noise. Little did you know, Gale had started texting Astarion while listening to your conversation.

~~~

gale_eats_paint: you should tell them

wannabe.vamp: tell them what ??

gale_eats_paint: that you like them. i can see you gritting your teeth all the way from here

wannabe.vamp: fuck off gale, you don't know what you're talking about

gale_eats_paint: alright, if you insist on being secretive that's fine. but i wouldn't wait around too long. also your @ is lame. what are you, a middle schooler?

wannabe.vamp: i'm literally albino AND anemic it could not make more sense

~~~

"Oh god, he responded!"

Astarion perks up from his phone, giving Gale a look across the shaded patch of grass. The artist simply gives him a concerned, yet discreet eyebrow raise. You read out the message, which asks if you'd be free this evening for a botanical garden tour.

"Aw, that's adorable! Tell him you're free!"

Karlach is now scrunched up next to you and Shadow.

"Thanks guys, this is so exciting! And what a cute first date idea, bringing someone to a garden? Oh, and Astarion, you have to help me plan my outfit, pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

He rolls his eyes.

"Sure, since you asked so annoyingly, I will."

You go to wrap him in a grateful hug, which catches him severely off-guard.

"Thank you! You're the best Aster."

He almost questions the nickname, but decides to keep his mouth shut, because if this is the type of affection you're going to show him, he'll take it, no matter how small. Gale makes eye contact with him again though while you have him trapped in your warm embrace. While the two aren't particularly friendly, there's a sadness in Gale's eyes, knowing that Astarion won't speak up, no matter how much he wants to. Either way, he'll help you get ready for that date, even if it crushes him when you leave for the evening.

#baldur's gate 3 #astarion #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #angst #fluff #x reader #shadowheart #karlach #wyll ravengard #gale of waterdeep #lae'zel #halsin #freshiau

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greghatecrimes · 10 months

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PPTH Gang + What I Think They’d Order At Starbucks, brought to you in incredible and unnecessarily extra detail by a very tired barista!

House: Black eye (black coffee with two shots of espresso), adds his own cream and sugar very sparingly. Occasionally when he’s alone he orders a Caramel Ribbon Crunch frap (guilty pleasure).

Wilson: Grande hot latte with soy milk. He used to order the “skinny vanilla” (latte with skim milk and sugar free vanilla) but stopped because House made fun of him for ordering the white mom drink.

Cuddy: This woman will drink any kind of coffee she can get her hands on in the morning. Even really, really shitty coffee. She just needs something to get through the day. But if she’s got time for Starbucks, I know she’s absolutely getting a tall Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso with two extra shots of espresso (four total). (That is a lot of espresso for a small drink and she needs all of it). She looks so stressed out that the barista draws a smiley face or a star next to her name on the cup, or writes “have a great day!”

Cameron: The Taylor Swift latte. Grande skim latte with caramel. She’s a basic bitch but she knows what she likes, good for her! In the fall she’s 100% a pumpkin spice latte girl and she probably also has the date written on her calendar for when Peppermint Mochas come back in the winter. When asked her name: “It’s Allie, A-L-L-I-E. Thanks!” automatically spells it out to make the barista’s life 3x easier.

Chase: Cameron orders for him because Chase has no idea what the names for anything are. Also likes a good Peppermint Mocha around Christmas (Cameron got him hooked; he stops drinking them after the divorce). Rest of the year he goes for an Americano, iced or hot, with almond milk. His Starbucks name is Bob, which never fails to make Cameron laugh. (Now I’m imagining putting that order out and yelling “ICED AMERICANO FOR BOB!” into a busy cafe and Chase standing there cluelessly like “who? me?” until Cameron nudges him, and I’m laughing my ass off)

Foreman: Regular, plain ol’ black coffee, any kind of dark roast. He adds his own cream very liberally but isn’t a fan of sugar in his coffee.

Thirteen: I spent way too much time thinking of the perfect thing for her. If she just gets coffee at work, just regular decaf coffee is fine. The bitter taste wakes her up since there’s no caffeine. If she wants a nice coffee, I think she’d like a decaf Doppio (two shots of espresso) with a bit of almond milk, one pump of vanilla, and one pump of hazelnut. Hot or iced, but always decaf. Gently but firmly tells the barista to please make sure it’s decaf because she’s “caffeine intolerant” (not wholly a lie. Helps her avoid the caffeine jitters.) Never uses her real name, either gives a random one or just says “Thirteen, like the number” when asked for a name by the barista. Always leaves a tip when she has cash. Orders her drink iced at any time of year if she’s in the mood for it and gets harassed by House for it.

Kutner: Rotates between different superhero names for his Starbucks name (Tony Stark, Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Clint Barton, etc.). Taub wants to melt through the floor every time he gets coffee with Kutner and his order is called out. Kutner thinks it’s hilarious. I really feel like he would be happy with anything you give him, but I think his go to if he’s specifically at Starbucks would be a java chip frap despite the fact that Taub lectures him about it (if he’s gonna treat himself to expensive coffee it may as well taste good!!). Also RIP Kutner you would have loved the Dragon Drink so much (both for the badass name AND the fact that it’s purple)

Taub: Doesn’t go to Starbucks often, probably really only goes with Kutner. Just orders a regular latte or cappuccino. He says he doesn’t see the point of adding in all the flavors and stuff because it’ll just drown out the coffee. Might put some cinnamon on top if there’s a shaker of it on the condiment bar. Would add cinnamon or nutmeg at home if he has the luxury of having a late morning and making his own coffee.

Bonus! Amber: Drinks iced coffee in the middle of a blizzard. Could also down shots of espresso like they’re tequila. The most intense bitch. Would be very visibly tense or stressed when ordering but as soon as her order’s done she’d thank the barista pretty genuinely. Go-to order is a cinnamon dolce latte, no whip but keep the cinnamon dolce powder.

#ppth starbucks run #i did not need to go this hard but i did this to procrastinate doing stressful things so it was fun and worth it #there’s so much in here that makes ME laugh as a barista but that no one else will probably find funny. rip lmaooo #headcanons #greg house #james wilson #lisa cuddy #allison cameron #robert chase #eric foreman #remy thirteen hadley #lawrence kutner #chris taub #amber volakis #house md

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kiwiana-writes · 19 days

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20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks @cha-melodius and @stereopticons for the tags! I know I’ve done this in the past, but it’s been a hot minute…

How many works do you have on ao3?

239!

What's your total ao3 word count?

822,937—but that’s a collaboration-boosted lie. Per my writing tracker, words that I have personally written and published on AO3 is 693,613

What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly RWRB these days, but the majority of my back catalogue is Schitt’s Creek, with a few others sprinkled in for fun. The Pairing definitely made my brain whirr… we’ll see.

Top five fics by kudos:

With so much of my heart (that none is left to protest), RWRB, 65.5k, the Much Ado About Nothing stage actor AU

Kinda think that I might be his type, RWRB, 12.8k, Alex and Bea fake date and Alex gets a little distracted by Bea’s brother

We were supposed to find this, RWRB, 3.3k, soulmate AU

We always walked a very thin line, Happiest Season, 2.7k, Riley character study/alternate ending

All the Lonely Starbucks Lovers, RWRB, 5.8k, barista Henry repeatedly putting his foot in his mouth in front of his coworker crush

(This is how I learned Puck It has been knocked out of my top five 😭)

Do you respond to comments?

Yes! And absent a Schitt’s Creek resurgence of some kind that sees me absolutely inundated I don’t see that changing.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Five ways it could have ended (and one way it still could), Schitt’s Creek, 1.2k, for the love of god read the tags

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Like… most of them? I love to end on a good HEA haha. For sheer joy, though, it’s probably With so much of my heart (that none is left to protest)

Do you get hate on fics?

From time to time. I’m very free with the delete button. Weirdly, it occasionally pops up in the AO3 comments but mostly seems to come to me via anons on tumblr??? I have no idea why.

Do you write smut?

It’s been known to happen, I guess 👀

Craziest crossover:

I haven’t written any AO3-era crossovers! A few fusions/media AUs, but no crossovers.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope. I’ve only been asked once, and they wanted to post off AO3 which is a big heck nope for me (and my permissions statement has now been updated to reflect that)

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Heck yeah I have. I’ve done several anthology-type collaborations where we each wrote a chapter in a fic, and I’ve fully cowritten fics with @ships-to-sail several times. We have another collab coming up for @aroyallybigbangrwrb and I’m also cowriting The Big Secret AU with @indestructibleheart which is essentially us one-upping each other on emotionally devastating ideas until someone writes them down. Good system 😂

All time favorite ship?

Stop making pansexuals choose things.

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Look, the chances of kinktober 2021 being finished at this point are slim 😂

Schitt’s Creek kinkverse… I don’t know. I have little snippets written of future fics and they’re great but… idk. Maybe I’ll write one vignette-y wrap up fic one day.

What are your writing strengths?

Narrative POV, dialogue that feels like the characters, epistolary bullshit, smut apparently.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Coming up with actual plot lmao. Visual descriptors — I’m not even remotely a visual person so I really really struggle with writing the sorts of things people can visualise. Also like… the passage of time? A scam.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Love it. I’ll shoulder tap a fluent speaker if I need an actual sentence/anything Google isn’t super reliable for. Forever heartbroken that there are no fics in my second language in AO3 and no reason for me to be able to sprinkle it into my own writing (though one of the subscriber shindig prompts might be about to change that 👀)

First fandom you wrote in?

Favorite fic you've written?

Stop! Asking! Pansexuals! To! Choose! Things!

I don’t know there are 239 of the bloody things 😂 I’m far more interested in what other people’s favourites are than what my own is!

I have no sense of who’s done this already so apologies if this is a double up but tagging @agame-writes @affectionatelyrs @anincompletelist @cricketnationrise @getmehighonmagic

@happiness-of-the-pursuit @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @indestructibleheart @inexplicablymine @nontoxic-writes

@read-and-write- @rmd-writes @sparklepocalypse @welcometololaland @whimsymanaged and, as always, anyone who wants to play!

#20 questions for fic writers #kiwiana-writes

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movedto-clifflix · 4 months

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•—☕️; janAUary - coffee shop au !!

ship: 🐸🖊️ ; clifflix

word count: around 800

author‘s note: haven’t written in a few months bear with .

It was a casual cool September day. The wind had been blowing harshly and the sky was filled with gray clouds, indicating an incoming rain. The little bell on top of the brown door of the coffeeshop rang and the ash-blonde barista looked up, spotting a tall, blonde man coming in. The barista put down the mug and the cloth with which he had been drying all the freshly washed mugs and plates.

“Welcome. How can I help you, Sir?” he spoke, his voice soft and friendly-sounding. The taller man looked at him, a small smile forming on his face. "Hi! Uh-..could I get a Hazelnut Macchiato and a blueberry muffin, please?” The man spoke, fidgeting with the end of his dark-blue suit’s sleeves before he added: “Do you need my name for the order too?”

The barista chuckled, shaking his head. “We’re no Starbucks. But if you really want it, I can add your name of course.” As he spoke, the ash-blonde prepared the coffee, and whilst it was brewing in the machine he put the muffin into a small, light-brown bag. “Right, my bad” the man apologized. “I only recently discovered your shop. It’s way closer to the company than any Starbucks.” he added.

“And better and cheaper.” the barista smirked for a second before he poured the coffee into a cup, adding the lid and placing both items onto the counter. “Thank you for your order and have a nice day!” he smiled.

“You too-…” the blonde man took a glance at the name tag. “..Cliff.”

Cliff smiled at the blue-eyed man before he watched him leaving the coffee shop.

The weeks passed rather quickly and the blonde man, whose name turned out to be Felix, became a regular customer. He sometimes visited the shop even without buying something, just to speak to the younger barista, which was also the case today.

Felix sat at the counter, talking his mind off over various architecture projects he’s been working on as Cliff has been listening intently. It was rather quiet in the coffee shop, most customers only ordered to-go and the few regulars who always visited the shop were sitting a bit more in the back and the music could be heard faintly in the back. “...and I only have two months left to finish this project and-” Felix silenced as he looked at the mug of fresh-brewed coffee in front of him, before he looked up at Cliff. “I didn’t order nor pay for any coffee.”

“I know, but I made it for you. Your usual. Hazelnut Macchiato.” the green-eyed man smiled. “You don’t have to pay for it, it’s for free.” he added quickly. “Why thank you..” Felix sat up straight, still looking at Cliff. “That’s…very sweet of you.”

“Don’t mention it. You deserve it after what I’ve been hearing. You’re working a lot and hard, so you deserve some fresh coffee. Oh and a blueberry muffin.” he chuckled at the end, placing a plate with said muffin on it next to the mug.

The blonde shook his head. “You’re way too kind. I have to repay you somehow.” He thought for a second. “Hey, what about I take you out for dinner? Doesn’t have to be today of course, but maybe whenever you’re free? There’s this nice restaurant near my place and if not then we could just stay at my place and watch a movie and order take-out if you don’t like fancy restaurants or if you don’t want that either we could just go to the cin-” Felix rambled, his voice turning more and more nervous the more that he spoke. “Felix.” Cliff interrupted, making the older one look back at him, a slight pink blush spreading on his cheeks. “I’d love to go out for dinner with you. Or do anything with you, really. Whatever it is, as long as it’s with you it’ll be fun, I’m sure.” Cliff didn’t even notice, but as he spoke he held Felix hand, as he’s usually gesturing around with his hands when he’s speaking. The blue-eyed man gazed at their hands, the blush darkening. Cliff followed his gaze, his eyes going wide and his hand quickly letting go of the other’s.

“Oh gods I’m so sorry-..!” he instantly apologized, but Felix instinctively took the younger one's hand again. "Don't. "It felt…nice."

They both smiled at each other shyly before Cliff’s name got called out by one of the regulars and he let go of Felix’ hand again. “Just give me a second!” he said to the blonde, rushing to the customer.

“Don’t make me wait too long.” Felix chuckled, leaning back in his seat as he watched the younger one writing down orders.

There were many emotions he felt at that time, but the one he felt the strongest was love. And he had a slight feeling Cliff felt the same.

#janauary2024 #🖊️𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָfelix #⭐️ starry soulmates ✨💙#୧ ‧₊˚ ✒️ ⋅ ☆; writing #୧ ‧₊˚ 🪄⋅ ☆; cliffs creations

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beefromanoff · 9 months

Text

Going Under Ch. 12

summary: two days later...some ish goes down and Bucky's protective side comes out

characters: Bucky Barnes x OC

soundtrack: think twice - eve 6

warnings: fluff, pop star fantasy x love story, set in an AU where the Avengers reunite after Civil War, pre-infinity war, slight angst, hurt/comfort, lonely reader/OC.

author’s note: this is a long one, enjoy! setting up for lots of fun!

chapter list/links - xo

______________________________________________________

The air was cold, the crisp breeze making it clear that fall had washed over New York City, with winter just behind it.

Bucky had woken up earlier than usual and decided to go on his latte run alone. Sometimes he would wait in his hotel room for his phone to buzz, alerting him that Gianna had woken up for the day. They’d meet in the hall and trek to the nearest cafe together. Other times, he would anticipate her needing caffeine immediately upon waking up, usually the morning after travel days, and venture out to get it on his own. He loved her company, but something about the surprise and adoration on her face when she opened the door to see him in the morning that made him almost prefer solo runs. Almost.

He strode down the sidewalk, emptier than usual with the early hour.

The last night hadn’t brought the clarity he’d hoped for, but strangely, Bucky didn’t mind. The game night at Avengers’ Tower was the day before last, and as much as he’d hoped to address the kiss with Gianna - not having the conversation prevented her from possibly calling it a drunken mistake. He was fine with that, choosing to live in the unknown for a few more blissful hours.

The bell dinged over his head as Bucky strode into the corner coffee shop, the familiar scent filling the air. There wasn’t a line, so he stepped straight to the counter and ordered their usuals to-go. The barista eyed him for a second longer than usual, and his heart began to beat a little quicker. It had been months, maybe even over a year since someone had met him with public scorn. Since the trials and his official pardon, he rarely got more than an occasional dirty look. It didn’t stop the fear from creeping back up whenever he felt himself being recognized.

“Here you go, sir.” The barista smiled warmly as she slid the drink carrier across the counter, the two hot beverages sitting across from each other.

Bucky nodded. “Thanks.”

As he turned the corner to walk back towards the hotel, he glanced down at the drinks and quickly realized why the barista’s eyes were lingering on him.

In loopy cursive letters, the barista had scrawled “Bucky” on his cup and “Gianna” on hers, although he was certain he hadn’t given his name, let alone Gianna’s. There was even a tiny heart doodled next to Gianna’s name in thick sharpie. Bucky thought back to all the posts he’d seen online, with dozens of photos of the two of them in various cafes across the country.

He’d even seen a few posts from baristas who’d served them, each giving their own recollection of how the pop star had interacted with her bodyguard. Some embellished, some made up entirely. One particularly shocking one alleged that Gianna had been wearing an engagement ring and that they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other the whole time they’d been inside the Starbucks. Gianna had laughed it off and assured him people make these things up all the time. It didn’t seem to bother her, so Bucky let it go.

A vibration in his pocket snapped Bucky to reality.

He slid the phone out of his jeans and saw Gianna’s contact photo across the screen. He tried not to be disappointed he wouldn’t get to wake her up, but picked up his pace anyways, not wanting the coffee to get cold. He clicked answer as he continued back in her direction.

“Good m-”

“Bucky!” Gianna didn’t wait for his greeting before hissing into the phone, her voice a sharp whisper.

“What’s wrong?” His tone changed immediately.

“Someone is here. Outside my door. I - I thought it was you, now they know I’m in here.” She fumbled with her words, still trying to be quiet.

“Gianna, calm down, I’m on my way. Tell me exactly what happened. Is it a fan?”

Bucky was all but running now.

“No, no, I don’t think so. They were pounding on the door, I thought it was you, I should have looked, ugh!”

“Gianna, focus, please tell me what happened.”

“I opened the door, it was two men, I was still half asleep but as soon as I saw it wasn’t you I slammed the door shut. They tried to stop it, force the door open but I panicked. I threw myself against the door and it shut, I locked the deadbolt but they’re still outside. I don’t know what to do-”

Bucky heard a muffled pounding on her door through the phone.

“Bucky, please hurry,” Her voice cracked.

The lattes fell to the ground. Bucky started running.

____________________________________

GIANNA

I don’t know how long I sat curled up on the floor beside the bed, as if the king sized bed would somehow thwart whoever the hell stood on the other side of the door.

My head pounded. Going from a deep, contented sleep, dreaming of all things happy - straight to being woken up by a brutal pounding on the door. From there, shock, fear, confusion, and a very sore right arm from throwing myself into the door.

I pulled my knees closer to my chest and laid my head down, willing Bucky to get here faster.

As if my wish had been granted, I heard his voice, so sweet and so familiar.

“Gianna - it’s me. Just me. Can you open the door?”

I heard the edge through his voice, even though I could tell he was trying to be gentle, trying not to scare me. I scrambled to my feet and around the bed, unlocking the deadbolt. He pushed the door in, eyes dark and cold. He looked over my head, scanning the room before laying his eyes on me.

The darkness faded from his eyes and was replaced with concern. He put his hands on my arms and looked straight into my eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“I knocked the hell out of my shoulder, Kate won’t be happy with the bruise she’s going to have to cover up.” I said sheepishly.

Bucky didn’t laugh at my feeble attempt at a joke. He wordlessly tugged the sleeve of my t-shirt higher so he could look at my arm. I followed his concerned gaze and saw that my joke wasn’t too far off. The molding of the door was still imprinted on my arm and beginning to purple. Seeing the swollen skin under his fingertips shifted something in me and I felt my throat begin to close.

“Bucky…” My voice caught in my throat as my eyes welled with tears.

He pulled me into his chest, holding my head with one hand and my back with the other. I could hear his heart pounding in his chest, and I knew it wasn’t from running here. His super soldier stamina meant he never got winded. He did, however, get angry. I didn’t want to know what was running through his mind. I didn’t want anything but to stay in this moment, in his arms, the only place I seemed to feel safe anymore.

We stood like that for several moments before I pulled back, collecting myself with a shuddering breath. This time it was Bucky’s attempt to lighten the mood.

“I dropped our coffees on the sidewalk.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I appreciate the prioritization. Although I could go for some caffeine right about now.”

“That can be arranged.” He gave me a half smile that made my heart race for the second reason this morning. “Why don’t you shower and I’ll do some damage control.”

I nodded, taking the hint that he didn’t want me to overhear all the details of whatever call he was about to make. Before I shut the door to the bathroom, I turned and wrapped my arms around him again.

“Thank you.” I muttered, mostly into the fabric of his sweatshirt.

He leaned down and kissed the top of my head, and I swear the world stopped spinning for a minute.

_________

I stepped back into the hotel room, cool air wafting over me in sharp contrast to the steam-filled bathroom. Tousling my hair dry, I heard a flurry of activity waiting for me as I rounded the corner.

“Gianna, sweetie! Are you okay?” Kate rushed over to me, enveloping me in a warm, albeit tight hug. Tom followed closely behind her, his silver brows furrowed in concern.

“I’m good, swear. I shouldn’t have opened the door, I wasn’t even thinking.” I shook my head, looking down at my feet.

“No, sweetie, you shouldn’t have to worry about maniacs banging on your hotel room door at 7am! Don’t worry - Mr. Barnes has it all under control.” Kate frowned. “Mr. Barnes? Sergeant Barnes?”

Bucky looked up from his phone conversation. “Bucky.”

“Gianna, can you sit for a second? We want to have your arm looked at.” Tom gestured to the bed, where a familiar face was standing in a gray set of scrubs with Stark Industries printed on the lapel.

“Long time, no see.” The woman smiled.

“Less fun circumstances this time.” I smiled back, assuming Bucky had called the rest of the team.

I sat on the edge of the bed and tugged my sweatshirt back over my head, thankful I’d put a tank top underneath the sweatshirt, given that the room was full of people. She began examining my right arm, fingers grazing over the bruise. Not wanting to cry again, I chose not to look down. It wasn’t so much the pain as it was the sobering reality of the situation. Seeing Kate and Tom’s expressions confirmed my decision not to look. I could only imagine the bruising had gotten worse over the past half hour.

Tom snapped back into work mode. “Alright, Bucky spoke with the manager of the hotel and she’s pulling all the security footage for this morning. There’s a police officer on their way to take your statement and cross reference the footage against any active crime reports.”

“I’ll send it to Tony, he’ll have them identified before the officer can even get back to the station.” Bucky chimed in.

Tom nodded, but didn’t address him. “Right. Okay. I called the record label and they approved additional funding for security in the lobby. From now on, we’ll secure the premises of every place we’re staying and restrict it to guests only. I’d suggest we put out a statement, get ahead of the situation a little. There’s already a slight buzz online.”

I looked up at him. “What? How? There’s been no scene, no paparazzi, and this only happened like an hour ago?”

Tom passed me my phone. Swiping past all the notifications, I went on social media to see my name beginning to trend. I saw photos of several police cars outside my hotel, and a small crowd formed around the entrance. The bad thing about multi-night tours in one city, word travels very quickly about where we stay. I scrolled again to see something appearing to be unrelated, but it caught my eye.

It was a photo taken from behind the counter of a coffee shop, in front of dozens of syrups and whipped toppings. Two cardboard coffee cups had been positioned side by side, with “Bucky” written across one and “Gianna” scrawled across the other in girly writing.

The caption said: ‘guess who’s coffee I got to make today! #fangirling’

I smiled, picturing Bucky walking the streets of New York holding a coffee cup featuring my name with a heart written across it.

“I think we should cancel the show tonight.” I didn’t have to look up to know who they idea came from.

“Well, I don’t think that would be necess-” Tom started to protest.

“This is the second time someone has made an attempt to get to Gianna on this tour. We’re not talking giddy teenage girls here, these are grown men, dressed in tactical gear. We have to assume they’re not looking for an autograph.” Bucky said, his voice low.

I winced at the implication. Tom wrung his hands, the side of him that was concerned for me warring with the side that was concerned for the nightmare of canceling one of the biggest stops on our tour.

“I don’t want to cancel.” Everyone turned to look at me. “I don’t want to call off the show.”

Bucky opened his mouth to argue but I cut him off.

“If we do, I’ll just sit here all day and worry and make myself sick. I want to keep busy. I don’t want to disappoint the fans, I don’t want to cause concern over something that almost happened. Plus, that’s why I have you.” I smiled at Bucky, doing my best attempt at puppy eyes.

He scowled, not loving the idea but considering it anyway.

“Fine. If you don’t have any serious bruising, and we don’t find anything of concern between now and tonight, the show can stay on.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and know Tom did the same. Canceling tonight’s show would have caused him a logistical nightmare.

“But,” Bucky spoke again, a warning in his tone. “I want the entire venue swept beforehand. I want decoy cars driving to the venue in ten minute increments for the hour leading up to the show. I want double security here and at the venue. Get metal detectors at every entrance, including the service entrance. I want a personal report from anyone on the security team that sees anything out of the ordinary at all, and if I decide, at any point, that it’s no longer safe, I’m taking Gianna and we’re canceling the rest of this goddamn tour. Are we clear?”

Tom swallowed. The room had gone silent, even the nurse looking at Bucky. I’d never seen him so intense, so…commanding. In any other circumstance, I’d have found it wildly attractive. Given the circumstances, I just felt grateful to have him here.

“Yes, uh, yes that sounds good. I’ll go make a few calls.” Tom scurried from the room with Kate trailing behind, still in her robe.

“Sweetie, call me if you need anything, I’ll be just down the hall.” She blew me a kiss as she followed my manager out the door.

“Alright, it doesn’t look like you did too much damage.” The nurse spoke up, reaching into her bag. “Just a deep bruise. We have a steroid injection that’s still in beta stage, but it’s been clearing all tests with flying colors. If you want to try it, it’s been showing expedited healing up to 400%.”

“After last night, I’ll take anything Tony Stark manufactured. That IV was literal magic.”

“Are there any side effects?” Bucky interjected, eyeing the nurse. I opened my mouth to protest, but realized that if anyone had the right to be wary of experimental injections, it was him.

“Only mild burning at the injection site, but it usually goes away after ten or so minutes.”

Bucky narrowed his eyes, thinking, before turning to look at me. “It’s your call. I doubt Stark would offer it if he had any concerns.”

I turned to the nurse and nodded. She pulled an antibacterial wipe from her bag and began to wipe my shoulder, sterilizing the injection site.

“Okay, you might feel a little pinch.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. The little pinch was no big deal, but the mild burning was a slight understatement. The skin around my shoulder lit up as if someone was putting a cigarette out on my skin. I sucked a breath in through my nose, willing myself to keep it together.

“Looks like it’s working already.” The nurse marveled.

I opened my eyes and followed her gaze down to my shoulder. The burning sensation dulled as I realized she was right. The purple coloring forming on my arm was actively fading to a green, even yellow around the edges. It was literally healing as it formed, right in front of my eyes.

“I have got to send Tony Stark a thank you note,” I breathed.

________________________________

Several hours later, the room had cleared out, and only Bucky and Gianna remained. The police officer had come and asked a barrage of questions, only leaving at Bucky’s firm reminder that Gianna needed to rest before the show. Then the security team had come up for a debriefing from Bucky, who snapped back into the intensity Gianna witnessed earlier. This time, with the shock of the morning having subsided slightly, she could fully appreciate the way he took control.

His eyes would darken when he spoke, every word punctuated with intensity. His jaw was clenched, making it even sharper than usual. He had a no-nonsense air about him that reminded Gianna of when they first met, before he’d begun to reveal his more playful side to her. This was a new level of protective, even for him.

Gianna’s heart fluttered as she realized all of this was for her. Not in a “oh, all this fuss for little ‘ol me” kind of way. In the way that every time Bucky clenched his fist in anger, it was for her. Every time he gave a command, it was to protect her. Every move he was making, every thought running through his head today…it was all for her.

Gianna blushed, ashamed of her selfish thoughts during this intense moment. Luckily, Bucky had his back turned to her, talking to who she assumed was Steve on the phone.

She was thankful for the quiet after the endless stream of people in and out. They only had another hour and a half until the inevitable call for soundcheck would come, and Gianna assumed they’d need to leave even earlier with the extra security precautions in place. She sighed, leaning back on her forearms.

“You okay?” Bucky tucked the phone into his pocket and strode over to the edge of the bed, where Gianna sat.

“Yeah, just…overwhelmed I guess.”

“It’s uh…been an overwhelming day.”

“Yeah…” She breathed, eyes seeming to glaze over as she continued to process it all.

“Are you sure you want to perform tonight? I think people would understand if you canceled, given the circumstances.”

“No, no, I’m sure. I’m already getting stir crazy in this hotel room, I need to get my mind off of things.” Gianna sat up straight. “If I stay here, I’ll just start spiraling, thinking about those men and what they wanted, and what would have happened if you hadn’t come back and -”

Bucky’s brow furrowed as he heard the ever so slight break in her voice.

“Hey,” He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. It had air dried, showing the natural waves that he was always partial to. “Don’t think like that, okay? I’m not going anywhere. Not now, not ever.”

Gianna looked up at Bucky with watery eyes. She tried so hard to be tough and funny and low-maintenance about everything, but he could tell the recent events were bringing her close to a breaking point.

“I mean it. I’m in it for the long haul, G. Whether we stay on this tour or not. I go wherever you go.”

Bucky’s words hung in the air between them for a moment. Taking a deep breath, Gianna laid her head down on Bucky’s shoulder.

“What if I said I wanted to run? Take a lighter to the sheet music and the lip gloss and those damn sequined outfits?”

Bucky shifted, causing Gianna to lift her head and look over at him. Sitting in his open metal palm was a plain silver Zippo lighter. She looked up and locked eyes with him.

“Then we’d run.”

#bucky barnes #james bucky barnes #bucky barnes x oc #bucky fanfic #bucky fluff #avengers #winter soldier fluff #winter soldier #sebastian stan #winter solider x reader #bodyguard!bucky

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tubatudiaries · 1 year

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WANNA BE YOURS~

Genre:- fluff ,povs of both yeonjun & reader; drabble

Yeonjun x gn!reader

(Like share and follow if you liked this, the extended version of this is on my instagram:- tubatudiaries

First part is up be sure to check it out thank you <33 enjoy:))

You still remember the day when you went to Starbucks after work and he walked past you for the first time and the thumping of your heart against your chest became too loud. You looked at his body which was sculptued like a greek god and his foxy eyes were mesmerizing, his face itself was a piece of art and his smile was like a beam of sunlight illuminating the darkest corners of the room. It was that moment you realised you were in love with him. The glitter in your eyes whenever you saw him while you were waiting for his iced Americano. Since you were staring too hard at him, he glanced at you and everything stopped that moment, the world became hazy and he was the only person you could see. Yeonjun too was lost in your eyes.

Your turn came and saw you both staring at each other which seemed for forever , a chuckle left the barista's mouth and she said "here's your iced americano miss/mr y/n"

a chuckle left the barista's mouth and she said "here's your iced americano miss/mr y/n"

As soon as he heard your name, he had engraved it in his mind . Hearing that you too ordered iced americano made him think you were the one for him and left the coffee shop after taking his iced americano , while waiting for you outside.

You thought to yourself " How can someone look so ethereal? God really has his favourites" . Then you talked to yourself letting your thoughts out loud " I wish I could meet him again, but seems like life has other plans" You let out a sigh but then remembered "aahh but he looked at me straight in my eye, he noticed me " And thinking about this incident made you blush which now made your face red.

Yeonjun saw it and heard it all, stomach filled with butterflies he left promising to return to the same coffee shop and will initiate a conversation.

Next day, he came right on time , ordered his regular and looked left and right. You were fifteen minutes late and in those fifteen minutes yeonjun was deciding whether to stay or leave, but of course our lovely junnie stayed .

As soon as you entered the coffee shop, both of you were blushing hard, you tried to look away.

Yeonjun being confident as he is waited for you outside, he started a conversation ,but you couldn't look at him straight in his eyes as you became a blushing mess

You both kept meeting same time same place and since you had exchanged your numbers you both texted often too.

After a month of getting to know each other, he sent a message you were waiting for the most

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pinkykats-place · 1 year

Text

BakuDeku AU Barista Bakugo

AO3 Fanfic Recommendations

Disclaimers!

Stories linked on titles are NOT mine.

Some contain mature content.

Read tags. Check Ratings.

Credit to @primabohr for the art.

Note: If you read any of these stories and like them please let the author know with a kudos and/or comment!

Better Latte Than Never by dynyamight

Summary: Katsuki writes Izuku’s coffee cups every Friday morning, and jots down shitty names for Kaminari to call every time.

He wonders why Izuku keeps coming back. It bothers his heart.

Rated - General Audiences

The Nerd and the Shitty Barista by Tokiji

Summary: “Hello, rude barista?” The brunette called. “You can stop ogling my best friend now.”

“Go fuck yourself, Round Face,” he replied without missing a beat, eyes still fixated on Deku’s bubble butt.

She huffed, rolling her eyes, but he could hear her sly grin as she said, “You know, your hot chocolate here isn’t really that good.”

“Hah?” He finally turned to her, brows furrowed from her completely random comment. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” she started, slowly, like she was about to tell him where he could find the answers to his next exam. “That Izuku insists on coming here for something other than your drinks.”

One Shot | No Quirks AU

Rated - Explicit

For the Road by chibicharlie95

Summary: Bakugou Katsuki works hard to remain professional as a coffee shop barista, but its really freaking hard when your mailman is this attractive!

One Shot | No Quirks AU

Rated - General Audiences

Hotter, Scarier, Better Barista by elisosly

Summary: Izuku Midoriya is in mourning, ok? His favorite barista, Dabi, had quit the local Starbucks and Izuku was not fairing well. He had been avoiding the coffee haven like the plague until he was unceremoniously dragged there by his so called best friend Ochako Uraraka and left STRANDED. Little did he know he'd be professing his undying love and gratitude to Ochako after his visit because not only did he meet a new hot barista, but he also got what he never knew he wanted: a hot and steamy hookup in the Starbucks stockroom. What a day.

One Shot | No Quirks AU

Rated - Explicit

See me in blue ink by IHasDieded

Summary: Every week, Deku shows up at Coffee UA, and makes all who happen to be there victims to his constant scribbling.All except Katsuki.

And no, he is definitely not salty about it.

{One Shot}

Art Student Midoriya | No Quirks AU

Rated - Teen & Up

Four Cubes of Sugar by sushirapper

Summary: Izuku's just a sleep deprived Quirk development major trying to keep awake long enough to finish his doctoral thesis. Lucky for him, there's this pretty blond barista at a coffee shop just down the road that always gets his order just right and he thinks he might be in love.

One Shot | Quirks, but no Heroes AU

Rated - General Audiences

His Best Shot (Of Espresso) by cosmic_affinities

Summary: Taking the morning shift was the best decision Katsuki ever made, he could survive the early hours and bitchy customers if it meant Izuku went to him for his morning coffee. Now all he has to do is keep him coming back.

One Shot | College AU | No Quirks AU

Rated - General Audiences

great taste white caramel (with sweet linamnam) by kamie (mimocha)

Summary: The green-haired nerd thanked him for the coffee before leaving in a rush to who knows where. He sighed and began arranging Izuku's payment into the cash register before stopping abruptly at a white piece of paper in between the bills of money.

/what the fuck..?/

He flipped it over and sure enough, there was something scribbled on it. A number?

Oh.

It was a phone number.

Did the nerd..?

A raging blush pervaded Katsuki's cheeks as his hair stood on end.

Someone was interested in him? And it wasn't just anyone, but it was the cutest nerd he's ever seen - the way Deku's freckles littered over the bridge of his nose and to both sides of his round and squishable cheeks was the epitome of "cute", plus the dimples on the ends of his mouth when he smiled? Katsuki could stare at them all day.

Fuck.

He was whipped.

He huffed in denial and shoved the little piece of paper into his jean pocket, trying not to think about the green-haired cutie so he could actually continue working (key word: trying).

{One Shot}

Rated - Teen & Up

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond by rhenna

Summary: Izuku and Bakugou are college students who meet at Bakugou's part-time job. Somehow Bakugou winds up collecting Izuku's poems... without his knowledge.

Incomplete | 4/? Chapters

College AU | No Quirks AU

Rated - Teen & Up

Starbucks Boy by exocising

Summary: Midoriya Izuku does some babysitting and falls in-love with the hot Starbucks guy behind the counter.

— — —

AU where Izuku, a disaster bi, stays with his dad at NYC for a gap year and falls love at first sight.

One Shot | No Quirks AU

Rated - General Audiences

The Crown by secrets_of_L

Summary: Crown Prince Izuku and barista Katsuki meet one morning. Izuku buying Katsuki a coffee for months before asking him on a date. A date that was great, but had some interesting future results. In other words, Katsuki now has to meet Izuku's family.

One Shot | No Quirks AU | Royalty AU

Rated - Teen & Up

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valos-venus-doom · 5 months

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Drawn & Quartered [Chapter 4]

February 10th 2007

Ville sat looking at the alluring brunette in front of him, her eyes sparkled in the light of the candles between them. He was on his first "first date" in eons.

Her name was Caitlyn. A stunning 25 year old Starbucks barista Ville had met when a new location popped up in his neighborhood. He began going first thing in the morning, every morning (because sobriety meant he was up before the birds most days) because the gorgeous girl behind the counter charmed him and made him laugh. And genuinely laugh. Not the polite laughter you do when a stranger makes a bad joke. He learned her schedule and was there every single day she worked until he worked up the courage to ask her out.

To Ville's surprise, he wasn't nervous. Not at all, in fact, it felt like being out to dinner with a longtime friend. He was completely at ease and comfortable around her, which was a big deal for him.

She had big hazel eyes, full lips, and a body he couldn't stop thinking about getting on top of. But more than that, she was extremely smart and captivated him. Caitlyn was going to school for business management and he loved listening to her talk about it. She was unlike any woman he had ever dated and he told anyone who'd listen that she was the one.

And when she laughed? It made Ville's stomach flutter. She had the best laugh he'd ever heard.

"And long story short, this is why taking Philosophy is terrible and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone." Caitlyn concluded her tirade on why Philosophy 101 was the worst class she had ever taken. She had saved it for last and it wad the last credit she needed to graduate.

"When do you graduate again?" Ville asked, sipping his water.

"May." Caitlyn said with a smile before sipping her white wine.

"Nearly there." Ville smiled.

"Yes and oh my God I am so ready to be done. As soon as that Master's degree is in my hands, I'm quitting Starbucks with two middle fingers up in the air."

Ville laughed, "But then where am I going to get coffee from every morning?"

"I said I was quitting, not burning down the joint." She teased.

"But your coffee is better than anyone elses."

"You get your coffee black. Anyone can do that." She rolled her eyes playfully.

"Mm, not sure that's true. You must do something special to it." Ville smirked.

"How about making it at home?" Caitlyn stuck her tongue out at him.

"You gonna come over every morning and make it for me?" Ville stared her down suggestively.

"Maybe..." Caitlyn eyed him seductively over the rim of her wine glass.

An hour later, Ville had Caitlyn on her back on his couch. They couldn't hold back long enough to make it upstairs to his bed.

"Oh god, Cait, fuck yes." Ville groaned before attacking her lips again, moaning into the kiss passionately.

Caitlyn pushed him off her til he was seated on the couch, she straddled his hips and held his shoulders as she rode him, nails slightly digging into his flesh. Her dress was pulled down to reveal her tits that Ville attacked lustfully, bringing Caitlyn to orgasm.

"God yes, I love your dick." Caitlyn groaned through gritted teeth, her body a vice around his cock as she came.

Ville realized she was dirty talker and he fucking loved it. He exploded immediately with an orgasm so intense he couldn't even breathe, let alone make noise. His mouth agape, eyes squeezed shut, hips spasming. Thank God Caitlyn already came because he literally couldn't stop himself.

When he reopened his eyes as the orgasm subsided, Caitlyn was gazing at him with a small smirk. Ville was convinced she was a goddess. She had to have been, she was not of this realm. It was in that moment he was sure of two things:

1. He was madly in love.

2. Caitlyn was The One.

Christmas Day, 2011. 10am.

Ville awoke with a start. He stared into the cold grey morning light creeping into his bedroom. It was a dream. About her. Again.

Ville held Caitlyn's pillow tightly in his arms, inhaling its scent; Redken shampoo, Victoria Secret perfume, and her natural smell. Eau de Caitlyn.

Too numb to cry, the last 2 days since getting home had been a nightmare of his own creation.

He flip-flopped between grief and rage. Both at himself and at Cait.

He had written out so many texts, but never sent them. He didn't know how to say "Fuck you, come home." eloquently.

Suddenly a text came through and his heart jumped. He grabbed his phone so quickly he lost grip and it flew across the floor and he rolled out of bed after it, looking at the text on his knees on the floor, blanket wrapped around his waist.

He knew in his heart it was Caitlyn.

But it wasn't. It was his mother wishing him a Merry Christmas and asking when he and Caitlyn would be over to spend the day with them as per tradition.

Ville felt like he was going to be sick. It was Christmas. He'd forgotten completely. But he was so far from the spirit he may as well have been Ebenezer Scrooge.

"Hey, sorry, I've been up sick all night. I must have caught something from the tour. I'll come by another day. Love you." He texted back to his mother, lying.

"Well if you haven't infected her, send Cait. We love and miss you both. Xx" his mother replied.

That text made it so much worse. He knew his family adored Caitlyn, and she them. They all got along so well. It warmed Ville's heart when he'd see Caitlyn in the kitchen helping his mother. Or playing retro games on their 20 year old Super Nintendo with his brother. Or talking business and current events with his dad over coffee.

She was a perfect fit for the Valo family. She was perfect in general. And she was gone.

Ville didn't answer his mother's text. Instead he climbed back into bed. He gripped Cait's pillow tight, inhaling deeply, before rolling over and going back to sleep. Before he drifted off, he relented, he was going to call Caitlyn. White flag flying, he surrendered. He couldn't take another day with her. But first, sleep.

Ville awoke hours later to his phone ringing and it was dark. 'I slept all day?' He immediately thought to himself before looking at the screen to see who was calling, hoping desperately it was Caitlyn, hoping she was feeling the same sense of longing and wanting to surrender, too.

But it wasn't Caitlyn. It was his brother, Jesse.

"Hello?"

"Hey, dude. I've been knocking. It's fucking cold and snowing its ass off out here. Open the door."

"One sec." And Ville hung up. He pulled on pants before scurrying down to his front door. Jesse never just showed up, so this was odd, Ville thought to himself.

Ville opened the door to see his brother standing on the other side in the snow that began falling at some point. "Hey. What's up?"

Jesse walked into the house taking off his snow covered boots. "Well, I heard from Mom that you were sick. So I was coming to check on my big brother. It is Christmas after all."

"How very sweet of you." Ville replied blankly. He loved his brother, but right now he was in no mood for visitors. It was interrupting his miserable self-loathing.

Jesse stared at Ville straightfaced, "You don't look sick to me. So, wanna tell me what's really going on?"

"Nothing." Ville stared back at his brother who was clearly calling him out in his lie... but there was something else Jesse clearly knew, he could see it in his eyes. And Jesse didnt ask where Caitlyn was, as he usually would have.

"What do you know?" Ville asked quietly, not breaking eye contact. He was dreading having to finally tell someone that he and Caitlyn broke up.

"Well one of two things happened," Jesse began. "Either you and Cait broke up, or she's in the mountains cheating on you right now." Jesse's tone was serious.

"But," Jesse continued, "I doubt she'd be this open about cheating on you publicly on social media. I'm no Sherlock Holmes but it seems like you broke up with her and haven't told anyone. Which would explain why you lied to mom and didn't show up for Christmas."

"Cheating on me?" Ville asked blankly staring at his brother. His face suddenly hot, his ears felt like they were on fire, and his stomach sick. It felt as though there was barbed wire in his windpipe.

"Why the fuck else would this be on her Instagram?" Jesse pulled out his phone and showed him a picture of Caitlyn and Matthias kissing on a ski lift.

Jesse knew Ville had no form of social media, so when he was scrolling through Instagram at his parents' house and came across that picture, he was stunned. And he knew Ville was probably none the wiser.

Jesse scrolled through both Caitlyn and Matthias' accounts finding a lot of pictures together with a group of friends, both tagging each other in all the pictures, with heart emojis galore. Some were innocuous enough, sure. But the kissing picture was a glaring red flag. And so was the picture of Caitlyn in a jacuzzi, breasts barely hidden under the bubbling water, and cuddling Matthias.

Ville stared at the photo, his hands began to shake as rage rose within him like boiling flood water. After a moment of staring he averted his eyes and began to chuckle darkly. "That fucking cunt...." he turned away from Jesse. His arms raised and he interlocked his fingers together behind his head and began pacing. Breathing hard.

"So she is cheating?" Jesse asked, extremely confused. Unable to gauge his brother's crazed reaction.

"Nope! She can do whatever it is Her Highness wants! That fucking bitch..." Ville broke into a fit of crazed laughter. "Oh wow."

"Are you high?" Jesse asked blankly. "Or do you need to be?"

"She moved out." Ville sighed, a delirious smile on his face, a millisecond later, Ville threw his fist through the drywall beside him. "Fuck!" He screamed at nothing in particular.

"She broke up with you?" Jesse asked unphased, he'd seen Ville put his fist threw many a wall. It was a Ville Valo signature move.

"Nope. I broke up with her." Ville shook his head, laughing, pacing

"When?"

"Two weeks ago. Didn't take the cunt long to move on, did it?" He sighed as he moved to sit on his couch. "Fucking slut. Of course she's in the the next one."

"What happened?"

"She and her little dumb cunt friends, as you see pictured on the Facebook-a-gram," he gestured dismissively at the phone still in Jesse's hand, "All went on a ski trip two weeks ago and KNOWING full well I was about to leave on tour. But she didnt care. No, no. Instead she ignored my texts, and refused to come home. And then she DID come home, acting like a cunt, calling me an asshole and bitching that I never let her do anything, so I told her I was done." Ville explained viciously.

"Ville..." Jesse knew that probably wasn't the case. He knew Caitlyn pretty well, that didn't sound like her. And knowing his brother, knew some details were being left out.

"Okay. Maybe I was being a passive aggressive asshole, but she made me feel so fucking unimportant. All I wanted was to spend time with her! Was that too much to fucking ask?!" Ville ranted, kicking over the coffee table in front of him.

"Ville.... you broke up with Caitlyn 2 weeks ago?" Jesse asked, connecting the dots.

"Yeah." Ville replied, sitting back against the couch, his heart beating in his ears.

"On the 11th?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah." Ville responded, more irritated this time. "What the fuck are you getting at? What does that fucking matter?"

Jesse stared at his brother. "Did you realize the 11th was on the 6 month anniversary of her father's death?"

Ville froze.

"You know, the 6 month anniversary ofthe death of her last living parent, and right before her first Christmas without him?"

Ville's stomach turned as Jesse spelled it out like he was a Kindergartener.

Jesse continued, moving closer, speaking downward at his brother who was seated on the couch, "And you made her feel like shit for going on a trip, doing the one activity that she and her father held dear? And then broke up with her? What in the entire *fuck* is wrong with you, man? I'm surprised she didn't break up with you herself."

Ville's expression changed from stunned realization to a scowl. He stood up fast, furious at himself but ready to direct it towards his brother, he got nearly in his face "Jesse, fuck off. You weren't even there! You're really gonna side with her? She's fucking my friend, first of all!"

Ville didn't appreciate the feeling of being being judged, especially when it was dawning on him that he was in the wrong. "And sec-second of all," Ville, ready to defend himself, paused and swallowed hard. But it felt like swallowing a razorblade, "Second of all...." he struggled to continue. "W-when you put it like that..." Ville's voice broke, his lip trembled and he dissolved into tears, face in his hands.

Jesse's expression softened as saw his brother break. He wrapped his arms around his big brother and sat them both down on the couch to better hold and console him.

"I was going to propose." Ville sobbed into his brother's shoulder, snot and tears getting on his jacket but Jesse couldn't have cared less. "Midnight. New Years. On stage. I had it all planned with manager at Tavastia--" he choked. "What am I gonna do?" Ville wept, his voice cracking.

Jesse held his older brother, "Ville. Ville, come on. It's going to be okay. Have you even talked to her since all this happened?"

Ville lifted his head and wiped his face on a t-shirt he'd thrown on the couch days ago. "N-no." Ville answered. "I was so fucking angry... I refused to call her. I wanted her to call me. I didn't think I did anything wrong." Ville sniffed. "At the time." He clarified.

"Okay, well that's step number one. Talk. To. Her." he urged him. "Maybe she feels the same--"

Ville shook his head, interrupting him "No. She is clearly with Matthias right now." He looked tearfully at his brother. "She clearly moved on."

"That isn't necessarily true..." Jesse tried to

"She fucking wasted NO time getting on another man's dick, did she?" Ville's emotional pendulum began to swing back to rage from sorrow. "And with Matthias? My fucking friend? That fucking bastard. What a friend, huh?" Ville stood up, pacing again.

"Before you put another hole in the drywall, remember you were the one who broke up with her." Jesse tried to calmly remind him.

Ignoring Jesse, Ville grabbed his shoes. "I fucking gave that bitch everything. I moved heaven and earth for her, and this is what she does? Do I not mean anything? Did WE not mean anything? And with my friend? How fucking dare she." Ville seethed and raged. "I'm getting a drink. Come with me, or don't, I don't give a fuck."

"Oh I'm coming with you, I'm not letting you out into the world unsupervised in this state." Jesse replied, grabbing his boots too.

#ville valo #vv #ville valo fan fic #ville valo fan fiction #neon noir #him #h.i.m #heartagram #his infernal majesty #love metal #jesse valo

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heythrrdelilah · 1 year

Text

Going The Distance || Timothée Chalamet x OC ||part 1

A/N- this is based on a dream I had the only difference is the OC and the fact the OC didn’t have a kid. In the dream I had my daughter who at the time hadn’t been born yet( she’s two weeks old now) but I hope you guys like this. It’s up on Wattpad already with three parts. I don’t normally do oc on here but I thought it more fitting since it was based on a dream. REQUESTS ARE OPEN

Warnings- language, fans dislike, possibility of smut in the future

Pairing- famous!timothee x non-famous!OC

I woke up to the sound of rain against the balcony attached to my hotel room. I turn to my phone and see the time was just five minutes before seven in the morning. I remembered that i had set an alarm for two minutes before seven in order to get a guardians of the galaxy ride group. I rolled over in the large bed i had to myself with my phone in hand and refreshed the screen for a good two minutes in order to snag the boarding group. Unfortunately, they went too fast and I couldn’t snag a boarding group. It didn’t crush me, as i work at disney and could try again at any point, i just never had any luck from what i remembered. I turned over and got a bit more sleep until my alarm went off again at eight in the morning.

After doing my makeup and getting dressed, I made my way down to the lobby of the Grand Floridian and searched for a Starbucks. When I discovered that the line was too long for my liking, I decided to just go to the one inside the park. I walked over to the monorail, wasting no time as I could see the line waiting for the monorail was long. While I waited, I scrolled through Instagram and before I knew it, it was time to board.

When I got to the connections cafe (another name for the park starbucks), I realized the line was too long. I took this as a sign to go spend a few bucks (and not use my reward points) and go to Joffrey’s Coffee. I stood in the relatively short line and browsed on my phone. The barista calls for next in line, me. I order my black iced coffee with three shots of hazelnut. I go to pull my credit card out but the barista stops me, “the gentlemen ahead of you paid.” I scrunched my brow in confusion. I looked behind me and there was a family behind me. “I’ll pay for theirs then,” I stated, pulling out a twenty dollar bill and giving it to the barista. She smiled and points to the pick up side. I walk over and turn to my phone once again.

“Did you just pay for their drinks?” I heard a mama voice come up beside me. I’m a rather shy person, and I would feel awkward looking up just to say yes. So I just nod, “paying it forward. Someone paid for mine.” The barista called out two names, one of them being mine because my order was so simple. I walked up to the window and grabbed my coffee. “They were a family you are one person. The point was for me to pay for the pretty woman’s coffee so she didn’t have to pay anything,” the voice continued at the window and followed me off to the side. “Well thank you-“ I started but stopped as my eyes wandered up to his face. Dark curls, ice blue almost green eyes, and chiseled jawline. He was wearing a blue t-shirt and black cargo type shorts. I couldn’t believe my eyes. “I appreciate the coffee,” I finished, starting to walk away so that he didn’t feel like I was lingering like a fan.

He followed, “don’t thank me. I caused you to pay double. You have a good heart.” I shrugged and sipped my coffee, “it’s just what’s right. I hope you enjoy your day at epcot!” I began to walk again but he followed, “I didn’t catch your name.” I decided then to stop walking away, as he was the one approaching me I already didn’t seem like a crazy fan. “I’m Delilah,” I answer with a smile. It’s hard to look at him in the eyes so I look at his thick eyebrows. He smiled, “I’m Timothée. If you’re busy or in a hurry I get it.” He hinted at the fact I was walking away twice. I felt a blushing smile creep up and I suppressed it quickly, “Im not. I just didn’t want to be a bother.” He smiled down at me and shook his head, “you’re not a bother I mean, I’m the one that is talking to you.”

I look over at the group of guys he was with as they laughed at something the other had said. I turned back to Timothée, “looks like your friends are ready to get a move on.” Timothée shrugged, “they can wait. I’m talking to you. Speaking of though, do you maybe want to join us? We have one of those tour guides.” I raise my brows in shock, “you met me in line like 10 minutes ago and you want me to join your vip tour?” He shrugged, “yeah. I do. You seem pretty. Pretty cool.” I shook my head and looked him up and down, “is this the same line you give all the girls at NYU and Coachella?” He threw his hands up in defense, a smile creeping up on his face. He ran his tongue along the inside of his lip, “touché. So you are a fan because you know all of this. No I haven’t used any lines. Most of the time they throw themselves at me. You’re different. I have to find out what it is.”

I rolled my eyes, “I am a fan yes but you don’t have to be to know all of that information. Plus, I never said I wasn’t a fan. I just didn’t freak out like you’d expect me to. I don’t get Star struck.” He laughed and nodded, “okay touché again. So, is that a yes?” I nod once and follow him to his group. His friends looked at us as we walked up. Timothee was quick to introduce everyone. His friend Jake had come along with two of Jakes friends, timothee had just met them a week prior. They all politely waved as he introduced me. “Actually Timmy, we really don’t need the VIP thing today. Do you mind if we take off?” Jake and Timothée shared a look that I couldn’t put my finger in exactly what it meant. Timothée nods and does a handshake with the guys before they walk off. “I guess it’s just us,” he rubbed the back of his neck turning to me.

“That looked planned,” I laughed, looking at the VIP tour guide woman, who nodded along with me. “It wasn’t. I swear,” Timothée laughed. “Well then it’s shitty for your friends to just ditch you,” I retort. He shrugged, “we’ve been together all week. I’ll be fine.”

The tour woman, a short woman with curly blonde hair in a perfect pony tail, introduced herself to me and we started the day. “So, where are we off to first?” She asked with a smile. Timothée looked to me, “where to?” I motioned towards spaceship earth. We got a quick backstage tour and were brought to the front of the line. “So where are you visiting from?” He asked as we climbed into our seat. “I actually live here. I’m the parks one of many media managers,” I answered, placing my bag between my feet. The ride started and after a few “what if the animatronics were alive” jokes, the ride came to an end. We met up with the tour guide at the exit and began walking to test track.

“So basically you help run the commercials and social media posts. That’s cool!” He exclaimed after I told him the details of my job. “Yeah. How about you? I mean where are you visiting from? You have a ton of movies coming out next year I thought you’d be too busy to come here,” I questioned, looking up at him as we walk. He laughed, “I do. Some of them were filmed a year or two ago. I just finished one and about to start filming for dune part two in about a week from today. I’m not a Disney person or theme park but Tyler convinced me to tag along with him and his friends. I actually have been having a lot of fun.” I felt my phone sound off a text tone and checked it quickly. It was my best friend and neighbor.

Chey: hey I’ll be off at 5. I’ll meet you at figment at 6. I brought a change of clothes lol

Me: yeah sounds good!

“So Dune part 2, that’s filmed in the same place Star Wars was over in Jordan right?” I ask, putting my phone in my pocket. He nods and shakes his hand, “kind of. The first one was. We are doing some scenes there but the rest will be in LA using a green screen. We will probably spend a week total in Jordan if we do everything right.” I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because of the harsh environment. We were lead through the building, Maria, our tour guide, answering questions we had along the way. Then we rode the ride. Timothée didn’t trust me when I said for him to hold onto the hat he had put on before the ride, so he had to use quick reflexes to catch it when the car sped up.

The heat had picked up a bit as we walked outside of the building. The summer heat I was used to, but Timothée was not. “Is there somewhere we can get a cold drink?” He asked Sarah. She smiled nodding, “any water, pretzels, Mickey ice cream and popcorn are complimentary to your VIP. I can take you to a stand.” She began walking us towards the world showcase. Right before where the paths split, there was a stand selling waters with the ice cream bars and a pretzel warmer to the side. The cast member smiled widely as we walked up, she must recognize Timothée because it wasn’t a normal customer service smile, even for Disney. She remained professional and gave us water and a pretzel that we agreed to share because it was large and we hadn’t even gotten to world showcase yet.

“Which way do you like to go?” Sarah asked me. I laughed, “is there any other right answer? Mexico of course.” She smiled nodding, “correct.” We began walking to the Mexico pavillion. “They have a margarita stand?” Timothée asked, downing his water and throwing it away. “Want one?” He asked, heading towards the line. I raised a brow, “trying to get me drunk, chalamet?” He laughed, “totally. No.” I laughed, nudging his arm, “yeah but I’m paying.” He shook his head, “I was supposed to pay for your coffee. This I got.” I shrugged, “we will see.” As we ordered and the cashier told us the price, I double clicked my watch to pull up the Apple wallet and pressed it to the card reader quickly. “No receipt thanks,” I smiled and wait for our drinks. “Not fair. That was too quick! I owe you lunch now,” he argued. I shook my head, “no. How’s the lemon?” I sipped my lime margarita.

We decided to look out at the showcase while we drank the drinks and talked. We got to know each other quite well, asking random quick questions. “So, are you not worried about someone snapping a photo of us and getting the wrong idea?” I asked as we stepped onto the boat ride. He scrunched his brows, “and what would be the ‘wrong idea’?“ He put air quotes around the last two words. As the ride began moving, I couldn’t help but notice his arm resting behind me on the long seat. Coincidental, him just getting comfortable for a soothing ride. “I just mean, you know how people are. They see someone famous in public, like Disney, with someone of the opposite sex and next thing you know the headline of Deuxmoi is ‘Timothée chalamet and mystery nobody on a Disney date’ or something,” I laughed. He furrowed his brows at me as the ride started moving, “why would that be a bad thing?” I placed a finger to my lips to shush him so people around us could enjoy the ride without us talking.

“I don’t have that many fans. I doubt there are even two here. If you’re so worried,” he mentioned as we exit the attraction. I shrugged, “I’m not worried but I mean, you’re you. You don’t need any more nasty rumors. Especially after the chlamydia rumors.” He shook his head, “I’m going to be straight with you, I’m not the best when it comes to reputation. I’m all cleared up from that stuff. But I don’t have the best… past. Most rumors you hear about me are true. Honestly it’s not as many people as the rumors say though. It was like 10 girls at NYU and three at Coachella. I just, I feel like I need to be honest with you.” I raised my brows and looked at him, “I appreciate the honesty. I’m not one to judge because I have a past of my own of similar instances.” It was true. He was brave for sharing this with someone he had just met, so if he trusted me, I could trust him.

We walked over to norway next. “This is your ancestors territory. Let’s try a treat.” He walked over to the bakery line, Sarah following us laughing. “It like a small percent of my ancestry but I’ll never say no to a treat,” I laughed. The line was rather long so we talked about our families to pass the time. His sister is an actress as well and I’ve even been watching her HBO show without even knowing it was his sister, but now that I know, the resemblance is uncanny. He learned that I came from a not so great background. Raising my brothers while homeless and taking care of my drug addicted parents. His dad is from France, I already knew, and his mom was a dancer. He had a pretty privileged childhood. His exs all were daughters of celebrities and most of his friends grew up like him. I already knew this would be a struggle in our friendship if it continues outside of this day.

“One Kringla and two Viking coffees,” Timothée ordered. I clicked my watch but he knew this time. He gripped my wrist, and despite him being honey, he was strong. He used his other hand to fish out his wallet from his pocket and give over his credit card. When she gave him the receipt, he released my wrist. “Unfair!” I exclaimed, smacking his shoulder. He shook his head with a smirk, “I don’t want to hear anything about unfair from you when you pulled the stunt at the margarita stand.” I made a mental note to pay for something else later as the cast member gave us our drinks and chocolate topped kringla. Sarah led us to a corner of Norway pavillion that wasn’t too populated so that we could enjoy our stuff in peace.

“I didn’t know these were alcoholic I’m so sorry. Please don’t think I’m trying anything,” Timothée attested the minute he took a drink of the Viking coffee. The look in his face was worry and embarrassment combined. I laughed, “I knew. That doesn’t mean I’m trying anything either, though. I just like this drink.” We shared some of the kringla and finished our drinks. As I went to throw away our cups, I pulled Sarah to the side. “Think we could get him to meet a princess?” I laughed. She looked back at an unsuspecting Timothée and turned back to me, “totally. I got this.” She waited for him to walk over from washing his hands and smiled, “so we are going to get in line for my personal favorite attraction here in Norway. I’ll make it a surprise though.” She lead us over to where Anna and Elsa were meeting. As VIP we were able to skip the line. When Timothée spotted the photo ops he laughed. “Alright good one guys,” he laughed towards us and waved at the women. They were graciously talking to him about Olaf and then snapped a photo. He insisted I get in a photo with him at least once. “This next attraction is an actual attraction,” Sarah laughed pointing to the frozen ride line.

“So, if you like roller coasters, you’ll have to go to universal at some point. Don’t tell my bosses this but I prefer universal over Disney,” I laughed as we sat down in Germany for lunch. Timothée nodded, “okay. I’ll make a call to my agent and see if I have time this trip. To extend my trip. Only if, you can get off work for the next few days.” I raised my brows, “are you sure you want to spend so much time with me? You did just meet me. I am a handful of annoyance at times.” He laughed shaking his head, “so far you’re not annoying. I’ll take my chances.” The waiter came over and took our orders.

“So what hotel are you staying at?” I asked as we made our way to the France pavilion. “Grand Floridian,” he responded. I raised my brows in shock, “small world. I’m staying there too.” He scrunched his face in confusion, “I thought you lived here?” I nodded. Not everyone understands Disney or Theme Park culture. We like staying in the hotels on occasion so we get the vacation feeling. “It’s a staycation. It’s a theme park adult thing. It’s like treating ourselves. I’m only staying until the morning though,” I answered as we stepped into France. “Look your people,” I teased nudging him. He laughed, “guess I should start speaking French, right? But I too am only staying until the morning. Speaking of-“ he turned to Sarah and she brought us to a quiet area. He pulled out his phone and started speaking to someone. He walked far enough away from us that I couldn’t hear him.

“So my agent says I have time to push back a few more days so she’s changing my flight as we speak,” he stated as he returned. I felt a twinge of excitement creep upon my face. “So, what hotels are good at universal?” He asked, pulling out his phone. We found a bench to sit at in the middle of the pavilion. “Portifino. It’s their top deluxe resort. It’s my favorite. I have a passholder discount you can use there too if you want. You get express passes when you stay, but I don’t think you’ll need it because they’ll want someone to escort you around,” I respond, taking his phone and typing in the website. “Okay cool, no need for tour discount but help me book it miss expert,” he states, getting close enough on the bench to rest his head on my shoulder to look at his phone. I felt butterflies in my stomach and tried hard to ignore them. I’ve seen interviews, he does this with all of his friends.

“No get two rooms or two beds. Two beds,” he states as I clicked onto a single bed room. I remembered he brought his friend, “oh yeah I forgot about Jake and his buddies.” He shook his head at me, “I texted them to see if they wanted to stay but they have things to do in New York tomorrow when they get back. I figured if express passes or whatever you should have the opportunity to have that too so that you’re not waiting in line while I’m already done with the rides.” I shook my head, “I have express after four. Plus, you’ll have a VIP guide. You’ll be able to do things before I get there anyways.” He shook his head again, “no offense to Sarah, but I don’t want to do a VIP tour around the parks. I want to enjoy genuine time with… the parks. Go through the queues, you know? So book a room. Stay there with me. This way you don’t have to drive to the park every day.” I shook my head at him, “it’s okay. Seriously.”

“Just get a second room. I know sharing a room might be weird for you,” he argued. “It’s not that. Two beds is fine but I’m paying for food from here on out,” I gave in. I clicked on the two bed room and pulled my wallet out from my bag. I was giving the passholder discount regardless if he liked it or not. I allowed him to place his credit card information and the hotel was booked. We then rode the Ratatouille ride and move on to The UK for some fish and chips as a snack.

“So we are heading over figment after this right?” I asked Sarah. She nodded. It was perfect timing. “I was supposed to meet my best friend after she gets off work. That’s in ten minutes. She texted that she’s on her way to figment actually. I’ll see you around,” I waved as we reached the ride while I explained. Timothée grabbed my wrist and dropped it quickly, “she can join us.” I shook my head, “I wouldn’t want to impose. Or make you feel like a third wheel.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He handed it to me, “put your number in so I know you’re not bailing on me tomorrow. Maybe we can all meet up for drinks tonight even. Since we are staying at the same hotel anyways.” after typing my number into his phone, handing it back to him, I walked away, “maybe.”

Cheyenne was sitting in front of the building for figment, standing up when she saw me. “Who was that?” She asked immediately. I turned to glance at Timothée who was standing in the distance on the phone, “you won’t believe me if I told you. Let’s go journey our imagination.” I walked into the ride queue. “Who was it? Here I was thinking you were alone most of the day which is why I came after my busy work day. Then I find you walking around with a mystery man rich enough for a VIP guide?” She smacked my arm. I shrugged, “maybe you’ll see later. For now I’d like to keep the mystery. You were able to get into the room okay?” She nods once, “I have to be up early for work tomorrow so it’s nice being able to just take the monorail versus driving through Orlando traffic. My boss let me park my car in cast member parking overnight.” I shrugged, “you never have to thank me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When we got back to the hotel, it was about eight in the evening. We only stayed in the park for two hours after figment and got dinner. We walked through the grounds to our building and then to our room. I let cheyenne have the shower first, which she went for the minute we walked through the door. I lay on the bed and check my phone. Timothée had texted me almost half an hour ago.

Unknown: the guys and I are heading to trader sams I think it’s called. It’s over at a different resort. If you two want to come we would love that.

Me: cheyenne has work in the morning.

Unknown: oh okay! You guys don’t have to drink. If you want just come hang out!

Me: I’ll see you tomorrow

I saved his number in my phone and rolled over to turn the tv on. I watched an episode of supernatural that was on tv before cheyenne was out of the shower. I took a quick shower and returned to bed. “So who is Timothée. Is he the guy you were hanging out with? I love that your phone autocorrects that name to be like Timothée chalamet. You talk about that guy too much if you’re phones doing that,” cheyenne tossed me my phone. I threw my pillow at her, “don’t snoop! But yeah… so he is Timothée Chalamet.” She went into a laughing fit, “yeah. Right. Funny joke. Seriously though who was that? They want us to go meet up with them but you turned them down.” I shrugged my shoulders, “I told you earlier you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” She pushed herself off the bed, rummaging through her backpack. I asked what she was doing as she began to change back out of pajamas. “Well I don’t believe you. So, if it is Timothée chalamet, you won’t try to stop me going to find proof at trader sams,” she answered. She threw me my shorts and a t-shirt from my suitcase. “I already took my makeup off. You have work in the morning,” I argued. She rolled her eyes, “I knew it wasn’t Timothée.” I shrugged and scrolled through my Disney app. I went to my photo pass section and waved her over. She sat next to me on the bed. I scrolled through the Anna and Elsa photos along with the ride photos that all automatically get saved into the app.

Her eyes widened and she smacked my arm causing a large stinging sensation, “you’re telling me you’ve been hanging out with Timothée chalamet all day and you didn’t think to tell me about it? And you rejected him for drinks? Was he an asshole?” I shook my head. She failed to think that if he was an asshole I wouldn’t have stayed with him all day, but this was crazy news so her thoughts were clouded. “I am genuinely tired. You have work and we already got un-ready for the day. Plus, I’m spending a two more days with him at universal,” I let out as she began putting her pajamas back on. “So that’s why you texted him that you’ll see him tomorrow,” she realized, sitting back down on the bed. “Yes. Now, let’s go to bed. I’ll tell you all about it when we wake up,” I rolled over and turned off the lights, not giving her time to argue.

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