#chef!luca x f!reader

[ay0nha]

Idle Hands | Chef Luca

SUMMARY: Sometimes Luca wished he chose rivalry over admiration. But even if he had, you wouldn’t allow it. You would never go back to that world. It was far too demanding; you couldn’t thrive where you didn’t belong. 

PAIRING: Chef!Luca x f!reader

WORD COUNT: 1.4K

WARNINGS: mentions of eating/food, straight fluff, mutual pining, smidge of angst, Luca trying to poach reader for his restaurant, self indulgent, **I am not a chef nor a good cook** etc. 

A/N: I wrote this in one sitting on my phone, so mind the typos and lack of cohesion.  I didn’t think I would finish this, so also mind the rushed ending. Inspired some by things in Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential (he’s my idol). I’m interested in writing more, send some thoughts my way about Chef Luca. Enjoy.

The fog seemed idyllic. It was dense with humidity and carried the dawn light over the horizon better than the days prior; the rain was starting to get to you. It punctured your routine with puddles that were unavoidable and time that allowed your items to go stale because of a slow-trafficked day.

What had gone unnoticed during those days, and frankly underappreciated, was the space the weather provided. You had moved so quickly, your keys almost slipping from your hands as you bustled into the bakery, trying to keep dry. Yet, now your steps were paced by your exhaustion, only stopped by him.

Luca.

He knew better than to bring you coffee, the gesture acting more as an insult to your sleep schedule than a remedy to your dark circles. Instead, he was early, leaning against the brick wall of the bakery, waiting for you. Punctuality was just shy of being an aphrodisiac.

The cooking life was like a long love affair, with moments both sublime and ridiculous. Yet, like any love affair, looking back, you seemed to cling to the happy times the best—the things that drew you in in the first place, the things that kept you coming back for more.

Luca understood this well. Conscious or not, it hadn’t mattered; he indulged just the same. It was why he set on the stoop, day after day, only skipping out when the weather begged him to. Regardless he returned to you, waited for you, and deferred to you, even when his purpose was to poach you.

“I’m starting to lose count—” You refused a greeting. He blocked your journey to becoming a morning person. “—how many days does it take to be qualified as a stalker?”

Luca tutted teasingly, pushing through to find your humor. “Not quite eligible yet.”

“Shame.” You hummed, your key cracking open the rusted door. The click was becoming too screechy to ignore. The rain only proved further repercussions.

Noted. Fingers crossed, a handyman would be looking for something delectable on their break. Just as Luca came to expect your dry humor, you learned his body language just as well. Holding open the door you just unlocked, he held back the offer to repair it.

“Rumor has it you found your sous.” Your voice carried well through the echoing building. It was a small place, barely worth what you pay to keep it open.

Your fingers were stiff from the cold.  You cursed the winter and how it made you physically fumble for the months it endured. It was as though your body rejected how it influenced you. Yet, once your fingers found the light switches, you retracted your afflictions.

“He’s temporary.” Always a man of few words. Pointed and punctual.

“And he knows that?” You scoffed, scarf still muffling your words ever so slightly.

Your back was to him as your question lingered. Luca’s gaze admired your routine, the one he memorized as if each layer of clothing was a recipe in itself. You always saved your scarf for last as if it the way it twirled was an old-fashioned caramel drizzle on a forbidden apple.

“Everyone knows I want you.” He said deftly. Even with your back to him, you were sure he could picture your flattered, flustered features. “...He’s good. Young.”

“Mmm…” You mused, facing him. A part of you was convinced Luca would stop coming by once he’d found his counterpart. But his dissatisfaction still radiated off of him. “How long do you think he’ll last?”

“Depends.” Luca matched your tone. Young meant talent, but it also meant naive. “When do you plan to join me?”

Your laugh was let out as a breath—its presence small but worth it. “Luca—

“I’ll give it a rest.” His promise wouldn’t last very long, but it would do.

Luca reached for the apron that he had donned as his own. He reached the shelves you struggled with, learning within days through observation where to place that for when you finally mosied over. He was envious of your movements, how you found joy in moving slowly, so unrushed and unbothered to the point of pleasure.

It was strange the routine formed. It was just as unorthodox as the relationship. But within the culinary world, nothing was off-limits. There was a vague beginning to the friendship, another fitting mark. You were a friend of a friend that knew a guy. And you were the one that’s rumors claimed you were better than him.

Sometimes Luca wished he chose rivalry over admiration. But even if he had, you wouldn’t allow it. You would never go back to that world. It was far too demanding; you couldn’t thrive where you didn’t belong. You liked when your hands were layered with flour to lay out your dough. To stir a glaze in just the right way so that there was enough for an extra taste. It was you and the stillness without the adrenaline-filled demands.

The quiet of working side by side, the soft clinking of metal sheets and ceramics, was the perfect white noise. The simple patter of packed flour being muddled with oil was far better than the tourists that invaded your senses. You couldn’t decide if it was a welcomed distraction.

“What do you think?” He respected hierarchy. It was perfect. But you valued the imperfections of each unique item.

“Hmm?” You looked to your side. Luca was close; the small layout allowed for it.

“Try it.” He slid the plate to you.

Routines were hard to break. Every morning you skipped breakfast, it wasn’t until your stomach rumbled would you realize you were hungry. Luca learned you loved things sickly sweet, just shy of making your mouth pucker.

You worked alone often; you hadn’t needed the company nor the help. However, the pair of hands that steadied themselves on your hips to pass by made you question your need. It made you question if the warmth that spread through your body was from him or from the oven pre-heating near your knees. It would have been easy to doubt it all if there hadn’t been a ghost print of flour on your black apron.

“Go on…” Luca returned, pushing a found spoon into your hands. “Give me your worst.”

You rolled your eyes. He knew it was good. You knew it was good. The first spoonful was annoyingly satisfying. You maintained your breath through the second bite. If you went for a third, you knew Luca’s ego would soar.

The extra hands were helpful, but you refused to let the aid blind his purpose. So, you deflected, pointing the spoon to him.“I’m sure it’ll sell.��

Luca’s lips played with a frown. You were good at reminding him that his so-called sweetness could cross over into becoming a chore. His thick skin was scarred, burned, and continually tested.  You had the skill to crawl under it and almost get to him.

Accepting the utensil, he tasted his own creation. “It’s missing something.”

“Yeah?” You weren’t shy about plucking your finger into the cream filling for another taste. “What are you thinking?”

There it was, his earlier promise broken. With just a look, you knew what he was thinking; you. It was a tacky way to beg again for you to work with him; it was why he only gave you a look. One that was brief and gone before you could say anything before returning steely.

“Increase the fat content.” You advised, breaking your gaze. It was a test, and you were well aware you passed. It was textbook. Again, you’d proven your mind was in tune with his. “Cut it with acidity.”

He nodded, inked arms crossed against his chest. Luca lacked  the asinine chef bravado. A welcome reprieve. Self-assured, steady, and strong. Your eyebrows pinched when he stumbled slightly, drawing in a breath to say something just to let the words die. It was out of character, a side to him you didn’t believe existed. He seemed nervous.

“It’ll be ready in a few weeks.” His words seemed to settle finally.

“Ah…” You wiped your hands on your chest, reaching for the next thing. The beauty in baking was constantly moving. Even when your patience was being tested while things rose, there was always another something to work on. “...I forgot how much modernist cuisine attracts attention.”

New items meant new clients. New reviews and new criticism. You continued to assure him, chatting softly of what snobs people could be when they were filled with only ignorance. You meant to ease his apprehension, but you realized it had nothing to do with hosting an event.

It had to do with the invitation that flew from his lips. “Think you’re free that night?”

#q #the bear #the bear fx #chef luca #luca x reader #chef!luca x reader #chef!luca x f!reader #luca x f!reader #chef!luca #the bear fic #chef luca fluff #chef luca angst #chef!luca fluff #chef!luca angst

[inklore]

just a taste

premise: meeting luca after work doesn't usually end up with the two of you in an intense lip lock, both of you knowing once you start it's hard to stop. but that's what offices are for, right?

pairing: luca x (f)reader

word count: 3.1k

contents: literally barely any plot here, oral (f rec), unprotected p in v, coming inside, established relationship, doing it at the workplace, teasing, dirty talk, pet names.

note: i know the bare minimum about this man because i’ve never seen the bear but those tattoos, the accent, the hair?? fill me like an eclair is all i have to say ok!

The cool breeze of the night air almost makes you regret not just heading straight home and slipping under the steam of a nice long shower and grabbing the first blanket you see on the sofa and planting yourself there for the rest of the night. Await your boyfriend's arrival under the comfort of cotton and cushion that he’ll surely plop down next to you on after he’s kicked off his shoes. His cold fingers finding you under the blanket to pull you close to his side, a string of kisses pressed along the side of your neck before finding your lips. The smell of yeast and sugar—embedded in his skin at this point—making you bury your nose into his collarbone. 

But this was a ritual for the both of you. 

You finishing your studies and then meeting him after work. 

The two of you walking home together, barely making it through the threshold of your place before lips and clothes were being pressed together and thrown to the floor. Luca’s soft laugh at needing to shower. Thus always leading to your face pressed into the wall of the shower and Luca’s fingers digging into your hips as he thrust inside of you. 

So that nibble of regret doesn’t last long when you come to a stop in front of his work. The makings of anticipation pull at the corner of your mouth as you grab your phone from your bag and start to text him to let him know you’re out front. 

A text that’s barely on the last word when the breeze of the door is hitting you and making you look up, “you can go in. He's in the back.” a co-worker you’ve met a dozen times, but his name slips your mind as you give him an appreciative smile and thank him as you slip through the doors as he walks out. 

You could enter the kitchen a dozen times—a million, a billion—your nose filling with that sweet aroma, Luca bent over a table, a dish, fingers deep in a ball of dough, the monochromatic uniform making his tattoos stand out on his skin like the most beautiful canvas, and you’d never get over the view. 

Over how your insides react when you see him in his element.

See him doing what he loves. 

It’s like the first time every time. 

Just like the first time he dragged you into the kitchen after your tenth date. Showing you his own version of paradise. His love. His joy. The way his face lit up when your eyes brightened when you bit into the scone he had made—saved—for you. The euphoric sweetness a good dessert can do to one's brainstem is still a scientific mystery to you, but you’d gladly leave the research to the experts if you could experience it forever. 

Taste Luca’s creations forever. 

That memory seems like ages ago. Now well into two years of your relationship. 

Nothing seems to fade with Luca. 

Your first times feeling just as tortuous to your fluttering insides as the tenth or twentieth time around. 

It knocks you off kilter in the best way. 

And when you look over at Luca after dropping off your bag and sweater in an open chair, you can not help but laugh when he finally looks up from cleaning off the surfaces of the metal tables and that stone look of him being in chef mode falls from the creases of his face and his features melt into something soft. 

He doesn’t say anything until his arm is around your midsection, drawing you in. “Hi, beautiful.” He smiles as your lips meet in a long kiss. Kissing you as if he hasn’t seen you in days, as if he has spent the entire day waiting for this moment and this moment alone. “How was your day?” 

“Not as good as it is now,” you tease. Hand in the back of his hair, pulling his mouth back to yours. 

The hum that makes your lips buzz and that lands on your tongue as he backs you up so your back is pressed into the doorframe makes anything you could tell him about what happened in your day lackluster. Incomparable. How could you possibly think of anything worthwhile—how could anything be as worthwhile—as his tongue moving along your bottom lip, his hand at the side of your neck, his thumb rubbing a small circle into your skin? 

It couldn’t.

"Let me finish cleaning up," he smirks. Thumb and pointer reaching for your chin, squeezing it, luring you in for one last kiss before returning to cleaning and leaving you dazed in the doorway.  

And if you didn’t know how seriously Luca takes this, from the ritual of making pastries to maintaining a stern, clean kitchen, you would tell him to hurry. Complaining that it is not fair for him to kiss you like that and then make you wait for him to finish, but the payoff was always worth the wait. And you love Luca’s love for his craft. Love him in this element—watching him and seeing him go into that little part of his brain that makes him go into boss mode. 

The stern gentleness of it all. 

It’s breathtaking to watch.

It’s art.

He’s art. 

So that’s what you do. 

You push off the doorframe and enter further into the kitchen just to watch him. 

“How was your day?” You ask while watching him write on the white board in the corner. 

“Good. We got a new guy who came in.” 

“Is he any good?” 

“Better than he thinks he is.” 

“I bet you brought out his best. You always do.” You smile at him when you watch him shrug off the compliment, not missing the twitch of the corner of his mouth. Ever so modest. 

Wordlessly, he puts the cap back on the marker and sets it against the metal of the board, walking over to one of the refrigerators and pulling out a small bowl of something green and white. 

Something that looks too beautifully crafted to eat, let alone eaten by someone who might not fully understand what went into making something so decadent—something that looks like it would be served to someone with a gold card, not someone who eats boxed mac and cheese for dinner twice a week (which Luca always tries to make fancier than Kraft ever could). 

Luca hands you a spoon, “told him the only critic that mattered was sharing a bed with me.” You make a face, the both of you knowing how outlandish that sounds when the food genius himself is standing in front of you. The critic who mattered to a lot of people more than the girl who was sharing his bed. 

But it still brings a smile to your face. 

“Did he think you were utterly insane for such a statement? I think eating greasy takeout two nights in a row is five star dining.”

He chuckles, “you’re the only critic that matters to me.” His palms come down on the edge of the metal table between you as he leans against it. “The only important one at least. Try it.”

The swoop that runs through you from his words, from his eagerness to hear your thoughts on a dessert you do not even know the name of, but know you will appreciate more than anyone else because it came from someone he admires, makes your cheeks heat up. 

And when it touches your tongue, when that euphoric sweetness overcomes your tastebuds, you don’t think the English dictionary could come in handy with describing the taste. The goodness of it. Compliments, which you know Luca and his fellow chefs have heard many times before and then some. But still bring that artist's joy to their chests when your eyes widen and you look at them in something akin to shock. 

The moan you let out makes him grin.

“Good?”

“Is he single?” 

“Oh, that’s how it is, huh?” His arms cross over his chest, a playful brow raised.

You take another bite of the dessert, “I think you might want to start looking for another job.”

“And a girlfriend?”

You nod, “with something that tastes this good, I would give him my social security number easily. Oh my god.” You dramatically moan around the spoon, the action doing little to hide the simpering look on your face.

“Here I thought I was the only one who could make you spill such confidential secrets.” Luca strides across the table, coming to stand at your back. His lips pressing against the back of your neck and the top of your shoulder. 

Finding its home where your collarbone meets the junction of your throat, where he lets his warm breath blow against the known sensitivity there, then presses his lips to it. Making your back push into his front, your body melting against him. 

A soft noise lays dormant at the tail end  of your throat, making a ghost of a smirk etch against your skin from his mouth as he murmurs, “and the only one who can make those noises come out of you.”

Your voice is breathy when you say, “so much for being humble.”

"When it’s the truth, I do not need to be humble." His lips trailing to your ear, fingers running up the back of your exposed thighs, pulling up your skirt until they are at the apex of your hip, skating forward and close to your clothed mound. “Am I wrong? Should we see?” 

The spoon in your hand lucky you don’t have superhuman strength because it would be crushed in your grip right now. 

Luca’s fingers splay themselves across your pelvis, toying with the top of your underwear. “Hmm, awfully quiet now. Where’d my mouthy girl go?” An airy chuckle tickles your ear as he lets it out, “humbled are you?” 

There’s a teasing sneer forming on your mouth before it does a 180 and morphs into an ‘o’ as Luca’s fingers push into your underwear, the pad running through the clear as day arousal that’s been making your thighs clench uncomfortably since your kiss in the doorway. 

When the finger moves against your clit there's no covering up the gasps that fall from your lips. Or the way your ass grinds against the erection that’s pressing up against it. 

“Who’s humble now?” He teases. A cheeky grin on his face when he pulls his hand out from your underwear, bringing his finger to his lips and sucking it into his mouth. Making your cheeks heat even more when you turn to look at him. Your teasing turns needy as you give him that look, the one that always makes him drop whatever he is doing and have his body on yours within seconds. 

You both know that making it home now will feel ten times longer. Ten times more agonizing in the cool air with your warming bodies.

With you soaking your underwear and him hard against his zipper. 

So when he says “office”, all you can do is chew on your bottom lip in eagerness as you make a beeline towards it. Luca closer behind you than you expect when you hear the door shut seconds after you’ve entered and his mouth immediately on yours, your ass hoisted onto the nearest surface. 

Luca’s fingers making quick work to pull down your underwear, your skirt bunched at your hips. You fully expect him to pull himself up from his knees after slipping the lace from your ankle and tossing it to the floor. You expect him to come back up and slide inside of you quick and easy, but instead he’s trailing kisses and bites into your thighs. 

Blue eyes look up into yours, and he must see the need in them—that glint that tells him all you want is for him to be inside of you right now. The heady woes of foreplay just torture at this point. 

His teeth sink harder into your flesh, making you gasp. “I’ve worked hard all day; don’t I deserve a treat? A taste of the best dessert out there.” 

And how could you argue with that?

You can’t.

Not when his tongue runs from the bite mark in your skin to your wetness. Spreading you around him as he licks a stripe up your pussy. Your grip on the metal your ass is under hard and tight enough to leave marks against your palm. 

And as crude as it makes you sound, as obscene and cocky as it comes off your lips, you will never hold back from telling Luca that his talent as a chef will never outweigh how good he is with his mouth and cock. 

He’s multi-talented and it’s a blessing and a curse to your insides. 

“Oh, fuck. Luca,” your head hangs between your shoulders. Your fingers in his hair, the heel of your shoe pressed against his back—his apron long gone, leaving him in that navy blue—his fingers digging into the side of your thighs as he keeps you against his mouth. 

The mouth that’s switching between sucking your clit between his lips and rolling his tongue against it. Eating you like you’re the best dessert his tongue has ever had the pleasure of tasting. 

It never takes him long to get you there. To make your chest heave and your nerve endings light up, as if they are about to make you panic from the overwhelming feeling of pleasure that is completely taking over your body. 

His fingers have created beautiful, mouth watering food, just as they’ve made you completely lose your mind. Your legs shaking around his head. Your back involuntarily bows until it hits the metal surface of the desk you’re perched on. 

It’s when he slips two fingers inside of you that you completely lose it. The sob that pulls itself from your lungs feels red-hot in your throat as your fingers grip the strands of his blonde hair as you come against his mouth. Your hips riding out your high. Rolling against his tongue in a languid way, drawing out the aftershocks of your orgasm. 

Your body still reeling and alight with that desire-train that still has it wanting more. That heavy ache between your legs that wants to be filled. To be fucked by something bigger and thicker than a finger.

Your mouth comes down on the tabasco tattoo below Luca’s wrist in a gentle kiss, one of your favorites of his, when his hand comes to cup the back of your head to pull you up to him. 

His thumb runs from your cheek to your chin, where he pushes it up, so you’re looking up at him and he’s looking down at you as he stands between your legs. Your nails run along the tattoos along his arms, up his bicep, and to the nape of his neck. A fire burning in his eyes when your fingers run between the strands back there. 

“Tell me,” he says close to your lips. He’s checking in. Seeing if you’re too spent for his cock, seeing if there's more you want. If you want to wait until you get home. If you’re ready for him now. 

“It’d be cruel to not fuck me now.” You say it in a half-tease-half-serious tone. 

“Ooh,” he murmurs against your mouth, his tongue clicking against his teeth. “I don’t want to be cruel.” You can feel his other hand move between the two of you, undoing the button of his pants and messing with the zipper until he’s pulling himself out of them, hard and leaking. “What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t give my girl what she so desperately needs?” 

Luca smirks when you laugh into his mouth, “the worst kind.”

With one last kiss, lick, and nip at your lower lip, he’s rubbing the tip of his cock against your clit, making your thighs shake. Nails dig into his skull as he soaks up your oversensitivity to coat himself before going lower and slipping inside of you in one slow, fluid motion. 

Your mouth hung open at the stretch, and your breath caught in your lungs. Your foreheads resting against each other as you let your walls accommodate his girth, both of your breaths heavy. The pounding you can feel between your legs—that you’re not sure is coming from him or you or something more poetic and overwhelming like your conjoined bodies aching as one, like a heartbeat aches for a chest cavity when it’s torn from a body. 

The two of you need this. 

Need each other. 

When Luca starts moving, you know the two of you are both completely fucked. Spent and so full of desire that you know your time in this office is just the start of a long night of tangled limbs and wet mouths. 

The sounds you are making against each other's mouth are breathy and intoxicating. His tongue in your mouth swallows every mewl and moan he coaxes from your body with each stroke of his cock. 

His fingers find the back of your head again, not allowing you to even think about leaving his mouth. 

You think you see stars when his palm finds the back of your thigh and pulls your leg higher on his hips. Think you could let this man completely consume you, and you’d still never be satisfied. Never get over how good it feels to feel his hips drive deeper into you, to feel the head of his cock hit that spot inside of you that makes his name roll off your tongue like a prayer. 

“Who’s pussy is it, baby?” 

"Mm'fuck," you are not sure if he is still playing the game of you leaving him for the new chef or if his filthy mouth is attempting to completely destroy you—which is nothing new when he has you coating and tightening around his cock like this. 

When you say his name, when you whine it into his mouth like a pathetic desperation, the erotic noise that it’s met with makes you cling to him tighter. Makes you press yourself closer to him. The movement makes the outside of his pants grind against your clit. 

“So beautiful,” Luca murmurs. The octave of his voice grows lower and choppy with heavy breaths the closer he gets. Neither of you lasts much longer when his pace picks up. The grip the two of you have on each other is hard and rough, enough to tear and leave marks that you’ll later kiss with gentle lips, unlike the passion that’s coming through with the hard kisses your mouths are giving as you both come. 

“How’d I get so lucky?” He breathes into your mouth, twisting your insides even more. 

#luca x reader #will poulter x reader #luca the bear #will poulter smut #luca smut #luca x you #luca the bear x you #the bear #the bear fanfiction #will poulter x you #the bear fx #the bear one shot #will poulter fic #the bear x reader #will poulter #adam warlock smut #luca one shot #the bear imagine

[greenorangevioletgrass]

give me a minute (2/2) | chef luca

pairing: chef luca x ex-wife!reader word count: 6.6k warnings: established former relationship, discussions of separation and divorce, discussions of moving on, luca and reader has a son, brief mention of blood and minor injury, smut 18+ (fingering, oral (f receiving), unprotected sex, size kink? idk luca's big, dirty talk, creampie) notes: it's finally here! thank you everyone for your patience, i am a slow writer by nature and life gets in the way, but i finally got around to finish it! happy reading, and do comment, reblog, and send me asks to tell me what you think <;3 ✨follow @ficsbygreenorangevioletgrass and turn on the notifications to get alerted for my latest fics ✨

<<< read part 1 here >>>

06.13 PM

Your apartment has never felt so claustrophobic after that little moment you shared with Luca. You try to stay busy in the next hour —tidying up Alfie’s room even after he made it up, checking your email four times, even doing the laundry, for fuck’s sake— as Luca keeps to himself in the kitchen area. Whether Alfie is obliviously enjoying his screen time or purposely ignoring the weird tension between his parents, you’re not entirely sure. Right now, you’re just grateful that he’s not saying anything at the moment.

The boy simply creeps up to the kitchen counter with a shy eagerness about him. “How long ‘til dinner, Dad?”

“3 more minutes, Chef,” Luca answers, focused on the task at hand, so poker-faced that it makes his son giggle.

“I’m not a chef, you’re a chef!”

“Well, where I work, we call everyone in the kitchen ‘chef.’ Out of respect.”

Alfie climbs onto the dining bench in interest, peering up to watch his father set the dish on the plates meticulously. Luca doesn’t miss how the boy deeply inhales the delicious smell in the air.

“Smells yummy.”

“Thank you,” Luca replies, his excitement seems muted although his heart is soaring. He looks up to find Alfie staring at the plate, chin propped up on his little fist. You’ve always said that he looks just like his dad, but in that moment, Luca only sees you. Alfie has the way your mouth tugs ever so slightly into a smile, the way your eyes shine in childlike wonder. In quiet thoughtfulness.

No Michelin star, earned or retained, would ever amount to this.

“Can you go get your mum and tell her dinner’s ready, please?” He softly asks Alfie, as if not wanting to disrupt this peaceful silence. “Thank you, Chef.”

“Yes, chef.” The six-year-old salutes him and pads over to your home office, which doubles as the guest bedroom. The door is open, and he sees you reorganizing the linen closet with your back to him. He hugs you from behind, startling you.

“Oh!” You put your hand on his head, stroking him lightly. “Hey, bub.”

“Daddy told me to come get you and say dinner’s ready.”

“Gotcha. Thank you.” You half-expect him to run off like he usually does, but he lingers, his arms still wrapped around you. “What’s up, bubbie?”

“Nothing.” He buries his face against your side. “Love you, Mommy.”

“I love you too, bubbie.” This makes you smile, pleasantly surprised at this seemingly random admission.

“Love Daddy too, but don’t tell him that,” he whispers as he looks up at you, putting his forefinger in front of his mouth.

“Why not?”

“Sometimes he gets sad when I say that,” he murmurs. “He doesn’t tell me, but I know it.”

Oh. His playful exterior sometimes makes you forget just how emotionally sensitive he is. And it breaks your heart that he can see through the complicated adult emotions with his childlike eyes. 

“Alfie…” you level with him and pull him closer, “Your dad loves you very very much, and I’m sure he’d be happy to hear you say that. He’s just sad because… he’s been away, and he misses you a lot.”

“He should come home, then.”

It’s so simple, the way Alfie puts it. His Dad comes home and reunites with him and you, and his puzzle would piece together perfectly again. And you all live happily ever after. The end.

The truth, of course, is not so simple. But maybe, just for tonight… Maybe you and Luca can sacrifice a few of your own puzzle pieces. For your baby boy.

So you get back on your feet and guide your son out of the room. “Come on, bub. Let’s see what Daddy cooked for us, hm?”

When you and Alfie turn the corner into the kitchen-living area, Luca is wiping the side of the plate neatly. He smiles at you somewhat nervously, like he’s not sure what to do with himself, so you throw him the figurative olive branch.

“Smells amazing,” you compliment him as you and Alfie take your seats. “What are we having, Chef?”

Luca’s eyes light up and your heart stops. You stopped calling him ‘Chef’ long ago, when the moniker became synonymous with workaholism and neglect. But there’s no venom in the way you say it tonight. Call him sentimental, but it reminds him of the early summer days in the tiny apartment you first shared in Chicago.

Of blueberry pies and barely there bumps.

He has to remind himself that this whole ‘happy family’ shtick is just a charade now, it’s all for Alfie, it doesn’t mean anything for the two of us, but he can’t help but miss this.

And little does he know, so do you.

“Well, buckle up, you guys, because we are having…” He carries the plates over and serves it to you and Alfie with a flourish, “Baked sweet potato wedges with Mediterranean dip, and our pièce-de-résistance… Alfie’s Nuggies.”

It looks nothing short of beautiful, with the wedges fanned out like autumn leaves underneath a colorful burst of cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and feta cheese. The chicken nuggets are rich golden brown against the brilliant white plate. The splatters of sauce (is that Tahini?) is a hint of thoughtful chaos on the dish.

Your six-year-old let out a little noise of awe and amazement next to you, but no sound escapes you—not for the longest time.

“This is…” you look up at Luca as if he would have the word you’re looking for.

But his blue eyes just look a lot like I love you.

“Thank you,” you ultimately say, with absolutely no pretense whatsoever.

And if he does hear an ‘I love you’ hidden somewhere in there… he hopes he’s not imagining things.

*** 

08:37 PM

If you could travel just a few hours back in time and tell yourself that you would spend the whole day stuck at home in a nasty storm with your son and his father that you’re divorcing—and that you’d be okay with it, you would’ve probably scheduled yourself an MRI scan because clearly something is wrong.

But the night is winding down. Luca is tucking Alfie into bed for the first time in months. You are washing dishes in the quiet accompaniment of steady rain and running water, and everything feels just right.

“He’s out like a light,” Luca informs you quietly as he reemerges from Alfie’s bedroom and stops right by the kitchen counter. “Need a hand?”

“Nah, I’m just about done,” you casually wave him off. “You want anything to drink?”

“Uh… what do you got?”

“Scotch, gin…” you pause, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. The sink tap squeaks a little as you shut it off. “...wine.”

His heart skips. Don’t overthink it, he reminds himself. “Red or white?”

“Take your pick,” you shrug nonchalantly. 

Luca reaches up to see the bottles of wine you have in store, and you try not to pay too much attention as his shirt rides up around the waist—or the sleeve, showing off the remnants of Alfie’s crayon work over his inks… you’re just two co-parents hanging out. It’s normal, right?

“What about the Malbec?” he eventually chooses, taking out the bottle.

He’s always loved Malbec—this particular brand of Malbec you brought him when he first invited you for dinner on your third date.

Don’t overthink it, you remind yourself. “Yeah, sure.”

You pick up two wine glasses and set them down on the dining table, shuffling into the corner bench. Luca settles into the other bench, directly against the kitchen counter, pouring the wine onto both glasses.

“How many bedtime stories did Alfie manage to get out of you?” you pipe up, swirling the purplish liquid around.

“Just one…” he sips on his wine thoughtfully. “Although he made me read it three times.”

You smile, bemused. “Which one was it?”

“‘The Bear Who Did.’”

“Ah, yeah. He’s been into that one lately,” you muse. “But… for what it’s worth, I’m glad he asked you to tuck him in tonight.”

The two of you exchange a soft look. A ceasefire. A truce, at least when it comes to your son. Because you really do want Luca to have a good relationship with Alfie.

“Me too.”

“And I’m sorry you had to… make do with spending the day with Alfie here.”

He shakes his head softly. “Nah, don’t be. I had a good time. It’s nice to just hang out… at home.”

At home, the words echo in your head.

With you, they echo in his, loud and unsaid.

“So, uh… how have you been?”

“Ah, you know how it is. Work is kicking my ass—my current client’s only two blocks away, but the house is a total fixer-upper, and Alfie’s… Alfie.” You don’t want to backtalk your own son, although you both know how trying he can be sometimes. “But it’s all good. My mom helps out with Alfie, and Jess insists that I go out and live a little every now and again.”

“And do you? Live a little?”

“I mean, within reason. I can’t go clubbing ‘til 4am anymore. I think I’m getting old…” you stretch your arms, feeling that soreness just from your daily activities.

Luca grins, raising his glass. “I hear you. I don’t even really go out anymore.”

“Seriously?” 

“Mm-hm.”

You make an incredulous face. It would make sense for you not to go out much, with Alfie and everything. But he was alone, abroad… “Why, though?”

He just shrugs lightly. “I’m working. Whenever I’m off, I mostly just… eat or sleep.”

“I somehow find that hard to believe.” You take a dubious sip. You both know how much Luca enjoys grabbing a cheeky pint. He’s British; it’s in his blood, goddammit.

“Oh come on…”

“You don’t even go out drinking or whatever? Meet people?”

His gaze flashes towards you almost playfully. “Do you?”

Your face falls, not expecting to be caught so off-guard with such an innocent question. And upon seeing that, his face falls. Shit. And with that, the air between you shifts so dramatically.

Stupidly, you still try to save the conversation. “Of course my friends and I go out—”

“You know that’s not what I meant.” His voice darkens, his blue eyes piercing through you. 

This conversation is a long time coming. It’s a natural progression of your relationship—or the lack thereof. You separate, you get divorced, and eventually you move on. Two years is a more than acceptable time to start dating again. And still, you phrase out your next words very carefully.

“I’ve been on dates here and there…”

Luca sucks in a slow, calculated breath. “Does Alfie know?”

You shake your head. “It’s nothing serious so far.”

He’s not sure what’s worse, the fact that it’s nothing serious, or that you’re holding out for something serious in the future.

“Look, we both know this is happening sooner or later…”

“I know,” he quickly recovers—or as much as he can recover. He just stares down the stem of his glass.  “It just… It’s a lot to take in, that’s all.”

“I understand.” The wine feels like gravel down your throat, and the words coming out of your mouth feel like throwing up a boulder.

“Because I do miss you.”

Your eyes immediately dart over to his, as if you’re not sure you heard it right. “Luca…”

“I miss you everyday. I miss us. I miss everything we used to have.”

Your heart catches—no, stops altogether at his admission. “Luca, we can’t do this anymo—”

He swallows thickly, his jaw setting as he braces himself. “I’ve been thinking about it everyday—the whole time I’m away, and frankly, I’m kicking myself over not telling you this sooner.”

“That’s probably just the homesickness talking.” You turn away. This can’t be possible. This can’t be happening. What the fuck?! “It got you reminiscing about the good old days. Give it time, you’ll come around.” You try to maintain a neutral, distant, cold approach to this, although the crack in your voice betrays you.

“No. That’s not it.”

“Then what the fuck is it?”

Your words cut through the quiet apartment like a flash bang. Luca stops dead in his tracks in his shock, and honestly, so do you. Awful silence hushes over the room, and both of you are almost too afraid to break it. Neither of you even dare to move.

After what seems like forever, Luca moves first. A tear escapes his eye, and he wipes it away with his knuckle hurriedly. “Noma should’ve been a dream. And it is, in a way. I guess.” He stares blankly ahead, his life in Copenhagen replaying in his head like it’s on fast-forward, and the playback seems to just highlight how lonely he is there. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m utterly miserable there. I get up and go to work and I just feel empty. Because what’s the point? You and Alfie are way over here, being a family while I’m… doing what?” He wants to tear his hair out, because this is everything he’s dreamed of, and yet he is living the stuff of nightmares. “It makes no fucking sense.”

It makes even less sense to you. You can’t even begin to process this tangled mess in your head. “Luca… we are almost officially divorced. You’re telling me this now? When everything is—”

“I thought I was doing what was best for you. I thought I should just… let you cut your losses and—”

“The best for me? How the fuck did you think giving up was the best way forward for me?” The thought of it burns your eyes with angry tears. They melt, and you don’t do a thing to stop it from running down your face. “You didn’t think to fight for us while you still could?”

Luca’s heart aches to see that. He is dying to reach out and wipe them away, but he can’t. His voice is quiet and small and almost childlike. “I tried. You were just so… sure about the divorce. You had it all figured out. And I… I thought you had no room for me anymore.”

“I had to keep it together. I had to figure it out—for Alfie’s sake. For mine.” You stare at your little potted sunflower on the windowsill. “I don’t see the point in being vulnerable with you anymore when you’re already set on leaving.”

The words have run out. The whirlwind of emotions has passed. What he feels and what he wants is now very clear.

“I shouldn’t have left.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have.” You wished he didn’t. Everyday for the last two years. And everyday you set yourself up for disappointment because, the truth of the matter is, he did leave. So you stop wishing. “Because I don’t know how to come back from this. I really don’t.”

Nothing that comes out of your mouth is unexpected. But it doesn’t hurt any less to hear it from the horse’s mouth. “It’s just… seeing you guys today… We were a family again. And I would do anything for us to be a family again. Please.”

You sigh heavily. “What else is there to do, Luca…?”

“We can, I don’t know, figure something out, go to couples counseling—”

You groan in frustration, Jesus Christ not this again, wanting to tear your hair out when— CRASH! You accidentally knock over your wine glass and it shatters as it hits the floor. “Shit…”

“Mommy?” Alfie calls you from inside his room, sleepy but alert.

The two of you freeze just before you can move out of your seat. Afraid the slightest of noises would rattle your son.

“Yes, bubbie?” you try to sound bright and normal. Maybe if you can convince him that everything’s fine, he won’t come running in panic. 

“What was that?”

“I just knocked over a glass, kiddo, everything’s okay. Go back to sleep.”

You and Luca wait a few seconds with bated breath. One, two, three… ten seconds go by, and there’s no movement in the bedroom.

The coast is clear.

You scramble down to pick up the shards of glass. The spilled wine looks like blood in the dim light of the room. It’s a painful reminder of the broken pieces of your former life, the casualties. He quickly follows suit, as if struggling to put it all back together. The irony is not lost on either of you, you’re sure of that.

“It’s fine, Luca. I got it, I—” a sharp piece of glass accidentally cuts your palm as you pick it up in hurry. “Fuck!”

“You okay?” He takes your hand as quick as lightning, wanting to inspect the wound, but you snatch it away.

“I’m fine.” You get up on your feet, teetering over to the sink, away from the crime scene, careful not to step on any piece of glass.

Yet he still follows you, walking over to where you’re standing now. “Come on. Let me just take a look.” He reaches out to your wrist, running little circles with his thumb to ease your grasp.

“It’s not a big deal…” you let him look anyway, you figure it’s easier to just let him do his thing than to argue your way out of it. 

His calluses are brittle against your palm, but he handles you with the gentlest touch. The wound is not too big or too deep, but the sight of blood marring your palm makes his heart drop. There’s no visible piece stuck to it, that’s a good sign, he thinks. He rips off some paper towel and wets it on the sink, and softly dab at the gash, cleaning the wound and wiping the blood off.

You grit your teeth, not wanting to show any sign of pain although it stings. “It’s just a little cut…” your tone bears less and less conviction, as if you have no energy left to argue with him on such a small matter.

There’s a very particular way his eyebrows arch when he’s deep in thought. The left one always sits slightly higher than the right. Blue eyes fixed on the object of his focus. A minute gesture behind the chaos in his head. “You need a Band-Aid,” he points out. 

“It’s in the—”

Luca is already opening the drawer next to the stove, taking out a packet of a Star Wars-themed Band-Aid. He still remembers where everything is, and you can’t tell whether the ache in your chest is a good or bad thing.

He puts the Band-Aid on your cut, then takes your hand close to kiss it better, like he used to do.

“Um.” You freeze in your tracks, taken aback. And it seems he’s just as equally as taken aback by his own action. He is flushed with embarrassment, and you feel your face growing hot as well.

He’s the first to break the awkward silence, quiet and tentative. “I’ll clean up the mess. You just hang tight.”

It seems so mundane, sweeping broken glass and cleaning the floor. His body registers it as a simple muscle memory—he must’ve cleaned up messes on this very spot a million times. But his heart is heavy with the burden of your history, and all the pain that comes with your separation. He might not be able to put the pieces back together, but maybe he can clean up the mess and make it nice again for you.

And all the while, you’re stuck to the kitchen counter, watching him so effortlessly reacquainted with his former home. It’s as if he never left. For a confusing moment, it feels like home again. How did you manage without this view, this presence for so long?

Luca puts away the debris in the trash, hidden away in another kitchen drawer next to you, and hovers in front of you, as if wanting to reach out and touch you… but too afraid you’ll push him away.

“Does it still hurt?”

You can’t tear your eyes off of his. The little cut on your hand is but a dull ache now, but the insides of your chest feels like it’s been mangled beyond repair. You burst into tears, sobs ripping through the seams.

His arms wrap around you, keeping your tattered pieces together. Your face is buried in his chest, surrounded by soft cotton and earthy perfume, and your first thought is you can’t remember the last time you were in his arms like this. You rake your mind through all the memories, all the times you hugged each other hello and goodbye and all the times in between, and you can’t remember the last time you stopped, why would you stop—

“My love…” Luca’s voice soothes you, so quietly murmured against your forehead with a soft kiss, yet rings so clear in your ears. He cups your face with both hands, wiping the tears away with his thumbs. “It’s okay... I got you.”

The palm of his hand grazes your lips, and you kiss it the way he kisses your Band-Aid earlier. You have no energy left to fight whatever is going on inside you. You don’t understand the nagging urge to be away from him, when being close to him feels this good. You miss his touch and his voice and his face, and you’re so overwhelmed with longing that you close the distance between your lips and his.

Luca gasps when you kiss him—and it feels like the first breath he’s drawn in two years. Your lips are just as he remembers, just as warm and inviting and familiar, and he relishes coming home to them tonight. He didn’t think he would be so lucky ever again, but now you’re here, kissing life back into him again.

Against your better judgment, you stumble into the bedroom, careful to make as little sound as possible as you tread down the hallway. Still tangled in each other. Refusing to let go even for a second. His five o’clock shadow scratches your skin, following the trail of his lips down your neck.

You push him into bed and climb on top of him without a single thought. You need him close, closer than the past two years, closer than now, and your clothes feel like they’re in the way. Of his hands, of his mouth, of his warmth…

You tear your dress off and throw it away, and he stops in his tracks. He has every part of you memorized, every curve and every ridge, every notch of your stretch marks, every inch of your C-section scar from Alfie’s birth… and yet he’s looking at you for the first time all over again.

“Beautiful…” it escapes his mouth just like that, and you kiss him senseless in return. You worry that if you stop, the moment will pass and this whole thing turns out to be just an illusion.

Or worse, a mistake.

You tug his t-shirt over his head, trying not to linger on his broad chest too long. He gets the idea—he is dying to say something, but doesn’t—and just unclasps your bra in response. He keeps his mouth busy by kissing and licking and sucking your newly exposed breasts.

It’s not that you haven’t been touched like this in a while; it’s just that you haven’t been touched by him like this for so long.. “Luca…”

He never thought he’d hear that again. His name in a wanton sigh, uttered by the lost love of his life. He’s not one to waste his chance. “It’s okay. I got you, my love. I got you.”

Because for the first time in a long time, it’s true. He’s got you. He’s got your body underneath him, your nipple in his mouth, your sweet sex in his hand.

God.

You’re so soft, so warm, so wet against his fingers. The little stuttered moan you let out sounds absolutely heavenly. He remembers exactly the last time he was here.

Christmas Eve, two years ago. 

Things had been tense long before that, but Luca was home and able to spend some time with his wife and kid at last. You didn’t seem all that chuffed having him around—whether he was here or not brought out that “neutral look of displeasure” from you these days— but at least you didn’t pull away when he rested his head on your shoulder as the three of you watched Jurassic Park (Alfie’s all-time favorite). Didn’t roll your eyes and turn away when he kissed you and wished you happy Christmas before bed.

And he wanted so desperately for you to openly want him again.

So he tentatively deepened the kiss and reiterated his love for you in every inch of your body that he could get his hands on. Trying to convince you that he was still here. Trying to convince himself that with every orgasm he pried out of you, that you still wanted him there.

But you just… laid there and watched. Hands locked in on the sheets, not even touching him. Motionless as he went through the motions of his thrusts. Numb as he touched and kissed and fucked you the way you used to like. He was fighting a losing battle. He might as well have been making love to a ghost. 

“Luca…” Your breathless voice snaps him out of his own intrusive thoughts, more clear and alive and real than any memory of you posing no desire for him.

“I— yeah, sorry. I just…” he shakes off his own thoughts.

“Hurry up, come on…” you needily thrust yourself into his hand.

“You sure?”

No, and neither does he. But at this point, you’re much too stubborn about your decision in the divorce and much too prideful to admit that you want him back and maybe just a tad too eager to make a mistake with him.

So you nod your head yes, and with a searing kiss, he fingerfucks you the way you needed him to. 

“Oh, God… fuck…” you sigh under the undoing of his fingers. It’s like he never forgot how to work your body. His fingers play a pattern on your clit that makes you sing. And when one slides into you, crooking and curling against your silky heat…

“Luca, I— now.”

He unlatches his mouth from your nipple almost begrudgingly, as if too sweet to part with you. “Not yet, baby. We can’t…”

“What, why?”

“Because…” he nips at the smooth flesh of your chest thoughtfully. How can he explain it to you in a way that makes sense? “I want…” to take as much time with you as possible, he adds another finger inside you deliciously slow. “I need…” to feel you in every way first, he chants in his head as he kisses you through your orgasm.

Your resolve is slipping, but the craving is as ravenous as ever. You try to squirm in protest anyway. “But…”

“Please.” His lips press against your forehead, eyes squeezed shut. “I got you, okay?”

His blue eyes meet yours, as familiar as the sky you’ve walked under your whole life. As sure as day. And before you realize it, you find yourself nodding along.

Watching him slither further down your body. Mouth paving the way between the valleys of your breasts, up the diamond-hard tops of your nipples.

Down your torso.

Between your nether lips.

You don’t remember the last time you did this either. Memories of attempts to rekindle the romance flash before your eyes. The nights that he climbed into bed late at night after work, still smelling like chocolate or mint or whatever ingredient he was working with that day. Waking you up with the parting of your legs and hushed kisses saying, “Missed you so much, baby…”

“Right there. Yes…” you pant as he laps you up where you’re dripping, catching every drop and coaxing more at the same time.

His eyes close, and he swallows back a needy groan. “Come for me, baby.”

The words shoot right into your core, and you’re suddenly overcome with the waves of pleasure running through you, grinding your hips into his mouth shamelessly. Has he always been so greedy in the way he ate you out?

Your head is spinning with need and you hope the broken words you string up are comprehensible enough for him. “Luca, come on, I can’t—”

“No, please—” he seems to understand just fine, but still he shakes his head and buries his face deeper into you.

“Luca…”

“Wait, just let me—”

So insistent. So stubborn. So… needy. You grasp a fistful of hair on the back of his head. Both heaving, you breathe out,

“Please.” 

The word stops him in his tracks. But it’s not so much the word as it is the gravity that comes with it. Whatever the two of you are doing, whatever you’re feeling is beyond words at this point.

It’s just you and him and this need.

And as much as he wants—needs— to satisfy his hunger, there’s just no way of stopping you anymore. Truth be told, he’s not even sure why he’s been stalling you in the first place. Not when you’re so eager to tug his clothes off and touch him absolutely everywhere. To stroke him, and taste him…

“No, baby.” He stops you just before you slither down his body, settling you back on the bed and caging you underneath him.

You throw him a look, indignant. If he’s gonna hold it off some more, you swear to God—

“No, I…” he kisses you hard, hoping you’ll get that he wants you too. More than anything. And that he’ll give you what you want. Hell, he would give you anything if he could come back to this again for the rest of his life. “Just trust me, okay?”

You marvel at the sight before you. So tall and broad and sturdy. With dark blond locks tousled in passion and eyes lidded from lust and longing, and it makes your heart stop because… there it is.

Love.

As much as you shut it out and as much as you avoid it, love is permanently etched to his actions. Tattooed onto the smallest of things. In the way he kisses your temple softly, and the way he caresses your skin as he aligns himself against you, and the way he holds you as he pushes in…

“Luca…” you gasp sharply.

He stops halfway into you, his eyes searching your face with compassion. “You okay?”

You’re aching and craving the stretch of him all at once, but you wouldn’t have it any other way, so you ultimately nod your head. I’m okay. 

And he knows that deep down. He feels the same. Soothed and tormented by your very presence, although he can’t help but ask, “Do you want me to stop?” Please don’t ask me to stop…

You shake your head quickly. Neither of you would ever dream of it. You would take everything—the weight and the sting of it all— and he would leave everything behind just to have this again.

Your hips colliding again in a frenzy of a rhythm you haven’t played in so long—still remembering every beat like it’s your own pulse. Your walls gripping him like you wouldn’t let him go.

He shudders a little. “I’m gonna come if you keep doing that…”

“I don’t care,” you murmur into his neck with a kiss, “Come.”

“What…?” He can’t have heard that right… right?

“I want you to.”

“Jesus…” he breathes out. “I wanna make this last, baby—”

You shake your head again and wrap your legs around him almost demandingly. “I want you to come inside me and fill me the fuck up… want you dripping down my legs… please…”

“Fuck!” The images flash before his eyes faster than he can stop his hands from grabbing you by the hips, slamming himself into you. 

Nor can he stop himself from coming deep inside you.

There’s no way to describe the way he feels at that moment. The way tension peaks and snaps into release. How it brings you into your climax as well. Your lips must be swollen from the assault of your own teeth as you hold back the filthy noises coming out of you. You don’t mind the building ache in your thigh muscles, because as soon as that warmth fills you up, your body is overcome by waves of bliss.

“Fuck…” he flops back onto his side of the bed—the right side—and quickly gathers you in his chest. It’s an effortless little maneuver, making sense at last as you lay half on top of him.

Your hand finds his—more puzzle pieces coming together as he fills the spaces between your fingers. You bring it to your lips, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. Surprised to find the gold wedding band still adorning his ring finger.

***

9:56 PM

“Was that really your first time since we… you know?” Your murmured question rings loud in the absence of the rain. The storm has finally passed, but neither of you move—neither even dare to bring it up— afraid to ruin the moment. 

“It was.”

“Not even in a casual, ‘no strings attached’ kind of situation?”

“No.” He looks almost embarrassed to admit it, but there is no hesitation in his answer.

“Wow…” your heart sinks. Is it possible to feel good and bad at the same time?

Luca pauses for a moment. You can see the conflict brewing in his head. “Did you?”

You don’t have to answer. The sheer silence you take is an answer enough.

The confirmation feels like shit, but he tries to stay neutral. His thumb stills on the back of your hand. “Can I ask how many?”

“Gosh, does that even matter?” You sigh. There’s another argument coming—you can feel it.

“No, I just… I wanna know.”

“You don’t really wanna know.”

“Is it a lot?”

“I mean…”

“How many?” 

You take in a sharp breath. There’s no way out of this now. If the truth is what he wants, then the truth is what he shall get. “Twelve.”

He tenses up next to you. The whole world stops, and you can’t help but think, it’s over. There is no way this marriage is salvageable now. “What…?”

“I know that it’s a big number, and I know you might be upset—”

“That is a big number.” He doesn’t say anything about the latter part of her sentence, but it’s obvious that he’s upset, too. “I just… why?”

“I was trying to get over you.” It’s a pathetic answer, but that’s all it is to it. “I couldn’t sleep in this bed for months. I just couldn’t. Slept on the guest bed instead,” you motion at the next room, “and then one day, I couldn’t take it anymore. It’s like a switch flipped inside my brain, and I needed to—”

“What?”

“I needed to… overwrite the memories of you,” you admit feebly. “On this bed. On my body.”

Knife, meet heart. He’s not sure what answer he was expecting, but whatever it was, this hurts so much more. “And did it work?”

“Up to a point…” you pause, a sad smile in realization. “It’s funny. I keep getting bits and pieces of you somehow.”

“What do you mean?”

You close your eyes, your memories flashing, reminding you that every single time reminds you of Luca one way or another. “It’s… somebody’s perfume, or the timbre of their voice, or the way they hold my hand…”

“And you see me in them?” 

“Every single one.”

“Jesus…” Luca finds himself relieved and choked up at the same time. He doesn’t want you to ever get rid of your memories of him, but at the same time, it’s painful to hear that you tried anyway.

And you tried very hard.

“I’m sorry.”

He hums, and you realize… he hasn’t let go of your hand. Not once. Not even after your little confession. It makes the argument easier, knowing he’s there. It’ll be easier to part with him again after tonight, you hope, knowing you both did your best to understand. Why you needed to be apart. Why you did the things you did.

The armor has been shed, and the two of you are now naked, in every sense of the word.

Luca turns to look at you, studying your profile. He remembers the last time he was here.

He had just told you about Denmark. Stupid of him to feel excited, to tell you he’d just been offered his dream job, to ask you and Alfie to move someplace new with him, because it turned into a fight.

Worse than a fight; it was a death sentence.

You turned away and stared at the ceiling, and told him you couldn’t do this anymore.

And in some fucked up way, Luca feels as if he’d been brought back in time, and this is his one chance to make it right. So he asks you,

“Do you still love me?” 

You breathe out, heart clenching because in spite of yourself, “I do.”

“Do you want us to try again?”

“Luca…” you sigh heavily, “How would that even work? Alfie and I are here, and you have Noma–”

“No more Noma. I’m giving that up.” The answer is straightforward, and he surprises himself over how easily it rolls off of his tongue. How right.

“What? You wouldn’t…” Your face falls as you turn to him.

“I would. And I am,” he says firmly. “Look, I’ve thought about this for months now. I can’t do Noma anymore, I need to be home.” His gaze softens, and you feel the pattern running on the back of your hand again.

Slow and steady and certain.

The tear rolls off the corner of your eye and onto the pillow with the tiniest drop. “I wanted you to come home…”

“Then let me come home. Please?”

“I want to. I just…” you reach out and cup his face tentatively. “I just want to make sure that we’re not doing anything rash.”

His eyes light up. The only thing that matters is that you want him home, too. It takes him everything to let his logical part of the brain take control. “How about this, then?” Luca pauses thoughtfully. “We’ll take a minute. For me to sort out everything at Noma, find a replacement… and for us to figure out if this is really what we wanna do.

“If it starts to feel like a bad idea, maybe we should rethink it. But if it feels good… maybe we can give it another shot.

“And in the meantime, we’ll talk. We’ll FaceTime and… figure out what the hell to say to our lawyers.”

That makes you grimace. You were supposed to have another meeting with your divorce lawyers. Tomorrow is going to be awkward. But awkward beats saying goodbye to the man you’ve always loved, right? It’s a small price to pay.

“What do you say, baby?” He looks at you with all the hope that he has. “Just give me a minute to get everything sorted and then I’ll come home.”

You smile tearfully. “A minute is not enough… how about a month, hm?”

“Yeah, that makes more sense, actually.” He chuckles sheepishly. “A month. I can do that.”

“Good.” You sidle up to him and kiss him where his heart is. You’re willing to settle for having him just for the night, but you can’t wait until he comes home to you for good.

You hope he will.

#will poulter #chef luca #luca the bear #the bear fx #chef luca x reader #luca x reader #chef luca x ex-wife!reader #chef luca fic #chef luca smut #will poulter fic #will poulter smut #ava writes

[kdogreads]

You’re My Peace

Chef Luca x f!reader

TW: angsty Luca (before his Carmy epiphany), hurt/comfort-ish, cursing, established relationship

AN: I just love him 🥹 lmk what else reader x Luca should get up to! Thank you for reading 🫶

You weren’t sure what time it was when you finally heard the front door to your apartment open. You’d been in bed for an hour or two, but you couldn’t sleep without Luca softly snoring next to you, looking like your own personal Adonis even in his sleep.

He started rustling around in the kitchen as soon as the door shut, so you decided you’d get up and see what he was doing. Plus, you needed to know why he wasn’t coming to bed.

“Baby, what’s going on?” You ask groggily, startled that every light was on in the kitchen in the middle of the night, “Are you alright?”

“Sorry, my love, didn’t mean to wake you,” He stepped over to you and pecked a soft kiss into your forehead before turning back to the counter.

You stood in silence a moment, trying to make sense of all the utensils and plates Luca was pulling out of the cabinets at 1:30 — no, 1:33, you noticed — in the morning. He’d already been gone all day at school, putting in hours more than required.

“Baby,” You sighed and closed the gap between you, gently grabbing his face and making him look down at you, “Can’t it wait ‘til tomorrow? You have to be tired, Lu.”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, leaning over you so his lungs filled with the scent of your coconut shampoo. His lips pressed into the top of your head for a moment before he started to speak.

“I’ll be 10 minutes, love, I promise,” He kissed your forehead again, “Then I’ll come to bed.”

You let out a breath you didn’t know you’d been holding, “Jesus, Luca, come on.”

You stepped back as his hands began reaching for the spice cabinet. He shot you an apologetic look before he started grabbing things off the shelf.

“I know, baby, it’s just that Carmy, ah, the bloke I’ve been telling you about-,” He rambled as you searched for any more patience left in your body, “-yeah, he made this, uh, this dish today and I’ve almost got it down—.”

His voice trailed off as he kept opening cabinets and drawers, pulling more spoons and bowls and testing your resilience all the while.

“Luca, please, it’s late—,” You started.

“Really, love, just 10 more minutes.”

“Luca—,” He kept moving, clearly not sensing your impending implosion.

“Baby, come on,” You tried one last time before you couldn’t keep your volume down anymore, “Luca!”

He instantly dropped the wooden spoon in his hand, turning his full attention to you. He never raised his voice at you, and you’d never yelled at him.

“Please, baby, listen to me,” You started softly, stroking his broad shoulders with a gentle touch, “You know how much I want this for you, and I love you so damn much for your dedication, but I need you to be here when you are here.”

Luca let out a shaky breath, his warm hands reaching up to cup your face tenderly. His slender fingers reached into your hair and pulled you up towards him, pressing his lips into yours in a slow, languid kiss.

He leaned back slightly, far enough to slide his right hand down to his chest, clutching it into a fist and circling his heart. I’m sorry.

You mirrored his motions, dropping your hand down to circle your own heart with a bit more fervor. I’m sorry, too.

You held each other’s gaze for a long moment until Luca closed his eyes and leaned his head into your shoulder. His arms wrapped tightly around your waist and pulled you to him like he was afraid you’d disappear if he let go.

Your own arms drifted around his just as tight. One hand was tangled in his messy curls while the other drew pictures absentmindedly onto his back.

“I just thought I could be the best, thought I was the best,” Luca spoke into your neck, his muscles relaxing as your hands danced over them, “And realizing I’m not, that I never can be, it’s just—.”

“A lot,” You finish for him, helping him not have to think.

“A lot,” He mirrors.

“Hey,” You gently pull his face up to meet your soft gaze, “You don’t have to be the best to be really damn good.”

The corners of his mouth twitch up slightly, almost in a smile, “I know that now. I think I just had to— I don’t know, make peace with that.”

You send him a knowing smile as his lips drift to meet yours again, a little deeper this time.

“Plus,” You begin, “If anyone is going to out-chef you, Chef, it has to be Carmy. He’s like, from another planet or something.”

Luca huffs out a laugh and your heart immediately feels lighter.

“Carm is really good,” Luca chuckles, “He’s got something special.”

“Just as special as you have, Lu.”

He kisses you like he’s trying to pour all of his love into you in just this moment. Your mind swirls as his lips leave yours, batting your eyes open to clear your head.

You placed a peck on his firm shoulder and step away to head back to bed. It’s only a few seconds of clanging until Luca is closing your bedroom door behind him.

“Dishes’ll be there tomorrow,” He mumbles as he climbs into bed, his weight practically collapsing into the plush surface.

You slid into place beside him, one leg tangled over his as his strong arms pull you into his chest. Luca’s warm hands sent a shiver up your spine.

“I should’ve just talked to you, my love. I’m sorry,” Luca stroked his thumb over your cheekbone.

“Heard, Chef,” You smirked but meant it just the same, “Can’t scare me off that easy.”

Luca smiled and tucked you into his chest, wanting to hold you as close as he could. His heart beat evened out as he felt your own, strong and steady, drawing him out of his anxiety.

You ran your fingertips of Luca’s toned back as he pressed gentle kisses into your cheek and neck. The two of you shared a comfortable, warm silence for a moment before a thought popped into Luca’s head.

“I thought I had to make my own peace,” He pulled away from you so he could see your face, “But I think you are my peace, love. You are always the answer.”

Your eyes prickled with tears, seeing the truth and adoration in Luca’s gaze. He’s saying all this while you’re trying to figure out how he thinks he’s the lucky one.

You wrack your brain for the right words, but all that comes out is, “I love you so fucking much, Lu.”

Luca stared down at you lovingly, planting needy kisses onto your lips.

“I love you just the same, my peace.”

————

It wasn’t more than a month before a delicate peace dove tattoo showed up on Luca’s forearm. Followed closely by a framed portrait of he and Carmy on the wall in your kitchen.

“Both sent me to war,” He teased when you questioned the timing, “But both brought me peace.”

#luca the bear #luca x reader #chef luca x reader #chef luca #the bear hulu #the bear imagine #the bear #carmen berzatto #carmy the bear #kdogreads

[nolita-fairytale]

burn your life down | chef luca x fem!reader | chapter eleven

summary: you receive bad news, but luca is there for you. and it seems like he's intent on continuing to be there for you.

warnings: angst, grief, death, vomiting, fluff, conversations about divorce, second person pov, swearing, danish inaccuracies, very little connection to the storyline of the bear.

word count: 3.3k

listen to: the official 'burn your life down' playlist (specifically 'how to mend a broken heart' - al green & 'love' - kendrick lamar; another very will poulter-coded choice)

a/n: pov: it's me warning you that there is in fact angst but trust, babes. trust. after the trauma of meeting donna b in season 2, i wanted to explore characters who had positive relationships with their mothers. so if you have not picked up on it yet, this story is also about mothers **cries because it's too damn sweet. let me know if you'd like to be added or removed from the taglist.

part ten | masterlist | part twelve

Astrid: Hey give me a call when you’re up. 

I don’t want to worry you, but we need to talk. 

Your fingers hurriedly move to open up the multiple missed notifications that you have from her, holding the phone up to your ear so that you can listen to her voicemail next. 

“Hey… I know you’re probably still asleep right now,” you hear, her voice somber, as you listen to Astrid’s voicemail, left for you at three in the morning. “And I know that you’ve got your do not disturb on. But I really need to talk. Call me when you’re up.” 

Your heart pounds in your chest as your mind races with fears over what this could be about, and as your eyes scroll through the other missed notifications, you see something that stops you in your tracks: 

1 Missed Call from Joe

And it all suddenly feels real, a sense of dread fills your throat, and you can only imagine that it must be an emergency if both Astrid and Joe have called. Your mind races. It can’t be about Joe – if he called too, right?

The severity of the situation forces you to sit up straight as you steal a glance Luca’s way. You’re grateful that he’s such a heavy sleeper as you peel the covers back, tiptoeing out into the living room so that you don’t wake Luca. Your fingers shake as they hover over Astrid’s name, before tapping down on the screen so that you can give her a call back. 

It only rings twice before Astrid answers, a tiredness in the way her voice sounds, as if she hasn’t slept all night. 

“Hey, Astrid. What’s going on?” you ask, a panic that colors your voice as you wait for her reply. 

The anticipation builds in every moment of silence she leaves between the two of you. 

“It’s mum. Ehm…” she trails off, her voice breaking. 

No. 

It’s as if your worst nightmare is coming true – like no matter how many times you’ve rehearsed this scenario in your head, prepared for it, braced for it, nothing softens the blow of the words that Astrid utters. 

“She’s gone. She passed. Early this morning,” Astrid finally says, a sob following. “We’re still at the hospital right now.” 

As Astrid begins to cry, you let her, even though you feel like you can’t breathe. Through her tears, she tries her best to explain what happened and you can feel yourself going numb as you listen. You can barely process what she’s saying as the words wash over you, a deep pain building in your belly with each detail she shares: that mum hadn’t been feeling well late last night, that she had a fever of 104 F and that’s when they knew she had to be taken to the hospital, that she passed a few hours later. 

It was sudden. 

It was quick. 

And now, Astrid’s whole world – your whole world, and Joe’s – has changed forever.

All you can do is attempt to breathe, to listen, and try your best not to drop your phone as your hands tremble.

You can feel it, a sickening feeling that wells up from your belly and into your throat as you croak out:

“Astrid, I’m so sorry.”

“After everything we’ve been through, all the rounds of chemo… I just can’t believe that overnight she’s gone,” Astrid whispers, tears falling down her cheeks. “I just-, I thought we’d have more time.”

“I know. Me too,” you agree quietly. 

It doesn’t feel real, and you wonder if you’re just in denial. 

“I’m so sorry to call like this. But I thought you should know,” Astrid apologizes, clearing her throat as she continues. “‘M sure I ruined your high from the all-night shag-fest with the hot pastry chef, now didn’t I?”

You chuckle, in response to her attempt to lighten the mood. 

“No, it’s okay. I’m glad you called,” you reassure her, your voice soft. 

“I’ve got to go. Joe and I are going to try to grab something to eat and ehm, try to get a hold of Lina. I’ll keep you posted on everything. On all the details, you know… about… anything we do,” Astrid informs you, trying her best to pull herself together.  

“But I just wanted you to know and ehm, well, I know Joe called.”

“No, I-. Yeah,” you stammer through, at a loss for words. “I… I’ll give him a call. And thank you… for calling me. Thank you for telling me.”

Astrid nods solemnly, “She loved you like one of us.”

You swallow, as a stream of tears streak your cheeks 

“Yeah I… I love – loved – her too.” 

You clear your throat, unaware that your hands have begun to shake. 

“And please keep me posted. I’d like to be there… at the funeral. If you think it’s appropriate.”

“‘Course,” Astrid agrees. “I love you. Call you later?”

“Please. And… yes,” you say, adding if it’s a promise:

“I love you too.”

As soon as you hang up the phone, it’s as if your body knows something you don’t – like your brain hasn’t quite processed the news, racing your body to intellectualize everything you’ve just heard, so your body has to take over instead. Your stomach flips, and suddenly, you’re overwhelmed with the urge to vomit. You sprint to your small apartment bathroom, throwing the toilet seat up with a clang as you begin to empty the contents of your stomach into the toilet, in an uncontrollable physical response.

The sound of you retching, coughing up the last of it, seems to wake up Luca. You brace yourself against the toilet, flushing it as you wipe your mouth with the back of your hand. Your body feels fragile and your mind races as you reach behind you for the towel that lays folded over your towel bar, clutching it towards you. 

“My love, is everything alright?” you hear his voice, as Luca stirs, sitting up in bed. 

The sound of his footsteps heading towards you fill your ears, and as they get closer and closer to you, Luca appears in the doorway, his eyes squinting from how jarring of a wakeup he’s just had. You look up at him, noticing the way his face has twisted itself into a look of concern, swallowing as you rack your brain, searching for a way to explain what just happened. 

“Well, the good news is that I’m not pregnant,” is all that comes out, in sheer disbelief that you’ve chosen to make a joke at this moment. Luca only looks more concerned, more worried, more confused, so you shake your head this time, muttering an apology under your breath. “Uh… remember when I told you… my ex’s mom… she got really sick and we had to move to the UK because of it?”

“Yeah,” he answers, unsure of what this has to do with why you’re stuck to the bathroom floor. 

“I-. Astrid, his sister, just called. She uh…” you trail off, because it feels like you can’t get the words out of your mouth – like if you say it out loud, it’d make it all the more real. 

Your voice, this time much somber, croaks out the words, and you feel sick to your stomach again.

“She passed… last night,” you finally say again, a wave of nausea coming over you. 

“Oh, my love,” Luca sighs empathetically, as his heart falls at the news. “I’m so sorry.”

But before he can say anything else, you’re folded over the toilet once more, caught up in a competition with your own body of which could be worse: dry heaving or vomiting. Instead of leaving, Luca takes a few steps towards you, sitting down next to you as he rubs soothing patterns across your back, as you work this out. What feels like forever, and simultaneously, barely a few seconds, your back is pressed against the wall as you try your best to get your heart rate back down. 

The cold floor and the rigid wall that you’ve pressed your back against feels grounding, perhaps the only thing tethering you to this world. Luca sits with you quietly, but his presence can be felt in tonnes. It’s strong, steady, comforting, with care and love in every single touch and touch he sends your way. 

After a few minutes of letting you stare at the wall blankly, Luca gets up, kneeling on his knees as he offers his hands to you. 

“C’mon. Let’s get you some water and back into bed,” Luca suggests. “I’ll call Jesper and Mathilde. Let them know you’re not going in today.”

You nod, sliding both of your hands into his as he helps to your feet. 

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

“How are you doing, babe?” Luca asks you, as you wake up from your nap. 

You’re grateful that he called in today, after the news, and called in for you as well. After your phone call with Astrid, not to mention hurling the entire contents of your stomach (and then some) into the toilet this morning, you’d crawled back into bed and fallen asleep. It hadn’t been great sleep – more so an avoidance mechanism than anything else, you realize – as you begin to come to. 

“Jesper was just here. Came by to drop off food,” Luca adds, as you move onto your side so that you can face him. “They’re worried about you.”

“I’m not hungry,” is all you manage to say. 

He nods, “For later maybe.” 

He pauses, before repeating his question from earlier. 

“How are you doing? What can I do?

You think it over, only slightly upset with yourself for being annoyed at his question. Of course he’s only trying to be helpful, only trying to care for you through this horrible thing. But it’s not like there’s anything he can do to take your pain away either, which, it’s silly you know, is what bothers you so much about his ask. 

But as you look over at the man who wants nothing more than to love you, and you know he’s only trying to be helpful in an unwinnable situation.

You muster up your best smile, because you want to reassure him that you’re sort of-kind-of-okay, and you’d rather try than be a jerk right now. 

“Come back to bed?” you ask him, your voice lifting at the end of the question. “I think I just want you to hold me.”

“Sounds like something that could be arranged,” Luca replies with a smile on his face, in an attempt to lighten up the mood a little. 

As you lay on your side, Luca curls up behind you, engulfing you in his arms as he presses a kiss to the back of your shoulder, tangling his legs with yours underneath the covers. And you’re right. It does make you feel better – being held by him – and you’re glad that you chose not to push him away. 

After a few beats, and a thick silence between the two of you, Luca finally speaks again.

“Do you want to tell me about her?”

Do you?

You debate with yourself whether or not you want to, because on one hand you feel weird about it – asking Luca to listen to you talk about how much you loved your ex husband’s mother – and on the other, you’re afraid. 

Afraid it’ll hurt too much. 

Afraid it may break you open. 

Eventually, the part of you that leans towards saying ‘yes’ wins, as you answer with:

“Yeah. I think that might be helpful.” 

Luca nods behind you, before nuzzling his nose into the space between your neck and your shoulders. He leaves soft kisses against your skin that have no intention of being anything but a comforting gesture. 

“Astrid said something on the phone earlier. That she loved me like one of them,” you start, your voice caught in your throat as you say it. 

“And she did. She embraced me as her own… like…” you trail off, chuckling as you recall your favorite memories of Aiko Kimura. 

“She was beyond upset to learn that I didn’t grow up pleating dumplings around the table when I was a kid, which was… I think maybe the first thing we ever cooked together. She pulled out all the stops. Made a huge thing of it and made Joe, Astrid, and Lina join us so that I could get the real family experience.”

“And every time after that… she always wanted to teach me something new, something I could learn, carry with me,” you continue, the memories so fond and the feeling so bittersweet. 

“She was all about… slowing down, using the senses, no-recipe kind of stuff. I think it’s where I got so much of my heart from. In my food.”

You’re really not sure how you’re keeping it together, but, you decide, you might as well lean into the sweetness for now. 

“I should do a dish. For her. At the restaurant,” you declare, coming to the conclusion as the words leave your lips. 

“I think that’s a great idea,” Luca agrees, leaving another soft kiss along your shoulder. 

“To honor her. You know?” you add. 

Luca only hums in response, his arms wrapped around your frame holding you tighter against his chest. 

You wait a beat. 

Then another, your thoughts, moving a mile a minute from being plunged into grief from this devastating loss. 

“I’m nervous – about going to London,” you confess, softly. You like to ask, usually, if it’s okay – if Luca wants to hear about these kinds of things – but it feels virtually unavoidable. 

“I haven’t been back since Joe and I divorced… since I moved here. But I think I should. For the funeral.”

“Do you think it’ll be soon?” Luca asks, as you turn your head to look at him, checking that this is a conversation he’s willing to have. 

“I don’t know,” you shrug. “I’m waiting for Astrid to tell me. But Lina’s, their youngest sister, has been studying abroad – Singapore – so… I don’t know.”

“I’m just nervous… about it all, I guess. A lot’s changed. I’ve… changed.”

At this point you’re just thinking out loud, no longer able to contain the stream of consciousness that flows from with an ease that makes you anxious. 

Of course, you’ve changed. You have a new life here. You’re a you that you’ve never been before, having shed the layers of your past self like a snake shedding its skin. The realization is striking, while your ambivalence to return to your previous home in your new form feels more and more significant. 

It’s Luca’s turn to be quiet as he thinks over whether or not the idea in his head is appropriate to suggest, figuring, the worst thing you can do is say ‘no.’ 

“I could go with you,” he offers, quiet, yet sure. 

Oh. 

“But if you don’t feel like it would be right… under the circumstances…” Luca continues, in fear of making things more complicated for you. 

“No I-. What do you-, like… in what capacity?” you interject, hesitant about the question that you’re bringing up. 

You’re not sure why it’s taken this long for either of you to articulate it, especially since you’ve already called him your boyfriend to your friends, to your mom, but the naming, the voicing of the sacred label is still something you haven’t done. 

You don’t want to overcomplicate things, considering it already feels complicated, so what you’re really asking him is:

How would I introduce you?

“I was thinking… as your boyfriend,” Luca answers, slowly. “But if you think it’s too much – introducing me during this-.” 

“No, I. Yes! I want to,” you’re quick to reply, reassuring him that you’re still all in, even in the midst of this loss – especially in the midst of this loss. You wiggle your body so that you’re now facing him, your chests pressed together, and you wonder if he can feel yours pounding away. 

“Yes. I want you to come. I… I want to introduce you to them… to everyone, as my boyfriend.”

Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Luca leans in to press a short kiss to your lips before nodding in agreement: “Okay.”

You wait a beat, almost as if you think he’ll take it back, considering the circumstances. Only, he doesn’t, so you have to ask. 

“You would really do that?”

“Yeah,” he replies, simply. 

“I mean.. It’s just going to be a lot. It’s… a fucking funeral,” you continue to list, giving him every ‘out’ that you can possibly think of. “And you’d have to meet Joe. Which I can only imagine will be incredibly uncomfortable considering the circumstances and I’m not even sure what to expect because Joe and I have barely talked in months and I-.” 

You know you’re rambling, but you can’t help yourself. 

“Luca, I don’t know if I can ask you to do that.”

“You don’t have to, my love. I offered,” he says, as one of his hands cradles your head, his eyes on yours. 

“Plus, I don’t have to be with you the whole time. I know it’s going to be a tough trip for a lot of reasons. I could give you some space while we’re there too, so you don’t feel you have to entertain me. I’ll go see my mum, catch up with a friend….”

His reassurance seems to quell your nerves and you’re no longer panicking (as much) about introducing your people to your new boyfriend while grieving the loss of their matriarch. But you want him there. You so want him there. You want his support, and when he’s so willingly offering it to you, volunteering to enter the lion’s den with you, how can you say ‘no?’

“Why are you so good to me?” is all that comes out of your mouth. 

“Because I-,” Luca begins, pausing as he carefully chooses his next few words. You watch as he debates with himself, his decision clear when he opens his mouth again to say:

“Because you deserve it, babe.”

It’s then and there that you wonder what he was going to say before, half expecting him to say, ‘because I love you.’ 

But he doesn’t, and in some ways, you’re glad that whatever internal decision he made, that it wasn’t that. It’s not that you don’t want him to, because you’ve been feeling it too. It’s in every pause before you hang up the phone with him. It’s in the moments that you say your goodbyes for the morning or the evening that you watch the impulse, though fleeting, flash through his eyes. It’s in the way that you feel it so deeply in your bones that it makes you ache in the best kinds of ways. 

 You don’t want your first ‘I love you’ to be tainted with the grief and sadness surrounding this moment, but it’s been on your mind ever since your trip to Skagen. You think maybe you dreamed it, hearing him call you the love of his life, but whether or not it was real, those three words have hung heavily between the two of you ever since. 

“Thank you,” is all you say, before you repeat it again. 

“Thank you.”

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

Everything feels off. You can’t cry. 

And you’ve tried. 

But ever since Luca left to run an errand, to run to the store, you’ve felt off-kilter. 

Perhaps it’s because you’ve had him to distract you this whole time. 

Perhaps it’s because you’re trying to be strong for everyone: for Astrid, for Lina, who you’ve been texting with all day – trying to coordinate a time to FaceTime – for yourself. 

Perhaps it’s because you haven’t called Joe yet. 

But, you’ve decided, you really need to cry. 

You pick up the phone, knowing exactly what you need to do, knowing exactly who you can let yourself completely fall apart with. 

The phone rings a few times before the person on the other line picks up, and as soon as you hear the silence on the other line, waiting for you to speak first since you called first. 

“Mom?”

And she can hear it in your voice as it breaks, concern and worry filling her every word and she asks: 

“Oh sweetie. What happened?”

And finally, you can let go.

#chef luca #will poulter #luca the bear #the bear season 2 #the bear headcanon #luca x reader #the bear hulu #the bear fx #the bear fanfiction #chef luca x reader #pastry chef luca #burn your life down

[grogusmum]

IRL

Part 2 : of festivals and food

JAVI X F!PLUS SIZE!READER

WORD COUNT: 2200ish

SUMMARY: Set before the events of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Javi and Reader are friends online, and after a year of DMing, they decide to meet. (The only change is that Javi and Gabriela are just friends)

WARNINGS: Reader has insecurities about her size and appearance, Lucas continues to be a fatphobic jerk, and that's about it in this chapter. Worries about food and eating. Javi is adorable, be warned.

Part 1

Javi watches you closely after the encounter with Lucas. He got the feeling your translation was very basic, and on the surface, it might not seem rude. When you pull on an entirely unnecessary cardigan, he knows you know it was at your expense.

“Just in case the air conditioning is - um, you know too cold, or whatever,” you mumble.

He thinks you are just beautiful and not in spite of your size. Your ample curves and softness were just… all he can think about was running his hands up and down your plush arms.

Javi opens the car door for you when you reach the carport and comes around to the driver’s side.

Dropping into his seat, he fills the void-

“So along those lines, this is a 1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A Speedster, Nick-”

“Oh right Nick had one until he sold it because of his 'IRS problems',” releieved to have something else to talk about, you grab onto what feels like a lifeline, a conversation far from what you are thinking about, then your eyes widen.

“Wait-”

Javi smiles and nods animatedly, as you point just as emphatically at the car with your mouth hanging open.

“Is this his?!”

“I got it on auction! I was only too happy to help Nick with his financial difficulties.”

At the restaurant, the Materdi seats you and Javi in a ridiculously romantic alcove with an open window overlooking the beach. You carefully slide onto the semi-circle bench, and Javi slips in after you. There are faerie lights strung above you and a low candle in stained glass mosaic holder on the intimate table.

The server brings water and gives you the chef’s specials. When he returns for your order you do your best to order in Spanish.

Of course Javi knows he doesn’t know how you eat normally, but when you spoke online, you expressed a love of trying new things and experimenting with cooking, though you admitted you failed spectacularly on many occasions. But here you are in Spain for the first time and you order a salad. A side salad and some prawns.

“How would it be if I ordered for the both of us? Javi tries, “that way, you can try a just little of everything, if, you know, you are not very hungry. I would hate for you to miss out on the tapas Roberto’s is so famous for.”

He watches you nibble self-consciously at first, though Roberto’s tapas won the day. Soon, you are making yummy noises, and Javi can’t get enough of them.

“Have you tried this one?” Javi asks, getting a fork full of Patatas Bravas and guiding it toward your mouth. Your little smile just before opening your mouth gives Javi butterflies low in his stomach. Your lips close around it, followed by your eyes as you savor it. Then you give the cutest whine.

“Is that potato?”

“Mhmm,” Javi smiles, “with garlic, hot sauce, and- ”

“Smoked paprika!” You finish together.

“Oh it’s all so good, thank you Javi.”

“For what?”

“Not letting me just have a stupid salad and steamed shrimp.”

After dinner, Javi takes you for a walk along the beach. Wondering if he can take your hand again, when you try to stifle a yawn, the time difference is getting to you.

“To bed!” he declares, seizing the opportunity to take your hand under the guise of directing you toward his palatial home. “We have a big day at the festival.”

“I’m not really ready to say good night, Javi.” You give his hand a squeeze, “But you're probably right, I’d be mortified if I fell asleep during one of the movies.”

“Well, we will head back to the house slowly.”

But you find yourself in front of your bedroom door far too soon. Before you could overthink it, you give him a kiss on the cheek and a shy goodnight and disappear into your room. Javi leans on the door, his hand going slowly to his cheek. He’s brought back to reality and chuckles to himself until he realizes what or rather who pulled him out of his reverie.

“Cousin, you have a beautiful woman for an assistant, with an incredible body! How have you never-”

“Lucas, stop, will you? Gabriela and I are just friends.”

“And you prefer the heifer?”

All he wants to do is clock Lucas right across his smug and arrogant face more than he has ever wanted to before - and Lucas has a natural ability to pull this reaction from Javi- often. But that will only make things worse. He knows he needs to stand up to his cousin, for many things, but it’s frankly dangerous to do so, so he brushes past and enters his bedroom, just relieved that between the closed door and the rapid Spanish. You probably did not hear what was said.

Bzzzzt bzzzt

You look at your phone

JAVI: Good night. :)

YOU: lol Good night Javi

YOU: sweet dreams

JAVI: I have no doubt. ;)

You stare at the last text. With confused astonishment, your face heats up. But, maybe he’s joking or…

YOU: cheeky

YOU: see you in the morning

JAVI: See you.

Javi looks at his screen, not sure what to say next or if he should say anything next. After a few moments just staring at it, he puts his phone in the charging dock and his hand goes back to the place you kissed it, it was just a little kiss, but he could still feel your soft lips there. He undresses and slides between his cool, crisp sheets and clicks off the light. Laying in bed awake, he listens to the waves crashing on the beach below. Javi thinks of you listening to them, too. He’s glad he chose to put you in a guest room on the same side of the hall. His mind goes over the day, wandering to your arms again, then your hips… how he would explore you if you were to allow it. His imaginings switch over to dreams of you in his bed, tangled in his sheets, breathing heavily as he feasts on you.

You wake to the sounds of seabirds, making you smile. It makes you want to wrap yourself in the incredible sheets and snuggle down into the soft pillows, but you fully remember where you are and what today is, and you roll off the bed, with a little skip as you hop in the shower. You and Javi are spending an entire day at the film festival, you’ll get to nerd out together over favorite writers, actors, directors, and the films they’ve made before anyone else has seen them. Even though you’ve never gone to a fancy festival with film creators or anything you feel that maybe you will feel more in your element with Javi. Thinking less about what he thinks about you now that he’s seen you and just be the person he befriended because of your shared interests.

After showering and putting on the sleeveless summer dress, a light shrug of a sweater, and sandals you had picked out for the event. You put on a little lip stain, leaving your eyes make-up free (who knows how much crying you may do. It looks like there may be a tearjerker or two on the schedule). You look in the mirror a beat more, and give a sigh. Swinging your bag over your shoulder, you go to meet Javi for breakfast.

Following the delicious smell of coffee to the dining room, you find the table is ladened with a beautiful spread of fruit, toast with tomato and olive oil or jam and butter, churros, empanadas, juices, and the smell of fresh coffee, all making your stomach rumble. But it’s Javi that makes your mouth water, he is dressed simply in a white linen button-down shirt and a blue blazer, his hair a little more tamed brushed back away from his face, but still curling around his ears. How is it that the orange of yesterday's shirt looks so amazing and now the light blue too? His brows go up when he sees you, his mouth opening just a bit. Then he breaks into his wide warm smile distracting you from the desire to run your fingers through his hair, for a moment anyway.

“¡Buenos días, mi sol!” good morning, sunshine

“¡Buenos días, Javi!”

Javi brings over a carafe of coffee to the table and pulls out a chair for you. You smile and shake your head, murmuring a thank you as you sit.

“We can have omelets made or…”

“Javi, all of this looks amazing.”

You both tuck in and chat about the schedule, what you are looking forward to, and the things you don't want to miss. Finding yourselves mostly in alignment.

“Do you,” you fall quiet, biting your lip, “Do you think I’m dressed okay, I wasn't sure how dressy-”

“You look incredible!” Javi says instantly. Then he waves his hand dismissively, “You know celebrities are going to do what they do, but for the rest of us? Perfecto!”

You look down at the patterned dress and smile, as Javi adds quietly, “Plus I like sunflowers.”

After both a boat and car ride you arrive in Barcelona-Saint Jordi, you get your passes and people watch. But it seems as though Javi is elsewhere.

"Javi? Is, um,” you worry your bottom lip, “Is everything okay?”

With a sigh, Javi looks at you next to him on a small bench, then looks down.

“I am sorry for my cousin’s behavior. I am so embarrassed. He is the literal worst."

Your laugh turns to a little cough of discomfort-

“I- well, thank you Javi, I appreciate that. But I’m used to it. It, well…”

“That does not make me feel better. You should not be used to such poor treatment. I should have said something”

“Well,” you swallow, ”thank you Jav-”

“I want you to be used to hearing how beautiful you are.” Javi’s words come out in a rush, then his eyes widen slightly at his own daring. Finally, he gives you a sidelong look to assess the damage.

At this you laugh like it's joke and a little absurd, giving his arm a little hug.

“You are the sweetest.”

Javi looks at you again, wondering if you think he's just being a supportive friend. Your tone makes him think so, and it leaves him at war with himself. He's not sure how you feel. Part of him is relieved in a way, and part of him desprately wants you to know. He wants to be courageous, to take the plunge! But maybe now isn't the time. While he's thinking about courage and plunges, you start to pull at his sleeve. When he looks at you, you give a little nod with your eyes going to the right. Javi looks, and there was Randell Cobb. Javi’s eyes go comically wide, making you giggle, and he starts flipping through his program.

“I did not even know he was still acting, “Javi hisses. “He was in-”

“Raising Arizona, I know,” you say excitedly.

“Of course you do,” he squeezes your knee, which is bare since the skirt of your dress is slightly hiked from sitting. It sends a shot of warmth up your thigh. “I mean he’s done other things but that was by far the best…”

“Is he in one of the films? He must be, right?”

Javi dives back to his program, and you keep watching everyone arrive.

After the opening remarks and the first film, you head to lunch and just walk around taking everything in. Javi has an almost permanent blush from the amount of people wondering what movie he's in, if he is an actor or model.

“It is very complimentary, of course… but all I want to do is tell them, ‘no I am a screenplay writer, read my script!!! Please!’”

"Well, you look like you belong here, no doubt. Handsome, tan, beautifully tailored clothes…"

Javi tugs you into an alcove, warm hands running up and down your arms.

"You belong here. You are a wonderful writer, and fantastic film and character analyst. Your breakdowns are one point!"

"I am a chubby (at best) woman, in a fifty dollar dress and a haircut that cost about the same, and I was splurging…"

"You got this lovely dress for fifty dollars? Wow."

You purse a tight smile and then laugh.

"Yes you can get one at TJMaxx, at a strip mall near you!"

A pair of glamorous willowy actors pass your little hiding place.

"You could fit two of these actresses in one of them."

"I like the one who is filling it right now," Javi says shyly, "and how she is filling it."

His hands traverse your hips.

Javi feels the soft plush curve of them, and his sigh carries a small, pleased hmm with it.

"Is this alright?" He whispers.

Your brain's throwing up .exe errors.

Your breathless "yeah" is almost a gasp. Javi is touching you, and liking what he feels through the gauzy fabric.

"We've got two more movies and then we go back to the hotel… but um-"

You mouths crash together. You both do your level best to be quiet, as Javi crowds you into the corner of the alcove behind a palm of some kind.

Part 3

💚THANK YOU FOR READING💚REBLOGS AND COMMENTS ARE MUCH APPRECIATED💚

If you care to read more Javi G or any of my stories, you can find my masterlist here, and if you would like to be tagged for any of my fics, you can find my handy dandy taglist form here.

#javi gutiérrez #javi gutiérrez x plus size f!reader #javi gutiérrez x female reader #javi g #javi g x you #tuwomt

[chaoticgeminate]

Cloud Nine (ii)

Summary: Returning home to Paldea to retire, after living a life known as the "Champion of Champions" brings you back to an old friend -now a new love- with dark secrets who need your help.

Pairing: Javi G x f!Reader

Rating: T (Any smut is going to be implied only)

Notes/Warnings: Nothing major, this story is going to be fairly light hearted, though I will be using some of the wild Pokédex entries as reference for a few scenes.

Written for @yearofcreation2023

Series Masterlist | Year of Video Game AUs Masterlist

and how much cooler could my life get? (3k)

Geeta waved cheerfully and you couldn’t help but return her enthusiasm, the League Chairwoman had been a fierce competitor during your own run and ever since you’d left she’d become a good friend keeping you updated on how many students came that qualified to compete for the title of Champion (not many), and if there was anyone who loved Pokémon in all of Paldea as fiercely as you did it was her.

“So, the Champion of Champions is ready to retire? It’s about time.” Geeta nudged you playfully and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes, following her into the room where the rest of the Gym Leaders were all assembled. It was a camera free meeting, which Iono had tried to put up a fight about, but even she relented that if they were going to discuss major League infrastructure that it’d be best to keep that from the public for now.

“Vaultin’ Vezula! If it isn’t our Champion, home again I see!” Kofu was on his feet in a second, quick to come and clap you on the shoulder, with enough force to make you stumble, but the cheerful chef still made you grin even though you were sure that you’d end up with a bruise. You introduced yourself to the room, given the number of people here you hadn’t met or seen in so long, and most of them were really welcoming even if they were intimidated by Geeta’s presence.

As you took your seat it was Grusha who cleared his throat to speak up first.

“Team Rocket thugs were spotted on the mountain, trying to steal Pokémon from academy students, they’ve been getting bolder.”

“I’ve had my fair share appear in Artazon, they’ve tried to steal the Sunflora during my Gym Challenge.”

“They’re all around Cortondo too, I’ve had to request more Officers for patrols because of how many new students were being cornered.”

You listened to each Gym Leader begin talking about Team Rocket sightings, still not sure just how far Lucas’ influence reached, and noticed the way Poppy was watching you intently. If you were less paranoid you might’ve chalked it up to her being a child but you weren’t willing to rule anything out, not with your life -and Javi’s life- on the line here.

“Did we create a map network of where they’ve appeared? We may be able to triangulate their base location if there’s a center point.” Assuming Lucas was dumb enough to make his manor on the outskirts of Alfornado was a bad idea, for all his grandstanding and fake smiles Lucas was craftier than anyone could expect, you wouldn’t factor it out but you weren’t going to go charging in Water Gun blazing.

“We have a few locations marked but we hadn’t thought to do so immediately.” They sent you a copy of the map pins to your Rotom Phone, your eyes scanning to see if there were any possible patterns even with the limited sightings available to you. There wasn’t, especially with Area Zero blocked off in the center of the region completely, so for now you made a note to keep an eye on reports of Team Rocket sightings and add them to the map.

“I’ll start investigating the areas marked, since we’re still waiting on this year’s group of Academy students to progress through the League, and if anyone else has any sightings let me know immediately.” As the Champion you did have the allowance to forgo Squawkabilly taxis and just use a flying Pokémon to travel, since any League responsibilities were a priority, and your Corviknight -Rook- was always ready to stretch her wings.

Grusha nodded and the meeting shifted to talks of limited certain press interactions now that Rotom Phones were giving people unhindered access to Uva students and League challengers, Iono’s streaming popularity had inspired battle streamers and care-taking streams or food making streams, but the adult members of the press that began stalking and cornering these minors were a problem that had gone unchecked for so long.

As the room began to clear, once the meeting was adjourned and Geeta had a plan of attack to draft new limitations for the protection of the kids, you were stopped by Katy and Grusha for a moment in private. The two of them waited for everyone to get out of hearing range, with the former summoning her Nymble to make sure that the coast was clear.

“We think Team Rocket has a foothold with the Police force, and maybe the League.” Grusha was right to the point and you decided to choose your words carefully since you didn’t know if these two could be trying to learn what you know to report back to Lucas.

“It’s always a possibility, do you have viable evidence? After I helped put Giovanni behind bars I was sure that the records of Team Rocket members were thoroughly combed and that every member was subsequently locked up too.” Katy let out a soft noise before she glanced at Grusha, then handed you her Rotom Phone. On the screen she had a video playing of a police officer talking to a member of Team Rocket, near the Cortondo gym, promising him a better haul of Pokémon if he didn’t touch the Smoliv. Reminding the grunt that the Pokémon from Javi’s business were off limits.

“I sent this to the police and all that happened was new officers being sent to Cortondo, no arrests were made, so when I elevated it to the League and nothing changed… well I got suspicious.” Katy watched you send a copy of the video to yourself, taking her phone back, and you looked between the two of them carefully.

“I’ll head up to the Glaseado region to start my investigation, since they’ll likely expect me in Cortondo first given the amount of young trainers that come through. What I want the two of you to do for now is ask any trainer, any resident, if or how often they’ve seen Team Rocket grunts and a rough idea of where. We can’t find the source without narrowing their headquarters down.” Both Gym Leaders nodded and set out while you waited a moment, leaning against the wall, and Sneaky -your Mimikyu- slipped out of your shadow and hopped up onto your shoulder.

“Guess I should throw on a parka, huh Sneaky?” You had to make the moles, whoever they were, think you had a pattern; it was easy as the Champion to announce where you were going and appear there, it’d be expected of you. Meanwhile you tapped out a message on your Rotom Phone to Jacq, your former classmate -now biology teacher- about that potential Champion of his. Getting a child involved, a student no less, was risky but you personally had to handle this as carefully as you could.

If that meant being the distraction was the role you had to play then you'd take it.

Addie Cage was very chill compared to her father, Nicolas and Olivia had been thrilled that you’d reached out to meet with the contender Geeta and the other gym leaders had scouted out for you, you’d spent far too long having the actor attempt to convince you to do some public interview thing with him before he relented so you could plan a meeting with his daughter. Now as you sat at the picnic tables, having already laid everything out for her, you were very impressed with her immediate go-getter attitude.

“I’m not afraid of those Team Rocket thugs, a few of them have tried but none of them are as good as my team is.” You could understand now where Geeta and the others saw potential in the girl, she valued each of her partners in a way that some trainers just didn’t, the bonds of trust and love she was building with her Pokémon would inspire them to be stronger for her as well.

“That’s what I like to hear, I’ve reached out to the other region Champions and so far it looks like Team Rocket is the only one that has a return on the horizon. So if we stop them here then that should be the end of things.” You traded contact information directly once you knew she’d change her course back to Cortondo, to start looking around as subtly as she could, under the guise of wanting to look for specific Pokémon for her team. As you donned your parka and called Rook out, nodding to Addie, your Corviknight set off for Glaseado Mountain.

You would have to contact Javi and make sure you kept him updated too, though for now you were careful of using any contact that could be recorded or intercepted, but for now you made you way into the cold. As you expected the crowd was waiting for you, you had told Grusha to heavily mention your return, and after answering questions and signing autographs you got to work on scouting around the area for any signs of Team Rocket activity. A message from Addie confirmed that there were sightings in Cortondo, in the span of a few hours -while you’d searched through the cold- she had beaten three grunts and made sure that they were given to police custody.

Coordinating travel with Addie was easy, her Miraidon presented a lot of surprise in that you had never heard of the Pokémon before and it offered her much more mobility than a Cyclizar ever would, and by the time night began to fall you felt much more confident about your challenger and her capabilities as well as being able to outsmart Team Rocket after Addie recruited a few of her friends to the cause. Penny, Arven, Nemona, along with the former Team Star bosses -and their crews- were eager to help protect Pokémon all over Paldea and you couldn’t help but feel a little bit of regret and guilt that you were doing to them what had happened to you.

Making these children step up to protect their region because you’d been so absent from the League by traveling that nothing had changed to make things better for them.

Javi’s penthouse apartment was warm and you could hear voices when you opened the door, closing it silently and using the heavily padded carpet to your advantage.

“I did not tell her anything, Lucas, if she knew the truth do you truly believe she would have chosen to be with me?” Hearing the sound of Javi’s panic set you on edge but hearing his cousin’s name explained it well enough, you moved as quietly as you could to slip closer to where the duo conversed without being noticed and ducked behind the kitchen island to stay well out of sight of Javi’s study door. You silenced your Rotom Phone and set it to record, just in case Lucas said anything incriminating as a response, and the Pokémon controlled device moved to the top of the door frame silently.

“You do have a point, but I can assure you that if I find out you lied to me the consequences will be far worse than simply taking Arizona from you. It won’t be too hard to stage an accident for our Champion of Champions or even make her the scapegoat-“ His phone began to ring loudly and you resisted the urge to go in ready to fight, so far all that had been revealed was a threat against your life and that wouldn’t be enough.

Whoever was on the other end must have said something that set Lucas off.

“What do you mean our employees have been turning up in police stations significantly more? How are they losing to children?!” Lucas stormed out, slamming the door closed loudly to talk on Javi’s patio, and you waited until you heard Javi’s soft sniffles before sending out Sneaky to ensure the place was actually empty of Lucas’ possible men to hear you. Hurrying while Lucas’ back was turned to the elevator entrance, setting your bag down and slipping your shoes off in the entryway as if you'd just arrived.

Lucas’s head turned, the thick glass muffling what he was saying, and met your surprised gaze; it took all your acting ability honed from interviews to smile warmly and wave at the man like he was still just an exasperating relative. Lucas’ smile was a touch sinister -if you knew what to look for- as he waved back and pointed to the phone. You turned toward the study with a wrinkle of your nose and a roll of your eyes, crossing the penthouse to where you boyfriend was, and Javi’s eyes were wet with tears when you knocked on the study door; he darted a panicked look toward the window that made you shake your head gently.

“I slipped in while you two were… talking. I heard enough to know he think I don’t know the truth and that he thinks he can kill me or make me his fall girl.” Your whispered confession made Javi wrap his arms around your torso and you ran your fingers through his curls gently, cooing softly to make the sniffles go away, and you made sure your Rotom phone was tucked away when you heard the patio door open again. Lucas looked like he hadn’t just been screaming, which was impressive, as he walked into the room.

“There she is, our Champion of Champions has come home, how have you been?” You let go of Javi to hug the other man, not wanting to alert him to anything.

“Exhausted, the press is a nightmare so I spent so much of my time camping, this is the first time in a long time I’ve had a bed to sleep in; which just made me realize how badly my back hurts.” Lucas laughed with you and didn’t complain when you moved to sit down in one of the two heavily padded arm chairs, taking the other, as Javi excused his tears by saying Lucas had delivered good news. Your head tipped and the man only huffed before pulling a ring box out of his pocket.

“Oh? Who’s the lucky person?”

“Her name is Leona, our daughter Poppy is a member of the Elite Four., I’ve been putting this off but decided it was about time.”

Now you understood why Lucas influence in the League was both slow and very high up, as a child Poppy wasn’t given tasks that allowed her a lot of direct influence but she had to be permitted to sit in on League meetings.

“I didn’t know you had a daughter, Poppy is a darling little girl.” Javi looked just as surprised as you felt at the revelation, you suspected Lucas had kept his personal life very far from Javi on the chance that your boyfriend decided to finally fight back. Unseating Poppy as the Steel Type trainer for the Elite Four likely wouldn’t be difficult, all someone had to do was defeat her in a best of five battle after applying to the role, and if push came to shove you wouldn’t mind being a member of the Elite Four rather than the Champion if it meant securing Javi’s freedom.

“Somehow I got lucky that she’s most like her mother, I should probably allow you two some time together given your no doubt busy schedule.”

“Oh, well, just more of the same I guess. Preparing for the League season to potentially allow me to retire, making sure the Gym Leaders and Elite Four are up to snuff, and now working to shut down Team Rocket before they can get a solid foothold. I think the press is my biggest issue, since they’re too excited for interviews and whatnot, but I’m sure I’ll find whoever is trying to steal Pokémon from their trainers and revive Team Rocket soon and I’m more than willing to work with the League even if I get retired.” You decided to test the waters, to make sure he truly believed Javi hadn’t told you a thing, and Lucas’ soft chuckle as he patted you on the shoulder was warm with fondness.

“I’m sure you will, you certainly proved me wrong from so long ago, you’ve proven many naysayers wrong by making it as far as you have. Be safe.” As he left you waited for Sneaky to give you the all clear, the little ghost Pokémon purring when you picked it up to hug it close, and Javi met your gaze with a sad smile. If Lucas was telling the truth and Poppy was his connection to the League you had to be very careful how you handled this, sending a message to Geeta to stop my your apartment tomorrow, and you sighed softly.

“I had to get students involved, since they can move around virtually undetected, the press and Lucas will have their eyes on me. Addie, the one that Geeta and the other Gym Leaders have said is shaping up the be a solid contender to unseat me, got her friends involved too. I’m putting children in the line of fire, Javi-“

“Was that not what happened to you? Even before you began the Champion of a region, on your journey through it you were putting these organizations behind bars, and until the League steps in to do more this is the only way. Now that you’re home that can be your aspiration, to change things for the better for those that come after us, but for now you need to take advantage of this to keep ahead of him. I will not lose you to his greed, to this evil of my family.” Javi buried his face into your neck and you nodded, perched in his lap as you vowed to somehow repay Addie and her friends for doing what you couldn’t and cleaning up Paldea for good.

"Addie's father, Nicolas, is my favorite actor so it is very much bizarre to think that she's going to be facing you soon."

"Really? Huh, I guess I'll have to take him up on his offer to meet sometime then."

Javi's soft eyes and the way he silenced the slight whimper made you smile and kiss him on the corner of his mouth.

"You'd be attending too, silly man, don't act like I won't use my connections to make you happy too."

While it was a no strings attached offer you were more than delighted in how he expressed his gratitude.

All Fics Taglist: @haylzcyon @wordsnwhiskey @pagannightwitch @radiowallet @tauralmie @amneris21 @trickstersp8 @practicalghost @alwaysdjarin @alexxavicry @all-the-way-down-here @xoxabs88xox

Just Pedro Taglist: @maievdenoir @beecastle @littlemisspascal @writeforfandoms @aynsleywalker @lovesbiggerthanpride @mswarriorbabe80 @emiemiemiii

Alt Taglist: @imtryingmybeskar @fan-of-encouragement @grogusmum @sizzlingcloudmentality @deadhumourist

#year of creation #year of themed creation #year of video game aus #tuwomt fanfic #pokemon au fanfic #javi g xf!reader #javi gutierrez x f!reader #chaoticwrites

[miraclesabound]

The Bear Masterlist

Mikey Berzatto

"All of This is Temporary" - Mikey x F!Reader, pre-relationship - tragic ending. Published July 31, 2023.

Chef Luca

"My Hero" - Luca x F!Plus Size!Reader, pre-relationship, slight angst with happy ending. Published August 20, 2023.

Richie

"Just What You Needed" - Richie x F!Reader, pre-relationship, angst/terror with happy ending. Published October 14, 2023.

"False Alarm" - Richie x F!Wife!Reader, sequel to "Just What You Needed". Published October 14, 2023.

#the bear fx #the bear fan

[ay0nha]

Boiling Point | Chef Luca (Prologue)

(working) SUMMARY: A well- known food critic is retiring. Apart of this condition is that you continue writing on his behalf as if he hadn’t. To show you the ropes, he implores Luca to teach you what it takes to enter the culinary world.

There he was. His pristine white jacket contrasted perfectly against the warm ambiance of the evening. The distance was covered within a few long strides and once at the table, his charmed smile made you nauseous. He played his part better than you had that night

PAIRING: Chef!Luca x f!reader (food journalist/critic)

WORD COUNT: 1.4K

WARNINGS: smoking, drinking, canon-typical things, future enemies to lovers sort of, mutual pining, inspiration from Kitchen Confidential and the movie Boiling Point, etc.

A/N: Just a little sneak peek/intro to this request. Might do a short series (three/four parts)...stay tuned. It’s a little choppy at the moment, so I hope it makes sense. Let me know if you’d like to be tagged. Comments are always appreciated! Enjoy.

Deep breaths helped.

The nicotine’s warmth sparked excitement in your veins. It made a tedious night seem just bearable with each inhale. You eyed the falling ash as if it were tea leaves promising your near future. Yet, when your eyes surveyed the crowd within the restaurant, it cemented the dull company you’d join.

Excusing yourself was easy. Slipping away wasn’t the issue; it was expected as the call for a cigarette completed your image. The cliché of it made your mouth pucker with your final drag.

“There you are...” A hand settled on your shoulder. Ryan. “They’re ordering another bottle as we speak.” Lighting her own cigarette, she cursed. “We better fucking land this deal—I’m about to max out the company card.”

Flicking your roach under the point of your heel, you scoffed, “Please, if I have to hear that man say heavenly one more time, I’ll—

“You’ll smile.” She reminded you. It was an instruction, really. “Nod your head, agree with anything—Everything.”

“He said supposebly.” You tutted. “I can’t take him seriously.”

“He’s ancient. Cut him some slack!” She laughed. Charm came second nature to Ryan; you weren’t convinced she even knew its effect on people. “He’s sweet on you.”

“Right…” You tried to make out the stars, but the light pollution fought against you. “So, what? I marry him for the life insurance?”

“Let’s just make it through dessert,” Ryan spoke definitively, always cutting through. Yet, room always remained to entertain you. “Then we can talk wedding plans.”

The man that waited for you was Avery Sinclair—world-renowned something. You had listened, but the information had already left you. Those around you, though, knew who sat across from you well. They were almost as good as you hiding their discomfort. Eyes were always on him, knowing his thoughts before he could form them. New forks were laid after the slightest touch, napkin splayed on his lap before he could lift it himself, and every meal came with the chef that made it.

He was respected.

Yet, all you saw was his brittle and thin mustache, sitting upon his lip like forgotten food. The comb-over was just as wirey and pulled kindness to his cheeks. They flushed now as he flirted with another glass of wine.

“There you are!” He bubbled. With a wave of his hand, your diligent waitress returned with the Italian bottle. “I ordered the oak-aged white. It has a buttery note that is just heavenly with the gelée.”

You smiled.

“I cannot believe our night is coming to an end.” Ryan charmed. She held her nose to the glass, listening intently as Mr. Sinclair explained each technique to her. The slurping was a bit much.

“My dear, this is just a start.” The deal was confirmed with those words alone. A part of you wished the promise had a false bottom. “We can draft up something agreeable, I’m sure?”

He looked at you. You had that feeling like you’d forgotten to walk. Each step felt forced and off. You played off your misstep cleverly, your glass raising to the center, “I look forward to working together.”

Ryan was impressed, pride swelling in her chest. She and you were an unmistakable duo. Angel and devil. Thelma and Louise. Introvert and extrovert.  Fill in any this and that, and there you two were. Most importantly, she was the publicist, and you were the writer.

“Under one condition…” Mr. Sinclair smiled, far too tickled by your toast. He leaned in, elbows brushing the circular table. “Do you know why I chose this place tonight?”

You hadn’t expected the question. Your answer came out blunt. “Favoritism.”

“You’re sharp.” He smiled broadly, wagging his manicured finger at you. “Exactly that. Look around you…”

You took a genuine moment.  The perception of fine dining was all theatrics. It was a large show that ran every night of the week. Even those who dined were an unassuming audience. Those swiveling doors may as well be the curtain line to backstage. The kitchen, the dressing room. The dripping alleyway, the green room.

You were all too aware of the communication chain. The insults were coded frustrations that later into the service would be water under the bridge. There was a reason for everyone being here just as you were.

“We’re all cut from the same cloth. You, me, dear Ryan.” Mr. Sinclair smiled at her. “We all express our passions differently, but we love just the same.”

He felt content. His body relaxed with his decision to hire you. Sinclair could see how you hadn’t quite trusted yourself with the responsibility that he was putting on your shoulders. But he was confident you’d grow into it perfectly.

“I hope you understand the reasons for my poetics—” The rumors and gossip about him failed to do his sincerity justice. “—as I’m trusting you with my legacy.”

“Of course.” You gave another smile; this time, it felt real.

“Excuse my sentimentality!” Mr. Sinclair clasped his hands together in a soft clap. You could almost see tears forming in the corner of his eyes.   “With that out of the way, dessert? The pastry chef here is—” His favoritism came into play. “—is something special.”

You could picture the chef now, cursing at the interruption. Hopefully, complaining about the big wig seated at table seven wasn’t worth his time. You waited for the rehearsed, polite decline.

Apologies, however, our chef is tied up between aeration.

But there he was, Chef Luca. His pristine white jacket contrasted perfectly against the warm ambiance of the evening. The distance was covered within a few long strides, and once at the table, his charmed smile made you nauseous. He played his part better than you had that night.

His features were tight, unwavering as the compliments poured. Your lips twitched down as you took him in. With his hands behind his back, his chest pulled broadly, but you could still make out the littered tattoos on his forearms. Typical.

Even with his eyes on you, you hadn’t shied from your judgment. You only stopped when you heard your name.

“Isn’t that right?” Ryan prompted you again, defined features expressing her sternness. Focus.  “You always talk about how much you love to bake.”

You don’t.

“Sure.” You nodded.

“A match made in heaven, then!” Mr. Sinclair exclaimed. “You must get to know Luca; he has the most interesting story!”

In your short assessment, you already disparaged his comment. To you, Luca was, like you, a walking cliché.

“I don’t doubt that…” Your sarcasm was palpable. Luca’s stoicism broke with a smirk of confusion. “Let me guess... You were a troublemaker?” Your tone was teasing but bordered something wicked.  “Cooking put you straight, and you owe your life to grease and adrenaline.”

“Forgot to mention that I’m a hard-partying criminal.” Luca didn’t waste a beat. Impressive.

“And when did the anger issues start?” You hummed. You played at every stereotype you knew. “Before or after your—

“I think what she means to say—” Ryan cut in seamlessly. She came prepared for your shenanigans. “—is that she admires the journey you’ve taken to get here.”

Luckily, Mr. Sinclair was far too enamored with the preciseness of the dessert to interpret the sudden banter.

“Of course.” Luca looked at you. Then as you had only moments ago, he pulled a practiced expression to address his loyal customer. “Mr. Sinclair, as always, it’s a pleasure to see you.”

“Unfortunately, I must savor tonight.” He spoke. “My home on the Amalfi coast has been quite lonely.” Sinclair let out a regretful sigh. “I trust you to keep this between us, yes?”

Luca nodded. “Of course.”

“You will be a very lucky man, son.” Sinclair further divulged the secrets behind his retirement. “I hope you heed my advice and get to know this young lady.”

All eyes were on you.

“She will continue to write for me. Use my name.” He explained your purpose. You weren’t ready to hear it aloud. “So treat her kindly, or you will have to answer to me.”

“I’m not sure I understand.” Luca almost protested. It seemed elaborate to allow someone so young—you— to take his place.

“Be open. Present.” Sinclair answered. He wasn’t a man of riddles, but you noticed that the more he spoke, the harder to understand. “You were once new. You had to figure it out on your own. Maybe you can help her, show her your world. Our world.”

#q #chef luca #luca #chef luca angst #chef!luca x reader #chef!luca x f!reader #chef luca fluff #chef!luca #pastry chef luca #the bear fx #the bear luca #luca the bear #will poulter #will poulter x reader

[01solarsmiles]

synposis: working in a restaurant has its ups and down but working in the neo restaurant really takes the cake. wether it be the dreamies proving their superiority over and over again or the rat-pack band of sorts the head bartender put together, nothing fails to amuse. throw in a soundcloud rapper or two, a couple of new kids on the block, so kindly trained by haechan and taeil, a worn-out manager of sorts paired with two assistant managers, questionable cooks, flirty bartenders and you’re bound to enjoy yourself here. without a doubt, there’s something for everyone here, no matter your preferences; this is the place to be tonight.

tl;dr: the life of a waitress in the vacinity of the neo’s and gang.

genre: sm au, restaurant au, crack, slice of life

pairings: jaehyun x reader, mark x reader (so far)

warnings: swearing; i mean, come on. alcohol mentions!! jungwoo likes getting free wine from johnny and jisung likes to buss it down after a shot of tequila ✊✨

other: red velvet appearances bc i figured it coudn’t all be testosterone. other artists too, rv is just more noticeable. cringey souncloud rapper(s) okay but yangyang is so cute, me and vivi discussed this! grandpa ™️ taeyong bc i figured he can’t keep up with his 22 kids ALL the time (he’s fostered rv for the sake of this fic). literal flirting all the time bc i don’t know how to act therefore yn doesn’t know how to act as s/t/he/y is a product of my brain. haechan wwe fights mark like he’s got paddypower setting the odds on him. yuta is ‘allergic’ to ordering his own ingredients,. sungchan is a certified f-boy (soft tho, he’s just mad he’s a busboy). shotaro is possibly my favourite and gets special treatment. mark makes me cry from laughter. dreamies are partiers (lol check their gc name, shoulda guessed). doyoung is an awful cook and more❗️

updated on whenever i get off work 😄

a/n: i just wanted something fun, possibly short, possibly long. it could be something i add to over time but it could also be something i finish within a month. like a chronicle. yeah. this is fun and the idea came to me after i read about a restaurant au somewhere else. i just figured i could draw off of my own experiences and my own awful humour; i enjoy restaurant type things bc i’ve worked in a couple over the years lol ♡

ask me about work!! like my real-life job besties. it’s loads of fun.

profiles wait staff [x], [x] bartenders & chefs [x] managers & busboys [x]

groupchats chivalry is dead: yn, doyoung, haechan, jungwoo, mark, taeil, yuta front of house b/himbos 💅: yn, jaehyun, johnny, joy, seulgi, taeil, yeri (+shotaro later on!) i’ve got a bad idea 🤩: yn, hendery, kun, lucas, xiaojun, yangyang (+mark later on!) party central: yn, chenle, haechan, jaemin, jeno, jisung, renjun (+sungchan later on!) ✨teamwork makes the dream work✨: yn, haechan, irene, kun, taeyong, ten, yuta

🍳 week one: chivalry is dead 🍳

🍳 part one [we bet shifts]

🍳 part two [i do work miracles] ft. fohb/h on twt

🍳 part three [he’s throwing up in there]

🍳 part four [i was experimenting] ft. fohb/h on twt

🍳 end of week round up [you little minx]

🥞 day off [x] new!

🍳 week two: front of house b/himbos 🍳

🍳 part five [this is what you get]

🍳 part six [you urchin] ft. cid on twt

🍳 part seven [coffee virgin cooler] ft. igabi on twt

🍳 part eight [unsolicited hand pics]

🍳 end of week round up [no man left behind]

🥞 day off [x] new!

🍳 week three: i’ve got a bad idea 🍳

🍳 part nine [poems with a beat] ft. cid new!

🍳 part ten [...]

🍳 part eleven [...] 

🍳 part twelve [...]

🍳 end of week round up [x]

🥞 day off [x]

🍳 week four: party central 🍳

🍳 part thirteen [fruit punch]

🍳 part fourteen […]

🍳 part fifteen [...]

🍳 part sixteen [...]

🍳 end of week round  up [x]

🥞 day off (quite a few) [x]

🍳 [loading…]

message me/drop an ask if you want to be on the tag list ❣️

tags: @stayinzencity @floraljae @thoreeo @alterlovess​ 

#kn ml #nct #nct imagine #nct x reader #nct x y/n #nct x you #nct restaurant au #nct 127 #nct sm au #nct 127 sm au #nct dream #nct wayv #nct u imagines #nct fake texts #nct fic #nct fanfic #nct mark #nct jaehyun #nct lucas #nct haechan #nct doyoung #nct jungwoo #nct johnny #nct kun #nct taeil #nct yuta #nct yangyang #nct xiaojun #nct taeyong #nct jisung

[whereisten]

I Know What You Did Last Summer

Part 1 | Part 2 Preview | Part 2

Summary: After a fun-filled graduation night, your heart is torn between your two best friends, Ten and Lucas. A fire is ignited between the three of you that isn’t as easy to calm as it was to start. And this lustful fire, just like any fire, spreads and seeks to destroy anything in its path, for there is no telling what Ten will do for you, or rather, to you.

Pairing: King!Ten x female reader (as well as Prince! Lucas)

Genre: Royalty!AU, love triangle, angst, smut, fluff

Warnings: manipulation, possessiveness, blackmail, cheating!, character death, mention of blood, mention of self-harm, alcohol use, smut!: threesome, unprotected sex, penetration (v and a), oral sex (m and f), hand job, fingering, fondling, c*eampie, biting, bdsm (paddle use, choking, rope use), orgasm denial, overstimulation, semi-public sex.

Word Count: 20.9k

Taglist: @suhweo @5shotsamericano @alreadyblondenow @khiphoptrash-0 @adorejaehyn @08skrr @ateez-babygirl @cherriesaries @suhfluffy @starlightdustsposts @agnessvaltersen @krispysun @montersloth @galadrielbeth @cafe-lectura @Jiyoungiejae @labelleetoilex3 @ceruleanskies @neo-cult-ure @goldensky @verasloggia @jaewalking @hhaechann @commentgirl @uwusofties @toffee-reads-and-writes @generalkpopwhore @kawaiimusiccollection @ainigmatikos-posts @kkuljungwoo​ @kaiwatabe​

A/N: PART TWO is HERE!! Thank you all for your support for part 1!! We appreciate it so much! We hope you enjoy part two, the finale to this adventure. We are so excited, once again, for you guys to see what happens! We had so much fun writing this and would love your feedback💕

——————

[JANUARY 1896]

It’s the night of the Chinese festival. Kids run about the town as folks put up their decorations and line up delicious and colorful foods for all that walk by. The air is light, with everyone laughing and talking as they enjoy each other’s company.

Friends meet from all over the land, as all kingdoms come together to celebrate the turn of the new year. 

You’re dressed in a beautiful red dress with gold adornments, leaving Ten’s mouth agape once he opens the door of carriage to help you out. Seeing you in your bright and dazzling outfit under the lantern lights makes his heart flutter. Your gold eye shadow brings out the depth of color in your eyes, the ones that looked around nervously.

“You look amazing, my love.” Ten states as you take his hand and fall onto his chest lightly.

He gives you a light peck on the cheek, but you move away and let go of his hand soon after, hoping that you didn’t move too quickly while in front of the other attendees.

The last thing you wanted was for everyone to be able to see or even speculate that your marriage was in trouble.

You walk slightly ahead and force a smile to the onlookers.

“Hello, hello.” You say to everyone that bows while standing poised with both hands in front.

Ten also forces an awkward smile as he is left behind.

You look over the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of the tall man that neglected to speak to you for the last few months. Oh, how you missed him and his letters. You missed his warmth, for Ten’s coldness only grew to annoy you more and more as your time together increased.

You start to frown slowly, but in an instant, you see his bright smile. He holds Rosé’s hand and reaches for a lantern from a store owner. He hands the beautifully detailed lantern to her with the brightest smile on his face and wide eyes.

You heart begins to shatter. You wished you could have that moment with him, you wished you could be the one to kiss him when the fireworks went off later that night. Rosé was so lucky, she had no idea.

Ten quickly steps forward and takes your arm into his hand from behind, guiding you to the left and distracting you.

He knew you had spotted Lucas so he took you away as fast as he could.

“This way, honey.”

You and Ten enjoy some of the food provided by local chefs. It’s the finest food you’ve ever had, as they worked diligently to provide for you two, the highest royals in the land.

But you can’t focus on the flavors, you still think of Lucas’ face. Even with the loud drums and strings that play throughout your entertaining dinner set, you can only see his smile.

“What’s wrong? Are you displeased? Waiter! This food is no good! Can’t you see how upset my wife-?” Ten waves over the servant.

“Ten! No! It’s great, amazing actually.” You put your hand over his and turned to him, your eyes big as you try to stop him.

“It’s fine, calm down..please.” You whisper to him.

Ten frowns. “Then what’s wrong? You look like you’re unhappy. It’s not good for us or for the people.”

“It’s nothing..I was just lost in thought Ten, I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize, sweetheart..I love you.” He forced a smile and brought his fingers to your chin. A moment passes when you look into each other’s eyes.

His calm demeanor shifts at your hesitancy.

“Do—you love me?”

“Of course..” you turn your head away from him and look back at your food.

“Then say it.” He holds your chin again, this time placing his thumb on it to bring your attention back to him with a little more force. 

His eyes are dark, his tone is low as he speaks through gritted teeth.

“I—have to go to the ladies room.” You stand up instantly.

Ten exhales loudly. “Seulgi! Please escort our Queen to the nearest bathroom.”

Seulgi walks up to you and quickly places her hand around your arm to guide you, but you pull it away. 

“I don’t need..your assistance. I’m not a child.” You look from her and back to Ten, who knew what he was doing. He wanted her to watch you and make sure that you don’t find Lucas.

“You look a little ill, darling. She’ll go with you to make sure you don’t fall out. I know you and corsets don’t exactly get along.” Ten flashes a small smile when he sees your look of disbelief and nods towards Seulgi.

You turn to leave but Ten calls you again.

“Oh, and my love..”

You turn back to him. 

“Yes, Ten?”

“Hurry back before the fireworks.” he winks and takes a sip of his wine.

The two of you walk slowly to the bathroom as you think of a way to escape her. That’s when you see a dance going on between a group of teenagers. They hold hands and move in a tightly knit circle around a large dragon.

You take this as your opportunity to scurry away from Seulgi, ducking under the joined arms quickly and putting yourself by the large dragon in the center.

The immense dragon spins around quickly and moves up and down to the music and cheering.

“Your majesty!” You hear her call out, but you duck again and shimmy around the dancers.

When you look behind you, you see that she’s looking for you on the opposite side of the circle so you run underneath the linked arms again and away from her.

About five steps away, a store owner hands out decorated dragon masks, so you swiftly grab one and bow.

You place it onto your face by pulling the string  around your head. Luckily for you, the town is crowded with thousands of people so you’re able to slip away and into any corners without anyone really noticing you, the Queen.

You walk around, searching for Lucas while avoiding Ten, Seulgi, and the rest of the servants. It’s difficult to breathe behind your mask, but you’re not focused on that, you’re focused on finding him.

You eventually see what looks to be the back of Rosé’s head, but you don’t see her giant counterpart. So you step closer.

Suddenly, you’re snatched up by the arm and dragged into a dark alleyway.

Shit.

“Hey!” You yell as the large hand squeezes you.

You try to identify the man but he wears a mask similar to your own.

“How dare you hold me, the Queen, like this? Unhand me right now!” You have a fit as you believe that it’s one of Ten’s men that has dared to touch you.

“Shhh!!” The man pushes you into the wall and tears his mask off.

Your heart drops when you recognize the beautiful brown eyes that look into your own deeply.

You take your mask off slowly and stare at him for a moment. He bends down towards you, keeping you locked in between his strong arms with his hands placed flat against the wall.

“Lucas..where have you been? Why have you been ignoring me? Wait, how did you even know it was me?”

“Shhh..just kiss me.” He leans down and places his lips onto yours, drawing you into a kiss full of passion and longing.

His tongue traces over your bottom lip as you lean into him more.

You wrap your arms around his waist to pull him closer to you, your shoulders raising as your eyes shut.

His face leaves yours, steamy breath decorating your bottom lip as he looks into your eyes.

“Lucas..that’s not enough..you ignored me.” You lick your lips.

Lucas still stares at your lips. “What do you want me to do, y/n?”

“I want you to write letters to me..tell me..”

“Tell you what?”

“Tell me..you love me” you look into his eyes as your heart races because of his close proximity.

“I could write a million letters proclaiming my love for you, y/n. But it wouldn’t matter. You still belong to him. We aren’t meant to be together, can’t you see?”

“I..I don’t care. I need you, no matter what happens, I’ll always need you.” You hold the side of his face as you whisper.

“Please..y/n. I love you, but we can’t do this anymore. One of us will get hurt.” Lucas pleads, but looks out to the side, carefully watching for anyone that walks by and peaks in. He looked worried, like he was contemplating spending any time with you.

And the truth is, he was worried especially after Hendery’s threatening visit. Hendery topped it off with a challenging duel to assert his devotion to the King, but as hard as Hendery fought, Lucas overpowered him. Nonetheless, Lucas wouldn’t tell you this as he wouldn’t want you to worry.

“It’s best that we stop this.” He exhales.

But you want him so badly. You want to feel him hold you in his arms again. You want that feeling of sunshine running through your veins as you make pure love.

“Fine. But first put my heart at ease, Lucas, don’t just ignore me. Look at me and tell me you don’t care, tell me you don’t love me and that you want this to end. Tell me that your heart does not tremble as mine does when I’m with you.”

He turns to you and looks into your eyes, his mouth falling open but no sound comes out.

He shakes his head slowly and closes his eyes while sighing. “You know I can’t do that.”

So you kiss him again. Your arms circling around his neck this time as you press your lips into his hard. Your teeth clash as the kiss becomes messier, your lips becoming red.

The two of you kissed as a feeling of frustration filled your bodies. You couldn’t be together honestly, yet you couldn’t be away from each other. Lucas tried to ignore you unsuccessfully. It tore him apart when he had to stop writing letters to you. He tried to distract himself by hunting and fulfilling his duties, and by being a good husband to Rosé and giving her happy nights. But at the end of it all, he always missed you.

Lucas stopped the kiss, pulling away to look into your eyes filled with tears.

“I missed you.” He says before giving you the softest smile.

You feel your face become hot. “I missed-“

“Has anyone seen the Queen?!” You hear a man shout.

“Put your mask back on.”

He states before putting his on.

“W-what?”

Lucas only takes your mask out of your hand and places it onto your face then tying it for you.

He takes your hand and leads you out of the alleyway. 

“Hold your head down.”

You both hurry past the crowds, working your way to wherever Lucas was taking you.

People gather to the river where they will get the best view of the firework celebration that is to happen soon.

But the two of you move in the opposite direction.

After about 10 minutes of brushing past hundreds of people and into an empty area outside of the market, you finally reach a gazebo.

It just the two of you there, everyone has gathered over a thousand feet away and towards the river where music is playing while people cheer and dance.

Lucas tears his mask off and sits down onto the bench in the gazebo. You take your mask off too as he holds your waist and brings you down onto his lap.

You resume your kiss, breathing heavily as your body moves back and forth onto his growing bulge.

He reaches under the many layers of your dress, laughing out as he struggles to find your thighs.

“I know..it’s a lot.” You laugh.

He smiles widely. “But it’s beautiful...you’re beautiful.” He looks into your eyes while pressing his fingers onto your slit.

You hiss at the contact, your hips instantly moving faster.

He fixes his pants down his legs as you lift yourself up slightly. His free cock now presses against the skin of your inner thigh. You wish you could see it or even touch it, but you had to move fast. Surely, Ten and his men would be combing through the crowds now looking for you or even Lucas.

“Fuck.” Lucas whispers through a staggered breath as you lower yourself onto him.

You kiss him hard as you grind down on him, his fingers gripping your legs hard, pressing into the soft skin.

He licks your neck and kisses it softly, careful not to leave any marks. He would tear your dress off and decorate every part of you with kisses if he had his way, but he knew it was impossible for tonight.

Just being close to you for this moment was enough. Red made you look gorgeous and the night lights and makeup you wore made you look like an angel that graced the earth.

You moved up and down faster, your mouth falling open as that familiar feeling started to return.

Lucas brought his hands onto your ass now, pushing himself deeper and deeper into you as you cried out.

“Shhh.” He tried to shush you as your moaning grew louder. No one was close by, and the commotion would’ve covered any noises the two of you made but he had to be sure.

He grunted into your ear, his teeth lightly grazing your neck as he also got closer, his pre-cum spilling into you.

He places two fingers onto your clit, rubbing it slowly. Your chest falls and you can’t hold back any longer.

“Yes..” you cry out, moving faster. Some of your hair falls out of your bun, you can’t form coherent sentences as Lucas dick commands your wet flower, pushing against your sweet spot repeatedly.

You begin to make out again, your lips covered in spit as your tongues dance.

“Lucas!” You moan loudly, but the sound of the fireworks booming through the night sky covers your noise.

Your eyes shut tightly.

He curses as he releases into your trembling body, holding you down onto his hips.

The fireworks still blow up and out into the sky while you relax.

Your heart rate normalizes and you pick yourself off of him. You sit beside him, legs weak and chest still heavy.

He fixes his pants and clears his throat.

“I love you, y/n. I love you so much. I would never abandon you.”

Lucas contemplated telling you about Ten’s demanding letter, but it wasn’t the right time.

“We must be careful, should we continue.”

You smile and kiss him once more. Nothing mattered in that moment. You just wanted to enjoy the fireworks with him, for you knew that the fireworks were meant to bring good luck to any couples that stood beside each other as they went off to bring in the new year.

Maybe you would receive a blessing. Maybe..the two of you could end up together.

After several minutes of enjoying each other’s company, you both decided to head back to your spouses, departing in opposite directions.

You made sure to wipe yourself clean in a restroom, then fix your lipstick and hair before heading out towards your carriage.

People started to disperse as the celebrations calm down after the fireworks. They made their way back to their own carriages, smiling and laughing, but you heard a commotion as you got closer to your grand carriage.

You flinched as you heard a screeching scream. You picked your dress up and walked faster, your smile fading from your face.

“What’s going on?” You asked a man in the crowd that circled around your carriage.

“Oh!...your majesty, excuse me.” The man stepped out fo your way as did several other men that stood in front. 

You heard the thunderous crack of a whip and another screech followed by a woman crying.

You looked closer and saw that someone kneeled on the ground, their back was naked and littered with red slash marks.

“Oh no..” you ran forward when you saw Ten watch as one of his men pulled his arm back to deliver yet another blow to the poor girl.

Your eyes widened when you saw who the person being attacked was.

Seulgi.

“Stop!” You threw your body over hers before the man could whip her once more.

“Halt!” Ten called to stop the man.

“And there she is..” Ten says softly, a smile creeping across his face as he watches you hold Seulgi, her blood staining your expensive dress.

You start to cry, looking into her cherry-red face wet with tears. “I’m so sorry, please forgive me.”

“What are you apologizing for? She’s the one that’s incompetent and cannot complete a simple task for her king.” Ten raises an eyebrow. 

You become furious. He took his madness out on someone innocent and in front of many people. He humiliated and hurt her all because they could not find you.

You snap your head up to look at him through angry eyes. “Have you lost your fucking mind?”

The crowd gasps and Ten’s eyes grow, but his face still displays an evil smile.

“How dare you talk to your king like that!” You hear his mother yell.

“You wretch! You should be punished!” She steps forward.

“Mother..calm down..shes our Queen after all. She’s allowed to express herself.” Ten speaks calmly.

He walks over to you and crouches down.

You hold Seulgi tight, covering her body as she sobs into her hands.

“It’s my fault, your majesty, I shouldn’t have abandoned you. I failed you, please, I must receive the lashings as punishment for my incompetence.” She says in between sniffles, her body shaking out of fear and immense pain from her burning wounds.

Your heart breaks at the sight, you’re the cause of all this. You were the one that abandoned her. “No..no, it’s not your fault, I was the one that slipped away, I was the one that lost you. I’m so sorry.” 

“Go away!” You yell out at the people that still crowd you and watch the drama unravel.

They quickly disperse into all directions and leave.

“And where exactly did you slip away to for all that time, y/n?” Ten turns to you.

“I got lost, there’s thousands of people here, Ten..but how could you do this?”

“And what about Lucas?”

You look up at him slowly, a moment resting between his question and your answer, but you are quickly interrupted by a soft voice.

“He was with me, your majesty.” Rosé walks quickly towards the three of you, Lucas following behind.

She lied to protect you, or rather, to protect Lucas.

Ten stands up straight and looks past Rosé and onto Lucas.

“That’s good to hear..it seems he understands the importance of being beside one’s spouse once the fireworks light up the sky on this special night.”

Ten smirks and turns back to you. “Get up, we have business to tend to back home.”

You obey his order as to not piss him off any more. You don’t dare spare a glance to Lucas but you can feel his eyes on you, how sorrowful they must look.

“Irene! Get her cleaned up and out of my sight!” Ten says before squeezing your arm and taking you to the carriage.

He helps you inside and sits beside you before the two of you endure a long and silent drive back home.

Once you get back home, Ten takes your arm and practically throws you inside. You quickly turn to him and close your fists tightly.

He pushes you into the wall, pressing his body into yours. “Do you take me for a fool? Huh?! After all this time, do you think I’m just some foolish schoolboy still?”

“I think you’re crazy! Wait, no, I KNOW you’re crazy!” 

He takes your jaw into his hand and brings his lips to yours, forcing a kiss onto them.

You slap him and watch as he backs away.

“You expect me to love you after that? You embarrassed an innocent woman, Ten! And on the night of the Chinese festival of all nights, how can I love you?! You keep me caged like some kind of animal! I can’t take it anymore!”

Ten rubs the spot you slapped him and grows furious, fire roaring through his veins.

“You were supposed to come back to me! We were supposed to kiss as we bring in the new year together!”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t find my way back, but you have to understand, I didn’t do it on purpose. It was an accident.”

“I know what it is..” Ten exhales and walks around the foyer.

“I’ve been too lenient, I’ve been too giving. I am not a king, I am a weak fool that falls for the same person over and over. The person that never stops taking advantage. The person who I just can’t say no too.”

“Ten..” you shake your head.

“But I know what I’ll do..I’ll release you..I’ll let you go, like the caged bird you feel like you are. You will be free.” Ten swallows hard..he walks into the guest room and sits down. You follow him and watch as he pours himself a glass of scotch.

“You will no longer be Queen, you can leave me..”

Could Ten possibly be letting you go? Could you be with Lucas after all?

You sit down on the chair adjacent to his.

Ten gives you a moment to protest, but once you don’t, he begins to grow angry again. He thinks that you do in fact want to be free from him since you do not call him a fool for saying such outrageous things. He knew he’d never let you go, but seeing your eyes grow with hope made him irritated.

“You can be relinquished of all royal titles and live as a beggar, you’ll never see your family again, but that wouldn’t matter, right? Just as long as you have Lucas..”

Your eyes flicker up to him.

“Ten..”

“But poor Lucas and his family, they’d have to live and eventually, die in poverty..hmmm so sad.” Ten downs the liquid and slams the glass onto the table. He gives you a sarcastic smile.

“I...despise you, Ten.” You stand up and head for the door, but Ten rushes after you spinning you around before grabbing a fistful of your hair.

His lips smash into yours once more as his hand pulls your hair pin out, your hair falling loose.

You kiss him back, biting his lips on purpose but not pushing him away as you did before. 

He bites into your neck as he listens to you whine. Your hands scrape at his back, scratching him through his shirt as he groans.

He breaks the kiss off and tears away the fabric of your dress, revealing your breasts and exposing them to the cold air.

“Do you want to know what I was thinking when I watched her be punished?”

“What?” You say before he sucks your nipple as the two of you stand in the foyer, angrily embracing each other.

“How badly I want to punish you in ways you’ve never been punished before..”

Ten flips you around, pushing you into the wall so your back is against his chest.

He kisses you from behind, but quickly bites into your shoulder while grabbing your hair and pulling back roughly.

“And the way you spoke to me in front of all those people..that was the icing on the cake, sweetheart.” Ten’s gravelly voice enters your ear.

He unlaces your corset and slides down what’s left of your dress with one hand while his other hand holds both wrists tightly and over your head.

He then presses his fingers onto your clit, immediately rubbing circles into it as you cry out his name.

He bites harder into your shoulders, breaking the skin to draw blood.

“Fuck!” You moan at the mixture of pain and pleasure.

He fingers you as his cock presses against your ass, your head falls back, you close your eyes and focus on the way his fingers stretch you out so wonderfully.

Ten pinches your nipple with his other hand, but continues to suck hard onto you shoulder.

Your essence runs down your wavering legs. You can’t think or even speak straight.

“Yes..T-Ten..right..there.”

You’re so close, you clench around him but he takes his fingers out and spins you around to face him.

“Did you really think it would be that easy?”

He kneels and gives you a smirk as he looks up at your disappointed face.

Ten was never like this, he always made sure you came no matter what, but now he was denying you. 

You lock eyes as he sucks his fingers clean.

“You’re cruel.” You whimper.

He chuckles and runs a hand down your abdomen, adoring your soft skin and the way you fidget.

“Oh, you have no idea.I’ll show you crazy, my darling. Yes, tonight, I’ll drive you mad, just as mad as you’ve made me.”

He holds your legs by the crook of your knees and places them over his shoulders, his head now in between them and hot breath fanning over your soaking entrance.

He licks slowly as he watches you moan.

Your hand goes to the back of his head, and runs through his hair.

“Oh, my love. I would be a fool to let such a sweet thing go.” Ten whispers then licks in between your folds.

His kitten licks drive you crazy, you can’t help but grab onto his hair tighter.

“Please Ten..”

But he continues to go slow, watching you above him as you play with your nipple and mutter out curse words. He won’t push in further, but he allows the tip of his nose to tickle your bud.

He flattens his tongue, working his way past your folds as you shake.

You’re needy to the point of tears, but Ten doesn’t budge.

“Oh fuck.. let me cum please.” You whine again.

He finally dips his tongue in, swirling it around as he kisses your slit. You move your hips against his face, feeling the bridge of his nose press onto your bud.

“Yes..” your head falls back.

Ten applies pressure to that one spot he knows will make you go crazy, and just as you’re about to cum he pulls his face away from your pussy, kissing your thigh while your chest falls.

“You don’t deserve to cum.”

He yanks your arm and drags you upstairs to the bedroom.

“Do you..remember..the first night we fucked sweetheart?”

“How could I forget?” You breathlessly let out, your legs still weak from being close to your climax not once, but twice.

“The safe word..what was it?? Ah yes, gold.” Ten pushes you onto the bed.

“On your stomach, hands behind your back.” You turn over as he demands, your ass up and ready, but little do you know what Ten has planned for you.

Ten takes silk rope that was placed inside 

the nightstand and ties both of your wrists together.

You squeal as he tightens it so tight, you know that you won’t be able to shimmy out of it if you tried.

Ten holds the back of your neck as he leans down to whisper into your ear.

“Ass up at all times, if you falter, you’ll be like this all night.”

You nod. You’d do anything to cum at this point.

Ten then ties two silk ropes around your ankles, each rope leading to your wrists. You can no longer separate your legs from your arms. You’re open for him and restricted, unable to close your legs or move your arms. The ropes are right, you can feel the blood pressure increases, but a part of you likes it. 

The image of Ten over your bound body only makes you ache for a release even more. You want to feel him inside you, running his veiny cock against your walls.

Ten rubs his hand over your ass teasingly, just barely touching it to trace the roundness of it.

He pulls his pants down and pushes into you in one swift move, you can’t adjust in time and whine loudly at the sudden penetration.

Your body falls forward, but he grips your wrists and brings you back to him, grunting as he reaches your depths and runs his length along your soothing walls.

“Ahh!! Ten!”  You scream as he pushes into you again, ramming his dick into.

“Don’t be so surprised, sweetheart, I told you I would punish you. But you’re so fucking wet, I’m beginning to think you’re enjoying this.”

Ten pulls out slowly, groaning at the way you clench and twitch around his length.

Your feet and hands go numb, the tight rope digging into your skin to leave a mark.

“You look so pretty like this, all tied up for me. If i could have you like this all the time, I’d be overjoyed.”

Ten growls then slams into you once again, this time, letting your body fall onto the bed while you moan.

He pulls you by your hair and whispers into your ear, pinching your nipples so your eyes fly open.

“I hope it’s not too much for you.” He states in a mocking tone. 

He pushes your head forward into the bed again, drilling into your body as his skilled hips fail to miss a beat.

The sounds of skin against skin and your moans fill the air, making you feel weak. The tingly feeling in your stomach just begging to be eased.

“Ten..please..I’m almost-“ you say through staggered breaths.

“I’m gonna..”

“Do you want to end up like Seulgi? Don’t you dare cum without my approval.” He growls and moves even faster.

It’s hard to hold back, but you’re not exactly sure what Ten is capable of anymore. You follow his orders as tears run down your cheeks. You bite your lips and try not to cum as he coats your walls with his own essence and holds you fast against him.

He pants and lays his body on top of yours.

He pulls out, but replaces his dick with his fingers, pushing the cum that has leaked out back into you.

He looks at the side of your face as he fingers you, looking into your eyes before giving your cheeks a light peck. His hair has fallen into his face, his exposed shoulders shining in the dimly lit room with sweat. He’s incredibly gorgeous, even when he’s angry.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart. A king never disappoints his obedient queen at the end of it all.”

Obedient being the key word.

“Ten..baby, please.” 

“Shhh...it’s too late to beg, stay here.”

Ten leaves the room, your body still on the bed, aching in your strenuous position.

He comes back in not too long after, however, retaking his position behind you.

“Ahhhh..my beautiful queen, how will I let the world...” he takes a breath before continuing, traces of sarcasm echoing in his tone. “And any other man..know that you are mine?”

You breathe heavily. 

Then feel a sharp slap to your butt. A wooden paddle sends you into the bed, your voice letting out a crackling cry at the unexpected hit.

“No..no..keep your body up, sweetheart.” He puts his arm under you and brings your body back to its original position.

He then smacks you again, but with less force.

“See? Here I go, going easy on you again.”

Another smack, you shut your eyes tightly and feel your slick run down your legs.

“Look at you..getting turned on by this.” He swings the paddle onto you again, but with as much force as he did the first time.

He grabs you by your hair before you can crash into the bed.

“Oh my god, Ten!” You cry out.

He slaps you again.

“There we go..now we are getting the reaction that we need..your skin is magnificent, especially in this bruised tone.”

You sob, but you won’t give him the satisfaction of saying the safe word.

He delivers another blow as you yelp.

He becomes hard again at the sight of your entrance dripping and ass irritated.

He moves behind you and places the paddle down. His fingernails dig into your hips as he drags your ass towards him, this time he pushes into your asshole slowly.

“Ten!”

He grunts then pushes into you all the way. “So tight. Just like the first night.”

He moves in and out at a steady pace, your breath leaving you with each thrust. You whimper and struggle against your restraints, but he feels amazing, you don’t want him to stop.

He leans forwards and pushes two fingers into your mouth, his hips increasing in speed.

“Ahhh..fuck.” Strings of cum enter you once again.

That night, Ten teased you endlessly, playing with your body like it was a toy for a spoiled child on Christmas. Keeping it in weird positions as he fucked into you over and over. Choking you while denying you of release, your makeup was smudged and messy as you cried from over-sensitivity. He took his frustrations out on you all night and you wondered how he was still so energetic.

And when he finally let you experience your long awaited orgasm, your hands loose and scratching at his back, your ankles over his shoulders as he pushes into you from above and kisses your lips like he needs them to survive. You came hard, your eyes rolling into the back of your head. Shortly after, you fell asleep as he cleaned you up.

The next day, you couldn’t walk. Your bum, wrists and ankles were littered with painful bruises. Your neck and chest also had too many love bites for you to count. It was safe to say you’d be in the house for a while. No one could see you like this.

Your eyes squint as the sunlight burns through the thin curtains.

Ten walks into the room. “Good morning.”

He gives a small smile then scoops you off of the bed.

“W-where-?” You rub your eyes.

“Is a man not allowed to take his wife to the bath?” Ten looks onto you with furrowed brows.

He places you down into the bath filled with water and rose petals. Usually, your maids helped you bathe while Ten was out of the room, but here Ten was being the caring husband he should be.

“That was the hardest I’ve ever gone, darling. You are clearly fit to be my wife after all.” He says as he washes you down. He sits on the side of the tub and massages your body with warm water, and expensive soap he created far away in the mountains just for you.

You moan and bite your lips. His touch is soothing, his hands move over your breasts and your abdomen slowly, and soon, the apex of your legs.

“Ten-“ you draw in a sharp breath.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Join me..please.”

And so he joins you in the oversized, luxurious tub, making love to you once more as water splashes onto the floor, your legs around his waist, your hands running along his soft back. Ten moans as he feels your fingers delicately trace over the scratch marks you gave him last night.

“I’m so happy you’re mine.” He whispers as you drift into sleep again.

————

[MARCH 1896]

Ten holds your hand tightly as the two of you walk into a tea shop.

The store owner immediately bows to both of you. “Your majesty, welcome! Allow me to provide you with the finest tea in the land. I would’ve been more prepared had I known of your visit, I do apologize.”

“No need to apologize, thank you for welcoming us.” You cut in before Ten can make a snarky comment like he always did to people below him.

The two of you sat down to enjoy delicious tea from all over the world. Some spicy, some incredibly sweet, and some so refreshing, it felt like you were drinking liquid happiness.

“Which ones do you prefer, my love?” Ten turns to you as you wipe your mouth with a napkin.

“I like..the Wuyi Narcissus..” you breathlessly let out, suddenly becoming weak and dizzy. Your heart beats rapidly, almost like it’s threatening to burst through the cage it’s in.

Blood rushes to your head as you lean over, your vision blurring and hands releasing the tea cup you held.

A crash sounds as the fine china splatters all over the floor, a commotion follows.

“Y/n? Y/n! What have you done to her?!” Ten holds your body and shakes you lightly, but you’ve already passed out completely.

Later that day, you wake to find yourself laying on your shared bed. Your eyes flutter open to see a man with glasses and a small smile over you.

“I don’t care if no one has ever been sickened by his tea before, I want that man dead by sunset!” Ten yells outside of the room.

“What-what happened?” You ask the man that seems to have just taken your temperature.

“Sweetheart! You’re okay..” Ten rushes over beside you.

“I promise that man will not see another morning for hurting you like this.”

“Ten..what are you talking about?” You still feel very weak, your hands and feet are numb.

“Bring him in!” Ten yells outside of the room.

Two guards drag the tea shop owner inside your bed room and make him kneel at the foot of your bed by kicking the crook of his knees.

“Ahh! Your majesty, I did not poison you! I swear by it! I would never-“ the old man cries, his eyes are bruised, swollen and blood runs from the corner of his mouth.

“Shut up!” Ten slaps the man hard with the back of his hand, making him fall forward and cry louder.

“Ten!” You cry out and reach for him.

“Please..please don’t.” Youre voice is barely above a whisper as you still struggle to breathe normally.

“this bastard poisoned you!”

Ten walked back towards you.

“Actually, that may not be the case.. your majesty, now that you are awake, may I ask you a question?” The man with the glasses beside your bed cuts in.

“My name is Kun Qian, I am the royal family’s physician.”

“Hello, Doctor. Yes, you may ask me anything.”

“When was the last time you experienced menstruation?”

Your eyes widened at the doctor asking such a private question, but then you really thought about it. You hadn’t seen your period for some time.

“It-it’s been quite a while, doctor.” You look up at him and nod your head.

“As I suspected, based on your temperature and low blood pressure, it seems as though you are pregnant.” He gives you a smile and looks back at Ten. 

“A heir is on the way!”

Your mouth falls open as anguish covers your entire body. You weren’t ready to be a mother, you didn’t think you could even carry a baby. Hell, it was only the first few days or so and you had already fainted.

Your brows are knitted as you stare at the doctor, then look back at Ten.

He smiles from ear to ear, then leans down to pull you into a big hug.

“My love! We are going to have a baby!” He exclaims then pulls away to see your reaction. You still look dumbfounded, clearly not as excited as he is. 

Ten frowns slightly, then turns back to the men in the room.

“Leave us!” He yells and they quickly scurry out of the room.

He turns back to you. “Well, don’t look so thrilled, sweetheart.” A sarcastic smirk falling over his face now that the room is empty.

“I..I am excited..I’m just nervous.”

“Please don’t worry, my love..” he rubs a hand slowly on top of the blanket covering your belly.

“I will ensure that you receive the best care throughout this pregnancy and after. As well as our dear child. They will be the most spoiled baby on Earth. Do you trust me?”

The answer was no. Ten was aggressive sometimes and words were just words. You weren’t sure what he was capable of.

“Darling?”

“Y-yes..I do.” You nod, and give him a reassuring smile to ease his concern.

“I would like to rest now, Ten.”

Ten nods before kissing your hand and leaving the room. He felt like he was on cloud 9, he ran through the house like a child that was just gifted a dog to chase and play with.

You rested your head onto your pillow and stared at the ceiling, thinking all sorts of things.

The night of the Chinese Festival..it had to have been then.

But which man was the father of the baby growing in you?

Ten believed it was his, but you weren’t sure, for little did he know, you too had been unfaithful.

————

[MAY 1896]

You sit and have tea with Ten’s mother.

“How do you feel?” She asks, faking concern.

“Well..I’ve had better days.”

She sighs and takes a sip from her cup.

“I don’t understand what my son sees in you. You can barely handle a pregnancy, how can you handle a nation of needy people?”

“You’ve said that before. How do you expect me to react?”

“I don’t expect anything from a weak girl like you, I know I’d only be setting myself up for disappointment. You came into his life out of nowhere. Your family barely has a respectable lineage. He could’ve gone with someone like that gorgeous Yoona from the Im Estate. But instead...he’s fascinated with you. And why? I’ll never understand.” She shakes her head.

You place your tea cup down loudly and exhale. “Why do you hate me so much, mother?” You say with venom in your tone. You’ve just about had enough with her for she always treats you like you’re less than Ten. She practically threw her hatred in your face since the day you met her.

“Oh, is it that obvious?” She chuckles then takes another sip.

“Well, quite frankly, y/n..I knew you were a lustful wretch from the minute I met you by the look in your eyes..even at your young age, I knew you wanted to corrupt my son, my baby. I knew you were gonna enslave him with your body, taint him and make him forget all that he’d learned.” She spits out while leaning forward.

You stare blankly and look at the table, trying to calm your nerves.

“You’re a whore, y/n, and I just know you fucked that fool, Lucas. That mistake of a man that was birthed by a disgusting prostitute. She threw herself onto my husband in order to take his money. And you’ve done the same to my naive Ten because you are just like her..a whore.”

You chuckle and leaned forward as you remembered catching her son all those times, in the stables, in the library.

“The only whore in this house is your son! He’s just like his father, your cheating bastard of a husband. All he does is stick his penis into anything with a heartbeat! And yet the King ended up with you! A hateful and downright evil bitch! Bless him for being relieved of your presence finally in death!” You lash out.

The queen backhand smacks you so hard, you placed your hands flat onto the table to hold yourself up straight.

The queen gasps and shoots up from her chair. She huffs. “If you ever dare open your foul mouth and speak to me like that again, I’ll see to it that your tongue is removed and fed to the wolves! I can’t kill you, for your death would ruin my son, but I will hurt you, child. Do not..mess with me.”

Seulgi runs over and helps you up from the table after the queen leaves.

Your back aches in pain as you stand up from the dining room table. You press your hand into the small of it and wince. 

Your belly was so huge, you couldn’t even walk 10 steps without the need to stop and take a breath.

“I believe you should rest in your room, your majesty.” A maid helps you up the stairs and towards your bedroom. She was the one to always hold your hand and help you through any cramps you felt. You rarely saw Ten. He was always away for some trip or completing tasks in town, writing orders, or even hunting with other men.

You found it quite odd that he promised to give you the best treatment, but neglected to even check in with you on some days.

“Where..is my husband, Seulgi?” You move up the steps slowly.

“I-I am not sure, Miss, I believe he is out of town at the moment.”

You sigh. “Of course he is.”

“A letter came for you today, your majesty, I have placed it onto the desk in your study.” Seulgi changes the subject quickly, for she knows of Ten’s true whereabouts. She knows that he is actually in the very same castle that you’re in, only, he rests in a room far away on the other end of the large mansion, laying in bed with his favorite servant, Jade.

She knew that your pregnancy would be in danger if you ever discovered this.

“I would like to go there now, I will rest later.” You tell her. You put Seulgi in charge of collecting letters and hiding the ones that were  closed shut with a distinct label. She didn’t know who the letters were from, but even if she had her own assumptions, you knew you could trust her of all the maids to stay quiet.

“Yes, your majesty.” 

Once in the study alone, you open the letter from your beloved Lucas.

Your mouth widens into a smile as you read it and rub your irritated cheek.

Dear y/n,

I am delighted to know that you are doing well. Please continue to rest, eat, and sleep well. I wish I could be there to hold you and feel the subtle kicks of our child. I can imagine how cute it will be already, with your beautiful eyes and my dimples. The baby is so loved , it does not even know. We will provide it with everything that it needs and more. It will have the most caring parents known to man. Once the delivery is successful, I will pick you up and we will run away from this place together, raising our child in the sunniest place for the rest our lives. We will finally be together, my love. All three of us. I promise to see you soon.

                                       Yours Always,

                                                    Lucas

A tears drops onto the paper. Your heart swells with joy when you think of finally living your life with your true love, Lucas. Carrying a baby was painful, but knowing that he loved you and planned to take care of you made it easier.

You wouldn’t have to deal with your careless, self-centered husband, you could finally be happy.

You clutched the letter to your chest and brought it with you to your room, holding it tightly as you fell asleep with a smile on your face.

————

[One Day Later]

“Your majesty...” Jade rushes into Ten’s study.

“What are you doing?! You know we can’t meet here!” Ten quickly stands up and walks close to Jade. 

With shakey hands she lifts up a piece of paper to him.

“I am so sorry, your majesty, but I was cleaning the Queen’s quarters when I came across this letter. It was under one of the pillows on the bed!”

“Shhh..quiet down, you’ll wake her.”

Ten grabs the paper from her and looks into her eyes sternly. “And what gives you the right to read through our Queen’s personal documents, Jade?”

“I-I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help but recognize the name at the bottom.”

Ten raises an eyebrow, but then proceeds to read through the note. 

His face grows angry, his grip on the paper tightens as his knuckles become white as snow.

‘Our son.’

The audacity of this man. Ten thinks to himself. 

“How dare he..” Ten scoffs, he begins to lose it slowly, he can’t even form coherent sentences or words to express how upset he is. So many thoughts run through his head. Had you and Lucas really fornicated that night when you disappeared at the festival? 

Lucas wouldn’t be a fool to call the baby his child if this wasn’t the truth, for this was the only time that you had slipped out of Ten’s sight.

How dare he. Ten thought Lucas would’ve stopped it all. He thought he would’ve been a decent friend and left you alone like he asked, but he disobeyed his order and still continued to keep in touch with you.

How dare you. Oh you...you lied to him. His sweetheart, the one he loved so dearly with all his heart. He gave you everything, the world, and anything else that you could possibly ask for. You took advantage of his kindness, you took him for a fool once again.

And the worst part is, he still loved you. You could stab him in the chest with a sword while daunting an ice cold expression, and he’d still adore you.

And the fact that the two of you planned to run away together made everything worse. The child that he was so excited to welcome and raise into the world with you, would be snatched away from him by his own best friend.

He doubted that even being murdered by you was worse than what he felt right now.

“What will you do?” Jade whispers.

Ten sighs, his eyes narrowing. He knew better than to lash out like some sort of maniac. So he decided to stay cool and calm, he was notorious for that. No matter how difficult a situation be for him, he always remained calm. He was feared by all for this very reason, his silence and unreadable smile made him nothing short scary.

“It seems..Lucas and I will need to have a talk.”

He hands her the paper. “Put this back where you found it, then wait for me in the room at the end of the hall.”

Jade nods quickly and takes the paper from him before turning around.

“And Jade...I have no patience today, if you’re not naked and on your knees in five minutes..I will have no choice but to punish you..again.”

“I understand, your majesty.”

————

[JUNE 1896]

Ten gives your cheek a light kiss as he leaves your side.

“I’ll be gone for a few days, sweetheart, try not to miss me too much.”

“You’re always gone, Ten. I stopped missing you a long time ago. Now, I’m just used to it.”

“Ahhh, darling, don’t be so harsh. You know how it is for the King.” Ten straightens his arms out as his servant cleans his uniform of lint.

“I have to be here, I have to be there..the kingdom needs me.”

“And what about me? I’m carrying your baby, some care would be nice, what if I need you?” You were irritated at Ten today and couldn’t control your emotions as the contractions kept you up all night.

“My baby?” Ten quickly caught himself. “Don’t you mean our baby?”

You roll your eyes and lay back down in the bed as Ten smirks.

“I’ll have Seulgi bring you some tea for the pain.” He says as he exits the bedroom.

————

[JULY 1896]

“You have another letter, your majesty.”

You quickly take the letter from Seulgi and wave her off. “Thank you, you are dismissed.”

It was the first letter that you received from him in about two weeks, so you were more than excited to read it.

Dear y/n,

I apologize for taking so long to follow up with you. I have successfully escaped the Park Estate. Do not be worried, my love, for I only ran away to get settled before the baby arrives. I have taken several trains to get to where I am right now. It is beautiful, perfect even. I cannot think of a more suiting place for our family to thrive. I look forward to taking you here and being with you all the time. I am far enough so that no one will recognize me. Please promise me one thing, if Princess Rosé sends for me, do not tell her or anyone else in the kingdom where I am or about the letters that I send you. You are the only one that knows of my location. My mother and brother do not know and likely will not be asked for me, but when you get here safely, I will, of course, inform them as well. I am beaming with excitement. I cannot wait to see you again.

                                      Yours eternally,

                                                      Lucas 

———————

[AUGUST 1896]

You’re resting in your chambers, a heat flash making you too dizzy to even comprehend what time it is. You wish you could see your mother and father, but Ten’s mother has kept them from entering the premises, claiming that they would only add stress for you.

Ten sent your parents away to a different district where they would be in charge of finances. You thought it was unnecessary for them to be hours away from you, but Ten deemed them the right and only fit for the job.

A servant enters the room and calls out to you.

“Your majesty..”

“Yes..” you say groggily, squinting as the sun flight hurts your eyes.

You rub your belly and wince. “What is it?”

“Princess Rosé has come to see you, she says it is urgent.” Seulgi states with a look of worry.

“Let her in, please.” you sit up straight, preparing yourself for what is about to ensue.

Rosé comes rushing into your room.

“Your majesty! I cannot find Lucas!”

You furrow your brows. “What?”

Rosé sobs. “No one has seen him in two months...I thought he was visiting another city, but it turns out he never showed up. Your majesty, what if something’s happened to him? I am so worried..I.”

“Shhh...please, sit on the bed. We will find him, I’m sure he’ll be back from whatever trip he has taken soon enough.”

It hurt you to lie to Rosé like this, but it’s what Lucas asked of you.

He made you promise not to tell anyone the truth.

“It’s just..he’s never done this before, he’s never left and not even written a letter to me..oh, your majesty, I miss him so much.” Rosé cries hard into her hands.

You lean forward and rub her back. “He’s okay, Rosé, perhaps he needed some time away.”

She looks up at you. “You’re right, I think I left him too often. What if he doubts my love for him? He’s been so sweet to me, what if I’ve broken his big heart?”

Your eyes tear up as you think of the man you and Rosé both knew. Lucas loved everyone so deeply, he was a tall glass of love ever flowing, brightening anything and anyone he came into contact with.

It was a pity that someone as nice as Rosé would have to be hurt by both your actions.

Ten struts into the room. “What’s the matter?”

“I can’t find Lucas, I think something has happened to him, it’s been two months!” Rosé cries harder.

“Oh no..oh dear.” Ten steps closer before locking eyes with you, as if to ask if you knew anything about Lucas’ whereabouts.

You shrug your shoulders and shake your head as you pat Rosé’s back.

“Lucas, my dear friend. I’m sure he is hiking somewhere, going on some grand adventure like usually does. But do not worry, I will send out any and all of my men in search of him. We will speak to the countrymen and ask if they’ve seen him so we can trace his steps. We will search far and wide, even outside of the kingdom, Rosé. We will find him.”

“Oh, your majesty, I am forever in your debt.” Rosé stands up and bows to Ten.

But Ten watches your eyes, anxious to see how you react to his words. You wipe your eye of a tear and mouth “thank you.”

—————

[SEPTEMBER 1896]

“Doctor Qian...I might just rip this baby out myself..he dances like his father, and my belly is blessed to be the dance floor.” You wince as another contraction sets in.

The doctor lifts the stethoscope and his head from your stomach.

“Well, your majesty, I’m afraid you don’t have just one dancer in there.”

Your eyes grow large.“W-what?”

“There are, in fact, two heartbeats coming from your belly.” 

“Doctor..what are you saying?”

“It looks like you’re in a considerable amount of pain because you’re pregnant with twins.”

He gives you a big smile.

You gasp. “Oh..my God.”

Ten walks into the room, fixing his pants as he steps in.

You scan him up and down while he smooths his hair back and breathes heavily.

He never made it to your appointments on time..even if he was already in the very castle that they occurred in.

“I’m sorry I’m late, any news doctor?” He says as he walks to your side of the bed.

“Yes, I was just informing your wife of her pregnancy with twins, your majesty.”

“Twins?!” Ten gasps, he immediately smiles from ear to ear, new found hope flooding his head. Could you possibly be pregnant with his child also?

“Yes, that is why she is in so much pain.”

“Sweetheart, that’s amazing.” Ten bends down to give you a kiss, but you turn your head.

“Doctor, when is the delivery date?”

Ten’s smile falls and he stands ups straight before rolling his shoulders.

“Late October or Early November, your highness.” The doctor snaps his briefcase shut, turning to bid you and Ten a farewell.

When the room is empty, you turn to Ten.

“Where were you, Ten?”

“Doesn’t matter, darling. I’m here now.” Ten shimmies off his jacket and sits on the edge of the bed.

“It does matter, because while the doctor is informing me of my health and the health of our CHILD, you’re off doing God knows what!”

You grip the sheets to hold in your anger.

“I can smell that bitch on you!” Your voice raises.

Ten moved over to you quickly, grabbing you by the throat and squeezing it slightly. His eyes full of pure anger.

“You’ve got some nerve, woman! I’ve given you everything you ask for, yet you lay here on the most expensive bed in this continent and all I hear from you are complaints! Be grateful for once and I may just want to spend time with you!”

He releases his grip and stands up before smoothing his pants.

You stare at him in shock. You contemplate tearing him apart with words, but you calm yourself. You needed to rest and keep your heartbeat stable to ensure the safe delivery of your babies, the ones you would soon raise with Lucas.

Ten walks to the door.

“You should rest and make sure my children are healthy..”

He looks at you over his shoulder. “Because if they aren’t...I’ll have your head put on a stake.”

—

Later that week, you receive another letter from Lucas. He tells you once again that he is safe and doing well, and is longing to see you.

You reply with a letter.

My dearest Lucas,

The doctor has informed me that I am pregnant with twins! Oh, how excited I am for you to meet them. They will have your laugh, your smile, your warmth. I love you, I wish you were here to take care of me. Ten has been absent on most days, leaving me to endure this pregnancy alone, even on the most painful nights. I know that if you were here, you’d be beside me through it all. Nonetheless, I pray that you are prepared for the twins. I will do my best to ensure their safe arrival. I look forward to reuniting with you soon and running away from this dreadful place, you will relieve me of my ties to this insane man and bring me to a paradise filled with true unconditional love, and we will live happily forever. My love, I need you..more than ever. Please be safe.

                                        Yours Truly,

                                                  Y/n

After sending your letter off to a post office Lucas had given you the address of in another letter, you decide to walk about the castle for a while. The doctor advised you to take walks every now and then, but to not pressure yourself.

You head to the planetarium that Ten had built in just for you about a year ago. Back when Ten was caring and genuinely sweet, he did things for you just to see you smile. He knew you loved to look into the sky when you rested under the cherry blossom tree together, so he’d decided to get you a room where you could gaze together and hold hands just like you did in the old days.

You sit there and gaze at the stars, silently praying for a safe delivery that both you and your children would survive.

When you’ve spent an hour or so in the room, you finally get up and walk back to your room. You stop just after you pass by one of the rooms in the hallway. A loud groan escapes the door.

You lean in close and hear the whimpers of a woman as well. Your brows furrow. Surely, your servants wouldn’t be fooling around in your house.

You slowly turn the handle of the door and peak into the room.

Your heart drops at the sight and sound.

Ten makes love to Jade on the bed, thrusting his dick into her as her head falls over the edge of the bed and her legs spread further

apart. He sucks her neck and moans while a male servant enters him from behind, holding him by the waist as he pushes deep into your husband’s ass.

The man doesn’t see you as he throws his head back and looks to be on the brink of his climax.

A hand flies over your mouth, falling open.

You don’t make a sound, but Ten feels a gust of wind when the door opens up a little more.

He looks up at you, locking his dark, lustful eyes with your teary ones as you stand there in shock. Their bodies are naked, sweaty. Their moans and groans flood your ears.

But unlike the first time you caught him, he doesn’t stop. He pushes into her harder, still keeping eye contact with you.

He grabs her neck and begins to choke her, however, you just can’t seem to stop watching it all happen.

Her face begins to turn red, her eyes fly open and when she gets the upside down image of you in the doorway, she only chuckles.

Her voice gets louder as she cums. 

“Oh! Oh, yes! Your majesty! Yes!” Her body shaking on the bed. Ten cums soon after, choking her harder as he watches you and grunts. The man behind him slams into Ten one more time before releasing into him and gripping onto his waist with his fingernails.

The audacity of them all. You clenched your fists, then slammed the door shut.

You wiped your tears with one hand and held your belly with the other. You tried not to cry too hard, for you didn’t want to stress yourself out, but Ten really ruined you. He didn’t care for you or love you, he only lusted after you. He only wanted to possess you.

That night, you kept yourself from crying by re-reading Lucas’ letters and dreaming of your wonderful life with him.

Ten had the nerve to bring breakfast to you the next morning.

You took the tray and threw it on the ground.

“Do you really think I’d eat something from you? You’re a revolting liar!”

“Oh? Revolting? Nice. Haven’t heard that one from you yet.” Ten sits on the edge of the bed.

“Yeah..well you really brought out my creativity after what you did yesterday.”

“What’s wrong? Are you jealous? You looked like you liked it..did it remind you of the first night?”

Ten taps the blanket with his fingers, slowly pushing them into the apex of your legs. “the night when Lucas and I played with your body? Ah, yes, we took turns entering and filling it up with our seed? It’s a shame he’s not here for us to do it again..”

His voice is laced with lust as he gazes at your swollen breasts.

“Don’t TOUCH me!” You move your leg and brush him off.

“So what? You’ll never let me touch you again? You’re my wife, darling..I have to touch you..kiss you..fuck you.” Ten gives a sadistic smile that you wish you could erase from your memory forever.

“You will NEVER put your dick in me again.”

“Then what good are you as my queen? We have to create a family..even after this pregnancy, there should be more, no? That’s what the people want, my love.”

“And if I leave you?” You say through gritted teeth.

Ten chuckles loudly. “Leave me? The king? I guess our children will be motherless, how sad. ‘Til death do us part,’ sweetheart, did you forget?”

“Why do you keep me around? You have people that give you what you need, because clearly, I am not enough..why do you hurt me?” Tears start to fill your eyes, making his apparition blurry.

“They’ll never be you..I love you..I need you, you’re mine and I’ll die before I let you go.” Ten runs his finger down your neck as he whispers.

“It feels amazing..having you here..to myself.”

“You’re pretty when you cry.” He wipes a tear.

“I hate you, Ten.”

Ten takes your hand and kisses it, laying it on the side of his face as he pouts.

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

————

[NOVEMBER 1896]

You hold Ten’s hand tightly, letting out another blood-curdling scream. Your hips feel like they will shatter at any moment as you deliver your children.

But after several hours of grueling contractions and labor, you deliver two beautiful girls. Ten let you choose the names so you chose Yīngtáo for Cherry and Kāihuā for Blossom as Lucas had suggested in a letter to you once.

Ten rocks one twin in his arms as he tears up. You rock the other in your arms and smile at her.

“Oh, y/n..they’re beautiful.” Ten sobs.

You smile. “I know..”

Your nurses take the babies away and into their care room, where they are bathed and fed. The doctor also checks their vitals to ensure that they are healthy.

It’s just you and Ten in the room after it’s been cleaned up.

Ten lays down beside you, pulling you into his arms. You’re too tired to push yourself away from him, so you welcome his embrace by relaxing your body.

Your head rests on his chest, rising up and down slowly and steadily. 

“You did well, my love.” Ten says softly.

“Yeah..I guess I did, even after all the shit you put me through.”

Ten chuckles lightly then sighs. “That night of the Chinese festival..it was so long ago..and look at what has happened. We have been blessed with not one, but two healthy babies. How can we tell which is which?”

“Well, I’m sure it will be easier to differentiate between the two as they get older..”

“No, my love. How can we tell which child is mine..and which child is his?” Ten says slowly.

Your eyes open as you sit up straight and look at Ten.

“His? What are you talking about?”

Ten runs his fingers down your back and the look on his face makes your skin crawl, his eyes low as he daunts a proud smirk.

“I know about everything, my love. I know what you did last summer. I know that you had sex with Lucas several times...even on that same night that I lost you.”

Your mouth falls open, but Ten doesn’t give you a chance to speak, his hand still running up and down your back.

“And..I want you to know...I forgive you...whether or not they’re mine..I forgive you.” He kisses your cheek.

“I will raise them as my own, for you have just made me the happiest man on Earth.” He whispers into your ear.

“Ten..” your eyes still wide after the shock. Ten knew that you and Lucas were engaging in and affair, and he didn’t tell you until now. How was it that he was so calm? Why did he keep you alive after learning of your whereabouts that night? 

“Everything is all right now. I love you, my darling. I love our children.” Ten nuzzles himself onto your neck and pulls you closer to him as he drifts off into sleep quietly.

Your eyes fill with tears, but you quickly wipe them away and remind yourself of the last letter Lucas sent you. 

He said to meet him at the cherry tree next week at a specific time. That is when he will come to your rescue and take you and your kids away. You smile and close your eyes, dreaming once again of your love.

————

[One Week Later]

It is after midnight when you creep out of your chambers. Ten had once again disappeared but you didn’t care where he was. In fact, you are beyond thankful for his neglect tonight of all nights. This evening you and your babies would run away with Lucas.

The palace was basically dead. The servants were working downstairs on the first floor. Normally, you and Ten had the top floor to yourselves for the evening. If you ever needed to call for a servant, there was a bell that could be rung that could be heard across the residence. 

It was the last thing you needed. You didn’t pack much into your small bag. You removed your sleepwear and put on a pair of pants and a loose-fitting shirt. You put a cloak over yourself and bundled your sleeping girls up in your arms. You prayed they stayed peacefully asleep. You ran away quickly, knowing it would be stupid to leave Ten a letter.

You run towards a servant’s exit to the gardens that were right outside of your bedroom. You knew that no one would cross paths with you up until this point. You let out a sigh of relief and looked down at the babies. They still slept peacefully. You smile down at them and exit through the gardens. 

You enter past the schoolyard you once frequented, amazed and saddened at the sour turn your friendship with Ten and Lucas had taken. You spot the cherry blossom tree in the distance and see a man leaning against the back of it, a baby stroller right beside him. Lucas was already waiting for you and your heart swelled with happiness. 

You say, “Lucas…”

As you get closer and closer, Lucas slowly turns over and you see…

Wait.

“Darling,” Ten starts with a wide smile on his face, “Fancy seeing you here of all places in the middle of the night. Quite careless of you to expose the girls to the elements so soon.”

You back away. What is he doing here? How did he know you were-

Ten clicks his tongue. “Were you expecting someone else?”

You are stunned to silence. You couldn’t think straight. Where was Lucas, you thought. Perhaps he was late. What if he was still on his way to the rendezvous point? And now that Ten was here, you wouldn’t be able to get away with Lucas. You hope Lucas is stealthy and he avoids detection. You could arrange another meeting time. Find another way to escape.  

You try to make up an excuse. “I-”

Ten raises his arms. “Your arms must ache from carrying both of the girls. Allow me,” he says as he takes Yīngtáo. 

He cradles her and continues, “What brings you here, y/n? You have one chance to answer honestly.” 

His nurturing smile at his daughter fades as he looks at you. “Don’t test me.”

You sigh as you cradle Kāihuā. “I’m leaving, Ten.”

Ten laughs. “You are? Are you walking on foot with my daughters to the next town?”

You sigh. “Enough, Ten. I’m leaving. With Lucas. You have kept him and I apart for too long. This,” you say, “Is not a true marriage. If you loved me at all, you would let me go.” 

He caresses your cheek. As quickly as you flinch, he removes his hand from you. “Oh, sweet, foolish y/n. How do you explain my presence in the cherry blossom tree? Exactly at midnight.”

“You must’ve followed me…” You start.

He smiles. “‘You will relieve me of my ties to this insane man and bring me to a paradise filled with true unconditional love, and we will live happily forever’.”

Your heart sinks as he reads the words you wrote to Lucas. Ten found one of your letters. Did that mean he got it before Lucas could receive it? But how, you wonder. 

He pouts. “Insane? Me? Is that how you really think of me?” 

You are tempted to snap at him but don’t want to alarm your babies. You take a deep breath and reply, “What would you call an unfaithful spouse who won’t let you go?”

He laughs. “You’re one to talk about infidelity.” He then coos as he looks at your daughter, “You are just as flawed as I am. That is why we are a perfect match, y/n.” 

You scoff. “We are not meant to be, Ten. I’m leaving with Lucas. No matter what you say. Have us banished from the kingdom. Tell everyone you banished me. I’m sure your mother will be thrilled.” 

Ten shakes his head. “Oh, no, no. That just won’t do. Where will you go?” He fakes concern in his voice. 

“You don’t have to worry about that,” you say. 

Ten continues to mock. “Well, it will be hard for you to go alone. Especially since Lucas won’t be joining you.”

Your stomach churns. “What are you talking about?”

He beams. “He will remain in the kingdom. In the most permanent sense, sweetheart.”

You frown in confusion and fear. “Ten, what-”

He continues, reveling in what he will share with you. 

He recites, “‘Once the delivery is successful, I will pick you up and we will run away from this place together, raising our child in the sunniest place for the rest of our lives. We will finally be together, my love’.”

Ten also got a hold of Lucas’ letters to you. How long had he kept this hidden, you wondered. And your eyes widened at another realization. 

Ten says, “Ah, y/n...y/n...You underestimate me. I must admit that hurts me deeply. Did you really think this charade would go unpunished?”

“Ten…What did you do?” You ask shakily.

————

[Flashback - JUNE 1896]

Lucas brushes Hazel’s mane at the Park Estate’s stables. 

“Your Highness,” one of the servants calls to him.

He looks up at the servant and freezes up at the sight of Ten beside him. 

“His Royal Majesty Ten Lee seeks an audience with Your Highness,” the servant says.

Lucas nods stiffly. “Thank you. You are dismissed.”

The servant departs and Ten stands there, an unreadable smile on his face.

“It’s been a long time...brother,” Ten begins.

Lucas steps away from Hazel and approaches his half-brother. “Your Majesty, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Ten replies, “I’ve missed our friendship.”

Lucas scoffs. “Have you now?” 

Ten shakes his head. “Remember that I am your king, brother. I won’t tolerate you speaking down to me.” He nods his head over to his team of guards, which included the ever-hostile Hendery. Hendery flashes a condescending smile at Lucas. 

Lucas was still nursing the cut under his chin that Hendery gave him from the first time he visited. Lucas chose not to mention anything to arouse suspicion from the Parks. When they inquired, he said that it was from a sparring incident and they all left it at that. 

Ten continues, “Let’s go hunting.”

Lucas begrudgingly accepts and joins Ten and his men to go hunting in the nearby forest that Lucas was most familiar with. The two brothers take their bows and arrows to hunt for deer. It is a tense and quiet walk. 

When they finally see targets, Lucas eases up and is thankful for the distraction. 

Ten shoots at a deer in the distance but misses. The deer scurries off. He hisses. 

Lucas can’t help a chuckle. Hunting was never Ten’s strong suit.

Ten turns to Lucas. “Something funny, Lucas?”

Lucas shakes his head, smiling. “You’re still terrible with a bow and arrow.” 

Ten recalls the times he and Lucas went hunting when they were kids. He laughs. “I’m afraid so.” 

Lucas had his reservations about Ten. He resented him for marrying you, cheating on you, neglecting you during your time of need, and keeping you away from him. But deep down, he still had affection for his best friend. That connection didn’t just go away, especially since they were actually bonded by blood. And part of him ached for Ten because soon, you and Lucas would leave and never see him again, your friendship permanently severed. 

Lucas does his best to put on a good face. He and Ten regale about their adolescence and their shenanigans in the palace. Ten asks about Rosé and his time in the Park Estate. Lucas asks about the kingdom and how his reign is progressing. He even politely asks about you, acting like you two hadn’t spoken to each other since the festival. Ten replies that you are well and are expecting to deliver the baby sometime in October or November. Lucas pretends to not know this information.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty. A royal heir,” Lucas starts as he aims his arrow in search of a target. 

Ten only watches Lucas now. “Indeed, y/n has made me the happiest man. The baby is just the beginning for us, Lucas.”

Lucas evens out his expression so Ten doesn’t catch onto his irritation. However, Ten knew what he was doing. 

Ten continues as he readies his bow and arrow. “I think I’ve found my first kill for the day, brother...” He turns to Lucas, whose back is to him. Ten positions his arrow against the bow.

“Oh?” Lucas asks, oblivious, focused on finding deer. 

“Take a look,” Ten says quietly. He closes one eye shut and focuses his aim. 

As Lucas turns to face Ten, Ten releases the arrow, striking Lucas. 

Very near to the heart, as Ten anticipated. 

Lucas groans as he falls down to his knees. “What have you done?!” He quickly falls on his knees, blood seeping out of his wound. Lucas loses even more energy and falls to the ground, face first. 

Ten walks over to Lucas. Lucas slowly crawls away, attempting to evade his hunter. “You know, I had my doubts about today. Coming to see you, inviting you to the forest, and making you the prize of this hunt...But I can’t take any chances, Lucas. y/n belongs to me. It’s time for you to know that. Soon, she will see it, too.”

Lucas gasps heavily, “Help...me…”

Ten laughs. “Do you think anyone here is on your side, bastard?” 

Lucas feels faint. He is about to lose consciousness, knowing that he is very near to his end. He was torn between wishing to be saved and ending his suffering. But through all of this, he could only think of you and his child. Tears fell from his eyes. He had to fight until the end. He continues to crawl but he is fading with each passing moment. 

Ten barks, “Hendery, Doyoung, pick him up.” 

Ten’s guards appear. Lucas can only see their shoes. Hendery and Doyoung pick Lucas up off of the ground. Hendery quickly pushes Lucas against the nearest tree. Lucas loses his breath at the harsh contact. 

Hendery quickly pulls the arrow out of his chest and Lucas yells in agony. Hendery can’t help himself, pulling out a dagger and stabbing Lucas right in the heart, turning the dagger slowly and torturously. 

Ten shakes his head. “You were supposed to wait for my order, Hendery.”

Hendery pulled his dagger out of Lucas’s bloody chest. He lets go of Lucas’s body. It falls to the ground like a chopped down tree, heavy but lifeless.

Hendery backs away and bows to Ten. “My apologies, Your Majesty.” 

Ten nods. “Doyoung, prepare the crate. We’re going home, gentlemen.” 

————

[Present - November 1896]

The twins slept in the carriage now. 

“What did you do to him?” You whisper loudly, hot tears streaming down your face. You knew it in your gut that Ten got to Lucas. 

“What had to be done, dearest,” Ten says. 

“Where is he?” You ask, dreading his answer.

“Right underneath us,” Ten says as he looks down at the grass.

You slowly process his words. You look down to the ground and realize Lucas was buried right underneath the tree that started it all.

You stumble and fall to the ground. “No…”

Ten continues, “Lucas is dead, y/n.”

You shake your head. “Ten, you wouldn’t…”

He responds, “You were straying. I had to intervene.”

You refuse to listen. “You...are many things. You are not a killer.”

He finishes, “I would do anything for you, y/n.”

Images and memories of your true love flash into your mind. Lucas’s welcoming smile when he meets you the first time. The horseback riding. The first time you made love before Ten entered the room at the party. The days in Wanderlust. Your last night together at the festival.  You sob, trying to control your volume. “No, no, no. Please, God, no...Ten, what-”

“I did it for us, angel,” Ten says as he bends down and raises your chin to look at him, adoring your gorgeous face as you weep.

You pull away. “You killed him...Ten, that’s an act of treason. You can’t get away with this.”

“I can. And I will, y/n.” He gets you up off of the ground. “Come along now. The girls will soon need to get fed again.”

You pull yourself away from Ten. “Don’t touch me. I will never let you touch me again.”

Ten laughs. “You would be smart to obey me, y/n. Or I will take the twins away from you.”

Tears staining your face, you grasp the stroller handle and your knuckles turn white. You want to lunge for your monstrous husband but know that regardless of your status as queen, Ten always had the last word. You knew he could take the girls away from you. He was as good (well as evil) as his word. 

Ten leads you back to the palace. He offers to handle the stroller but you refuse to let go of your babies. They were your reason to continue living this never ending nightmare. It was up to you that they didn’t grow up to be like their “father”. 

————

[DECEMBER 1896]

You silently mourn the death of Lucas, cursing at the heavens for taking away the most heavenly creature from you. The Park Estate and the Kingdom of Hearts have continued their search parties across the continent for Lucas. Ten, unironically, was at the forefront. He made sure they looked everywhere. The last place they would look was where Lucas’s remains laid: the cherry blossom tree. 

The search teams were losing hope and Princess Rosé was inconsolable. Your heart ached for her as you knew the truth. So you did what you could and listened to her when she came to visit. You could not leave the palace under your concerned husband’s orders. You theorized that the pressure of becoming king overwhelmed him and he ran. That at the very least he was safe and starting a new life. You and Rosé knew that was a load of bullshit. Lucas would have at least sent a letter, apologizing. That was the kind of person he was. 

You continue to nurse the babies. You channel all of your energy in taking care of them, checking in with Doctor Kun daily. You drink the best herbal teas. Your diet is consistent. You couldn’t starve yourself. Even if every bite of food was no longer savory, you continued to eat. You had to sustain yourself for the sake of your children. Ten is thrilled that you have invested all of your time as a mother, as you should’ve from the start. 

If you allowed yourself to think about anything besides the well-being of your children, you knew your mind would wander to a dark place. 

You are reading a book on motherhood in the library one day while the babies are napping. Seulgi comes to you.

“Your Majesty, a letter has arrived for you,” she says.

You shoot Seulgi a look as you take the letter. “Did His Majesty get a hand on this?” 

Seulgi’s eyes widened at your hostility. “Your Majesty…”

You sigh. “I trusted in you, Seulgi...Ten got his hand on my personal letters. And I know he got to you.”

Seulgi panics. “I am so sorry, Your Majesty. I wanted to protect you but the king threatened the safety of my family.” Tears well up in her eyes. “If it were up to me, I would be fiercely loyal to you. Only you. But as long as the king reigns, I have no choice.”

You get up from your chair and put your hands on Seulgi’s forearms. “I know.”

Seulgi hiccups. “Your Majesty?”

You say, “I understand. You don’t have to worry. I know that you are a good person. You have always stood by me. You’ve taken a beating for me, for heaven’s sake. I still carry that with me to this day.”

Seulgi shakes her head. “I would do it again, Your Majesty. You have always been kind to me.” She had worked in the palace for over ten years, ever since she was a little girl. “Without you, the palace would be hell.”

You smile at Seulgi, “I appreciate that. And there’s no need to worry. The personal letters have ceased so if His Majesty inquires about the letters, you can hand them over…” You have given up on keeping secrets from Ten. He was right. You truly underestimated how vile he was. 

Seulgi shakes her head. “His Majesty has not seen this letter, Your Majesty...And it’s better that he does not.” She bows. 

You realize what she says and quickly dismiss her. You open the letter. 

Dear y/n,

I am so sorry to write to you as you are still nursing your children. I congratulate you and your husband for the safe delivery of your daughters. I implore you: if you know anything that the palace has not admitted to the public about Prince Lucas’ whereabouts, please tell me. I fear that something terrible has happened. He wouldn’t have run away. He was committed to staying with the princess. He wouldn’t have disappeared without sending us a letter after the fact at the very least. I await your response.

Many blessings,

Kahei

Lucas’ mother and the rest of his family were also kept in the dark. Ten forbade you from reaching out to them again. It was a part of his threat to take the girls away from you. And even if you dared send them a letter, you feared for their safety and yours. You wondered just how long Ten would keep the charade up. He could easily have Lucas’s remains moved and found anywhere he commanded. Why keep everyone in the dark about his status? He was a sick man. 

You complied with Ten’s orders but refused to lie in bed with him. You were thankful that the twins needed to be fed every few hours throughout the night, as well. Ten was displeased but he couldn’t deny you from protecting his daughters. For they were his daughters. Soon, they would be weaned and you two could get back on track, he thought. You needed time to forget Lucas and you would, he firmly believed. 

Ten continued his affairs throughout the palace. It was a game to him: a game of where can I sleep with the help without my wife knowing. But he got sloppy sometimes as his lust overtook him more times than he could count. You caught him several times without detection and simply resumed your day. Ten fucked Miss Oral in the kitchen at 4 AM? Okay. Ten had an orgy with nine other servants in the garden? Ambitious. Ten kept that little tart Jade on after so many months? You were disappointed but not shocked. 

It infuriated you but it wasn’t like you didn’t know the truth. 

And then, the next blow was delivered.

————

[2 Weeks Later]

You finish eating dinner alone in your chambers. The twins are being bathed by the servants. Ten is away on another useless search party. It was like a pageant for him. The public would say, “The honorable king is unrelenting when it comes to searching for his lost childhood friend.” A touching story. You resisted the urge to punch a wall. 

Seulgi hands you another letter. She bows and quickly leaves you to read in private. 

My dear daughter,

I pray this letter finds you well. I don’t know if you have been receiving my letters as you have not responded. In case they have disappeared due to the distance, I should tell you that His Majesty has transferred us to the Western continent and we only just caught wind of your delivery. How we wish to meet our grandchildren. How your father wished it more than anything. y/n, I am so sorry to say this but your father has passed from tuberculosis. I miss him so much and I wish more than anything for us to be together to mourn him. We have buried him the day I write this to you. Please, if you receive this letter, send for me. Or come to me, if you can. I miss you and love you, always. Many blessings to you and my beautiful granddaughters. 

Love,

Your Mother

You fall down to the floor and wail. Seulgi and Irene quickly run into the room, having been nearby cleaning the other rooms. 

“Your Majesty, what’s wrong?” Irene asks. 

Seulgi rubs your back. “Your Majesty…”

“My f-father,” you say between sobs, “H-he’s gone.” You shake yourself off of the two women. You shake your head as you look down at the two women.. “Did you two know?!”

Irene shakes her head. And so does Seulgi. 

“Seulgi...Did. You. Know?!” You demanded as you took the glass pitcher of water and threw it to the ground, the glass shattering all over the marble floor. You stand there, barefoot. 

“Your Majesty, don’t walk over the-” Irene starts. 

You don’t care. Nothing could hurt as much as the pain you feel inside. Not only did you lose the love of your life. Your freedom. Your happiness. You lost one of the only people in your corner who had been stripped from you because of the king and that crone’s orders. You walk over the glass, the shards piercing your feet. 

Seulgi runs over to you. “Your Majesty, stop. Irene, get the first aid kit immediately!” 

Irene runs off to get the kit. Seulgi tries to put her arms around you.

You shrug her off and say quietly, “My father was dying and you mean to tell me no one knew?” 

Seulgi shakes her head. “King Ten was always there when I collected your mail and I could never deliver their letters to you. That is the truth. Please, Your Majesty, you have to believe me.” She cries again. “If I had known...I would’ve told you. I-”

“Of course,” you stop her, “Of course, my beloved husband knew. That witch of a mother of his also knew...Those two will really stop at nothing to strip every person I love away from me.”

More servants rushed to your chambers.

You yell. “Leave! Get out! Run along and tell the king his queen is acting up if you haven’t already. In fact, I demand his presence. So go get him up from whatever bed he lies in and yank his dick off of whatever pussy it resides in.” 

A couple of servants run to get the king, astonished at your behavior.

Seulgi and Irene quickly disinfect and bandage your feet. “We will call Doctor Kun to tend to your wounds this evening,” Irene says.

Ten returns, his hair disheveled and bites apparent on his neck.

You look up at your husband, who stands at the door in shock at the sight of you.

“Husband! How nice to see you!” You said as you laid your bloody feet up on the bed.

Ten only looks at you in dismay. “What happened to your feet? Who is responsible for this? I will have them-”

“Oh, shut up,” you start, “I did it.”

Ten looks at you in shock. Your eyes looked so lifeless, so defeated. He almost didn’t recognize you. “Why?” He asks, pathetically.

You show him the letter. “I got this letter before anyone else could get to it. I wanted to see how my parents were doing. Since you and your mother have moved them away from me, I figured it was about time I got an update, no?”

Ten sees the letter in your hand and turns to Seulgi.

“Do not take this out on any of our servants. This is between you and me. Now, I’ve received news of my father’s passing. That’s interesting...Do you know why? Probably because I never got news of his sickness, much less that you transferred them to the fucking western continent.”

Ten pushes past the servants and his shoes crush the broken glass into tinier pieces. “y/n, I was going to tell you but I wanted to ensure your safe delivery first and-”

You raise your hand. “You took them away from me. My parents. And now my father’s dead. You just couldn’t be the only one fatherless, could you?!”

“y/n, I will not allow you to-”

You cut him off. “I’ve had enough of your games, husband. I have been so damn complacent. Meanwhile, you’ve probably fucked every maid in this room…”

The female servants, apart from Irene and Seulgi, couldn’t meet your eye, confirming your thoughts.

“Am I a joke to all of you?” You ask everyone in the room. “If it weren’t for me, you would all be rotting in the dungeon because of His Majesty’s intolerance for ONE miniscule mistake.” You grab the glass of water on your nightstand and break it. You hold one sharp piece of glass. 

Ten tries to calm you down. “y/n, I-”

You hold the piece of glass in your hand, quivering. “You will send for my mother and for my father’s casket. We will give them a proper burial in the kingdom. It is the least you can do, Your Majesty.” 

Ten relents, fearing you for the first time. You simply needed time to digest the news and he would give it to you. He would abide by your wishes and bring your family back to the kingdom. 

————

[JANUARY 1897]

Ten gave you the distance you needed. You didn’t give a damn where he was so long as he left you alone. Your mother arrived, along with your father’s casket. Your father was given a proper royal burial. Your friends of the family attended. Ten stood beside you and your mother. The crocodile tears were provided by Ten’s mother. 

You were able to see your mother more as she moved back into your childhood home. She helped you take care of the twins. 

The time apart from Ten gave you more time to think. 

Perhaps you weren’t as trapped as you thought. 

Your animosity faded for you still had appearances to maintain. Ten believed you to forgive him for his indiscretion with your father. Like there was nothing else to be forgiven. 

Ten continues lazing around with the servants but his favored servant remains to be Jade. Jade slowly gets it into her head that she can one day get rid of you and take your place. Ten never planned for that. You were number one in his heart. 

Ten and Jade lie together in a bedroom in the first floor west wing of the palace. 

“I love you, Your Majesty,” Jade whispers into his ear as she snuggles herself closer to him. 

Ten only grunts, imagining you to say those words again. How he longed to hear your words of affection directed towards him again.

Suddenly, his heart and abdomen grow bigger. “J-Jade, I...I feel ill. Hand me a glass of water,” he starts. 

Jade gives him a glass of water and he downs it. The pain he feels only worsens. It felt like he was being eaten from the inside out. All over his body. He starts roaming his hands all over his naked body, trying to feel for what is gnawing at him. 

“Ahhh,” Ten yells out in pain. “Jade, there is something wrong with me.”

“Your Majesty!” Jade yells as she gets out of bed. “I will call the doctor.”

Jade runs out the door. Ten lies in bed, his body burning from the gnawing sensation he feels inside. What was wrong with him, he thought. An hour or so passes and Jade still has not returned.

“Jade!” Ten calls out. “Anyone!” His voice has fallen weak. He cannot move because the pain is too agonizing. 

The door opens and you enter. “Why, hello Ten.”

You look absolutely radiant. Better than you have looked in months. You are beaming with a joy he had never seen you have. You wore a green ball gown, like you were ready to tend to visiting royals. You hadn’t dressed up this nicely since you conceived the twins. 

“I ran into that little tramp of yours and she told me you were ill so I thought I would come tend to my poor, poor husband…” You coo, mimicking the way he patronized you for so long. 

“Darling! Please help me, I am in pain. Get the doctor,” he grunts out word for word. 

You sigh. “Now why would I do that?” 

He looks at you with wide eyes. “Wh-”

You sit on the bed beside him, increasing his discomfort at the sudden movement of the bed. “Now if only Jade was around...She would’ve called the doctor for you. She would do nothing short of murder for you if you wished it. But...Jade is indisposed. In the most permanent sense, sweetheart.”

“y/n-” Ten starts.

“You two enjoyed rolling around in the hay so much...So I thought it fitting that she’d die the way she would enjoy most.”

Ten looks up at you in horror as you ruffle his hair.

You finish, “Consumed by the earth itself.” 

Ten cries out. “y/n, help...me...Please…”

You quickly get off of the bed. “It hurts a lot, doesn’t it?” You ask. 

Ten is furious but his pain overpowers any emotion. He only cries. He doesn’t have the words. 

“Are you familiar with the Gu poison?” You ask, softly. 

Ten’s eyes widen at the word “poison”.

You continue. “It is incredible how it’s created. You see, venomous snakes, scorpions, and centipedes are collected into a jar. They have to fight each other for survival and ultimately devour each other. The last creature standing holds a concentrated toxin. The toxin has no taste so someone can easily slip it into your supper and you would never know it was laced with poison. It takes up to ten days for it to act. And look now, on our dear old friend Lucas’ birthday, the poison has taken effect. It was meant to be this day.” 

“You bitch-” Ten spurts out.

You check your nails and shut the curtains. “Do you really want our last moments together to be so full of hatred?”

You tie one of his silk ties around his mouth. He thrashes about but you overpower him. You take the other silk ties and tie them around his arms. 

“You must want to know what it feels like to be tied up, don’t you? You certainly loved doing it to me,” you continue.

Ten continues to writhe in pain. He feels himself slowly fading. It was torture. He would much rather get stabbed in the heart. Any death must have been better than this feeling: he felt like he was being eaten alive. Tiny little creatures were gnawing at him from the inside. He wanted to rip his flesh open and take the critters out.

You sigh. “My father’s death was the final straw, Ten. I wanted to kill you the moment you told me Lucas was six feet under the cherry blossom tree but you had me under your thumb. I’m not going to take it anymore, dearest.”

Ten cries. “y/n, please...I will do anything...Please save me…”

You say, “You promised a lot of things to me. But you failed me. Time and time again. Fucking anything that moved. And I can’t take this anymore. I was ready to leave. You could have let me go and still laid with any woman you wanted. But no...You wanted to possess me...like some doll. And you killed Lucas, the true love of my life. You and your mother have pulled the strings of our lives for too long. This is the end.”

Ten manages to say, “y/n-“

“I have had it, Ten,” you say. “I know where the antidote is but I’m afraid it is impossible for me to get it now.”

Ten cries. “No…”

You sigh. “It’s buried with that harlot. Such a pity. She really left you in the lurch, didn’t she?”

That was how you planned to spin it. Jade, the jealous servant, who wanted to take your place, threw herself into a jealous rage and poisoned the king. You had her confession letter prepared very nicely. You wondered if you hired the same scribe who Ten hired to imitate Lucas’ handwriting. Either way, that scribe kept their mouth shut when they saw the fire in your eyes. 

Ten cries loudly but his screams are muffled by the silk tie. 

“Now, I would be with you during your final breaths but that wouldn’t look good for me, would it? You certainly wouldn’t want me to take the fall for a crime that the commendable Jade committed?”

Tears stream down your face now as you finally release your suppressed emotions. “You brought this on yourself, husband. All of this. You’ve brought me to this point with each betrayal. Now accept the consequences.” You walk out of the room, not a servant in sight. 

Ten lies in bed and thrashes around, his eyes red and teary with angry veins as he screams loudly. Unfortunately, no one hears him because his rendezvous points with his multitude of lovers were always away from the majority of servants.

All he felt was agony. Surely, any death would’ve been better than this. His heartbeat dwindled and his last thought before he succumbed to his death was of you being taken by him the very first time at the graduation party.

————

[Three Days Later]

The Kingdom of Hearts was once again in mourning. The people mourn the death of King Ten. He was a strong presence, just like his father. The young King was destined to expand the kingdom and its wealth, but his life was cut short due to poisoning. Found by you, his dead body was found in the west wing, tied up. You found a letter from one of your servants, confessing to the crime. She was in love with His Majesty. She quickly disappeared with the night. Now, there was a bounty for her head and her family was under watch in case she returned or made contact with them.

His Royal Majesty is survived by you, his wife, the Queen, and your twin daughters, Princesses Yīngtáo and Kāihuā.

The funeral procession was beautiful. People from all over the continent gathered to pay their respects for the fallen king. Flowers from all over the continent were tossed over his casket. He was laid to rest in the Royal Cemetery beside his father.

Ten’s mother was inconsolable. She lost her husband and her son. You were also inconsolable. You wept and wept. Nothing was holding you back from mourning who you've lost.

You lost a lot in a matter of months. You lost Lucas. You lost your father. Hell, you lost Ten a long time ago. Nearly everything you once treasured vanished in the blink of an eye. 

You could finally let it all out and it worked to your benefit. No one would dare suspect you of foul play. Not even former Queen Lee.

You had tea with her after the procession.

“y/n, you really loved my son,” she says between sniffles.

You sip your tea, feeling calmer now. It took her so long to realize that you weren’t the wretch she thought you to be. But maybe that was just her spiked tea speaking. She would probably return to hating you, tomorrow

Or would she?

You are the sole ruler of the kingdom now. Until you marry again. Then again, who said you had to marry again? There was no official law that mandated you to. 

The queen was complacent now because you were in charge. It was in her best interest to be on your good graces.

But after years of enduring her insults and for her hand in omitting to tell you about your father's illness, you were afraid that that was no longer an option.

“Mother,” you begin, “You should know that the little slag Jade was not responsible for your son’s death.”

Ten’s mother nearly drops her cup of tea as she shakily puts it down.

She openly glares at you now. “What are you saying, y/n?”

“Do you really think Jade was smart enough to get the poison to put into Ten’s supper? There is only one thing she excelled at and it was fucking your son. He loved to fuck her like the little whore he was.”

The queen got up from the table and was about to grab you. “You take that back, you little wretch.”

You refused to cower away from this crone. Her baby boy was no longer there to shield her now. You had the power. 

She is about to slap you but you grab her arm. She tries to wriggle out of your grasp. 

“I poisoned your son, Mother. I exterminated that beast before he hurt me again. He fucked all of the servants behind my back. He killed Lucas. He lied about my father.”

“You’re the damned beast,” she says as she spits in your face. She bawls. “My baby...What have you done?!”

You don’t flinch. You take a napkin and wipe away the spit from your face. “It is not in your benefit to defy me, Mother…”

“Shut up, you insolent wench,” the Queen removes herself from your grasp and attempts to lunge for you. You trip her to the ground.

You continue, “I have to wonder...how much you knew…”

Ten’s mother opens her mouth and closes it immediately. It is all in her eyes. 

“You hag,” you say, “I’ll take that as a confirmation of my suspicions.”

You place your foot over her back so she can’t get up. “Does the term Gu poison ring any bells?”

The queen’s eyes widen in shock as she looks up at you.

You add, “I believe you tried to poison Lucas’ mother that way once upon a time…”

“How did you know-“

“Surely, Ten brought you up to speed on my visits to Wanderlust. In fact, I’m sure you were the first person prepared to set the town ablaze so long as Kahei burned, didn’t you?”

“Don’t mention that whore’s name in my palace!” Ten’s mother pushed herself and yanked you by the leg so you stumble.

Seulgi runs in. “Your Majesty, are you alright?”

You regain your footing and you kick the woman’s legs away.

The former Queen barks at Seulgi. “You were outside this whole time, girl? The queen is at her wit’s end. Someone needs to detain her!”

Seulgi stands there, awaiting your orders.

Ten’s mom grabs Seulgi by the arm. “What are you doing, you worthless fool? This woman poisoned the king. She admitted it. Arrest her.”

Seulgi shakes herself off of her. “You must be hearing things, madam. It must be from your age.”

Ten’s mother was an irritable crone. One of her biggest triggers was any mention of her age. 

“Girl,” Ten’s mom begins again about to yank Seulgi by the hair. She quickly backs up.

Seulgi speaks up, “I’ve served this household since I was thirteen years old. You have never called me by my name. You have beaten my mother more times than I count. You have paid my family insufficiently. Your abuse and condescension made you an unfitting Queen. Your son was the spitting image of you in terms of how he treated the staff. The minute news came of his passing, I breathed a sigh of relief. Because Queen y/n is now in charge. She cares about her people and her servants. Unlike. You.”

Ten’s mother yells, “Insolent vermin, you are!”

Seulgi bows. “I will be outside the door if you need anything, Your Majesty.” She leaves you with the Queen.

Ten’s mother grew more livid. “You have turned the help against me, have you not?”

You shrug. “A little kindness goes a long way, Mother. It’s unfortunate neither you or your son have possessed it.”

Ten’s mother is about to lunge at you again when she clams up and clutches her chest. 

“y/n...my heart…” Ten’s mother falls over. You simply stand there.

After a few minutes, you tell Seulgi to alert the servants that the queen suddenly died of a heart attack. It was sudden and as you and Seulgi tried to get her up, it was too late.

————

[February 1897]

Ten and his parents were united in death. Now that they were out of the picture, it was time to announce the findings of Lucas’ remains. It just so happened that you found a letter in Ten’s study, confirming his instructions to bury Lucas under the cherry blossom tree.

It turned out the scribe you hired before had indeed worked with Ten. The scribe had also imitated Ten’s handwriting rather well.

Princess Rosé was beside you as the servants uncovered Lucas’ remains. 

Lucas’ body was decomposed a long time ago. But specialists confirmed that his body was severed into many pieces, like he was a piece of meat. 

You and Princess Rosé cried together. You felt some of your guilt leave your body. Now Rosé could move on, just as she rightfully deserved. 

You two had dinner and then walked around the palace grounds together.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done without you, y/n,” she says as she sniffles.

You squeeze her hand as you walk together. “Thank you for everything, Rosé. You’ve been my rock throughout this whole process.”

It was true. Although you and Lucas had cheated, you never harbored any negative feelings toward Rosé. She didn’t know that you and Lucas were in love when he entered the arranged marriage with her. She was never malevolent. She trusted her husband and believed the best of him. She protected him at the festival when she knew he had run off God-knows-where. It was unfair to her. 

You wished you could keep your distance from her because you didn’t want to keep living a lie with her.

“I know you and Lucas met the night of the festival, y/n…” She admits as you walk through the rose garden.

You stop in your tracks. 

Rosé hasn’t let go of your hand, even after admitting this. “Originally, when he disappeared, I thought he’d run away to meet with you…”

You listen to her, afraid to say something that will anger her.

But Rosé, ethereal and gentle, looked at you, calm. There was sadness in her eyes. “I know he loved you.”

You cry, about to apologize like you wanted to for so long. “Rosé, I-“

She says solemnly, “I know…When I realized you never ran away to meet him, I realized that something was wrong. As much as you two hurt me, I...couldn’t stop loving Lucas. When we were together, he was so kind, y/n. He just pulls you in with those eyes and that smile. You know this more than anyone.”

You nod shyly. “I do.”

“I would’ve let you two run off. You would’ve had to evade my vengeful family for all of your days but at least, you would’ve been together.”

You weep, astonished at Rosé’s kindness. “You...I don’t deserve your kindness.”

She shakes her head. “You don’t. But you need it more than ever.”

You two hug and continue your walk. You make it to the weaponry room near the stables where you overhear some of the guards drinking.

“A toast to our fallen king,” a man begins. 

“To our fallen king,” the other men continue. 

“Now we are subject to the whims of His Majesty’s unhinged wife,” the first man continues.

The men matter and some laugh, making derogatory comments about you. How they would still bed you, regardless of how insane you were. 

You and Rosé eye each other in confusion and quietly move closer. The men sit at a table with a box of spirits. 

The first man you recognized as the head of the army, Hendery. “At least, the Queen cannot fuck that prince again. His Majesty saw to it.”

Your heart clenches as do your fists. 

The guards clink their bottles together. “Hear, hear.”

Hendery continues, “And I ended him with that final blow, didn’t I?”

The guards cheer. As you hear this news, you carefully scan the room. You recognize all of the guards. None of them appeared to be shocked at the news. You wondered how many of these men were present the day of Lucas’ murder.

Rosé scares you then. Her complacent nature had completely shattered. She grips the wood of the room tightly as her knuckles whitened.

You still didn’t have the full details of what happened the day Lucas died. But it seemed the Lord had smiled down at you and decided to give you the truth.

Hendery commands the room, only stumbling every now and then from how inebriated he was. “His Majesty shot him like any deer in that forest. Very near to the heart. His Majesty had improved greatly in his archery skills. He was able to put it to practice, at the very least.”

He continues as the men’s cheers become all muttered and incoherent from the alcohol.

“And then Doyoung and I picked up his body and pushed him against a tree. And I stabbed him really neatly in the heart. And now, no more Lucas.” He laughed.

Rosé pulls you away now. “y/n, he must be punished.”

You open your mouth in disbelief. “What?”

Rosé retorts, “I know you had a hand in Ten’s death. So why should this be any different?”

“What?” You ask her. How the hell did she figure it out?

“Lucky guess.” She shrugs. “Your reaction was the confirmation I needed.”

Sweet Rosé was not to be underestimated you thought. She could be as cold and calculating as the next person. 

“Come on,” she goaded, “You want to end his pathetic existence as much as I do.”

Of course you did. It was all you could think about the minute he admitted to fatally stabbing Lucas. 

You shake your head. “You can be better than me, Rosé. I can do this on my own.”

Rosé takes your hand and leads you to the stables. “Your hands already have enough blood on them. Let me take some of that burden.”

You protest more but Rosé won’t have it. The gears in her head were moving a mile a minute and you had no idea what she had in store for Hendery.

A few hours passed and the men slowly left the weapons room. Hendery, to your and Rosé’s luck, remained behind. 

A sad excuse of a human being, you thought. He was a bully in high school. Belittled the women around him. It blew your mind that he married and procreated. 

You would see to it that his family is taken care of when he is gone.

Princess Rosé awaited him. “Commander,” she began.

Hendery stumbles and upon seeing Princess Rosé, he gives her a lewd smile. “Your Highness, what are you doing here alone so late at night? It’s dangerous for a princess to be unattended.”

She plays him. “I’ve never felt so safe, having the commander of the royal army with me.”

Hendery slides his arm around her, groping her bottom. Rosé flinches and hides her distaste. 

Hendery replies, “Allow me to escort you back to the palace.”

Rosé shakes her head. “Actually, there is one place I wanted to go. With you.”

Hendery smiles wide, like he’d successfully gotten the biggest kill in a hunt 

Rosé leads him to the stables, where you wait in the shadows. 

You trip Hendery as he walks in. “Wha-“ He starts.

He groans in pain as you quickly tie rope tightly around his right leg. 

“What are you-who is that?” Hendery asks, dazed.

“It’s His Majesty’s unhinged wife, of course,” you say, echoing his words back at him.

Hendery sobers up as you bring a lamp close to your face. “Y-your Majesty?!”

Rosé takes the other end of the rope to an occupied stable, where Lucas’ horse Hazel resides for her visit. 

She greets Hazel quietly and Hazel nuzzles her, trusting her completely. It seemed Hazel had added Rosé into her circle of trust. Rosé ties the other end of the rope around Hazel’s left hind leg.

“Alright, girl,” she whispers, “We’re going to go for a ride.”

Hendery panics as he sobers up even more. “What are you doing?”

You swiftly bind him with rope so he can’t use his arms. “That’s for you to find out, commander.”

Hendery is about to speak up by you bind his mouth shut as well. 

Rosé gets up on Hazel. “y/n, will you join us?”

You nod. “I’m ready.”

You get up on Hazel and sit behind Rosé. She spurred Hazel forward with her heels. Hazel starts off slowly, moving out of the stables.

Hendery feels his body move forward as the rope pulls him. 

You and Rosé ignore Hendery’s protests. Rosé beckons for Hazel to run faster. You make it to the grassy field where the horses can ran freely. Hendery already suffers burns from the traction. Hazel has trampled him a couple of times now. He is losing consciousness. 

Rosé pulls her last trick and pulls the reins back to stop Hazel and Hendery’s body slips right under and she steps right over him. Spooked, she tramples him even more. 

“Well?” Rosé asks you.

You get off of Hazel and check on Hendery.

His body lied there, bruised, lifeless. His right leg was positioned awkwardly having broken a mile back, at the very least.

“He’s dead,” you confirm.

You and Rosé already planned to pin the murder on Doyoung, for he was just as responsible for Lucas’s death. Doyoung wanted to overthrow Hendery for a while and the guards confirmed it when questioned. 

Doyoung was sentenced to death by decapitation. 

Rosé returned to the Park Estate. You both continued your friendship, retiring from your murderous tendencies. As you have avenged the man you loved.

————

[June 1897]

Months have passed and the kingdom celebrated their beloved Queen’s birthday. You were still in mourning but everyone was relieved to see your enchanting smile again. The kingdom had a strong and capable leader in you.

As the citizens adored you, the palace staff grew to respect you. No whispers of “simpleton Queen” ever slipped from their mouths again. Most respected you. The skeptical ones feared you. No one dared to defy you now so long as they treated you with respect.

Seulgi had always been your most loyal servant so you elevated her position in the household. She and her family could live comfortably, as well. You made sure all of your trusted servants received fair payments.

You tracked down Miss Oral and the other servants who Ten fucked around with. Just as they themselves were loose, their lips were even looser. You dismissed them all from the palace. As for Jade’s family, you pardoned them for they didn’t sleep with your husband multiple times.

As for the guards who knew about Lucas’ murder, you had them dishonorably charged from the army. Most of them were slackers anyway, uncommitted to protecting the kingdom. They only cared about their titles. You needed to hire truly honorable men for the army and you knew just the right person to lead the new wave.

You welcomed Kahei and her family to move into the kingdom. They lived next to your mother and became friends. Only you and your mother knew of the actual identity of Lucas’s family. To everyone else, you claimed them to be distant relatives that you looked out for. Kahei and her family were also given the royal treatment. In a matter of time, you would let them join you in the palace, where they rightfully belonged. Beside you.

Yangyang was in the running to be the next commander of the royal army, outranking several of the other guards, much to their dismay. You knew it was a matter of time before he was given the official title.

Rosé visited you from time to time. You have become close friends, much to the shock of the public. It was believed that mourning the loss of your husbands brought you closer together.

If they only knew the true hell you both endured.

You had no plans to remarry. Your heart remained with Lucas. Even if there were only memories left. Lucas was buried, per his family’s wishes, in his summer home in Wanderlust. You told Rosé about Lucas’ true origins and instead of punishing you and his family, she befriended all of you. You, the twins, Rosé, and Lucas’ family went to visit Lucas’ grave and decorated it with flowers.

It was a bittersweet summer. You were in Wanderlust with Lucas, just not in the way either of you had hoped for. You knew he was with you in spirit and just like Kahei told you the first time you visited her, you two could meet again in the next life.

Hopefully, without the menacing presence that also lingered in your memories. Ten must have been an evil incubus that escaped hell, but you hoped that you sent him back to suffer, eternally.

Fin.

#wayv ten #wayv au #wayv lucas #ten x you #ten x reader #lucas x you #lucas x reader #wayv smut #nct smut #ten smut #lucas smut #wayv yukhei #wayv x you #yukhei smut #nct angst #wayv angst #nct prince au #nct royal au #nct romance #nct boyfriend #wayv boyfriend #wayv moodboard #nct moodboard #wayv ff #nct ff #nct x reader #nct x you #wayv x reader #wayv scenario #wayv series

[kdogreads]

Welcome to kdogreads’ masterlist 🥰

Requests open — message me ✨

✨Updated 2/20/24✨

🔥Smut 🥰Fluff 🥲Angst

1k Celebration!

The Punisher

Frank Castle x f!reader

Bad Girlfriend 🔥😅

The Bear

Carmen Berzatto x f!reader

Stress Relief 🔥🥰

Moving in with Carmy 🥰

Picking up the kids with Carmy 🥰

Chef Luca x f!reader

You’re My Peace 🥲🥰

Imagine being Luca’s girl 🥰🔥

Richie Jerimovich x f!reader

Flirty Richie and Syd’s friend 🥰

Grumpy Richie who’ll do anything for you 🥰🔥

Daddy kink/hand holding Richie 🔥

Halloween with Richie 🥰

Self-pity Richie 🥲🥰

Dating Richie HCs 🥰🔥

Oral fixation 🔥

Richie facts 🥰🔥

NSFW Alphabet 🔥🥰 w/ @foreveraimingtowardsthesky💕

SOA

Chibs Telford x f!reader

My Dove🔥🥰

Very Soon🥰

My Savior 🥲🥰

Being Chibs’ old lady 🔥🥰

Being Chibs’ old lady (part 2) 🥰

Taking in the Teller boys 🥲🥰

The Last to Know 🔥🥰

Chibs Coming Home to You and the Boys 🥰

NCIS

Jethro Gibbs x f!reader

Jethro Gibbs NSFW Alphabet 🔥🥰

Ain’t Woman Enough 🥲(ish)🥰

Are You Done? 🥰

First Date 🥰

Imagine being Gibbs’ girl 🥰

Happy birthday to you 🥰

Santa Gibbs 🥰🔥(ish)

TWD

Daryl Dixon x f!reader

Sunshine 🥰

Perfect to Us 🥰🔥

Get In Line 🥲🥰

One Sunny Afternoon 🥰

Daryl’s Praises 🔥

Arguing with Daryl 🥲🥰

Supernatural

Dean Winchester x f!reader

Perfect Strangers 🔥

Redhead Delight 🔥

The Devil’s Work 🔥

Happy Birthday, Dean 🔥

As You Wish 🔥

#supernatural #dean winchester #dean winchester x reader #dean x reader #dean smut #dean winchester smut #supernatural one shot #spn smut #kdogreads #masterlist #daryl dixon imagine #daryl dixon x reader #daryl fanfiction #daryl x reader #daryl x you #dean x reader smut #daryl dixon #Daryl masterlist #daryl dixon angst #daryl smut #twd daryl #daryl fluff #daryl dixon masterlist #soa fanfiction #chibs x reader #gibbs x reader #ncis imagine #carmen berzatto x reader #the bear

[vanillaknj]

my favorite fics!

hey! i’ve decided to compile my favorite fics and show love to the authors who wrote them! this is will be updated as i read more fics!!

i’ll do my best to update this regularly, happy reading!!

body worship + changbin — @ammuqwer

a fic about body worshipping changbin when he’s feeling insecure, it’s suggestive at the end with some cute praise.

all eyes on me — @atiny-piratequeen

a four-part poly!teez fic thats yeosang centered around yeosang. lots of filthy smut, with yeosang coming out of his shell.

useless — @nanavision

a minho fic about him being a brat, along with slight puppy play. this is a juicy fic and i love the dynamic between minho and the reader in this fic.

embarrassing — @drippinlovetalk

a lucas fic that includes omo and really sweet praise. the ending is absolutely adorable, and i adore the dynamic between the two as well.

magical — @mellowriting

a two part yeonbin x reader fic where soobin goes through a gender swap and yeonjun and the reader have their way with him

play fights — @sub-hoshi-enthusiest

a jimin (f!reader) fic where he calls the ready daddy after they play fight. this fic is *chefs kiss*.

almost speechless — @ahejun

a yeonbin smut with yeonjun as the sub, and this fic is s o good bro, like i normally don’t read member x member smut but this is an exception because i love this so much.

too loud — @koko-bopp

a choi san fic thats really cute. the members over him them during a scene, and it’s really cute teasing in the morning. it’s overall adorable.

magic shop — @fairyhwngs

a park jinyoung fic that includes pegging, mommy kink, bratty jinyoung and love confessions. this fic is so good, i have no words, i’m absolutely speechless.

#fic rec #tags #remember

[allyreads]

fic recommendations

this is a list of few of my favourite fics, check my reblogs for even more fics !!

author recommendations here

search the members’ initials to see what i recommend that isn’t on this list!! (kth for kim taehyung, ick for im changkyun, etc.)

fandoms i read: bts, svt, mx, exo, got7 and nct (so far)

disclaimer:

1. this is not a complete list, i’ll keep adding to it.

2. majority of these contain or are smut

3. very angsty so be careful of your heart

got7:

jaebum:

far from home - @red-exo

a light-hearted read that doesn’t use the most complex of vocabulary yet is able to make me feeeeeel all sort ways. although based on a simple concept, the story will definitely hike JB up your bias list!!

jinyoung:

the noisy neighbours - @chickenkooks

mark:

i want desire (a series) - @taexual

who doesn’t love a good mafia AU! series

bts:

seokjin:

currents - @yeoldontknow

one of the most powerful fanfictions ive ever read. all the revelations at the end…i can’t find any other words to describe how powerful it was.

hoseok:

systems of touch - @yeoldontknow

fuelled by love and sexual tension, this story portrays a rather professional side of jung hoseok and a reader through an artistic storyline.

oceans of gold - @junqkook

always had a soft spot for greek mythology (as mentioned below in yoongi’s) the myth of apollo and hyacinth were incorporated perfectly into this fic i’m obsessed.

jungkook:

policeofficer!jungkook - @nothingatallspecialinanyway

inspired by the music video, it’s a simple and hot piece of writing that portrays the AU!possible sexy side of jeon jungkook

oblivion - @softlyjiminie

demon!AU’s are just the best. this has angst too UGH I LOVE.

young wolf - @junqkook

for game of thrones fanatics ;)

forever and a night - @gukyi

a heartbreaking yet lovely werewolf!JK fic

not quite lovers - @junqkook

a hot ass fic, as expected from yara. in this fic the reader is the CEO rather than the guy. it was a refreshing change of perspective

rottenfolk - @junqkook

faerie jk is rotten alright

after dark - @seokoloqy

the sea & the storm - @jamaisjoons

P E R F E C T I O N honestly. so well written and so well thought out and the concept isn’t like any other im so in love

the turing test - @fortunexkookie

there are so many kook stories that i adore and this is one of them that i read so far. it’s another multi-chapter android!jungkoo; and recommend this story so much it’s so carefully crafted.

the monogamy monologues - @kpopfanfictrash

comedy gold, honestly. it’s so funny and so romantic and an amazing late-night read where you get lost in jungkook’s eyes through the form of words. 

rattled - @taehyungforreal

i know the series just started but i can’t help but fall for single dad!JK and i can’t wait to see how the series progresses

namjoon:

legacy - @mintjoonlep

intro: for her - @jamaisjoons

yoongi:

upgrade - @gukgalore

sorry tae, but i think yoongi has won here in this one

1. hello paradise my name is

2. mint

3. aidoneus, my love - @seokoloqy

i’m a sucker for greek mythology so it’s natural that this whole hades!AU series has got to be one of my favourite yoongi fics

heart haunting - @jamaisjoons

taehyung:

the morning after - @softlyjiminie

i just realised i didn’t list any tae fics when i first created this, but i found one!! this is a short, poetic angst / smut written in a genre i can never ever get bored of: the powerful, lingering feelings for an ex lover

1-800-music-street - @httpjeon

buzzed - @ junqkook

warm - @ httpjeon

i’m seeing a pattern in these fics...roommate!taehyung. there’s something so simple and sweet about this concept. gives me hope that love (and sex) can be exciting even in a domestic setting.

everythingoes - @jamaisjoons

so. fucking. good. OH MY GOD. this fic shook me to the core. unrequited love! angst! new found love! all my fucking favourites i love this fic pls go read it i don’t care if it’s 24k words and it’s 3am just go read it ok thanks bye.

taboo - @jhspetitegf

professor!taehyung oops

jimin:

lovebug - @ httpjeon

rockin’ the coffin - @ junqkook

HOT DAMN (it’s all i can say tbfh)

casual clothes - @httpjeon

faded love - @jamaisjoons

my all time fave genre: angst on divorcées / exes who still love each other. this piece was written to perfection. *chef’s kiss*

bloom - @ jamaisjoons

similar to seungcheol’s fic (listed below), this is also about the hanahaki disease and unrequited love. (my favourite!) i sound like a sadist but i promise i’m not

ot7:

eternal orbit - @interludemoonchild

stumbled across this and spent hours reading this series. every single second was worth it. i love the development of character and relationships between each of them. can’t wait for the next few chapters.

nct:

ten:

mine - @whereisten

demon!ten is seriously what i live for. such a hot, sexy fic i loved it. can’t really say much because you’ve got to read it to truly understand just how one demon can really rid you of your sanity.

lucas:

lovestruck!lucas - @warmau

exo:

baekhyun:

nothing like us - @ohh-baekhyun

enough - @kpopfanfictrash

a heart-clenching, emotional angst that potrayed the falling out of and falling back in love perfectly. alongside that came sensual smut to emphasise the connection AU!baekhyun had with the reader. it’s a lovely piece, everyone should check it out.

behave - @elle-lowriting

dom!baekhyun is just… wow. who knew a five letter, authoratative word could have such an effect. i know, me neither. catch a glimpse of baek’s dominance with this fic!!

light - @writing-exo-things

an extremely creative take on fanfictions, created based off exo’s latest demonic-esque concept. intriguing storylines such as this are then well planned out such as this one right here ^ i really recommend reading a few of her/his works. here’s the masterlist for the whole x-ėxø series. it’s a wonderful concept.

mister - @angstyexo

chen:

i hate you - @soobadnoonecanstopher

similar to far from home (JB’s fic), this piece is based on a rather common idea. this one was an enemies to lovers AU. it’s fun to read a tension-filled relationship that is soon resolved by unexpected ways. in short, this was a blithe and beguiling story.

saudade - @fairyyeols​

a slightly heartbreaking but lovely mixture of angst and fluff

chanyeol:

the dress - @thotantics

black tie - @yeoldontknow

my universe - @sehunniiie

the etymology of us - @8bityeol

bodyguard - @optimizche

junmyeon/suho:

automatic - @exosmutxoxo

( i can’t find the link for this :((( )

jongin/kai:

reunited wrongly - @causekpop

heaven - @fairyyeols

seventeen:

jun:

ashes - @taexual

i knew i had to add this to the list right away after reading it. overall, this is a piece that portrays angst and a deteriorating relationship perfectly.

heat - @guccisvt

if u enjoy werewolf!AU’s and hot sexual tension like i weirdly do, this fic is for you. a little lengthy, but worth every word.

mingyu:

but he didn’t - @pasteluji

i clearly have a thing for angst these days but this fic really crushed my heart. managed to portray everything so well: the situation itself and the perspective of BOTH characters I LOVE IT

seungcheol:

what you can’t have - @guccisvt

unrequited love with a twist

monsta x:

hyungwon:

#ally-127’s #fic recommendations #kpop writing #kpop smut #kpop fanfiction #bts #seventeen #exo #got7 #nct

[ay0nha]

luca x food critic or journalist running an article on noma

enemies to lovers

agnst and fluff balance LIKE sunshine x grumpy

i have sent this request to other people so let's see if you're interested in doing it

P L E A S E

This IDEA. What A Good ONE. If you're comfortable, message me so we can chat! I would love to write this!!

FIND IT HERE!!

#personal #ask #anon #luca the bear #chef luca #chef luca x reader #chef luca angst #chef luca fluff #chef! luca x reader #chef!luca x f!reader #the bear #chef luca the bear #the bear fx