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writingdevil · 1 month

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The Lonely Cottage in the Woods

(Hi!This is my first time writing a fic in a certain fandom,and it's also my first unique post on my blog,despite being on this site for ages.This fic is inspired by a piece of boatem art by @wasyago )

Somewhere,deeps within the forests of the land of Hermitcraft,a small cottage stood.Tall,quiet and proud.

The cottage served as a shop for travelers,people either needing supplies for their journey,or advice on where to go next.The cottage never had a shortage of visitors in Hermitcraft,what with all the creative and determined minds that dwelled the land.

But the cottage also served as an Inn,and was proudly stated on the sign that was nailed to the front of the house for all to see-'Scar's Spectacular Shop and Inn!'

The problem though,was that nobody ever wanted to stay the night at the cottage.They would always buy the supplies and take the information that they needed,and then leave.Leaving the owner of the cottage with a heavy heart and an even heavier silence.

The man who resided in the cottage was a cheery,happy man,who lived in an incredibly silent house.He was always willing to help people on their journeys,whether it be to help them clean their wounds,or point them in the right direction.But they never stayed.They just got what they wanted and left the lonely man,in the cottage that was beginning to feel too big for him.

The man's name was Scar Goodtimes,and he's lived in his travelers shop for years now.But as the years passed,Scar wished more and more,that some people would linger at the cottage,for just a day or two.Even though Scar was quick to get over it, some sad thoughts would worm its way to the forefront of his mind.

Like how the table looked too big with just one plate of food.

Like how the house looked too clean for his liking,no clutter to be found.

Like how there was a lack of life in the house.

Bur Scar understood.Really,he did.A lot of people wouldn't be quick to trust a lone man in a forest and stay the night.Stranger danger and all that.But then he'd hear other things when people thought he couldn't hear their whispers.

Yes,true to his name,fading scars littered across his body,not an inch to be spared.There was even a large and obvious scar that slashed across the middle of his face,which he knew people ogled at,but he didn't mind.

What he did mind,were the rumours about how he got the scars.A lot of things he overhead was that he used to be a bloodthirsty arsonist,or a shady criminal who used to run an empire,and they just got more outlandish from there.

Truthfully though,Scar just got into a lot of accidents.

(Though,sometimes,he'll hear those rumors and look down at his arms,and a quiet voice in his head will wish they weren't so visible)

But it's fine.He doesn't mind being in a cottage most of his life.He's got Jellie,his precious cat,and he knows that one day,he'll get used to seeing people not sticking around,and his heart won't twist in pain so much.

Knock knock!

The first peculiar man that he meets in a while,was named Impulse.He was large,buff,and had two horns protruding out of his head,with a long tail swishing back and forth behind him,and a sheepish grin on his face.

"Hi!Are you the innkeeper here?"

"Why yes I am!My name is Scar Goodtimes,what can I do for you,good sir?"The man rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he said "Well,I was wandering around, looking for new clients in the area for builds,but I didn't notice the time,and then i saw the sign that this place was an inn,and I'd really like to avoid the mobs,if that's okay."The implied question hung in the air between them,and Scar had to physically stop himself from trying to jump out of his wheelchair.

Someone was asking to stay at his makeshift Inn!Also,the man seemed no casual about it,not a hint of suspicion or distrust in hid voice whatsoever.This completely normal offer meant so much more than Impulse would ever know.So,with an excited grin,Scar happily said "Make yourself at home!"

Which Impulse certainly did.He was respectful of his house and of Jellie,most importantly.He got settled in,and during dinner,they talked about Impulse's plans and what his goals were after today.

Impulse was quite a hard-working demon,always looking for the next farm or building to create,for others to use.He has recently just finished working on a massive factory,that had been given to a town to use itself.He was just wandering around now,waiting for the next client to build for.

Scar was very impressed with Impulse's driven nature,but when he asked a certain question,the relaxed smile fell off his face and confusion replaced it instead.

Scar had simply asked "Have you ever built something for yourself?"

That question-hit different to Impulse.His tail flicked back and forth in agitation the longer he couldn't answer,but the silence pretty much answered for him.No.He's never build anything purely for his own benefit.

Scar was quick to brighten the mood and patted his shoulder comfortingly as he said "Hey,it's okay if you haven't.Besides,you have all the time in the world to build whatever your heart desires.Just make sure I can see it when it's done."He said that last part jokingly,not expecting it to have such a weight on Impulse's heart.

Impulse didn't leave the next day.Instead,he walked up to him that morning,fiddling with his tail nervously,the complete opposite of the cheerful man he was yesterday and asked "Is it okay if I stay here for a few more days?I...might have to make a change of plans for myself."

He didn't elaborate,but he didn't need to as Scar immediately blurted out "Yes!Of course!"feeling joy return to his heart.So just like that,the cottage in the forest wasn't lonely anymore.

Impulse was a very nice addition to Scar's life.He would talk with Scar all day long and play with Jellie,and help around the house without complaints.He sometimes even brought a fresh perspective on some of Scar's own projects,making some redstone suggestions.Hewould check up on Scar if he was feeling down (a first for him) and make sure that he was happy and laughing all day.It was such a welcome change,and it may still just be two people in a big cottage,but Scar was just happy to hear another voice through the walls from time to time.

Scar didn't comprehend the hole that Impulse had started to fill in his heart,until he saw blueprints and papers scattered about on the table one day,and at the top of the paper,was titled-Personal Build! Then he knew that he had done something right.

"Um,Scar?There's someone sleeping on the front porch."

The second odd person that Scar met,didn't even come to the cottage on purpose.

Scar rushed to the door and yanked it open,only to find a young woman,sure enough,sleeping outside the cottage,her back against the doorframe.Her head kept dropping forehead as she slept,a curtain of brown hair blocking her face.

She didn't look injured in any way,but that didn't mean she wasn't in danger.Scar bit his lip,unsure of how to go about this,but then he heard Impulse walk up behind him and softly called out "Hey,ma'am?Ma'am,are you okay?"

Thankfully,that was enough to wake her as she groaned,rubbing her eyes lazily,sitting up properly,and Scar had to force himself to be patient before launching into questions.

The woman got her bearings together pretty quickly though,yawning as she looked them both in the eye.But when she did,Scar's mouth dropped slightly in awe.Both her eyes had a background of a dark void,almost like a night sky,and within them,a twinkling star in the center of her right eye,and a crescent moon in her left.

"Good morning,gentlemen."were the first things she said,her voice holding nothing but chipper positivity,as if this was a normal occurrence."It's actually almost midnight."Impulse nervously corrected,probably not equipped for a situation like this,but Scar definitely was,used to being friendly with all types of people,and this lady was no different.

"Well,nonetheless,hello to you too.My name is Scar and this is my friend Impulse."The woman smiled brightly,sticking her hand out "It's nice to meet you both too.You can call me Pearl."Scar gladly shook her hand,and was surprised to find her hands just as calloused as his own."I hope you don't mind me asking but are you-okay?You're not hurt are you?Or in any sort of danger?"

Pearl shook her head,the bell on her sleeping hat jingling loudly in the night.She crossed her legs,still sitting on the porch,and replied "Oh,no,I am perfectly fine and safe,you don't have to worry about me."but then Impulse asked in worry and confusion "But then why were you sleeping on the porch?"

At his question,Pearl's shoulders slumped and her smile shrunk,but still appeared happy as she explained "Well,I was simply living my life,far across the land from here,building farms and being self-sufficient,but then a few days ago,I kinda started to feel-bored.There was nothing new to do and I didn't really have friends to talk to,and in those moments, I tend to just look up at the night sky."then she did exactly that,and Scar copied her, watching as the stars glistened in the sky.

There was now a fondness in Pearl's voice as she continued "I always had a bad habit of letting the moon and the stars drift me away,but this time,I felt like I was being pulled towards something,so I let myself be taken away by the night,and I guess I ended up here."Pearl then shrugged,done with her story and seemingly content with her current position.

It was certainly a story,but Scar felt like she was telling the truth,if her constant beaming smile at the moon was anything to go by.He turned to look behind him,and saw Impulse giving her a small smile back,with a glint of something familiar in his eyes.One shared look between them and they were on the same page.

"Well then Pearl,this cottage also acts as an Inn,so wouldn't you rather gaze at the night sky from inside a warm house,with nice food and fluffy blankets to accompany you?"Pearl glanced down at her lap as she muttered "That does sound nice."There was a minute of silence as Pearl contemplated the offer,and Scar was beginning to worry that she'd say no,but what was she going to do then?Keep walking aimlessly while staring at the moon,with no sense of direction whatsoever?Scar wasn't so sure why he was getting so stressed over a stranger.A part of him said that it was because he was still lonely,but that was ridiculous,he had Impulse now,so his loneliness should be fixed,right?

Maybe he was still lonely,or maybe it was something deeper,something that came from his core,like how Pearl said that the moon was guiding her towards something.Either way,Scar really hoped she would stay.

Pearl hadn't answered yet,and she now had a look of frustration on as she seemed to be arguing with herself,until Impulse spoke up and said "Pearl,we can assure you that there won't be a dull moment while you're in this cottage."

Then she was sold.

Pearl added a new layer of comfort in Scar's life that he didn't know he needed.She added her own spark of life and colour within the house,and she fit right in with the two of them.

She volunteered to help improve the inside of the cottage,making it appear more lively and appealing, making its previous arrangement look bland in comparison,and Scar didn't even realise how dim it looked.

Pearl still gazed at the moon every night,walking outside and simply staring up at the sky. Sometimes,Impulse and Scar joined her. Sometimes,Scar worried that Pearl would feel another tug and would drift away from them.

But she always came back into the house,even weeks after her arrival,and if Scar noticed that,over time,she spent less time looking at the stars and more time with them,well,that was for him to cherish.

The next bizarre event happened a few weeks after Pearl's arrival.

Throughout the day,there was a weird scratching and stomping sound coming from the roof.Impulse said that he would check it out,after he was finished helping Pearl with the redstone machine for their potato crops.

Knock knock!

"I've got it!"Scar called out to his friends in the backyard as he quickly opened the door,expecting another customer.

What he saw instead,was a very tall man,easily over six feet.He wore a clean black suit,which was unusual for travelers.But what was more unusual was the crimson red parasol he held,shielding his pale face and fancy mustache from the sun.He seemed very anxious,twisting the parasol handle, and then Scar noticed that his fingers were covered in a red powder.

When he answered the door,the man took a quick glance at him and then immediately averted his eyes.Scar had the urge to rub the marks on his arms,thinking that they were grossing the stranger out,but then the man stuttered out "U-Um,hello sir."

"Hello to you too.What can I help you with?Do you need supplies for your travels?"The man shook his head and said "Actually,I needed to ask you a question."Scar tilted his head in confusion,but let the man continue.

The stranger tightened his hold on his parasol, trying to gather up some courage,so Scar shot him a soft smile and the man looked stunned at his patience,and that seemed to make him relax enough to speak.

"Have you-um-been hearing weird noises today?" Scar nodded,becoming more curious as to who this man was.Was he an exterminator or something kind of hunter?Surely not,with the attire he had on,nor did he act like he even wanted to be having this interaction.

At his nod,the man sighed harshly,and Scar caught a flash of fangs in his mouth.A vampire,huh?Well that would certainly explain the parasol in broad daylight.

The man began to stammer,his attention much too focused on trying to peer inside his house rather than making a coherent sentence.His eyes were flickering to every corner that wasn't Scar,and when Scar opened his mouth to finally get to the bottom of this,there was suddenly a voice in his left ear yelling "BOO!"

Scar shouted in fright,jumping in his wheelchair as a new voice cackled in his ear.The other man standing before him lost all his nerves as he scolded the new figure "I knew you'd be around here,Grian!Why did you fly off without me?"

Scar panted in shock,a hand on his chest,and looked to the left,finding a man hanging upside down from the porch roof,a wide and cheeky grin on his face.He then dropped,then swooped back up into the air,bright red wings shimmering in the sun. He flew around in the air for a few seconds,circling his friend's head as he replied "Because,Mumbo Jumbo,you slept in and I was bored of waiting for you to wake up."

"I slept in because I was up all night fixing the redstone machine that you broke!"

"Well you shouldn't have left those levers and buttons all over the place!You know I'm weak to them!"

As the tall man,now known as Mumbo Jumbo, sighed tiredly,the new avian friend lowered himself and used his friend's arm as a perch, glancing at Scar curiously.

Oh,these two were trouble,and Scar liked trouble.

The guy that spooked him,Grian,was studying him closely,and Scar was beginning to feel like some sort of prey.He had messy,sandy blonde hair and brown,beady eyes that seemed to stare into his soul.He wore a thick,red jumper,almost matching the colour of his wings,and when Scar looked into his eyes,all he saw was mischief and chaos.

"Listen,I'm really sorry about giving you a fright there.I was just sitting on your roof,messing with Mumbo,and then I heard you talking and just wanted to mess with you a little bit."Grian explained,and Scar obviously forgave him,not that he was angry in the first place.He knew that he was just in the middle of two friends playful banter.

Scar waved him off "No need to apologise,just made my poor heart skip several beats and made my life flash before my eyes."the three men chuckled lightly,then fell into a comfortable silence, which was weird considering that they've only talked for a few minutes.

But then Impulse's voice called out from the back of the house "Hey Scar!Can you lend a hand with this redstone machine?"

"Redstone?"Grian said,eyes drawn to the voices of Pearl and Impulse deep in the house.He suddenly flapped his wings,almost hitting Mumbo's parasol in the process,who grumbled in annoyance and leaned away as Grian floated in the air.

"Mumbo's great at redstone,let him try!"then just straight up flew into the house without a second glance at Mumbo.Scar chuckled as he heard Grian's cheerful voice mixed in with Pearl and Impulse's surprised ones,but Mumbo's harsh sigh brought concern out.

He seemed more relaxed now,from knowing where his friend was,but still seemed stressed as he said "I'm really sorry about him,mate.He kinda just does what he wants,and trouble tends to follow him, along with me I guess.I completely understand if you want us to leave you alone.After all-"Mumbo let a bitter,low laugh out and Scar saw that his eyes were filled with muted anger and pain as he muttered "-not many people take too kindly to our antics."

Scar had already made up his mind the second Grian startled him,but now his heart was set and longed to see what these antics were.So Scar smiled and made way for Mumbo to come in and said "Make yourself at home."

Boy,did they make themselves at home.

Mumbo and Grian were like the last pieces of the puzzle that needed to fit into Scar's empty heart. Mumbo's creative spin on redstone helped the cottage out tremendously,and even when it sometimes didn't work,nobody scolded him,which Mumbo always expected.Mumbo was just as much of a trickster as Grian,poking fun at one another whenever possible,but tended to keep quieter about his hijinks,but slowly,he got louder.

Grian was a hurricane of trouble himself,and Scar,Impulse and Pearl ended up contributing to that chaos more often than not.The avian always had a prank up his sleeve,and everyone always ended up laughing by the end of it.

Grian also loved building things,with beautiful and detailed designs,but he never got around to finishing the back of,for some reason.

He would swoop and glide around in the sky,with grace and with expert precision,as he performed so many different tricks and turns in the air,as if he had been confined to the ground his whole life. Sometimes,Grian would simply perch somewhere and watch as the sun went down,wings relaxed but looking unkempt from a day of flying.

When Scar offered to help preen his feathers and tidy them up (He's seen Mumbo do it countless times) he was surprised when a flash of fear shot through the avian's eyes for a split second,and Scar understood how big of a deal it was when Grian still held his wing out for him without a word.

Impulse.A sweet workaholic.

Pearl.A cheerful night lover.

Mumbo.An anxious genius.

Grian.A pesky prankster.

This was what Scar was missing.A family.

So when one day,months later,if Grian casually brought up needing to get a bigger house to fit all five of them,well,nobody needed to see Scar cry tears of joy,at the fact that his friends were now his home,and not the once lonely cottage that stood in the middle of the woods.

#hermitcraft #mumbo jumbo #grian #pearlescentmoon #impulsesv #goodtimeswithscar #boatem #my writing

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mosneakers · 9 months

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Erwin: Robin... no. We're going to have to call this mission off. I've been doing conspiracy work for a long time, and there's a delicate process to it. There's protocol... safety measures! Tonight, you didn't follow any of them and you ended up in jail. Robin: Well I'm out, aren't I? Erwin: Yes, because your parents are loaded. None of us are that fortunate. I wouldn't be that lucky. Plus... it could've been worse. You put yourself in serious danger to participate in the kinds of things I do. If something happened to you... [Grimaces] Well, I don't know what I would do. Robin: Nothing would happen to me, Erwin. Worst case scenario, I can be resurrected. I have nothing to be afraid of! [Smiles proudly]

Erwin's expression glosses over as his stare fixates on the linoleum in front of him. Erwin: Of course you can. Robin: I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of this, Erwin. I thought you'd be happy to have someone so much like you.

Erwin: I am, Robs. I am.

Robin: Then why does it sound like...

Erwin: I... I'm so sorry, Robs. This whole conspiracy stuff... my life... it's not good for you. It'd just suck you right in.

Robin closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

Robin: So... you're breaking up with me? Erwin: I guess? I've never done this before. It seems crazy, since I was so lucky to find you in the first place. But I think it's for the best.

Robin drops her head into her hands and begins to sob. She cries so hard that her little bucket hat falls right off her head. Erwin feels his heart drop. He tries to console her, but she pushes him away.

Erwin: Hey, Robin... I'll always love you though, okay? Robin: I'm going to go. [Rubs tears from eyes.] I'll call you. Good luck with everything Erwin. Erwin: [Whispers, hoping he didn't make a huge mistake] Okay. Thank you.

Later that night, Erwin doesn't feel like doing much of anything, but taking Astro for a walk is an obligation he must always fulfill. He decides, since it's in the neighborhood anyway... he might as well swing by the dresser and take a look. Robin did pay quite a lot for that flash drive, after all.

He not only searches the top drawer, but the rest of them too. And all of the surrounding area. Still, the flash drive is nowhere to be found.

Erwin: That piece of shit scammed her, boy. [Angrily kicks dumpster] That's what happens when you don't know how to investigate conspiracies properly!! Come on Astro, let's get home quick, maybe we can avoid seeing Tycho ogling Coraleye for once.

#ts4 #Sims 4 #the sims 4 #ts4 story #MD4 #sim 4 #Erwin Pries #Strangerville #Robin Sparrow #MD4season10 #Astro Pup

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multi-kpop-fanfics · 1 year

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tw: mentions of alcohol, kissing, friends(?) to lovers, mutual pining, fem!reader

tagging: @onlymingyus @junkissed @heartkyeom

"How long are you gonna keep standing here, ogling at her?"

Jihoon's voice snaps Soonyoung out of the trance your dancing has put him in, his eyes fixated on your body moving along to the rhythm of the loud music, your red lips and sparkly body shining under the obnoxious disco ball that hangs from the ceiling, along with the dozens of mistletoes and Christmas lights.

Soonyoung has seen you around at other parties, but it's the first time he sees you dance so vividly and full of joy - You're the life of the party and it makes his head spin.

"She's so beautiful, Hoon", he sighs dreamily, taking a last sip of his shitty beer. "I know, I can actually see her too you know", Jihoon deadpans and the blond man glares at his friend, "I just stated a fact, dude, I don't wanna make moves on her", he raises his hands, "But this is probably the only chance you'll get to confess before holidays".

"But....how am I supposed to-"

Oh.

You looked at him. And you smiled at him. And you fucking waved at him.

"That's it", he crumples the plastic cup in a ball and runs his hand through his hair, smoothing over his bomber jacket and he begins walking over to you and your friend group.

"Y/N?", he calls your name and your friends erupt in giggles and a symphony of "ooh and ahh's", heat radiating from your body when you turn around to see Soonyoung stretching his hand out towards you.

"Will you dance with me?", he asks and your lips stretch in a huge grin, taking his hand without hesitation, making your way to the middle of the makeshift dancefloor.

Soonyoung confidently wraps his arm around your waist, twirling you around effortlessly. The music isn't the one in control anymore - he is.

"Where did you hide all that talent?", you ask him with a breathless laugh. "I'm a dance major, remember?", he grins proudly, "But tonight, it's just my dancing partner".

The word partner makes your heart flutter and without thinking it, your lips are on Soonyoung's, your arms looping around his neck, pulling him flush to your body.

"Y-Y/N, your lips-", he pulls away, stuttering as he notices your now smudged red lipstick, but your smile doesn't falter as you run your thumb across his stained lip.

"A smudged red lipstick won't stop me from dancing. Let alone kissing you".

#svthub #hoshi fluff #soonyoung fluff #svt hoshi #kwon soonyoung #svt fluff #seventeen fluff #seventeen #Spotify

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anatee · 2 years

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INSUFFERABLE | General Hux x Reader Smut | pt. 2

INSUFFERABLE | General Hux x Reader Smut. 18+. MINORS DNI. Wrote a part 2 because I am obsessed with him. This is a direct continuation.

Part 1 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Word count: 12.9K

Content warning: fem!reader x Hux; smut but in this part not too much, slight dom/sub implications, slight power kink one might say, soft, fluffy, angsty, overprotective Hux as well, mentioning injuries and period (but no period sex dw)

Hux looked her up and down, and then shook his head in disbelief. She knew exactly what his reaction would be and he didn't want to give in so easily, even if he was the one who made them meet earlier than they had initially intended.

"You'll be the death of me." He closed his eyes in frustration, trying to restrain himself. "Not our enemies, not weapons, not even Ren. You."

She giggled as she stood up from the armchair, crossing her arms.

"One of my many talents."

"You got so cocky it's unbelievable."

"Oh, Armitage. Come here." She rolled her eyes and walked up to him to hug him. "You know I'm joking, right? I just feel... Good around you."

"You're in the minority, then," he said with a small smile, embracing her with pure affection. It was such a bliss to have her in his arms after days of pretending there was absolutely nothing between them. He felt the stress and pressure of the week turn into nothingness as her warmth radiated onto his body.

"But still, I just wanted to eat dinner with you and you're doing everything to become speechless again," he said as he stepped back a little to look at her, and his words made a pleasant shiver run down her spine.

"Give me a minute, then, and I'll be back in my uniform..."

Oh, not that, that was not what he wanted.

"No," he said in his 'important and strict general' tone. "You know what you got yourself into."

He lost. He couldn't stop himself, not after these days without her presence. He lowered himself a little and began unbuttoning his coat, the one she had put on as though it was hers. He pulled her up to make her stand in front of him so he could unbutton it all the way down.

After he was done, he put his arms underneath the coat and gripped her naked sides next to her breasts, then moved down along the body towards her hips, squeezing her gently in the process. She let out a loud, sudden gasp which made him smile proudly.

"Already?" He chuckled cockily. "I barely touched you."

Y/N didn't know how to tell him that, no matter how much she enjoyed his touch, it was not a gasp of pleasure - it was caused by pain.

"Uh..." she breathed out, unsure what to say.

Hux put his hands on her shoulders and used them to slowly take the coat off of her arms... And he stopped dead in his tracks as it fell to the ground, revealing her naked body... And big, fresh bruises around her ribs.

"Y/N, what is this?" he asked in shock as he stepped back to take it all in. Despite being able to ogle her naked body, at this moment he forgot about desire; it was her well-being he was concerned about.

"Just a few bruises," she replied quietly, averting her gaze from him. She had hoped he wouldn't really care about them.

"Who did this to you?" he asked, pure hatred boiling inside him at the thought of someone hurting her.

"No one, I just..." She sighed, hugging her hands to herself. "I felt so embarrassed about my body that night so I came back to training. And I've been doing it every day since..."

"What were you doing?" Hux looked as though he was in complete shock. "You look as though you had fractured your ribs."

"No, no, it's not that bad, I wouldn't be able to move... It was just sparring, I didn't even go to the medbay."

He was not having it. He could see she was severely injured, and wasn't going to let it go.

"Wasn't it you who told me you'd wanted to become a medic? And you don't know what happens if your injuries are not taken care of immediately?"

"It's not that bad, really, I'm..."

"Don't lie to your commander," he said extremely harshly, to the point it scared her a little. He saw that on her face and regretted it - he was still somehow learning how to be gentle.

He walked to the wall on his right and opened the door to his bedroom yet again.

"Come, and onto the bed."

"Armitage, it's..."

"It was an order," he cut her off, regretting his harshness again - but, at the same time, it worked.

At this point, embarrassment took over Y/N as she obediently plopped onto his bed, knowing very well he wouldn't take no for an answer. She felt the urge to cover herself as her desire turned into dust, replaced with shame and consciousness of her body. It was a risk, but she took it and covered herself with his black sheets, ruining the perfectly made bed.

Hux didn't seem to care. He was about to walk to the other end of the bedroom when he stopped at the foot of the bed and looked at her like a disappointed mother.

"You thought I wouldn't notice?"

"I thought you would not really care about it..." She covered herself up to her breasts, unable go look him in the eye.

Hux let out a sigh. If it was anyone else, then he truly would not bat an eye. But this girl did things to him he could not explain - she was the only person he actually wanted to be safe, secure and healthy. It was hard to admit it to himself, let alone in front of her.

"I know I'm on the rough side, but..." He took a deep breath. "I cannot let my insufferable subordinate hurt," he added, causing a small smile on her face. "Y/N, you know I care about you... More than I'd like to admit."

"But I'm a soldier, I should be used to that like everyone else."

"A soldier under my command," he corrected her, putting both his hands on the bed, as if establishing his authority. "And under my care, for your information."

This made Y/N smile again. She could feel it was sincere; he just didn't know how to express it, but she was eager to watch him try and open up to her even more.

"Do you play the medic for all your soldiers?" she asked provokingly, this time to get the smallest smile from him.

"Only for the insufferable ones."

After that he turned away from her to hide a bigger smile, then eventually walked up to the wall right opposite the bed. This was when he noticed her clothes, all laying on the floor next to it, and, making sure she didn't notice, hid her panties in his pocket - just to keep them for the time she will be fully capable. Then he pushed some buttons to open... Another secret door.

"Wait, you have a bathroom here, too?" she asked in surprise as she noticed a part of small room he had uncovered.

"You didn't think I shared a bathroom with everyone else, did you?"

"I'm just... You didn't even tell me."

"I'm the General, you cannot know all my secrets," he said with a smirk she could see only partly before he walked straight into the new room. He rummaged in there for a moment before getting out with something that looked like a huge patch.

"Sit up," he ordered and sat down next to her, then pulled the sheet down to uncover her from hips up. He tore one layer from the huge patch and tossed it aside.

"Put your hands up," he said quite softly and she obeyed, allowing him to wrap the patch around her waist almost like a corset. She was surprised how gentle he was, making sure it didn't cause her pain as he secured the patch in place.

"This will protect your ribs from any further injuries," he explained matter-of-factly, his eyes still focused on the patch, "and should soothe the pain a bit."

"You have all this here? Medication and all that?" she asked curiously as he made sure the patch was in place one last time.

"I do not usually trust the medics with most of my injuries. I was taught how to care for myself without anyone's help." He eventually looked up at her. "And now I can use it on you."

"Thank you for all of this," she said quietly, still somehow embarrassed as she put her hands down. "Now I see it was a bit foolish..."

"You are not allowed to train for now," he said harshly. "And if you do, I'll find out. And punish you."

"Oh, what are you going to do? Send me to work on the other side of the ship?" she asked provokingly, trying to release the tension.

"Y/L/N," he replied with a stern look, one that clearly spoke You know already.

"But you, out of all people, can see my body's looking worse..."

"I think I told you a thing about your body the last time we met and you do not have to change a thing," he cut her off, now unable to repeat how beautiful she was to him. "Now, we're done with the nonsense. Lie down and I'll order a droid to bring patches to your quarters, should you want to change them," he added as he adjusted one of his pillows for her. She was surprised, but obeyed again, allowing herself to rest as comfortably as she could.

"I'll order dinner, too... Anything you'd like to eat?" he asked suddenly, about to exit the bedroom.

"You know I'm still not very familiar with the choices I have... I won't refuse tarine tea, though," she said with a small smile, tarine tea still being "their" thing.

"A surprise it is, then. And tarine tea," he replied quickly, also allowing himself a small smile as he left the room.

Waiting for him, Y/N covered herself more with his sheets, then giggled shortly out of pure happiness. If mere weeks ago someone had told her she would be in General Hux's bed and he would be playing her medic, she would have laughed in their face. Now she was laughing to herself, still shocked but immensely happy, hoping it was just the beginning.

Hux returned to her minutes later with a tray full of food and then sat next to her with it while the smell of the delicious dishes filled the room.

"We're eating here?" Y/N asked, bewildered. "On your precious, perfectly clean bed?"

"That wouldn't be the first ridiculous thing I'm doing for you," Hux retorted, not meeting her eyes.

And so they ate together while reviving their respectful weeks, with Hux mostly complaining about Kylo Ren. It didn't matter for Y/N - she was glad to talk to him about anything, constantly discovering this side of him that you couldn't see outside that bedroom.

"This might have been the best thing I've ever eaten," Y/N said as she put down her utensils, shaking her head in disbelief at how good the food was. She thought it was worth becoming a general just to eat it every day - you could not compare it to bland, mass produced dishes most of the other soldiers had to eat.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

She smiled widely. It was a small step, but a touching one, warming her up from the inside.

"Alright, then..." She sighed, unwilling to leave, but knowing she had to. "I'll dress up and take the tray and give it to a droid on my way ba..."

"Back to where?" He raised an eyebrow, confusing her.

"To my quarters?"

"Absolutely not. You're staying here. I have to make sure you're not training again."

Butterflies erupted in Y/N's stomach as he said that. She wasn't going to fight with him, because they both knew they wanted to stay with each other.

"You're being extremely kind today, General," she looked at him from behind her lashes.

"Maybe I have a reason," he said and took the tray instead as he was about to leave it in his office for the droids to take. "Should you wish to use the bathroom, feel free to do so," he added as he walked up to the door.

"I don't have anything to change into, though," she said, unwilling to sleep in her uniform.

"You've already stolen my coat..." Hux sighed. "So I might as well give you something else."

He couldn't believe he was saying and doing this, but it did the trick. She beamed as she slid off the bed to go to the bathroom, excited to see it.

It certainly looked better than the shared bathrooms for other soldiers, but that was obvious. Black with red accents, it wasn't big, but there was enough space for a sink, a toilet and a shower. The shower was the most interesting - like the bed, it was much bigger than one person would need. Everything was clean and in perfect order, including three black towels on a small shelf next to the sink, all folded neatly. She took one and threw it over the shower's door, then stepped in it confidently, knowing the patch on her body was waterproof.

She used hot water, one which was rather rare in the bathroom she used daily, and let herself relax completely, at one point even forgetting she was supposed to wash herself; she just let the water flow, steam slowly covering the shower, reminding her of how the last time she felt so hot was in the bedroom right behind the bathroom's door.

Y/N smiled to herself at the thought, but her smile quickly faltered when she suddenly heard a buzz of electronics, and then the door slid to the side.

"Hey!" she yelled as she saw Hux entering the bathroom, shirtless, holding something that must have been clothes for her. He sneered, clearly satisfied with himself as the door closed behind him.

"You're acting as if it weren't you who got naked willingly just moments ago for me to see," he said confidently, putting the clothes on the shelf.

Y/N huffed. Why did he have to be right?

"Now I know why you'd let me use the bathroom."

He smirked, then noticed she already got herself a towel he was about to give her.

"I see you already feel right at home."

She just sent him a small grin, shrugging.

"But your shower has more complicated buttons than some weapons."

"Oh, you work at a console and can't handle a shower?"

A retort was about to come out of her mouth when she realised she could use it to her advantage.

"I might require assistance, General," she said innocently, turning away from him to face the buttons. "After all, you're much more experienced than me..."

These words immediately brought back the desire he lost when he saw her injuries. He remembered what he dreamt of doing, remembered what he missed throughout the week... And he couldn't stop himself.

Warmth was rushing through his veins as he undressed himself completely, then opened the shower door so quickly it startled her. He had to remember she was injured - and hurting her more was absolutely not going to happen - but it didn't mean they could not have a moment of pleasure.

He stood right behind her, and then bent over a little to put his hand next to the controls, trapping her between himself and the wall. The feeling of his body against her back gave her goosebumps, ones she could enjoy more often. Suddenly the hot water wasn't the only thing making her breathless.

"Want me to show the controls?" he asked, and she knew very well he didn't mean the actual controls. She nodded.

"With my fingers?" he asked breathily, his head hovering next to her ear, hot breath tingling her wet skin. Before she could react, he put his fingers between her legs and barely touched her there, yet it was enough for her to gasp in surprise.

"The things I would do to you if you weren't injured..." he whispered, knowing what he was doing to her. "You'd be pinned against this wall and have no time for talking..." he continued, and these words were enough to turn her on. She suspected he was doing it on purpose to make her regret her trainings... But she decided to try to convince him one last time.

"I can still handle a lot."

"Oh, no, you can't," he said to her disappointment. "Take it as a motivation to heal."

"You..."

"I do not wish to cause you more pain," he whispered gently, having planted a kiss on her neck, "and let's say it's a little punishment."

"So you're saying I brought this on myself."

"Yes."

"So we're just going to stand there and look at each other, hm?"

He bit his tongue. That was not going to happen.

Hux grabbed her by the hips and slowly pushed her forward, until the front of her body was touching the wet wall. She was completely trapped - not that she wanted to escape.

"I see the marks I'd left on you have faded a lot..." he whispered, having taken a proper look at her neck. "I think we should change this."

And so he began kissing her neck while keeping her close to the wall, letting the hot water add to their sensations.

"You really want someone to notice..." she breathed out, glad she had the wall for support as he sent a shiver after shiver throughout her body.

"I just want you to have something to remember me by," he replied and then sucked a little on the spot he'd just kissed.

"One can't just forget about you, Gen..." She didn't finish - one of his hands travelled from her hip back between her legs, this time touching her not-so-gently.

"Kriff, kriff," she panted as he moved his fingers up and down.

Oh, he so wanted to make her say that again since the first time he heard it. And he was proud of it.

After experiencing first waves of pleasure from his mouth and fingers, she regained some of rational thinking and decided to let him have some of it, too. She tried to move and he stopped kissing her suddenly, actually worried he might have caused her pain.

"I have an idea," she said, turning to face him. "Didn't we come here to shower...?"

"What are you saying?"

"Let me just..."

She tapped one of the buttons and soap squirted onto her hands.

"So you do know how to use it," he said, pretending to be in disbelief. He was the one who brought her to work on the bridge - now, it seemed, ages ago - and he knew what she was capable of, that was also part of what attracted him to her. Lying about not knowing how to use the shower was just her being a vixen, but hell, he liked it.

"Forgive me that little lie?" she asked innocently.

Hux opened his mouth to argue, but she looked so beautiful then, with wet hair and glistening skin... He just let it go.

"Depends on what you're about to do."

She raised her soap-covered hands and put them on both of his shoulders, then began spreading the soap all over his arms and chest. Hux didn't expect that, but enjoyed it thoroughly. He gave into her touch as she took care of his back, too, wondering why he couldn't shower like this every day - it was as pleasurable, if not more, as her previous massage.

Having covered his back, she returned to the front and slid her hands down his stomach to between his legs. It made him heave a sigh as she wrapped her hand around his length.

"I wouldn't want to miss any spots," she said confidently, beginning to move her hand up and down.

He closed his eyes, using one arm to prop himself against the wall. He began breathing heavily as she picked up the pace and she enjoyed watching his chest rise under her touch. She wanted to go even further, and began to lower herself to kneel in front of him... When she let out a moan of pain. It flicked a switch in his head immediately.

"You hurt," he said strictly.

It was new to him, caring about someone more than about himself and his own desires, so new he didn't even register it at the moment, but he knew one thing - her well-being was the priority at the moment.

"I just..."

"Just listen to me," he cut her off, then helped her steady herself. "My turn."

He took the soap and began to spread it on her, massaging her breasts and buttocks just a bit too longer than it was necessary. Then they both rinsed each other, eventually having not reached the peak of pleasure.

Y/N knew it was his revenge, but at the same time, she also understood more rapid movements could hurt her even more. At least she could sleep in his shirt - large enough for her to cover her bottom - on a bed much more comfortable than hers.

He didn't want to show it, but he made sure she was laying comfortably and without any pain before he settled himself next to her.

"You did it again," she said, shaking her head as she felt her neck for the marks he'd left.

"I only wanted to eat dinner with you." He smirked since they both knew it was not the case.

"Oh, for sure."

He sighed and just moved closer to her to wrap an arm around her.

"Don't hurt yourself again, will you?" he said softly and somehow harshly at the same time.

"Yes, yes. I got the concept, Armitage."

He smiled a little. Hearing his name was a rarity, and when she said it, he appreciated it even more.

"Sleep well," he said quietly.

"You too..." she replied and then couldn't stop herself from adding:

"Big, scary General."

"You're unbelievable."

Despite that, that big, scary General pulled her closer to himself only to fall asleep in complete bliss.

And that bliss caused both of them to wake up a little bit too late. Y/N had to rush out of the General's office yet again, so quickly she didn't even notice the lack of her panties Hux hid safely in his pocket. She had slept extremely well, embraced from behind for the most part, his warmth curing her better than any medical treatment.

"Where were you yesterday?" Malia asked as Y/N sat down by her console, rushingly adjusting her ponytail. Her heart skipped a beat, but she tried not to show it on her face.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you skipped dinner, so I went to your quarters to see if you were okay and you didn't respond."

Y/N sighed with relief that her friend did not mention anything Hux-related.

"Oh, that... I was asleep. For almost twelve hours straight. Exhausted, completely. The training did me in," she lied quickly.

"You're training today, too?"

Armitage would kill me.

"No, I... Need to stop for a moment."

"Come on, I wanted to join you and now you're jumping ship?"

While Y/N tried to explain to Malia that she was injured and couldn't overstrain herself, Hux arrived at the bridge, his eyes immediately finding the woman he had spent last night with.

His eyes fixed solely on her and he noticed she had a ponytail again. Then he looked down, saw her bottom, remembered her panties were still in his pocket so she could be naked right under that uniform, and it made him feel hot instantly, and...

"Sir."

Mitaka wanted to talk to him, but Hux didn't even hear him at first. Mitaka didn't want to ignite his rage, but at the same time, he had something important to tell him, so he stayed in the spot next to the general, not daring to look where he was looking.

"That minx..." Hux muttered under his breath, confusing Mitaka greatly. He wasn't sure if this was directed at him...

"Could you repeat please, sir?"

"What?" Hux turned to look at him and then realised he was caught off guard, so he composed himself immediately. "Mitaka. What did you want to talk about?"

That day was passing slowly, boringly even, until the end of Y/N's shift was nearing... And there came an alarm.

"General, the Resistance's supplies are about to pass us," Malia said loudly, staring with wide eyes at her screen.

"Destroy them all. Charge the weapons," he commanded, and all soldiers by their consoles began to work immediately while some of the others started sprinting through the bridge to get to the controls.

"Weapon fully charged, General," Y/N informed, keeping her eyes on the screen.

"Fire at will," he commanded, then walked up to her. He bent over next to her to take a look at her screen even though it was completely unnecessary. The moment she felt his presence right behind her, her thoughts immediately wandered to the night before, when he was standing in the same position, naked, creating the marks now barely hidden by her uniform's collar. She gulped, then cracked a smile she just could not resist.

"What are you smiling at?" asked Malia the moment Hux left to pretend to look at others' screens, too.

Y/N had to lie again.

"Destroying our enemies, of course."

The attack was successful, and it lifted the morale of all the soldiers. Y/N regretted Hux didn't invite her to celebrate, but she guessed he was just being careful. Nevertheless, she felt a bit sad as she came back from her usual soldier dinner to her quarters on the next day, about to prepare for a shower, when she heard knocking.

Excited that it might be someone to bring her to the General - or maybe it was him himself - she almost jumped to the door to open it and see...

A man in a medic uniform.

"Y/N... Y/L/N?" he asked, checking the datapad he was holding. He was taller than her, around her age, with brown, sleek hair.

"That's me," she said, slightly confused.

"I'm Nixol Daffen. General Hux sent me to examine you."

"What do you..."

"He mentioned you'd been injured?"

Y/N sighed. She should've known it would come to this. Even if he had said he didn't trust the medics, he must have sent this guy because he couldn't check on her personally.

Dammit, Armitage. You always get your way, don't you?

"Yes, I... Come in, please." She eventually let him in, knowing Hux would be mad if she didn't.

Nixol walked into the tiny room and Y/N closed the door behind him.

"My injury is not that bad, though, I don't really understand why..."

"General Hux mentioned it was urgent," Nixol cut her off. "One way or another, if you let me examine you, I can see if it's serious."

Y/N nodded - after all, one examination couldn't hurt, and it was another thing showing her how much he really cared for her. She knew he would never send a medic to a soldier just because they got hurt during training.

"So where is the injury?"

"My ribs... Let me just..." She unbuckled the belt around her waist and was about to take off her shirt completely when she remembered the lovebites on her neck. Even though the medic could not know where they came from, and he had to keep everything he saw a secret, she still wasn't keen on showing them to him.

Therefore, she unbuttoned the last three buttons of her shirt and just lifted it up to right underneath her breasts.

"Oh, you have a patch, that's good already," Nixol said. "When was the last time you changed it?"

"Last night before bed."

"Alright, so we can take it off. Oh, but before that..." The medic looked a bit concerned. "I suspect General Hux might demand reports on your condition... I shouldn't disobey him, but on the other hand, I shouldn't give him any information without your permission... So I thought it would be best to just ask."

"Oh, don't worry, you can pass everything to him. I know how he gets," she replied immediately, wanting to laugh at the thought that the General actually saw more of her body than that medic was ever going to see.

"Thank you, that makes things much easier for me," he said with a relief. "Please allow me to take off the patch, then."

So she allowed him to, and although he did it very professionally, she kept on wondering how jealous Hux would be if he watched.

"Oh, it doesn't look good..." Nixol said, having set the old patch on her nightstand.

Y/N cursed in her thoughts. Hux was going to have a field day.

"It doesn't hurt that much, only when I move rapidly or bend."

"I will scan you to make sure there are no fractures, alright?" He tapped something onto the datapad, apparently going to use it as a portable scanner. "How did it happen?"

"Just sparring," she replied.

"And someone hit all the right places..." He said, taking a look at the excessive bruises once again. "Right to hurt you, I mean. I will be really surprised if there are no fractures."

She gulped. She was suspecting he thought it was the General who did this to her.

"There aren't, I wouldn't be able to move..."

After a few minutes and giving her a new patch, Nixol seemed to have everything he needed and he was tapping away on his datapad.

"To sum up... No fractures, but still very concerning bruises. It would be best if you didn't move too much. And no training allowed, obviously. Use the patches and it'll get better quickly."

"Thank you, I will," she replied quickly, knowing that now Hux will be feeling like a winner.

"I'll come back tomorrow," Nixol said, approaching the door.

"What? But you said it's not that bad, I can change the patches myself."

"That's also General Hux's orders," he explained, shrugging. "I'd rather not question them."

And he left, and this was when she finally allowed herself a smile. Hux cared, he really did, and although it was still hard for her to believe, it was enough to make her heart flutter.

She plopped onto her bed and looked at the picture of her parents on the nightstand.

"You know what, mom, dad? I really think I might love this man..." she whispered and then realisation hit her. "Even though I shouldn't." She hung her head low, remembering what she'd forgotten: there were no romances allowed in the army.

"Pity I chose the worst option possible."

A few days passed and Hux kept his distance, knowing that at least the medic was taking care of her. One day, however, while he was discreetly glancing at her from time to time at the bridge, he noticed something wasn't quite right.

Y/N looked exhausted, and he saw her wince in pain at least twice when standing up. Of course, he couldn't approach her and ask what was going on... But he could ask Nixol.

Hux left the bridge and went into his office, then ordered Nixol to come to him for the first time since the order.

The General wanted to get it over with quickly. Standing in front of his desk with his hands clasped behind his back, he let the medic in and began questioning him immediately.

"What is Y/L/N's condition?"

"Miss Y/L/N is recovering well. I check on her every day as you asked, General," Nixol explained truthfully.

"Then why do I see her wincing in pain?"

Nixol gulped, noticing anger growing in the man in front of him.

"I do not know if she eventually moved too much, this may have caused it... Or it's menstruation pains that may be worsening the..."

Hux stopped listening at the mention of menstruation. That must have been it, he knew she wasn't straining herself... Of course, he had to make sure first, but he was already planning what to do to make her feel better.

But what did he know about periods other than that they existed and were needed to reproduce? Close to nothing since he didn't have a mother, nor had he been close with any woman before Y/N.

"Leave," he cut off Nixol's words and he bowed slightly, then left quickly before the General could change his mind.

This was ridiculous, this was something he had never thought he'd be doing... But soon, he was sitting by his desk and researching periods, appalled by what he had found out. The pain, the fatigue, the mood swings...

He came back to the bridge quickly, already with a plan in his head.

"Y/L/N."

She heard that familiar voice from behind her and had to suppress a smile.

"Yes, General," she said, barely glancing at him not to grin.

"I want all the reports on my desk, today right after your shift."

Excitement began flowing through her immediately. Maybe that awful day wasn't going to be that awful after all.

"Understood, sir."

He nodded and began walking away, but not too fast, eavesdropping on her conversation with her friend.

"He always wants reports from you."

"Yeah, uh... Embarrassing to admit, but it's a punishment. I pissed him off on my first day and you see."

Hux smiled to himself. That was a smart response, allowing him to ask her for reports more often.

"Yes, I've noticed you shouldn't piss him off," Malia agreed, her eyes focused on her keyboard.

"Pity he makes me do it when I'm right before period, I feel rotten today," Y/N continued, focused on her screen.

Jackpot, Hux thought, now knowing exactly what to do.

So she came to his office as requested, with no reports whatsoever, making sure to knock beforehand - one could never be too careful.

"Enter." The voice was loud and stern, unknowing to whom he was talking.

But the moment she did enter, his stern gaze disappeared and he raised from his seat.

"It's you," he said with a relief after the door closed behind her. "Come, I know you're exhausted."

"I don't know how you know that... But yes, I am."

He meant "come" as "sit down", but didn't mind it when she walked up straight to him to collapse into his arms instead. He embraced her and she thanked fate she could use his broad shoulders and chest as the support she needed for her aching body.

"I needed that more than air," she admitted, having taken a step back to look at him.

"What is wrong?" he asked, still holding her waist and she sighed.

"Women problems, General."

"I'm not a child, Y/N, I know what menstruation is," he said as if he had not found out most things about it mere hours ago.

"You never cease to surprise me." She laughed, and he took it as a good sign. "So if you know, then what is there to say... Everything hurts. And it didn't even start yet."

"So how about a day off tomorrow?" he asked and it made her open her mouth agape. It sounded absolutely unbelievable.

"Really?" she asked to be sure, because it sounded too good to be true.

"I have one guy, he'll be working two shifts instead of one as punishment... One of them being your shift. And you can have the entire day off."

Y/N was listening to this and it seemed even more unbelievable than the fact he was holding her.

"Aren't we also landing for supplies the day after tomorrow?"

"Yes. That unfortunately means Kylo Ren will be there... Why?"

"I was hoping to get a look around."

"If everything goes according to plan, we'll stay for much longer than intended, you'll have time." He assured her. "So... Tomorrow you're off. You also have my quarters to yourself."

"What did I do to deserve all of this?" she asked in complete shock, warmth flowing through her enitre body.

He didn't reply, just gazing into her eyes and trying to find the answer himself. Love was still an abstract concept to him, but he knew he didn't just like her. He had much to learn, but was willing to do it by her side.

She used that moment of silence to put her hands on his chest, then stood on her tiptoes to thank him fully. She placed a kiss on his lips - slow, sensual and full of emotion, a kiss that left him wanting more.

"Come here tomorrow as early as possible," he said quietly after they broke off, "and I'll let you in."

"Will I get to see you?"

"If you're lucky." He smirked, then turned serious again. "Remember you have to make sure no one sees you entering tomorrow. I'll tell others you're sick if anyone asks... And in medbay."

"Oh, yes, you have your love for the medbay." She poked him in the chest. "And for that medic you sent for me. I bet he's already waiting in front of my door. To scan me. For the thousandth time."

This was when Hux smirked yet again.

"I cannot come to your quarters every evening, but a medic can."

"You've never been to my quarters," she retorted and he looked at her in a way that made her shiver.

"Be on your guard, then, because one day I might come for an inspection."

On the next day, as they both decided, she came to him very early. It took many skills from her training to pass through the corridors unnoticed by people nor droids, but once she entered Hux's office, she felt completely secure. She found him barely out of bed, putting on the top of his uniform - his hair wasn't even combed yet.

"That's a view I could enjoy more often," she said with a small smile as she made sure the door closed behind her. "Relieves my pain."

He lowered his head to hide the tiny smile she caused.

"I'm surprised you did come as early as I asked you to."

"I almost didn't sleep at all," she replied, sighing.

"Why?"

"Cramps." She put her hands on her stomach. "My period came on time. Right at night."

"Then I suppose you should thank someone who gave you a day off today..." Hux said with a cocky smile that made her roll her eyes. She walked up to him to kiss him regardless, and it might have been the best beginning of a day he'd ever had.

"I like your hair like this." She yawned, ruffling his hair with one hand. "Pity that as a General you have to be so prim and proper all the time," she added, then took it upon herself to do up his last button and smooth down his uniform. "There, pretty boy."

He sighed heavily at these words.

"Do you treat it as your life goal to annoy me?"

She chuckled, grabbing his belt to put it on him, too.

"It was a compl..."

They heard a buzz: someone wanted to enter the office. This was when Hux looked genuinely annoyed.

"Go in," he whispered under his breath, opening the secret door with one hand and taking the belt from her with the other.

And so Y/N practically ran into the "living room", which she later regretted, feeling a sharp pain in her abdomen - but at least she was safe from prying eyes of whoever decided to visit the General this early.

She was surprised to see there was something on his usually sterile clean table - a tray, with tea still hot enough to be steaming, and a plate of untouched breakfast. It smelled delicious and fresh, and made her stomach rumble because, of course, she had to skip her breakfast. She barely had time to take it all in before Hux joined her.

"It was Mitaka. He's even more annoying than you," he explained, entering the room already fully dressed.

"I take it as a compliment." She smiled. "Why didn't you eat your breakfast?" she added, inclining her head towards the food.

"I've eaten mine. This is yours," he replied immediately, causing her to open her mouth yet again.

"Don't act surprised," he said, admitting to her, but also to himself, that he will simply continue to do good things for her. "And don't blow my quarters up while I'm gone."

"I'll be waiting for you patiently, General," she said with a small smile, then sat down in one of the armchairs to enjoy the breakfast.

"You have the entire day to think about what you want for dinner," he kept on talking as he typed the password to his bedroom. "There's a datapad next to my bed, you have plenty of time to study the menu," he added and then disappeared into the room.

Y/N kept on smiling to herself through all of this. He was being nicer than she could have ever imagined he could be, but who was she to complain?

"Thank you for all of this again," she said as he came back to her after a moment, this time with his hair already combed back and perfected. "I will return the favour soon, Armitage. Although I'm not sure how, since you're the General and I'm just another soldier, but..."

"Y/N," he interrupted while looking at her in disbelief. "I'm just using my privileges to mutual advantage."

"And don't expect anything in return from me?"

The truth was, he didn't. It was the first time in his life he was doing something out of pure kindness. He didn't want anything from her, he was doing it all selflessly, well, maybe except for the fact he desired her presence as often as it was possible.

"You being insufferable will suffice," he replied, not ready to admit it directly that she alone was enough.

She just giggled in response, unable to control her happiness.

"I'll remember that."

The day was almost perfect for Y/N. After she'd eaten the delicious breakfast, she decided to lie down in his bed and read, maybe play around with the datapad as he suggested, but was scared of staining his sheets. Even if he was constantly nice to her, her period blood on his bed would be still embarrassing - that's why she took one of his towels and laid it on the mattress. After that, she was free to enjoy immense comfort on his large bed.

It was, however, a long day for Hux. Never before had he anticipated the return to his quarters so badly. Of course, war was his passion and so was commanding, but he couldn't help thinking about who was waiting for him. He tried to focus on his duties as always, but even some soldiers noticed he was different.

Malia, on the other hand, noticed her friend's absence and it concerned her greatly. She thought Y/N must have really made the General mad - maybe he moved her? Or imposed a punishment on her? Someone disappearing from their position was never a good sign.

"Marlen, did you see Y/N today?" she asked as she sat down next to the engineer at dinner. The boy shook his head.

"No, no... She wasn't at dinner yesterday, either, was she?"

Malia nodded, sighing.

"Yesterday at dinner, today at breakfast... That's why I'm concerned. She's been disappearing a lot lately. Hux keeps on calling her to his office, too."

"Either he likes her or holds a grudge against her."

"Please, Hux liking anyone sounds abstract." Malia shook her head, causing Marlen to stifle a chuckle.

"I know."

"It's more possible that Ren likes her. They've known each other before."

"I mean, we can only speculate..." Marlen shrugged. "But if she really pissed him off, we'd better not do the same."

Malia agreed, at the same time promising herself she'd find out what was going on with her friend.

She had no idea there was literally nothing to worry about when it came to Y/N. She was sleeping peacefully in General's large bed, unaware when and how she had dozed off, the datapad she was using somewhere on the pillows next to her, her body only partly covered by the sheets.

This was how Hux found her when he came back to his quarters. What a lovely picture that was, just her, sleeping peacefully, a picture he could watch for hours. However, there came a loud buzz of electronics as he tried to enter his bathroom - and it immediately stirred her awake, causing him to curse under his breath.

Y/N sat up slowly, looking as though she had no idea what was happening to her. She rubbed her eyes as she realised Hux was standing opposite her.

"Oh, you..." she said in surprise. "I... I don't even know when I fell asleep..."

"It's good you're recharging after your sleepless night," he said as he could sense she was feeling a bit embarrassed. "I didn't mean to wake you, but now that you're awake... I suppose I can order dinner."

"That would be perfect..." she replied, still rubbing her eyes.

"Did you actually manage to choose something?"

"I know the menu by heart now." She laughed in response.

Twenty minutes later they were both sitting in his living room with food. Hux reported everything that happened that day to her strictly professionally, as if he still treated her like any soldier. That's why she couldn't stop herself from teasing him about missing her at the bridge, what he didn't comment, but the answer was right there on his face. He let down his guard in her presence once again... But did he mind that much?

Having spent the whole afternoon together, both of them didn't really want to part in the evening, when Y/N was supposed to go back to her quarters and act like nothing happened. Hux could stop her, of course, but he knew this would be extremely risky.

It was hard, watching her leave from behind his desk. He was tapping his fingers on the surface of his shiny desk, considering his next actions.

"What is it?" Y/N asked suddenly, lingering right in front of the door, and he looked up at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

She turned to face him, crossing her arms on her chest.

"You look like you want to tell me something."

Indeed, he wanted. He wanted to tell her to stay, wanted to completely ignore everything and everyone, to take her back into the bedroom and kiss her endlessly. He was shocked by his own fantasies at the moment, that's why he was afraid of opening his mouth and accidentally revealing too much.

"Change your patch before bed," he said eventually, sighing in defeat. He had to restrain himself, giving her that day off and his quarters to herself was already too much, even if deep down he would give her much more. One last kiss was on his mind, but this was also something he had to stop himself from, because who knew what he would do if he did kiss her again.

"Yes, sir," she replied, then sighed, too, reluctantly leaving his office.

Hux wasn't too happy about landing, because he knew it meant meeting with Ren, and seeing him every day for many days. Little did he know Kylo would piss him off just mere minutes after leaving the ship.

Y/N was walking out with other soldiers, talking to her friend, and Hux had her in his sight as he talked to the engineers who were supposed to check the ship's condition. He could see she was feeling better and it satisfied him, even if Kylo Ren was standing opposite him, supervising the soldiers leaving the aircraft... Until he spoke.

"Y/N Y/L/N," he said from underneath his helmet while she was passing him. Y/N stopped in her tracks in front of him, getting a shocked look from Malia.

"Yes?"

"Follow me," he ordered, then took her aside, a few metres away from the ship. Hux saw that - and he was furious, especially since he couldn't do anything about it.

Despite the worried looks the other soldiers were giving her, Y/N didn't feel too stressed around Ren - she knew he wasn't going to do anything to her, maybe except for annoying her like he used to.

"Missed me, Kylo?" she asked with a chuckle as they were out of other soldiers' earshot.

"Do you take it after Hux? Being this annoying?"

"Can say the same about you."

"As a matter of fact, I wanted to tell you that I've looked through your latest reports. You've got the best results now... Fastest reaction time, highest level of accuracy... Didn't expect that from you."

Y/N smiled to herself. She didn't know that, but she did find herself focusing on her job better than ever, in most cases - to finish quickly and see Armitage.

"See? You don't appreciate me enough, Kylo." She crossed her arms. "And what are you wearing that helmet for when you're talking to me, huh? Trying to scare someone?"

"Yes, look at Hux. He's already pissed his pants," he said, clearly amused as he inclined his head towards Hux whom they could still see from a distance.

Y/N gulped. She really hoped Kylo wouldn't think of slipping into her mind and seeing what she really thought about Armitage - she had to play it off, somehow.

"I think you underestimate him. He's very intelligent and he knows what he's doing," she blurted out and only later realised she might have complimented Hux a bit too confidently. But he did know what he was doing, especially that one night... She suddenly remembered his head between her legs and it took her a deep breath to calm down.

"If you're going to stand here and glorify Hux, then I'm not talking to you," Kylo huffed, making her roll her eyes.

"Wouldn't hurt if you were nice once, Kylo," she replied, in her head desperately looking for another subject to make him forget about Hux. "Remember when we sparred together? And your only advantage was you being bigger than me?"

"We could spar now with my hands tied and I would still win," he replied without hesitation and she looked offended.

"Excu..."

"Hux clearly doesn't like me talking to you," he cut her off, ignoring the subject as he looked at the General again. "We must do it more often."

"Oh, so now I know you wanted to talk to me. Charming." She rolled her eyes again.

"That's only partly true. Keep up your results and we can talk about sparring again," Kylo replied and although Y/N couldn't see it, she knew he was smirking underneath that helmet. "Go before Hux orders you not to talk to me," he added, clearly amused since both of them knew that if the General could, he would certainly do that.

Hux didn't get to talk to her about what he saw, but he did spend the day cursing Ren in his thoughts. He actually didn't even get to see her for the next few days, busy discussing their next moves with Ren, Phasma and other officers. He almost didn't see her at all, and it frustrated him greatly, especially when he constantly had to talk to Ren instead of her. He had nothing other than Nixol's report that she was almost completely healed, and that she didn't need daily check-ups anymore.

That's why Hux was anticipating one particular day... Most of the soldiers had nothing to do, only the engineers were busy checking the aircraft and preparing them for their next journeys. It was rare that most of the First Order had some time to spare, that's why many soldiers decided to meet up in the dining room and celebrate their short freedom.

Y/N was among them, sitting with Malia and some others, about to down her first drink of the evening - it didn't even get too dark - before two Stormtroopers came to the party... And said they were there to take Y/N to General Hux. In spite of enjoying herself with the others, she didn't mind meeting him at all, even if she had to pretend she did.

"No way," said Malia, looking at her in disbelief as she stood up. "He can't give you one evening off?"

Y/N just shrugged, acting as if she were upset and simply had no choice.

"I'd rather not piss him off," she replied, then quickly followed the Stormtroopers to his quarters, remembering to learn the way as she went.

Hux's office on Starkiller was much more impressive than the one on the ship. It was still in black and red, still illuminated by reddish light, still polished and still sterile clean, but it was way larger and very spacious. Hundreds of electronics were buzzing and humming quietly, some machines placed on the floor, some on the walls... Big windows were located on either side of the room, revealing the snowy landscape, but her eyes were only on the centre of the room, right in front of her.

There it was - a wide, shiny desk, much wider than the other one, standing right in front of a red flag with the First Order's emblem on it. But why marvel at the interior if the main attraction was right there by the desk?

Hux was in his uniform and coat, sitting with one gloved hand on the desk, and the other holding a cup to his mouth. He swallowed hard when he saw his guests, then set his drink down to reveal an extremely cold expression. With just a nod of his head, he showed the Stormtroopers to make her sit down on the chair opposite him.

Power was radiating from him; it was just the perfect picture: the desk, the flag behind him, the uniform, the gloves... It turned her on a little, seeing him like this and knowing what he could do to her.

"Leave us," he said harshly to the Stormtroopers after she was seated, and they left immediately. The moment the door closed behind them he stood up, towering over her.

"Now, who do we have here?" he asked, keeping his hands behind his back and looking at her in a way that made her feel smaller than ever. She could almost sense the desire radiating from that look, the desire he tried to hide behind pretending to be mad.

"How can I help you, General?" she asked innocently, already knowing she won't regret losing the evening with the other soldiers.

"Certainly not by talking to Ren, subordinate Y/L/N," he replied, almost piercing her with his gaze. She was playing along as he walked towards her slowly, carefully and knowing he had the higher ground, almost like a wolf stalking its prey.

"I apologise, sir, but he's my commander, too. I am bound to obey him."

He stood right next to her, then bent over, putting one hand on the desk and using the other to turn her chair towards him.

"In this office," he put his hand under her chin, forcing her to look at him, "I am the only one you listen to."

She couldn't suppress a smile as she enjoyed the proximity, his face only inches from hers. They just needed one, short cue to finally give into each other.

"Understood, sir," she whispered, staring at his lips.

It was enough.

He cupped her face and leaned in for a kiss, a hungry one, one he was anticipating for days. She responded with just as much enthusiasm, almost losing her balance in the chair while their kisses were becoming more and more inappropriate.

"Can we do this by the windows?" she asked after they'd gasped for air, first drops of sweat forming on her forehead.

"You cannot see through them from the outside," he whispered, gazing at her almost with flames in his eyes. He leaned in for one more kiss before grabbing her hands and pulling her to himself, making her stand up.

"Would be a shame to miss out on the opportunity to show you my quarters here... While everyone's busy."

"Lead the way, then," she said with excitement, smiling widely. She wanted to take off this coat, these gloves, all that was keeping her from him.

And so he led her to the door hidden behind the First Order's emblem, to a living room much larger than the ship one, but still very similar, mostly black and red, polished and shining, with a bit more shelves and electronics than before. There was still a black couch you could easily lounge on, two armchairs, a smaller couch and a table, and finally an ottoman, most of them with additional pillows. The only light was coming from the reddish, wire-like lights installed in the walls - and there were no windows to worry about.

There was, however, one more door in the back and she was almost sure she knew where it led to. He, however, stopped in the room and stood in front of the table, watching her marvel.

"I've heard your injuries are better," he said suddenly while beginning to take his gloves off one finger at a time.

"Yes, they are practically go..." she began, grabbing the belt around her waist to unbuckle it, then immediately decided against it. "Or why don't you check for yourself, General? After all, you always inspect everything so thoroughly..." she added teasingly.

He took off his second glove and threw it aside, looking at her with a small smile. Of course he wasn't going to pass on that.

"That we can agree on."

He approached her and unbuckled her belt himself, then tossed it aside to open her shirt, button by button, making sure she felt his fingertips on her skin. Having opened the shirt, he revealed her bra - he couldn't help but glance at her breasts first, before taking a look at her sides.

"Much better," he said after a moment, seeing that her bruises were almost completely gone. "But you're not fully healed, are you?"

"I'm feeling like a newborn. Injury gone, women problems gone..."

"Is that so?" He raised an eyebrow. "So you wouldn't mind not being able to walk again?"

Butterflies erupted in her stomach. She put her arms around his neck, gazing deeply into his eyes.

"A small price to pay."

"Needy." He shook his head.

"Learning from you. I only wanted to spend the evening with my friends..."

"Not when you have work to do tonight."

With every word, the excitement kept growing, and Y/N was only waiting for that bubble to burst. Kriff, she adored this man more than she could say.

"And what would that work be?"

"I believe you have something to win back."

"What?"

He took a step back, then reached into his pocket to pull out...

Her panties.

He was getting drunk on power, watching her eyes widen as she came to realise they were hers.

"How long have you had them?" she whispered, almost losing her voice.

"Long enough."

"Armitage..." she said in pure disbelief, still appalled by the fact he had them.

"How do you intend to win them back?" he asked, clearly proud of himself. She knew she couldn't let him win this easily, that's why she quickly turned her shocked expression into a mischievous one.

"I'll let you keep them." She stroked his chest confidently, then moved closer to his face. "For when you miss me."

This clearly took him by surprise and he had no counterattack at the ready. She could see he was searching for one in his mind, and so she seized the opportunity to tease him further.

"They aren't part of the uniform, are they?" she asked with a smirk, unaware she was bringing doom on herself. He immediately got an idea how to get revenge, but it would take him a little longer.

Without answering, he shoved the panties back into the pocket of his coat, then took a step back to take it off and leave it on a hanger on the side of the room she had not noticed before.

"Where were we?" he said as if clueless, then walked towards the secret door. "Ah, yes. You haven't recovered fully yet..."

"Armitage, you know it's not..."

"So you'd better lie down," he cut her off as he typed in the password to the next room. "Today I am in charge of your check-up."

The door slid open, and he turned to her to beckon her inside.

"You know the password," he muttered as she walked past him to get inside, shivers going down her spine.

She thought he must have really trusted her to give her the passwords so freely... And, on the other hand, she knew that if she betrayed him, he could have her killed at the snap of his fingers. He wasn't risking even nearly as much as she was.

They entered his bedroom, designed the same way the previous room was, but with much less furniture. Two nightstands, a wardrobe, three shelves and, of course, a large bed with black sheets that looked extremely comfortable were placed in a windowless room, one that also had an extra door to the bathroom on the left side of the bed.

Y/N, with her shirt still open and showing her bra, carefully laid down on the mattress so as not to hurt her still delicate ribs and let our a sigh of pleasure.

"You can't imagine how much I love your sheets..."

He didn't comment on this. Instead, he locked the door and then he climbed onto the bed, hovering over her. She saw him glance at her breasts once again before he looked at her face.

"Now, what have you and Ren been talking about?"

That was not what she expected to hear when he stayed there, looking at her like that.

"Is this an interrogation or a check-up, General?" she teased, but he remained unbothered.

"Answer me."

"You," she sighed, "among other things."

"Is that so?"

"He told me how he has to talk to me more because it annoys you."

"It does," he replied, then put one hand underneath her chin to make sure she was looking at him. "But you know? I have also talked to Ren about you. And he wants to give you a higher rank."

"He does?" she asked, sincerely surprised. "And... Do I get it?"

"If I agree," he replied in a low voice, and then inched closer to her face. "You will have to persuade me."

And although deep down she knew she already had his approval, she felt bubbles of excitement flowing through her just at the thought.

"Gladly." She grabbed the hand on her face. "Would you mind showing me your bathroom, too, General?"

The bathroom was almost the exact copy of the one of the ship, except that it was larger and instead of just the shower, in the right corner there was also a deep, wide, black bath only waiting to be used. Hux immediately walked up to it and turned on the hot water to fill it up.

They didn't even have to talk about it - one look was enough. The moment they got their hands on each other they began stripping the other person immediately, kissing passionately in the process. Getting hotter with every second, they kept their hands roaming, as if wanting to feel every inch of the other one's skin. With all the clothes long forgotten on the floor, Hux broke off the kiss to grab her hand and lead her to the bath.

It was large enough for them to sit next to each other comfortably. Hot water was still rising as they returned to kissing, holding each other close. As Hux's mouth began travelling from her lips down her chin, and then to her neck. Waves of pleasure began flowing through her as his lips met with the pulsing artery on her neck.

But she remembered she was supposed to impress that night. Her hands travelled underwater, right between his legs, and it didn't take her much movements to make him throw back his head in pleasure.

"You little..." he began, but didn't finish as he let out a sigh when she picked up the pace.

"I may be little, but obviously not you." She chuckled and then quickly moved to switch her hand with her butt. As she began rubbing herself against him in the hot water to mutual delight. He moved his hands from behind her to grab her breasts, massaging them with his large hands.

Soon she increased her speed, and the speed of their heartbeat also increased as she heard him groan. She felt his hands leave her chest as he let out a moan right before reaching his peak.

Y/N let him feel a few more moments of bliss before moving to sit next to him again, watching the advanced mechanics immediately filter any water contamination.

"Would that be enough?" she asked as she kissed him on the cheek, enjoying watching his heavy breaths she knew she was the cause of.

He looked at her, still slightly out of breath, then placed a longing kiss on her lips she took as a 'thank you'.

"As I said, you haven't recovered yet. You aren't getting anything," he said harshly. "But when you do recover..."

"I already got something, though," she replied with a smirk, putting a hand to her neck. She couldn't see it, but she already knew she got a new mark; he loved leaving them on her, just in the right places so her uniform would cover them.

At that moment, she saw his gaze soften the way she had never seen before. It was almost like she was looking at a different person, she couldn't even connect him with the strict general she saw every day: they were just so different...

"Stay with me tonight," he said under his breath, moving hair out of her face with tenderness.

These words made her heart flutter, just as every invitation from him did. However, she didn't want to show him how excited she was.

"I thought it was a given."

He let out a sigh of frustration, then massaged his temple.

"Y/N, how many times do we have to talk about you being insufferable to make you stop?"

"I won't stop and you know it." She kissed him again and it seemed to settle the matter.

"Have you eaten dinner?" he asked instead, changing the subject.

"Yes. My delicious soldier dinner," she replied ironically.

"I'll call for dessert, then," Hux said without hesitation, making her heart pound yet again. Every time she realised he really cared for her it seemed just as unbelievable as the first time.

Before leaving the bath, she gave him a quick massage, finally managing to finish one without any interruptions.

"Yet again I have nothing to change into," she complained as she wrapped herself with a black towel, causing him to roll his eyes.

"I'll give you something, go."

She gave him a grin and ran to the bedroom, giving him a chance to begin his revenge. He picked up the new panties she left behind on the floor, intending to keep them as well. Why not keep all of them until she has to win them back?

She was lying on his bed with just the towel around her body when he came back to her in a black, satin shirt and pants. He was holding another black shirt for her to wear, but also something else.

"The medic said you don't need the patches anymore..." he was saying as he dropped the shirt onto the sheets next to her. "But you still need this."

"What is it?" she asked as he held up a small, white tube of something.

"The ointment I intend to put on you."

Before she could reply, he carefully grabbed the hem of the towel and put it aside, revealing her body. And although he saw it just minutes before, he couldn't help but take a moment to marvel at her figure once more. It all came back to this: why did she need that stupid training if she already looked like this?

He put the ointment on his hands, grabbed her sides and then moved them down to smear it on her ribs. She hissed in pain when he did, making him cock an eyebrow.

"Still hurts. I was right, wasn't I?"

"Oh, shut up..." She rolled her eyes, then closed them in pain as his large hands kept on massaging the ointment into her skin.

"What did you just say to your superior?"

"The 'superior' that plays a medic for me right now?" she retorted, and he had no reply to this. Part of why he adored her.

Soon, they were both lying in bed comfortably, waiting for the dessert and talking just about anything they missed from the time they had not seen each other.

"I'll make sure Ren gives you that higher rank soon," Hux said at some point, and she couldn't suppress a smile.

"Maybe one day I'll be a general like you... Worth it just for the sheets." She hugged them tightly, making him stifle a laugh. She seemed to love these sheets more than anything.

"I'll find a way for you to have them."

He could almost see her eyes sparkling with excitement after he said that. She almost jumped to hug his side.

"My hero."

Something flicked inside Hux when he heard that. No one ever called him that. He was never the hero, never someone's first... And there she was, Y/N, making him feel such good emotions he hadn't even thought he was capable of experiencing.

There, at that moment he wanted to tell her how happy he was that he had her, but these words just couldn't escape his mouth. He wasn't ready. He was still learning to feel the positive emotions, but he promised himself that one day he would tell her how much she was changing his life.

They spent the night together happily and, in the morning, had to return to their respectful duties as if nothing ever happened.

Especially for the General, the next few days weren't as wonderful as that night, and not only because he didn't see Y/N at all out of carefulness. Hux may have had many privileges thanks to his position, but he also had almost as many responsibilities - and sometimes, they were just too much. Besides, spending time with Ren never helped his mood, planning the attacks, taking care of every single detail that might help the First Order win the war... And he loved war, he really did, but he was human, too. Anger, stress and tension were causing his mental health to deteriorate.

And one particular night it all became too much. He was tossing and turning in his bed, unable to fall asleep no matter how comfortable it was. Nerves were wrecking him, and he was used to it, but this night... It was just one of the worst ones.

He, the big, scary General, as Y/N liked to call him, was supposed to be strong at all times - even if that was simply impossible. Everyone had their weaker moments and Hux hated to admit it, even if only he could see them.

What to do? Where to go? He usually coped with it himself, the stress, the sadness, the negative thoughts... But this time, he couldn't help thinking that there was someone who could make him feel better. Someone sleeping in another building who could save him with one hug, maybe even one word...

Was he ready to do it? Was he ready to go to her and show the vulnerability he'd never shown to anyone?

He sat up in his bed and hid his face in his hands. He knew she wouldn't refuse. He knew she would help him. But to show himself like this...?

It was almost as though it were his legs leading him to his wardrobe, not his mind, clouded with the worst thoughts imaginable. He put on his coat and buttoned it to hide the pyjamas, then quickly put on his boots as well, planning to slither through the corridors as fast as possible to reach her quarters.

He passed a few soldiers on a night patrol duty on his way, but none of them dared ask him what he was up to, mostly cowering at the sight of him. When he finally reached the correct door, he felt so stupid, embarrassed even, something he wasn't used to feeling.

Nevertheless, he knocked before someone could see him, and after that came the most stressful half a minute of his life before the door finally slid open. Y/N was there, in thick pyjamas, half asleep, shocked by what she saw in front of her.

"It's you," she whispered in disbelief, then immediately stepped aside to let him in before anyone could see.

The door closed and she glanced over at the clock, suggesting it was the middle of the night. Although her room was almost completely dark except for the tiny ray of light getting inside through a small, circular window, she could still see his concerned expression. She was somehow sure he didn't come to her quarters for the first time ever, in the middle of the night, for no particular reason.

"What's wrong, Armitage?" she asked softly, and this was when he collapsed completely, having no logical answer for her.

"It's... Bad, Y/N. Sometimes it's just bad," he replied eventually, not liking this answer, but he just couldn't say more. To his surprise, she seemed to understand.

"Oh, come here."

Without any questions, she embraced him as tightly as he could, and he immediately knew it was the best decision to come to her. With that embrace, with her warmth radiating onto his body everything became just better.

"I can't believe I'm showing myself like this to you," he said, then gulped so as not to fall apart.

"Stop it. No one can be strong and composed all the time," she whispered, bringing him even closer.

"I'm the general. I have to be."

She stepped back to stroke his cheek.

"But you can drop the general when you're with me."

When she said that, he felt as though he could really do this... And this pushed him to say something he wanted to say for some time.

"Maybe we should talk about it."

"About what?"

"Us," he replied and she immediately felt a knot in her stomach. This didn't sound like good news, him saying this in the middle of the night, broken.

"Don't tell me you want to end it," she murmured with hurt in her voice, plopping onto her bed.

"What?" He raised his eyebrows, sitting next to her immediately. "Why do you get cocky when it's not the moment and shy when it's not the moment, either?"

"So what is it if not bad news?"

Her reaction switched Hux's mood instantly. Forgetting his worries for a moment, the General cupped her face to make her look at him, not knowing where his confidence came from.

"I wanted to ask, now officially..." He sighed and she could see it was hard for him to speak. "Do you still want to do it?"

"Do what?"

He hoped she wouldn't ask that. He hoped she would just know what he meant, even if it was stupid to think so, since he asked out of the blue. He looked down and let go of her face, preparing for the answer as if bracing for impact. He'd never done something like this, hell, he'd never felt about anyone the way he was feeling about her, and those feelings grew stronger every day.

"Be with me," he said in the most delicate whisper, having never felt so vulnerable. "Behind closed doors, still, of course..."

"You almost gave me a heart attack." Y/N sighed with relief as she had realised it was good news.

"So?" He put up the courage to look at her, still anxious, but a bit happier after seeing her gaze soften.

"Armitage, I already told you that... That I'm falling in love with you, more and more," she began, and even though she was repeating herself, it was still somehow hard to admit it. "And I know I shouldn't, since you're my superior, but..."

"But we have closed doors to protect us," he said with a hint of hopefulness in his voice.

"Something like that." She laughed shortly. "But yes, the answer is yes, I want to be with you."

Hux thought his heart might jump out of his chest. It was unbelievable, hearing that someone actually wanted to be with him, such an unknown experience to his heart. And just like that, now he was happy, probably happier than he'd been in years, and couldn't suppress a smile before leaving a chaste kiss on her lips, one that made both of them bathe in bliss of the moment.

And so it was settled. She was his - he was hers, but it didn't mean things were going to get easier.

#hux #general hux #first order #general hux x reader #armitage hux #armitage #star wars #star wars x reader #fanfiction #fanfic #smut #star wars fanfiction #kylo ren #general armitage hux #x reader

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novaethecosplayer · 1 year

Text

Dabi x Botanist!Reader: Self-Love (NSFW)

Masterlist

Dabi is now constantly following you around your shop. He'd listen to you silently as you ranted about anything and everything. He often found that his favorite moments were when you played music through the store speakers as you taught him how to take care of various plants. He found that he enjoyed growing something rather than destroying it; which was an unsettling but welcomed realization for him.

He especially felt welcome, needed, wanted, when you had gifted him with his own set of gardening tools and gloves.

"You're here often enough that I might as well put ya to work" you teased as you handed him his brand new set of light blue gardening tools. "They even match your beautiful eyes!" You said proudly.

That's another thing Dabi enjoyed about you. You were always able to make him feel good about aspects of himself that he has hated for years. A compliment thrown his way from you usually caused his face to heat up in a blush.

"Is that what I am here for? Free labor?" He teased back taking the tool set into his hands--accepting your gift. Trying to ignore his rapid heartbeat.

A coy smile slowly appeared on your face as you looked at him over. "More or less…" you replied vaguely as you shrugged and turned to work on a plant, in order to keep your hands busy.

Dabi watched you walk a few feet away. His tool set was set on a nearby countertop and his feet brought him to you. His arms wrapped around you as he gently guided you away from the plant, getting your attention on him. "You did not just imply I'm here for you to ogle at too." He glanced down at you as you turned in his arms to face him. A jesting smile on your face.

"Maybe, I did, Pretty boy." You whispered to him as he scrunched up his nose and eyebrows as your new nickname for him.

"You hit your head or something? I ain't pretty." He lifted a hand to check your head over, making sure no new bumps were forming.

"You are pretty!" You insisted, head leaning into his touch--causing his heart to ache.

"You're delusional." He denied as he tried to unwrap himself from you. He, his heart, couldn't handle this moment. He doest have the strength to. It's better to detach himself than to live in this moment. A moment where another living being actually loves and cares for him.

He let himself fall into a false sense of security when you simply hummed in agreement with his statement. Dabi could feel your hands begin to wander down over his shirt then soon your light fingertip trailed up his skin. He relaxed as the conversation seemed to end and the mood changed to desire.

He let you slot yourself into his arm, or maybe he pulled you in… he's not sure. Either way, he had you in his arms once again. Your hands found his belt loops on his pants and pulled his hips closer, beginning a rocking motion with your own into his. His breath left his lungs as he looked down at you. So gorgeous. Not asking for his attention, but rather demanding it.

"We should go upstairs." You whispered to him and he nodded agreeing. He saw as you turned from him, his arms falling from you as you stepped in the direction of the stairs. Your fingers of one hand still curled around a single belt loop, pulling and guiding him forward to follow you.

He doesn't remember going up the stairs. He doesn't remember entering your bedroom, or even laying on your bed. Doesn't remember taking off his clothes. He does remember your lips crashing onto his in a fury of passion. Remembers the feel of your hands on his healthy skin--sending electricity through him with every movement. Remembers how nicely you slide onto him as your began to ride him, like it was your only mission to make him feel good. And maybe it was. You took your time with him, kissing his neck, tangling your hands in his hair, rolling your hips in ways that left his breathless. Your eyes half-lidded, yet still wandering over him like art in a museum that you were appreciating.

"Please." He whispered out as he felt himself get close. The beg shocked the both of you. He didn't know he could even say that word in a genuine way. You smiled down at him and slowed your hips, leaving him whining as you edged him.

But he should've known that you wouldn't relent your previous conversation so easily. Should've known that determined look in your eyes and the bold steps toward him earlier as he backed away were warning signs that you weren't planning on letting it go.

"Admit you're a pretty boy." You whisper, teasing him as you enjoy your power high.. "Then, and only then, will I let you cum. Only pretty boys get to cum."

"I'm not pretty" He panted out gripping your hips with a growl in his voice.

"Says the man with gorgeous blue eyes that everyone would envy." You complimented as you made sure he didn't take control of your hips. "Says the man, who laughs with his entire being. Says the man who seems to glow in the soft light. Says the man who enjoys the simple things in life. I'm not pretty, says the man who is in fact pretty and has captured my whole heart." You ranted about how highly you think of him. Dabi was surprised to hear these things, surprised that you thought of him like that. Surprised that he liked being pretty to you.

"Only.. your.. pretty boy." He gritted out as if it were a challenge to say those words.

"You're what?" You teased him, feeling victorious and touched that he considers himself pretty only for you.

"Your pretty boy…" he admitted once again. You grinned at your success.

"My pretty boy." You repeated affectionately as you leaned down to kiss him softly. Then as you pulled away you sped up your moving hips, planning on giving him his reward for his progress towards self-love. And your mouth couldn't stop running after that.

"My pretty boy gets to cum." Started the rant and it just continued, "pretty boy always makes me feel so good. My pretty boy is so gorgeous. I love the way my pretty boy always cares for me." And you just continued complimenting him.

At some point in your rant, Dabi's tension broke and he cummed, harder than he ever has before. It took his breath away. YOU took his breath away. He never saw himself as being held so highly. So loved. So appreciated just for existing and being himself. Himself was never enough until you. But as you yelled out a curse and his chosen name when you climaxed, he thought maybe, just maybe, Touya could be given a second life.

#dabi x reader #mha dabi #bnha dabi #dabi #x reader

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sillysillygoofygoose · 9 months

Text

I originally wrote this on my wattpad account, but it was deleted 😞

MINORS DNI, MATURE THEMES AHEAD

"Good" Girl Reader x Bad Boy Geto Suguru... Characters are 18+

"The Girl Deemed Holier Than Thou"

Getou's POV:

Here she comes. I hear her before my eyes even take in her figure. The satisfying and rhythmical clicking of her black kitten heel against the mundane patterned tile subliminally triggers a response deep inside my mind. My first action is to turn my head slightly away from my group of friends who were unevenly splayed around my locker. I glanced at the digital clock that was perched across the hall from me.

1:15.

Of course it is. It always is. Every single day, at the same exact time, I stare as Y/N struts by, books in hand, making a beeline straight to her locker. I'm trained like a dog. She's never late.

Every now and then, I notice how she catches Mahito's eye, the same way she catches mine. Although he's far more pathetic than I'd ever be. He ogles at her like he's a fourteen year old boy whose never seen a woman, let alone a beautiful one. Bitch ass. Not that she would pay him any mind though... him or anyone else for that matter.

Her demeanor is constantly an inconsistent balance between shy and self-righteous. She rarely talks. However, when she does, the eye contact she holds is engaging, almost daunting, especially for someone so tiny. She has the sweetest appearance but the nastiest attitude when she's not performing her 'innocent girl next door' masquerade for the professors. I watched as her perfectly manicured, oval shaped nails twisted the lock to the necessary combination of numbers, completely disregarding the immature bullshit my friends are loudly spewing, as if none of us are even here. Y/N makes it obvious she can't stand them, which only ever makes her more agitating. She combs her hair back with her delicate hands, ceasing the thick strands from blocking her symmetrical features and readjusting her solid black headband atop her head. I can't help but feel the ghost of her fingertips scratch my own scalp... shivering, I can almost feel the way she'd grip onto my roots as my tongue is buried in her cunt, or the way her french tips would leave deep red rivers along my back while I pound into her.

Ugh. Fuck, no.

She's stuck up. She's bitchy. She's uptight. She infuriating... but God, she's absolutely perfect.

I always catch my self daydreaming class away, gazing at her from across the room. Imagining how her body would feel pressed against mine. Imagining Mahito's shocked face as I bend her over his desk and claim her. I feel myself harden at the though of it and blink hard in response to one of Gojo's one liners before cracking a smile, attempting to regain a small slice of my dignity. Unfortunately, I truly am not as slick as I think I am.

"Geto, what are you even looking at?" Shoko quirks her head slightly, almost amused.

"More like who is he looking at..." Gojo wobbles his eyebrows, a shit eating grin displayed proudly on his face as he nods his head in Y/N's direction. They both fully turn their bodies, hands at their sides like they're looking for their mommy in the middle of the grocery store. Two deer in headlights.

"The fuck is wrong with you guys?" I close my eyes, silently praying that Y/N doesn't notice the two traffic cones eyeballing her, knowing she'll have some snarky commentary in response.

We watch as her books and binders are gracefully transferred from her locker to her already comically large bag. Every move she makes looks calculated yet dainty.

Briefly, our eyes meet as she zips shut her bag. She's completely ignoring the two dumbasses who still haven't torn their gaze away from her. I had half the mind to look away, but I just couldn't bring myself to cut short the attention she was directing towards only me. I feel my heart beat increasing, banging against my ribcage. Her expression is completely blank before her eyes shift away. I swear I can see her blushing, but I might just be going batshit crazy. She slams her locker shut.

"Damn okay, what did it do to her?" I just barely hear Satoru mutter out as both he and Shoko whip back around, avoiding any eye contact with Y/N.

She slings her backpack over he shoulder theatrically as she straightens out her posture. As she walks past me, she resumes our undeclared staring contest. The dirtiest look is etched on her face. Glaring at me as if I killed her cat, she prances away, head held high. A loud blaring signals that the final period of the day is beginning shortly. Maybe I'll just skip, or go home early. I really won't be missed in class by my Econ teacher. I roll my eyes, sighing out.

"Alright, see you guys later."

Y/N's POV:

I bend forwards in my seat, resting my forehead on the cool surface of the faux wooden desk while I wait for the lesson to end. The droning voice of the professor rings like an incessant bell in my empty, aching head. Jesus Christ, I can't stand this shit. The class ends with Mr. Nanami handing back last week's essays... the one I procrastinated on until 11pm the night before it was due.

"Wonderful job once again, Miss Y/L/N. Keep it up." Professor Nanami placed the papers on my desk. A capital 'A' accompanied by a plus decorated the document. I smiled, thanking him as he walked away, nodding while rubbing his tired eyes.

The second the dismissal bell sounded throughout the chatter-filled classroom, I sprung out of my chair, wasting no time to get the fuck out of here.

I'm like a reality TV show contestant. I'm not here to make friends.

The only thing that matters is that I can keep my grades up, maintain my scholarship and get out of my mother's dingy little house. Although, if I started sleeping in a cardboard box on the side of the street, she probably wouldn't even notice anyways. Does anybody like me, at all? I know I make no effort to connect with anyone and recently I've really begun to regret it. Whatever, I've already dug too deep. I scoff at my own thoughts as I walk out of the front entrance of the school, waving goodbye to a security guard. He's always been nice.

I drag my feet as I make my way down the sidewalk, kicking small rocks into the road. I hate this. I hate walking by myself, stuck with my thoughts. Everytime I'm not actively worrying about some deadline or reading a textbook assignment, my mind travels right back to him.

Fuck face Getou Suguru. He's such an asshole. Him and his dumb friends are always causing a ruckus, laughing too loud, never focused. Well, Getou is never too loud. I guess he's the most reserved out of all of them. But whatever, I still hate the smug look on his face. I still hate his stoic demeanor, even when I'm being a total bitch to him. I still hate how everytime I look at him, I get butterflies deep in my stomach... I still hate how enamoured I am with him. Can he tell? I don't think so. I looked real pissed when he was looking at me in the hallway, I'm sure of it.

I stop in my tracks in front of the grimy gas station that I frequent. I tug at the neckline of my Ralph Lauren polo sweater. Gripping on to the bottom of the fabric, I pull it over my head, revealing a borderline skimpy, gray tank top. I tied the thick material around my hips before pushing open the glass door. A small bell chimed, signaling my presence as I made my way into the small, air-conditioned store.

"Hey Toji, how's it going man." I stated more as a greeting than an actual question. The man at the counter grunted in response, already knowing what I'm going to ask next.

"Marlboro Reds, sweets?" He asked, already moving to grab the box of tobacco. I nodded as I begun fishing for my wallet, pulling out a $10.

"Don't even bother with the I.D., kid. We both know you're not 21." He huffed out, exchanging the cigarettes for the bill, staring at my chest the entirety of the transaction.

"Always a pleasure, Fushiguro."

"Your backpack gives you away." He mumbles back. I smile, exiting the almost damp atmosphere.

I walked to the side of the building, feeling the rough brick scratch at my exposed shoulders as i leaned against the wall. I took a deep breath, allowing myself to slouch, allowing myself to not be perfect. I shake the box of cigarettes, hitting it against the palm of my hand, before opening it and lighting one. The scene has to be a great feat of irony. A nice-looking young woman, donning a pleated skirt and an expensive polo shirt, hair done to the nines, makeup completely percise, the true image of "perfection"... stood outside a suspicious (to say the least) gas station, smoking in a barely-there top.

I sit down on the cracked pavement, closing my eyes. My thoughts drift back to Getou. I want to be more friendly with him, I really do. But, it scares me. I genuinely just can't take all of the emotions anymore. But fuck, he looked so good today. His long dark hair was half up in a thick bun, while the other half rested past his broad shoulders. He wore that tight black t-shirt that clings to his strong build and leaves little to the imagination. I feel myself begin to melt, becoming wet at the thought of him pushing me against the lockers and fingering me until I become completely undone for him.

My thoughts are harshly interrupted by the sound of a motor pulling into the parking lot. I pay it no mind, completely caught up in my own imagination. A minute passes before I hear heavy foot steps and a man clearing his throat.

"Didn't know you smoked." A familiar voice flooded my ears. I blinked open my eyes only to be greeted with dread. What the fuck. Motherfucker. Getou Suguru. He glared down at me, smirking. God, I wanna wipe that look right off his perfect little face. Before my mind even registered what was happening, my body took over as I stood up, coming face to face with him.

"Uhmm..." I looked at the lit cigarette, then back to him.

Getou's POV:

Wasting time riding around on my motorcycle is a hobby of mine. It's quiet for the most part, and far better than going home to my deadbeat father and his whore of a girlfriend...whichever one it is this week.

Freedom is the most prominent feeling in my heart as I flew down the empty road. Free until the gas light began blinking on my dashboard. Fuck. I made a wide U-turn, heading for the station I just pasted.

As I pull in, I notice a familiar figure and an even more familiar head band. Y/N. I study her, flipping up my visor and unbuckling my helmet, pulling it off my head and shaking out my hair. She looks exhausted...just defeated by life. Her head is resting against the rough exterior of the market and her arm hangs low. Something catches my eye. Something laced between her fingers. I squint moving closer to her. A cigarette. Little miss goody two shoes is smoking a cigarette. Huh.

"Didn't know you smoked." I blurted out after clearing my throat uncomfortably. Her eyes shot open and she was on her feet in a instant. I couldn't help but smile. She's kind of endearing.

"Uhmm..." eyes bulging out of her head, I could almost hear her gears turning as she searched for an excuse to save her reputation.

"Hush, its okay, I won't tell. As long as you let me smoke with you." I smiled at her, trying to ease her visible panic. It was so... odd. I caught her off guard, no time to be calculated or elegant. I caught her being human. She sighed, offering the box to me. I put a cigarette between my lips nudging her hand that held the lighter with the butt of it. Cupping her hand over the bud, she met my gaze as she lit the tobacco. We sat in a comfortable silence for a while, her finishing her tab long before me. Once I threw mine to the ground, stomping it out, I looked at her. To my surprise and utter delight, she was already staring back at me. She really is beautiful.

"Hey-" I begun, but was abruptly cut off.

"I'm sorry." Huh??

Y/N's POV:

"What? What are you sorry for?" His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as his strong features scrunched up.

"I- I don't know...for being a bitch. For being so conceited? I know that I come across as judgemental and rude. I want people to like me. I want to be better... I want to be-" A single tear runs down my cheek and I quickly swipe it away. I stop myself, realizing how pathetic it is to wallow in self-pity in front of a man who probably wouldn't mind seeing your head on a stick. I've never felt so tiny, so vulnerable. Like a small mouse. I felt naive to believe that the enemy would care to feed me. Worst of all, I felt stupid. I felt ridiculous and embarrassed, looking everywhere but his sharp eyes.

"Hey, hey... it's okay, you can cry. Let it out." I felt a heavy hand on my upper back, rubbing in small, soothing circles. The wall that I have spent years building up (mostly with homework packets and study guides) was instantly tore down. My eyes filled with tears as I looked up at Suguru and he smiled. A genuine, warm smile. Slowly, tears rolled down my face. Suguru's calloused hands enveloped my round cheeks as his thumbs wiped away the tears as they fell. My heart skipped a beat. I felt my body turn on me, producing small trembles as the flow of tears became more persistent. I threw my arms around his shoulders, burying my face into his neck. Instantly, he grasped onto my waist holding me to his chest.

"There you go... I've got you."

#enemies to lovers #badboygoodgirl #reader insert #imagines #mutual pinning #x reader #jjk x reader #fem reader #size difference #sugurugeto #getou suguru x y/n #suguru fluff #18+ content #enemies to friends trope

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vulpes-fennec · 1 year

Text

Look at That Cake (Elucien) 🎁

Summary: A series of fluffy/smutty ACOTAR winter one-shots! 12 stories for the 12 days leading up to Solstice (December 21).

Lucien helps Elain bake some cupcakes on Solstice. Sneak peek of my Secret Santa fanfiction without giving too much away (Gwynriel happening in the background)!

Notes: This one-shot takes place several months after the events of Pumpkin Fields Forever, but can still be read as a stand-alone.

Read: Masterlist | AO3

“Do you need any help?” Lucien asked.

Elain had excused herself to whip up more dessert, since everybody was craving solid food after drinking copious amounts of wine.

Most of the evening was spent ogling at Lucien’s chiseled face, the exposed triangle of tanned brown chest, his perky ass, and his muscular thighs from a distance. Elain gone to the kitchen to calm down her pitter-pattering heart. But now, Lucien was leaning casually against the kitchen door, looking like a lord’s rakish son. Well. There went her heart again.

Despite what Elain thought was a great day at the Velaris Harvest Festival, Lucien hadn’t visited her since. Elain had spent the last few months wondering where he was, recycling her memories of that day over and over, listening intently for any mention of Lucien in the Inner Circle’s conversations. Nothing.

Where have you been? How are you? What are we? Elain had been dying to ask him when he showed up at the door for the Solstice Party. She shouldn’t care so much, shouldn’t be so interested in a male who was still a stranger, despite the constant presence of their mating bond.

“You know how to bake?” she found herself asking.

“No, but I’m quite adept at cooking.” Lucien remained in the doorway, half his face shadowed and the other half apprehensive. “I just…I didn’t want you to be doing everything yourself.”

“I wouldn’t mind your help.” Elain glanced at his emerald green shirt and creased black pants. “Though you should put on an apron so your clothes don’t get dirty.” The two aprons available were her frilly pink ones. But Lucien donned the apron and swept his long, scarlet hair into a bun without complaint.

“I am at my lady’s service.” Lucien’s little bow made Elain’s mouth twitch humorously. She always fought the urge to blush whenever Lucien called her his lady. “How do I look?”

If any male could look attractive in a frilly pink apron, it was Lucien. “You look like you’re ready to bake. Start by washing these oranges.” Elain practically shoved the fruits into Lucien’s hand, face heating as she turned away.

“What are you making?” Elain was studying the cookbook when Lucien peered over her shoulder at the recipe.

“Orange and chocolate cupcakes.” A cup of flour, ¾ cup of sugar…1/2 pound of melted chocolate…gods, did Lucien always smell so good? His tantalizing scent of warm sunshine and sweet apples was distracting her from the numbers.

“Sounds delicious,” Lucien agreed. He leaned down to examine the recipe, his face nearly cheek-to-cheek with Elain’s. If she turned her head, she could probably kiss him.

“If I mix the dry ingredients…can you mix the wet ingredients and zest the oranges?” she asked faintly, trying to quell the urge to turn her head.

“Certainly, my lady,” he affirmed. Admiring Lucien’s nicely shaped ass was inevitable as he collected the necessary ingredients. The apron, slightly too small for his tall frame, made the sculpted lines of his back and chest more pronounced. Elain had never seen Lucien in a domestic setting before, so having him wear her apron left her possessive urges satisfied. Mine, Elain’s instincts proclaimed proudly. Ah, that infernal mating bond.

Elain tried to pay attention to the dry ingredients, but her eyes were drawn—once again—to Lucien expertly mixing the wet ingredients. Zesting the oranges with ease? Mesmerizing. Cracking an egg with one hand? Amazing. Squeezing a gush of juice from the oranges with the same hand? Drool-inducing.

Cauldron, the oven was not the only thing heating up in the kitchen.

Elain melted the chocolate and began to lift the heavy bowl of wet ingredients. “Let me help you.” Lucien stepped up beside her, pouring the wet ingredients into the dry bowl as Elain whisked.

“Thank you,” she murmured, his chest brushing her shoulder and sending a thrill down her body. “Here, you can fold the chocolate into the batter.” Elain handed Lucien a spatula. “Don’t fold too much. We want a swirl pattern in the cupcakes.”

“Very particular,” Lucien murmured in her ear.

“It needs to look nice,” she protested.

“I didn’t know you were such a perfectionist, my lady,” Lucien teased.

“I am not one to do things half-heartedly.” Elain poured the melted chocolate as Lucien folded the batter carefully.

“Good.” Lucien’s russet eye glimmered with satisfaction as he glanced down at her. “Because neither am I.” He began pouring the swirled batter into the tins. Elain watched him, marveling at his precision and the lack of spilled batter on the side.

Meanwhile, Lucien’s self-control was slipping by the minute. A proper conversation with his mate had eluded him all night, thanks to her family’s sharp eyes and even sharper ears. He managed to make awkward small talk with Elain, about nonsensical things like the weather and Velaris.

The mere fact that Elain had given him a present this year had made his night. But when she smiled—smiled—at the small plant he’d gifted her, Lucien felt like taking a victory lap around the icy block of mansions.

Now, she looked absolutely delicious dressed in a cute pink apron. Cauldron, that apron was going to be the death of him. But he couldn’t just let his desires run amok. Lucien hadn’t spoken to Elain in months, and he wanted to know what she’d been up to. If she ever thought about him.

Elain was truly in her element: brows furrowing, lip chewing, and earthy brown eyes blazing as she whisked the heavy cream with a frenzy. Not one hair was out of place, not a single smudge of flour on her lilac dress.

“I’m tired,” she announced after a few minutes, hopping to sit on the counter and handing the half-whipped bowl of frosting to Lucien.

“Your dress?”

Elain shrugged. “It’ll be alright. Now whisk.” Her normally soft voice was assertive in her kitchen domain.

Lucien chuckled. “My lady is very bossy. I like that.” Elain blushed, and he could feel her eyes on him as he whisked the frosting efficiently.

“Alright, now I’m going to add the powdered sugar and chocolate powder to the bowl.” Lucien sent clouds of sugar and chocolate flying into the air when Elain dumped the powders into the cream.

Elain coughed, waving her hand to disperse the clouds. “Sorry, my lady.”

“It’s alright,” she said between coughs. “I should’ve told you not to stir so quickly. Here, let me do it instead.” As they waited for the cupcakes to finish, Elain sat on the counter, hugging the bowl of frosting in her lap. A few moments of awkward silence passed.

“I’ve been meaning to ask…how have you been?”

“I’ve been alright,” she replied quietly. “You know. Velaris is the same as always.” Her brown eyes were sorrowful when she asked, “where were you all these months?”

So his mate did think of him while he was gone. It pleased Lucien immensely. “Did you miss me?” he smirked.

Elain blushed, but her pink lips were set in a line. “Answer my question first,” she demanded.

“Bossy bossy,” Lucien tsked with a smile. “Well, the last few months were unexpectedly busy: taking Vassa and Jurian to the continent for negotiations with the other human queens, reaching out to Tamlin’s former courtiers, keeping tabs on Autumn’s movements.”

“Oh.” Mild worry etched in Elain’s face. “Make sure…make sure you take time for yourself.”

Lucien shrugged. “I’m taking time for myself today. Now…did you miss me?”

Elain scowled and swatted at his arm. “That is very conceited of you.” Lucien arched an eyebrow. “I was open to spending more time with you after the Harvest Festival, but you did not show up to Velaris.”

“If that is what my lady wants, then I am happy to oblige.”

“Well, what do you want?”

A trap. Of course Lucien wanted nothing more than to find passionate love. Wanted his mate to be truly his. But he couldn’t put that pressure on Elain, especially when he hadn’t allowed himself to explore the extent of his feelings for her. She’d avoided him for nearly three years, and though she seemed more receptive to him now, he didn’t want to have his heart crushed again. “I would like to visit Velaris more often. To visit you.” It wasn’t a lie…it just wasn’t the full truth.

“I would also like it if you visited Velaris more often.” There was no hint of deception on Elain’s beautiful face.

Touch her, smell her, taste her, Lucien’s instincts urged him. Instead he said quietly, “I see you’re wearing the pearl earrings.” The creamy white pearls were lovely on her pointed ears. Lucien hesitantly before tucking a brown lock of hair behind Elain’s ear. To his relief, she did not stiffen or draw back.

Elain smiled softly and took the box of corn hair clips that she’d gifted him hours earlier from his breast pocket. He knew precisely why she bought hair clips with corn charms: a reference to when they got lost in the corn maze at the Velaris Harvest Festival. “What are you doing?” Lucien asked.

“Seeing how these look on you. I’m wearing your Solstice present, so you should wear mine.” Lucien stayed very, very still as her fingers undid his bun and gently threaded through his shimmering red hair. Click, click. The corn clips snapped on either side of his head, pulling his long, crimson hair away from his face. He missed her soft touch when Elain leaned back, eyes twinkling. “I like it.”

Lucien shook his head like a dog, but the clips stayed in place. “I have a feeling I look very ridiculous right now,” he muttered.

“You do not look ridiculous.”

Lucien puffed his chest mockingly. “This set-up is not doing favors for my reputation. I’ll have you know, my lady, that I am a famed courtier, a respectable emissary, a warrior, a son of a High Lord—”

He was cut off when Elain took a dab of frosting and swiped it on his nose. “Now you look ridiculous,” she giggled.

Lucien leaned in closer, his hands on the counter caging her in. Elain’s breath caught, and Lucien could have sworn her nostrils flared to inhale his scent. “Should I report to Rhysand that Velaris’s most famed baker is violating food safety guidelines by contaminating the frosting?”

Elain shrugged and swiped another bit of frosting from the bowl. Lucien’s knees nearly buckled when she put her frosting covered finger in her mouth and sucked, maintaining eye contact. “Taste-testing is very important in the kitchen. I thought you said you were adept at cooking?”

Gods, was she flirting with him?

Lucien smirked, leaning in even closer. “At least I use a spoon when I taste things. Not my fingers.” Elain’s eyes widened, her red cheeks betraying her inappropriate thoughts. “In the kitchen. Is my lady thinking inappropriate thoughts?”

“Who says you can’t do those things in the kitchen—Oh!” Elain let out a startled gasp, staring at something behind him.

Lucien whipped around to see Azriel and Gwyneth Berdara standing in the hallway, staring straight into the kitchen. The female had a loose grip on the back of Azriel’s shirt, and smiled brightly at Lucien and Elain. Azriel, on the other hand, looked mildly disturbed. As if he’d just walked in on two people fucking. Which was definitely not what was going on here.

“We were just baking cupcakes,” Elain’s voice was a bit breathless.

Lucien realized he had chocolate frosting on his nose. Cauldron boil and fry him. “This is not what it looks like,” he stammered, hastily wiping his face.

Gwyneth giggled at Lucien, teal eyes twinkling. Great. There went his reputation as a famed courtier, respectable emissary, warrior, son of a High Lord… “We didn’t see anything,” she said mischievously, giving the shadowsinger a friendly push. “Az is just showing me where the bathroom was.”

From the way the Night Court spymaster had smiled at Gwyneth all night to the way he allowed her to push him so casually, Lucien had a feeling there was something more than friendship happening behind the scenes. Going to the bathroom? Yeah, right. Lucien gave Azriel a pointed stare as the two passersby left.

“That reminds me, we should take the cupcakes out of the oven now,” Lucien said, moving away from Elain. Once the cupcakes cooled, Lucien tried to pipe the icing onto the fresh cupcakes, but his clumsy attempts were lopsided.

“Here.” His senses zeroed in on Elain’s warm hand around his, guiding the icing bag and making perfect swirls. Lucien held back from snarkily saying, “If you could just keep your hand there forever, that would be nice.” He didn’t want to scare Elain off.

Lucien ended up piping most of the cupcakes. He picked up the tray of finished cupcakes and followed Elain back to the family room. “We made cupcakes!” Elain sang cheerfully.

“Finally!” Varian said, stumbling over to grab a cupcake from Elain. “Thank you both. I can tell which cupcakes were the ones Lucien decorated.”

“Because they’re the better-looking ones, right?” Lucien elbowed Elain, who merely rolled her eyes.

“Say that again and I’ll put frosting on your face,” Elain said calmly. But there was a humorous glint in her brown eyes.

“I wouldn’t mind if you were the one frosting my face,” Lucien said.

Elain stood on her tip-toes to whisper into his ear. “What kind of frosting are you talking about?”

It was Lucien’s turn to blush. What was it—the third time that night Elain had let it slip that she had a dirty mind? Compared to her previous behavior of awkward avoidance, it was a welcome surprise. But was she actually interested in him, or was she simply flirting with him?

“The sweet kind.” Elain elbowed him back, red to the tips of her pearl-studded ears. Lucien grinned, taking a bite of the cupcake. Warm, zesty goodness was paired with rich notes of chocolate. “These taste good.”

“Thank you. I’ll let my new baking assistant know he passed with flying colors,” Elain quipped.

“Cupcake!” Nyx squealed happily, reaching for Rhysand’s hand.

“Did someone say cupcake?” Cassian called out. He and Nesta reappeared in the room, reeking of perfume. Lucien chuckled. At least they had the courtesy to cover up their arousal before returning.

“Where’s Gwyn?” Nesta asked, turning around to survey the room. “She’s going to miss the chocolate!”

“Where’s Az?” Cassian added. Confusion crossed the others’ faces as they looked at each other, trying to remember what had happened. A moment of silence passed before Elain and Lucien began to laugh.

“I don’t know, but we saw them ‘going to the bathroom’ earlier,” Elain giggled. “Maybe we should use the second floor bathroom for now.”

#lucien has cake #i mean we already know he has ungodly thighs #fluff #elucien #elain archeron #lucien vanserra #elain x lucien #elucien fanfiction #acotar solstice #acotar fanfiction

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100yearoldcomics · 2 years

Text

April 16, 1922 Bringing Up Father by George McManus

TOP PANEL [ID: Jiggs sits happily on a round rock in the middle of a lake. He clenches both lapels of his suit jacket proudly as he smokes his cigar. /end] Jiggs: I'm glad it's high tide. Maggie won't come out after me.

MAIN COMIC [ID: Jiggs stands on a street corner, ogling a fashionable young lady wearing a large hat and shawl as she walks a small, fluffy dog. /end] Jiggs: I'm glad I came out fer a walk!

[ID: Jiggs sidles up to the edge of the corner and stares at the girl as she walks away. /end] Jiggs: There's no use talkin', they're gittin' prettier every day!

[ID: A man drives past in a roadster, splashing Jiggs with water from the gutter as he passes through a puddle. /end] Driver: Sorry, old top, sorry! Jiggs: Hey! You big bonehead, what do you mean!!

[ID: Jiggs chases after the man, throwing bricks at him as he drives off. /end] Jiggs: Come back here an' I'll break your neck! Driver: No, thank you!

[ID: Jiggs stands in his soiled suit before Maggie. She gets up from an ornate armchair, shocked. /end] Jiggs: I got splashed by an auto. I'd like to git me hands on that driver! Maggie: You are a sight. Go and get dressed, the De Menteds are giving a party tonight.

[ID: Jiggs and Maggie arrive at the party and are greeted by the De Menteds. Mr. De Mented is about Jiggs' height but much thinner with a pointy black beard and mustache. His wife is a taller, matronly woman with a haughty air and a pair of opera glasses in her hand. /end] Mrs. De Mented: I'm so glad you came. I want you to meet my husband. Maggie: I think I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. De Mented before. Jiggs: She calls that a pleasure.

[ID: Jiggs descends a staircase and spots the man who drove over the puddle earlier. Said man stands by the party's entrance. A butler holds the curtained doorway in open and announces his arrival. /end] Count: Tell the ladies I am here! Butler: Count De Bate! Jiggs: ?

[ID: Jiggs walks up to the butler, who slouches as he salutes Jiggs. /end] Jiggs: Say, go in and tell that last guy to come out here. Someone wants to talk to him. I'll be out on the porch! Butler: Shall I give him your name, sir?

[ID: The butler brings Count De Bate to the porch. Jiggs stands impishly awaiting him, his hands held behind his back. /end] Butler: Here is the gentleman, sir. Count: Do you wish to speak to me? Jiggs: No, I don't want to talk to you.

[ID: Jiggs grabs the Count by the neck and begins punching him in the face with his other hand. The butler jumps up onto a railing and cries out for help. /end] Butler: Help! HELP! HELP! Jiggs: I just want to give you a good punch in the nose fer splashin' mud on me.

[ID: The party guests crowd around the Count as he lies in an armchair, recovering from the injuries Jiggs gave him. As he talks, Jiggs attempts to sneak away. /end] Guest: Explain, Count! Count: Well, he was standing on the curb, flirting with a pretty girl... Maggie: ? Jiggs: Ow!

[ID: Jiggs stands at the front door of a mansion, greeted by another butler. Jiggs has a black eye, bruised chin, and an axe behind his back. /end] Another Butler: No, sir! The Count De Bate is not home yet. Jiggs: Well, you needn't wait up fer him as he won't be home.

#newspaper comics #vintage #history #1922 #bringing up father #transcript available #1920s #damn jiggs just murdered that guy

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horanghoe · 2 years

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i am begging for joshua being a simp for his wife on a date while a babysitter watches the kiddos

main masterlist / svt masterlist

listen to:

- light a flame / seventeen

- girl like me / shakira

husband!josh & semi-sfw simping, leggo babey ~

t/w: mention of alcohol consumption, swearing, generally SFW.

something about that fitted silk dress -

something about the frown on your brow, and the hair curling cutely against the nape of your neck -

something in the way you flick across the wine menu like someone discovering their semester census for the first time -

something in the way you whine at the complicated titles of traditional dishes -

something in the way your necklace slopes down into the crevasse of dreams -

"Joshie, quit staring at my cleavage before I regret taking you here, pronto."

a tight smile is pressed to your husbands' lips as he blinks his daze away sheepishly.

"Sorry love, but how could I not look at you? you're a million times more captivating than this venue -"

"Joshua," you scolded under your breath, already able to determine where that conversation was going via experience.

the said male quirked a brow, amused as to how flustered you were getting. fifteen minutes in at this expensive venue and you still hadn't picked a drink, let alone food.

"we're in public. please. behave."

your husband snickered at your tongue pressing to your teeth in small statements, swirling the dark bitter liquid before throwing his head back.

as Joshua's head returned to its usual axis, eyes set on yours, he could have wiped your dribble with a tissue. the opened collar of his shirt revealed to the world what had kept you content for so long. as if to add to the stabbing at your heart, his foot tactfully - and affectionately - rubbed at your ankle under the blanketed table.

"Y/N, you're ogling, dear. please. we're in public."

he spoke quietly, politely and far too proudly. and the smirk hidden behind the frosted glass told you he had won.

"whatever..." you mumbled, puffing your cheeks with a hidden coy smile, keeping your eyes on the menu.

Joshua gave you time to think, laughing airily. his foot brushing your calf, a comforting alternative to the bustling of the restaurant.

he peered out at the warm summer night, from your seats close to the balcony - but not close enough to be cold. positioned close to the bathroom - but not close enough to be distracted.

such were the things your husband had considered in advance when arranging the evening. and had started to consider whenever you two and the newborn went anywhere together. the last year had been a tricky balance of parenting and tending to the embers of love crackling between the two of you. luckily, it had barely been touched. if anything the struggle of life stoked it into a great blaze.

"I can feel you looking at me." you mumbled. quirking your head in acknowledgement, while your eyes stay fixed onto the disgustingly complex wine menu.

Joshua nodded a "sorry. you're so beautiful tonight - it must have distracted me.", before smirking his way out of an argument. a hand dropping to caress your elbow. you grumbled, pulling away from the irritatingly flirtatious beast in front of you.

"you're a handsome idiot. now shush."

Joshua conceded, leaning back on his chair.

your baby girl was rounding a year's worth of life, and as his eyes drifted back to your beauty, Joshua felt a funny flutter of coiling love in his gut.

a baby sitter awaited at home, with explicit instructions to 'go enjoy yourselves - you both deserve it!'. and with the salsa music playing in the background, he couldn't think of a better break from reality.

"Joshie ~ " you whined softly, "I can't pick. I don't know what any of this means..... and even the descriptions are in - well what I'm guessing is Spanish. I mean what the fuck is a Valduero, for goodness sake?!"

Joshua's laugh was tender and twinkling, an open palm reaching forward to offer help. You handed the menu to him with a huff.

"do you trust me, love? to pick for you" he mumbled, gracing himself with the menu options once more.

"of course?" you answered with a question, unsure why that would ever be a problem.

he nodded tapping at your foot.

"Our daughter has got your frown, you know. it's cute. the same brows you use when you're concentrating. I'm so lucky to have you two. and have i mentioned those eyes -"

"Joshua. hong. stop it." you whisper-yelled firmly, not missing the snort of your husband behind the menu.

eventually, he chose for you. a bottle between the two of you left no room for sour moods as you chatted late into the night. still suffering from slight sickness, you allowed Joshua to steal most of the tapas from the two towers of three, sat snug on your quaint little table.

it was nice. no crying infant present, and no one stealing either person's attention. the Spanish music was pleasant and mind-numbing. the air was warm, but not muggy. Joshua's phone was even turned off; this marked a special occasion indeed, as his business duties plagued him greatly.

and the whole time his heart filled eyes were only set on you.

"Love - is it time to go?"

you perked up at the sound of Joshua's voice, pursing your lips to interrupt yet another yawn. it escaped though, stretching out the makeup on your face that you had forgotten the feeling of.

he had watched you with reverence as your shoulders had relaxed into a familiar curve - superlatively wine drunk, with flushed cheeks and tired eyes - your chin perched upon your palm as Joshua shuffled forward to tuck some hair behind your ears.

you stumbled into a nod, apologising shyly at your lack of energy.

Joshua chose not to comment, instead offering an arm as you stood.

your time as a new mum had been plagued with sleepless nights and a girl that refused to sleep without one parent present. she wasn't ready to be separated - not just yet.

wisdom in years had blossomed you from a young girl into a woman; his woman, tender and fierce. usually, you were too headstrong to take the offer, but you took his arm graciously.

hooking an arm as he used his apple watch to pay the bill - "swish bitch" you had drunkenly giggled against his cheek - followed by a chaste kiss - once past the wide glass doors and out into the open air, earning you a playful hip tap and a sickly sweet smile.

"uh-oh," you hiccuped, clinging to your lover as you descended down the exit of the restaurant - too floral and beautiful for its own good.

"it's all gone to my head, Joshie... fuck... hold on a second..."

closing your eyes to stop the swirling between your ears, your husband chuckled, stepping to the stair below you and pulling your body against his. humming patiently as he pressed an open kiss to your collar bone and a biting one to the crook of your neck. you giggled like a young girl, tumbling down a step with him as you held onto his broad shoulders.

"come on you -" he grunted softly as he swept his (far too adonis looking) forearms under the crease of your thigh, smiling as you kicked your legs and very secure ankle strapped heels in pure glee. he didn't care about the looks you both could possibly get; you were the most priceless thing in his little world.

once at the bottom of the stairs, he let your feet touch the floor before releasing you from the warmth of his chest.

in the taxi, Joshua kept your colder hands in his, running his thumb over your knuckles as you drifted asleep on his arm. the other arm snug against your hip to keep you to his body.

"was the wine good? did I pick a good one?" he questioned.

you swivelled your head to look up at him - nodding softly at his crescented eyes.

"say thanks to the babysitter for me~" you sang into his shoulder before letting out a heavy yawn that stretched out your whole torso.

Joshua beamed, brushing the hair from your forehead before kissing the bones of your knuckles in the other hand.

"anything for you, my love. sleep well."

i wrote this in 20 mins peace and love pahaha // hope it was okie <33

well would you look at that: last updated 20/FEBRUARY/2022

#joshua hong #livs soft hours ♡#moots <3 #seventeen #svt #joshua #seventeen drabble game #svt fluff #svt imagines #seventeen scenarios #seventeen reactions #svt joshua #seventeen joshua #joshua hong fanfic #joshua hong fluff #joshua hong imagines #joshua hong x you #joshua hong smut #hopefully my tags dont break this time brrr ~

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reminiscingtonight · 2 years

Text

If I Fall (Leigh’s Version)

Leigh Shaw x Reader

Word Count: 5.1k

Anon Asked: Hi! I don’t know if request are still open, but if they are, can I request a Leigh Shaw fic inspired by “If I Fall” by Nick Jonas please? Thank you!

A/N: Okay, after half of a year of working on this, I can proudly say I have finished this ask. Lmao, I’m so sorry for the delay, I hope y’all enjoy it!

[Main Masterlist]

After Matt’s death, Leigh really thought she’d be single forever. Engulfed in a bubble of grief, it was easy to believe the pain would stay forever.

But after a chance meeting, she realized that maybe things could be different.

In the simplified version, the two of you met, you warmed up her cold heart, and you both fell in love.

But like all love stories, things weren’t always so simple.

So what happened? Well, Leigh could pinpoint five distinct times she fell for you before giving you a shot.

And let’s just say the two of you ended up with a pretty great happily ever after.

---

The first time

For the first time in months, Leigh finally gets a day off from work. From the moment she wakes up she decides that she’ll make the most of her rare day off. And the first step in making the most of it? Getting a cup of coffee from her favorite coffee shop.

When she makes it there, there’s a weirdly long line that shoots outside of the door. Rather than going to a different place she decides to hunker down and wait it out. After all, she had all the time in the world to wait.

And that’s her first mistake.

Not even a couple minutes of being in line Leigh’s already aware of the creep who’s not even hiding his very obvious attempts at checking her out. Usually she would be all up in his face, but today, Leigh just rolls her eyes and tries to ignore him. And it works. Until it doesn’t.

“Hey babe.”

Just the sound of his voice is enough to make her skin crawl. Leigh doesn’t even bother to give him the time of day, eyes never leaving her phone.

He clears his throat but she continues to ignore him.

It’s after his third ignored attempt does he actively try to get her attention. The second his hand makes contact with her arm, Leigh’s shrugging him off, a look of pure disgust on her face.

“Touch me again and I will send your balls so far up your throat you’ll be coughing out sperm for the next ten years.”

He puts his hands up, a cocky grin on his face, but he does as she says and backs off. Leigh almost breathes a sigh of relief, because like a fool, she really thought that that would be the end of it.

In no time, she gets to the front of the line and buys her coffee. When she gets her order, she’s already thinking ahead to what she has planned for the rest of the day.

Walking out of the store, Leigh’s so caught up in her own thoughts that a simple prod to her back causes her to trip over her own feet. Stumbling slightly, Leigh can’t do anything but watch as her drink slips out of her hand.

In her haste to cuss out the guy who ran into her, she doesn’t hear the shocked “shit!” from next to her.

Spinning around, Leigh comes face to face with the man from earlier. She shoves him back before he can open his mouth. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

He has the audacity to ogle her, dragging his eyes up and down her body, before smugly putting his hands up. “Hey, no need to be a bitch.”

His words only makes her anger flare up even more. She’s about to give him a piece of her mind when a hand on her arm stops her.

It takes everything in her not to slap the hand away. Leigh turns, ready to yell at the second person who has touched her in so few minutes, but she freezes when she sees a stranger drenched in what she assumed was her coffee order. Her mouth drops open in shock. “Oh my god. I am so sorry.”

You shoot her a strained smile before turning your attention on the man who started this whole thing. He looks a little annoyed that Leigh’s attention has been taken away, but the glare you send at him only agitates him more.

“I believe the lady told you to leave her alone.”

His expression sours, lips pressing together into a thin line. “No one asked for your opinion.” He reaches out an arm towards Leigh again, but before he can make contact, you’re pushing him away.

“Last warning. Or I’m going to do something that we’re both going to regret.”

He scoffs. “Yeah, like wha--”

His words come to an abrupt stop and Leigh has to stop herself from flinching backwards when your hand comes swinging up.

Leigh’s eyes go wide as she watches you put down your now empty cup of coffee. There’s a very satisfied smirk on your face as you take in the drenched man.

“Oops. I guess my arm slipped.”

His face turns red, mouth spluttering as he tries to cuss you out.

You simply cut him off again. “You’re lucky I got an iced coffee. Maybe next time I’ll come back out with a hot drink.”

His eyes go wide when you motion heading back into the shop. Knowing there’s a high chance that you’d hold true to your words, he angrily stomps away.

As you watch the man’s departing figure, Leigh finally turns back to you. She attempts to hand you a napkin, and you gladly take it. “Look, I’m so sorry--”

“It’s fine,” you chuckle, dabbing at your shirt despite knowing that it was definitely going to stain.

She blinks. You just had an entire cup of coffee dumped on you. And then you proceeded to waste your own cup of coffee. There’s no chance in hell that you’re fine.

Before she has a chance to convince you otherwise, you’re speaking again. “Let me buy you another coffee.”

Leigh raises an eyebrow at you. “I spilled my coffee on you. And you want to buy me another coffee?”

You shrug, not looking too bothered by your flawed logic. “You look like you could really use a coffee.”

She doesn’t know whether or not to feel insulted by what you said, but truth to be told, Leigh did really want that coffee. So like any sane person, she agrees.

And as she walks back with you into the store and you launch into a totally unprompted conversation about hot versus iced coffee, Leigh weirdly thinks that maybe this could be the start of a friendship.

---

The second time

“And he asked if the pilates helped with stamina in bed.”

“No, he didn’t.”

When Leigh nods you break out into a fresh bout of laughter. You pause slightly to wipe at the tears in your eyes.

“And he asked this within the first five minutes of meeting you?”

She nods again and you choke on your drink before full belly laughing.

“Oh my god, men these days.”

“I know, right?”

It only takes a couple of weeks, but soon the two of you are inseparable. Your quick wit is the thing that intrigues Leigh at first, but the longer she spends time with you, the more she finds herself enjoying every aspect of your personality.

Currently the two of you are lounging in her house, laughing over the date she had just gone out on. As the two of you revel in her lively story, Leigh ignores the small voice in her head that’s pointing out how weird it was that you were the first person she wanted to call after the date ended.

Your hand falls onto her arm and this time Leigh can’t help but feel a flutter deep in her chest at the action.

“Thank you so much for that. I really needed a good laugh.”

Leigh nods at your words although her mind’s a million miles away. Everything seems like a noisy buzz as she finds her eyes entranced by the motion of your tongue, the pink muscle coming out to catch some of the lingering bits of wine on your lips.

Coughing, she rips her eyes away, busying herself with refilling both of your cups.

Seeing that Leigh’s done recapping her horrible date, you launch into a tale of your own failed date.

As she sits back and listens to your voice, Leigh tries to push away the weird tingling sensation running through her. At the same time, a voice that strangely sounds like Drew’s is ringing through her head, telling her that it’s okay to feel how she’s feeling. After all, she's making new friends. And that’s a good thing, right?

Only Leigh’s certain she’s not supposed to impatiently count the hours until the next time she gets to see her friends, or get that giddy teenage excitement whenever she’s around them either. The death of her husband really did a number on her, but Leigh’s pretty sure she can still understand her own emotions.

So while Leigh puts up an indifferent front, somewhere in the back of her mind Leigh’s already leaning into her selfish desires. Because god knows she deserves a bit of selfishness after everything she’s been through.

So Leigh admits it to herself that maybe, just maybe she’s crushing on you a bit.

And she’s completely fine with it because it’s totally normal. Friends crush on each other all the time, right?

Right?

---

The third time

Leigh had been having a fairly nice day. Woke up at a pretty great hour. Had time to squeeze in some yoga before heading to the studio. And her classes went as smoothly as possible. Everything was going great. Until Jules called.

All it takes is two words, “I’m sorry,” for the date to register in her mind. A feeling of dread settles down in her guts as Leigh mulls over the implications of forgetting a day like today.

Five years ago to this date she was walking the aisle to a man she thought she’d be with forever. It’s been her favorite date until it became her most dreaded date, and now she’s forgotten about it.

It’s a couple hours after Jules’s call, but no matter how hard she tries, Leigh can’t shake the feeling of being a failure.

She loved Matt. She promised a whole life with him, exchanged vows together. He made her so, so happy all those years they were together. So how could she forget something as dear as their wedding anniversary?

The cup of vodka she pours and all but inhales does little to numb the pain. If anything, it aggravates her bad mood even more. Even the weather outside’s matching her mood, the torrents of rain not letting up.

Guiltily, you’re the first person her mind goes to, and before she can stop herself, Leigh finds herself dialing your number.

It only takes a couple rings for you to pick up.

“Hey Leigh, what’s up?”

Chattering in the background is the first clue that you were in fact, not free. She wants to kick herself for the small hope she had that maybe you would come keep her company.

“I…” her voice trails off as she tries to come up with an excuse for calling. It’s not that she feels embarrassed to tell you the truth. Quite frankly, she’s sure that you would comfort the brunette and try to make her feel better for her blunder the second she asked you to. It’s just that as she contemplates coming up with a lie, she remembers that you told her your coworker asked you out to dinner tonight.

The thought of you having dinner with some other woman only makes her feel worse.

After a couple more seconds of silence, you finally speak up again. “Is everything okay?”

The genuine concern in your voice is the last straw.

“You know what, just forget it.”

“Wait, Lei--” your voice is cut off as she ends the call.

Throwing her phone onto the cushions, Leigh shakes her head, wondering why the short phone call only managed to do the opposite of what she thought it would do.

She downs what’s left of her drink, glaring menacingly at the empty cup as if it was the bane of all of her issues. Sighing, Leigh stumbles to her feet, determined to drink herself to a stupor.

Only to realize that her house is fully out of any alcohol.

This time she doesn’t stop the scream from coming out. It’s almost therapeutic how she can feel some of the stress and sadness fade away with the scream.

Crumpling to the ground, Leigh drops her head into her hands. The tears aren’t far behind. Soon her body’s full of aches and chills because of her uncomfortable position on the floor.

Leigh’s not sure how long she’s been wallowing there on the floor before three sharp knocks on her door interrupts her pity party. At first Leigh’s content with ignoring the person at her door, but three knocks turn into four, four into five, and then the knocks don’t stop. Grumbling under her breath, she slowly makes her way to the door.

Leigh’s already preparing her “go away” speech before she reaches the knob, but the sight on her doorstep makes her freeze. She quickly wipes at her eyes in an attempt at making herself seem more presentable.

“(Y/N)? What are you doing here?”

Breathing heavily, you give her your best smile. Leigh can only stare at you wide eyed as she takes in your drenched state. From your state of attire, it’s clear that you’ve been out in the rain for quite some time.

“You called.”

While your words make her heart feel like it’s going to fall out of her chest, she instead chooses to go the safer route of questioning. “Why are you wet?”

You take the change in topic without questioning. “My car broke down about two blocks away. I ran the rest of the way here.”

Her mouth falls open at your simple declaration. Despite her traitorous heart feeling relieved at the sight of you in front of her, Leigh can’t stop her mind from trying to find a reason why you shouldn’t be here. Because there’s no way in hell someone as good as you would be here with her willingly. “Weren’t you just out on a date though?”

But you keep giving her reasons for staying. “You’re more important than a date.”

Without anything left to say, Leigh motions for you to come in. You give her a small thanks before nonchalantly adding, “It also didn’t hurt that she was a tad self-centered. Didn’t let me get a word in all night.”

Leigh can’t stop the snort from flying out of her mouth. Your smile only widens. “There you go, there’s that smile I love.”

Slapping your arm, the brunette rolls her eyes. “Get in here you idiot.”

Leigh grabs your jacket once you take it off, intending to hang it on the hanger by the door. But when your fingers brush against hers, she feels a flaming spark run through her limbs.

The jacket hits the floor with a thump.

“Jeez, Leigh. How much have you had to drink?”

The dirty look she sends you only makes you laugh harder. She ignores your apologies huffed out between breaths of laughter, choosing instead to whip your jacket at you, splashing you with even more water.

You put up your hands in surrender and Leigh’s eyes narrow at you.

“Don’t make me kick you out.”

“As if you’d ever.” It’s said in such a laid back way, but with a start, Leigh realizes how right you are. Now that you are here, the pain feels so much more tolerable. Her guilt for forgetting her anniversary is quickly being overshadowed by her joy of being so close to you.

And then you’re grabbing her arm and all but dragging her towards the living room. You make yourself at home, pulling up a random Netflix movie before dumping a week’s worth of snacks from her pantry onto the table.

Leigh simply raises an eyebrow at you, but the grin on your face quickly makes one appear on her own. It’s easy to forget about what’s bothering her when she’s so caught up in you, but it’s not long before you’re whispering in the quiet of the room, asking if there’s anything she wanted to talk about.

The confession comes soon after.

When she admits her guilt and all of the pain, with tears streaming down her face, you just listen. You listen with attentive ears and open your arms, letting her fall into them.

Within minutes, she can feel the crushing pressure of the day catch up to her. With your soft hands soothingly running through her hair and the strong beat of your heart honing in her attention, Leigh finds her eyes growing heavy.

One last thought floats through her mind right before she slips over the precipice.

This might be a bit more than a crush.

And her eyes shoot wide open.

---

The fourth time

Leigh’s been avoiding you.

There’s no other way to explain what she’s been doing.

It’s nothing you did. It’s more how you make her feel. Every time she closes her eyes she can’t see anything but your smile. Every time she wakes she’s impatiently waiting until the next time you’re coming over to her place.

It only takes a couple nights of restless pacing but Leigh’s already come to a conclusion. This is no longer a crush. No longer crazed infatuation. Quite simply, it’s starting to look a bit like love.

So Leigh tries cutting all contact with you, hoping that it’ll cut off the feelings as well.

Your calls go unanswered. Texts left unread.

A week passes.

You keep calling, keep texting. Leigh ignores the voice in her head telling her how unfair it is for her to be doing this. You’re a great person. And in another life, in another world where she never met Matt, never lost her husband, maybe the two of you would have been something amazing. Because you deserve more than someone like her. So she resolves to pushing you away, hoping that if she pushes you away long enough maybe you’ll realize she’s not worth the effort. But to her chagrin, you keep trying to reach out.

Leigh’s not sure if she feels annoyed or relieved.

After class one day she pretends not to hear Jules on the phone reassuring you that her sister’s okay. It only makes the guilt pooling deep in her gut intensify.

She starts listening to your voicemails. They’re often random musings of you complaining about your day at work, with a couple sprinkled in whines at her to pick up the phone because you, quote, “miss your best, and only, friend.” They always end with a “m’kay, love you, talk to you soon,” and Leigh can’t pretend her stomach doesn’t flip every time she hears those words.

And true to her word, her stomach flips again when she finishes your latest voicemail. Sighing, Leigh pockets her phone before making her way out of her last class of the day. She pauses by the front desk, jolting down a note for her mother, reminding her about the business investor who’s coming in to check out the studio next week. And it’s there, when she’s crossing her t’s and dotting her i’s that Leigh’s plan to avoid you for the rest of her life goes up in flames.

With the sun shining into the lobby of Beautiful Beasts, you walk into the studio, picnic basket in hand as you animatedly talk to the phone caught between your shoulder and ear. Thankfully you haven’t seemed to notice her yet, and Leigh takes those couple extra seconds to admire you after a week of no contact.

Her breath is taken away when she watches the way your clothes cling to your body. It’s just a simple pair of jeans and t-shirt, but she can’t seem to pull her eyes away from the way your shirt accentuates the muscles in your arms, or the way your skinny jeans seem to--

Leigh can feel her face burn before she can even finish that thought.

Almost as if you can feel the weight of her gaze, you look up, locking eyes with her. For the second time in minutes her breath is taken away when you shoot her one of your megawatt smiles. Something about it’s so infectious that she finds herself returning a smile to you without thought.

Almost as quickly as your smile comes, it disappears as your eyebrows furrow up in annoyance. You roll your eyes at whatever the person on the other side of the line is saying. “Oh go suck a dick, Kellan. I took today off weeks ago. It’s not my fault you’re incompetent at your own job.”

Leigh has to try hard not to laugh at your words. The second you spot the amusement on her face Leigh can see the annoyance dissipate off your body.

“Whatever dude. It’s your problem. I gotta go, so good luck and don’t mess up the project or Frank’s gonna be on your ass. Okay, bye now.”

The second you hang up the phone Leigh can’t stop the chuckles.

“Do we have something planned for today?”

It’s almost comical how fast your eyebrows move towards your hairline. “Don’t tell me you forgot about our monthly scheduled picnic date, Shaw.”

Leigh can’t do anything but gape at you, because she did indeed forget about your monthly picnic date. To be fair, too caught up on avoiding you, Leigh hasn’t really had much time to pore over her calendar.

When it becomes apparent that Leigh isn’t going to say anything, you groan loudly. “Leigh, you said I could pick the food this month. I swear to god if you make up some excuse I will take over planning what food we eat for the next two picnics.”

It’s a combination of you whining her name and something she can only take as a threat that snaps Leigh out of her stupor. Her nose wrinkles in playful disgust. “No way. I cannot stomach another round of Rocky Mountain Oysters.”

“Okay, look, that was one mistake. And I admitted it. You can’t revoke my food privileges just because I fell for a food scam. The name literally implies that they’re oysters. How was I supposed to know they weren’t oysters?!”

“Oh I don’t know, maybe read the menu? I’m pretty sure it lists the ingredients right under the dish name,” she teases, internally squirming at the reminder of your disastrous picnic pick a couple months back.

You take her teasing with good fun before skipping forward to loop your arm around hers. The touch of your bare arm against hers sets Leigh’s skin on fire and she has to fight the urge to squirm out of your grip. “Whatever, Shaw. C’mon, we have to go before all the good spots at the park are taken up.”

Leigh finds herself nodding without second thought, knowing that she’d go with you anywhere.

The walk to the park is delightfully entertaining, and Leigh spends the entire time regretting pushing you away. You never once mention the lapse of communication between the two of you, rather taking the week apart as an excuse to go on a tangent about how your week went. Leigh can’t do anything but stare, wondering why you’re being so nice.

Even when the two of you finally settle down in a perfectly sunny yet shady spot, the question burns on the tip of her tongue. Leigh manages to hold it in for a little while longer, through the gourmet sandwiches that you had, within the first two seconds of sitting down, boastfully claimed to have made, and through the healthy vegetable smoothies you despised but still stomached for her before asking it.

“Why aren’t you mad at me?”

You frown. “Why would I be mad at you?”

“Because I’ve been avoiding you?” Just saying it out loud made Leigh feel a little bit like an asshole. You’ve been nothing but kind to her, yet here she is, treating you horribly.

“Oh, is that what you’ve been doing?”

Leigh catches the grin on your face and rolls her eyes. “Okay well now I don’t feel bad about it anymore.”

The sound of your giggle only makes her heart soar. “Look, I get it. We all have those days where we want to be alone. And I’m more than happy to give you the space you want. But I want you to know I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here for you whenever you need me to. And even when you don’t. Because I care about you and I won’t stop being here for you.”

And Leigh wants to confess to you right now, because she’s never been more sure that she’s in love with you than right now in this moment. Fucked up emotions be damned, she’s in love and you’re just so good to her, it would be a crime to let you go. But then your attention is captured by the dogs barking in the far distance and you’re pulling at her to go pet them with you. And Leigh can’t ever deny you anything, so it’s not surprising that she pushes down her bubbling confession and instead takes your offered hand.

---

The fifth time

The clicking and scraping of utensils against the plates were the only noise as the two of you finished up your dinner.

It’s been about a month since Leigh’s admitted it to herself that she’s in love with you, but did that mean she did anything about that admission? Of course not. Each time the words threaten to come spilling out she always seems to find an excuse to not say it. At first it was her mother needing her to fix the sink at home. Then it was a need to head into the studio for a last minute zumba class. If someone was looking for a grade A love confession avoider, Leigh would be your girl.

So after a month full of failed love confessions, Leigh finds herself having dinner with you at a restaurant that has been rated five stars on yelp with reviews praising it as a great date night spot. She’s not sure if you’re aware of all the singing praises, but if the starstruck expression on your face when the two of you arrived was any indication, the answer to that is no. So it’s safe to assume the two of you are only here as, sadly, friends.

“So… Whatever happened to… Kylie? Karie? Um… that girl you were seeing?”

You laugh, raising an eyebrow at Leigh’s failed line of questioning. “You mean Kelsey?”

Leigh rolls her eyes. “Well you obviously knew who I was talking about.”

You smirk at her response but answer anyway. “Things didn’t work out.” You shrug, seemingly unaffected by your failed relationship.

It seems to always be like this lately. Leigh digging for information about the girls you go out on dates with. A careful, almost rehearsed, response of things not working out between the two of you. If Leigh had to take a wild guess, she would say that maybe you’re not really putting yourself out there anymore.

Now that she’s been thinking about it, she hasn’t heard you talk about any dates on your own volition in a long time.

Those two facts paired up with the way you seem to always be around now sparks the flare of hope in her chest. From morning until night, or actually morning to morning the next day, you can often be found lounging in Leigh’s house or at the studio. There’s occasional times where you leave for meetings for work, but for the most part, you’re always around. If she’s being honest, she can’t remember the last time you didn’t spend a night in her house. Sometimes you slept in the spare bed. More times than not you fell asleep in her bed after a night of binging your new TV show addiction.

Could all this mean that maybe you feel something for her too?

Palms sweating profusely, Leigh sets down her silverware. Her action catches your attention and you pause, looking at her questioningly. Your gaze does nothing to alleviate the pounding of her heart.

And if you also feel something between the two of you, maybe, just maybe, you were also waiting for Leigh to make a move too.

Gathering all of her courage before she can lose it, Leigh just blurts out the words. “Do you want to go out together sometime?”

You give her a weird look. “Are we not going out right now?”

Shaking her head at your obvious lack of understanding, she tries again. “Together. On a date. With me. Would you… would you like to go out on a date with me sometime in the near future?”

All time seems to stop at this moment. Your eyes widen slightly at her question, mouth parting in surprise. There’s no masking the surprise in your expression and Leigh fights the urge to sink into her seat. Did she read all of this wrong? Did she make up all those signs in her head?

But then slowly and surely she sees the smile widen on your face. A smile that she recognizes as a special one you only reserve for her. And with that smile, Leigh feels her nerves dissipate.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

---

Although the fifth time was the last time she fell for you before giving you a shot, that was in no way the last time she fell for you.

Because she fell for you after you won her mother over. When she found out you were driving Jules to and from work simply because her car was broken. When you refused to leave her side after your first major fight.

She fell even further when you got down on one knee and promised to love her forever.

And then again years later when your daughter was born.

There wasn’t a moment where Leigh stopped falling for you. And although it was scary, she knew she would be fine. Because you’d always be there to catch her.

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

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