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adore-laur · 6 months

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CRYSTAL SHOP BOY

— harry works at a crystal shop & falls hard for the sweet girl in a sundress 🔮

——

WEDNESDAY

It's a sun-drenched afternoon in St. Helena, California. Jade is visiting the quaint town for two weeks and staying with a friend she hasn't seen in a while. She decided to lodge at their place for the duration of the trip so she could spend more time with them before they went back to college for the fall semester. It's her second day here. She spent the entirety of yesterday unpacking and unwinding inside since the August heat left her deadbeat tired.

Currently, she walks through the downtown area with her friend, looking for places to shop. Her mother's birthday is coming up at the end of the month, so she plans to find a special gift for her. She keeps an eye out for a spiritual shop that might hold remedial treasures.

It's unbearably humid, and Jade's frog bucket hat on her head does a mediocre job shielding her face from the sun's scorching rays. She readjusts the straps of her overalls as she strolls, regretting wearing denim since her sweaty skin is digging into the rough fabric.

Her eyes squint into painful slits due to the sun directly facing her, and after another minute of thigh chafing and upper lip sweat, her sight lands on an intriguing shop with a purple and white striped roof. The letters pasted on the window read: The Crystal Shop.

Bingo. Right up her mother's alley.

Jade's mother has always been fascinated with the spiritual side of life, her brain full of astrological facts and drawers full of crystals that all have a specific purpose. Jade supposes it's only natural for herself to be interested in it, too. Her name is a gemstone, after all.

Grabbing her friend's arm, she stops them both in their tracks. "I need to get my mom something for her birthday," she says, nodding toward the shop. "This place seems cool."

"Sure, let's go," they reply while already halfway through the front door.

Jade jogs to catch up while admiring the shop's exterior. There's a huge display window with various expensive-looking necklaces, rocks, and crystals. She begins to worry that she might be unable to afford a single item. If so, she'll just have to buy the cheapest thing available. She knows her mom will appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into it.

The door is already propped open with a wooden wedge to provide easy access for customers and allow the summer weather to waft in. Jade suddenly feels a prickly wave of anxiety wash over her. She realizes that she has absolutely no clue what to look for. She just hopes a snobby employee who judges her lack of knowledge about crystals doesn't own the shop. She's been in that situation far too many times before with her mom.

Her friend is already inside, so she follows closely behind. They've always been more fearlessly outgoing than her, while Jade prefers observing instead of talking. She makes a mental note to have her friend ask an employee to help her find something worth buying.

Jade instantly feels the coolness from the air conditioning once she's inside, and it feels heavenly. She glances around, overwhelmed by the endless shelves and boxed displays of crystals, books, and tiny bottles of unknown liquids. This is way too advanced for her brain.

"Hello."

Jade jumps at the deep voice that comes from somewhere behind her. Spinning toward the back of the clustered room, she notices a boy with their back turned behind the cashier counter. He must work here. In fact, he's the only other person in the shop.

"Hi!" her friend says, smiling at the boy who has turned around.

She gets a full view of him. He's tall and has tousled brown hair that looks professionally styled to make it look like he just woke up. He has a child-like smile, his lips pulling into his mouth as tempting dimples dent both sides of his cheeks. His bright, green eyes dart between Jade and her friend before he looks down and fidgets with some loose crystals next to the cash register, with slender fingers adorned with several bulky rings.

With a delayed reaction, Jades politely smiles back at him even though he's not looking anymore. She then turns back around before she embarrasses herself by staring at him for too long. But he's so cute! And was that a cardigan she saw him wearing?

Jade takes a quick peek at his outfit. He's writing something down on a piece of paper now, his tongue poking out slightly in concentration. She surveys his cardigan. It's thin and black with two yellow flowers stitched on one side and a snake, star, and heart with an arrow through it on the other. Underneath it is a white graphic tee. The whole ensemble is oddly endearing. The boys Jade knows from college never dress like that.

She realizes that when the boy speaks, it sounds like he has a British accent. Now, there's really no chance she'll be able to talk to him without making a complete fool of herself. So, she joins her friend in the back of the shop, looking at what they have their eyes on. Their head is tilted as they read the titles of books snug together in a tall, mahogany bookshelf.

"I have no idea where to start," Jade mumbles, still overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in such a small shop.

"Just get her something she doesn't have yet," her friend replies while distracted by a book that seems to be about witchcraft. "Ask the employee what some good birthday gifts are."

"I am not asking him for help," she whispers tightly. She's trying to avoid embarrassment at all costs.

"Dude. Here, let me ask."

They walk to the counter before Jade can process what they just said. Her stomach drops. Sometimes, she wonders how she became friends with someone so unafraid of social interaction. It makes her envious. Meanwhile, she gets nauseous when ordering at a restaurant.

Swallowing hard and facing away from them, Jade distracts her nerves by running her fingers along the book spines and pretending to be interested.

"Hey," she overhears her friend saying to the boy. "Sorry to bother you. My friend over there needs a birthday present, and she's struggling with what to get. She needs something for someone who's into spiritual stuff."

Jade continues to purposely act nonchalant, but it only lasts so long before she turns around out of sheer terror that she's being watched. The employee's eyes are on her when she looks up. He smiles shyly before walking around the counter and toward her. She's going to hurl.

She puts her hands behind her back, nervously fiddling with her fingers and trying to appear calm even though she's on the verge of passing out. The humidity coming in through the open door isn't helping her case. The man walks in long strides toward her, and he eventually gets close enough so that she can see a name tag pinned to his cardigan — Harry.

It's written with messy handwriting in black marker. There's even a smiley face, leading Jade to believe he wrote it himself. Can this guy get any cuter? He stands next to her right, her friend on her left. Being in the middle is making her tense.

Jade decides to be confident and peer up at him. "Hi," she says, barely audible. "Thanks for helping me."

"Yeah, of course," he replies kindly, rubbing his hands together. The slight clinking of his rings has Jade subtly glancing down at them. She notices a small cross tattoo on his left hand.

Pushing down her nerves, she bravely chooses to start speaking to him. She can't stand awkward silences, no matter how much she dreads being the one to fill them. "Um, like my friend said, I don't know much about this stuff. I'm looking for something nice for my mom's birthday. If you could just point me in the right direction, that'd be great."

Harry nods and taps the front of his shoe on the wooden floor twice. "Well, usually a nice gift is something homemade, you know? And this place has tons of things like that, so I guess we could head over to the naturally-made section to see if anything sticks out to you?"

Jade puts her hand out for him to lead the way. He clears his throat before walking over to a shelf by the window, and she stops next to where he stands, taking in the wide range of lip balms, essential oils, and candles organized neatly in front of her. The smell is overwhelming but in a pleasant way. She reaches out to pick up a random bottle of what looks like an essential oil and turns it around in her hand to read the back — frankincense.

"My mom would like this," she says, skimming the lengthy list of complex ingredients. "Maybe a type of oil to put in a diffuser or something. She has sleeping problems, so is there an oil that could help with that?"

Harry picks up a tiny bottle with a purple label and twists the cap. "I would say lavender is your best bet. It's scientifically proven to help with relaxation and sleep. Smells lovely, too."

She moves her nose to the bottle and takes a sniff. "Wow, that's really nice. I think she'd love that. Thank you."

"Not a problem." He fiddles with the sleeves of his cardigan. He must be sweating in that thing. "Is there anything else either of you needs help with?"

Jade looks at her friend, and they casually shake their head. "No, I think that's all," she says, fixing the strap on her overalls that slid past her shoulder. "I'm ready to check out."

"Cool," he whispers, quickly shuffling over to stand behind the register.

"I'll be waiting outside," her friend calls out, already out of the shop. "I want to look at the stores on the other side of the street."

Jade lightly rolls her eyes at their antsy nature. Harry releases a breathy laugh while scanning the lavender oil and putting it in a brown paper bag. He writes his name on it with a permanent marker, then adds a small smiley face. He must do that for every customer. That's sweet.

He taps a few things on the register screen, scratching his jaw. Jade hasn't even noticed his nails, which are painted with chipped red polish.

"That'll be $8.23, please."

Jade takes nine singles from her pocket and slides them across the counter, admiring the crystals and stones on display.

"Thank you," he says while gently grabbing the money from her and opening the register.

He skillfully takes out her needed change, shaking it a little before holding it toward her. She cups her palms so he can place the loose change in them. His hand briefly brushes against hers as the coins fall into her grasp. One corroded penny accidentally drops onto the counter during the transaction.

"Oops," Harry murmurs, picking it up and pinching it between his fingers before handing it to her again. "Sorry 'bout that."

"That's okay," Jade assures while putting the loose change in her pocket. "Thanks again for the help."

"My pleasure," he says, rolling up his sleeves. "Um, before you go, is this your first time shopping here?"

"It is, yes. I'm not from around here. I'm staying with my friend, and we're checking out all the downtown shops today."

Did that count as flirting? Is having a normal conversation with a boy she'll never see again considered flirting for her now? She's reached a new low.

"Oh, cool. So... there's this thing we do if someone's a first-time customer. We give them a free crystal with their purchase." Harry removes a shallow cardboard box filled with translucent crystals from under the counter. "You can pick one out if you'd like."

"That's so nice! I'd love to." Jade grabs a random, pink-colored one. "This place is so cute, by the way."

"Yeah?" Harry says with a surprised smile, putting the box away. He flicks his finger under his nose before saying, "Um, I really like your bucket hat."

She watches him point his finger at her head. She reaches up, suddenly remembering she's wearing a frog bucket hat. Her cheeks grow hot. He complimented it, though, so why is she getting embarrassed?

"Thanks," she says meekly, pulling her hat down further. "I like your cardigan."

Looking out the window, Jade realizes she should get going. "I'm gonna go before I lose my friend." She takes the paper bag and crystal. "Thanks for the oil and free souvenir. I'll try and come back again this week sometime to buy something for myself."

"Cool, yeah. I'll be here. Well, I'm always here. It's my job, obviously. I work here almost every day, so you'll probably see me. I'm rambling, sorry." Harry glances down with a pink tint to his cheeks. "Uh, have a good day."

Her face warms as she nods and waves farewell, walking out the door and into the sun.

When Jade arrives at her friend's apartment a few hours later, she sets the paper bag down on the kitchen island. She opens it and takes the lavender oil out to wrap it for her mom, but she feels two extra items at the bottom when she reaches inside. Her heart pounds as she lays them in her palm.

A 20% off coupon redeemable for any book in the shop.

And a tiny green frog sticker.

——

SATURDAY

Harry arrives for his weekend shift at six in the morning, an entire hour before the shop even opens. He does it to give himself time to set things up and have a few peaceful moments.

After unlocking the front doors, he leaves them open for another beautiful summer day. He picked out a pastel yellow cardigan with dark, horizontal stripes to wear this morning. It's a little itchy, but it was a gift from his aunt, so he doesn't mind it too much. It's thrown over a plain white shirt, and he tops the look off with a pair of black sunglasses atop his head, knowing he'll be done working when the sun is at its prime brightness. He also wants to walk down to the beach for ice cream before visiting his mother for dinner at her house.

His eyes are still puffy from a rough night's sleep, so he heads to the back room and starts making himself a coffee. He sets his black leather purse down and starts the Keurig machine, looking at the array of flavors he can choose from. He decides on the lavender and honey and inserts the cup in the slot. He grabs the mug he keeps under the counter, a baby blue one with a chick hatching out of an egg on it, then sets it on the machine's tray. While his coffee is brewing, he returns to the front to set up the register and ensure nothing was left a mess from whoever closed the store last night. He scratches his stomach, feeling full of the vegan donuts he ate before he left. He needs to stop buying them from the lovely old lady who works at the bakery a couple blocks away. Otherwise, he'll need to start working out.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Harry slowly walks back to collect his steaming mug of aromatic coffee. He enjoys the quiet mornings when it's just him working. His manager is more behind the scenes, handling the financial and promotional aspects. It's early, so usually, it's pretty slow and only gets busy in the afternoon. Luckily, he gets off at one-thirty, so he won't have to suffer through the tourist rush.

Most days, when he opens the shop, it can take over an hour before the first customer comes waltzing in. That means he can do crosswords or read one of their stocked books. There are also instances where his cousin will bring her three-year-old daughter to the shop when she needs a babysitter for the day. Harry gladly watches her, letting her roam the area. He lets her scribble drawings in the back room on stray pieces of paper he finds lying around the shop.

He genuinely likes his job. It's peaceful, and he meets kind people every day. And what better way to feel safe than to be surrounded by thousands of crystals?

Harry whistles a tune, holding his mug in one hand and a No. 2 pencil in the other, when he suddenly hears footsteps coming through the front doorway. He turns around in curiosity and feels a bizarre mixture of emotions when he sees the girl who stopped by with her friend last Wednesday—the one who wore a frog hat, complimented his cardigan, and made him feel like a teenage boy again.

Closing his crossword book, he says, "Hi. Sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone. We don't open for another" — he checks his leather wristwatch — "half hour."

He begins clearing everything off the counter. He's got the daily newspaper spread open, a container of blueberries that he bought from the farmer's market down the street to snack on throughout his shift, and a cardboard box of rose quartz that was delivered last night that Carol, his most forgetful co-worker, didn't stock like she was supposed to.

"Oh, my bad," she says quietly, a slight rasp noticeable in her voice. "I was up early and decided to visit before my friend woke up. I can leave if you're still opening."

"No, you're fine. I find things to pass the time when no one's here. I'm glad you're my first customer of the day."

He's desperately trying to come across as confident and unfazed even though a pretty girl is in front of him wearing a sundress.

"Okay, good." She nervously laughs and looks around. "Um, I'm just now realizing I don't know what to buy. I came because, I don't know, it's really comforting in here, and I didn't know if you'd be working today, but you are, so I think I'll hang out for a bit before I have to go back to my friend." She releases a heavy exhale of air before sheepishly adding, "They don't know that I left."

Harry stares at her, hopelessly mesmerized. She came to hang out because she felt comfortable. Harry thinks he might be in love.

"No worries." He pauses before laughing, lightly smacking his forehead with his palm. "I just realized I don't know your name."

"I'm Jade."

What a coincidence. It's the perfect name for charming someone in a crystal shop.

"Jade," Harry repeats, smirking and turning around to secretly grab something. "You wouldn't perhaps know anything about this little thing right here, would you?"

He holds a green gemstone between his fingers. Jade stifles a smile, knowing exactly what he's doing. She may not be an expert at identifying crystals and gemstones, but her name is Jade. Thanks to her mom, she obviously knows what the gemstone looks like and basic facts about it.

She matches his sudden confidence by replying, "I believe that's a jade stone, Harry. Symbolizes luck, I think? Also increases love and nurturing."

Harry blows a low, impressed whistle while putting a hand on his hip. "I mean, shit, do you want to switch spots and take over the rest of my shift?"

Smiling amusedly, she quips, "That was the extent of my knowledge about gems, so probably not the best idea. I think I'll leave it to the expert."

His tired eyes brighten as he looks at her. "Well, the least I could do to thank you for keeping me company is give you this," he says, sliding the jade stone across the counter towards her. "I think it only makes sense for you to have it.

Jades takes it, feeling how smooth the surface is, before putting it in the breast pocket of her dress. "Trust me, my mom has given me plenty. You would think she's a dealer or something."

Harry sputters a boyish laugh before taking a sip of his coffee. "Consider that one special, then."

She can smell a familiar scent from his coffee but can't quite place her finger on it. She checks the time on her phone, seeing it's almost eight. She doesn't want to bother Harry, especially if customers are going to start coming in. She also needs to get back to the apartment in case her friend magically wakes up earlier than expected and calls the police because she decided to talk to the cute crystal shop boy she's only just met. Oh God, she's going to sound crazy.

"Thank you. I'll make sure to keep it safe."

"You're very welcome, Jade."

She perks up, suddenly remembering the extra stuff he put in her bag on Wednesday. "By the way, the coupon and sticker you gave me were thoughtful. You didn't have to do that."

Harry flushes under his cardigan, completely forgetting about his spontaneous decision to give her additional goodies because he thinks she's lovely. He's also scared he'll never see her again; if that's the case, he wants to leave an impression.

And speaking to her now, he realizes he quite likes her company.

Clearing his throat, Harry scratches the back of his neck and says, "I, uh... I don't know. You were a nice customer, and I just wanted to give you something nice back." He's only partially lying. "I have animal stickers I keep here when my niece visits, and I happened to have a frog one. Figured you would get the reference."

"I did. You're adorable."

Lord above, did she actually just say that out loud?

Harry inhales sharply in shock, rolling his lips inwards so much that his dimples pop out from trying to hold back a smile. His tongue pokes his cheek, and he can't help but break out into a full smile. He feels a rush of giddiness that begs him to be bold and seize the opportunity.

"Sorry—"

"Hey, I—"

They both start talking and clamp their mouths shut at the same time. Jade nods for him to go first, not wanting anything stupid to come out of her mouth again.

Harry fidgets with his necklace and says, "I get off work at one-thirty today, and I know you need to get back to your friend, but if you're not busy, I was going to walk down to the beach and get some ice cream. Do you... would you like to come with me?"

Jade almost chokes. This attractive boy wearing a fuzzy cardigan in ninety-degree heat wants to take her for ice cream. Her friend would be deranged to be mad at her for going.

"I would love to. I'm sure my friend wouldn't mind." She anxiously nibbles on her bottom lip before continuing, "Um, I can meet you back here at one o'clock? I could get some lunch from a nearby restaurant if you want?"

"That's perfect. A couple of stores down to the right is a nice sandwich shop called Gott's Roadside. I can text you my order before you get there."

"Yeah, great! Here, let me write my number down somewhere."

Harry doesn't hesitate to lift the cash register to grab a loose-leaf sheet of paper he keeps under it for emergencies, then tears a small section off. He picks up the pencil he used for his crossword and hands it to her. Jade scribbles her cell phone number, adding a smiley face at the end before sliding the paper scrap back to him.

"Cool," he says, his hands clammy with anticipation.

Jade smiles. Is this a date? Is she dreaming? "I'll see you in a few hours with our sandwiches. I'll bring my frog hat."

"Can't wait," he replies, pushing his hair back. "And tell your friend I said hi, yeah?"

"I will. Have a good rest of your shift, Harry."

"I have sandwiches, ice cream, and a frog hat on your head to look forward to," he says, cradling his chin in the palm of his hand. "I'm pretty sure it's going to be good."

She feels her heart speed up as she waves goodbye and walks outside with a skip in her step.

——

When noon rolls around, Harry decides to text Jade his order. When she left, he put her number in his phone and refrained from texting her about the strange customers he encountered earlier. He doesn't know if she'd think it's annoying of him.

He waits until there's no one in the store, everyone most likely out for lunch, before sending a text.

Hi, it's Harry. I would like the grilled pesto chicken sandwich with a side salad. There's a fridge with drinks in the back room, so don't worry about getting me one. Thank you :)

Locking his phone, he resumes his crossword puzzle, but his mind drifts. He thinks about changing his outfit before Jade comes back, knowing the cardigan he wears now will make him sweat bullets under the sun. He obviously can't leave the shop unattended, so he texts his mother and asks if she can bring him his white tank top and patchwork cardigan from the house as soon as possible. It'll be breezy by the beach, so a loose cardigan will be better. He also asks her if she can bring his Polaroid camera. He wants to capture some memories of how beautiful today is.

Once his string of panicked texts is sent, he starts thinking about Jade again. She mentioned she'd wear her frog hat, which he really likes. He realizes he's whipped when he considers buying one for himself. There must be a store around here that sells them. Or is that too weird of a thing to do? Now he's panicking tenfold.

Harry likes her. He likes her so much that he says screw it and picks up the company phone without a second thought. He begins flipping through a free pamphlet for tourists listing the shops downtown in St. Helena, looking for nearby accessory stores. After four phone calls with managers, he gets the answer he wants. A souvenir shop two blocks away says that they have some in stock. He plans to run down there quickly when his mother comes with his clothes. She's visited enough times to be able to handle any customers.

It's a quarter to one when she rushes in with his clothing and camera. She doesn't question why he needed them so suddenly. Harry lies to her and says he needs to pick up a store delivery, and she lets him go after telling him she'll help him finish his crossword while she waits.

He's speed-walking to the accessory shop, his eyes glued to the directions pulled up on his phone. When he turns the final corner, he gets a text message from Jade.

Hi, sorry I didn't get back to you right away. I was swimming, so I wasn't on my phone. I'm leaving in about five minutes to get our lunch! I'll bring sunscreen and a blanket so we can eat by the beach <3

Harry grins and replies with a casual See you soon.

After five minutes of looking for a frog hat in some dingy souvenir shop, he buys a green one that looks just like her yellow one. He stuffs it in his purse so his mother won't see what a hopeless romantic he is, then quite literally jogs back to the crystal shop. Once he's inside, his mother leaves with a kiss on both of his cheeks. Harry goes to the back room, and since no customers are lingering around, he changes into his tank top and the other cardigan. The sporadic green patches on it will go nicely with his new bucket hat of the same color.

It's a little after one o'clock, and he assumes Jade is getting the sandwiches. In the meantime, he goes into the employee bathroom to double-check how he looks. His denim flare jeans and white sneakers are sticking to his skin because of the summer heatwave, but he doesn't have time for an outfit dilemma. With a deep breath, he tousles his hair and tucks his sunglasses in the front of his shirt.

He's ready.

Harry returns to the front and cleans up for when the person working the next shift comes in. It's helping distract from his nerves. He just wants this to go well. They'll eat, get ice cream, talk, and maybe hold hands. Right? Is that how dates play out?

Okay, he's not ready. He needs some good luck.

Opening a glass display case under the counter, he grabs a tiny citrine crystal that can be attached to a necklace chain. Citrine is known to strengthen self-esteem and bring about positive energy, so he takes a stray chain, hooks the golden crystal on it, and then pulls it over his head.

"This better work," he murmurs to himself.

His phone suddenly vibrates, and he sees that Jade texted him that the food will be ready in another couple of minutes. That's okay. He has time to hype himself up and daydream about her. Will she be in a different outfit? Will her hair be damp from swimming? Will she still have the jade stone he gave her in her pocket?

It's twenty after one when Carol walks into the shop to start her shift. She may be forgetful, but she comes in early sometimes so Harry can get out an extra few minutes early. She smiles at him and heads straight to the back. Harry stuffs his Polaroid camera in his pocket and puts on the frog hat. He feels foolish now that he thinks about it. How does one pull off a frog hat and rainbow cardigan? He prays that Jade will appreciate his efforts.

Kissing the citrine crystal for luck, he grabs a water bottle and his wallet and clocks out. He prints off the sales receipt for the morning shift and signs his name. After that, he passes Carol, who is sweeping the floor and humming to herself, and sends a little wave before leaving and standing against the wall outside to wait for Jade.

Ten minutes pass until Harry hears a gasp come from his right. He looks over to see Jade holding the food bag in one hand and her bucket hat, sunscreen, and a plaid picnic blanket in the other. She's wearing a different dress than earlier, this one with tiny blue flowers on it. Her hazel eyes are fixated on the hat atop his head, and he can't stop himself from blushing like a blooming rose.

"No way!" she says, walking up to him. "I didn't know you had one!"

He smiles awkwardly, feeling a smidge better now that she seems to like his last-minute decision. "Um, I really like yours, so I thought I'd get one for myself to match. I bought it at a shop around here, like, thirty minutes ago."

Jade pouts at the sweet gesture. "You're so adorable." She holds out the plastic bag. "Here's the food. It took forever, but it smells delicious."

"You're just on time," he replies, offering his elbow to her. "Shall we? I can carry everything."

She hands him the two bags and carries the rest by herself. Putting on her bucket hat, she loops her arm around his elbow to start walking. She looks him up and down, taking in his outfit. She had been so caught off guard by his hat that she didn't even notice his colorful, oversized patchwork cardigan.

She leans into him and confesses, "You look really handsome, by the way. I love your style."

Harry glances down at her, smiling softly. "Thank you. You look so pretty."

Jade shyly scrunches her nose at him before peering out at the street. As the beach comes into view, she boldly moves her arm out of his hold and wraps her hand around his, the coolness of his rings feeling nice against her skin. Harry's eyes fall to where their hands meet, and he squeezes them together. His red nail polish contrasts with her baby blue polish, and he admires how small her hand feels in his. He rubs his thumb over her knuckles as the pavement turns into sand, and he guides her to where they have to pay to access the beach, his hand slipping from hers to reach into his pocket for his wallet. Jade doesn't try to argue about him paying since she willingly paid for lunch. It's only fair.

After Harry pays, he takes her hand in his again and leads her through the entrance to find a spot to sit. It's a little busy with the weekend, so he takes her to an area away from the water where the long grass and coastal flowers grow. Jade begins unfolding the picnic blanket and then spreads it out. She sits with her legs crossed and starts putting sunscreen on. Harry gets comfortable beside her and removes his shoes before rolling the hem of his jeans up slightly.

"Do you mind getting my shoulder blades for me?" Jade asks, passing him the bottle of sunscreen.

Harry makes a twirling motion with his pointer finger to get her to turn around. She faces away from him and shifts her hair to one side, waiting for his hands to touch the bare skin of her back, but it takes a while, so she turns her head to glance at him. She sees him remove his rings one by one before putting a dollop of sunscreen in his palm.

Then, unexpectedly expected, she feels his hands on her shoulder blades moving in soothing circles. The warmth of his hands and the coolness of the lotion is almost erotic. His hands are so big. Only one of them takes up half of her upper back.

After another few tension-filled seconds, Harry lightly scratches the top of her spine to indicate he's done. She thanks him before settling next to him and sliding her sandals off. She then grabs her bag of food and unpacks the sandwich that she got along with a side of fries. Harry does the same, already diving into his salad. The sound of people talking and waves crashing is peaceful.

Jade is fully aware that her legs are almost touching his, and she desperately wants to make some type of flirty move. Well, there's nothing quite like the art of subtlety, so she casually reaches up for his bucket hat to switch it with hers. She puts his green one on and then puts her yellow one on his head, feeling more content around him with each second that passes. Harry just smiles cutely while shoving a crouton in his mouth.

Feeling even more daring now, Jades picks up a fry and holds it to his lips. He gently grabs her wrist as she feeds it to him, feeling his fingers squeeze her pulse point. He chews slowly, his jaw flexing attractively.

"Good?" she asks while scooting a little closer.

He hums an affirmation, smirking at her. Reaching over his lap, Jade steals one of his croutons, her arm brushing against his stomach. She swears she feels it tense. Harry notices she's getting more comfortable with him, so he takes his Polaroid camera out of his back pocket. She gasps, nonverbally asking if she can use it by wiggling her fingers towards it like a toddler. He laughs and hands it to her. One of his arms rests behind her, the other resting limp on his thigh.

Jade starts by taking a picture of the sparkling lake in front of her. The camera spits a Polaroid out, and she sets it face down on the blanket to dry. She then aims the lens to an arguably even more beautiful view. Harry throws up a peace sign with a closed-lip smile, dimples carving his reddened cheeks. After setting that one down to dry, she turns the camera around to aim at their faces. She leans in and presses her cheek against his as best she can with a bucket hat on. They both smile widely as she captures the moment.

Harry takes the camera from her after it develops and mimics the same position, both their faces hopefully in the frame. Before he presses the button, though, he turns his head and presses the gentlest kiss to Jade's dewy cheekbone. His lips feel warm and plush as the flash goes off, and he quickly takes the photo to look at it. Jade rests her head on his shoulder, pressing a light kiss to it. He wraps his arm around her and puts his leftover salad in the bag and her garbage. His other hand faces up on his leg, and she doesn't hesitate to play with his slender fingers.

"I haven't felt this relaxed in a while," Harry softly breaks the silence, looking ahead at the water.

"Me too," she says. "You're a really calm person. Like, your energy relaxes me naturally. And you're not too shabby of a person to look at."

He playfully scoffs and pinches her side. "Excuse me, I didn't run to the nearest store and buy a froggy hat to match you for you to say I'm not too shabby to look at."

"I kid, I kid. You look like an absolute dream, Harry."

"Yeah? You're looking like a dream yourself, Jade."

She pecks his cheek and stands up to grab the garbage bags and sunscreen. Harry also stands, putting his rings back on and folding up the blanket while putting his camera back in his pocket. He dusts the sand off his jeans and picks up his shoes, opting to walk barefoot to the ice cream shop not too far away.

Standing behind Jade, he bends down to dust the sand off the back of her legs. He then grabs the pictures and her sandals, giving her a look that asks if she's going to put them back on. She shakes her head and reaches out to grab them, but he pulls them out of her reach and simply interlocks his fingers with hers instead. He guides her back up the path where they came from, swinging their arms dramatically to get her to laugh.

Jade sneakily grabs the Polaroid camera from his pocket and aims it at him. "Smile like the dream you are." When he looks at her and smiles naturally, she brings the camera close to photograph his left dimple. "I'm framing this," she says, waving the Polaroid.

"Give me that," Harry says, letting go of her hand to pull the camera from her grasp. "Need something to frame, too."

She complies, wondering what he could have up his sleeve. He stops walking and puts two fingers behind her head to make bunny ears. She gives him a flat look with narrowed eyes while he joyously clicks the button, and then he hides the developed picture in his cardigan pocket.

"You are so funny, you know that?" Jade says sarcastically. "A true comedian. You should do stand-up at the shop."

Harry walks ahead of her and boyishly laughs twice, the second one slightly higher-pitched and longer than the first one. It makes Jade's heart flutter.

"Honestly, mate," he says, "I think you're right. You'll never meet anyone funnier."

"Do not call me mate!"

"No? What about lad?"

"Stop."

"Bro?"

"Absolutely not."

"What if I called you another gemstone? Amethyst? Topaz?"

"I'm getting ice cream," she says lightheartedly, striding ahead to the blue building just off the beach. She takes off the bucket hat on her head, feeling hot.

"We were already on our way there, darling."

Jade stops dead in her tracks. Darling.

Seconds later, she hears him behind her, his hands dropping everything so he can tilt her chin. She's looking at him upside down now, his fingers cradling her face as his thumbs stroke her temples.

"Liked that one?" he murmurs softly. Jade nods in his gentle grasp. He smiles, pinching both of her cheeks. "I'll keep that in mind," he says before sauntering toward the ice cream shop.

Jade grumbles behind him, feeling flustered. Harry tilts his head back to look at her and gives her a smirk. In return, she gives him the middle finger, and he makes a heart with his hands. With a huff, she sits under an umbrella at a nearby table, trusting him to order something she'll like. After a few minutes, he sits across from her, holding two cones — one blue moon and one cookies and cream. She takes the blue moon scoop from him and takes a lick. A shiver runs throughout her body.

Harry bites down on his, and she cringes. It also makes her strangely endeared. "What?" he asks with his mouth full.

"Nothing. Stop being annoying."

"What did I do?"

He's not understanding her frustration with his apparent nature of how cute he's being.

"You're just... different. I hate saying that, but you're so sweet and funny. And cute. It's annoying."

He stares at her longingly before saying, "Thanks, mate. Cheers."

"You know, I've had enough of your British humor."

That's a lie. Jade could listen to him talk about the ingredients in a salad, and she would listen on the edge of her seat.

"I'm kidding," he says, nudging her foot lightly under the table. "That's kind of you to say. I think the same things about you; however, I don't find it annoying. It makes me want to kiss you, actually."

Leaning across the table, Jade plucks the hat off his head and sets it down on the table. Then, she reaches her other hand out to wipe a small remnant of ice cream on the corner of his mouth. Harry clears his throat. There's no one around them, and he'd be a fool to waste his chance.

"I know almost nothing about you," he starts, his voice gentle, "but I would really like it if I could take you out again sometime. We can learn more about each other, talk about anything and everything, and go anywhere you'd like."

She feels like she's in a summer fantasy with her dream boy, and she has to pinch her arm under the table to make sure it's real and not a figment of her imagination. Setting down her finished ice cream, she stands up to slide around the table and sits beside him. She cradles both of his warm cheeks and kisses his forehead. She does it again for good measure, pushing back the curls falling over his eyes.

He blesses her with that same frog-like smile that makes her heart falter. She pokes her thumbs into his dimples and says, "You're so cute. Stop it. Stop being cute."

Harry moves his head slightly to kiss her palm. "Can't help being an absolute dream all the time," he says dramatically. "It's exhausting, mate."

She rolls her eyes and tickles his sides so that he squirms. "If I recall, you said you'd remember that I liked it when you called me darling,"

"Gotta kiss me first."

Jade purses her lips to keep a massive smile from taking over her face. "Seems fair," she whispers. "Come with me."

Standing, she takes his hand and heads towards a more private place, throwing away their cones. Harry stumbles behind her, still barefoot and riding the high of flirtatious affection. Eventually, she leads him to a flower field past the beach that's completely empty of people. A cypress tree shades the area, so they go behind it, shielded from everyone and everything.

Harry leans his back against the trunk, setting down his shoes and the blanket. He holds his hands out, waiting for Jade to step into him. She puts her stuff down, too, and wipes her clammy palms on her dress, then slowly takes both of his hands and moves toward him. He's taller than her, so she reaches up to cradle his face again, her new favorite thing to do, and guide his face down to hers. She stares at his green eyes with her lips brushing against his. Softly and with ease, she captures his bottom lip in her mouth. Harry lets her take the reins, the only movement he grants himself being his hands gravitating to her wrists that hold his blushing cheeks. He grips them not too tight, rubbing his thumbs along the inside.

When Jade pulls back for air, Harry chases her lips for another kiss. He initiates it this time, kissing her top lip before delicately enveloping her bottom lip. He inhales through his nose when she kisses him back, and a weak groan crawls up his throat. Six seconds go by before she pulls back again, only for a moment, and then takes him by surprise by using her tongue to dive into his mouth, parting his already swollen lips even more. His tongue fits over hers, kissing her deeply for a little longer. She tastes sweet from the ice cream.

Harry needs to breathe, so he stops before getting too far ahead and blissfully smiles at her. They inhale and exhale heavily, glancing between each other's lips.

"Fuck's sake," he says, pulling her in for a hug.

Jade giggles. She sticks her hands into his back pockets and sways with him while he kisses her hair and sets his hands on her shoulders.

"Can I walk you home?" he asks, brushing his thumb along her collarbone.

"Of course."

Harry kisses her again before intertwining her fingers with his. He slips his shoes back on, and Jade does the same. They pick up their remaining belongings. Once everything is packed, they walk away from the beach. She tells him where her friend's apartment is, and it takes ten minutes before the building comes into view. Harry walks up to the front door, and they stand across from each other.

"I had so much fun today," Jade says, taking her — Harry's — bucket hat off. "Everything was perfect."

"Yeah?" Harry scratches under his eyebrow. "Well, I don't work Sundays, so we can text and make plans for next week if you're not sick of me yet."

"I'm not sick of you yet. Text me tomorrow. I've got nothing going on."

"Sweet. I have to go to my mum's house for dinner, so... I have to leave, unfortunately."

"Go ahead. I won't keep you any longer."

"I'll see you soon," he tells her. "Thanks for today. I had a wonderful time."

"Here's your hat back," she says, holding it out.

Harry shakes his head with a smile. "Keep it. I'll keep yours. We can give them back when we see each other next."

She laughs. "What a clever way to keep me around."

He hands her the blanket and the pictures he put in his pocket. "Are you sure you don't want them?" she asks, taking them and seeing the one of his dimple on top.

"We can share," he says, rolling up the sleeves of his cardigan. "The next time I see you, I'll take them for the day."

Jade bites her lip before saying, "You're on a roll today. And I was serious, by the way. I'm framing the dimple one."

He beams at her, and Jade sets everything down on the bench by the door so she can kiss him. "I'll see you very soon," she whispers.

"Bye, Jade." Harry leaves with one last kiss before walking down the sidewalk. Once he turns the corner, he rubs the citrine crystal against his chest with a giddy smile on his face the entire way back.

——

FIVE YEARS LATER

Harry has been at the shop for an hour, setting things up for the day. Coffee is brewing, the smell of peppermint wafting to the front. Candles are lit, and delightful whiffs of cinnamon are in the air.

It's November, so it's always chilly in the morning. His baby blue sweater with a hatching chick on it keeps him warm. He got it as a gift when he was promoted to shop manager since the previous owner knew he had a mug that looked just like it.

It's definitely going to be slow since it's a random Tuesday in autumn. The streets are quiet, and a grey gloom darkens the sky. The shop doesn't open for another forty-five minutes, but he still likes the extra time, so he grabs his hot coffee and takes out his crossword puzzle book. Sitting on the rickety wooden stool behind the register, he blows away the steam from his #1 Dad in St. Helena mug.

He's whistling "Wild Heart" by Stevie Nicks to himself while rhythmically tapping his pencil against the counter when the bell above the front door suddenly chimes. He doesn't need to look up to know who it is. Baby babbles give it away, and he softly smiles as he finishes filling in the answer for 9-Across.

"Someone's talkative this morning," Harry murmurs, turning to his wife and sipping his coffee.

Jade is wearing a beanie and one of his many cardigans. She holds a coffee in one hand and a box of donuts in the other as she walks around the counter to greet him, giving him a kiss. His precious baby boy, Sterling, is secured in the baby carrier strapped to her front.

"Good morning," he says, tasting an unfamiliar trace of something on her lips.

"Hi. Try this." She raises her coffee cup to his mouth. He takes a sip and immediately smacks his lips while shaking his head disapprovingly. "It's the new pumpkin pie latte they have down the street," she explains.

"Not a fan, love," he admits truthfully, kissing her forehead and then carefully lifting Sterling out of the carrier.

"I thought as much." She takes the carrier off and sets it to the side. "How's it going? Did you get all the math out of the way?"

Now that Harry is the shop manager, he's taken on the accounting aspect of the job. It's not his favorite task, so he gets it out of the way in the mornings. He'll put on his reading glasses and hunch over the table with complete focus, feeling his wife's eyes ogling him whenever she visits. He's been told she finds it attractive.

"Finished not too long ago," he replies, cradling his sleeping son against his chest. He's still dressed in his pajamas with a brown beanie snug on his head. Harry sits back on the stool to continue his crossword, and Sterling stirs a little, fisting his hand around his sweater. "Morning, little man," he says gently, knuckles stroking his chubby cheeks.

Jade opens the box of donuts, and Harry squeezes her hip in a silent gesture of gratitude. She begins eating a chocolate one as she peers over his shoulder. She hums thoughtfully while swallowing a bite and tapping the boxes on the page. "Coated is the answer for 21-Across."

Harry's eyes move to the clue and then to Sterling, who is slowly waking up. "What do you think, mate? Do you think mummy's right?"

"I'm definitely right. Covered in sugar... it has to be coated." She excitedly pokes the pencil in his hand. "Write it down!"

"All right," he says teasingly, scribbling her answer down. "Sharp thinking at seven in the morning isn't usually like you, honey. Can't blame me for being hesitant."

She lightly smacks his shoulder before taking a sip of his peppermint coffee. Apparently, she's not a fan of the pumpkin one, either.

After a few peaceful moments, Jade takes Sterling into her arms, much to Harry's disappointment. She smatters kisses onto his cheeks before setting him on the ground to crawl. At eight months old, he's constantly on the go. The floor is carpeted, so she sits on the ground with him. Harry can't help but join them while grabbing a donut on his way down. He groans when he sits--his back is not in the best shape lately.

Jade scoots closer and begins massaging between his shoulder blades, causing him to let out a soft, relieved moan as he closes his eyes. She's badgered him countless times to replace the stool he sits on with an actual chair, but he's stubborn and has trouble getting rid of sentimental furniture.

"What time do you get off again?" she asks, moving her hands to his neck.

"Three," he murmurs, wiping drool from Sterling's mouth. "It's my last week before Thanksgiving break, so that'll be nice."

"Yeah," she agrees while kneading his lower back.

Harry's work schedule is perfect. He's at the shop Monday through Friday until three. He's home for dinner and weekends and even gets paid holiday breaks. He became manager shortly before he got married to Jade. Currently, she owns a flower shop just down the street. She absolutely loves it there. It's a two-minute walk from the shop, and she always tries to visit if she gets off work before him. She has Mondays and Tuesdays off every other week, so she brings Sterling to visit for a few hours in the morning. They stay in the back most of the time, but sometimes customers come in when they're up front and fawn over their baby boy with dimples and cute sweaters.

Harry eventually stands and cracks his back by twisting side to side. Jade stands as well and picks Sterling up, handing him to Harry. He cradles him in one arm, the other wrapping around his wife's shoulders.

"Love you," he whispers with a kiss to her head. "Thanks for always keeping me company with the little bugger."

She hides her face in his chest, the jade necklace he wears daily pressed against her cheek. She kisses the stone before puckering her lips in request. He obliges, meeting her halfway to take her top lip between his. She then leans over to kiss Sterling's head, his eyes sleepily shutting.

"My boys," Jade says, smiling fondly. "I love you guys more than anything."

Harry can't help but find it remarkable how everything started in the place he's standing now.

——

#harry styles fanfic #harry styles imagine #harry styles fluff #harry styles au #harry styles one shot #harry styles #adore-laur #the crystal shop boy

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anjelicawrites · 1 year

Text

Soft II

Paring: Osferth x reader

Synopsis: soft smut between reader and Osferth. Set in the poly relationship universe

Warnings: cockwarming, smut. 18+ only.

Part I

The only reason you are home to welcome Osferth, is that all parents canceled their meetings with you. It’s a rare occasion and you use it to doll yourself up for no reason but to try the new body wash you’ve bought and a new hairstyle, while listening to your favorite podcasts.

You have just finished the pizza dough when you hear the front door open and by the way your Great Dane - Irish Wolfhound mix scampers to the hallway, you know Osferth is back.

“Babe?” you call.

Osferth doesn’t answer, you hear the sound of his booths falling on the floor and the jiggle of his keys hitting the wood of the hallway table, his tired voice telling Ciarán to heel as he walks with heavy gait to the kitchen.

He stares at you with a surprised glance and you see that he is trying to school his expression, to hide the heaviness of his heart, but you’ve known and loved him for so long, that you can see how dimmed the light in his eyes is, how small the smile he gives you and the redness around his eyes telling you he has cried.

You are immediately alarmed.

“What happened?” - you don’t care that your hands still have leftover dough in them and your apron is covered in flour, cupping his face comes to you as easy as breathing - tell me my love”.

You see the struggle on his features, the control slipping through the fingers of his stubbornness, his instinct is to keep you safe, always. He breaks the moment your thumbs start caressing his cheekbones, your caring touch strips him of his defenses and he crumbles, his arms curl around you in a tight embrace, his face hides against your shoulder and he starts crying, the sobs wreaking his lean frame. You hug him back and start carding your hands through his short hair, sweet nothings leave your lips to console him and he cries even more, moved by your softness and raw acceptance of his feelings. How had he managed for so long without you?

When his tears subside you follow his body has he folds on the floor, face still hidden

“Was it really bad?” your voice is a balm for his frayed nerves

“Yes”.

He doesn’t have the strength to continue; sometimes having to deal with the filth of this earth takes a toll on him, his defenses destroyed. Thank God you are here, reminding him why he works his job.

“I was so much in my head, I didn’t even notice your car”.

Today must have been horrendous, then. Osferth has pretty good space awareness; he might not be at Uhtred's level, but he wouldn't miss your old jeep, if he had, it's because his brain is still focused somewhere else, somewhere bad. You need to act now.

“Come with me, my love” you say, your hands finding his

“Where to?” he’d follow you into Hell, if only you asked

“You deserve to be taken care of”

“You do it, always”

“You need it more, today”.

The “I love you” that leaves his lips is as strong as a mountain and as deep as the sea: accidents might happen, storms might ruin the tranquility, but his feelings will never go away and only God knows the extent of his need for you. Not sexual, just your proximity and care, the knowledge that if he falls, you'll be there to catch him: you are his pillar of strength, he'd be lost without you.

You draw him a bath in between long, sloppy kisses and you remove his clothes, until he is naked, his cock already half hard under your sight.

He sighs when the warm water envelopes his tired body, he lets his head loll back against the rim of the tube, eyes closed to listen better to your movements. He hears you fumbling with one of the bottles, the snap of the cap opening and a soft, lavender scent invades his nose

"I love how your hair smell like when you use this one"

"I know. Lift your head, I have to wet yours"

"Use mine, don't waste yours"

"It's not a waste. I like when you smell like me".

The possessiveness in your tone goes directly to his cock: both he and Aemond adore when you wear their stuff, it's only right that the feeling is mutual: he wants to parade around and people to know to whom he belongs.

With care you help him bend his head back to wet his hair and pour your shampoo directly on it to work a lather, massaging his scalp as he relaxes under your fingers, soft moans leaving his lips. You rinse his hair and repeat, focusing on the back of his head, where you feel stiffness; he is putty by the time you put a bit of conditioner and comb his short strands.

Before you grab the body wash, you remove your shirt and throw it in the general direction of the hamper; Osferth opens his eyes, a dreamy "Boobies" leaves his lips. He loves your breasts so much, they are the perfect size for his hands to hold and their softness is just right; he had spent hours just kissing them and smothering his face against their softness.

"Sit up - you murmur in his ear - I need to wash your back properly"

"May I touch the girls?"

"Yes, you may. But you have to behave"

"Yes miss".

And he just lets his face fall against your breasts, breathing in your scent as you wash his nape and his back to the point your arms can reach.

He mumbles a bit when you remove his face from your chest and stops when you let his hands hold your breast as you lather his front and arms

"I like this bra"

"And there I thought you liked my breasts"

"I do - his voice is slurred, his thumbs caressing your nipples through the material - I love how it shapes them".

He mumbles again when you ask him to stand so that you can wash his lower half, he wants to keep touching your breasts and you tell him he can do that later.

You lather his long legs and make a play of ignoring his cock, hard and red, and concentrate on his thighs, the loofah just brushes lightly against his manhood every time you clean the junction of his groin and leg. A long shudder runs through him when you wash his cock with soft movements, not wanting to hurt him, he is so hard; you can see the muscles of his abdomen clench, his face stoic as he tries to reign in his orgasm.

If he has a thing for your breasts, you have one for his ass, you massage the firm globes until his face is the right shade of red, his breath short.

Delicately you pull on his arms and he sits back into the water

"Close your eyes, I need to rinse your hair".

He follows your command without a second thought, bending his head backwards and you steal a kiss on his pulse point, he laughs breathlessly.

Once you are done with his hair, you stand up and tell him to remain in the water, you are not done with him.

"What is that?" his eyes are half lidded when they stare at your returning form

"Exfoliant. You are going to like it".

He doesn't look too convinced at the small tube in your hands. He knows it's one of these things you and Aemond do and that are absolutely baffling to him; he has been blessed with low maintenance skin and hair, he doesn't need to follow a routine like you two, he just needs whatever soap and shampoo he can put his hands on to be happy with the results.

"It will remove the layers of dead skin on your face"

"I have none" he says, offended

"Everyone has. Even you. Trust me and close your eyes".

He does but he shrieks in surprise when you start rubbing his face, he doesn't expect it to be raspy.

"How do you think it's supposed to remove dead skin, if not like this?".

He doesn't respond, relaxing under your skilled fingers once again. It's unexpectedly good, being pampered like this; he keens when you stop and wash his face.

You grab his bathrobe and help him wear it once he is out of the tub. His erection hasn't faded but the desire he feels is warm in his loins, he is in no hurry to sink inside of you, happy with being taken care of by you. With long brushes you dry his skin and hair, peppering kisses on his face, before rubbing a light layer of cream on his reddened skin.

"You smell like me everywhere now" your voice possessive, your nose scienting the crook of his neck

"I like that. Everyone should know to whom I belong".

His voice is soft, with an undercurrent of possessives you know all too well.

With his head bent a bit forward, he stares up at you from under his lashes, a coy smile on his face while his hand goes to your pants, his fingers hooking there before sliding them down your legs, along with your panties. The skin of his shoulders is soft under your touch, you use his frame for balance to kick your clothes away. With practice he unhooks your bra, letting your breasts free, at once, his hands mold around the soft globes as he sighs tiredly, the warmth of the bath and your ministrations are taking their toll on him.

“We can take a nap, if you want” both his thumbs worry your nipples and your voice comes out breathier than you expected

“It’s not a nap that I need, my beautiful lady”.

His hands take yours and he slowly makes his way to the bedroom, he keeps staring at you from under his lashes, coyness and need in his beautiful eyes.

He wonders if you know the extent of his love for you, if you can understand how deep his feelings run for you: almost three years together and he feels the same way he did the moment he saw you, when he knew that he wouldn't want anyone else.

Osferth knows there are two turning points in his life: when he met you and when Aemond became part of your relationship, his two before and after moments.

His big hands frame your face and he loses himself in your eyes, wishing to know how to put into words how he feels and he can't, the only thing he can do is kiss you, pour all of himself in the act, burning you in the flames of his feelings. You can't help but grab his neck for support, overwhelmed by the forcefulness of his hands crushing your body to his, one hand in your hair, the other on your hip, his tongue on your mouth. You are the vessel for his feelings, ready to receive whatever he needs to give you, to burn for him if necessary.

When your mouths part for air, your legs bobble, his strong body the only thing keeping you up

"Osferth?"

You seek his eyes, the clear blue almost gone, devoured by his enlarged pupils.

His words desert him, he can only help you lie on the bed to attack your body with his lips, kissing all over your face and neck before relenting to stare at you, one big hand caressing your face, his frame obscuring everything else.

"My love, are you all right?"

Like a cat he brushes his face against your hand, needing the soft contact in his bones

"Have me" he murmurs, his forehead against yours

"In any way you want me to".

He kisses you again, softer this time and the way you lose yourself in him is even deeper than before, the care of his lips and hands on your body helps you forget yourself in his earthy scent.

You don't even notice when he turns your entwined bodies until you straddle him.

You stare into his eyes and ground your hips against his cock, once, twice, until hands grab your hips

"Don't tease, I can't, not now" his voice is broken by need.

Taking the reins from him comes to you as natural as breathing, bending forward you kiss him again, slowly, exploring his mouth with your tongue and he lets you with a moan, his body boneless under yours.

"Sit up against the headboard, I want you to be comfortable" you murmur against his mouth.

Osferth scuttles backwards, his eyes hooded and cock painfully engorged. His legs splay for you and you crawl to him, pinning him with the heath in your eyes. A part of him wants to rush you, it's easily overwhelmed by his desire to be taken care of by you, to let go and be yours, he needs this so much it almost hurts.

He lets you straddle his hips and grab his cock to align it with your pussy; his moans of pleasure are drowned by your kisses as you sink on him until he bottoms out.

Your warmth flatlines his brain, he can only moan as you adjust yourself as his arms encircle your lower back and your forehead finds his. You don't do anything else, just letting him feel you tight against him until his face finds your chest and he abandons himself against you with a happy sigh.

You don't know for how long you stay like this, breathing each other in, your arms cradling Osferth's tired head against your bosom. You delicately rock against him and his fingers grab the meat of your hips, his lips kiss the soft skin of your chest in between long moans when you massage his scalp. Without your control your walls curl around his cock and shudders rock his body every time; you don't really want to make this go anywhere, not until he tells you: you know that's the closeness that he needs, not an orgasm and you are happy to give him this for however long he desires this. Being inside of you is his safe place, you will never deny him this feeling.

With a long sigh, he lifts his head from your chest; his eyes are glossy and crystal blue, the planes of his face relaxed, he looks younger than his years and you want to protect him from everything and everyone.

"My love - his voice is broken and small - I need you"

"How do you need me?"

"Ride me, please".

Your hands find his shoulders for purchase as he grabs your ass, your lips are against his, not really kissing but exchanging breaths.

Gently you lift yourself, not all the way and slowly you envelope him again, Osferth's hands grab at the sweaty skin of your back, a moan passes from his lips to yours as you repeat your movements, nice and slow, making him feel every crevice of your cunt, forcing him to bottom out every single time, your breasts sliding easily against his sweaty chest and he moans again and again, one hand sneaking into your hair to keep your lips where they are, his tongue licking at your mouth. He needs you faster but he doesn't want you to stop, he wants to come so much, at the same time his desire is to stay rooted inside your cunt forever, where he knows he is safe.

Your breathing becomes more broken the more you ride him, his cock pushing perfectly against your g spot; you don't want to orgasm just yet, he needs more of you, but his cock is perfect inside your walls, igniting your nerves with each stroke, again and again, his hands moving your body to his leisure. You are not going to last long, you bite down your own lower lip, the pain does nothing to stop your orgasm to crest and crest until his blue eyes find yours and he tells you to come. You clamp around him, forcing his orgasm from him, his hands grabbing uselessly at your skin as you two fall against the headboard, breathless.

When Aemond arrives home, you are on the couch, ebook reader in hand, Osferth snoring softly over you, huddled in a thick sweater and fleece blanket. Aemond recognises the sweater and stares at you with worry in his eyes: Osferth wears that only after a nasty day

"He is fine now, I made sure of that".

Aemond releases the breath he was holding and crouches near the sofa to kiss your mouth and then Osferth's forehead, the latter mumbles something in his sleep and curls his arms tighter around your frame.

It's Aemond who finishes to bake the pizza and you feed it to Osferth, once he is awake.

Taglist: @notyour-valentine

#aemond targaryen x reader x osferth #aemond targaryen x y/n x osferth #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen x y/n #aemond targaryen #osferth x reader #osferth x y/n #osferth

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z0r0z · 1 year

Text

I wrote some short headcanons for Zoro with a flat chested reader and they went down really well so I might make this into a series! Law was requested on that post and I was super happy that someone asked, so here's some headcanons for my favourite edgelord hehe. Let me know if there's someone you'd like to see next in this series. Some smut under the cut of course ♡

Content: afab flat chest reader, s*x mentions, law is kind of a dweeb

⤹ Law has literally never even thought about the size of boobs- maybe it’s his anatomical and medical knowledge talking, but tits are tits. You could have an A cup or a J cup and he would not care either way... or so he thought.

⤹ When he met you it flicked on a switch in his brain; the small boob appreciator switch if you will. Even though it was something he thought he didn’t care about, your lil titties quickly won over his heart as well as that secret, dirty corner in the back of his mind.

⤹ This man straight up avoided you for weeks on end and it was painfully obvious to everyone around the two of you. Any time you’d walk into a room he’d just… leave LMAO. He hated how distracted he’d get around you, the pinkish blush on his cheeks apparent to seemingly everyone except you.

⤹ He is pretty terrible at comforting people, so when you feel down about your chest size be prepared to be hit with some factual statement like ‘it’s good that you don’t get any back pain.’ He’ll eventually realise that this doesn’t really help and instead awkwardly tell you how he thinks they’re perfect as they are.

⤹ If someone made a rude comment about your chest he wouldn’t cause a scene. Instead, when you look away, he’d just use his powers to get them away from you before promptly dumping them into the ocean; good riddance in his opinion. He doesn’t tell you that he does this, but you figure him out eventually.

⤹ Is UNABLE to last for long when you ride him, your cute tits bouncing above him as you lose yourself on his cock, the most incredible lewd expression on your face. He can’t help reaching up to pinch your sensitive nipples and the mewls that slip from your lips when he does so are like music to his ears.

�� Daydreams about having you laid across his desk touching yourself for his viewing pleasure, begging for him to fuck you, before he snaps back to reality and remembers how little work he’d get done if that were happening- he’s already getting less work done just because you exist.

⤹ You casually walk around the submarine with no bra on like you’re not killing the man. He once impulsively asked you to stop after you accidentally got him hard, but he immediately took it back as it’s your choice what you want to wear. Now, every time you inadvertently get him horny like that, he simply drags you off somewhere private and fucks your pretty face as ‘punishment’.

#trafalgar law #trafalgar law x reader #trafalgar law smut #one piece smut #one piece law #trafalgar water d law #one piece x reader #i wanna do ace next hes been on my fuckin MINDDD lately #sorry if these suck it's 2am and im super tiredddd

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edwad · 21 hours

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the object does exist though, just obviously not in the way you’re outlining. your point is that the object does not *correspond* to a real tendency in economic thought that is definable and attributable to the thinkers Marx is working with. but of course, the object insofar as it is the ideal object Marx is working with DOES exist (or else it would be a critique of nothing, which is impossible) so the question is what IS that object, where does it come from

your claim is that the object does not exist AS SUCH, but that’s a given. my question to you is, what IS the object, since i doubt you would argue that its a pure invention of marx’s fancy.

hey these are decent questions, and almost the kinds of ones im interested in raising because i'd like to talk through these things with other people! unfortunately, all im really getting is hostility!

anyway, of course marx doesn't stand outside of history so it's not correct to attribute it all to his isolated brain, but there is something to be said about how his own subjectivity, structured as it was by society (and he's trying to account for these subjectivities!), could've produced this image as a "pure invention of [his] fancy", which is to say that it is its own social object capable of being accounted for, but then marx is only accounting for his own beliefs and not those of the mode of thought that he's trying to immanently critique. if all he's doing is grounding his own self-serving ordering of the historical materials, this might be very interesting as a kind of case study of marx's own position (the psychoanalysts might find such a thing interesting), but it doesn't further the critique of political economy in any meaningful way. and if we allow that marx was in any way original about this sorta stuff (and, for the record, i think we largely can!) then yeah, in a way, it is his own invention that he's trying to ground. when he introduces the field of "classical political economy" for the first time in the history of thought, it's an object that he creates as a means of thinking through the authors. he tries to chart their ideas along a historical trajectory which ends with him, and this is clear (as i've pointed to in the past) with texts like theories of surplus value where he reads the political economists as if they are merely his predecessors awkwardly feeling their way toward his categories.

if his aim is to account for the development of these categories out of the movement of capital, and then to connect those categories back into a theory of capitalism as such, then it's a very lopsided critique because it turns from immanence to inwardness. im interested in thinking about the implications of all of this, and ive said repeatedly that i haven't worked through all of this as if ive already got the reconstructed CoPE ready to go behind a curtain somewhere. ive even said that, personally, im sorta rooting for marx because i dont think ive got the chops to write Capital 2.0, but i think ultimately that something like a genealogical critique of this sort of basically impossible as a knowledge problem, which is where a kind of skepticism would run up against the ambitious hegelian form of accounting (which is quite nice, but only if it can really be pulled off)

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robo-cryptid · 6 months

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Since I've been assured nobody would hate reading about my himbo cleric Tav, here's a preview of another BG3 WIP:

As it turns out, two clerics are not the most efficient at dispatching scuttling brains. He and Shadowheart keep missing, which feels a bit like Corellon is mocking him.

“We brought down a mindflayer ship,” Shadowheart growls. “Why is this impossible?”

Tav misses the intellect devourer he made friends with. It was a lot nicer than the ones currently flailing at them. He swings with the short sword he found on the ship. The blade lands on its broad side with a wet smack, but he must have hit it somewhere vulnerable, at least. It collapses, twitches, and falls still.

“Not impossible,” he tries to reassure her. Then he gets taken out at the knees by animated gray matter.

Shadowheart finally focuses, and the last of them goes up in a burst of sacred flame. She helps him to his feet, and he feels the cold touch of her healing. He returns the favor. Funny that the shared instinct is to patch each other up, rather than address their own wounds first. It makes him like her more.

She is not exactly smiling, but it’s not unpleasant either. It’s reflex to smile back, big and bright, and then to check his hair for debris when she looks at him wide-eyed like he’s already sprouting tentacles.

“I thought you would be more capable,” she says as she shakes it off, now picking careful steps through the ship’s wreckage. “What in the world are the muscles for?”

“Carrying patients?” he suggests. “Chopping wood sometimes.”

“We’ll have to find you an axe.”

Not that the axe would do him any good against the elf they meet. Tav is on his back in the dirt in an instant, and there are a lot of things happening at once. There’s the knife at his throat, which seems like the most pressing matter, but the tadpole is wriggling in his brain, and there’s a sort of low gentle hum in the back of his mind that could mean gods-know-what, and his whole body feels hot with embarrassment.

He really should fight back, but it’s a lot harder when it’s a person and not some hellish creature.

“Surely we can talk this out,” he says, smiling the most charming smile he can summon under the circumstances.

Strange red eyes blink rapidly. He doesn’t exactly let up, but the dagger simply hovers close now instead of pressing cold against Tav’s skin. That’s progress, as far as he’s concerned.

The tadpole chooses that moment to interject. He’s cut bone deep with the knowledge that this elf has killed before.

Then Astarion introduces himself, pulls him to his feet with a smile. Says, “This is better, I think. It would have been such a pity to cut that pretty throat,” and Tav is not sure embarrassment quite covers what he’s feeling anymore.

#robo writing #bg3 fic

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likeafairytale · 3 months

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"What do you do with the money?" - a suspicious Yasmeen to Achilles

❛I gamble more. Some people would say I have a gambling problem.❜

Achilles thought he was funny, but Yasmeen did not smile or laugh, which made him pout a little. Looking at the young woman, he did not move from under the tree he was sitting with his book, and she did not come closer to him. She was at a fair distance, and the demigod could tell that she did not like being to close to people, knowing what he observed the past few days, he could understand why. His eyes on her, he saw how wary she was of him, and he would felt a bit offended, if he did not know why she was like that. Indeed, a few days ago, the man successfully stole money from Rhys and Xanthe, without their knowledge. It wasn't surprising to him, Achilles was a master thief, but what was surprising was that Yasmeen caught him. She did not tell anything, she did not make him return the money, but they made eye contact, and he could see the disapproval in her brown eyes. If he cared a little, he would have felt ashamed about that. But he did not care, plus he knew they weren't good people, so why should he have remorse?

His eyes still on Yasmeen, he examined her; she looked familiar. He knew he already saw her somewhere, but he couldn't recall where, which was frustrating. Achilles had such a good memory, and yet, since he arrived at the Seelie Court, he seemed to lack of memory. First with Nathaniel Blackwater, and now with Yasmeen. Why do both of them seemed so familiar, as if he met them before? Why did he dream of them in impossible scenarios? He did not know, but he was dying to found out.

Yasmeen looked away, and he noticed only now how creepy he must be, to look at her so intensely. She must feel uncomfortable, and too used of not saying anything, the only way she found to make him understand was looking somewhere else. Shaking his head, the young man sigh a little before, once again, shrugging.

❛The human world.❜ He suddenly said, bringing back Yasmeen's attention on him. ❛Thereis a lot of people in need there. I go to the human world and give some money to the poor. I feed the youngest.❜

❛You use the money on other people?❜ She asked a bit taken aback, although she tried to not show it, the tone of her voice betrayed her. Achilles felt very much offended by that.

❛I do not use it to get richer, if that's what you were thinking.❜ The demigod answered a bit irritated, but he tried his best to not show it too much. ❛I couldn't care less about my own profit, I'm quite content with my situation, believe it or not.❜

❛Why?❜ Yasmeen questioned, and this time, she showed how surprised she was. It was Achilles turn to be taken aback by her words now. ❛Why don't you keep all the money for you?❜ She asked, but Achilles did not answer. He did not have the time, to be honest, Yasmeen's brain was working, and she put the pieces together, before he could even say anything: ❛Because you were at their place once. You grew up in the street, don't you?❜

Once again, the demigod said nothing. She was observant, he had to admit that. This time, it was he who looked away, not being able to support the young woman's gaze on him. His past wasn't something he liked to dwell on, to be honest, it was quite blurry at the moment, always had been, he did not know why. He could remember a lot of things, but not his past, although, he knew he did not have the best of childhood. Maybe he did live in the street, maybe it was an orphanage, but Achilles saw those places, and orphanage or street, there were no differences in his eyes. He knew that whatever he lived in his childhood, it shaped him to be the vigilante he was today, and he wasn't mad about it. After a few minutes, he sighed and shrugged. His eternal childish smile on his face, he looked back at Yasmeen who was still looking at him, probably trying to read him.

❛I did not have a good childhood, you can say that.❜ He finally admitted, and he realized it was the first time he told that to someone. ❛I just don't like injustice. Why are they all organizing balls for the stupidest reasons, when some people struggle to have food in their table? That's unfair. Yes, I keep some money, because quite frankly, I need it too, but most of it goes to people who truly benefit from it.❜

❛That's honourable.❜

❛That's what they should do.❜ She said nothing to that, surely because she knew he was right. ❛You didn't tell on me. You could have, you would have been in their good grace for sure, but you didn't. Why?❜

❛All these people have too much money anyway. I won't stop you.❜

❛Good to know.❜

❛As long as you don't steal anything from the princess Calypso.❜

❛Oh, now you are spoiling all the fun!❜ He said with amusement, but just as previously, she did not find it funny. ❛She has this gorgeous diamond necklace, I can at least steal that.❜

❛That's her favourite one, I won't let you take it.❜ She was firm, and he knew he couldn't argue. After all she was nice enough to not tell on him, he should push his luck.

❛Such a waste, though.❜

❛Princess Calypso is different. She will help if you as-❜

❛I won't ask for charity to those people.❜

❛Then princess Calypso is out of the question.❜

❛What if I gamble with her and I win?❜

❛You're trying to find loophole.❜

❛That's one of my speciality.❜ He joked and winked at her. Yasmeen was unfazed.

After a while, Achilles stood up, took his bag and gave one apple to Yasmeen. The girl seemed confused by his action, and it took him insisting for her to take the fruit. She looked at it af if it was the most peculiar thing she ever saw in her life, before looking at the young man in front of her.

❛I can't eat anything from the fae kingdom.❜

❛That's from the human world. I don't like their fruits here, they taste weird. Keep it.❜

❛Why?❜

❛You look familiar.❜ He finally admitted to her, and he could see surprise in her eyes. ❛I feel like I meet you before.❜

❛If that was true, I would have remember it. You seem like the kind of man you can't forget easily.❜

❛Thank you.❜

❛It wasn't really a compliment.❜

❛I take that as such anyway.❜ He laughed and shruggled. For the first time, he saw the outline of a smile on her face, and he was proud of him. ❛I know you cannot leave the place, not without your little princess, if you want I can bring you some food.❜

❛Why would you do that?❜ Now she was back at being suspicious, and deep down he couldn't blame her.

❛Because I am a nice person. And because between outsiders we have to stick together, don't we?❜

❛... I suppose you're right.❜

❛You are fun to be around, Yasmeen. A bit too wary in my taste, but still.❜

❛Thank you for the apple.❜

❛You know what they say: an apple a day keeps the doctor away.❜

#achilles petrova #achilles x yasmeen #achilles writing prompt #writing prompt #i still don't like it completely #but i wanted to write abt them #i so want to write #but i'm never satisfy #the story of my life #honestly they have a sweet friendship #i love them already #i suck at ending this omg #icanbeyourgenie

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themagnusbane · 1 year

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GAP The Series Episode 11 Thoughts

So, did I cancel all my Saturday appointments for the next two weeks, so I can see watch the last few episodes of this beloved series, the minute they drop? Yes. Yes I did. Do I feel guilty about this choice, even a little bit?

And we kick things off directly where we left off. With Sam coming to see her grandmother, wearing those gorgeous pearls in the house that is as cold and empty as her soul! Urgh. Why can't she just accidentally fall down those stairs??? It would be doing us all a favour!!! But no. Sam has to sit there, looking uncomfortable AF whilst dishonourable Grandmother sits there, talking about wedding dates with I-hope-he-soon-becomes-roadkill Kirk! And I am SCREAMING with all the frustration Sam is feeling right now. Urgh!!! This woman stays being the worst!!!!

2. Honestly, I really NEED Sam to at some point, to tell Dishonorable grandmother that since she "likes" Kirk so much, and believes that he is the only one capable of creating a perfect family and life with the woman he chooses to marry, then grandma should marry him herself. Kirk with his ingratiating ass probably won't say "no", and grandma can experience that perfect family and life that she so desperately wants, for herself!

3. Good on Sam!! Ask her the questions. It's so easy for grandma to give orders, and Sam obeys cuz she loves the old witch. But what about the other way round? From what position is Dishonorable grandmother giving all these orders disguised as "advice"?

4. Aaaaaaand of course she's claiming that she does so because she "loves" Sam. Is it really love, when you're not actually listening to what your granddaughter wants? Is it love when you're running roughshod over her wishes and forcing her to a life of unwanted heterosexuality with a backstabbing piece of shit like Kirk? Someone who's already shown very little regard for Sam's wishes, and shown that he's quite capable of going behind her back to arrange a deal with a rival company without telling her because somewhere in that big brain of his that he doesn't use, he thinks that Sam would for some reason be happy to be led by the nose to a decision she didn't ask for, and certainly doesn't want? Is that what love looks like to you Dishonourable liar? What a fucking lie!!!!

5. Of course all she cares about is reputation. Not the happiness of her grandchildren. It's why one left home and never looked back. And while the second one is dead. And now you have dearest Sam, buckling under all the weight and expectations that Dishonorable grandmother has put on her poor shoulders and I really wish I could enter this show and scream at her grandmother on her behalf.

6. Atta girl! Call her out Sam! Call her out for her homophobia and her shitty parenting! Let her see that she's already lost two grandchildren, and she's about to lose a third. Of course, she can always make the decision to adopt Kirk and have him as her grandson. With the way he jumps to her commands like the spineless lapdog he is, he definitely fits all the criteria she wants in a grandchild.

7. And now she's trying to emotionally manipulate Sam into going along with her wishes; which I totally expected, because truly there's no level Dishonourable grandmother wouldn't sink to, to get her wishes. It is clear that she has plotted out a course for her grandchildren's lives, and just one step outside of those coloured lines, has her losing her shit. Which is infuriating. Children do not exist to help you find fulfillment or to live out your dreams for you. They are independent beings, here in this world to have their own experiences, live their lives and chart their own course. Your job as a parent/guardian is to give them the tools and knowledge they need to survive in the world, and then let them go, to go live their lives and make those choices. And all you can do is hope that they make the right ones. All of this just further reiterates how horrible of a parental figure Dishonourable grandmother truly is, and that the only reason her granddaughters turned out to be decent, is because they are by their own nature, good people. Grandmother though... She is absolute trash. Gods I hate this woman so much!!

8. And this is why we push for marriage equality and queer people to be allowed to marry. Because if you live in a country where you do not have that protection, your partner can't legally be allowed to do anything for you. They can't sign forms. They can't make medical decisions on your behalf. They can't do shit. And because of the heteronormative, patriarchal society that a lot of us live in, that power is instead given to relatives who are often homophobic and don't have your best interests at heart. Add to the pain of being the partner who can't do anything for the one you love, because society insists on its bullshit and loves is so attached to the concept of heterosexuality, and they've put that power in the hands of everybody else but you, and FUCK!!! I am screaming in rage and pain because Ice doesn't deserve this. Song doesn't deserve this. We don't deserve this. FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!

9. This fucking bitch. This failed excuse of a parental figure. This absolute waste of fucking space. WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING???? Your granddaughter is in the ICU, dying!!! There is a consent form that needs YOUR signature so the doctors can operate on her to save her life. But all your brain can think of is to attack her lover? Seriously???? SERIOUSLY??? Trash. Absolute fucking trash. What in the rage-inducing bullshit of a behaviour is this????? Why are you not asking about Song right now??? How is it her fault that your granddaughter was involved in an accident you witch!!! The person who's to blame for the emotional state Song was in, is YOU! You Blame-shifting-energy-sucking-vampire-masquerading as a grandmother bitch!

10. A part of me wonders if Dishonourable grandmother really lacks any form of self-awareness. The fact that even after all this time, she is so quick to remove herself from the role SHE played in Song's death is infuriating to me. The reason why Song is dead isn't because she was gay you failed excuse of a parent! It's because you were toxic as fuck, and in separating from you, the parental figure who was meant to show her unconditional love, but instead wanted neat little dolls whose lives you could dictate, turned on her. YOU are the reason she is dead. Not Ice. Not her being gay. YOU!!!! And I swear, if this show tries to hurt Sam in any way, to get this witch to get her head out of her FUCKING ass to see how much she is killing the one granddaughter she has left, I WILL FUCKING SCREAM!!!!!

11. This emotional manipulation of "everything I do is for you. I've raised you since you were a kid. Won't you do this for me" is taking some many pages out of the abusive parent textbook, and Sam is so vulnerable, I just know she is buying this bullshit and URGH!!! I AM SO PISSED!!!! She's deliberately mixing her false concern with the homophobia to disguise the fact that what she really wants is to control you. Don't fall for it Sam. DO NOT LISTEN TO HER!!!!

12. Fuck! Now she's hiding from Mon. Grandmother's toxin has gotten to her. Fuck!! What's the use of having a spouse who will "protect you" when they can't ensure your joy, or protect your peace? All you will be in that marriage is miserable. You deserve better Sam. You deserve better. My poor baby.

13. Sam really does have the best friends. Look at them in Mon's house, comforting her girl. Mon my darling. There is so much you do not know about Dishonourable grandmother. Your mother has more honour in her little pinky that that witch has in her entire body.

14 But I am thankful to Idol Factory for giving me some TeeYuki fluff to help with the pain. Look at my secondary ship being so sweet. Tee keeps asking Yuki to get her things, to help preserve Sam's privacy so it's only Mon they are revealing all these secrets about Sam's family life to, and I am happy that they are respecting Sam's privacy whilst also giving us hints of TeeYuki's relationship in the same breath. And Yuki sweetheart. I don't blame you. If Tee asks me to go get water for the baby, I'm bringing a full-on tank for her! If she asks me to cut fruits, I'm bringing in the whole fucking orchard. My queen deserves ONLY the best. And she's getting it. Tee. Mommy. Have mercy. Please.

15. Awwwww. Look at our brave Mon, still going back to ring the doorbell. She's like "I will never give up on us Khun Sam", and I LOVE THAT!!!! I love LOVE that from the start of the show, we have established that Mon is quite stubborn, and has never given up even when Sam was being an absolute bitch to her! That tenacity is going to serve you well now Mon. You will need to tap into that and hold on with your bloody fingers, cuz Dishonourable grandmother will try pulling Sam over to on Comphet shenanigans. Resist!! Be the stubborn lovable Mon that we all know. DO NOT GIVE UP ON OUR GIRL!!!

16. Their interlocked fingers!!! Be still my heart!! I know there's a ton of pain coming over the next episode and a half (until we get our happy ending in episode 12), so I'm holding onto this moment of sweetness to tide me over!!!

17. I knew she was going to say she would marry Kirk. Like, we all saw the trailer. We saw her in the wedding dress. We KNEW this was coming. But shit! This still FUCKING HURTS!!! Mon's face is killing me. Looking at the pain. All that pain!!!! Becky's acting in this scene. Her tears. Sam's powerlessness. This scene is breaking my heart. Smashing it into smithereens. My poor babies. Fuuuuuuuuuck. Have I said it enough today? But I really REALLY hate that fucking grandmother. Dishonourable witch!

18. I can't deal with this!!! Like, don't get me wrong. I'm grateful that this is happening in episode 11. Cuz we know we only have to deal with this for one episode and that we will get our happy ending in the next episode. But shit. This hurts. This fucking hurts. My heart!!!

19. And now, they are saying their "i love you's" and having their goodbye sex. And this fucking hurts. This fucking hurts so much. Even down to the doggy pet name. Why does this show want to break me. I can't handle this. I can't handle this. Someone send help. FUck!!!!!!!!!!!

20. Hold up. I think my brain is only just catching up to this. But hold up. Did Mon just agree to be Sam's side-piece? Like Sam is going to marry Kirk, but still be secretly dating Mon? Cuz um... My girl Mon deserves better than to be the other woman. If there should be any othering in this drama, it should be Kirk. And by that I mean he should other himself out of the room, out of the picture, out of the fucking drama. Damn twat!

21. Aaaaaand it's fucking Kirk at the door. Urgh! His face. I really really hate seeing his face. Why do I have to suffer this injustice. Fucking Kirk!!!

22. Self-righteous deceitful prick! You are not sorry that she has to leave the company. Don't come with your bullshit lies. You know that Sam won't give you the time of the day with Mon around, and you're trying everything to keep our two girls apart. I see right through your deceitful little face!!! You can't lie to me.

23. Urgh!!! Will it be other people that will see Mon as a home wrecker, or are you talking about yourself Kirk? Because the person who is wrecking a home filled with love right now, is you!!! And I know, I already mentioned earlier that my girl Mon, deserves better than being a side-piece, but I don't want this shit coming from Kirk. You have no room to talk, or leg to stand on. Fuck you. And fuck off!

24. The soft tones with which Kirk is making this statement and asking that Mon stay away from Sam; him having the audacity to say that if not for Mon, he and Sam would already be married, is grating on my nerves. Keep fucking yourself Kirk. Piece of shit!!!

25. I briefly interrupt our moment of pain to make this very important announcement: Neung is sooooo fine!!! I swear, the amount of face candy that Gap's served us through these many episodes.Add the fact that I have a weakness for older artistic women, who work with their hands and are quite good at their craft and I've been swooning ever since. That smile as she gets for Mon's number????

26. Neung straight out calling Dishonourable grandmother a witch! I knew I loved her for a reason. She has zero fucks to give about that woman, and I desperately need Sam to get to that point before the show ends. But I doubt if this show is going to address that. They're probably going to have Sam reconcile with Dishonourable grandmother at some point, and try and mend the rift between her and Neung. When that happens, y'all can bet, I will be watching my TV, seething at the screen!

27. You go Neung! Call your baby sis and talk some sense into her. Don't let her fall into Dishonourable grandmother's clutches. Give her gorgeous tush the push she needs to walk away from the woman!!!

28. Fuck!!! Mon's packing up all her pink dresses. My heart. This pain!!!! And all the flashbacks!!! Gap!!!!!! Why do you hurt me so???? Why are you breaking me? Do you feed off my pain??? Do my tears make you happy????

29. Aaaaaand she's all packed up and leaving. Sam!! Where are you? Your girl's leaving!!

30. Ha! She made it home. Not like it would help anything though. You're choosing to follow your grandmother and marry Kirk the human trash heap. Mon's going to leave. It will break both your hearts, but you need to choose YOU. Not your grandmother, and her bullshit words and manipulations. You need to choose YOUR happiness. YOUR safety. YOUR Joy. YOUR love. I hope Sam realizes it early enough. I don't want to have to wait till the last 5mins of episode 12 before we get our happy ending. Cuz that shit would hurt!!!!

31. Mon's not saying it, but her eyes are doing that Meredith thing; asking Sam to choose her, and I am in so much pain!!!!

32. I know Sam's saying that she's going to find a solution for them, and fight back. But with Dishonourable grandmother, and human trash heap Kirk, my expectations are low. Cuz I don't think those two will give up without a fight. And Sam's too vulnerable to their bullshit to resist.

33. Ha!!! She's calling the calvary! That's actually a pretty smart move on her part. She knows that she will fold like a wet noodle in front of her grandmother and Kirk. But Neung? Neung will give as good as she gets. And she's spent enough time away from their grandmother to be able to pull it off. But honestly, I hope both Sam and Neung both tell her Dishonourable grandmother the truth, and let her know of the consequences of the bullshit she keeps pulling: that she would end up alone. In that big empty house. With Kirk as company. Which honestly, when you think about it, is exactly what she deserves.

34. Dishonourable grandmother asking if Sam wants her dead

Everyone who is currently watching this show, and especially this episode:

35. And of course she's having heart palpitations. Sam. Don't fall for it. She's trying to manipulate you into doing what she wants. It's all part of her plan. Resist it! Don't fall for her, or human trash heap Kirk's face guilt tripping face! Stand strong!!!

36. Thank God! Neung is here!!! Help Sam resist. Don't let her fall for the bullshit that Dishonourable grandmother is saying. Come save your sister. Hurry!!! She's starting to fall for the tears and bullshit.

37. And look at that entrance!!! YESSSSSSS NEUNG!!! CALL HER OUT!!! CALL HER OUT ON THE BULLSHIT!!!!!

38. Also, anyone else noticed how Dishonourable grandmother suddenly got all "better" and wasn't looking as weak or frail the minute Neung walked in, and called out her ass???? Fucking lying bitch!!! Keep calling her out Neung. Be the voice for the audience!!!!

39. Sam girl. Neung is trying to help you. Her words might be harsh, but she's saying the truth. Your grandmother is trying to take advantage of your soft heart and love for her. Listen to your sister!!!

40. The verbal lashing!!! The verbal lashing that Neung is giving Dishonourable grandmother is EVERYTHING I WANTED!!! EVERYTHING!!! Oh my God!!! I didn't think this show was going to question to what extent filial piety turns into abuse, and how our elders can in turn wield it as a tool to have us cater to their selfish whims. Neung my heart. Keep going. EVISCERATE HER!!! SPEAK ALL THAT TRUTH!!! Break that house of cards, made of emotional manipulation that Dishonorable grandmother has built. Have it come crashing down!! Some truths are hard to swallow, but please shove them down her selfish throat!!!

41. I love that Neung is the catalyst. The turning point that Sam needs to make her decision. She's the one that walked away, stay away, and thrived on her own terms. Song didn't get that chance because she was killed just before she could. But Neung, who represents what it means to walk away from the wealth, and privilege and prestige that their grandmother holds, being on one side of the divide, and her grandmother being on the other side, is such a nice contrast. And of course, grandmother is trying to hold Sam back by stating that she would cut her off. But let's be honest. What exactly would Sam be losing if she does that? Sam's built her own business outside of her grandmother, so it's not like she needs the woman's money. The one thing that her grandmother can offer her is the love of an older relative, which she wasn't giving her anyway. Sam, honey. Walk away. WALK AWAY!!!

42. You can hear the pain in Neung's voice. She's so desperate to save Sam; to get her to walk away from their grandmother. I think a part of that is rooted in the guilt she feels. That she left her siblings with her, and Song died, whilst Sam became this girl, so terrified to grasp her happiness with her two hands if it would displease their grandmother. She so wants Sam to choose herself. To choose her own happiness, and love. And I am rooting for all three of them (Sam, Mon and Neung). I'm hoping that Sam makes the right choice. But with how deep grandmother's sunk her talons into my girl, I doubt if she would break free this episode. But still, I can't stop hoping because fuck! THIS EPISODE IS PAIN!!!!!

43. OMG!!! OMG!!! OMG!!!! She did it!! She actually walked away from Dishonourable grandmother and chose her own happiness, and love with Mon? OMG!!! OMG!!! Sam!!! My girl. My brilliant, brilliant girl. She did it! She did it!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!

44. Neung is so proud. I'm so proud. She did it!!! Our baby girl did it!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!

Aaaaaaaaand I just saw the preview for episode 12. What. The. FUCK?!!!!!!!!!

#gap #gap yuri #gap episode thoughts #gap the series #freenbecky #beckyfreen #sammon #sam x mon #monsam #mon x sam #becky armstrong #freen sarocha #gap episode 11 #noria watches gap

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justdecadentcollectiondestiny · 2 years

Text

KORTENAER - You see two cold eyes looking at you -- through all the smoke and the panic. And a pistol, raised, aiming at your chest, point blank. Then the man squeezes the trigger…

1. - Wait -- Kim -- I can��t see Kim…

2. - Look him in the eye.

3. - [Reaction Speed - Impossible 20] Evade the shot.

4. - Let it happen.

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant is not visible in your peripheral vision.

YOU - Then where--

LOGIC - He is behind you.

ESPRIT DE CORPS [Medium: Success] - As he so often is.

VISUAL CALCULUS [Medium: Success] - In dodging Ruud’s shot, you stepped to the left of the lieutenant. After the chaos of the last few seconds, you now stand between him and the mercenary Kortenaer.

INLAND EMPIRE [Formidable: Success] - That’s right. You can feel his presence behind you. You know what it feels like by now. He’s there.

EMPATHY [Challenging: Success] - Don’t. Move. Stay right where you are.

COMPOSURE - You mean--

VISUAL CALCULUS - Yes. If the bullet that is about to emerge from the barrel of that gun does not hit you, it will hit Kim Kitsuragi.

PAIN THRESHOLD [Trivial - Success] - No. No, you can’t do what you’re thinking of doing. Have you forgotten the *automatic weapons* already? Getting shot by one of them won’t just *hurt.* It will *exterminate* you. Just standing here deliberating is going against every animal instinct in your primal-brain.

SAVOIR FAIRE - You could make it, if you dodge. There’s got to be a chance.

REACTION SPEED [Medium: Failure] - There could be. As far as you know, there is.

EMPATHY - It doesn’t matter if there’s a chance or not. Not with what’s on the line. Any chance is too much of a risk.

YOU - Can’t I warn him?

REACTION SPEED [Medium: Success] - There is no time. By the time the signal from your brain reaches your mouth and the sound of your words reaches his ears and the signal from his brain reaches his muscles, it will be too late.

VISUAL CALCULUS [Easy: Success] - The lieutenant cannot see what is about to happen. His eyes are still on Ruud, and the aftermath of his miraculous shot.

DRAMA - You are in an advantageous position, my liege. Only you are aware of the imminent peril. Do you dare use that knowledge to betray him?

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Medium: Success] - There will be no exit wound. Your body will be enough to slow the momentum of the bullet and it will come to a stop somewhere inside of you.

RHETORIC - All that to say: a bullet in your chest will keep it out of the lieutenant’s.

HALF LIGHT [Challenging: Success] - This bullet, at least.

ENDURANCE - You won’t be able to take it. That bullet will tear through you and leave nothing left. You’ll fall to the ground and feel every drop of life leak out of you. You don’t want that. Believe me. Take the chance.

VOLITION [Easy - Success] - What would that make you? Think about it. Would you be able to stand it? Would you be able to stand knowing that you were a person who would sacrifice a solitary spark of warmth in a cold world just to continue breathing the very air that chills and freezes your lungs with every inhale?

INLAND EMPIRE - That spark will keep you warm. No matter where you go. Hold it close. Cling to it.

ENDURANCE - Please, no. Leap. Twist. Move. Do anything. I’m begging you.

KORTENAER - The explosion rattles your back teeth as the bullet rips through the air.

REACTION SPEED - Your time has run out. Decide. *Now*.

1. - Fuck this. I was insane for even thinking it. I’m dodging that bullet.

2. - I need to try. I’m too scared to stand still.

3. - God… I don’t know. Don’t make me decide.

4. - It’s taking everything in me. But I can’t move.

5. - I’m not moving a muscle. I won’t do it.

VOLITION - Why? Why for him?

1. - Because he’s my fellow police officer. He’d do the same for me.

2. - Because he’s my fellow human being. We all have a duty to each other on this planet.

3. - Because he’s Kim.

KIM KITSURAGI - There was never a decision to be made here, you realize. You have already made it. You made this decision when you felt a hand on your shoulder as you sat in despair on a swing set. You made this decision every time the sensation of the neatly folded handkerchief in your breast pocket steadied your buckling knees and strengthened your fracturing resolve. You made this decision when you were released from paralyzing, furious agony in a dark underground tunnel and your first thought was to turn around because, despite your quarry standing right in front of you and the throbbing pain still ringing through your own ears, the safety of the man behind you was most important -- and still is. Because you made this decision a fraction of a second ago, when you stared down the barrel of a gun and didn’t immediately leap out of the way of danger, because ensuring this man would come to no harm came first, before anything else.

INLAND EMPIRE - Somewhere in a parallel yet distant universe there may be a world in which you can bear to knowingly step away in refusal to protect him. The one you exist in is not one of them. You know this.

Don’t you?

1. - Look him in the eye.

2. - [Reaction Speed - Impossible 20] Evade the shot.

3. - Let it happen.

YOU - Let it happen.

REACTION SPEED - You simply blink. Then something inside your pelvis explodes. Your entire lower body is on fire and your legs can’t support you… you fall down like a rag doll.

PAIN THRESHOLD [Challenging: Failure] - The pain is too immense to scream. It pushes the air out of your lungs. Everything goes dark, a distant blur as you recede into it…

YOU - (Try to open your eyes.) What do I see?

PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Medium: Success] - Nothing. A persisting darkness. Dancing lights of pain. Distant shadows cast by them, like a hellish play…

KIM KITSURAGI - “You’re bleeding out!” Out of it -- a silhouette appears, crouching over you. You hear a familiar voice, filled with urgency and fear.

YOU - “Kim…”

KIM KITSURAGI - “Yes, it’s me! Keep talking!” The lieutenant pushes down on your wound, hard.

YOU - “Kim… you’re okay, right? I stopped it…”

KIM KITSURAGI - “I’m -- I’m alright, you stay with me!” The dots are connecting in the lieutenant’s mind, he is realizing what you have done. “God, no… Stay awake! Look at me!”

You want to. But you can’t. It’s so hard. Your eyelids grow heavy and the sounds ever more distant. And a cold comes over you. The lieutenant, too, is somewhere far away. Almost gone… when suddenly! You sense something behind him…

DE PAULE - A slender white shadow, towering. Someone stands there -- raising her pistol at him. The lieutenant does not see it. He’s pushing down on your wound with both hands…

REACTION SPEED [Medium: Success] - Scream IMMEDIATELY! He’s gonna die.

1. - Just let the darkness take you.

2. - [Authority - Medium 11] No!!! Kim…

VERY HIGH

97%

+1 The lieutenant trusts you.

+2 Kim *truly* trusts you.

CHECK SUCCESS

AUTHORITY [Medium: Success] - “No,” you scream: “BEHIND YOU!” from your bloody lips. Your eyes are full of fear.

KIM KITSURAGI - There is no room for hesitation. The lieutenant turns around and fires, his body falling on yours in the course of the motion…

DE PAULE - You hear a faint scream -- a woman’s. The darkness is rushing in on all sides, like the iris of a camera quickly closing. Everything’s so far away…

YOU - (You can’t go yet. Push the words out of your mouth.) “...You hit her?”

KIM KITSURAGI - “Yes,” he replies breathlessly. “I hit her.”

YOU - “…Good. …Had to make sure first…”

KIM KITSURAGI - There’s a clatter, his gun hitting the paving stones as he scrambles upright to resume compression on your wound. You can’t feel it. “Hey. Hey! No, goddammit, stay! Come on, keep your eyes open for me, okay?!”

But it’s impossible. You’re slipping away from everything. Dimmer and quieter and colder. The woman is gone. So is Kim. Then the whole world…

“HARRY!”

YOU - Fall into total darkness.

…

ANCIENT REPTILIAN BRAIN - You just can’t stay away, can you, baby? You had the chance. But you didn’t take it. You just had to come crawling back.

YOU - What are you talking about?

ANCIENT REPTILIAN BRAIN - Let me ask you a question, Harry-boy. This is death, you know. Look, there’s the door. Is that what you were looking for? Is that the *real* reason you wouldn’t even *try*?

1. - You got me. Lemme at that door.

2. - No. I did it for Kim. It was worth it.

ANCIENT REPTILIAN BRAIN - Well, well, well. Looks like we were right about you, in the end. Love did you in after all, didn’t it, Brother Coppo? No matter. Fall deeper. Take the door.

LIMBIC SYSTEM - He’s *not* taking it. His body is not taking it. Oh god, no, he’s not disintegrating -- he’s swelling up instead. Over the hours. Hurting. Moaning in his sleep.

And rotting. And being disinfected. And smelling of drugs and feeling saliva in his mouth. Drifting in painkillers. Thrashing in his wound sleep.

AUTHORITY [Medium: Success] - The case doesn’t care that you just died for your partner. Get up.

PERCEPTION (HEARING) [Medium: Success] - There is a radio in the distance. A radio of the world. Playing sounds: Good morning, Elysium. Soon you will return to the world.

LIMBIC SYSTEM - Hours turn to days. Soon he will get up again and go through it -- again! Again! Finally, we know what the infernal engine was -- outside, the clarion call…

It was *him*. *He* is the infernal engine. He never stops. He only gets worse.

ANCIENT REPTILIAN BRAIN - Go on then. Go through it again if you want. And when you come back -- and you know you will -- then you can tell us if everything, all the pain and the thrashing and the moaning, really was “worth it.”

…

KIM KITSURAGI - “Sunrise, parabellum.”

Inspired by this piece by @tuinendraws that I've loved ever since I first laid eyes on it as well as the amazing work of @even-disco-baby!

#yes i colored all the skill names because i enjoy putting inordinate amounts of effort into details that don't matter #this one will be on ao3 too as soon as i can come up with a decent title #disco elysium #harrier du bois #kim kitsuragi #disco elysium spoilers #writing #dc drafts #dc descants

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