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ao3komorii · 3 years

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Tangling with the Lifeguard (Pool Party Sett/Reader)

The Pool Party Sett story is done! I’ve gone with a beach!AU sort of setting where league races exist in a modern-day beach sort of place. Also sorry to any MF or Syndra mains, they don’t really come out the best in this xD Hope you enjoy, and as always, there is a smut warning for the end!

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The sun was shining high in the sky, crystalline waters lapping against the shore as beachgoers took advantage of the perfect summer day. Taking in the scene from your place in the shade of a tree on the border between the beach and parking lot, you let a smile grace your lips as you mused on just how much this place seemed to not change, even after so many years.

The last time you had set foot on this beach, you had been twelve years old, full of excitement and unaware of the harsh realities of the adult world. Your parents had brought you here for that summer, now thirteen years ago, the beautiful beach an unforgettable experience. You had left after that summer with treasured memories, and a new friend, that same friend the very reason why you had returned to Port Navori beach after so long.

Taliyah had been the same age as you, with fairly lax parents who let her roam the beach by herself, even as the small twelve-year-old she had been. You had bonded instantly, spending almost every day together, and keeping in touch through letters, and later emails and text messages.

You had long said that you had wanted to come back and visit the lively beach town, but the timing hadn’t been right, not until this year.

You were done all your schooling, and had quit your high-stress, low-pay job, and as Taliyah had said on your last phone call, you had no reason not to visit. Her parents had been travelling the world since they retired, so you would have her house all to yourselves.

In your absence, Taliyah had become a fairly accomplished surfer in the local scene, working at an ice cream shop on the beach to support her expensive pursuits. She had been so insistent that you couldn’t find yourself able to refuse her offer; work in the ice cream shop with her in the day, and then spend the rest of your time catching up with each other. You had missed your friend dearly, and had accepted the offer without a second thought.

And now here you were, waiting at the beach’s edge for Taliyah to show up. She had told you to dress for the beach, sounding casual as was her usual, so you had worn a swimsuit with a short, flowy shoulderless dress on overtop. Unwilling to look like a lobster by day’s end, you had carefully layered yourself with sunscreen, and now all you needed was for your friend to get here already. Just when you were about to get out your phone to text her, an excited call of your name had you re-stowing the phone in your bag and looking back to see your friend bounding across the parking lot towards you.

Taliyah, dressed in a two-piece water suit and carrying a tropical-flower-print surfboard, came to a stop before you, leaning her surfboard against a tree to free her arms to tackle you in a hug.

“You’re finally here!” she grinned, surprising you with the strength of her hug. “We’re gonna have so much fun!”

“So what’s first?” you asked as you pulled back from the hug.

Taliyah hummed. “I guess I’ll show you the shop.”

You followed her onto the beach, recognizing the small bright blue building from the pictures she had sent you before. Taliyah took you around the back, fishing a key out of her pocket before unlocking the door and leading you into the small room.

There were large tubs of ice cream in the middle of the room, the walls lined with containers of various toppings and machines. On the back wall from you were two windows, glossy menus pasted to the doors that would display out when they were opened. Upon walking closer to the menu signs, you noticed something.

“Hey, it says we open at nine, but it’s ten-thirty…”

“It’s fine,” Taliyah replied with a shrug. “The owners are pretty chill. If anyone complains, I’ll just tell them I had to train the new employee.”

You playfully rolled your eyes. Sometimes you really envied Taliyah’s ability to be so carefree. Her calm energy was a big help for you, having got advice from her on numerous occasions over the years.

Taliyah came over to where you were, eyes flitting boredly to the menu boards before turning her attention back to you. “So I’m thinking we get you taking orders while I make them.”

“Works for me,” you agreed. It certainly sounded easier than figuring out what a poro float was supposed to be. You never knew ice cream stands had such fancy options now, used to the simple menus of ice cream cones and bars back at the shops in your hometown.

You were about to open the order windows when you were stopped by a rustling noise from the back of the store. You turned to see Taliyah digging in a cardboard box in the back corner, pulling out some folded-up fabric that was the same sky blue as the stand.

“Didn’t think you’d get away without an embarrassing uniform, did you?” Taliyah teased, tossing some of her fabric pile your way.

You caught the bundle, unfolding it to find an apron with Poro Palace Frozen Treats in pink bubble letters, little white fuzzy animals dotting the apron. There was an accompanying blue visor hat that looked like something out of a kid’s store. You reluctantly slipped both items of clothing on, looking back to find that Taliyah had done the same.

“Stylish, huh?” she smirked, striking a modelesque pose.

“We look like we work at an amusement park, Tali,” you laughed.

“Feels like it sometimes with all the annoying kids that come by,” she replied. “Okay, you can open it up now.”

Taliyah settled herself down in a chair in front of the section of ice cream tubs, and you reluctantly turned to unlatch and open the windows, unsure of exactly what you were getting yourself into.

The small room lit up with the outside sunlight streaming in from your window to outside, the immediate glare of the sun making you wish you had worn sunglasses.

Almost immediately, the masses were upon you. You noticed a woman with several children in tow who perked up as she laid eyes on you, striding over to you with her children right behind her, pushing each other as they scrambled to be the first one to get over to you.

You heard Taliyah groan behind you. “Get the pen ready. They always have the most annoying orders.”

You rose an eyebrow, but picked up the pen and notepad that sat beside the cash register as the woman came to a stop before you.

“You know, I’ve been waiting for an hour already. You young girls don’t know how hard it is for mothers,” the woman complained, not letting you get a word in edgewise. “Alright, tell her what you want.”

“I want a brownie sundae!” a small boy with blue hair who clearly intended to make full use of his outdoor voice shouted. “But with cotton candy ice cream and pop rocks and I want only blue candies!”

“Uh…” The kid was talking too fast for you to write, but luckily Taliyah had your back, a got it ringing out from behind you.

You weren’t sure how you had managed to get their orders out before they melted, messing up their total several times before Taliyah had to come and help you out. With a last snide look and a fistful of blue napkins, the mother and her little terrors left the stand at last.

“She’s the worst,” Taliyah said, bringing your weary gaze her way as she cleaned off an ice cream scoop. “I accidentally put one red candy in that kid’s sundae once and he screamed until I remade the whole thing!”

You winced. “Feels like we got off easy today.”

“Yeah,” Taliyah agreed. “Helps that they order the same thing every time, so I’ve got some practice.”

“Are they all this bad?” you asked, turning away from the window after seeing no potential customers nearby.

“Not all of them,” she replied with a strained smile. “I swear the heat just brings the jerk out in some of the people here.”

Speaking of jerks… your conversation was interrupted by an impatient-sounding throat clearing noise from behind you. You whirled around to see a redheaded woman with heart-shaped sunglasses and a revealing swimsuit leaning against your counter. She was staring at you like you were gum she had stepped in, flipping some hair over her shoulder when she knew she had your attention.

“Five cherry snowballs,” she said, dropping a few coins on your counter, some of which bounced and hit the floor. “To the red umbrella, thanks ice cream girl.”

Without any further interaction, she turned on her heel and strutted away, hips swinging as she went, leaving you wondering what had just happened.

You slowly turned back to face Taliyah again. “Um, do we usually deliver?”

“Nope,” she answered. “Not to people like that anyways.”

“But…” you protested weakly. You knew Taliyah got away with a lot here, but you didn’t want her to lose her job because some rude girl complained to her bosses. “I’ll just take them over and next time I’ll just say we don’t deliver.”

“Still tempted to put rocks in their snowballs,” Taliyah joked as she set about piling the scoops of red ice.

Soon you had a tray with five cherry syrup-coated piles of shaved ice in little plastic bowls with accompanying little plastic spoons stuck in the side of the dishes.

“I’ll be right back,” you said, heading past Taliyah to the back door, opening it to find yourself back out in the mid-morning heat.

The sand still felt uncomfortably hot underfoot, even with your flip flops on. With how hot it was out, these would have to be delivered as soon as possible to not be a puddle by the time they were eaten. Your only problem was that you had no idea where to go.

The redhead had said that she would be at the red umbrella, but of course nothing at this ice cream stand would be that easy. Standing just outside the hut, you were treated to a veritable rainbow of colored beach umbrellas. You counted at least ten red ones scattered across the beach, none particularly standing out to you. You didn’t have many options, and were forced to go with the most tedious one; checking every red umbrella until you found the girl and her group.

The first umbrella had been a bust, as had the next five. The sixth had led to a sweaty old man who told you that you were just in time to help him sunscreen his back. By the time you had hurriedly fled from that creep, it had been about five minutes of searching, the snowballs on your tray looking considerably droopier than they had been when you had left the shop.

You stared down at the tray of melting treats, unsure of what to do now. Should you go back and have Taliyah remake the snowballs? Try a few more umbrellas and hope you got lucky? You really hadn’t been anticipating this much stress when you had agreed to work here with Taliyah for the summer.

You frowned at the now-more-water-than-ice treats, your decision made. You couldn’t serve these, not as melted as they were. You would go back and help remake them and see if Taliyah had any insight as to which red umbrella was the right one. You turned around to head back to the stand, only to trip on your overheating flip flops and fall forward with a cry.

You had closed your eyes with a flinch as you fell, but opened them with a start as you heard a grunt from right in front of you. Looking up from your position in the burning sand, you felt like your heart was going to stop in your chest.

Standing before you was the most attractive guy you had ever laid eyes on, with fire red hair and a pair of black animal ears that looked soft to the touch. He was dressed in a tight pair of swim shorts, a lightweight red jacket tied around his waist. He had a flower lei around his neck, but that was the only thing that he wore on his top half, his insanely-well-built torso on full display, a torso you realized with horror was currently splattered with red syrup and shaved ice.

You looked from the hot guy to the ground, the sand around you speckled with plastic cups, spoons and napkins, your tray turned upside down in the sand. You slowly risked a gaze back up, only to see the guy staring down at you from behind his pink-tinted sunglasses as a clump of ice fell from his stomach to the sand just in front of your hands.

Embarrassment forced you to spring up, grabbing some stray napkins from the ground and dabbing them against the mess of syrup and ice on the man’s abdomen.

“I’m so sorry, I–” You looked up from your apologizing to see the man silently staring at you, your hand freezing in place as you realized that you were basically feeling this guy up through the napkins, the realization making your cheeks burn with shame and embarrassment.

“I’m really sorry!” you cried out, pulling your hands back. He still hadn’t said anything, and you realized that you couldn’t just stand here like an idiot, your flight instinct kicking in as you reached down to grab your tray before moving around the man and fleeing in the direction of the ice cream stand.

“Hey, wait!”

The man tried to grab your arm as you passed, but you were faster in your embarrassment-fueled retreat, and soon the hot stranger was far behind you. You didn’t stop running until you were back at the shop, the empty sand-logged tray clutched tightly to your chest, your heartbeat pounding in your ears as you shut the door, making eye contact with a confused Taliyah.

“Hey, are you okay?” she asked, getting up to approach you when you didn’t respond. “Talk to me. What happened? If that snob said anything to you–”

“No, no, she didn’t,” you replied weakly, sinking to the floor with your back against the door. “I didn’t even get to her.”

“Then what happened?” she pressed, bringing you a glass of water and prying the tray from your hands at last.

She ushered you to your feet and down into her chair, taking a seat on one of the counters. You took a deep breath, taking a sip of the water before recounting the events of the past ten minutes to Taliyah, who listened silently.

“…I didn’t know what to do, so I just ran,” you finished, setting your water down to bury your face in your hands.

“It’s no big deal,” Taliyah replied gently. “Everyone has embarrassed themselves in front of someone. Remember that time I tripped over my board in front of that group of tourists?”

“I covered him in cherry syrup, Tali,” you groaned. “I don’t think I’m cut out for this.”

“It’s your first day,” she stressed. “You’re bound to mess some things up.”

She stood up, returning to the shaved ice machine. “Now how about we remake those snowballs and then I’ll–”

Taliyah had frozen in place, a plastic cup in her hand as she stared straight ahead.

“Tali?” you questioned, standing up. “Are you–”

“That guy you dumped the snowballs on,” she quickly interrupted. “Did he have majorly cut abs and animal ears?”

“Uh, why?” You felt a jolt of fear shoot up your spine as you followed her gaze to see the man from earlier currently approaching the shop, well-defined abdomen now minus the sticky mess you had spilt all over him. “Oh god, it’s him!”

You and Taliyah exchange wide-eyed glances before you dove down out of sight, hiding behind the tubs of ice cream like they were a fortress.

“Please get rid of him!” you begged. “I’ll do whatever you want, I just can’t face him!”

You heard Taliyah sigh. “Fine, but this means you’re coming stone hunting with me tonight.”

You agreed immediately, even if the prospect wasn’t overwhelmingly appealing. Taliyah was always eager to add to her collection of shiny stones, but was so picky that it often took hours to find just one stone that met her standards. But right now you were so desperate that you would have promised her anything just to make the angry hot guy go away.

From your position behind the ice cream tubs, you could only hear Taliyah’s voice clearly, the general noise of the beach preventing you from hearing what the furry-eared man was saying. You wanted to peek out from your hiding spot, but found yourself chickening out. You really didn’t need him catching sight of you and making Taliyah’s job even harder.

You had gotten so in your own head with panic that you had completely tuned out of your surroundings until a hand waved in front of your face and you realized Taliyah was crouching in front of you, calling your name.

“You okay?” she asked worriedly.

“Is he gone?” you replied quietly.

“Yeah, he’s gone,” she confirmed, standing up and grabbing your forearms to pull you up with her. “Now help me remake those snowballs and then I’ll fill you in.”

You bit your lip as you scooped shaved ice into a row of plastic cups as Taliyah readied the cherry syrup. Soon you had five pristine-looking snowballs on your slightly-sandy tray, the sight of them bringing you back to your moment of collision with the cute guy.

The tray was snatched from your field of vision by Taliyah, who headed over to the rear door. “Be back in a few. Try not to freak out too much while I’m gone.”

And then the door was closed and you were left alone. Looking over at the order window, you decided that you were probably safer to just resume your position behind the ice cream tubs, unwilling to risk being out in the open in case the guy decided to come back.

While she was gone, you couldn’t help but fret over exactly what had been said between your best friend and the mysterious hot guy. She didn’t seem to be upset, so clearly their conversation hadn’t been that intense. Or maybe it had; Taliyah was a fairly relaxed person, so it would be difficult for a random angry customer to really get to her. But that didn’t quite make sense either; if he had yelled at her, you would have heard it over the noise of the beachgoers. All you were doing was overthinking yourself to death, exactly what Taliyah had told you not to do.

And it was there you remained until Taliyah returned, closing the door behind her and placing the serving tray in the sink before she turned her attention to you at last.

“Calm down, it’s fine… I think,” she said.

“You think?”

“Well he didn’t seem mad,” she explained. “He asked if a girl that looked like you worked here and I said you went home sick. Said he’d come back another time.”

“Another–” Oh god. Was he really so angry that he was willing to come back just for the chance to yell at you?

“I can see you freaking out,” Taliyah scolded. “Don’t. You’re fine. Musclehead or not, he’s not going to kill you just because you spilled shaved ice on him.”

She was probably right; hot shirtless guys on the beach likely had more important things to do than yelling at clumsy ice cream shop workers. By tomorrow, he would probably forget you ever existed, and you could go back to enjoying your time working alongside your best friend.

The rock collecting that night had been long and boring, at least for you. Taliyah hadn’t found any rocks she liked enough to take home, only ending the search after she had found some sea glass that she had deemed acceptable to add to her collection. You could only hope that you wouldn’t owe her any more favors any time soon, unsure if you could survive another late night rock hunt.

The next morning, you entered the shop alongside Taliyah, who put her bag down and began to set up the day’s supplies. Considering it was ten minutes past opening time and Taliyah had insisted that she didn’t need help setting up, you decided that you might as well just open the order window for the day, hoping that mom and her group of demon kids wouldn’t be waiting out there, only to unlatch the widows and see something arguably worse.

The window had only been open a peek, but it was enough for you to see the large figure of the man from yesterday standing ten feet or so from your shop, his back facing you as he stared out at the beach. In your brief glimpse, you also noticed that the jacket wrapped around his waist had a white plus sign in a circle as well as the word lifeguard in white blocky letters above it. Oh god, of course you had gone and pissed off a lifeguard on your first day here.

You shut the barely-open windows with a too-loud slam that made you wince before you quickly locked them again and rushed over to Taliyah.

“Tali, he’s here again!” you hissed.

“Huh?” she replied, pausing her task of refilling a container of sprinkles. “Muscle guy?”

You nodded frantically and Taliyah frowned, putting the sprinkles down and approaching the order window herself. You watched as she opened the window ever so slightly, peering out for a few seconds before closing it back up.

“Well… can’t say I was expecting him to actually come back,” she said evenly.

“What do I even do?” you asked, staring at the order windows like they would burst open at any second and reveal you to the clearly-determined lifeguard. “He’s a lifeguard, Tali! What if he bans me from the beach?”

She rolled her eyes in response. “He can’t just ban you from the beach. Lifeguards don’t have that much power. If they did, I would’ve been banned a long time ago for all the times I’ve surfed after hours.”

“Then what does he want with me?” you asked, looking away from the window.

Taliyah shrugged. “You’d have to ask him that.”

“But what if I… don’t?” you replied weakly. “He’ll give up eventually, right?”

“I mean, maybe?” she said. “But it might be easier to deal with him now and get it over with.”

You saw her point, but it wasn’t her that was being pursued by a tall, muscly lifeguard with a vengeance!

Taliyah clearly caught the reluctance on your face and sighed. “Fine, I’ll switch with you for today. Now let’s go over how to make the basic stuff before we open.”

True to her word, Taliyah had allowed you to hide in the back making orders, telling the lifeguard guy that you were off today. You watched him walk away from behind the shaved ice machine, hoping that your ordeal was finally over, but your hopes were quickly dashed the next day as you went to open the store again, only to see the same broad back facing you from just outside the shop.

Taliyah had reluctantly agreed to switch again that day, and the day after. But by day four, even the promise of helping her scavenge for rocks again wouldn’t get her to agree to switch.

You closed the window again, turning to Taliyah with pleading eyes, but she was having none of it.

“It’s been four days,” she said, arms crossed. “Clearly he’s not giving up. You should just see what he wants.”

“But…” The thought still terrified you. You knew you deserved to be yelled at for what you had done, but it was made that much worse by the fact that the subject of your plight was just about the hottest guy you had ever seen.

Taliyah shook her head at you. “Okay, but I’m not doing orders again today, so if you want to keep hiding from him, we’ll have to move onto plan B.”

Plan B, as it turned out, was a mascot suit of sorts; three fluffy poros stacked on top of each other like a snowman. A poro each made up your upper and lower body, the last poro being the head of the costume. You looked incredibly awkward, the arms and legs of the costume hairy and tipped with little brown claws. You were momentarily stunned by the sheer lengths you were going to just to avoid this guy, but you were already in the costume, so you reasoned that you might as well follow through with it now.

Taliyah put the costume’s head on you and your world was plunged largely into darkness, minus the mesh one-way view out of the top poro’s eyes. You were helped to the back door, some fliers for the store shoved into your hands.

Taliyah helped you walk out front, and you were pretty quickly swarmed by kids. You couldn’t see the lifeguard guy, but the relief that coursed through you was short-lived, swallowed by the immediate explosion of business brought on by your costume.

One thing you hadn’t considered in your haste was the heat. You weren’t sure if it was the costume or if today was hotter than usual, but very quickly you found yourself becoming a sweaty mess under the weight of the dense, furry costume.

The longer you were in the costume, the worse you felt, but you were determined to stick this out. So you handed out fliers and posed for photos with children while Taliyah ran the stand.

You wished that you could wipe the sweat from your face, but you weren’t sure if you could even reach up to remove the costume’s head yourself due to the awkward shape of the costume. So you endured the ever-increasing heat, only feeling wearier as the time ticked by.

You waved goodbye to a group of kids as they left with their ice cream cones, the sweltering heat really bearing down on you. As you went to turn and head back to the stand to ask Taliyah to help get the head off, a wave of dizziness crashed over you. You took one step towards the stand, and then another, and then it all went dark as you felt yourself falling forward, too weak to stop your descent to the ground.

You woke up with a heavy head, feeling foggy with confusion. The last thing you remembered, you had been heading back to the stand…

Immediately, you realized that you weren’t at the ice cream stand, and you weren’t wearing the poro suit, or even your beach dress. Sitting up in the cot you laid in, you found that you were wearing only your swimsuit.

As you sat up, a blue ice pack that you hadn’t realized was there fell from your forehead and into your lap. Picking it up, the pack only feeling slightly cold, you turned to look around the room, still unsure what exactly was going on.

You were in a room of some sort, guessing it was afternoon by the minute amount of light filtering into the room, even through the closed curtains. There was a fan gently whirring above your head, but otherwise the room was silent.

There was another cot beside yours, and a table nearby with a few red first aid kits stacked on it, some bandages messily spilling out of one of them. There was a sign pulled over the door, the side facing you reading come on in, we’re open.

You got up from the bed, shuddering with disgust when you noticed just how sweaty your whole body was. The bed squeaked as you got up from it, your knees hitting a bedside table between the cots that you hadn’t noticed had been there. On the small table was a glass of water, as well as a white fan that was emblazoned with what looked to be a group of cats waterskiing.

You picked up the fan, letting out a small laugh at the silly-looking cartoon cats on the fan. It looked like something you could win at a carnival booth.

“If you can laugh, then I guess you’re feelin’ alright.”

A deep voice from behind you made you jump, fingers fumbling the fan, which fell onto the floor with a clatter that was only made louder in the quiet room. You turned to look behind you, only to fall off the cot in shock when you saw the very lifeguard you had been trying so hard to avoid standing in the doorway of a small office you hadn’t noticed was there.

“Hey, careful!” He quickly crossed the room to squat down in front of you, taking your elbow and helping you back up onto the cot. You were too stunned to resist and found yourself falling into his chest as a wave of dizziness hit you.

“You okay?” he asked, and you tried to nod, but your head was spinning too much to focus. “Hey, hold still.”

He placed his hands on your shoulders, keeping you steady against him until you were able to regain your focus. When he was satisfied with your condition, he pulled back, releasing your shoulders and instead reaching out for the glass of water on the table next to you.

“Drink,” he instructed, handing you the cup before standing up. “I’ll be right back.”

He stared at you for a moment before finally turning back and heading into the office at the back of the room.

You watched him go, feeling on edge, but complied, bringing the glass up to your lips and taking a long drink. The last thing you wanted to do was give this guy more reason to be upset with you. You were surprised at just how refreshing the water felt, and you had soon downed the entire glass, placing it back on the table when you were done.

“Alright, lay back down,” the lifeguard instructed as he returned.

“What?” you replied. What was he going to do to you? How had you even got here? Where was Taliyah?

He stopped before you, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked down at your shaky, terrified form. “Are you–”

“I’m sorry!” you exclaimed, bowing your head. “I didn’t mean to spill the snowballs on you! If you need to yell at me, go ahead. I’m sorry I didn’t just come out sooner and–”

It had occurred to you mid-ramble that he had yet to say anything, and you cut off your babbling, slowly looking up to find him staring at you with what you could only describe as a bewildered look on his face.

He blinked. “Is that why–”

“I’m so sorry!” you interrupted, bowing your head again. “If you want to ban me from the beach, I get it!”

“Ban ya from the beach?” he replied with a bark of laughter. “The only thing I wanted to do was get your number.”

“My… what?” You had to be hallucinating. There was no way he had just said that.

“Lay down first,” he spoke sternly, and you complied, still feeling stunned by his words.

Once you were laid down, he picked something up from the bed, which you recognized as another ice pack. He placed it on your forehead, the cool pack immediately flooding you with a feeling of relief. Closing your eyes, you let out a tired sigh, suddenly feeling fatigued.

“Get some rest, princess. We’ll talk when you’re up again.”

You took his advice, the cooling from the ice pack lulling you back to sleep, your eyelids too heavy to keep open.

When you woke up again, you felt infinitely better, your head clearer and body feeling less overheated. The ice pack on your forehead was room temperature, and it was now dark outside. There was a light illuminating your left side as you sat up in bed, turning to see the office in the back with its light on.

The cot squeaked under you, which was responded to by the squeak of a chair from inside the office, the red-haired lifeguard emerging from the office and approaching your bedside.

“Feelin’ any better?” he asked, and you nodded, biting your lip nervously. “Got you some more water.”

You looked over to the bedside table to see the water cup refilled and took hold of it, grateful to have something to focus on other than the intimidatingly muscular man before you.

You drank the entire glass before you forced yourself to finally address the situation before you. “Um… why am I here?”

“You passed out,” he replied bluntly, taking a seat on the cot next to yours. “Overheated yourself in that rat costume.”

“They’re not rats, they’re poros,” you replied, unsure of what to say.

He let out a huff of laughter. “Poros that important to you that you’re willin’ to fry yourself for ‘em?”

“No, that was…” you trailed off. Well, you might as well just admit it. If he had gone out of his way to care for you after you had passed out like an idiot, then he deserved the truth. “I was avoiding you. I was scared you were going to yell at me. My friend didn’t want to keep covering for me at the window so I decided to wear that stupid poro costume.”

“So that’s what that was about,” he replied. “And here I thought you were avoidin’ me ‘cuz you weren’t interested. Gave up on gettin’ your number and then got news that someone passed out from heat stroke.”

You were still having a hard time comprehending the asking for your number part, so you instead chose to focus on the other half. “Heat stroke?”

“Not sure what you expected, wearin’ that costume in this heat,” he said. “Can’t say nobody’s ever been afraid of me before, but giving themself heat stroke just to avoid me is a new one.”

He sounded somewhat self-deprecating, and you immediately felt bad. You had clearly misjudged him, and realized that he hadn’t even mentioned the snowball incident himself.

You forced yourself to meet his eyes, even with as awkward as you were currently felt. “I’m sorry for giving you so much trouble, and for spilling snowballs all over you. I’m just really sorry.”

He laughed. “Ain’t nothin’ for you to apologize for. I’ve had worse get on me since I started workin’ here, and usually it ain’t from a cute girl.”

You tensed in your seat, tearing your gaze from his to look down at your feet, your cheeks feeling warm.

“Hey, don’t go overheatin’ yourself again,” he scolded, standing up from the bed. “If you’re not interested, that’s fine, but I think it’s best if I take ya home. Don’t need your friend yellin’ at me again if you pass out on the way back.”

As much as you wanted to deny his assertion of you being not interested, you couldn’t muster up the courage, so you instead quietly accepted his offer of help. You would have to ask Taliyah what he had meant when you got back.

It was surprisingly cold on the beach at night, the icy breeze sending shivers along your skin. You stared out at the dark ocean waves, entranced by the water crashing against the sand, when your focus was broken by some soft fabric being laid over your shoulders.

You turned to look over your shoulder to see Sett just behind you on the steps of the lifeguard office, the jacket that was usually around his waist now laying on your shoulders.

He caught your curious look and raised an eyebrow. “You nearly cooked yourself to death today, I ain’t about to let you freeze yourself to death now.”

“Thanks,” you replied quietly, reaching a hand up to keep the jacket around your shoulders.

Your feet met the soft sand as you followed Sett towards the parking lot. The beach was totally empty, an odd contrast to how things were in the daytime. It felt weird to actually see the shape of the landscape unobscured by giant beach umbrellas and a sea of bodies. You only looked away from the empty scene when you realized that you had left the sand, and Sett was staring expectantly at you.

“…what?” you asked, getting the feeling that he had said something that you had missed.

“Which way?” he repeated with a quick glance at the street ahead of you.

“Oh right,” you replied. “My friend lives on Sandstone Way.”

Sett’s ears perked up. “By that tacky souvenir shop?”

“Yeah,” you laughed. “Right by there.”

You giggled at Sett’s assessment; you had noticed the eye-hurtingly brightly painted store when Taliyah had walked you to her house from the train station. She had rolled her eyes at the store as you surveyed the display of t-shirts with embarrassing designs on them, stating that sometimes they got some good rocks in, but it wasn’t worth the amount of tourists always asking for directions when she was walking around the neighborhood.

Looking over at Sett out of the corner of your eye, you were struggling to think of anything to say. He was dressed in just his sandals and shorts, his sunglasses forgone and giving you a clear look at his golden eyes that seemed to glow in the dark.

“So this your first summer here?” Sett asked, breaking the brief silence as you walked side by side. “I know I’d remember you if I’d seen ya before.”

“I was here for a summer when I was a kid,” you answered. “But everything looks so different now. Maybe I just saw this place differently when I was a kid.”

“Nah,” he dismissed. “It never used to be this busy here. Tourists bring money to this place, but it means it’s always loud around here.”

The conversation was slowly helping you feel more comfortable with the intimidatingly handsome lifeguard. You felt dumb for putting so much energy into avoiding him.

“So have you always lived here?” you asked.

“Born and raised,” he answered with a grin that you couldn’t help but feel looked a little sad. “Ma used to work at the boating shop… and the laundromat… and the candy store.”

“All at the same time?” you asked incredulously.

Sett shrugged. “Didn’t have much of a choice. Pa ran off on us when I was a kid, and it wasn’t like anyone would hire a fatherless runt to work for them.”

“Sounds like it was hard,” you replied. “Did you ever find out where he went?”

“For his sake, I’d better not,” Sett sneered. “I heard ma cry missin’ that scumbag more times than I can count. There ain’t a family here for that bastard to come back to.”

“How is your mom doing?” you asked as you turned onto Sandstone Way, passing by the tacky tourist shop, the flashy paint on the walls too bright even at night.

“She’s doin’ good,” he answered, finally looking happy with a satisfied smile. “Got her to quit her jobs when I started workin’ enough to pay the bills.”

“You’re a good son,” you complimented him. “She’s lucky to have you.”

You smiled at him, coming to a stop before Taliyah’s house. “Well, this is me. Thanks for walking me back.”

“Take care of yourself,” he said. “I don’t wanna see you passin’ out again.”

“I’ll try not to,” you replied. “No more poro costumes for me.”

“On that topic,” he purred, leaning closer to you. “You never gave me an answer.”

“An answer?” you squeaked, flustered by his sudden closeness.

“I’ve been tryin’ to get your number for days now,” he replied, and you did your best to supress a shiver from running up your spine. Was this real life?

You wet your lips with your tongue nervously, unable to miss how Sett’s sharp eyes watched the movement.

“I, um, I don’t have my phone on me,” you said, immediately realizing how dumb you sounded. You didn’t need your phone on you to tell him your number! You hastily made to amend your statement. “…but if you come by the stand tomorrow, I’ll give it to you!”

“Oh?” Sett’s grin was wide, gold eyes flashing dangerously. “I s’pose I could find some time to stop by. See you then, sweetheart.”

Sett turned to walk away, but you stopped him with a call of his name. “Wait, your jacket–”

“Keep it for the night,” Sett replied. “I’ll get it from you tomorrow.”

You reluctantly agreed, stunned silent by his bold flirting, his jacket sitting warm on your shoulders as you watched him walk away. You stared at his broad back until he was out of sight, only then turning to head inside, knowing Taliyah would be waiting.

The next morning she was still on you as you spent some extra time getting ready.

“I still can’t believe he gave you his jacket,” she teased with a grin. “I mean, I figured he was probably into you, but–”

“You what?” you replied as you paused styling your hair.

“I kept telling you to talk to him,” she replied. “No guy like that is going to wait outside your work for days in a row just to yell at you for spilling ice on him. But I didn’t think you’d believe me if I told you.”

“I just feel so stupid giving myself heat stroke just go avoid him,” you lamented.

“Yeah,” Taliyah frowned. “If I had realized it was that hot out, I never would’ve let you go out in that thing.”

“It’s my own fault for being so dumb,” you insisted.

“But hey, it all worked out, didn’t it?” Taliyah grinned as she slipped on her water shoes. “You’ve got a hot lifeguard coming to visit you at work today.”

“Don’t remind me. I’m still super nervous,” you said, adjusting your beach dress over your most flattering swimsuit.

“You’ll be fine,” Taliyah replied. “He’s clearly super into you. You should’ve seen him when you passed out yesterday.”

“What?” You had been so tired last night that you had only told her the basics before crashing for the night, completely forgetting to ask her what had happened yesterday.

“Someone got him when you collapsed,” she told you. “You should’ve seen his face when he pulled off the poro head and saw it was you inside the costume! I tried to come with, but he told me he’d handle it. I maaay have threatened his life if anything happened to you, but just a little.”

You laughed. So that’s what Sett had been referring to.

Taliyah came up from behind you as you stared at your appearance in the mirror, resting her chin on your shoulder and meeting your eyes in the mirror. “Relax, you look great. Fuzzy ear boy isn’t gonna know what hit him!”

“Fuzzy ear–” you sputtered, laughing at Taliyah’s choice of words. “I guess his ears do look pretty fuzzy.”

“Well if he lets you pet them, tell me how soft they are!” she teased, pulling back from you to grab her bag. “Now let’s go. You’ve got a boy to meet!”

You somehow felt even more nervous today than you had the few days you had spent avoiding Sett. You were still having a hard time wrapping your head around the fact that a guy that looked like he had walked straight out of a fireman’s calendar was coming to your little beachfront ice cream stand for the sole purpose of getting your phone number. And his jacket, which was folded neatly on the countertop beside you.

You weren’t exactly sure when he was going to come. Usually, he would be there waiting outside in the morning before you opened, but all you had opened up to today was a sparsely-populated beachfront, no handsome lifeguards to be seen. By two in the afternoon, your anxiety had begun to get the better of you.

“Stop pacing,” Taliyah scolded you. “He’ll be here.”

“But what if he decided not to?” you said, taking a deep breath to try and calm yourself down. “What if this was just a joke?”

“Then I’ll go kick his butt,” she responded plainly. “He’ll come. Relax.”

You were about to reply, when a ding of the service bell at the order window had you spinning around, ready to take an order, only for the words to die on your lips when you laid eyes on the well-muscled lifeguard with the fuzzy black ears just outside the order window, sending a grin your way.

“Here to pick up my order,” he said, leaning an arm against the window.

“Your… order?” you replied, too entranced by his appearance to properly make use of your brain.

“A pretty girl promised me her number if I came by,” he replied, looking down at you through his sunglasses.

“I… right… I…” You turned back quickly to see Taliyah staring expectantly at you, mouthing the word number at you. Right.

With slightly shaky hands, you reached for the small notepad at the front counter, taking that and a pen in hand and trying not to focus on the fact that Sett was watching you as you began to write.

Double-checking that the number was right, you handed the paper to him, your fingers touching as he took it from you. Remembering about your other promise, you reached over to grab the lifeguard jacket from the counter beside you. You went to hand him his jacket, surprised when he didn’t take it from you.

“What time do you get off?” he asked, and you answered a quiet six. “Give it back to me then.”

With a short wave and a grin, Sett made a show of stowing the phone number in his pocket before sauntering off and leaving you standing there slack-jawed.

“See? Was that so hard?” Taliyah called from her seat at the ice machine. “Now you just have to keep it together for your date.”

“I don’t know if I can,” you said, leaning back against the counter.

“You did last night, didn’t you?” she countered. “He’s just a guy. A really hot guy, but still. Don’t freak yourself out. You deserve a nice guy. It’s just a bonus that he has more abs than spiders have legs!”

You let out an amused huff. Taliyah was right, as she always was. You needed to get over yourself and let yourself have a good time tonight.”

But for now, you had customers to deal with. You and Taliyah let out a shared groan as you saw the nightmare mom and her army of brats heading towards you. You both returned to your posts, hoping their overly-complicated orders would be right on the first try this time.

Taliyah let out a yawn, stretching her arms high above her head before beginning the process of cleaning up for the day. After the last customer left, you hastily closed the order window, not wanting to give anyone the chance to come and beg about how it was only five minutes past closing and they’ve been wanting a banana split all day. You had learned your lesson from that mistake on day two.

Once the order windows were closed and locked, you joined Taliyah at the side counter, helping to return all the different containers of toppings to their rightful places. You found your hands moving slower, your nerves slowing you down in order to prolong the inevitable.

Taliyah eventually got tired of your pitiful attempt at stalling for time and gently removed the container of blue sprinkles from your grasp. “Just go, I’ll finish up here.”

“Are you sure?” you asked, and Taliyah sent you an unimpressed look. “Okay, fine, I’m going, I’m going.”

“I hope you know I expect all the details later!” she grinned as you made your way to the door, hesitating with your hand on the door handle for only a moment before opening the door.

It was mercifully less warm outside today than it had been yesterday, not to mention that you were also minus a heavy mascot costume. Yesterday hadn’t ended too badly for you, but you would still prefer to not end today in a hospital if you exacerbated your current heat-sensitive state.

You weren’t sure if you preferred if Sett was already there, or if you got there first to wait for him; neither option seemed to abate your nerves. But of course, the lifeguard was prompt as always, leaning against one of the beams that held up the awning above the order window.

You didn’t think you had been making much noise walking along the sand, but he seemed to hear you, turning to face you with a grin as you approached.

“Ready?” he asked as you came to a stop before him, tucking some of your hair behind your ear in an effort to keep your cool.

“Yeah,” you answered, impressed that your voice hadn’t come out squeaky with how nervous you were.

“Good,” he replied, before his grin turned teasing. “Was half expectin’ ya to come on our date in that rat costume.”

“Poro!” you corrected again, trying not to get flustered by his mention of this being a date. You weren’t sure what else it would be, but you couldn’t help the butterflies that fluttered in your stomach when he had acknowledged the obvious.

He surprised you by taking your hand, pulling you along with him as you tried desperately not to stumble and fall into the sand.

The beach crowd was beginning to thin out, people heading home or to one of the many beachfront restaurants nearby. Watching as a kid packed up his sand toys, you wondered if one of those restaurants was where you were headed as well. Sett hadn’t told you anything about what the plan was, and you found yourself curious when he led you to the bright white lifeguard office.

At first, you had thought that maybe he had forgotten something, at least until you followed him into the small building to see what looked to be the table that had previously held all the first aid kits, now decked out in a soft-looking purple picnic blanket. On top of the makeshift picnic table was a spread of various tasty-looking finger foods, the scene completed by two chairs pulled up to the table, cushions with a starfish pattern placed on the seats.

You were perhaps too dumbfounded by the sight, as you snapped out of it to Sett calling your name, looking over at him to see him looking surprisingly tense. You should probably say something, you realized.

“It looks great,” you said, meaning every word as you looked over the table. “Are those cabbage rolls?”

“Ma helped me make ‘em,” Sett explained, looking bashful for the first time since you had met him as he raised an arm to scratch at the back of his neck. “Helped me with all of this, actually. Never done anythin’ like this before.”

“You mean a picnic?” you asked curiously.

Sett chuckled. “Picnics. Dates. Not a lotta women ‘round here who wanted anythin’ to do with a fatherless half-breed.”

You had a hard time believing that; you had noticed several mothers checking him out as they packed their family’s stuff to leave the beach. But the hint of something sad in his eyes made you reconsider. You had no memory of seeing someone like him that summer you had spent here, but it wasn’t like that was a surprise to you. You and Taliyah had been in your own little world at that time, only ever spending time with each other.

“Well I’m excited to try your cooking,” you said, figuring a change of subject was for the best.

Sett grinned as he sat down. “Should be decent. Haven’t poisoned anyone since high school.”

Your eyes widened, hand freezing on its path to grab a cabbage roll, startled eyes darting to his.

Sett let out a bark of laughter at your alarmed face. “Relax. Wouldn’t poison ya. Maybe those kids that keep swimmin’ into the boating zone, but not you.”

“Thanks… I think?” you replied, biting your lip as you stared down at the cabbage rolls, weighing your options.

“Wasn’t real poison anyways,” he scoffed, taking some rolls from himself. “Not my fault sugar and salt look the same.”

You laughed, grabbing some food for yourself at last. “I suppose they kinda do.”

“Ma didn’t wanna hurt my feelings, but I knew when I tried some myself,” he explained.

“It was nice of her to try,” you offered.

“Too nice,” he said. “Ma is always too nice. Never said anythin’ bad about my old man, even after what he did. Had to work three jobs for years because of that bastard, but not a word.”

“Well I’m sure she’s glad she has you,” you commented. “Even if you give her food poisoning sometimes.”

“Once,” he corrected, taking a bite. “Learned my lesson the first time.”

You followed his lead, finding the food to be entirely poison-free, and actually the best home-cooked meal you had eaten in a long time. The conversation moved to swapping work stories, and you were unsurprised to find out that the mother and her the demon children had been a thorn in Sett’s side as well.

“They really buried sleeping sunbathers in sand?”

“Five times in a day one time,” Sett grouchily confirmed. “Last time Braum went to handle it. Said I would bury those little assholes under the sand if I had to go yell at them one more time.”

You sympathized with his pain. You felt lucky that you had only experienced the tip of the annoyingness iceberg with that group of little terrors.

“Braum?” you inquired as you both left the lifeguard office, the beach now fully dark.

“Fellow lifeguard,” he answered, nonchalantly taking your hand in his as you made your way off the beach. “Bald, giant moustache, even bigger than me. Better at the whole gentle-but-firm thing than I am.”

“Oh, I think I’ve seen him before. He comes by for poro pops sometimes,” you said, mind drawing a picture of the surprisingly friendly man in the small purple swim bottoms with a weakness for poro-shaped ice pops. “So are you the head lifeguard then?”

Sett considered your question. “Guess I am the boss of ‘em. All of the other lifeguards are always comin’ at me with problems to solve. The extra pay doesn’t hurt either if I wanna keep momma from feelin’ like she has to work.”

“Say thank you to her from me for the dinner. It was really good,” you said as you passed by the familiar tacky souvenir shop.

“She’ll be happy to hear it,” he replied with a soft smile that made your heart thump in your chest. “I know she wishes she had more to cook for than just me.”

You both came to a stop before Taliyah’s house, and you sneakily glanced over just to make sure Taliyah wasn’t peeking out from a window, which she wasn’t. You turned your focus back to Sett, only to find him closer than he had just been. How was he so good at sneaking up on you?

A large hand came up to cup your jaw, thumb brushing against your cheek, and your face was tilted up towards Sett’s. You were glad it was dark out, because otherwise you knew your reddening cheeks would be obvious.

“Still afraid of me?” he asked, voice low, lips so close to yours that you could make out a small scar that crossed over his bottom lip.

“No,” you answered, making no move to pull away as you stared up into his eyes. “Not unless I was about to taste your high school cooking.”

“Smart,” he replied with a smirk. “But I’m talkin’ about right now, because if you don’t turn and run into that house, I’m gonna kiss you.”

Your bag almost tumbled from your grasp, but you held fast as you stared at Sett, whose own had already become half-lidded. You had no words to describe how much you didn’t want to run right now, so you didn’t use any, instead angling your face further upwards, trying to make your willingness abundantly clear.

With a grin, he leaned down and kissed you.

Pulling back slightly, he dove back in, his other hand coming to your waist to pull you against him. You happily leant into him, your hands on his firm chest.

When he pulled back again, you opened your eyes at last, feeling almost as dizzy as right before you had passed out from heat stroke.

Sett looked content, and you were only hoping you looked half as composed as he did right now. He leaned back in to give you one more peck before pulling back from you entirely, the cold from the air outside immediately apparent as soon as you were minus his warm hands against your skin.

“Think I’ll stop by tomorrow,” he said. “Been cravin’ a cherry snowball for some reason lately.”

Sett was a man of his word, you learned, though you were less happy to see him the next day when he asked if he could order a cherry snowball served like last time, and then laughed as you had proceeded to sputter like a broken machine.

His visits became daily, sometimes bringing Braum with him, who continued to surprise you with the sheer amount of poro pops he was able to consume in one sitting. Quite a few nights a week, you had found yourself all around Port Navori with the half-Vastayan lifeguard. You were surprised at how supportive Taliyah was being, considering you had originally come here to spend time with her.

“Gives me more time to surf,” she answered with a shrug when you had asked her. “And maybe that boyfriend of yours can convince you to stay here after the summer is over.”

“Boyfriend?” you yelped, and Taliyah raised an eyebrow.

“You aren’t? I thought he would have made it official by now. It’s been over two weeks… have you guys even done it?”

“Taliyah!” you scolded her, switching back to professional mode as a group of people approached the stand.

As you helped prepare their orders, you couldn’t help but think about what she had said. You and Sett had kissed quite a lot actually, but he had yet to do more than that. But it was far too embarrassing a subject for you to have the confidence to broach, so you had resolved yourself to just be content with things as they were.

It was just your luck that right then was when Sett had decided to make his daily visit to the stand, approaching the counter as the other group left.

Taliyah apparently wasn’t done pestering you for the day as she sped to meet him at the counter before you could get there yourself.

“Hey!” she greeted Sett with a sly smile as you stood frozen behind her, nervous about her motivations. “You’re on your break, right?”

Sett raised an eyebrow. “What about it?”

“Well,” she said, in the voice you knew meant that she wanted something. “There’s a surfing contest I entered, and it’s almost my turn and it won’t even take that long and–”

“Tali!” you interrupted, rushing over to the counter.

“All I need is an hour,” Taliyah insisted, before pulling you beside her at the counter. “And she needs some help while I’m gone since lunchtime is when most of the people come by.”

“I’m fine, I–”

“I’m in,” Sett cut in, eyeing you with almost palpable smugness.

“Awesome!” Taliyah replied, immediately shucking her apron and hat onto the floor in her haste to get out the door. “Have fun, see you after I win!”

“Taliyah!”

Your call of her name fell on deaf ears as she already had her board and was out the door, leaving you standing at the counter with Sett still leaning against the counter.

Sett reached up to pull his sunglasses off, tucking them into his packet, his golden eyes fully uncovered and sparkling with mischief, the sight alone making you feel weary.

“Well? You gonna invite me in?” he asked. “Not sure I’d fit through the window.”

You scrambled to meet him at the back door, not wanting him to try and get into the shop through the order window that was less wide than he was. It was a strange feeling to open the back door of the shop to a guy that was almost too tall for the doorway, and another thing entirely to try and corral him into behaving as you tried to keep the ice cream stand functioning while Taliyah was gone.

“Aren’t lifeguards supposed to set a good example for others?” you huffed, wiping ice from your apron. At least he hadn’t made things truly equal and put cherry syrup on the ball of shaved ice he had pressed against your neck.

“Not when I’m off the clock,” he answered. “Besides, it’s my once in a lifetime chance to see what workin’ one of these is like.”

It would definitely be only one time if you had anything to say about it. If the almost-hour with him here had taught you anything, it was that Sett was not cut out to work in an ice cream shop.

The scoops of ice cream he doled out were easily twice the size of the ones Taliyah did, which made for happy customers, but a less happy bottom line if he was here for more than an hour. He was also lacking Taliyah’s patience, and you were forced to sideline him when an especially picky middle-aged woman came by who insisted you remake her smoothie four times until it had an acceptable pH level. The woman’s complaints had miraculously stopped the moment Sett had approached the window himself, becoming so invested in flirting with the handsome lifeguard that she had snatched her next smoothie attempt from you without complaint, not even glancing your way as she batted her eyes at him, only leaving when he excused himself with an excuse of needing to make more orders.

You approached Sett to check on him and found yourself pulled down into his lap as he leaned back in the chair.

Huffing, he pulled you against him, nuzzling against your neck. “Don’t know how you deal with that. Couldn’t pay me to make her damn smoothie one more time.”

“You get used to it,” you replied. “Don’t you deal with worse as a lifeguard?”

“Yeah,” he grunted. “But nothin’ sayin’ I gotta be nice when I deal with ‘em.”

“That’s true,” you laughed.

“If anyone complains, they can go somewhere else. Ain’t another beach within a hundred miles as well-run as this one,” he bragged, kissing at your neck.

As much as you were enjoying his sudden affection, you knew time was running low until Taliyah would return. You made to pull back to tell Sett that, but were instead pulled into a kiss that took you a few breathless moments to find the strength to escape.

“This Friday,” he murmured, face inches from yours. “There’s a party at the pool. You should come with me.”

You had heard about the exclusive pool parties on this beach from Taliyah, but hadn’t expected to ever get an invite. The pool, which was at the far end of the beach from the ice cream stand, was as exclusive as it got. Gated with walls so high that you couldn’t see in, it was the membership-only place to be for all of the elite in the beach town of Port Navori.

“Is that… okay?” you asked hesitantly.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” he countered, and you didn’t really have an answer. “It’ll be fine. Come. Have some people I wanna introduce ya to.”

The door burst open at the same time as you nodded your agreement, revealing Taliyah clutching both her dripping board as well as a shiny blue ribbon.

“You won?” you asked, trying to disentangle yourself from Sett, who reluctantly let you up.

“Easily!” Taliyah gloated. “Nobody else stood a chance. So how were things here?”

“The money ain’t worth the drama of this place,” Sett griped.

Taliyah laughed. “Smoothie lady come back with a vengeance?”

“I’ll take kids buryin’ sunbathers up to their ears over this any day,” he replied with a grimace, standing up and stretching.

At his mention of ears, Taliyah had brought both hands up to her own head about where Sett’s were on his head, and you quickly waved at her to cut it out before he saw. Thankfully she did, but you could tell that you were going to get asked if you had pet his ears yet as soon as his fuzzy ears were out of earshot.

“I’ll text ya the time when I know it,” Sett said, giving you a quick kiss on the head and a two-fingered salute to Taliyah before heading out the back door.

“So?” Taliyah asked, pulling the chair up to the ice cream station after she had stashed her prize ribbon in her bag. “Are they as soft as they look?”

“I didn’t pet them,” you answered.

“It’s been over two weeks!” she complained. “Has he at least asked you to be his girlfriend yet?”

You shook your head. “He did invite me to a pool party with him on Friday at that fancy pool.”

“Really?” Taliyah responded, eyes wide. “You have to tell me what it’s like! I mean, I’ve seen satellite photos, but it’s not the same…”

“I’ll probably be too nervous to remember any of it,” you grumbled.

“This is your chance!” Taliyah encouraged. “By Friday it’ll be three weeks. You need to ask him if he sees you as his girlfriend or not.”

You reeled back, waves of anticipatory anxiety rolling over you. “I don’t want to scare him off. What if this is just casual to him and I’m too dumb to see it?”

“Then you’ll know,” she replied. “I know you. It’ll eat you up if you put this much energy into a guy without knowing how he feels about you. So ask. If he says no, then at least you’ll have an entire store’s worth of ice cream to drown yourself in after!”

Taliyah was right. She was always right. You knew that you couldn’t keep whatever this was up without knowing where you stood with him. The more time you spent with Sett, the more you wanted, and if he intended to keep things casual, you would rather know sooner so you could make an informed decision.

So that would be the plan then. Go to the party, have a good time (and get some photos of the pool for Taliyah) and then ask Sett about the state of your relationship. Sounded easy in theory. You could only hope you could muster up the courage to go through with the plan when the time came.

After hearing that the party was to start at four, Taliyah had gone all out, closing the stand at two so she could help you get ready to impress the snobs. You hadn’t put up too much of a fight, happy to have her help and her company, as your nerves only climbed higher the closer it got to four o’clock.

“You’ll be fine,” Taliyah said as she styled your hair. “You’ll only feel worse if you don’t get an answer from him. And with how good you’ll look at the party, he won’t be able to say no!”

“Thanks, Tali,” you replied gratefully. “I promise I’ll get you a bunch of photos of the pool. And whatever else you want.”

“What I want is for you to stay here for good,” she said. “So really I’m just doing myself a favor by helping you. This place has been a hundred times more bearable since you’ve been here, and I want it to stay that way.”

“Still,” you persisted. “I feel bad that you’re going to so much trouble. If you want anything, just let me know.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Taliyah dismissed with a wave of her hand. “You should get going, don’t wanna be late to the fancy pool party.”

She practically shoved you out the door, and then you were alone, walking down the mostly-empty sidewalk. As you walked along the street, you couldn’t help but dwell on the possibilities. What would happen at the party? What would Sett say?

If he told you that he wasn’t looking for anything serious, what would you do? It was hard to have an answer for until you were in the moment, since a lot of it would depend on what Sett’s answer would be.

You walked through the parking lot, and then onto the beach, passing by kids building sandcastles and games of beach volleyball as you walked towards the end of the beach where the pool was. As you made your way to the fancier end of the beach, you began to notice the differences that marked the split between here and the side of the beach that you were usually on.

The shops on this side of the beach were much fancier, the sand littered with designer beach chairs and umbrellas. It was crazy just how different two ends of one beach could be.

The pool was noticeable from a great distance, or at least the wall white walls that surrounded it were. At least you weren’t going to get lost and miss the party entirely.

You approached the pristine white stairs that led from the beach up to the pool entrance, equal parts excited and apprehensive. The entrance was an open doorway, covered by a deep blue curtain and guarded by a muscled bouncer in white. The sight alone was intimidating; why hadn’t you just asked Sett to meet you beforehand?

You plastered a reluctant smile on your face before approaching the man. “Hi, I–”

“Name,” he interrupted, not looking up from his clipboard, sunglasses too dark for you to see his eyes.

Well it wasn’t like you hadn’t expected some level of standoffishness from the elite side of the beach. Keeping your smile up, you told him your name, waiting the prerequisite few moments for him to leaf through the list.

He seemed to have found what he was looking for, as his hand with the clipboard went to his side and he moved over to the curtain, pulling it to one side to allow you to enter. He had said nothing further, but seemed to be staring in your direction, so you took that as your cue and walked towards the now-open entryway and into the pool.

The entryway led into a hallway with pristine white walls, soft lighting hanging overhead. You could begin to hear chatter as you got closer to the end of the hallway, exiting into an explosion of sight and sound.

The pool was huge, and there seemed to be an intricate gold pattern on the tiles at the bottom. The pool was surrounded by lounge chairs and umbrellas, tropical foliage bordering the inner walls around the pool.

There were people all over, in and out of the pool. There was also a bar in the center which seemed to be very popular, as many people were carrying around intricate-looking cocktails.

More than the scenery or the people, your eyes were scanning the area for Sett. You checked your phone again to make sure, finding that it was the time he had told you to be here for. Maybe he was just running late or…

Your rising concern was broken up by the tap of designer wedges on the granite heading your way. You looked up from your phone to see two girls heading towards you, one of which you realized you had seen before.

The stuck-up redhead that had been the reason you had been out on the beach to spill the snowball on Sett in the first place was striding towards you, not a hair out of place underneath her likely-expensive sun hat. At her side was a lilac-haired woman in a swimsuit with a plunging neckline that was color blocked with various shades of purple. Together they made quite a striking pair, but your previous encounter with the redhead had you wishing that Sett would get here soon to save you from the impending conversation.

“Look, Sarah,” the purple-haired one sneered as they came to a stop before you. “So eager to pretend she’s one of us that she rushed right over.”

You took a step back, but that only seemed to embolden them.

Sarah lowered her sunglasses, staring at you like you were in her way. “Sad when they don’t know their place, Syndra.”

“Sett invited me here,” you replied defensively.

The women exchanged a pointed look before Sarah raised an eyebrow at you, a hand on her hip. “You ever think about why that was?”

“What?” you replied, unsure of what she was getting at.

“She doesn’t get it,” Syndra said with a cruel undertone in her voice that unnerved you.

“Look around,” Sarah said sharply. “Really look. Do half the people here look like they belong?”

You looked around, not sure what you were supposed to be seeing. A man with a hook-nose sat at the pool bar, flanked by women in skimpy bikinis. A humanoid form that seemed to be made of water conversed poolside with a large purple man in a ratty straw hat who was holding a ukulele. What were you supposed to be noticing?

“Sett is too nice to break it to you, so the job falls to me,” Sarah said with a smirk. “This is our annual loser fest. Charity case race. Bring-a-freak-to-work-day.”

“Pig party,” Syndra supplied.

“Yeah, pig party,” Sarah repeated, noticing your confused look. “Don’t know what that is? Poor thing.”

“I don’t–”

“It’s pretty simple,” Sarah interrupted. “We take half the summer to find the biggest freak we can, and then we bring them all together and crown a winner, and by the looks of you, Sett is really going for the top prize.”

You gasped, eyes wide, suddenly feeling like you were going to be sick.

“Aw, you really thought he liked you, huh?” Syndra mocked with fake sweetness.

“He didn’t… he never…” you stammered, clutching your bag to your chest.

“Well duh,” Sarah replied haughtily. “He wanted to win. Do you tell a pig when it’s about to become bacon?”

“What is meaning of this?” Braum accused, storming up to your group. “I have not heard of such a thing!”

“Need-to-know, Braum,” Syndra dismissed.

“And you didn’t need to know,” Sarah added.

You felt numb. This whole time… is that why Sett wouldn’t ask you to be his girlfriend? Why he never did more than kiss you? All this time, he had just seen you as a prize pig for an ugly date contest? It all made sense now, why he had been so desperate to get your number. He had never liked you… it had all been one sick joke. You should’ve known; nobody as attractive as Sett would ever see you as anything but a freak. And was too cowardly to come and tell you the truth to your face.

“Look, she’s crying,” Syndra taunted. “Don’t cry! Soon you’ll be queen pig!”

You couldn’t do this. You couldn’t stay here with all these people who saw you as less than human as your heart was breaking into pieces. You were so, so stupid, now wanting nothing more than to cry in peace. So you did, turning and running as fast as your legs would take you out of this awful place.

“Bye, piggy! We’ll ship you the ribbon!”

You heard Braum shout your name, as well as the cruel laughter of the women, but you didn’t stop running. Not when you got to the beach, nor the parking lot or the tacky souvenir shop, the sayings on the gaudy shirts too blurry to read through your tears. Your feet didn’t stop until you were at the doorstep to Taliyah’s home, out of breath, tears running down your cheeks.

The door opened, Taliyah’s face appearing in the doorway. “Hey, did you forget– wait, what happened?”

“Settrigh, stay still!”

Sett frowned, but did as his momma requested, allowing her to tie the ends of his hair after she had finished arranging it. He loved his ma dearly, but he really didn’t have time for her to redo his hair ten times right now.

It was getting way too close to the start time he had given you, and with how nervous of a person you were, he had intended to be on time, but that was before his mother had discovered the reason why he was cutting their visit short today.

Ma was aware that he had been seeing someone, had been ever since Sett had needed help making food for their first date.

“You do intend to let me meet her, Settrigh?” she asked, stepping back once she had fixed his hair to her satisfaction.

“Yes, ma,” he answered, standing up from the chair.

He wasn’t exactly surprised by his momma’s eagerness, considering this was the first girl he had ever dated, let alone considered introducing to her. This world was shallow; he had learned that early in life, which may be why he found himself so drawn to a girl who had put her all into having nothing to do with him. You broke up the monotony in this busy beach town and gave him something to look forward to other than seeing his ma for the first time in a long time.

Sett knew he was working on a time limit. You had mentioned that you had planned on only visiting Port Navori for the summer, and the summer was half over already, which meant his chances to convince you to stay were also halved, which is where tonight came in.

He had been taking things slow, not wanting to come on too strong and scare you off like he had watched happen to many a beachfront pick-up artist. He had been unwilling to rush things and lose you, but the slip of the calendar into August had forced his hand.

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit apprehensive as to how today would end. How would you take him asking you to be girlfriend? He could only hope that he hadn’t misread you entirely.

He didn’t go to the pool parties often, but it seemed like a good way for him to introduce you to his friends, as they didn’t often all gather outside of those parties. He knew you would likely feel out of place, but Braum would be there, and he intended to stick by your side the entire time. And then after the party, if things went well, then maybe he would end the night with you as his girlfriend, but the party would be the first step.

As he left his ma’s house, he found his mind turning to the party. If you were wearing that red swimsuit you had worn last week, then it was going to be a difficult night for his self-control. His desire to take things slow had really taken a hit then, his only saving grace being ma’s lecture on being a gentleman pounding in his head as he tried not to look at how your chest was half-busting out of your top as you leaned over to pick a thread off of his glove. You were really too hot for your own good, which made him all the more eager to see you.

He knew he was running late, the party having started at least ten minutes earlier. It wasn’t his style to be late, but he was also pretty helpless to defy his ma. He only hoped that you hadn’t given up on him and left.

He took the shortest route possible, which included a short trek through some bushes that left him more leafy than he would’ve liked, but it was all forgotten when he spotted the stairs that led up to the pool entrance.

He was able to bypass the doorman who was only half as big as he was and seemed to be wary of interacting with him, stepping out of the way as Sett approached. He pushed past the curtain, hurried steps heading down the hallway. You hadn’t been waiting outside, so clearly you had been able to get in. He tried to fight back the excited grin that wanted to take over his face, but it was a losing battle as he entered the pool area, eyes immediately scanning the area for you.

“Your cruelty is unimaginable!” Braum’s booming voice carried easily through the air. “That girl has done nothing to be deserving of such treatment!”

What had Braum so worked up? Generally he was an easy guy to get along with, easily Sett’s most tolerable co-lifeguard. Not much phased him, which was a little concerning. But Sett had other priorities, the most important being locating you.

You weren’t in the pool, and didn’t seem to be sitting in any of the chairs. Maybe you had gone to the bathroom and would be right back–

“Well how else was she supposed to know Sett is too good for her? She clearly wasn’t going to see reality without a little help.”

Sett’s ears perked up, his attention snagged by the mention of his name, but especially by the latter half of the sentence. He turned around to see Sarah Fortune with Syndra at her side, who had her arms crossed and looked bored. In front of them was Braum, looking more irate than Sett had ever seen him.

“What’s this about?” Sett asked in a warning tone as he approached, the fur of his ears standing on end, leaving him feeling like he wasn’t going to like where this was headed.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Sarah dismissed, flipping her hair behind her shoulder with a flick of her head. “We just showed a daydreaming little clout chaser the way out.”

Sett’s eyebrow rose. “A what?”

“Your ice cream girl,” Braum cut in. “These two have told her that this is a party for pigs. They have told her that you intend to bring her here to win ugly contest, and then she had run off.”

“What?” Sett growled dangerously, but the two women remained nonplussed.

“We did you a favor,” Syndra stressed. “If we get a reputation of letting just anyone in, then we’ll lose all status as members of the ruling class of the food chain. So we decided to throw this little pig party to make you come back to your senses.”

“You’re one of us, Sett,” Sarah added. “This pool doesn’t have room for little nobodies who don’t know their place.”

“Rather be a nobody than whatever the hell this is,” Sett snarled angrily, the full knowledge of the truth turning his bad feeling to a mix of simmering fury at the two women, and worry for you. He hated himself for being late and allowing this to happen to you. “Save your concern and don’t talk to me again.”

“But we were–” Syndra started, but Sett wasn’t in the mood.

“If you even look at her again, you’ll have me to deal with. And unlike that girl you just bullied outta here, I ain’t so nice.”

With that, Sett turned on his heel and stormed towards the exit to go do his best to fix this mess.

Braum quickly followed behind him. “My friend, I am sorry I could not stop them in time.”

“Ain’t your fault,” Sett replied. “Wish I’d have known. Gotta go see if she’ll even talk to me at this point.”

“I wish you luck,” Braum said as exited the hallway and emerged out into the sunny late afternoon.

Sett parted from Braum, taking the stairs two at a time as he surveyed the area, trying to see if he could catch sight of you. He quickly crossed the sand, making a beeline for the ice cream stand, even if it seemed like a longshot. He passed by a group of kids throwing sand on an older man sleeping on a towel, but ignored it and kept going. If anything was on fire, Braum could put it out. Sett’s sole focus right now was finding you and hoping you’d let him explain himself.

His chest felt heavy with anger and regret. How could he have let this happen? He hadn’t realized how cruel those women could be, and it had led to them making you believe he thought you were some freak he was using for convenience, which could not be farther from the truth.

Seeing those two talk about you like you were a pariah had brought him right back to when he was younger, to what he had endured at the hands of people just like Syndra and Sarah. People who had ostracized him, did their best to make him feel like he didn’t have a place here. Sett-the-beast-boy-bastard; the words had haunted him for a long time.

He had grown tough in response to the years of bullying, but you hadn’t. This was your first exposure to how awful this place could be. He and ma had dealt with it for years after pa ran off; he had nearly gotten expelled from school after a particularly bad fight with a kid that had made one too many nasty comments about his ma to his face.

Sett stopped, letting out a frustrated sigh as he saw the large closed sign on the front windows of the ice cream shop. So that was a bust. Without giving the store a second look, he continued on towards the rocks and then up to the parking lot.

There was only one other place to try. Chest tight, Sett followed the same path he had the night of your first date, the same path he took every time he walked you home. The walk there was one long blur, his feet unable to stop moving until the familiar house was in sight. Without a moment’s hesitation, Sett approached the front door, rapping his knuckles against the wood. When no answer came, he tried again, and after a few moments, the door opened to reveal Taliyah, who glared once she caught sight of him.

“What do you want?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Is she here? I need to talk to her,” Sett said, urgency bleeding into his voice.

Taliyah sighed, stepping outside and closing the door behind her. “You’re lucky I’m even talking to you after this. You don’t deserve to talk to her if that’s how you let your friends treat her.”

“They ain’t my friends,” Sett argued. “If I’d have known they were gonna pull that shit–”

A sly smile lifted the corner of Taliyah’s lips. “Good answer. If you had said anything else, then I’d be slamming the door in your face right about now.”

“Then can I–”

“Talk to her?” Taliyah interrupted. “Nope. Not a good idea.”

Sett’s face must have taken on a darker quality, because Taliyah retreated back a step, raising her hands in the air in mock surrender. “Relax, tough guy. I didn’t mean it like that. But she’s a little too upset to talk to you right now.”

The information only made Sett feel worse. He wanted so badly to talk to you, to do what he had wanted to do before this mess had happened and make you his girlfriend. You had never felt farther away than you did right now.

“Give me some time to calm her down. I can get her to be at the pier at seven, then the rest is up to you,” she said, levelling him with a stern look. “I know this wasn’t your fault. That’s the only reason I’m giving you a chance. She really likes you, so try not to make her feel any worse than she already does. Bye.”

And then Taliyah was gone, retreating back into the house and leaving Sett standing on the doorstep.

“Brought you some water,” Taliyah announced as she entered the room, glass in hand.

“Who was at the door?” you asked.

She shrugged. “Someone looking for my dad. Told them he’s not here.”

You nodded. It was probably too much to hope that it would be Sett. You winced as you thought his name. You hated how much you wanted to see him, someone who had used you to win some popular kid ugly date contest.

So it had all been a lie then? All the things he had told you about his life, his family? Every time he had kissed you, was he picturing kissing one of those girls instead? Is this really what popular people did for fun? You felt stupid for falling for it, for falling for him. You were so stupid.

With some prompting from Taliyah, you took a sip of the water. After she had made sure you had drank the whole glass, she sat down next to you, taking the glass from you and setting it down on the bedside table.

“I should have known,” you croaked.

“Known that popular girls are bitchy? Maybe,” she responded.

“That it was too good to be true,” you corrected.

“You’re acting like you’re eighty,” she scolded. “There are other guys out there. Ones who don’t have shitty friends.”

“Yeah, I know,” you replied. “But I really liked him. And I didn’t even get to pet his stupid fuzzy ears.”

“Well if you’re joking, then you must be doing okay,” she said. “How about we go do something to take your mind off of things?”

You frowned, and she rolled her eyes. “Not right this second. I’ll give you until six-thirty to get yourself ready to go.”

Taliyah got up off the bed and headed towards the door. “I’m not gonna let your night be ruined because of a couple of snobs.”

She closed the door, leaving you alone with your thoughts again. You laid back on the bed, intent on taking some time before you got ready to just veg out. As much as the notion of going out didn’t excite you right now, it was probably better than being a mopey mess all night. There would be other guys; it was just a shame that you had liked this one so much.

Two hours later, you were walking down the street with Taliyah. Your getting ready to go had consisted of washing your face of all the smeared makeup from your crying, brushing your hair into a semi-decent state and then watching dumb cat videos on your phone until you felt like you didn’t want to crawl in a hole and die.

Taliyah had assured you that you didn’t look bad, which you might have believed if you hadn’t seen yourself in the mirror as you were leaving, but at this point you were beyond caring about how you looked right now.

Taliyah had refused to tell you where she was taking you, and so you were forced to follow her down the familiar path towards the beach, unsure of where it was you were being led. Part of you was worried that you might run into Sett, but then the more rational side of you took over; he was likely back at that pool, partying it up with those girls and lamenting that you had run off before he could win his ugly date prize. It was crazy to realize just how flawed your judgment had been.

You had expected to be walking onto the beach, as it was where you two usually spent most of your time, but Taliyah didn’t go to the parking lot, instead heading towards the rockier section of the beach. You hadn’t been over here before, only vaguely aware of the area as a prime fishing location, bait shops and the like lining the street across from this part of the beachfront.

She took you past the fishing spots, down to near the end of the beach, where there was a small pier that went about thirty feet out into the sea. Like most of the beach at this time on a weekday, the pier was empty, most of the fishermen also having headed out with their day’s catches.

Taliyah led you down the pier to the small bench at the end of it, pushing you to sit down. When she didn’t do the same, you looked up at her, confused.

“I’ll be right back,” she said. “I’m gonna go grab something to help cheer you up. You just enjoy the view for a bit.”

You decided to follow her advice, staring out at the water. There wasn’t much to see other than some boats in the far distance and some buoys bobbing in the water that marked the swimming section from the boating section.

It was kind of nice in a way, the calm waters helping you to relax as you watched the waves roll in and out. You stayed like that for a while as you allowed yourself to zone out until you began to wonder how much time had passed. Pulling out your phone, you saw that it had been almost twenty minutes, and yet there was no sign of Taliyah as you looked around.

You had assumed that she went to get you two some food, which likely was still the case. Some of the places here tended to have rather large dinnertime crowds, so a twenty minute plus wait wasn’t exactly unusual. You had no idea where she had gone, so all you could do was wait. If she wasn’t back by seven, you would just text her and ask what was up.

You let yourself be taken in again by the rolling waves as you continued to wait, trying to recall what kinds of restaurants there were on the beachfront. It couldn’t be that fish and chips place; Taliyah had spent a full half hour last week complaining about how stale their food was. Or the taco place, since it had been closed for renovations for the past week. You had been trying to think of a third option when your concentration was broken by someone taking a seat next to you on the bench.

You looked over, expecting to see Taliyah back with some food, but instead nearly jolted off of the bench when next to you was the very man you were out here trying to forget.

Just seeing him when you were feeling so pathetic sent a jolt of you weren’t sure what up your spine, your flight instincts screaming at you as you made to stand up, only to be stopped by a firm grip on your wrist.

“I know you don’t wanna see my face right now,” Sett said. “But I can explain.”

“Explain what?” you replied meekly. “Those girls explained enough.”

“I haven’t,” he insisted. “Just listen for a minute. Then you can leave, or punch me, whatever you want.”

You took a look around, still not seeing Taliyah anywhere. You weren’t sure what he could have to say that would make much of a difference, but you sat back down, and he let go of your wrist.

You turned reluctantly to face Sett, waiting for him to talk first.

“Never told ‘em to do somethin’ like that,” he said gruffly. “Didn’t even know about it ‘til I got there and you weren’t there.”

“But they said…” you started, taking a breath to keep yourself calm as you prepared to recount the hurtful words. “They said you were only spending time with me so you could win their whole ugly date contest.”

Sett’s eyes narrowed, the skin of his knuckles tightening on his curling fists. “First I’ve heard of it. Ain’t no way you’d ever place in an ugly contest anyways.”

His words threw you. “Wait, so you don’t think I’m ugly?”

He snorted, a grin playing at his lips. “Well I was plannin’ on askin’ you to be my girlfriend after the party, so nah, I don’t think you’re ugly.”

“You–” you gasped, pulse skyrocketing. This was not how you expected this conversation to go. You were half convinced you were experiencing auditory hallucinations until Sett reached over, pulling you into his side.

“This is my fault,” he spoke lowly. “If I hadn’t been late, I’d have been there to stop that from happening.”

“What happened when you got there?” you asked quietly.

“Braum told me what happened, then those two tried tellin’ me they did it for my sake,” he growled. “I thought I was used to seein’ through bullies from how I grew up. Doesn’t matter now, they won’t be botherin’ you anymore unless they wanna find out why momma says I got her temper.”

“Why were you late anyways?” you asked.

He groaned, leaning his head back against the bench. Even with the sun mostly set, you could clearly see a pink tone to his cheeks.

“What is it?” you pressed, curious about why the intimidating lifeguard was suddenly being so shy.

He let out a long sigh, finally meeting your eyes. “Ma was doin’ my hair.”

You looked him over, realizing that his hair did seem to be tied differently today. The only thing that looked the same was his ears, just as fluffy as they always looked. You could almost hear Taliyah’s voice screaming in your head to pet them. Speaking of Taliyah…

“Taliyah!” you gasped, trying to extract yourself from Sett’s grip, but failing. If Taliyah was to come and see you here with the guy she had taken you out to forget about… “My friend, she’ll be back any second and–”

Sett laughed, and you were immediately left with the feeling that you were missing something.

“She ain’t comin’ back,” he said amusedly. “I’ve got you all to myself for the night… if that’s what you want.”

“Taliyah set me up?” you breathed, not having suspected a thing.

“I asked her to,” Sett explained. “Wasn’t about to let you go ‘cuz of some shallow assholes.”

Taliyah was much sneakier than you had given her credit for, you realized, but you couldn’t bring yourself to mind right now. Though that didn’t mean you weren’t hungry, your previous stress melting away and removing the only distraction from your empty stomach.

“So,” you hummed. ��Are you still going to ask me to be your girlfriend?”

You still had no idea what would happen by the end of the summer, but you really wanted this. You wanted him.

“Yeah, was plannin’ on it.”

You had thought about it all the way back to Sett’s house. Was it really for the best to go back to your city when the summer was over? Back to your parents’ house to find an equally demanding and unfulfilling job?

The more you thought about it, the more you wanted to stay. Taliyah was here, Sett was here, and other than your brief nasty encounter at the pool earlier, this summer had been the best one you’d had in a long time.

Sett seemed intent on giving you more reasons to stay as he was on you pretty much as soon as you entered his house. You had been standing in the entryway, looking at a picture of what must have been Sett and his mother when he caught you off guard, picking you up from behind.

You yelped, turning your head back to face him just in time for him to dart forward to snatch a kiss.

“You’ll have time to look around later,” he said as he walked down the hall, nudging a door open with his shoulder and then taking you into what looked to be his bedroom.

Once again, you were scarcely granted a look around before Sett had overtaken your attention yet again. You were swiftly carried over and deposited on the bed, Sett eagerly caging your body down against the sheets with his own.

“I wanted to go slow,” he said against your ear. “Didn’t wanna mess things up. But that’s not what you want, is it?”

“No,” you gasped as he snaked a hand under your dress, and then under your swimsuit bottoms. “I… I want…”

“This?” he inquired, thumb brushing against your clit, causing you to jolt against him with a breathy moan. “Waited a long time to hear that.”

Seeking more room to work, Sett pulled back to reach down and pull down your swimsuit bottoms, tossing them to the side. You watched with reddening cheeks as he returned his attention to you, head disappearing under your dress next.

His first lick against your pussy felt back-archingly good, but you didn’t have a lot of room to move with Sett’s hands holding your lower half in place. His tongue felt slightly rough, bringing pricks of pleasure-pain along its path.

Closing your eyes tight, you tried not to squirm, but it was difficult as Sett’s tongue prodded inside you before moving back to sucking at your clit. It felt good, almost too good, but you found yourself wanting more than his mouth against you.

“Sett,” you moaned. “Please…”

You weren’t sure if he got the message until you reached down to grasp at one of his hands. He pulled back from you, wiping one forearm against the wet lower half of his face as he sat back. His position on his knees on the bed allowed you a good look at the decently-sized bulge in the front of his tight swim shorts.

Sett caught your eyes, reaching one hand down to cup his cock through his shorts. “All you, sweetheart. Still think I think you’re ugly?”

You somehow managed to shake your head, speechless from his ardent display of his body. Sett seemed to bask in just how speechless he had made you, a sexy grin overtaking his face as he stared down at you.

“Couldn’t ask for more than this,” he said. “But if you want more…”

He was such a tease. With a burning face, you relented.

“Could you just put it in me please?” you asked, too shy to make eye contact.

“Can do,” he replied, and you could easily hear the smug satisfaction in his voice.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Sett stood up from the bed to pull his shorts off, wincing slightly when he pulled the tight fabric over his painfully-hard cock. Tossing the shorts to the floor, his attention quickly returned to you.

Giving his cock a few slow strokes, he watched you sit up on the bed. Feeling a burst in confidence from his display, you reached down to the hem of your dress’ skirt before pulling it up and off your body, Sett’s hungry gold eyes unable to look away from you as you moved onto your swimsuit top.

Once your top was off, Sett struck, pulling you towards him. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he pulled you onto his lap, reaching around to your front to cup your breasts as his mouth went straight to your neck. His hands were warm against the sensitive skin of your breasts, rolling your nipples under his thumbs as his teeth scraped against a sensitive spot on your neck.

You felt his hard cock under you and shifted yourself against it, Sett letting out a deep groan in response. You could feel how wet you were, but this wasn’t enough. You needed to fuck him, needed this building tension to come to a satisfying end for you both.

You turned in his lap, looping your arms around his neck and leaning down to kiss him. Sett was happy to meet tongues with you, one hand resting on your ass until you pulled back from the kiss.

You met eyes with Sett, who began to help you lift yourself up, lining up his cock with his other hand. When he brought you back down onto him, you both sighed as you were fully seated on his cock at last.

“Nothin’ else would feel as good as you,” Sett groaned as he began to help you move and up and then back down onto him. “Never wanted any girl as bad as I want you.”

You were much less coherent, moaning out his name as your hands grasped against his chest. With a further burst of confidence, you reached a hand up to his ear, running your fingers along the fur and enjoying the resulting groan, the next upward thrust of his hips hitting even better into you. Maybe you would leave this out at Taliyah’s interrogation later.

“There,” you moaned as he shifted you in his lap, his cock hitting even deeper inside you. “Right there, Sett.”

“You’re so tight,” he groaned, pulling you down into a rough kiss as he held you close, thrusting up into you as you eagerly moved along with him, needing to make this gorgeous man under you cum.

Sett came first, stilling for a moment before pulling you slightly back to put a finger to your clit, letting you cling to him as you followed him over the edge.

Once you had both come back down from the clouds, you were set back gently on the bed so Sett could run off to grab a cloth to clean you up with. You watched him leave the room, still having a hard time comprehending just how you had ended up this situation.

You definitely had some phone calls to make tomorrow. Your parents would be surprised, but you would probably focus on the Taliyah part rather than the new boyfriend part of your reasoning. Taliyah would be overjoyed for sure; you’d have to thank her for her meddling when you saw her.

As Sett returned, you realized something.

“Wait, is your mom home?” you asked in horror. You hadn’t made any effort to be quiet during sex, forgetting about his mother until he re-entered the room.

Sett laughed at your mortified face. “I don’t live with ma, so no.”

“Oh god,” you breathed in relief. “I was worried I was too…”

“She ain’t here,” he replied as he joined you on the bed, handing you the cloth he had grabbed. “You can be as loud as you want.”

You dropped the cloth, burying your head in your hands, Sett’s amused laughter ringing in your ears as you tried to content with just what you had signed yourself up for.

#xreader #readerinsert #league of legends #league of legends x reader #lol x reader #league of legends sett #sett #pool party sett #sett x reader #smut #pool party sett x reader

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rapsgoddess · 3 years

Text

Washing Machine Heart Part 1. (Erik Killmonger x OC)

This is unedited so please have mercy on me in the notes 😭

Nahla knew she didn’t mean a thing to him. Next to being a mercenary, Erik was a player. He came and went as he pleased, spent his nights with more than one woman, and didn’t feel a single shred of regret whenever his girls would pour out their hearts to him.

Nahla knew she didn’t mean a single thing to him, yet she still somehow fell in love.

It was a painful realization. One that she came to during one of Erik’s many long term absences. It was another sleepless night for her and she was sitting in bed with her laptop open to her right and her keyboard directly in front of her. For the past week, the same melody had been on loop inside her head. A broken tune that conveyed so much sorrow that it nearly brought her to tears whenever she hummed it. Each day after she got home from work, she would add onto the melody bit by bit, putting in different instruments and sounds to create a beautiful symphony.

When it came time to write lyrics for the song, all she could envision was a tune about unrequited love. The same unrequited love that she had been feeling for a while.

It wasn’t until she put a name to that feeling when she finally realized how she truly felt about Erik.

She decided to try and keep things suppressed for a while, hoping that her childish feelings of romance would disappear after a few days.

They didn’t.

When Erik returned a few weeks later, she didn’t, know how to act. The man made it known that he was not committed to anybody, and Nahla was no exception. On the rare occasion Nahla would catch a glimpse of him on social media, she would see him surrounded by women who looked as if they could be models. Women who were leagues ahead of her. The photos never failed to resurrect her insecurities. They made her question why Erik even bothered to give her the time of day. Yet those insecurities melted away whenever he came to visit her.

Flash forward to the present, and Nahla found herself laying next to Erik’s naked frame in her bed. The faint sound of her washing machine echoed throughout the house, giving a sort of rhythmic banging as her shoes tussled around inside. The night was still fairly young, having only been a few minutes past seven, but all of the plans that Nahla had for that evening were discarded the moment Erik showed up on her doorstep.

It didn’t take much for his words to lull her into bed and for his lips on hers to enrapture her. His low, smooth voice was like music to her ears, and her moans being music to his. Each praise that left his lips was like a toxic lullaby. Nahla knew that he had repeated the same words to dozens of women in the past, yet in the moment, they made her feel as if she were the only woman in the world.

“You feel so good around me baby…”

“You don’t know how much I missed this pussy.”

“Say my name so everybody know who’s fuckin’ you right.”

Thinking back to his words sent shivers down her spine. She was wide awake, restless and too excited to fall asleep. It was rare for Erik to stay after having sex, let alone fall asleep before her, but her inner turmoil prevented her from falling asleep.

She turned back to look over at Erik, taking in every aspect of his being as if it were the last time she would see him again. No matter how many times she laid eyes on him, she would never be able to find the words to describe how beautiful he was. He had a smile that could light up a room and warm eyes that made her heart flutter each time she looked into them. It often left her wondering why exactly he even entertained the thought of her when he was way out of her league.

A heavy sigh left Nahla’s lips and she threw the covers off the lower half of her body. She looked back at Erik one last time while putting on her robe, making sure that he stayed asleep. Slowly and quietly, she crept out of the room and down the hall to her makeshift studio, closing the door behind her and turning on the lights. She used her studio as an escape from both the real world and her own mind, and right then she needed an escape from both. Turning on her equipment and opening up her laptop, she opened up the file that held her latest project. The one that helped her come to her realization in the first place. She made sure the speakers were low as to not wake Erik up and pressed play, listening to her voice blend with the gentle melody.

She had only written a few lines so far and could feel the next verse just on the tip of her tongue, but lyricism had never really been her strong suit. Muttering random words under her breath, she opened up the notes section on GarageBand and began writing down whatever sounded nice, replacing and adding words where she deemed fit.

“Might as well give it a go,” she sighed, getting up from her chair and walking over to the small corner where her mic and the rest of her recording equipment was set up. She pressed record on an empty track and began singing the second verse, her voice coming out soft and almost broken in contrast to her usual strong, belty tone. She was tired, both physically and emotionally, but she couldn’t walk back to that room. Not with him still laying asleep in her bed as if the two of them were a couple.

After a few more takes, she had finally gotten her voice warmed up enough to where it didn’t sound completely like shit and she walked over to her work station to edit the track on top the music.

With her mind now completely engulfed in her music, she didn’t noticed the sound of her toilet flushing or her bathroom sink running down the hall. She didn’t notice the sound of footsteps leading to her studio and her door opening slightly.

It wasn’t until the feeling of a hand snaking its way around her neck drew her from her work as she jumped in her seat while clutching her chest in panic.

“Whatchu scared for? It’s just me,” Erik muttered, his voice still laced with drowsiness. “What are you doing up? Any other day you’d be knocked out.” His fingers gently squeezed at her neck and he leaned down to plant a kiss on the top of her head. It was weirdly intimate of him.

“I couldn’t sleep so I decided to work on something.” Nahla spun her seat around to face him. He had on a pair of low hanging shorts. She recognized them as being one of the pairs she bought for him whenever he decided to stay over. She mentally scoffed at the thought; buying clothes for a man who she wasn’t even in a relationship with.

“You’re not leaving?” She asked. It had just dawned on her that, miraculously, Erik was still there.

“Nah. I haven’t seen you in a while so I figured I’d stay for a little bit.”

The sentiment made her heart flutter but she quickly grounded herself back to reality. She couldn’t afford to get her hopes up.

“So, what are you working on?” He asked, his arms folded across his chest as he looked past her and at the open editing software on her computer.

“Oh. Well I had a melody that was stuck in my head for a while so I put it down and write lyrics. I lowkey wanna find a mini orchestra to record it though.”

“Well can I hear it?” He suggested.

Nahla’s eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat. Despite knowing each other for the better part of two years now, this was the most he had ever expressed genuine interest in her music.

“U-Uhh, I’m not sure… I get really sensitive about my stuff. Plus it’s not what you’d expect it to be,” she said, swirling her chair back around to face her work station as she hesitantly placed her hand on the mouse and moved the cursor over the “play” button. After taking a deep breath, she played the song and closed her eyes as she waited for it to be over. Throughout the entirety of what little she had to play, Erik was silent, giving no response, comment, or critiques. When it was over, she reluctantly turned around to face him.

“So? What do you think?”

“Yeah, I can definitely hear an orchestra going behind that. Maybe start off with piano first, then bring in strings or some shit during the hook,” he suggested, walking over to the other chair in the corner of her studio and sitting down.

“Okay. Thanks.”

For about an hour or two, the two of them stayed up in her studio talking about random things while sharing a blunt together. They eventually migrated back to the bedroom and made their way beneath the covers together, Nahla’s body molding perfectly into Erik’s as they cuddled.

“Nah, I’m deadass. I thought I had locked his cage, but he always finds a way to get out,” Nahla giggled, referring to her pet chameleon who always managed to get out of his cage. “I remember a few day ago I had just woken up and went into the kitchen to get some juice and I see him inside the sink just sitting there. Then he have the nerve to look up at me like ‘what are you doing here?’ No sir, what are you doing here.”

Erik laughed softly while shaking his head. “Nah, I don’t think I could handle an animal just freely roaming my shit like that.”

“You get used to it after a while. I was low-key thinking about getting a snake too, but I gotta figure out where to put the tank.”

“Oh hell nah. If you get a snake, I’m not coming by anymore.”

“What?! You used to be a whole Navy Seal and you’re scared of snakes, E?” She asked, a bit surprised that he even shared that information with her.

“Girl, I don’t know how you can even stand them things,” he mumbled, “slithering around and shit. What if it gets out when you’re sleep and starts choking you?”

“Then we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” she giggled, earning an eye roll from Erik.

Though it didn’t seem possible, she pressed herself against Erik even harder, somehow managing to get even closer to him. Resting her head in the crook of his neck, she had a perfect view of the many scars and keloids that littered his body. She could tell some of them are new. Whether or not they were accidental or self inflicted, she didn’t want to know.

It was times like these where Nahla wished that her outlandish fantasies of romance weren’t fantasies at all. Having never been in a real relationship before, she constantly longed to be loved by someone in a romantic sense. Though she knew that Erik probably never thought of her as more than a fuck buddy, it was nice to feel his warmth underneath her. Even if it was an illusion, it was nice to imagine him as her lover while he was holding her close.

“What’s on your mind?” He pried, letting out a deep sigh before closing his eyes and relaxing his muscles.

“Where do you go when you disappear?” She partially lied. Even though that wasn’t what truly was on her mind, it was still a question that lingered over her head for a while.

“That, I can’t tell you ma. At least not right now.”

She wasn’t satisfied with how curt his reply was. Sitting up, she supported her head with her hand, her elbow buried into the pillow beside his head as she peered down at him.

“You can tell me,” she pried. A childish grin spread across her face. “If it’s something illegal I promise I won’t tell.”

Erik peaked one up up at her, a smile of his own taking over his featured. He pushed his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. “Mm… Maybe I could tell you a little bit. I don’t even know where to begin though without you thinkin’ I’m crazy.”

“I won’t think you’re crazy.”

“You say that now.” There was a pregnant pause, and then, in the most serious tone ever, he said, “I’m apart of African royalty.”

“So there’s this country in Africa called Wakanda. At first glance, it seems like a small lil third world country, but in reality, they’re the most advanced civilization on the planet. They got this metal called Vibranium that allows them to all sorts of things, but they keep it hidden from the rest of the world.”

“How? And if they kept it hidden from the world, then how do you know about it?”

“They have a dome that surrounds the entire country. It’s practically impenetrable. And the only reason I know is because my father was the prince. He was sent here on an undercover mission in America but quickly saw how shitty thing were here, so he wanted to change it. “

“Wait, your father is the prince of an African country?” Nahla couldn’t believe her ears. Despite being secretive and mysterious, she knew that Erik wasn’t one to lie. After all, what could he possibly gain from lying about something as far fetched as this?

“Was. He was killed before he could enact any change; by his own brother no less.”

She could hear a pain and vulnerability in his voice that she’d never heard before. Now she definitely knew that he wasn’t lying.

Erik’s face had turned to the side in a fruitless attempt to hide the tears that welled up in his eyes. He’d never brought up his family or much of his life before he met her in a conversation, and now she could see why.

Hesitantly, Nahla reached up to wipe away the tears that left his eyes. “So you plan on going back and getting revenge?” She pondered. It would make sense why he’d want to stay under the radar, having no social media accounts, no permanent phone number, and constantly disappearing for months at a time. If he wanted to infiltrate an entire hidden country, then he’d have to be the closest thing to a ghost a person could be.

“It’s on the list,” he replied, sitting up in bed while resting back against the headboard. “But, my main goal is to change the world. Wakanda has technology and weapons that people can’t even begin fathom. If our people were able to get their hands on that kind of fire power, we wouldn’t have to worry about the White man oppressing us any longer.”

The sadness that was once present in his eyes had long disappeared, instead being replaced with a burning passion. It filled her with joy to see him get passionate about something, but it also put her on edge. Nahla knew what his plan implied, and she didn’t put it past him to sacrifice countless lives in order to see his vision come to life.

Staying silent, she simply nodded, too afraid that she’d say the wrong thing if she opened her mouth. Tearing her gaze away from the man, she began contemplating on everything she had been thinking about prior to his arrival. Her feelings for him were still unwavering, but now she was starting to ponder on whether or not being with him was a wise decision. It didn’t take being a genius to know that Erik’s path was a set one. He was a determined, goal-driven man, and when his mind was made up, there was no convincing him to go back on his decision.

If she followed him down that path, she wouldn’t be able to turn back.

“Do I scare you?”

Nahla looked back up only to be met with obsidian eyes boring straight into her deep brown ones. His question threw her for a loop, no doubt, considering how Erik was never one to be considerate of other people’s feelings.

“H-Huh? What do you mean?” She knew exactly what he meant.

“That look in your eyes… You’re scared of something. What is it?” He demanded in an eerily calm manner.

Attempting to spare his feelings would be a futile decision; Erik read people like his favorite novel. Yet, for some reason, Nahla had no control over the words that left her mouth.

She almost never did when she was around him.

“Nothing. I just get a bit spooked in the dark,” she chuckled.

Erik simply blinked at her, a look of uncertainty and doubt dancing around in his eye before he shrugged it off and laid back down in the bed, facing her completely.

“You should get some rest. Goodnight,” he said softly, his eyes never leaving her.

Upon hearing his words, Nahla felt an immense tiredness wash over her as if he casted a sleeping spell over her. She glanced over at the clock and noticed how it was nearly 4 AM. She had only three hours before she needed to get up and get ready for work.

She was tired, but fear kept plaguing her mind. A fear that he wouldn’t be there when she woke up. Or, even worse, a fear that she had dreamt the entire night.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be here when you wake up,” he whispered.

Nahla wanted to believe him, so she did, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

#erik killmonger #erik killmonger x reader #erik killmonger x oc #black panther #mcu fanfiction

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theeslytherinslut · 3 years

Text

12 Grimmauld Place (8/?)

Pairings: Sirius Black (post-Azkaban) x reader, Remus Lupin x reader’s brother, Sirius Black x Slytherin!reader

Word Count: 2,130

Warnings: gross imagery

A/N: Next chapter will have the trio! Don’t worry the smut is inbound, I love me a slow burn lol. I have a feeling this will be a fairly long story, possibly pushing 20 chapters cause I’m only just coming up on the storyline I had in mind lmao

As Snape pushed open the hospital wing doors, the girlish voice you'd heard earlier returned, and this time you were stunned to find it was arguing with Dumbledore. Surely no student in their right mind would argue with Dumbledore.

“I’m afraid that whatever is behind that door doesn’t concern you, Madam Undersecretary,” Dumbledore said serenely. Glancing warily at Sirius, you found him giving you the same look. So it wasn’t a student. You recognized the title as well, possibly from filling out paperwork for work. Work...the Ministry...Sirius Black sitting right next to you, a very much wanted Sirius Black.

“Sirius, it might be best you transform now." Madame Pomfrey said before you could. Sirius shot her a shocked look, and she shook her head. "Oh, don't look so shocked. Of course I know--and I'm not the only one, you know. Now, go on. I don’t believe that woman is going to be sated by Dumbledore.”

And sure enough, a second later, the woman pushed open the doors, and Sirius’ hand slipped from yours. Looking over, in Sirius’ spot sat a large black dog, panting slightly. Bewildered, you stared at Sirius’ new form as a small, toad-looking old woman pulled back your separating curtains.

“What is this?” she hissed, looking to Madame Pomfrey. She was dressed entirely in an alarming shade of pink, which made her resemble a bubblegum ball. Feeling slightly nauseated, you tore your eyes away from her vivid color, but not before noticing her face was also pink in agitation.

“This is a patient,” Madame Pomfrey responded icily, barely looking up from your leg. Thankfully, it seemed she’d ceased her draining until Sirius was able to support you once more.

“She isn’t a student, what’s she doing here?” the woman asked, barely looking at you.

“She used to be,” you retorted, stung by the lack of empathy. She seemed not to hear you, but instead stared expectantly at Madame Pomfrey.

“I shall treat any who seek medical attention, regardless of their status within the school.” Madame Pomfrey said, drawing herself up to her full height.

“I don’t believe that’s your decision to make, dear.” the woman said in a sickly sweet voice. Your temper flared.

“As Headmaster, I bestow upon Madame Pomfrey the ability to treat whoever she sees fit. So, unless you plan to bodily remove Mrs. Y/L/N, I don’t see why this conversation can’t be continued in a more conducive setting. I do believe we’re keeping Y/N’s wounds from being drained.” Dumbledore said, gesturing down to your leg. “Decaying drought,”

The woman let out a ghastly noise as she looked down, and you rolled your eyes.

“Oh, that’s nice. Really love being gasped at, as if being mauled weren’t enough.” you quipped, unable to hold your tongue. Sirius growled at the woman, and her eyes fell to him.

“There! Now that can’t be sanitary, can it? It’ll have to go,” the woman said, reaching out to pull Sirius from the room. It seemed she was determined to assert some sort of authority over the situation. Sirius growled more loudly and now raised himself to stand on all four legs; whatever dog breed he’d chosen was massive, and he stood almost as tall as she did. Looking at him, he looked truly terrifying. His long fangs glinted in the light pouring in from the massive windows and his hackles were raised as he viciously growled at the squat woman before you. He looked more wolfish than like a dog.

“I’d advise against that, Madame Undersecretary. I do believe he holds a certain affinity for Y/N. Dragging him from her bedside might not get you the results you so wish to receive.” Dumbledore smiled fondly down at Sirius, who still stood barring his long fangs at the woman.

“Well,” she gasped, pulling her short, stubby hand from Sirius’ reach. “Cornelius shall be hearing all about this, Dumbledore. I must say it is most unusual for a prior student to be treated by staff during the school year, nevertheless joined by her mangy mutt.”

“I should expect nothing less,” Dumbledore said, serene as ever, “Now, shall we? Unless you wish to see the effects of an expertly made decaying drought on the human body?

She made a face and peered back down at your angry leg, and you were sure to meet her gaze with an icy glare. She cast a look around at the group of you, and you suddenly remembered Remus’ unconscious body in the next compartment. Hoping she wouldn't look around, you held her eyes with a glare. Thankfully, she seemed unable to find anything worth staying for and allowed Dumbledore to sweep her from the room.

Madame Pomfrey let out a string of words that made you proud, and you smiled at a now human Sirius, his hand slipping back in yours.

“That was Dolores Umbridge. Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, and by all accounts, simply the very worst of humanity.” Sirius explained, absentmindedly running his thumb along the outside of your hand. Madame Pomfrey still bustled about agitatedly, but you knew she’d soon return to you.

“What’s she doing here? Surely Dumbledore would never hire such a horrible woman?” you asked. It’d been a while since you’d been at Hogwarts, but that you knew.

“Of course not. She was placed here by the Minister. Fudge is becoming intensely paranoid--and about all the wrong things. As I’m sure you’re very much well aware of, he refuses to acknowledge,” and casting a look at Madame Pomfrey, he cut himself off, “You-Know-Who’s return. Instead of dealing with the real enemy--the only true enemy of the whole of the wizarding world--he instead has set his sites on Dumbledore. As I’m sure you’ve read, he’s already got the Daily Prophet to work on subduing and poisoning the public against him and his claims. They’ve even begun to go after Harry now, too. Cowards. Complete and utter sodding tossers, the whole lot of them--”

“Sirius, there are students in here,” Madame Pomfrey hissed, swatting him lightly with an empty medicine bottle.

“Sorry, Poppy. Anyway, Fudge -is so deluded he thinks Dumbledore is using Hogwarts to train up young wizards for a fresh, formidable, wizard army.” Sirius said

“He’s what?!” you laughed, sure he must be exaggerating.

“He’s gone completely round the twist. Thinks Dumbledore’s training up all these children to get them to storm and take over the Ministry. Utterly fuck--sorry, completely nutters. So, he’s placed Umbridge at Hogwarts, fulfilling both the vacant position of Defense Against the Dark Arts and a fiercely loyal mole. Word is he’s working on drawing up the plans to take over the school completely. This just being the first of many steps.” Sirius explained. Madame Pomfrey leaned in and gasped at his story.

“Take over the school? That wretched woman?” she said, holding her hand to her mouth in horror. Sirius nodded grimly, and a look of intensity came over Madame Pomfrey’s features.

“Well, I don’t cave so easily,” she said, sniffing haughtily at the thought of being under Umbridge’s thumb.

“Spoken like a true Gryffindor,” Sirius smiled up at her.

“Gryffindor?” you said, shocked. I mean, it made sense for Madame Pomfrey to attend Hogwarts in her youth, but you’d never really thought about it--much less what house she’d belong in.

“Yes, Gryffindor, but I never let that cloud my judgment, Slytherin,” she sneered playfully at you. You and Sirius let out a laugh, yours dying much quicker as she came back towards you.

“Alright, dear, last one. It looks like his pinky claw didn’t quite reach you,” she said, grimacing as she spoke.

Wrapping my fingers around the bed frame and Sirius’ hand, you nodded.

And like always, it was hell. Screaming, you tried to quiet yourself, but it was to no avail. Your mouth seemed to have a mind of its own as she worked her way down your leg, pushing out the rotting flesh

“Y/N?!” a voice yelled groggily. Cursing, Sirius slipped from your grasp and disappeared from view. Despite Sirius’ absence, Madame Pomfrey continued.

“Almost done, ‘few more seconds, dear,” she said.

Casting a look down, your head spun at the image below you. Your limb looked more zombie-like than human. It was a horrible mixture of deep burgundy, black as the infection ran down your leg, and purple from your enlarged veins highlighting here and there.

“Remus! Contain yourself!” Sirius scolded. You knew you should shut your mouth to calm him, but it didn’t seem possible with the imagery added to the sensation. Finally, she stopped, and you fell back against the pillows once more, vision blacking round the edges as you fought to regain your breath.

Then, what sounded like a dull thud followed by a groan sounded, and Remus burst through the curtains. What he saw brought him to his knees.

“Would you believe me if I told you it’s not as bad as it looks?” you said, trying to force out a laugh. It came out as a strangled cough, though, as your throat was raw from yelling.

“It’ll be alright, Remus. She’ll be fine by this time tomorrow, come on,” Madame Pomfrey fretted over Remus, and you could see her soft spot for your brother remained.

“But...” he trailed off. Words seemed to fail him, and he gestured weakly to your grotesque limb.

“Well, sit down, drink this,” she said, forcing a lavender-colored liquid into his slightly shaking hands. “Calm down, and we’ll explain. If you go roaring off again, I’ll have to knock you out with something much stronger than the last,” she threatened, lowering her eyes at Remus. With a sudden fondness, you remembered her disdain for chaos in her wing.

“Oh, Sirius,” she sighed. He’d just come in clutching a bloody nose, but seemed amused rather than angry.

“Remus!” you said, shocked at your brother.

“It’s quite alright, love. If someone were trying to keep me from you while you were screaming like that, I’d do the same.” Sirius smiled at you. A tingly feeling brewed in your chest at his words. “Excellent right hook, Moony,” he complimented, bowing slightly at his friend.

Tonks followed in soon after, rolling her eyes at the two of them. You met her eyes, and the both of you mouthed ‘men’ at each other whilst shaking your head.

As Remus laughed weakly at Sirius and downed the rest of the liquid, a small boy in scarlet and gold came to collect Tonks. With a wave and a glance back at Remus, she was gone. The effects of the potion were instantaneous; his hands ceased their shaking, he sat up a little straighter and took a deep breath.

“Now, then,” Madame Pomfrey sighed, “Her leg. It seems our favorite furry little friend seemed discontent with the marring effects of his claws alone and dipped them in what we’ve found to be a decaying drought.”

Bracing yourself for his reaction, you were extremely shocked to find him reasonable still.

“You’ve got Severus making the antidote, then?” Remus asked logically.

“I’ll take a dozen of whatever that was for later,” you breathed at Madame Pomfrey. Remus was such a reasonable, logical person in every situation, except when it came to you. When it came to you, however, he was much more reminiscent of his wolfish counterpart.

Everyone laughed lightly at your comment, and you sat up slightly, most of the pain fading.

“So, what now?” I asked.

“Now, dear. You rest. Though, I daresay at some point your friend here will have a trio of visitors,” she said, twinkling at Sirius.

Sirius smiled in realization, and you were happy he got to see his godson early--even if it did take you suffering from a poisonous werewolf attack.

“I’ll be staying, Poppy,” Remus said, pulling up a chair. You opened your mouth to reason with him, but he stopped you by lifting his hands, and you sighed--there was only so much the potion could do.

She cast wary glances at Sirius and Remus.

“You know, I don’t believe there was a single night in which the two of you were in here that didn’t end in various bangs, pop, and screams.” Suddenly, her demeanor was very intense and McGonagall-like. “The first will be tonight. Or you’ll both end up in an empty cot!”

“Poppy, we are adults, you know,” Remus reminded her, smiling lightly.

“Oh, like that ever stopped you lot,” Madame Pomfrey said, giving them each a stern stare as she left.

“We’ll be on our very best behavior, Poppy,” Sirius said solemnly, though the mischievous twinkle in his eyes gave him away.

“You two will be the death of me,” she sighed, whisking away back to her desk, a concerned look on her face.

******************************

Taglist: @geeksareunique @fredweasleysbitchh @green-intervention @stopbeingcurious @ @blackbirddaredevil23 @pan-pride-12 @deathkat657 @theeicedamericano

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barbecuebabybackribs · 4 years

Photo

Being In a Poly relationship with Sam Uley, Paul Lahote, and Jacob Black would include: (Male! Cullen! Imprint! Reader)

Requested: Yes

(Your all in a relationship)

Everyone Knew they were in a relationship

They got a lot of strange looks and backhanded comments

But they were able to get through it together- luckily not many people had the guts to say it in front of there faces considering they were all tall buff men

It did get to them slightly, and it took them a long time to be public with there relationship but eventually the hiding got to them and they came out

The pack already knew of course, it would be hard to hide the longing looks they gave to each other normally, but since they can hear each others thoughts? They were outed very quickly

Embry and Jared nearly choke when they first hear a passing thought go through Jacob’s mind about an intimate moment they had shared- and everything quickly unraveled from there

You are the youngest of the Cullen children, mainly because you are human.

You had a rough childhood and were taken away for your family at a very young age

One day you had gotten hurt by and equally poor foster family

Carlisle was your doctor, he instantly noticed the signs of abuse and also realized just how wonderful of a kid you were

He followed procedure and reported the incident to CPS

You were taken away but then you were without a family once again, Carlisle tried not to think about you, knowing there were plenty of poor children in situations like yours and his home wouldn’t be safe for a human child

But when you come back in, this time with a broken arm, he discusses it with the family.

Him and Esme start the process of adoption and cross there fingers.

They’re accepted.

You’re only four so they panic and buy everything they can think of to childproof there house, and set up a room for you- which Alice and Rosalie take care of

You don’t trust them at first, your past foster families had been abusive and even though you were young you still associated the process with being hurt

Jasper keeps his distance from you but uses his powers to ease your stress

When you first go there your three favorite people are Esme, Rosalie, and Carlisle

You love Esme because she makes you your favorite foods and she reads you bed time stories every night- she also was the first person other then Carlisle you met

You love Carlisle because he was the first person who was nice to you in a long time, he was always nice to you and was the first real father figure you had, so of course you want to talk to him for two hours about cartoons and the cool bug you saw outside- although he’s a sucker for your ramblings

You loved Rosalie because she loved you, she babied you, played with you, dances with you, watches cartoons with you every Sunday morning while your still half asleep.

You soon warm up to the others though and over the years your close with them all

When they first told you about vampires they only confirmed a suspicion you had already had

“Wait, so I was right?”

“Yeah a bit...” Edward piped up awkwardly from the corner having forgotten to tell them about your theory on why they were all the same age as when you had met, never ate with you, and never slept

Your still all close, even closer in fact now that they don’t need to hide everything from you

So when they ask you to deliver a message to the wolf pack- who you had never met but were familiar with- you complied

Happily pulling up you grasped the note tightly- technically you knew what to say, just tell them when the training would take place- but that didn’t mean you weren’t nervous about forgetting

With three snaps of your wrist you knocked on the door, eyes low as you tried to keep your nerves at bay- just drop the note off, then leave. It’ll be simple

The door swung open and a stern looking woman opened the door

“Hello?”

“Uh hi, I’m supposed to drop this letter off with Sam Uley.”

“Ah so you’re the Leeches human.”

“Uhm- and you’re Leah the Female wolf?”

She mumbled a yeah and motioned for me to come inside, when you walk in you instantly recognize the wolf pack- mainly because of there tattoos but the fact that they were all shirtless was a large hint.

“Which one of you is Sam?” You asked looking at the four men sat at the table eating a variety of foods displayed on the table.

Two of the men- one you had recognized from Bella’s description as being Jacob black- stopped mid bite and stared at you, which made you shift nervously

little did you know Jacob and Paul were currently in the midst of there entire world shifting below there feet, and suddenly it wasn’t just there partners who mattered above all else, you were at the center of it all.

Right when you were contemplating turning around and leaving before you had the option to give them the letter, or to find out why they were staring at you so intensely, like they were a second away from jumping over the table and tackling you- someone cleared there throat from next to you

You nearly jumped out of your skin and quickly turned to look at the man who had scared you

He was tall, had a stern yet handsome face- and gave off an incredibly intimidating aura

His tightly knit brows instantly relaxed as we made eye contact- which made you think you might have something on your face considering everyone is staring at you

“Are you... Sam?” You asked, trying to put on your best smile despite the feeling of three men staring into your soul causing your skin to crawl

“Yes, and you are?” He spoke, gentler then you were expecting but his voice still carried a powerful undertone

“Y/N, Carlisle sent me to give you the detail on your whole training session.”

He paused for a moment, taking the letter from your hand and glancing at the others

“Your the Cullen’s human?” He asked but it came out more as a statement

“I prefer Y/N, but yes- I’m the Cullen token human.” You tried to lighten the suddenly serious moment, but when you were met with more confused stares and strangely longing gazes you let out a nervous laugh, “You know... I’m just gonna go...” You said sounding slightly more nervous intended

There was a few more moments of silent and Sam, Jacob, and mystery pack member shared a knowing but slightly panic looked.

“Hey, Why don’t you stay for lunch- since you’re already here and everything.” Jacob smiled from his seat at the table- repeatedly hitting the shoulder of another boy until he moved and then motioning at the free seat.

“Oh... I shouldn’t, I mean I’d hate to impose.” You waved your hand slightly, a small smile on your face. They seemed nice but the thought of being glared at for any longer made you want to die on the spot.

“Ah come on, we’d love to get to know the infamous vampire boy.”

You let out a slight sigh before admitting defeat- not wanting to seem rude at this point. “I guess I can stay for a bit- If you stop calling me Vampire boy.... or ‘the leech human’.”

“Deal.” Mystery boy said before motioning his head to the now-free chair, “Now sit.”

You end up sitting down and are able to enjoy yourself, most of the pack other then Jacob, Paul, and Sam don’t talk to you to terribly much, other then introducing themselves.

“Oh, by the way, what’s your name again?”

“It’s Paul.” He practically beamed at your slight attention- you didn’t know it but the three men were all suddenly very desperate to get to know you and have your attention. Hence why they didn’t want you to leave.

Time flew by quicker then any of you would have liked, they all hung onto your every word as you talked, and you found yourself doing the same when they talked.

The rest of the pack quickly caught on and were either fighting back a laugh the entire time or dreading the drama that would likely ensue from not one, not two, but three werewolf’s imprinting on the human Cullen.

Speaking of which, none of the Cullen’s know until the training scene.

The whole day is put on pause for a few minutes as Edward quickly is able to read the thoughts of the pack and tells the others.

Your standing near Bella- confused on what exactly an imprint is but not asking because you had a suspicion it wasn’t good.

Carlisle and Esme are fairly calm, this wasn’t the kind of thing you could control and they were happy you would have three werewolf’s looking out for you- since they were known for being protective of there imprints

Jasper, Edward, and Emmett, had no idea how to feel.

The one time Jasper is stumped with emotions, he knows imprints are usually happiest with their imprinter- or imprinters. But how could he know you’d be safe with them? Alice wouldn’t be able to see if something was going to go wrong so anything could happen

Emmett was slightly confused but he guessed he was happy for you? But also upset that the mutts imprinted on his human

Edward was, just, couldn’t, wrap, his, head, around, it.

Rosalie and Alice were fuming

You were Rosalie’s kid, if they thought for one second they could have you they’d have to get through her

Alice did not like the mutts, especially when they were imprinted on her favorite human- her usually happy demeanor shifted and she held herself back but jasper was gently holding her hand to try and keep her calm

Rosalie however went off

“What do you mean they all imprinted on him! As if dealing with one of them wouldn’t be enough!” She hissed, grabbing your arm and pulling you behind her- which caused the three wolves to snap and growl slightly

“Uh- It’s okay Rose?” You tried to ignore your confusion and comfort her slightly

“No- It’s not Y/N!”

Everyone was very tense for the rest of the training session, you were mainly searching through your memories trying to remember what imprints were- when you did remember you let out a small “oh”

Although you didn’t know the relationship would move past being close friends

Which is exactly what you were for awhile.

Carlisle was able to convince Rosalie to let you go see the pack, not wanting to start a dispute by withholding you

She still gave you a pocket knife and a long rant on how if they try anything or you get slightly uncomfortable to leave immediately- and to listen to you instincts.

But your instincts tell you to completely trust the pack.

The first few meetings the four of you have after the training session were awkward at first but you quickly warmed up to them

You spend a lot of time on the beach and especially just hanging around Sam’s house

You four can just talk for hours enjoying eachothers company

Jacob likes to spend private time with you at the beach, he likes watching you collect seashells- you may have grown up in the area but you were never allowed to go to the beach so you’ve got almost a child-like excitement when you’re there.

Paul likes to take you places, any place you want to go- you got it- he likes seeing new movies with you, especially action films but you’ve dragged him to a few cheesy werewolf movies specifically so you could crack up at them and whisper in your ear, ��So do you do that?’

Sam likes to have more chill time with you, he takes the brunt of patrolling and just being able to rest, and hang out with you knowing your safe is enough. Not that it’s boring though, he still finds different ways to fill the time but it’s much more relaxing things- one time you made him paint and he refused to show you his piece for days because it was ‘so bad’, you assured him it wasn’t although inside you both knew it was. When he tried to throw it away you stole it out of the trash and brought it home

When you all hang out your in for a fun day, your usually doing something specific because keeping four people entertained can be a hassle if your just hanging out- not that you don’t just hang out but things run more smoothly when your doing something

If they had a particularly long day patrolling you’ll let them just relax- always offering to leave if they need alone time since you do know they might just went to spend time with their partners, but they always insist you stay

They usually lay on the couch and you’ll make them dinner since they do have huge appetites, and Esme did give you cooking lessons so you know your way around the kitchen

Plus it’s nice to cook for someone else other then yourself

Jacob and Paul are always pumped when you cook for them- Sam always reminds you that you don’t need to cook for them, but is secretly just as excited because your an extremely good cook

Speaking of being a good cook- that’s something the entire pack appreciates your skill because you always conveniently make just enough for them as well- totally a coincidence if anyone asks you

Leah starts to warm up to you- she still doesn’t like being around Sam but she realizes your not a bad guy and she enjoys being able to be around you and only you so she can escape the other pack members thoughts but also have company

The rest of the pack loves you- partially because you make them food but also they think your fun to be around- although your rarely alone with anyone other then your three imprintee’s

None of you know when exactly you start having non-platonic feeling for each other

I mean Jasper does, which means Edward knows, and of course they had to tell Alice and Bella, so they all know way before you realize.

None of them are particularly bothered by you being gay, Jasper and Edward have known since you’d get crushes on the male cartoon characters on your shows, Alice didn’t mind you fell in love with a man-men- she just was hesitant about the men you fell for. And Bella always had a sneaking suspicion so it merely confirmed a suspicion she had- although it did go against her religious beliefs, so did being a vampire and she was able to accept that so you liking men? No big deal

Jacob is the first to realize of the three shifters- and since he is the first one to know he panics at the thought of the others not also liking you in the same way

However there is a Domino effect and almost within 24 hours they all realize they all feel the same way- but do you?

“The Cullen’s are going to kill us- not only imprinting on there son but this?”

Them slowly testing the waters to see how you feel is how you realize you like like them

Paul wrapped an arm around you when you shivered in the cold air, he couldn’t fight back the smug smile that painted his features when you leaned further into him

Sam mainly observes your behavior, not wanting to push you so he tries to read into all you slight movements.

Jacob mainly makes jokes under the same style ‘what if we all went on a date together... haha jk jk... unless?’

After five of those kinds of jokes you get suspicious- those paired with Jacob suddenly wanting to spend a lot more time with you and getting you small gifts- along with Sam becoming a lot more touchy feely and also giving you small gifts- you were suspicious the feeling were mutual.

All of you danced around your feeling.

Until you overheard a conversation.

“Jake, we have to take our time, we don’t want to push him.”

“Sam! We’ve been waiting for weeks, we should just tell him, lay all our cards out on the table.”

“Oh yeah, Jake just three shifters cornering you and saying ‘hey you know how we said imprints are sometimes completely platonic? Well this is not one of those times’.”

They had not realized you were standing on the front porch right next to the very open window

Your plan was simple- just back away and stay near your car for five minutes then come back and pretend you didn’t hear anything- simple right?

Not quite since you didn’t hear Jared walking up behind you- and of course he was very loud with his greeting

After a few moments you see Jacobs head stick out the window looking a tad panicked- “Oh Y/N I had no idea you were here!”

“Uh yeah... just got here an bumped into Jared.”

Jared only needed to pick something up and then he was gone and you were left alone with three men who were wondering if you had heard them.

An awkward silence was in the air before Sam finally sighed and asked “Did you here what we were talking about?”

Your face gave an answer before you could speak, but you tried none-the-less “psshhh.... nah I didn’t hear a single thing...”

“That’s obviously a lie.”

Jacob is happy you know and can make a decision if you’d like to stay merely friends or possibly become more, Paul is panicked your going to be completely put off by them all falling for you- they didn’t even know if you were gay so this could actually make you run back to the Cullen’s and never come back, and Sam is a mix of both- he doesn’t think you’ll run but he is worried if you don’t share there feeling your relationship will never be the same, although he was eager to hear what you have to say

“So... you all want... to date me?” You held your breath awaiting an answer.

“Basically..”

You let out a small ‘oh’ as a smile fights it’s way onto your features

They don’t know if your happy or if you’re making fun of them

Sam doesn’t beat around the bush and asks if you have feelings for them in a purely platonic sense, or not.

You lightly punch his shoulder and joke lightly “Not”

“What?”

“Not.” You said again,

“Y/N What the ever living fu-- OH YOU MEAN YOUR FEELINGS AREN’T PLATONIC!” Paul blurts out in confusion and then excitement

You just smile slightly and nod at him, having to many butterflies in your stomach to talk.

The day goes absolutely wonderfully after that- you were planning on just watching The AmittyVille Horror and having dinner, and that’s what you did

But even though none of them had officially asked you out, you all just unanimously agreed you were theirs now and they were yours

For the first time Sam wasn’t the only one helping you with dinner

You had to give Paul and Jacob easier jobs as they were absolutely terrible in the kitchen, Paul was in charge rubbing the seasoning-that same had mixed- on the meat and he was in charge of the playlist so you all had music to listen to- Jake was in charge of chopping, which he was slow and sloppy at but he did his best

You and Sam had already cooked many meals together so you moved smoothly through the kitchen preparing the rest of the food

You all ate together and then watched the movie, none of you were to particularly scared however you all enjoyed the movie

You went home that night very happy and Edward stopped you before you even got through the door

He unintentionally outed you- before you were ready. He hold’s the guilt of that for years- even after you forgive him.

No one really says much, Esme and Carlisle say they’re happy for you and then let you awkwardly walk right back out of the house

Carlisle is technically extremely religious but he knows that god loves all his creations and he knows the bible has been through many different phases, so he know’s it is not a literal guide book- he knows who you are and he loves you regardless

Esme has already known since you were a kid and you told her you secretly has a crush on a guy in your class- when you were in kindergarten- which you completely forgot but she’s always known and always loved you.

Rosalie is fuming- not because your gay, I mean she at one point questioned her own sexuality and she really doesn’t care what sexuality you are, but she does care that the MUTTS THINK THEY HAVE ANY CLAIM TO HER SON

they’ve already been stealing you every other day, but now? what if you move in with them, what if you start seeing them everyday, where will she be in your life? She’s mad and insecure, you end up telling her she’ll always be the best mom and that it doesn’t matter who your with, you’ll never leave her

Emmett is just flabbergasted, you get imprinted on by three wolves, you fall for all of them, they’re all men, they all fall for you. It’s a lot, he still loves you, but it’s a lot

You go right back to Sam’s house- you take a slight detour, you weren’t ready to come out to them so you need a minute

You knock and Sam’s door and only have to wait a second before it swings open- he heard you coming

“What happened?” He said when he saw your face- which you hadn’t realized must’ve looked upset

You just sighed and mumbled “I love them but sometimes living with vampires sucks ass.”

He chuckled lightly and pulled you inside, you didn’t see his eye twitch in agitation that the cullens upset you “You want to talk about it?”

“Not even slightly.”

“Well then, what would you like to do.”

You shrugged and plopped yourself on his couch “If you were doing something I can just chill here.”

“I was only going to clean and go to bed- I’d much rather spend time with you.”

He said plopping down on the couch with you, you ended up talking random things including the scary stories you believed in when you were small and debating what kind of pasta was the best

After awhile you both got pretty tired and you said you should probably go, with a sigh

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to- I mean I’ll sleep on the couch and you can take the bed if you’d like.”

You ended up agreeing with him but insisting you sleep on the couch- threatening to leave if he sleeps on it since he has patrols the next day

You two stay up a tad longer then he let’s you get some rest

It takes you awhile to fall asleep since you’ve never really stayed here over night

In the morning he’s in a bit of a rush but you spend a few mintutes together and then he’s out the door

When you go home all the cullens are hella worried

Takes you an hour to calm them down and convince them your alright you were just to tired to drive

They’re not exactly thrilled but they let it slide- just this once

It takes them awhile to get used to your relationship but once they see your happy and safe they accept it

Jacob drives you around on his bike a lot- sometimes if you need a lift but also just to be with you

Paul is the one most likely to tackle you- it’s actually how you have your first kiss- which is kinda romantic but he also scared the hell out of you

If you want to be technical your first kiss with Sam was a cheek kiss, which he did in the middle of making lunch which through you off

But your first lip kiss was almost just as random but a bit more romantic, he walked you to your car after you all had gone on a date and the others hanged back- he told them to in there minds but you didn’t know that- and kissed you before you got in your car

Jacob was a bit jealous he was the last to the party but he makes up for it in being really cute

Not-so-stealthy wraps a warm arm around you and pulls you close, your sitting on the cool beach so you cuddle into his warm chest, he calls your name quietly so you look up to him and then he goes to kiss you- but his nose smashes into yours

He immediately apologizes while you die of laughter, unclinging from him and practically rolling in the sand

Defeated he grumpily crosses his arms and refuses to look at you

“Hey Jake~” You call, and now he’s the one turning to you and you steal a kiss

After that you instantly cuddle back up into his warm chest despite the fact your insane blush heated you up

They are always affectionate to each-other and if you think you escaped that- think again,

At least one of them is always touching you in some way- Jake loves to hold you hand, Paul likes to have a hand on your thigh/lower back- and Sam likes to wrap his arm around your shoulders

Sam is a big sucker for face kisses

Paul looooves when you play with his hair but refuses to admit it

Jacob likes to just casually carry your around on his back/in his arms

It takes a good long while for all of you to get intimate

You mess around one on one with each other but it’s intimidating for three Tall Hunky werewolves to just take you

But they do regardless as long as you’re okay with it- Edward and Jasper are very uncomfortable with the new intimacy in your relationship

Whenever there is a supernatural threat you spend 95% of your time with them- the other 5% with the cullens

They will not let you out of you sights, you almost think your getting heatstroke at night when you’re surrounded by three bodies- two of which have arms around you- radiating heat

speaking of which in the winter you still don’t need blankets because they’re all more the willing to be your blanket

One time Paul lost control and shifted near you and your tackled by jacob so you don’t get hurt

Paul spends a weak apologizing

He always hates his temper but it’s been a lot better since you came along

They all become better people with you around- but not because you force them to be, because they want to be with you around

They love you wholeheartedly and that’s all that truly matters

You guys live a long happy life together and no one will ever tear you apart

Word count: 4,571

(sighs in having 20 drafts but ADHD brain won’t let you finish any, also I hope you like it ^^ @shamelessloverhairdopainter sorry I haven’t completed any of your other requests yet but trust me I’m trying to write every free chance I get, everyone have a good day and stay safe y’all)

#Same uley imagine #Same uley x reader #Same uley x male reader #Paul lahote x male reader #Paul lahote imagine #Paul lahote x reader #Jacob Black x reader #Jacob black x male reader #Jacob Black imagine #Male reader twilight #twilight #male reader #male reader fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #would include #twilight x reader #twilight x male reader #twilight imagine

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kisskissbanggang · 4 years

Note

it was jeno in the office with the belt

[OOOOOOH I like the way you think anon. Squint and you might recognize something 👀]

[sub!idol, dom!reader, femdom, elements of hate sex, high heels, spanking, humiliation, degradation, puppy play, footjobs, cum eating]

Jeno was a terrible boss.

Not because he was mean or rude to you. Really, he didn’t seem to need your assistance — which defeated the whole point of you being his assistant. Sure, he was young, and still fairly new at this. He was an assistant himself not that long ago occupying the desk a few down from your own just last year, so perhaps he was used to simply getting everything done on his own. However, this was exhausting, waiting for Jeno to suddenly need you.

That’s why it was so exciting that Jeno was buzzing you into his office for once. You peered into the young junior manager’s office, notepad in hand and ready to go, when you noticed that Jeno was only mostly dressed, his suit jacket haphazardly thrown over the back of his chair and his shirt tails untucked as he frantically searched his office.

“Oh, thank god you’re here,” Jeno sighed in relief. “I picked up my suit from the dry cleaners after I went to the gym on my lunch, and I can’t find my belt anywhere. I have a meeting in an hour that I can’t be late for, please help me find it.”

You were stunned. Of course, you were only called in here to help your boss find a belt.

Jeno didn’t even notice as you approached his desk and opened the filing cabinet placed behind him. He did notice, though, as you drew out a belt and held it up for him. “You found my—?”

“No, Jeno,” you shook your head impatiently. “I took the liberty of storing some emergency items in your office since I know this isn’t exactly a rare occasion.”

“You did? That’s amazing,” Jeno gushed.

“Not really,” you shrugged. “I just have so much free time since you barely need my help.”

Jeno’s winning smile faltered. “Is that bad? I thought you would appreciate not having to do every piece of grunt work I have.”

You stared in disbelief before you regained your composure. “I work billable hours, Jeno. You’re salary now. I’m giving myself busy work just to get a full day.”

“God, you always were way better at this than I was,” Jeno sighed, his smile almost painfully wistful. You honestly probably would’ve hated it more if he weren’t so obnoxiously handsome.

“Right,” you nodded sarcastically, “that’s why you got the promotion over me, right?”

“Hey, I was surprised I got the promotion over you,” Jeno innocently defended, “my application was a Hail Mary for a higher paycheck and I thought I was a goner when I saw you outside the conference room for our interviews.”

You didn’t have to bother playing coy, you knew exactly why Jeno got the promotion over you. The manager in the office down the hall was gorgeous and capable, but she worked her ass off to get there, more than any of the boys ever did. The way she looked killer in suits and heels probably helped her case, and you’d taken note, making sure not to upstage upper management but still dressing up as much as you could.

However, Jeno was a hound, even if he didn’t want to admit it. He saw an opportunity to get ahead and he did. That pretty manager down the hall told you as much, when she murmured to you after your interview that you had to tread carefully, that Jeno nonchalantly mentioned you were considering prospects outside of the firm to the senior staff. Now, he tried to remain looking confident as you strode over, the click of your high heels caculated as you went to give him the belt in your hands.

“What is this really about, Jeno?” You grinned flatly. Jeno tried to look flippant turning his nose up at you so he could scoff. “You can just admit you’re sore that I turned you down.”

“Excuse me?” Jeno sputtered, aghast that you’d make such a claim.

You simply shrugged as you stepped forward, your chest pressing into his. “It’s fine. I know I was real sweet to you before I figured out who you really are.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Jeno shook his head defiantly as he tried to tug the belt out of your hands. When you wouldn’t let up, he settled to brazenly wrap an arm around your waist, much to your surprise. “All I know is you had no reason to turn me down.”

“No reason?!” It was your turn to be offended as you grabbed Jeno’s wrist to twist him down onto the desk, his chest shoved against the fine wood as he wriggled. “I had just found out you threw me under the bus at our interviews and suddenly you wanted to go out with me? So what, I could be your trophy? That’s hardly no reason.”

Jeno shuddered as you caressed his ass with the belt in your hand. It was sorely tempting to finally get some payback. “What’re you going to do about it?” He asked, quietly but confidently.

“Tell me to stop or ask me to forgive you,” you laid out, the only two options he needed or that you cared about. Jeno considered this.

“... Please forgive me.”

The only problem was that was not the answer you were expecting. But now you had the opportunity to follow through. You squared your shoulders back, allowing yourself to finally see your handsome boss pay for sabotaging you. “Perfectly good choice, Jeno. We’ll start easy. Count five for me. Ready?”

Jeno swallowed in preparation, a small but steady yes falling from his lips as he gripped the desk. When you landed the first crack of the belt on his ass, he groaned deep before he counted.

“Good boy,” you praised, loving having this little hound at your disposal to play with. You continued, each spank and each groaned count met with praise and making your panties damp under your skirt. Jeno was breathing hard as he clutched onto the desk before you finally pulled him back up straight. “You want to be forgiven, puppy?” You cooed. Jeno nodded dazedly. He watched as you took the belt and looped it around his neck, careful not to pull too hard when you tied a loose knot so your impromptu leash hung low around his throat. You sat yourself down in his plush chair at his desk and spread your knees, pulling Jeno down to kneel as you got comfortable, but you pressed the toe of your high heel to his chest as he immediately leaned down between your legs.

“Something wrong?” He asked, almost desperately eager.

“Touch yourself,” you commanded, your toe now prodding into his arm as he reached for his zipper, “over your clothes, puppy.”

“What? I can’t—“

“Trust me,” you smiled reassuringly. “You said I’m better at this, didn’t you?”

Jeno gulped down a trepidatious breath, giving in to his temptation to trust you as you tugged on his improvised leash now to lead him closer. His palm drifted down over his clothed erection, now straining against his suit pants, and he keened into his own touch as he tentatively lapped at you over your panties.

“Good boy,” you praised, “make it count.”

Your boss whined around his tongue tickling your most sensitive parts while his hands were preoccupied. It felt incredible, but even then Jeno impressed you further. He nosed and tongued your panties aside to finally taste you in full, and his eager licking made you arch your hips into him. Jeno used his free hand to hook your thighs over his shoulders and spreading you open so he could lick you deep while he desperately jerked himself off. You threaded your fingers into his perfectly styled hair and pulled, tugging on his makeshift leash as you did so and trying not to give him the satisfaction of a moan, even as you were getting dangerously close and surprisingly fast. In fact, try as you might to slow it down, your orgasm still tore through you almost unexpectedly and making your thighs clamp tight around Jeno, who was still fervently licking into you well after your climax began to wane. You melted into his chair as you caught your breath, but Jeno held your gaze. His lips, still slicked with your orgasm, were parted like he was dying to say something. You raised a tired eyebrow.

“Such a good boy,” you praised, “You want to cum now?”

“Yes,” Jeno ardently nodded.

“Alright. Be a good pup.” Your smile was devilish, pure hellfire as you reached down and finally yanked down his zipper to fish out his blushing erection. Jeno looked on expectantly as he almost expected you to pull him up so he could fuck you, but he only found that you crossed your legs and thrust your raised foot towards him. He got the idea, regrettably enough, his cheeks flushing hard as the humiliation coursed through him and he went to slip off your high heel before you jerked your foot back. “Leave it,” you grinned, loving that he actually stopped immediately and apparently knew more tricks than sit and stay.

Jeno fought through his embarrassment, desperate enough to clutch his leaking cock to the top of your foot still in nested in your high heel and thrust against it, close enough to cumming that the sheer humiliation burning at him was only making things worse for him as he whined and whimpered against you. He was the cutest, maybe now more than ever as he squeezed his eyes shut in concentration, or maybe to shut out the realization that he was doing what he was, and you tugged on the belt around his neck to get his attention.

It seemed, amazingly, that it was being forced to lock eyes with you that finally made your handsome boss cum, the slick streaks of mess landing as high as your raised knee and pooling at your ankle as Jeno gasped and panted through his orgasm. You were able to rouse him from his haze, though, stroking your fingers through his hair to make sure he still looked at you. “Almost done, puppy,” you said softly, gently. “Gotta clean up your mess first.”

Jeno sighed, more from tiredness than defiance, before he grinned and leaned down, beginning with your ankle and licking up his mess and working his way up your leg. You could have sworn you felt his lips brush against your skin, purely for fun rather than function, and you felt pushed, emboldened, to return the favor. Jeno’s eyelids were still heavy as you tucked a finger under his chin to lift his face closer to yours, allowing him a sweet kiss on his lips that he somehow wasn’t expecting, and even tasting his warm cum still coating his tongue. His groan was deeper, almost considering what this could mean, what everything that just happened would do for your working relationship as you finally leaned back to ease the belt off from around his neck. He was bashfully grateful as he took it from you, but was surprised as you stopped him. You arose from his chair, gentler now while you helped fix him back up and even patted his hair back into place.

“So,” he smirked, the rise and fall of his chest still a bit heavy. “What now?”

“Now,” you pondered aloud as you fixed his tie and leaned up to kiss his brow. “Well, now that you have no reason to underestimate me, and now that I’ve forgiven you, I think I have some reason to consider your original proposition.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Jeno smiled, his eyes just as warm as before as he held the door open for you to walk you out. That pretty manager from down the hall was just now heading out of her office as well, assumingly to the same meeting. Her own assistant held the door open for her and followed faithfully behind, and you wondered if you could attain and maintain that same command that she did. At the very least, you figured, Jeno was a terrific start. You would find out what other tricks this hound could learn.

#cznnet #neowritingsnet #lee jeno #nct smut #nct dream smut #lee jeno smut #mail #anon

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ridiculousn3sswrites · 3 years

Text

Date for the Opener - Coffee’s for Royals Pt. 2

*Zuko (ATLA) x Reader

*Summary: Zuko and his favorite barista go on a date.

*Warnings: Awkward first date stuff. Let me know if I missed anything.

*A/N: I really like writing for Zuko

Part One || My Ko-fi

**********

By the time you and Suki were getting ready to clock out, you realized you had no real idea for how this whole date thing was going to work. You had no way to actually contact Zuko, and you had the feeling he wasn’t going to just walk into a packed coffee shop because, well, obvious reasons. “I don’t even look nice,” you whined to Suki as she grabbed her backpack. “Why did I agree to a date right after work?”

“Because you guys are dumb and you’ve been putting it off for long enough,” Suki said, not even looking up from her phone. “You look fine, it’s not like you have the coffee shop logo on you. You’re literally just wearing a black shirt.”

“Okay, but like, I could’ve dressed up, put on some makeup-“

“(Y/n), you look fine. Alright, so Zuko’s gonna pick you up around the back entrance.”

“How did you-“

“I’ve been texting him. Why didn’t you give him your number before he left?”

“I got excited that he asked me out!” You told her as she opened the door to the back alley. As soon as the door was fully open, you saw Zuko and Sokka standing there, obviously waiting for the two of you. Zuko was blushing, looking down at the ground, while Sokka had a wide smile on his face.

“You see, Zuko? She’s excited too!” Sokka said, wrapping his arm around Zuko’s shoulders. Zuko refused to look up, and you immediately worried you made it weird. “Do you know how many pictures he sent me trying to look nice for you?”

“H-hey!” Zuko finally looked up. You took the opportunity to look at him, and he was definitely in something different than the hoodies he wore when he came to get his morning coffee. He wore a deep red shirt, collar peeking out from under a black sweater, and then he had a black leather jacket over that. You couldn’t help but think about how nice he looked.

“Aw, how cute. She was freaking out about just being in uniform even though our uniform isn’t bad,” Suki decided to jump in on the teasing.

“I hate you and I’m going back to closing,” you deadpanned.

“But then how would Zuko come visit you? He’s kinda a persona non grata on closing shift,” Sokka said, pushing his friend towards you. Zuko stumbled before catching himself an inch away from you.

“Uh, hey,” Zuko mumbled, his previously dying blush coming back.

“Hey. You look nice,” you told him with a shy smile.

“They’re so cute. Anyways, we’re gonna go, leave you two lovebirds alone,” Sokka said, taking Suki’s hand and leading her away from you and Zuko.

“You know how Sokka is, but I’m still sorry about him,” Zuko said once they were far enough away. He took a step back, and you kind of missed his proximity. You were quickly distracted from that as he gave you a bright smile. “Have you eaten yet?”

“Do you count three coffees and a danish as eating?” You asked, half joking. Zuko just looked at you in concern.

“Not really. C’mon, let’s get some lunch or something. I know I said coffee earlier, but it sounds like you’ve had enough.” You nodded.

“Alright, Prince. Lead the way,” you teased.

“Don’t call me that.” He rolled his eyes even as he took your hand. “C’mon, I know a place not too far away.”

Zuko led you in the same direction Suki and Sokka went just minutes earlier, but when you looked around for them, they were already gone. You were silently thankful for that, not knowing how much more of their teasing you’d be able to handle. This was the first time you were actually alone with Zuko, unless you counted the one time he came in while Suki was on a quick break. You didn’t have the chance to start overthinking as Zuko lightly tugged on your hand, guiding you through the crowded sidewalk.

“You know, aren’t you supposed to have like a security detail or something like that?” You finally decided to ask, breaking the small silence that had fallen over the two of you.

“No, gross,” you could hear the eye roll in his statement even if you couldn’t see his face. “I’m not important enough for that.”

“Well, you kinda are th-”

“We’re here,” Zuko cut you off, stopping in front of a small tea shop. You recognized the shop - it was one you and your friends had gone to a few times. The owner was a kind old man, and the tea was really unmatched. Even though you were definitely more of a coffee person, you could see the appeal in tea if it was from The Jasmine Dragon. Zuko opened the door for you, letting you walk in first.

There was no one in the shop, which was a rare occurrence based on the few times you’d been there. No one was at the counter, and you kind of just stood there for a second, unsure if you should call out. Zuko quickly remedied your internal conflict. “Uncle! Are you here?”

“Patience, nephew! Is your lunch really that-” the owner (Zuko’s uncle, apparently) cut himself off as he walked out from the back. “Zuko! Why didn’t you tell me you brought a date?”

Zuko looked down, a little sheepish at being told off by his uncle in front of you. “It was kind of a spur of the moment thing-” Zuko then turned to you- “(Y/n), this is my Uncle Iroh, the owner of the shop.”

“It’s nice to meet you. My friends and I love this place,” you told Uncle Iroh with a bright smile. Any annoyance he had with Zuko immediately melted away as he smiled back.

“I thought you looked familiar. Now, how did Zuko manage to woo a young lady as pretty as yourself?”

“Uncle-”

“Hush, Zuko.” The moment was definitely a little awkward for you, but you could tell this was just normal for the two of them with how easily their conversation flowed. You laughed a little, bringing the attention back to yourself.

“Zuko comes into the coffee shop I work at fairly regularly,” you explained. Immediately Iroh made a wounded face and looked at Zuko in betrayal.

“My own nephew getting coffee? Where did I go wrong?”

“Uncle, do you think we could get something to eat? (Y/n) just got done with work and she hasn’t had lunch yet,” Zuko explained.

“Why didn’t you start with that?” Iroh asked before turning his attention back to you. “What would you like?”

“Could I get a cup of jasmine tea and udon?” you asked. Zuko told Uncle Iroh what he wanted and he quickly went to put your order in the system. You pulled out your wallet, but he put a hand up to stop you.

“I’m not charging my nephew and his date. I am a little disappointed Zuko didn’t immediately offer to pay, though. Apparently I went wrong somewhere,” he said, shaking his head.

“I- I was going to pay, she just took her wallet out before I did,” Zuko tried to defend himself, cheeks aflame. He avoided eye contact with either of you, electing to look down at the counter instead.

“I hope you were. Now go, I’ll bring your food in a bit,” Iroh instructed the two of you. You nodded, letting Zuko lead you over to a table that was slightly hidden in an alcove. Zuko peeked out, making sure that Iroh had went to the kitchen, before visibly relaxing.

“I’m sorry about all that. I know he can be a bit… yeah,” Zuko said, looking down at his hands. “He still acts like I’m a teenager.”

“Don’t worry about it, I know how families can be,” you joked, placing one of your hands on his. That was enough to make him look back up at you, a light blush dusting his cheeks. It was cute. You wanted to see it more often, and it seemed like it didn’t take a lot to fluster him. It kind of made you wonder if he was used to any sort of open affection at all. “The two of you seem really close.”

“Yeah, he took me in for a while and basically raised me,” Zuko explained.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, my dad kinda sucks. Anyways, that’s enough childhood trauma for the first date,” he joked. If you didn’t have the same kind of humor you’d be worried. In all honesty, you were still a little worried, but you gave a small laugh anyways. “So, how’d you start working at the coffee shop?”

“Oh, well, I started a few years ago when I started college. The pay’s pretty decent and it’s close enough that I can just run to class if it’s right after a shift,” you explained. “Well, run from class if it was before a shift since I was a closer.”

“Wait, you’re in school still?”

“Yup, it’s my last year,” you told him. “I mainly have afternoon classes so opening and closing normally works out for me.”

“So what do you study?” At his slight prompting, you started talking about school, something you didn’t ordinarily like doing. He let you talk as you ranted about your classes and unreasonable professors, only interjecting to ask questions or react to whatever you just said. You didn’t notice the way he looked at you, or that little smile he had as he watched you. The two of you were in a little bubble, only interrupted when Iroh brought your tea and food out. You thanked him for the hospitality, which he quickly brushed off.

“I like this one,” he told Zuko before he left, just loud enough for you to wonder if you were supposed to hear it or not.

Iroh left the two of you alone once again, and you looked at Zuko. “Sorry, I’ve been talking a lot.”

“Don’t worry, I like listening to you talk,” Zuko reassured you.

“But I wanna know more about you! Are you in school, do you have any passion projects, stuff like that,” you insisted.

“Uh, well, I graduated a couple years ago, I kind of just help out here when I want to do something. I help out Sokka and his sister at their book store every once in a while. It’s not really like I can hold down a regular job or something.” Zuko shrugged, like that was all there was to him. You understood the trouble of being put on the spot - after all, your mind went blank every time someone asked you to talk about yourself - but there had to be something more than Zuko was letting on.

“What did you study? Were you in any clubs?” You decided to push a little further, actually wanting to know something more about the man you saw every day you worked. Zuko looked slightly taken aback, and it took you a second to realize why. You laughed nervously. “Sorry, I just realized it sounds like an interrogation now.”

“No- ah, I mean, it’s fair. I did ask you a bit of questions earlier,” Zuko said, giving you a shy smile. “I just don’t know how to talk about myself. Normally people kinda figure they know what they need to.”

And there was the little bit of self-deprecating, deflecting humor you normally liked from him.

“So, do I get an answer?” You decided to ask, keeping your tone light and joking. If he answered, great. If he didn’t, you figured he’d talk about it eventually.

“Yeah, right. So, uh, I was actually a business major-”

“Gross. Continue,” you just had to interject. Zuko seemed to brighten a little at your jab, his smile making your heart do the little jumpy thing you thought you had under control.

“I know, right? Well, I was a business major, which - as you can obviously see - I’m putting to good use,” Zuko joked. “I was president of the swordsmanship club for my last year, but other than that I didn’t really do much. Kinda boring, I know.”

“Wait, hold up, you don’t get to just gloss over that! You know how to swordfight?” you asked, leaning forward slightly. Zuko nodded. “That’s so cool!”

“Really?” Zuko asked before clearing his throat. “I mean, yeah! Yeah, I started when I was pretty young and I still practice every now and then.”

“That’s like actually insanely cool. Why am I barely hearing about this?”

“You do know Suki knows how to swordfight too, right?”

“She does?! I know she does judo but I didn’t know she knows how to swordfight too,” you huffed. “She never tells me the cool things.”

“Also Sokka. We actually had the same master, but we didn’t know that until a lot later,” Zuko explained. “I started my training with Uncle’s friend when I was young and I’ve just been sticking with it since then.”

“This is gonna sound so nerdy, but could I watch you train sometimes? I just kinda really love swords,” you rushed out before you had the chance to feel embarrassed. “Completely feel free to say no, I know it’s kinda weird considering we don’t know each other all that we-”

“(Y/n),” Zuko interrupted you with a small smile, trying to remain cool even as the blush dusted his cheeks. “You can watch me train, it’s not weird. It’d be nice to have the company.”

“Nice,” you breathed, not really sure what else you could say. Before you could interrogate him further, though, Iroh walked up to your secluded table.

“I don’t want to bother you two, but it’s almost time for the rush. I wouldn’t want Zuko to get stolen away from you, (y/n),” Iroh said, winking at you.

“Thank you, Uncle.” Zuko moved to stand, so you followed his lead. You wanted to spend more time with him, but you could already feel your body starting to shut down, preparing for your afternoon nap. You tried to stifle a yawn as Zuko and Iroh continued talking, Iroh taking a quick look at you before whispering something. You didn’t catch much, just walk and safe before Zuko turned away with a nod. He looked over at you. “Can I walk you home? I just figure you’d want to rest a bit since you just got off work.”

“Oh, uh, yeah, sure!” You stuttered, taken off guard. You didn’t go on many dates, so you didn’t really know if that was still a normal thing or not. You did have the sneaking suspicion Iroh had something to do with this, though. As you and Zuko walked to the door, you called out to Iroh. “Thank you for lunch!”

“It was no problem! I hope I’ll see you again,” he told you. Zuko took your hand and led you out of the shop. When the two of you were on the sidewalk, he didn’t drop it like you thought he would. He took a few steps before he stopped dead in his tracks and looked over at you with a sheepish smile.

“I- uh, I don’t know where your place is. Maybe you should lead.” You laughed slightly, tugging him in the opposite direction. As the two of you walked, Zuko told you stories from when he was travelling before he went to college. For someone who claimed he didn’t do much, the stories he had really said otherwise. He told you stories about Sokka from when they first met, and even though you weren’t particularly close with Sokka, you could clearly picture him doing whatever Zuko told you about. You really liked listening to him talk, especially when he had that bright smile as he recalled something that happened when he was younger. You also liked that shy little smile he had when you questioned something with a laugh, and don’t even get me started on his laugh.

You were almost sad as you approached your apartment building, not wanting the date to end quite yet. You wanted to hear more of his stories, just spend more time with him. You could already tell he was getting more comfortable with you, and you just didn’t want to have to leave him. As you got closer to your building, you could feel the exhaustion hitting you once again. There was no way you’d actually be able to keep going on this date, but you really didn’t want it to end. “Uh, this is me.”

“Oh, it is?” Zuko asked, letting you pull him to a stop. He looked up at your building like he was finally paying attention to where you were. He pulled you off to the side so you wouldn’t block the sidewalk. “I… you know, I really like you. And, like, I had fun during lunch. Would you want to go out again sometime?”

“Yeah, I’d really like that,” you told him. “I don’t wanna sound weird but like I kinda wish I wasn’t so tired. I want to spend more time with you.”

You looked down to rifle through your bag, not sure if you could handle seeing how he was looking at you. It could either be very good or very bad, and you were hesitant to see which it was. After a while of pretending to still be looking even though your keys were already in your hand, Zuko called your name. You looked up at him, cheeks still aflame from your slight embarrassment. “I wanna spend more time with you too, but you need to get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“How do you know if I’m working?” you decided to tease to ease your embarrassment.

“Right. I should probably ask you for your schedule,” Zuko agreed with a small smile. “And probably your number too, since we had to arrange this through Suki.”

“Yeah, that’d probably be a good idea.” You handed him your phone, letting him send himself a text message. Once you had your phone back, you and Zuko stood there in quiet for a little longer. You knew you were avoiding it, but you really didn’t want to head in just yet. Once again, Zuko had to be the one to initiate anything. He pulled you into a hug, surprising you but you quickly melted into it. When he pulled back, he surprised you further, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

He smiled when he saw how flustered you got at the soft gesture. “Alright, now go get some sleep. Even Uncle could tell you were tired back at the tea shop.”

“So that’s what you guys were whispering about.”

“Yeah, now go,” he tilted his head toward the door, still smiling at you. You rolled your eyes, but started up the steps to your building anyways. You took one look back after unlocking the front door, seeing Zuko still standing there, waiting for you to go inside. You gave him one more smile before going in. As soon as the door closed, you had to contain your little squeal since you were still in the lobby. You could freak out properly once you were actually in your apartment. Then take your nap.

**********

Tag List: @strangeinternetwasteland

Permanent Tag List: @treatallwithkindness, @laic2299

#zuko x reader #zuko imagine #avatar imagine #atla imagine #avatar the last airbender imagine #reader insert

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jaskiers-sweetkiss · 3 years

Text

Paper Rings - Part 1

Pairing: Carrie Wilson x Female!Reader

Word Count: 2.9k

Warnings: none

PR Masterlist Masterlist

___

“Y/N!” A voice gasped excitedly, dainty hand clasping around your wrist as you made your way through the crowds of people in the town square.

The voice and the contact snapped you back to the present and you found yourself stumbling as you walked, nearly toppling into another person as you tumbled to the ground, your reflexes and the hand on your wrist doing nothing to prevent your fall. Instead, the owner of said hand fell with you, the two of you sprawled out on the cobblestone. The entire experience took you back to a similar day years ago, when you’d met the princess of your kingdom.

There wasn’t anything particularly interesting about the day you met the princess (though to be clear, you hadn’t known she was the princess at the time. You reckoned the whole thing would’ve gone a lot differently if you had). Really, it was just like any other Saturday— your family had set up your booth at the town market and the streets were bustling with your neighbors and the occasional nobility as they wandered from stall to stall.

You always spent your Saturdays at market. When you were younger you’d been a handful, running through the streets with the other kids from your town, only ever stopping when something sparkly caught your eye. Your mother always said she was grateful that you had such nice neighbors who would look out for you and return you to her care at the end of the day. Now that you’re older, you’re an asset to your family. Rather than running around for fun, now you’re the one bustling from booth to booth picking up anything your family requires for the week. While time has slowed you down some, your time running through the throngs of people as a child aids you well now as you bob and weave through the crowds with something akin to grace.

Except no amount of grace or experience could have prevented the tumble you took when a cloaked figure suddenly stumbled directly into your path. Usually quick on your feet you moved to skirt around them only to trip over the figure’s foot, sending you both onto the cobblestone. The figure’s cloak had fallen and when you turned to tell whoever had tripped you to watch where they were going you were met with that of a terrified girl who had to have been around your own age. You didn’t recognize her, which was odd as your town was fairly small and you didn’t get many outsiders. You brushed off your skepticism with the reminder that it was market day and the streets were chock-full of strangers. Still, you couldn’t ignore the entirely insecure look of the girl sprawled on the cobblestone next to you so rather than scold, you spared her the kindest smile you could muster as you pulled yourself up to your feet and offered her a hand. She thanked you quietly as she took your hand.

“First time at market?” You asked curiously, unable to help yourself before you blurted out the words.

“That easy to tell, huh?”

“Well, most of us are familiar with the crowds,” you chuckled. “Plus I don’t recognize you and I know basically all the regulars since I’ve been coming every Saturday since I was a baby.”

You realized you were oversharing but something about the girl made it easy. Besides, maybe you could make a friend or at least stop her from causing any more accidents in the street.

The girl seemed visibly relieved at your words, though you couldn’t quite figure out why.

“So, what’s your name stranger?” You asked.

“Oh, uhhh, Carrie.” “Nice to meet you, Carrie. I’m Y/N,” you stuck out your hand for a handshake. “I can help you navigate if you need?”

Carrie had readily accepted and you’d spent the rest of the day attached at the hip as you moved from stall to stall. Curiously, Carrie didn’t make many purchases but she was good company and you didn’t want to seem nosey so you didn’t mention anything about it.

The next weekend you didn’t see Carrie, nor the weekend after that and by the third, you were beginning to wonder if you’d ever see the girl again. However, all worries of such were vanished by the appearance of the cloaked girl by your side once more. After the third market day spent together, your mother invited Carrie to join your family for dinner. After that evening, Carrie began to show up even outside of market days just to spend time with you. A few months later, she finally revealed her true identity to you.

You were quite frankly mortified to learn that the girl you’d been spending so much time with (she’d sat at your family’s measly dinner table multiple times!) was, in fact, a princess, and not just any princess but Princess Caroline Wilson, the heir to your kingdom’s throne. She was a princess and you’d nearly scorned her when you first met and even worse, you’d teased and scolded her many times since.

Still, with time and much insistence from Carrie, you were able to move past her royal status and authority. With you, she was merely Carrie and that was how she liked it.

You huffed as you shoved Carrie off you, glowering at your best friend as she laid by your side

“Carrie! You can’t startle me like that!” You scolded, although there was no harshness or authority behind it.

“Sorry,” she giggled, “I just feel like I’ve been searching for you for hours, I couldn’t just let you slip away!”

You felt your cheeks heat up at her words and you ducked your head bashfully.

“Well, you found me,” you replied, intending the words to be bright and teasing but instead they came out shy and borderline breathless.

“And thank goodness for that!” If she thought anything of your tone she didn’t show it, responding just as chipper as before. “C’mon, I passed a booth of sparkly things when I was looking for you that I want to check out!”

You laughed at that, accepting Carrie’s outstretched hand as you moved to stand.

The crowds grumbled as they parted to go around you and you suddenly remembered where you were. You held onto Carrie’s hand, fighting off the blush that threatened to return to your face at the contact, and pulled her off to the side of the street.

“Oh, I saw your mom too!” Carrie spoke again, “She gave me a list of things she forgot to tell you to pick up.”

You bit your lip to suppress the laughter that bubbled in your chest at how appalled your mom would be if she had known she sent the princess to run an errand for her.

“Alright well we better get a move on then if you want time to look at shiny things,” you teased as you looked down at the list Carrie had handed you.

That was all the prompting she needed before taking off down the street, pulling you along by hand that was still entwined with hers.

You weren’t surprised when you and Carrie finished your shopping in record time. Carrie was nothing if not driven (a trait you knew would make her a good queen someday), especially when there was something she wanted on the line. You also weren’t surprised when, after you had purchased the last thing on your mom’s list, Carrie promptly pulled you through the crowds to the local jeweler’s stand.

“Good afternoon young ladies,” the jeweler greeted when you approached. “I haven’t seen the two of you in a few weeks now!”

“It has been quite some time, hasn’t it?” You mused while Carrie took in the array of metals and jewels.

You rarely stopped by his stall without Carrie as it was uncommon for you to have much spending money of your own and you didn’t have much use for jewelry in your lifestyle, your mom only had a few pieces herself, all gifts from your father. Carrie, however, was the exact opposite. She had more spending money than she knew what to do with and she certainly had plenty of occasions to wear all sorts of fine accessories so she always made a point of stopping when there was time. You found it peculiar when you really stopped to think about it. She was royalty, she had access to a whole kingdom of jewelry yet she always insisted on shopping in your little village. Your local jeweler was quite talented though, you supposed.

“Oh Y/N look at this one!” Carrie gasped, pointing out a necklace of gold adorned in some sort of pink gem that you didn’t know the name of.

“It’s certainly your style,” you mused with a soft smile.

As usual, when you visited the jeweler’s stand, you weren’t looking at the merchandise as much as you were watching Carrie, basking in the warm glow of her excited smile.

“You’re absolutely right, it must be a sign,” Carrie responded, indicating to the jeweler that she intended to purchase it before she continued to peruse the stand.

“Oh this is quite lovely,” she said softly, and you were startled slightly by her tone. Normally Carrie was quite loud and confident when it came to jewelry but now she spoke quietly and you were shocked to detect some insecurities in her voice and her facial expression.

When you looked down at the piece she was referring to, you found yourself even more confused. The necklace was much simpler than Carrie normally went for, a silver chain rather than Carrie’s signature gold with a simple star hanging from the center. With a jolt, you realized it was much more suited to your own simple style and your heart began to race as you noticed Carrie was now looking expectantly at you.

“Wh-why’re you looking at me like that Care?”

“Do you like it?” She answered with a question of her own and you frowned slightly, trying to figure out her game.

“It’s very pretty.” It really was. Although it was simple, the craftsmanship was still obvious in the delicate chain and perfectly shaped pendant. “But it’s not at all your style!” you laughed, trying to mask your confusion.

“Well, no, obviously not,” she agreed and you furrowed your brows. “But I thought it would be perfect for you.”

“Oh.”

“Would you wear it?”

“Care I don’t have enough allowance-”

“Y/N, would you wear it?” She asked, voice much firmer now, all trace of insecurity gone as she stared you down.

You opened your mouth but found you couldn’t force out any sound so you nodded meekly instead. Carrie turned back to the jeweler, you assumed to make her purchases but you heard none of it, too consumed in your own thoughts of your mother’s single necklace, a gift from your father back when they were dating. You knew Carrie didn’t intend the gift in that manner but you could stop your heart from racing regardless.

Purchases in hand, Carrie quickly pulled you off to the side, holding the necklace she had just purchased for you.

“May I?” She asked, that shy nervousness from earlier returning.

You nodded, not trusting yourself to speak as you spun around so she was behind you. With your permission, Carrie gently brushed aside your hair before draping the silver chain around your neck and fastening it.

“There,” she whispered when she had finished and you turned back to face her, head ducked down to hide your face which you were certain had caught fire with how hot they were burning.

Wordlessly Carrie reached forward, fingers slipping under your chin as she tilted your chin upwards to face her. You gulped nervously as you met her gaze, finding the open softness that you’d come to associate with the Princess when the two of you were alone.

“It looks lovely,” Carrie spoke, voice louder and more sure this time and you blinked, snapped out of whatever lovestruck trance you’d been in.

However, you were certain your cheeks grew hotter at the compliment and you found yourself instinctively reaching upwards to grasp the necklace, holding the delicate star between your fingers. It was something you knew you’d be doing often now whenever you wore it.

___

Hours later, after a filling dinner and the sun had set, you found yourself laying on the roof of your home side-by-side with Carrie. The two of you often did this, whenever Carrie was able to sneak away from the castle for this long.

The first time she’d stayed into the night you’d dragged her up to the roof to stare at the sky. It was a favorite pastime of yours, looking up at the stars although you knew nothing about them. Not long into your first evening of stargazing Carrie had begun to point out some of the constellations and you had begged her to teach you everything you knew. Your mother had never taught you astronomy in your lessons but the same couldn’t be said of the various tutors who oversaw Carrie’s education at the castle.

“Orion The Hunter,” Carrie pointed to the constellation depicting a man holding a bow and arrow. “He was my great great great great grandfather,” she explained, ticking off the ‘greats’ on her fingers.

You hummed in response, listening intently as Carrie pointed out another constellation, this one named after some distant uncle of hers who’d been an impressive general in his time.

“They’ll name a constellation after you one day,” you finally spoke a couple of explanations later.

Your eyes never left the sky, seeking out the collection of stars that would one day tell the story of the princess beside you though you could see her movement out of the corner of your eye. She sat up slightly at your words, propping herself up just enough to peer over at your face as if judging your sincerity.

“You really think so?” She whispered after a moment, apparently unable to find the answer in your facial expression.

It always surprised you, how vulnerable she let herself become when the two of you were alone. It was the polar opposite of her public facade, even when in disguise. Everywhere else she was the epitome of confidence and grace, the picture of a perfect princess and one day queen, but with you she could just be Carrie. You were beyond grateful that she chose to share this side of herself with you, of all people, though you wouldn’t dare to let yourself speculate as to why.

“Gods yeah, Care,” you whispered back, the soft hush of your voice clashing with the strong conviction in your tone. “You’re going to do such amazing things.”

You half expected her to argue like she sometimes did when she was particularly worried or self-doubting but she didn’t. Instead, the two of you lapsed into a comfortable silence, both of your eyes trained on the stars.

“Sometimes I think the stars are the only thing that make sense,” Carrie sighed eventually, the words so quiet you nearly missed them.

It was a loaded statement, one you couldn’t possibly begin to interpret on your own so you asked her.

Rather than respond right away, Carrie sat up fully, drawing her knees up to her chest.

“What if we ran away together?” She blurted suddenly, catching you off guard. When you turned to look at her she had a wild look in her eyes, mind reeling as she formulated a plan in the moment. “No royal responsibilities, no titles. Just you and me, striking out on our own? We could do it, you know. With your talents? You could be the breadwinner and I’d stay home and keep house and-“

You let out a shocked laugh before you could stop yourself. You pushed yourself up into a sitting position as well, mirroring her own.

“Carrie you have a duty,” you countered gently, covering her hand with your own as you tried to push aside the part of you that ached to do exactly what she had suggested. “To your kingdom, to your people. To me.”

Carrie slumped into herself, the manic look leaving her eyes as she rested her chin on her knees.

“I know, it’s just...” she sighed, squeezing her eyes shut.

“What is this about, Care?” You asked quietly, sensing an inner turmoil within your closest friend.

“I’m engaged to be married,” she confessed and you couldn’t help but feel as though your breath had been knocked out of you.

You scolded yourself for it and for the sudden ache in your chest. You knew you could never be with her the way you wanted, it was foolish of you to ever think otherwise. She was a princess, someday she’d be a queen and you were just Y/N.

“Some prince from the Kingdom of Albuquerque,” she explained further, and you winced at the gendered term, knowing full well that Carrie had no interest in princes or any other man for that matter. “I know I have a duty, and I’ll do it I just... I cannot do it happily.” She sighed.

Your heart ached for a new reason as you watched Carrie, her face buried into her arms. You could practically see the weight of her royal responsibilities pressing down on her and you desperately wished you could help shoulder some of that weight. However, she was the princess and you were just Y/N.

___

Part 2

#jatpbb #jatp big bang #jatp #jatp fic #julie and the phantoms #julie and the phantoms fic #carrie wilson #carrie wilson x reader

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much-obliged-timothy · 3 years

Text

Dad Tim & Uncle Rhys Part 11

I’m stressed again so here’s another entry for this. Gearbox where is Sasha???

“God, that guy's such a douchebag,” Tim said as Rhys ended the conference call they’d been on. He looked over his shoulder. “C’mere, pal. I’ve got a snack to hold you over until lunch time.”

Phoenix got up and went over to Tim, brightening as Tim handed him a packet of fruit snacks and a juice box. Phoenix looked up curiously and Tim nodded, holding his arm out so he could help Phoenix up onto his lap.

“What else do we have to suffer through today?” Tim asked as Phoenix tore open the packet and popped a fruit snack into his mouth.

Rhys checked his schedule. “Another conference call in an hour. After that, I made sure you had time to take a lunch break and rest a bit before your next meeting.”

“Great,” Tim said with a sigh.

“Just stay in here until the conference call. We can go over the outline of what we need,” Rhys said, pulling it up on his computer.

There was a knock on the door. Rhys glanced over.

“Come in,” he called.

A woman pushed the door open, giving them a sheepish smile as she held up a file. She was incredibly pregnant, waddling over to hand the file to Rhys.

“Here you go, sir. That should be everything, but I’ll be checking my email almost daily while I’m on maternity leave,” she said.

“Right, thank you,” Rhys said, taking the file. “Good luck, and congratulations. I’ll go through your team as much as I can. You should be enjoying time with the baby, not worrying about work. We’ll handle everything to make sure you have a smooth transition back.”

“Thank you, Mr. Strongfork,” she said gratefully. “I’m heading out now. I’ll be in touch. I left everything else with my assistant, if you need anything more.”

She left the office. Rhys set the file on his desk, then looked at Tim curiously.

“Would you ever have another kid?” he asked.

Tim’s eyes widened. “Hell no. I was with Ember from the moment she went into labor. She’s one of the toughest women I’ve ever met, and she was handling the contractions like a champ for a while. But, hell, the longer it went on, the more she screamed and told me how much she hated me and my ‘stupid, fucking non-sterilized sperm’.” He shuddered. “Thought she was going to break my hand when she was getting ready to push. Think she broke my eardrums when she did start pushing. Never again.”

He hesitated, then put a hand over Phoenix’s ear, pressing his other ear into Tim’s chest. Phoenix scowled, but popped another fruit snack and accepted that he was being taken out of this conversation.

“Plus, he would never handle it well. He wouldn’t be able to accept me giving my love to another kid. He’d feel abandoned,” Tim said. “I could never do that to Phoenix. That, and Ember made it quite clear we were never having another kid together. He would never forgive me if I had a kid with someone else.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he’s fine and healthy. But I’m surprised she had a smooth pregnancy in the casino,” Rhys said.

“I did what I could to make sure she had proper meals. Saved up health kits for when she went into labor, just in case,” Tim said with a shrug. “One of her friends from the vice district had helped deliver her sister’s baby a few years earlier, so she acted as a midwife. I wouldn’t say it went smoothly, but it went well enough that we had a fairly healthy kid. We’re not sure exactly when Ember got pregnant, but if my guess is right, Phoenix came two weeks earlier than he should’ve. He was on the smaller side. But there were no real complications with him in his infancy.”

Phoenix was a smaller kid, but Rhys had always assumed that was due to growing up in harsh conditions. Still, he did seem healthy enough, so that was all that mattered in the end.

“No more kids for me,” Tim said, shaking his head. “I learned my lesson damn well. Always, always use a condom. I love my son, but I’m a one and done with kids.”

“I’m...surprised you and Ember stayed on good terms through that,” Rhys admitted.

“Takes two to make a baby,” Tim said with a shrug. “To be honest, she was the one who usually came onto me the times we had unprotected sex. It was on me a few times, but even she admits she started it more often. Still, both our mistake. We knew that. We stepped up to face the consequences. God, women are incredible, though. I’m such a bitch about pain. No way in hell I’d ever survive what Ember went through with childbirth.”

He uncovered Phoenix’s ears. Phoenix rubbed at them.

“Just talking about how incredible your mom is,” Tim said, ruffling his hair.

“Dad, where do babies even come from?” Phoenix said.

Rhys choked on air at the question. His eyes widened in alarm as he looked at Tim, not wanting anything to do with this conversation.

But Tim seemed calm enough about it. “Well, that’s a heavy question, pal. I don’t think you’d fully understand yet. But babies grow inside their mothers. You saw how big that lady’s stomach was? There was a baby in there, almost ready to be born. You grew inside your mom, just like I grew inside mine.”

Phoenix frowned. “But how does the baby get there? And how do they get out?”

Rhys wanted to bang his head on the desk. He regretted bringing this topic up at all.

Tim just shrugged. “That’s the tough part to explain to you. A dad helps the baby get there, but I don’t think you’d understand that part of it yet. And when the baby is ready to come into the world, the mom has to...well, push it out.”

Phoenix furrowed his brow. “I don’t get it. How?”

“Don’t worry about it right now,” Tim said, taking a fruit snack out of the packet to hold out to him.

“Aren’t you just supposed to tell kids babies come from the stork, or something?” Rhys said.

“Why? There’s nothing wrong with him knowing,” Tim said. “Jeez, Rhys, didn’t your parents ever explain any of this to you growing up? Yea, it’s kinda awkward, but it’s not inappropriate or anything.” He leaned back and laughed a little. “Here I am talking about it. My mom would smack me upside the head if she knew I completely disregarded her safe sex talk and knocked a woman up.” But his laughter died down and he slowly looked at Phoenix.

“Tim?” Rhys said.

“I just...wish she could know about him, ya know? I think she’d really love him. We had this swing in the backyard she used to push me on when I was a kid. I think she’d like pushing him on it,” he said quietly.

“You could always tell her,” Rhys said, but he knew Tim’s family was a touchy subject.

Tim hugged Phoenix to himself. “No, I can’t. She’s better off not knowing what happened to me, even if it means she never knows about her grandson.”

“Ya mean your mom, dad?” Phoenix said. “I wanna meet her!”

Tim looked pained. “I know. I want you to meet her. But...we can’t, Phoenix. She doesn’t even know I’m alive. And I’m not...me. Not anymore. She wouldn’t recognize me. I wouldn’t want her to. It’s hard, pal. It’s really hard.”

“I could anonymously send her a picture of him?” Rhys offered.

Tim shook his head. “No. He’s so young. There’s no way he could’ve been born before I supposedly died. And even if you convinced her it’s an old picture, she’d go looking for him.” He kissed Phoenix. “I think...I think she’d go looking for him. She would think he’s all that’s left of her son now.” He sighed. “No, it’s better if she just goes on thinking I died all those years ago. Besides, I was a shitty son. No need for her to know I’m a shitty father too.”

Phoenix hit Tim in the shoulder. “Stop it, dad. You’re not shitty. I love you.”

“Language,” Tim said, but he cracked a smile. “Yea, pal, I love you too.”

“Hey boss guy, are you gonna have any kids?” Phoenix said.

Rhys rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh...someday. Maybe. I want kids.”

“Phoenix could babysit,” Tim said. At Rhys’ startled look, he laughed. “I’m kidding, Rhys, calm down. He’s not even old enough to be left by himself yet. Seriously, though. Have kids sometime soon so my kid can have a friend.”

“I was hoping…” He trailed off. Hoping what? To have kids with Sasha? They’d never even talked about it.

And she wasn’t here now.

“Is it the girl you have a picture of on your desk?” Tim asked, nodding to it. “Waiting on her?”

“Something like that,” Rhys said, looking at the picture. “You would’ve liked her. She would’ve been incredible with Phoenix. A hell of a lot better than I am with him, at least.”

“Is she…” Tim waited.

“What? Oh, no! No, she’s just-” He tore his eyes from the photo. “I trust she’ll come back one day. Even if she doesn’t want to be with me, I don’t think she’d ever leave me wondering what happened to her forever.”

“Did you love a girl, boss guy?” Phoenix asked curiously.

“I did,” Rhys admitted. “I still do. She’s just, um, not here right now.”

“Oh. I hope she comes back soon if you like her,” Phoenix said. He frowned up at Tim. “I don’t get adults, dad. If you love your mom, why don’t you find her? And if boss guy loves this lady, why doesn’t he find her?”

“It’s not always that easy,” Tim said gently, hugging Phoenix close. “Love is hard, Phoenix. Worth it, but hard.”

“But I love you and it’s not hard!” he said.

“Well, good. I hope love is never hard for you,” Tim said, running a hand through Phoenix’s messy hair. “And I hope someday boss guy here has a kid or two of his own for you to play with. You get to have a friend, and I get to watch him try to explain where babies come from to his own kid.”

“I hate you. We were having a moment and you ruined it,” Rhys said, shooting him an exasperated look.

“Socially stunted,” Tim reminded, grinning. “Alright, that’s enough deep talk for now. Phoenix, go read your book and finish your snack. Rhys, let’s get ready for that conference call.”

They did just that, but Rhys’ mind was too distracted to really focus. He couldn’t stop thinking about Sasha, and about the future they could have together. He saw Tim struggle through fatherhood, but he also saw the joy and love that it brought him.

“Tim?” Rhys said, interrupting their work.

“I know, Rhys,” Tim said, glancing up at him and giving a weak smile. “I hope you get the future you dream of. I really do. Parenting is exhausting, but it’s worth it. And even if you don’t have kids someday, I hope you have your girl.”

“I...thanks,” Rhys said, looking back to the picture of Sasha. He hoped so too. He really hoped so.

He was glad to be a part of Tim’s family. But it’d be nice to have one of his own, one day.

#borderlands #timothy lawrence #borderlands rhys #dad tim & uncle rhys #borderlands au #My writing

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sorry-apsalar · 3 years

Text

I Kissed a Bot and I Liked It

I started watching Futurama recently on a whim (currently only a few episodes into season 4 so if things aren't consistent with stuff that happens later in the series, that's why) and I'm really enjoying it so far except for a few things. Mainly the compulsory heteronormativity that's present in every episode (that I've seen so far) that deals with romantic relationships (with sort of one exception but it doesn't really count in my opinion). Which is mostly whatever, it's to be expected, especially since it's an older show but the Fry/Leela stuff is frustrating because personally I feel like they don't have good romantic chemistry (I'm open to this changing later but I doubt it will) and this is just another case of 'there's a male main character and a female main character and they're friends, therefore they must have romantic feelings for each other' that I've seen a hundred times before. It's aggravating enough that it spurred a fic idea for an AU where Fry is a repressed gay man. I decided to make it an Xmas gift for myself for reasons and because why not?

So Merry Xmas everyone, especially me!

The future was great. Everything about it was grand and exciting and Fry had friends now. Yeah, sure he was still a delivery boy but he was delivering a variety of things across space alongside his friends. And yeah, sure his living area was smaller than he would’ve chosen and it was technically a closet but he was roommates with his best friend and despite being a closet, it was still a little bigger than his old apartment had been. So, the future was great in every possible way even if parts of it made little to no sense.

Luckily, he had friends so some of those things that made no sense, he could ask about and have explained to him. Sometimes they didn’t even make fun of him for not knowing. There was one thing though that he was afraid to ask about. What exactly made it a scary thing to ask about he wasn’t sure of but it wasn’t because he worried they’d think him stupid because everyone already thought that and honestly it was true, brains weren’t his thing. The more often it popped up though, the more he wanted an explanation. He finally reaching a breaking point on that one evening when watching TV with Bender after returning home from work.

In an episode of All My Circuits two of the side characters ended up hooking up. Which wasn’t weird in itself, it was a soap opera, everyone was pairing up and breaking up all the time, but what was odd was the fact that it was two dudes. It was far from the first time Fry had seen such things in the past month or so he’d been here for, in other shows, movies, and even in prior episodes, same-sex couples popped up fairly frequently and if there was ever any issue with the couple, that was never one of them. So…

“Hey Bender,” he said as the credits for the episode rolled, glancing over at Bender sitting on the couch next to him, “those two robots that got together at the end there are both uh… men, right?”

The look Bender gave him reflected how stupid of a question that was. But how else was he supposed to broach the topic? He wasn’t good with words. “Man-bots yes, what else would they be?” Bender replied, sounding annoyed as he looked.

“Well uh… I don’t know but…” Unable to maintain eye contact, Fry looked away, instead focusing his gaze on one of the many crumbled cans of Slurm on the floor by the coffee table. He shouldn’t have brought this up because it was… uh… awkward or something. But it was too late now and he needed to understand because he just did. “If they’re both man-bots then why are they a couple?” And why wasn’t that viewed as remarkable by anyone else? “Isn’t that a thing normally only men and women are supposed to do?”

“Wow Fry, of all people I didn’t expect you to be homophobic.”

“What?” Fry snapped his gaze back to look at Bender. “I’m not… whatever you just said, I don’t even know what that means.” Which meant it could describe him but the context made it sound bad so it wasn’t him… probably. ‘Phobic’ meant fear, right? What did ‘homo’ mean though?

“It means you hate gay people,” Bender said as he pulled another cigar out of his casing. “Though I suppose that was common back when you came from now that I think about it.” After lighting up, he blew a cloud of smoke in Fry’s general direction. “I forget how primitive you are sometimes. That’s fine though, I hate humans so we both harbor hatred for an entire group of people. Though my hatred’s justified while yours isn’t.”

Fry coughed, waving a hand in front of his face to clear the smoke. “I don’t hate gay people.” He never had even if that’s what he’d been lowkey taught at the church he’d been forced to go to as a kid and young teen. “I just… it’s supposed to be a sin, right? Like… you go to hell forever if you chose to be gay. Though… I guess I don’t really believe in God anymore so… I don’t know. But still… that’s normal now? Or uh… or least acceptable? To choose to be gay, I mean?”

The look Bender gave him this time might’ve been a concerned one if it had come from almost anyone else. “You don’t ‘choose’ to be gay. Did you meatbags really used to believe it was a choice?”

“Uh… that’s what I was always taught. Or that like… gay people are confused and think that being able to recognize that another man is attractive means you’re attracted to him.” And that that was wrong and shameful and should never be admitted to once one was cleared of that misunderstanding. Because marriage and love and all that was supposed to be between a man and a woman for the sole purpose of making babies or whatever. The fact that that viewpoint was no longer common a thousand years later wasn’t surprising now that he really thought about it but somehow it seemed significant.

Bender took another puff from his cigar before replying. “Well, it ain’t a choice. Now shut up, the next episode’s starting.”

Fry sighed as he pulled his legs up onto the couch to hug to his chest as he turned his attention back on the TV. But now that the topic had been brought up, he didn’t seem able to fully focus. The fact that the episode dealt with the gay romance and treated it like every other side romance in the show made it even harder not to think about. Not that there was even a whole lot to think about, just that that kind of thing was socially acceptable now. Which was… a good thing, yes, definitely a good thing. It didn’t affect him any of course, he was attracted to women and only women, but it was good for the people it did affect. …

“What about robots?” he eventually asked.

“What about them?” Bender didn’t even look away from the TV.

“Is it a choice for you? Or are you manufactured that way? And if so is it a choice whatever or whoever is making you makes or is it like random or something?”

“Oh, you’re still thinking about that, huh? That kind of thing develops at the same time as our personality so it’s not a choice anyone makes. It’s complex stuff, you wouldn’t understand.”

That was undoubtedly true but before Fry could drop it, he wanted to know one more thing. … “What about you? Are you uh… you know?”

With the start of the ad-break, Bender finally turned his head to look at Fry again. “Are you asking if I’m gay?”

Fry nodded. How rude was it to ask that kind of thing? Surely it had to be mostly chill since it was socially acceptable now.

“What’s it’s to you? Why do you want to know?” Oh no, he seemed offended. Though that might just be him being him.

“I’m just curious.” There was no harm wanting to know that kind of thing about one’s best friend, right? “We’ve been best friends for a whole month now and I don’t even know what kind of people you’re into.”

“Very well,” he relaxed, seemingly taking that as an acceptable answer, “if you must know, I’m pansexual.”

“Um… does that mean you’re attracted to pans?” What else could it mean? This was the future and lots of things were weird and Bender was a robot so maybe that was just a thing.

“No! What kind of idiot would even think that? It means somebody’s gender plays no role in whether or not I find the attractive. For me the only thing I care about is if they’re a robot.”

“Okay, I guess.”

“What about you Fry?” Bender pointed an almost accusing finger at him. “Now it’s your turn. Are you gay?”

“Uh… no.” It almost sounded like a question even to his own ears. But he wasn’t gay, he was normal, always had been even if he had been picked on in middle and high school with accusations of being gay.

Bender gave him a skeptical look but seemed to shrug as he turned his attention back onto the TV; the ad-break was over. With a sigh, Fry followed suit. He was more than ready to stop talking about that subject now.

Later that night

“Wake up Bender,” Fry said, shaking Bender by the shoulders.

Bender groaned as the metal flap that covered his eyes when he slept lifted. “Huh? What?” Understandably he both looked and sounded sleepy. Which Fry felt bad for but this was urgent.

“If I was gay, which I’m not, but if I was, it’d be okay with you, right?” After the thought that it might not be okay with Bender had come to him while he lay in bed, waiting for sleep, he hadn’t been able to get any rest so he needed to know for sure.

“Are you kidding me? That’s what you woke me up for? To ask a dumb question like that? Man, Fry get out of her and go back to bed.” Bender put a hand on Fry’s shoulder to push him back into the closet, hard but nowhere near as hard as he was capable of so really it probably counted as gentle.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Fry said, putting his foot in the door before Bender could close it. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Bender rolled his eyes. “Yes Fry, if you were gay, I’d be fine with it. Happy?”

“Uh yeah, thanks pal. Sorry for waking you up, I just wanted to know. Even though I’m not gay so it doesn’t really matter, I just wanted to know if you’d accept me even if I was because… I don’t know. I just wanted to know I guess.”

“Yeah, whatever. Go back to sleep meatbag.” With that Bender pulled the door closed, seemingly little caring that Fry only barely managed to get his foot out of the way in time.

A few months later

‘~ I kissed a guy and I liked it…~’ Fry had to admit it was a bop. More so than a lot of the other songs he’d found while trying to catch up on some of the music he’d missed in the last thousand years. Who would’ve thought so much bad music would be what persisted throughout the years? Yeah sure it was one of those opinion things but his taste in music was great and no one could convince him otherwise.

As the second chorus hit, he found himself half singing along with it as he resumed scrolling through the song list on the tablet, searching for more titles that caught his eye. … What would it be like to kiss a guy? Would it be like kissing a girl? (Not that he had much experience with that even despite having had a girlfriend once upon a time. The few kisses they had shared had been meh at best.) Probably not, right? It had to be different. … He kind of wanted to find out for sure now that he’d thought of it. Maybe it would even be not terrible. Who could he kiss to try it though? …

The sound of the door opening prompted him to look up as Bender strode in. Ah, he’d be perfect because he was a guy. And they were best friends so there wouldn’t be any confusion about intentions.

“Hey Bender,” Fry said as he placed the tablet, still playing music on the coffee table and hopped up off the couch. “Would it be all right if we kissed?”

Bender froze mid-step as the door swung shut behind him. “Uh… what?”

“Well, I’m listening to this song here and it’s about a guy kissing another guy and liking it and it got me thinking what that would be like. It has to be different from kissing a girl, right? But like how different? So I’m curious and I want to find out and you’re a guy so… yeah. It’s fine if you’d rather not, I know it’s a weird request. I could always ask someone else, I’m sure it wouldn’t be…”

“Yes!” Bender interrupted with a surprising amount of intensity as he lowered his foot. He let out a nervous chuckle as his eyes darted away. “I mean if it’s just one kiss, it should be fine. Nothing wrong with experimenting a little and satisfying some curiosity, it’s not a big deal.”

“Yeah! This is the year 3000, things like that aren’t a big deal anymore.” It was so freeing and wonderful. So without further ado, Fry pranced over to stand in front of Bender. Hmmm… he was a robot though so kissing him wouldn’t be like kissing any human – or humanoid alien – guy or not. But he was still a guy so the basic idea was still there so…

Fry put his hands on Bender’s shoulders as he leaned in for a kiss. Bender’s mouth was cold and unsurprisingly tasted of booze, in a good way though. A slight tingly sensation hit Fry’s lips as Bender’s hands reached up to light touch his sides. Odd but not necessarily unpleasant, he could probably easily get used to it.

They lingered like that for several long seconds before Fry pulled back, letting out a shaky sigh. “Uh… that was interesting, huh?” he said, tugging at his shirt collar a bit because it was suddenly a bit hotter in here for some reason. They were still standing a bit closer than they normally did too. How had he never noticed that Bender was just a tad shorter than him? … The perfect height for a forehead kiss if Fry were inclined to do so.

“Eh, I’ve had better.” Bender avoided eye contact as he stepped back. Which seemed to release the sudden tension in the air as if an important moment had just passed by them.

Fry looked away too, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck. “Yeah sorry, I’m not a great kisser. I don’t really have much experience.”

“So, curiosity satisfied?”

“Uh… yeah. Thanks.” It had been nice actually if a bit weird. … That meant he was into guys though, wasn’t it? …. Oh well, that kind of thing was perfectly fine now so yeah, he was into guys and not ashamed of it.

“Good, now… let’s move on and pretend this never happened, okay? We don’t want anyone thinking we’re dating when we’re not.”

“Um… yeah.” Fry nodded, holding his smile even though for some reason Bender’s words made him a bit uncomfortable. If it wasn’t a big deal, why did they have to pretend it had never happened? “Let’s watch some TV, huh? All My Circuits should be starting soon.”

~~~

Despite how it was supposed to have just been an experiment and not a big deal, Fry thought about that kiss a lot. He wanted to do it again and do it better so that maybe Bender would like it too. How did he even go about that though?

That wasn’t all he thought about. Now that he was comfortable and willing to accept that he liked guys like that he allowed his mind to go to other places to. Like dating and holding hands and cuddling and sometimes even sex. What would all the be like with another guy? A robot? Specifically Bender? He wanted to know. He lay in bed at night thinking about it more nights than not. Often it turned into barely remembered dreams that left him more unsatisfied than anything.

He’d never find out though, would he? Because Bender didn’t like humans like that. He’d said so himself directly and had implied it in other instances too, always insisting he hated humans and all that – even if he didn’t really act like it most of the time. So… Fry didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell with him.

Damn! He was finally in a place where he was comfortable with his sexuality and in a time when he wouldn’t be persecuted for it and the first man he fell for was unattainable. That was just his luck, huh? … But then again, this was the year 3000 and almost anything was possible with today’s technology, right? …

Waking up early and getting out of bed was absolutely terrible, even worse was going into work that early. But he had no choice if he wanted some time to talk to Professor Farnsworth without Bender around or hopefully anyone else.

As he knew from the handful of weeks he’d lived at the Planet Express building, Farnsworth should be one of the first people here. He typically went straight to his office … and lo and behold, that’s where Fry found him this morning; asleep in his office chair.

Fry walked over to prod his shoulder. “Hey Professor?”

The only response was a loud snore. How he slept so soundly faceup in his desk chair like that, Fry would never understand. But it was important so Fry poked him again, harder this time.

“Wake up, I got something important to ask you about.”

With a grunt, Farnsworth jerked awake. “Huh? What?” He looked blearily around for a few seconds before his gaze settled on Fry. “Oh, you’re here early… I think.”

“Yep because I got something important to ask. You see I’m uh…” Fry gulped, suddenly regretting this a little bit but he’d already come this far so putting his hands behind his back, he soldiered on. “I think I’m gay, well uh… I don’t just think, I know… I think. I’m not entirely sure yet but do I do know I like guys and I’ve never really got girls, you know? Like I thought I was supposed to so I would flirt with them and stuff but it never really felt good even when one finally agreed to date me, you know what I mean?”

“That’s what’s so important you came to work early to tell me about? Well earlier than normal. This is the year 3000, no one cares if you’re gay Fry. The fact that that was ever viewed as a reason to hate people is astounding when there’s so many more actual reasons, such as their taste in music or sports teams.”

“Uh… that’s only part of what I came here to tell you. What I need to ask you is um… well in discovering that I like guys I also discovered that I got a thing for Bender. A kind of big thing. I’ve never felt this way before so I don’t really know what it is for sure but I really want to kiss him and hold his hand and stuff. I know that probably sounds weird because he’s Bender and…”

“Just get to the point,” Farnsworth interrupted.

“Oh uh… sorry. I don’t think he likes humans, not like that anyway. So I was thinking would it be possible to upload my mind into a robot body so that I might have a real chance with him?” Fry had seen such things in movies and stuff a few times, surely that was possible with today’s technology, right?

“Hmmm…” Farnsworth lifted a hand to tap a finger on his chin. “I suppose we could give it a try. You’d be more useful as a robot anyway.” … Wow he’d agreed to that without any need for convincing.

“Awesome, let’s go.”

With a grunt and crack of his old bones, Farnsworth pushed himself off the chair and led the way out of his office. He seemed to know where he was going so Fry followed. In the hallway, they ran into Leela.

“Oh hey Fry,” she said, “You’re here on time for once, good job.”

“Thanks! The Professor’s about to turn me into a robot, you want to watch?”

“Uh… what?”

“I’m turning him into a robot,” Farnsworth replied. “Now come along Fry, we need determine what kind of robot will be most useful to us. I’m thinking one with built in weaponry.”

Leela fell into step with Fry as Farnsworth resumed leading the way presumably to the lab. “Why exactly do you want to be a robot?” she asked in her suspicious voice.

“Because um… well uh…” Fry wasn’t ashamed to admit it or anything but he wasn’t ready for her to know especially when she was looking at him with that looks of hers she always had on her face whenever she caught him doing something stupid.

“He’s in love with Bender or some such bull crap,” Farnsworth said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“Is that true Fry?”

“Uh… I think so, yes. I don’t really know what love feels like but… regardless he won’t be interested in me as long as I’m human so… I’m becoming a robot. Don’t tell him though please. I want to be the one who tells him.” … What if even becoming a robot didn’t work though? What would Fry do then? He didn’t have time to think on that much as they reached the professor’s lab.

“All right Fry,” Farnsworth said. “You go sit on the table while I work on getting you a good robot body and then when Doctor Zoidberg gets here we’ll call him in to help remove your brain from your skull.”

Oh! Fry didn’t like the sound of that. Before he could voice a protest though, Leela did. “Uh no, that’s not happening. Come on Fry.” She grabbed Fry by the arm and dragged him right back into the hallway. She then closed the door, cutting off Farnsworth’s groan of disappointment.

“But Leela,” Fry tried only to be interrupted as she kept pulling him away.

“Have you even tried talking to Bender and telling him how you feel yet?”

“Well, no but…”

“That’s what I thought. Try that first before going and doing something dumb like having the Professor turn you into a robot. Seriously what were you thinking? It’s the Professor, there’s no way that could ever turn out well. Now come on, we’re going back to the main room and when Bender shows up, you’re going to tell him how you feel, okay?”

Before Fry could even try to answer…

“What’s this about Fry telling Bender how he feels?” Hermes asked as they entered the main room.

“He’s in love,” Leela replied as if it weren’t a big deal.

“Really?” Oh great, Amy was here now too. “I guess that makes sense though, huh? Since they’re roommates and all, the romance practically writes itself. Congrats on realizing it sooner rather than later though Fry.”

With a groan and free Leela’s grasp at last, Fry slunk over to sit at the round table so he could hide his burning face in his arms. He was never going to live this down. Basically everyone knew now and it was only a matter of time before that ‘basically’ was no more. His only solace was the fact that Bender wouldn’t be arriving at work for at least another hour or two so he had some time to figure out what he might say… not much though, nowhere near enough.

The next couple hours were awful. Hermes lectured him about the risks and dangers of workplace romance and what was and was not allowed as if proper romance were a foregone conclusion and not the vain hope it actually was. Amy quizzed him about what he even saw in Bender because Bender was an ‘egotistical kleptomaniac’, whatever that meant. Zoidberg came in and was immediately told and expressed joy that his friends were ‘in love’ and that it was beautiful, again as if it wasn’t just Fry with these feelings which was far more likely to be the case, right? Leela was the only one who left him alone about it despite the fact that she was the one that let the cat out of the bag to everyone else.

The awfulness of all that came to a point when Bender finally arrived. Everyone in the room froze as they looked up at him. Amy let out an excited giggle that made Fry kind of want to die.

“Uh… hey guys,” Bender said as he strode into room. “Why’s everyone looking at me?”

“No reason,” Leela as she stood up. “Fry’s got something important to tell you though. Come on guys, let’s give them some privacy.” She led the way out of the room, quickly followed by everyone else, leaving Fry and Bender alone together within a matter of seconds.

Bender looked after them as they closed the door for a few seconds before turning to look at Fry. “All right, that’s weird. What’s this you want tell me?” he said as he strode over to sit at the table next to Fry. He bent legs up to rest his feet on the table as he pulled out a bottle of booze.

Unable to maintain eye contact, Fry looked away, focusing his gaze on the table instead. He rubbed his finger idly over the little scratch on it that he somehow hadn’t noticed before. What was he supposed to say? He wasn’t ready to tell Bender… more like wasn’t ready to be rejected. How badly was this going to hurt their friendship?

He couldn’t brush it off as nothing, could he? … No, now that Bender knew there was something, he’d probably take offense to any attempt to keep it from him. He’d likely assume the worst too – whatever that might be in his mind – and thus be quite angry. So Fry either had to come up with a convincing important thing to tell him or the truth. The former would be difficult but…

“Out with it meatbag, what is it?”

“Uh… um… it’s uh…” Fry had never been good with words.

“Just spit it out. Am I fired? You don’t want to be my friend anymore? You moving out? … That’s what it is, isn’t it? You hooked up with Amy or Leela and you’re going to move in with them now, huh?”

“What?” Fry jerked his gaze back up to meet Bender’s angry glare. “No, no, no, that’s not it at all.”

Bender didn’t seem much placated. “Then what is it?”

Fry had never been very good at lying or coming up with convincing tales so… with a deep breath he stood up. “You um… remember a couple weeks ago when we kissed and it was supposed to be an experiment to see what it was like to kiss a guy and nothing more?”

Bender’s expression softened a little, though the suspicious anger didn’t leave completely yet. “Yes.”

“Well uh… I’d like to do it again sometime if that’s okay with you. Maybe uh… multiple times.”

“Uh…”

“What I’m saying,” Fry quickly interrupted before he could be shot down before even really saying what he meant, “is that I um… really like you and stuff. So uh… do you maybe want go on a date sometime and like… see what happens?” Fry forced himself to meet Bender’s gaze again. He seemed more surprised than angry now. Was it pleasant surprise though or the opposite? It was hard to tell.

Before replying, Bender took a long drink from the bottle still in his hand, finishing it off and slamming it onto the table as he stood up too. “Is this some fetish thing? You want to fuck a robot and I’m the only one you know so you’re getting all sweet on me to try to get in bed with me?” Right back to being angry, suspicious, and wanting to believe the worst. Why was he like that?

“No, Bender, that’s not it. I like you for you.” Fry pointed at him to emphasize his point. If he were in a less delicate situation he might’ve pointed out how Bender kind of resembled a walking trashcan and therefore wasn’t exactly sexy enough to be worth going to so much trouble for just the purpose of sex. “You’re great and you’re my best friend. And I love spending time with you whether we’re off on a space adventure or just lazing around the apartment watching TV together. So, I’d like to be more than just friends if that’s what you want too. If not, that’s… okay too, I’d understand.” And hopefully this confession wouldn’t hurt that any.

“Oh, hmmm… what else do you like about me?” Well, he was chill now and even grinning, that was good.

“You’re always fun to talk to and you’ve got great ideas for ways to pass the time when we’re bored. And even though you steal my wallet all the time, you always give it back eventually. And you’re a robot and that’s still super cool even if I’m used to robots by now because you were the first one I met and I wasn’t lying when I said I’d always wanted a robot for a best friend. So really by being my pal, you’re fulfilling a lifelong dream of mine. I’ve never thought about dating one before now though, it just never occurred to me until after that uh… kiss experiment we did.”

“Go on,” Bender said in the pause that followed, leaning in eagerly.

Fry sighed. “You’re also very confident, especially in yourself.” Too the point of annoyance at times but even during those instances Fry still wished he could have even a fraction of that level of confidence. “And you’re also super strong, you can bend metal like it’s made of paper which is super cool. And sometimes you use that strength to open jars for me and sometimes you don’t even make fun of me for not being able to open it myself. Also, even despite our occasional disagreements, we always make up eventually and then we’re friends again like nothing ever happened and… that’s really nice.” Fry had never had a friend that would do that for him before, normally one disagreement was all it took for someone to decide they didn’t want to hang out with him ever again. “So… will you go out with me?” Forcing a grin, Fry held out a hand in hopes of Bender taking it.

Bender stared at him in silence for a few horrible seconds that seemed to drag into eternity before finally speaking. “Well, if you’re going to butter me up that much, I suppose we can go on one date and see what happens.” Looking away awkwardly, he even put his hand into Fry’s.

With a rush of giddy relief and grinning so wide his cheeks hurt, Fry use that grip to pull him closer so that their bodies were almost touching, earning a small but very satisfying surprised gasp from him. “Can I kiss you again? For real this time, not just as an experiment?” One was always supposed to ask before doing such a thing, right?

“I just agreed to go on a date with you meatbag, what do you think?”

Fry didn’t answer or make a further move because he didn’t know what to think. He’d never done this before, not with someone he actually wanted to be with.

Bender sighed. “Yes moron, you can kiss me again.”

Fry did so before any self-doubt could get in the way. Bender’s mouth plate was still cool, the taste of beer even stronger than last time. The slight tingling buzz was still there too, just as odd but nice.

“Better than last time?” Fry said, letting out a heavy breath as the pulled apart a few seconds later. He was a bit lightheaded and wanted to sit down but that would mean letting go of Bender’s hand and moving away from him.

“A little.”

Fry took a breath, intending to suggest maybe he needed some more practice but he didn’t get a single syllable out before a small squeak to their right drew his attention. He glanced over just in time to see the door close, silently as whoever was on the other side did so carefully.

Bender had clearly noticed too; he let go of Fry hand and left him to sneak over fling the door all the way open. Perhaps not so surprisingly Leela, Amy, Hermes, Zoidberg and even Professor Farnsworth were gathered in close on the other side. The looks of guilt on their faces made it quite clear what they were doing there.

“Uh, hey Bender,” Leela said with a slight grimace. “What you up to? We were just uh… passing by.”

“And we’re quickly moving on,” Hermes added before turning to flee. The others wasted no time in following suit, Amy dragging away Zoidberg and Leela dragging away Farnsworth.

Bender sighed as he turned back to Fry. If he were as embarrassed as Fry, he was doing a good job of not showing it – though as a robot he couldn’t blush so maybe that had something to do with it. “They’re a bunch of disgusting voyeurs, ,” he said with a scoff as he walked over back over to Fry. “Let’s go to the break room and watch some TV. They should be ashamed enough over being caught spying to not yell at us to go back to work for at least an hour or two.” He put an arm around Fry’s waist to guide him out of the room. Fry was more than happy to go along with it. And maybe, just maybe, they could practice kissing during the ad breaks.

#my writing #futurama #Frender #Mentions of homophobia #internalized homophobia #Fry is gay AU #Bender is pan #kissing #Leela is mom-friend

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re1d · 4 years

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there comes a time to say goodbye | spencer reid

→ summary: pt.2 of different lifetime // “but i have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. it is a lovely and unique thing in the universe.” - john steinbeck, east of eden → warnings: mentions of maeve’s death, mentions of murder, ptsd, and anxiety, some solid angst, but also fluff (DEF NOT proofread lmaO) → word count: 6.8k [overall, this is the longest fic i’ve ever written n the whole thing (+pt.1 is over 11k)] → a/n: based on prompt no. 40 from the list ; “it’s true. i’ve loved you ever since i got to know you - and even if you don’t feel the same, i’m willing to accept it.” // can u guys tell me if my writing’s showing up in the tags?? // istg if this doesn’t show up in the tags eye��pls be sure to rb pls n thanks!! // loosely based on ‘in the blood’ 9x06

Battery powered candles flicker on a loop in the corner of Spencer’s bedroom. Although he’s come to terms with his puerile fear of the dark, his mind still doesn’t trust his body enough to fall asleep without some presence of light. Some nights—nights like these—he needs more than one. Warm candlelight kisses his tear stained cheeks, and his thoughts wander to you, sleeping in his guest room on a mattress that he never bought a frame for. Of course, he imagines that you’re already tucked away in the land of dreams, but he can’t help but hope that if he called out to you in his head, you’d answer.

The faint glow of his alarm clock is the only thing that he looks at for a while. Red numbers begin to fade into blurry mixtures marred by exhaustion, but his body, no matter how tired, won’t let him submit. Spencer’s eyes land on the texture that coats his ceiling next. Oh, how easy would it be for him to just reach up and slice his finger open. Humans are so fragile, so delicate—it makes him wonder if he is even human, himself. Every day, having to smile, to converse with his team as if nothing five months ago had even happened kills him on the inside, but he doesn’t find himself trying to stop it. Part of him wants to integrate back into normal life, but another part begs him to stay, to wallow a little longer.

“[Y/N],” Spencer calls into his dimly lit room while placing his mismatched sock-clad feet on the wood of his floor. His legs lead him into where you are sleeping, and he takes a moment to soak in the sight of you. Blankets are strewn across the memory foam, drool is dripping out of the side of your mouth, and your arms twitch every so often. He thinks you look calm; it makes him feel like he’s in the place he needs to be.

A strained whimper leaves your lips, suddenly making the erratic movements of your arms much less adorable. Spencer recognizes the sound. It’s that of fear—fear that cannot be extinguished by merely waking from the nightmare, but by destroying it completely. He watches you for a few seconds, debating whether or not he should shake you awake, but you seem to beat him to the punch. Your misty eyes shoot open only to see a dark figure in the corner of Spencer’s guest room. The locked drawer next to you is unlatched almost instantly as you point your gun at the shadow.

Spencer sputters whilst raising his hands high into the air, “[Y/N]! I-It’s me, it’s Spencer!” He comes closer and reaches out to tug on the lamp’s pull chain. The yellow gleam of the light illuminates the highest points of his features while simultaneously casting darkness onto the lowest. Squinting at him, you’re able to see his mouth quirked into a slight smile, and it makes you snort while lowering your weapon.

“Jesus Christ, Spencer. I thought someone was here to kill both of us.” Your breathing is labored as you place a clammy hand over your heart, trying to calm its incessant beating. “But, now that we’re both awake—you have to tell me what you’re thinking about. Remember our deal?”

Yes. He does remember it—just like he remembers every other small occurrence that’s ever happened to him. Your words come back to him in the small room; they resonate within him, and push him to tell you how he’s been feeling ever since you had helped him fix up his apartment five months, three days, and 43 minutes ago. After he had confided in you about his guilt and asked you to stay with him, you made a pact: if he was ever to feel restless or wake up from a nightmare, he had to talk to you about it. At this point, you’ve practically moved into his guest bedroom, wanting to be there for him whenever he needed.

Spencer nods as you pat the spot in front of you on the mattress. While bringing your legs together to sit crisscross, you shoot him an encouraging grin. “C’mon, Spence,” you say, “tell me what’s on your mind. Did you have another nightmare?”

“No. I just ... couldn’t sleep.” Spencer’s voice is soft, almost like it would disintegrate if it were to be touched, “You know, [Y/N]? It’s been five months—five months, and you’re still here for me. Watching, waiting, comforting ... I guess I was thinking about how I’m never really there for you.” He can feel your gaze perforating his nonchalant exterior, trying to pick him apart, to locate the loose stitches in his heart. Before you can make up a response, he opens his mouth to speak once more, “[Y/N]. When I, uh, agreed to the deal—I know it wasn’t obvious in the moment—but, I want you to know that it goes both ways. So, please, let me listen. Just this once. Please.”

As you hesitate, he catches you retreating back into yourself. Your posture shrinks even further, and his body surges forward, taking your hands in his much larger ones. His eyes plead with you silently, begging you to surrender. With a sigh, you slip out of his grasp and stand from your place on the bed. “Spencer. I really don’t think I should tell you. It’s pretty—.”

“God, [Y/N]—it can’t be anything worse than what we see on a daily basis.” His statement is exasperated; it comes out much harsher than he meant, and he waits for you to snap back at him. However, nothing happens. Your silence is deafening as you turn back to face him. There’s no malice, no agitation, present in your stare—only a slight edge of panic. “I—[Y/N], I’m—.”

“It’s okay, Spencer,” you pause before continuing, “I just ... I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. The dream—it’s, uh, it’s pretty dark. But, I guess I could fix up a bowl of cereal and talk to you about it.”

Quickly, he scrambles up, his long legs causing him to tower you. However, you have total control over the situation. He follows behind you to his kitchen and twiddles his thumbs as you try to decide between Honey Nut Cheerios and Frosted Flakes. Eventually, you’re sitting across from each other, a cup of coffee in his hands and Honey Nut Cheerios in front of you. Glancing up, he meets your eyes, but immediately ducks away from your gaze. Shaking your head with a weak chuckle, you push the cereal box towards him, urging him to snack while you tell him your story.

Inky blackness surrounds the two of you as you crunch down on your early morning snack. Quietude hovers above the island, ready to be shattered to pieces. Once you finish chewing, you offer him a smile, but he can see your bottom lip quivering before it disappears between your teeth. An unsteady breath tumbles from your nose as you place your spoon in Spencer’s ceramic bowl.

“So,” you begin, “I’m sure you know that before I transferred to the BAU, I worked in the Crimes Against Children with Katie and Amanda. I was young, the newest member of the team, and headstrong about going into the field. Of course, I had field experience, but I just wanted to show Katie what I was made of, how much I could handle, you know?” He nods along with a furrowed brow. “Well, a few weeks after I got settled, she called me to her office and asked if I would consult on an investigation into this boy named Jaime ...”

Scribbling in your day planner, you glanced longingly up at Katie’s office. Her forehead was creased with concentration and her eyes were clouded with something that looked like doubt. She fumbled around her desk for her glasses, diving right back into the file she was working on. However, it seemed that as soon as you went back to the paperwork on your desk, the floor was bustling with a new case. Katie’s voice sounded from behind you, and everyone’s heads snapped up to stare at the woman.

“I need to see Agents [Y/L/N] and Gilroy, please,” she paused, inhaling deeply while pushing up the plastic resting on the bridge of her nose, “it’s urgent.” All of the air in the room had ceased its movement. Amanda’s eyes met yours, both excitement and a hint of fright evident in them. You two bolted out of your chairs, heading side by side up the stairs and through the door to Katie’s office.

Once inside, Katie gestured for both of you to have a seat. Her smile was weak as she looked at the her two newest recruits. It was the kind of smile that burned itself into your memory—one you would never forget. Opening to a picture, your boss pushed a file in your direction. In the photo, a little boy grinned back at you. His front two teeth were missing, but the brilliance that emanated from his beam was undeniably bright. “[Y/N], Amanda—you are my freshest eyes and some of my sharpest minds. I know you’ve only been here for a month and a half, and we’re swamped with chatroom cases—but, I want both of you to go up a floor and consult on a BAU case.” With raised eyebrows, you pointed an incredulous stare at the woman in front of you. Being that she was one of the first members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit, she noticed your apprehension. “Listen, you both have the knowledge, the talent, and fairly empty schedules—which is something I wasn’t awarded the luxury of. It’s a big proposal, but I need to know as soon as possible whether you’re up for it or not.”

“Katie,” you began, tip-toeing on the tight rope of the subject, “you’re talking about, like, the BAU—like, the unit you worked with before you transferred here?”

“Yes, [Y/N]. The BAU,” she replied, “but agents, I need an answer. Now rather than later would be ideal. Their team needs you up there ASAP.” Her inquiry was met with ferociously nodding head and determined gazes. “Excellent. Grab your go bags and get into the elevator ... Agent Hotchner is expecting you.”

Warm tears are already rolling down your cheeks, but Spencer does nothing in the midst of his confusion. You had consulted with the BAU, but he can’t remember meeting you before you officially transferred. It had been around the time he turned 30, and they went to San Francisco to investigate a Zodiac copycat. You had shown up an hour and a half early to your interview, having already ingested four cups of coffee. Spencer had been so nervous around you, considering that you were going to be a new addition to his team. He didn’t like change—he still doesn’t. But, the moment your jittery hands slipped away from your empty mug, effectively causing it to shatter, you had laughed and said, ‘oh well.’ Right then was when he felt a certain tug in his heart, but he chose to ignore it.

“Spencer, I—I need to take a break. It’s too much. I don’t know if I can tell you about it,” you choked out a sigh, trying to fight back more tears, “Jaime ... when, we found him ... he-he was scattered. Everywhere.” The man across from you snaps from his memory induced haze while rushing over to you and wrapping his arms around your trembling frame. Against his chest, you feel extraordinarily fragile, almost as if he squeezes too hard, you’ll crumble into dust.

Oh, how ironic role reversal truly is.

Spencer never would’ve pictured himself giving solace to someone in his apartment at the wee hours of the morning. However, he finds it much more rewarding than he previously imagined it to be. As he cradles your body in his hold, Spencer’s insides churn in the same way they had when he first laid his eyes on you. Maybe—just maybe—there was a small part of him that had fallen in love with you first. “[Y/N],” he murmurs, “it’s okay. We can be done for tonight.”

Sniffling, you move to get out of your chair, but to Spencer’s surprise, you never let go of his forearm. He walks next to you, leading you past his guest bedroom and to his personal room. Halting just before the threshold of his door, you tighten your grasp, pulling him to stop alongside you. “Spencer,” you start, a wave of uncertainty welling in your voice, “what are you doing?”

“I-I want you to sleep with me tonight. You know—just in case one of us has another nightmare.” A sheepish look defines his features as he scratches the back of his neck. Waiting for your response feels like wading through a pool made of peanut butter. The silence is thick as you think about the meaning of his gesture. It seems simple—merely a warm sentiment shared between two friends who agreed to stay with each other in their separate times of need. Nothing less, nothing more.

However, your heart’s unabating pounding tells a different story. It pleads with every nerve ending in your body to let go, but your brain won’t allow it. Glancing up at Spencer, your shoulders tense and you take a hesitant step away from him. Terror floods your veins, sending cold blood coursing through you. Chills travel endlessly down your spine as you back into a wall. Thoughts of Maeve, thoughts of Jaime, thoughts of Spencer—the cloud your vision, distorting it. You feel as though you’re staring out of a fish-eyed lens. Trying to take deep breaths is no longer working because your throat has closed in on itself. Putting your hands out to keep him at a distance, you watch them shake like they’ve been dipped in ice water. Spencer’s voice echoes in your ears and makes you want to vomit.

“I ca-can’t. No,” you mumble through choppy breathing, “it’s no-not fair.” Truthfully, you have no idea what you’re saying. Words slip from your lips carelessly as you fumble with the doorknob, shutting the plank of wood in Spencer’s face. When you reach the sanctuary that is his guest room, you allow yourself to sink to the floor, a steady flow of tears cascading down your cheeks.

The trajectory of your night had plummeted. Never in your life had you expected to be sobbing in your coworker—who you just so happen to be in love with’s—apartment. However, the reality of the situation you had created sets in quicker than you hope. The soft gleam of the lamp next to the mattress in enough to put you to sleep in your position, and you feel as though you’ve been transported. You’ve gone back in time only to be sitting on the outside once again, but this time, you had done it to yourself. Spencer hadn’t shied away from you, instead, he opened up to you—offered you comfort, and you pushed him away. Just like he’d done to you five months ago.

Being alone is much different than feeling lonely. Being alone is more intense, more daunting. Currently, you’re a heavy mixture of both. A puddle of heartache and misery that—with one sliver of sunlight—could evaporate into thin air. As you ponder the contrast between the two ideas, you unknowingly plunge into a land of darkness and horror. Dreamscapes don’t treat you well tonight, and despite your earlier apprehension, you unconsciously wonder if Spencer’s arms around your nightmare-battered frame would ease the pain.

────

A knock to the tune of ‘Shave and a Haircut’ jerks you from your slumber with an unceremonious snort. Throbbing pain shoots through each part of your body as you stretch your cramped limbs. Sleeping curled into a ball while leaning back on a door was evidently not going to aid in keeping you young and limber. Stand up, you hear your bones crack and pop, and you register the drool that had pooled onto your bare knee. With a grimace, you wipe it off and open the door.

Spencer stares down at you, concern clear in his gaze. His chestnut orbs rake over you, and his mind doesn’t attempt to compare you to the woman he was once in love with. It’s at this moment, at 7:29AM on a Thursday morning in October, where he realizes that you are you and only you. Spencer drinks in the sight of your plush lips, your vibrant eyes, and the beauty held within your brain with a newfound fire in the pit of his stomach.

“Uh, Garcia asked us to help her unload her groceries for her Day of the Dead party this weekend.” Spencer coughs, casting his gaze to the wall behind you, “She said she should be home from the market in an hour.” Your coworker seems to be acting like last night never happened, his normal demeanor appearing like a rabbit being plucked from a hat. While gently tucking your previous panic attack away in your mind, you glance at him with a reluctant smile. Deciding to follow suit, you choose to ignore the gnawing feeling in your stomach for the time being.

With a scoff, you shake you head, “What? Morgan was out of commission this fine morning?” He laughs at your remark, retreating further into his hallway. “Let me take a shower, and I’ll be ready to go, okay?”

Spencer nods and waits for you to close the bedroom door before making his way to his living room. The sun peeks through his sheer curtains, warming his feet as they sit in its gentle rays. While sitting on his couch, he runs his fingers over the violet afghan that Garcia had knit him over two years ago. His thoughts meander through memory after memory—none of them are lucid enough to elicit any type of reaction, but each and every one is the slightest bit painful.

First, he thinks of you. Although he doesn’t remember you consulting on a child murder case, he does recall the events that came after you had dropped your coffee mug. He had stared at you for a long while, just watching as you cleaned up the mess whilst humming along to a song he didn’t recognize. His heart rampaged in his chest, the constant thrumming becoming too much for him to handle. Spencer had stood up quickly, almost knocking over his chair in the process, and he does the same now—without the added mess of toppling his couch over.

As he digs the heels of his palms into his eyes, he spots various pictures of Maeve that his mind captured unintentionally. She smiles at him, and it seems encouraging—like she’s telling him personally to move on. Clawing at his cheekbones, he drags his fingers along the expanse of his skin, creating vicious red lines. He’s done so well for the past five months, being that his once daily nightmares have lessened to be sporadic and intermittent. However now, Spencer can’t seem to get the though of her out of his head. Over and over again, he rubs at his cheeks, causing them to burn, itch, sting—.

“Spencer, I’m ready if—are you okay?” Your voice sounds from around the corner, stopping his hands in their tracks. Furrowing your brow, you walk over to him, and gesture for him to take a seat on the plush cushions. His face still tingles from the torture it was subjected to, and the feeling intensifies when he realizes that your gaze isn’t going to go away any time soon.

Sighing, Spencer replies, “I’m fine, but we should go, [Y/N]. Garcia’s probably waiting for us.”

“Right.”

Following him out of his apartment and into the cool, Virginia air, you sniff as the wind nips at your nose. Spencer’s Volvo chirps as it’s brought to life for the first time in about a week. Noticing his reproachful stare, you register the dense sheets of ice coating the previously vibrant sky blue paint with a laugh. He pouts while jiggling his handle, not enjoying your blatant amusement. Ignoring his glare, you crack open his car door whilst blowing another cloud into the sky.

“I didn’t think it would be this cold,” he mumbled, rubbing his arms, “it’s only October and it’s freezing outside.”

Humming an acknowledgement, you shift your eyes to analyze the intricate ice patterns that had formed on his windows. The car rumbles as it starts, similar to a cat’s purr. It’s a comforting sound—something to fill the somewhat awkward silence. As soon as Spencer turns the key in the ignition, you’re searching for a radio station to perforate the quietude, and much to your chagrin, the only music that plays from his speakers is Chopin. The composer brings back the bitter memory of what you had said to him so long ago.

You had meant what you said. You truly would wait for him until time itself no longer existed. However, listening Nocturne in E Flat Major Op. 9 No. 2 now ... it makes you feel sick. Your stomach froths against your insides like an angry ocean beating against the base of a lighthouse. Staring out at the expanse of the highway, you attempt to distract yourself by counting deserted construction sites on the side of the road. By the time Spencer parked in front of Penelope’s building, you had reached 26.

Different hues of orange and purple virtually punch you in the face as the woman you two have come all this way to help stands outside her door with countless bags at her feet. Her smile sends hot waves of cheer surging through your veins. As she calls you over, you find yourself becoming less focused on Spencer and more on the plastic skeleton hanging from her window by a single hand. Laughter spills from your body when Penelope sulks at your amusement.

“So, uh, does that gentleman have a name, Pen?” Your tone is lighthearted, but a scowl is still etched into her usually jolly appearance. Glancing from her Halloween decorations to her guests, Penelope’es sour look eventually dissipates.

With a harrumph, she answers, “I like to call him Fabio. I think it works nicely with Sergio.” Holding back an outburst, you slap a hand over your mouth. Garcia’s presence proves to be just the thing you need to forget about Spencer, even if he’s right behind you. “Okay, okay—ha ha, very funny, [Y/N]—but at least laugh while you’re taking as many grocery bags as you can upstairs. You, too, Boy Wonder—this is a team effort.”

You and Spencer collect paper bag after paper bag until both of your arms are full of various party foods. Garcia grins at the two of you with a clap of her empty hands. Cocking a brow, you shoot an accusatory glare at your closest colleague. However, before you’re able to get a word out, she begins to usher the two of you up to her apartment.

“If this is a team effort, then why aren’t you doing any work?” Spencer grunts, coming very close to letting the bag with the eggs slip from his grasp.

“I am working,” Garcia chides as she walks up the last few steps, “someone had to be in charge of opening the door, and that someone just so happened to be me. So, don’t drop the eggs, Genius.” You start to laugh, but the sound is caught in your throat as you marvel at the sight of her altar.

Pinks and oranges and light blues explode in your face as you gape in awe. Countless pictures already stood on different tiers of the shrine. Recognizing them, your bottom lip quivers at the photographs she had placed. Each face that stares back at you is a victim of a case that had been previously closed. Feeling a gentle pressure on your shoulders, you reach up to grab Garcia’s newly manicured hand. She squeezes and a sniffle can be heard from behind you. Spencer joins the two of you, standing on your right. The atmosphere, although containing a heavy layer of sorrow, is strangely peaceful.

Turning, you meet Garcia’s gaze with a smile. “Pen,” you murmur, “it’s gorgeous.”

“You think so?” Her voice trembles a bit.

“Absolutely.”

Wiping the tears that had inevitably fallen from her eyes, Penelope lets a small giggle escape her. “God—I wasn’t planning on crying today. I wanted to go scary this Halloween, and since we’re officially off for two weeks, I thought I would have plenty of time to make everything super terrifying. But, I told JJ and she laughed at me and said I didn’t have a scary bone in my body.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Spencer interjects while shoving food into the fridge, “you probably do.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. The building blocks of the human personality are complex, varied, and multi-faceted. It's essential to one's mental health to want to express these hidden personalities, and it's a fact of nature that everybody has one—even me.” You chortle at Garcia’s intrigue as she fawns over the doctor for a few moments. He cocks a brow while turning his gaze back to you. “What’s so funny, [Y/N]?”

With a chuckle, you reply, “I’m not sure you should be talking up your dark side when it’s really just a bad Clint Eastwood impression.” The interaction is still the slightest bit uncomfortable as Spencer’s deadpan stare bores into your face. Garcia’s gaze flits between the two of you, worry painted across her features.

“So ...” she begins warily, attempting to navigate the residual tension left from last night, “Clint Eastwood, huh?”

────

Night befalls the both of you once more as you sit in silence in Spencer’s living room. His eyes are racing down one of the last pages of East of Eden, and you recognize it from the first time you were invited into his apartment. As he curls further into himself, you feel a sharp pain and look back down to be met with blood pouring from your finger. The tomatoes you had been chopping are going to have to wait. Rushing to the sink, you begin to rinse your wound, cleaning it with cool water whilst muttering various profanities under your breath.

Spencer forces himself to ignore your winces and harsh intakes of breath and continues to read. Truthfully, he’s jumped so far over the hurdle that was last night that by now, it’s merely a distant memory. His therapist—one that you recommended—had been educating him on how to move on from the past and forgive himself. He’s been trying to give you space to do the same. Spencer aches to help you clean up, to chop vegetables, and to do mundane things with you, but he thinks it’s more important that you know that he’s willing and able to give you the room you need to heal. Everyone needs time for themselves. At least, that’s what his therapist said.

“Spencer?” Your voice echoes in the quietude that his apartment provides. Waves of relief crash into him, and it feels as though he’s the embodiment of a shipwreck. After a few moments of still air, you speak again. “Can you ... can you come help me, please?”

Those are the words he needed so desperately to hear. Sure, they didn’t mean anything in this context, but his imagination urges him to go further with the interaction. It pushes him forward, pleading with him to act. He yearns to talk to you; he wants to acknowledge the amount of time you’ve been pining him. He’s beyond ready to move ahead to a new horizon made especially for you two.

When he reaches the counter top, he glances down at the viscid liquid still turning the water an unnerving shade of dark pink. Without thinking, he digs in a cabinet that you thought held wine glasses, but apparently held an extremely large first aid kit. You bite your tongue, having to resist the impulse to tease him about it. Yes, it would’ve been acceptable a week ago, but now, you’re not entirely certain how to act around him. Your panic attack, although lasting for only a few minutes, had felt like a lifetime. And, no matter how hard you had tried throughout the day to forget—you came to the conclusion that not even Penelope’s sunny disposition could break up the storm that clouded your mind.

As Spencer wraps yet another strip of gauze around your cut, you find him to be unexpectedly dexterous. Staring at his furrowed brow, you’re able to see a little part of his tongue that sticks out from between his lips. Shattering the sheet of silence that had settled over the two of you, you murmur, “You’re surprisingly good at this.”

“Bandaging people up or being quiet?” He asked, a slight air of humor in his tone, “Because, I’ve pretty much mastered both.”

Soft laughter sounds, and Spencer allows his eyes to graze over your features. When your gazes meet, you don’t make any attempts to break the contact. It’s refreshing—the feeling of falling in love with someone all over again. His pupils are practically as big as saucers as he stares back at you with an unfamiliar intensity. Although this is what you’ve always wanted, the idea of getting choked up and having another panic attack terrifies you. With a cough, you look down at your mismatched sock-clad feet, and the man crouched in front of you turns his attention back to your injury.

“So,” you start after a long period of quietude, “I heard Garcia’s making that altar come one, come all, and she told everyone to bring a picture to put on it.” Your words, albeit sounding like an ordinary statement, are more of a question. Spencer glances back up at you, his eyes glazed over with caution. “Are you gonna bring Maeve?”

Spencer doesn’t detect anything other than sadness in your voice. However, it’s not the type of sadness he expects. The emotion makes his heart wrench in his chest because it reminds him of himself from five months ago. So in love, yet in such, unimaginable pain. He nods, not finding it in himself to look up at you. Placing the last piece of gauze tape on the dressing, Spencer stands from his spot on the floor. In that moment, everything feels a little too real.

Taking a step back, he seems as though he’s about to head back to the living room, but he stop to say, “We should probably leave in about thirty minutes ... Garcia said she wanted everyone there by ten.” You acknowledge him with a tight lipped smile, turning back to dicing your tomatoes and green onions, being careful to work around your damaged finger. However, his presence still looms behind you; you can almost hear his desire to flip your question around. Without looking at him, you nod while placing your vegetable mixture into Spencer’s blender.

Before activating the blades, you pause, giving him an opportunity to shatter you. “[Y/N] ...” he trails off, uncertain as to whether he should ask the question or not, “are you—are you bringing Jaime.”

“Yeah,” you say, “Jaime and my mom.”

Finally, a comfortable silence engulfs the space between you both. Spencer retreats back to the couch, discarding East of Eden and replacing it with a Russian classic that you couldn’t make out. The only sound is that of the mechanical whirring of the blender as you finish up your salsa for Garcia’s party. In the midst of the quiet, your mind wanders from topic to topic and it makes your heart pound—granted, half of the thoughts are of Spencer. Homemade movies play on a loop in front of you as you pour over your concoction.

It’s a few Halloweens in the future. You and Spencer are living together. You’re hanging up fake cobwebs while he does a bad job at trying to scare you with his Frankenstein’s monster mask. Joking, you mention that you hated reading Frankenstein in high school, and he retorts with a quip about your taste in books. The night is still fairly young, but the stars are clear in the sky. He gives up attempting to frighten you and comes over to the window where you’re staring up at the cloudless infinity. Spencer rambles on about different constellations and their histories, but all you can think about is him. The way his eyes mirror the mystery of the darkness above you, the way his tongue darts out to wet his lips after a particularly interesting tidbit, the way he looks at you with nothing but pure adoration in his gaze. You’re in love with him. You’ve been in love with him.

“I’ll grab my coat, and you can grab the keys and get the car started. Okay, [Y/N]?” Snapping you from your daydream, is his voice. It’s evident that he’s been talking for quite some time. It’s also evident that you haven’t been paying attention. “Have you listened to anything I’ve said? We’re already late!” The frantic, flustered doctor scurries around his apartment, cleaning things to calm his nerves. Even before Maeve’s death, you had known that Spencer was a stress cleaner. Whenever a phone call came about his mother, he would dutifully straighten every open desk he could before Hotch called for him to stop.

“Yes, Doc. Grab keys. Get car started. I’m on my way, right now.” You pause, almost forgetting about your hard work, “Also, Spencer—my salsa’s on the second shelf in the fridge!” You hear him mutter an exasperated, “salsa?” before closing the door.

Unlocking his car and diving into the driver’s seat, you immediately turn off the radio to sit in complete silence. For once, it is a comforting feeling. As you mull over certain ideas, one jumps out at you in particular. Both the devil and the angel on your shoulders urge you to mention your panic attack, and you’re forced to make an executive decision—confront Spencer or sweep the incident under the rug.

The sound of ice clattering against the concrete alerts you to the man’s presence. Glancing over at him, you turn the key in the ignition, allowing the cold fingers of fall to slither up your back once more. With a shiver, Spencer sends you a confused glare, making an effort to start the car by himself, but you smack his hand away. An unknown source of power compels you to push forward, to keep going.

“[Y/N], what’s going—?”

“I know that you already know, but I have to say it. Out loud and in person.”

“[Y/N]—.”

“Spencer,” you collect both breath and courage before barging ahead, “I’m in love with you. I fell for you three months after I joined the team. I didn’t know if-if it was just a stupid crush or not, so I decided to ignore it the best I could.” Tears muddle your vision, and you reach up to wipe them away even though they haven’t fallen yet. Just barely, you see Spencer restrain himself from touching you. A sob is wrenched from the deepest part of your body, but you choose to continue. “And then—and then, you found Maeve and you were so happy. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be ... to be happy. But, God—,” a wail escapes your throat as it threatens to close in on itself, “I’m so selfish. I wanted you to be happy with me!”

Spencer feels numb as he takes in the severity of your confession. Watching your body fold and crumple in front of him freezes him like liquid nitrogen. With a single puff of air, he would fragment into millions of pieces. As you try to hide your face, he sees your hands tremble. He wants to help you, but he doesn’t know how. Should he cry with you, should he hug you, should he stay silent? Too many thoughts race through his brain. The big cogs steam and smoke as they are overworked, attempting to come up with too many solutions at once. He manages to choke out one word. Two syllables. But, it’s the question that needed to be answered.

“Really?”

With a strangled cry, you nod, “It-it’s true. I’ve lo-loved you ever since I got—got to know you.” Another sob is ripped from your chest as it heaves with exhaustion. You feel like vomiting. At this point, everything is nauseating. Your fingers dance over lips as you’re debating whether or not to press on. “And ... and even if you don’t feel the same—I’m willing to accept it. Because, I love you, and I want you to be happy. With me or without.”

He hums. It is neutral, neither bad nor good. Spencer Reid—teenage college graduate, human encyclopedia, objectively the smartest man in the FBI—is at a loss for words. You love him. He knew that. He knows that. But now, everything is real. Colors burst at the edges of his eyes, and his view of you is flooded with light. His heart pounds wildly against his sternum; it’s powerful enough to feel in his stomach. Spencer does what comes naturally to him. For once, he follows his heart instead of his head.

His head shrieks that this—what he’s about to do—is a terrible, no good, very bad idea. But, his heart screams the opposite. His heart shoves him forward and tells him to cup your face in his hands. Brushing over your tear stained cheeks, he thinks back to yesterday morning, when he woke you and asked about your nightmare. Staring into your eyes, he begs you to let go, just as you had begged him so long ago. Leaning forward, he tells you that he will always be here for you. Kissing you, he lets you know that he has moved on.

It takes a moment for you two respond, but once you do, the atmosphere surrounding you two is on fire. Spencer’s touch is gentle and rough simultaneously as your lips move together with a shared fervor. His fingers move to the back of your neck to deepen the kiss while you tangle your hands into his hair and tug. A mixture of tears make him taste salty, but the water is seemingly burned away by the heat that radiates between the two of you. Although you two have found each other, nothing disappears. Nightmares will not go away, memories will still invade supposedly healthy headspaces, discovery will not change the past.

However, in this moment, everything is the right amount of real.

The desperate need to breathe tears you apart, but neither of you move far. Spencer’s forehead rests on yours, and he leans in to touch his your noses together. In his mind, nothing is moving; it is still, and it is exactly what he needs. Your fingers smooth different patterns into his scalp as you try to catch up to your own heart.

“We’re so late,” your hoarse whisper slices through the quiet. Glancing at the clock, cerulean numbers blink back at you. 10:53PM—almost an hour late. Knowing Garcia, she’s waiting to put pictures on the altar until you two arrive. Her kindness sometimes goes unrecognized, but she doesn’t do it because it’s what looks good—she does it because it’s what’s right.

The picture of Jaime in your pocket suddenly feels like it’s searing through the fabric, and remorse courses through you as you close your eyes. Spencer holds back laughter, but when he backs away and notices the regret painted over your features, he grows solemn. Grabbing your hands that are still placed on the back of his head, he pulls them off and cradles them to his chest.

“Look at me, [Y/N],” his voice cracks, but the authority is undeniable. You shift your gaze to him, and you are captivated by the way his eyes resemble the inky blackness that lay millions of miles above your heads. Constellations shimmer in his hazel orbs. “Tonight, we say goodbye. No more compartmentalization, no more fear, no more guilt. Are you ready?”

With a quivering smile, you murmur, “More than.”

The Volvo purrs to life—a symbol of not only the past but new beginnings as well. You’re positive that both you and Spencer look like complete disasters, but not even that fact is able distract you from the feeling of his warm hand atop yours on the gearshift. A dull throb replaces the burning sensation Jaime had ignited earlier. It dissipates the longer you drive until it’s merely a tingle. A goodbye will be shared between two people and two memories because waiting for those who will never come back doesn’t serve as a surrogate for real love.

It is difficult to say goodbye, but it is necessary.

It is difficult, but it is love. And, you have waited long enough.

#mine #spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid fluff #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction

157 notes · View notes

patiencetaught · 3 years

Text

1. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚?

She uses a rose perfume, so that’s one of the most prevalent scents when you’re standing near her. If you’re close enough, you might get a whiff of her rosemary and mint shampoo. She also tends to have the general scent of freshly baked bread and cinnamon that’s somehow ended up imbedded in her clothes from baking. If you catch her after work there’s a very high chance that she’ll smell a little bit like play-doh, elmer’s glue, and hand sanitizer because she was around children all day.

2. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚’𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚?

Cold to the touch and more calloused than you’d think. All the manual labor from her childhood and young adulthood, in addition to her gardening and cooking, gave her hands a roughness that she can’t totally fix. She wears lotion to try to mitigate it a bit, but they’re still not quite as soft and “ladylike” as she thinks they should be.

3. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙙𝙖𝙮?

On a weekday, breakfast is usually eggs, toast, and tea. If it’s a weekend, she might get a little bit more wild and crazy and make she and Matilda waffles or pancakes. For lunch, it’s usually pretty straightforward and balanced because she just packs herself the same thing she makes for Matilda. So, sandwich (either peanut butter and jelly or turkey and cheese, both on homemade bread), fruit of some kind, a vegetable and an appropriate dip (usually carrots with hummus), and some kind of cracker or chip. There are the occasional deviations for things like soup or hard-boiled eggs or yogurt, but it tends to follow that formula. Dinner is the most variable meal because Jenny has collected quite the collection of recipes. Her baked chicken, stir fry, and enchiladas are all in heavy rotation but she definitely tries something new every few weeks. For dessert, there’s usually some leftover goodies that she made or a little piece of chocolate from the bowl Jenny keeps out for guests.

Jenny will snack throughout the day sometimes, but not often. Her students usually keep her busy during the day and she usually gets started on dinner as soon as she gets home. But on the weekends or on days off, she might have some tea and crackers or something between lunch and dinner.

4. 𝘿𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚?

Arguably, yes. It’s fairly soft and sweet, sort of what you’d probably expect by looking at her. I sort of imagine her sounding a bit like Laura Osnes or Katie Hall? But without so much power behind her voice. Maybe a sort of Emmy Rossum in Phantom? I’m not describing this well and it’s all in the context of Broadway which is probably not helpful for most people...but basically, a sort of old school type Broadway mixed with a little bit of opera and Disney princess.

5. 𝘿𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙨?

She has tons, tbh. She bites her lip a lot when she’s anxious and will bite off pieces of loose or dry skin, which can make her lips bleed. It’s not a good look. She also fidgets with her hands a lot, either rubbing the pad of one thumb over the thumbnail of the other hand or knitting her fingers together and sort of twisting them back and forth. She also used to bite her nails pretty incessantly, but largely stopped once she started painting them, but it is a bad habit that will pop up occasionally if she’s under a lot of stress. And if she’s not fidgeting with her hands, she’s fidgeting with her hair or clothes. She twirls her hair around her index finger constantly or pulls on loose threads dangling from the hem of her blouse sleeve or skirt.

Jenny is also generally really bad about eye contact. She was raised to just keep her head down and not look adults in the eye, so that’s translated to all adults. She’ll look a kid in the eye, but she very rarely makes direct eye contact with other adults, she prefers to look at her feet or just to the side of their face or their nose.

As for non-physical bad habits, she backpedals on things constantly, before its even warranted. Like, she’ll soften/invalidate her opinions or feelings for pretty much anything. Like, if she admits that she would prefer one restaurant over another, she would probably pair it with “Not that there’s anything bad about Restaurant A. I don’t mind going there if you’d prefer.” She’s working on it, but its a massive bad habit (read: trauma response) that is glaringly apparent to pretty much anyone who knows her.

6. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 / 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙧?

Very stereotypically feminine. Lots of knee length skirts and dresses. Cardigans in neutral colors. Blouses with bows or ruffles or Peter Pan collars. Low heels or ballerina flats. She loves neutral and pastel colors, as well as floral patterns. Vintage silhouettes and designs are some of her favorites and she will frequently take inspiration from the first half of the 20th century. She will occasionally wear pants and quite likes cigarette pants and higher waisted 1940s styled trousers, usually in khaki or gray. She’ll wear overalls, a oversized tee shirt, and sneakers when she’s doing home renovations work or gardening, but that’s about as dressed down as she gets.

7. 𝙄𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚? 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝? 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙤?

She does, but I don’t feel like it’s always in a way that other people would understand or recognize? Like, Jenny is generally fairly sparing with physical touch. She’s not much of a hugger outside of her partner and Matilda. But she shows affection verbally much more frequently, either telling someone how much she cares about them or something she admires about them. And even more frequent are the little, unspoken ways she shows her love to others. She is a really good listener and will bring up things you mentioned in a conversation weeks ago. She’ll bring in extra cookies to share with her coworkers in the middle of the week. She shovel’s her elderly neighbor’s sidewalk in the winter without being asked. Jenny loves people easily and expresses frequently, even if it’s in small, mundane ways.

8. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙞𝙣?

Fetal position, but with one arm tucked under her pillow and her knees not quite pulled up to her chest.

9. 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢?

Probably not. Jenny does not believe in yelling, for pretty much any reason other than an emergency, and her natural voice is quite soft. She’s not a whisperer or anything, but she’s not someone you’d be able to hear from the other side of the room if something else was going on around her.

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#❝ she possessed that rare gift for being adored by every small child under her care ❞ ⟨ ABOUT ⟩

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austarus · 4 years

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Nash Wells x Reader The Beguilement of Barry Allen

**A/N: The picture/edit/gif does not belong to me. It belongs to @moonymartell

*Yes, I’ve finally gotten around to writing for Nash. Ya’ll are really in for a treat~ Back to studying for my Medical School Admissions exam. Wish me luck

Word Count: 3870

“Ah!” Nash yelped, recoiling from your touch.

“Sorry,” You cringed at his wincing, placing the H2O2-soaked cotton ball back on the cuts on the side of his face. Ragdoll really did a number on the geological explorer earlier that night. You proceeded with patching Nash up with the first aid kit that you kept at home. Sanitizing the cuts on his arm, you made sure to roll up his sleeves to remain comfortably around his elbow. “I told you it would sting.” I mean, hydrogen peroxide is a powerful liquid formula to eradicate bacteria on cuts and wounds. The pain just means that it’s working.

“Anything from Barry on Joe?”

“No, last I heard was that Joe was transport safely out of the city.”

Nash ran a hand through his brown hair, his body aching with every movement. You handed him some pain medication and a bottle of water to help alleviate the pain reverberating throughout his body. “Good, I’m just happy that- that contortionist meta’s put away. I don’t know what I would have done if I knew he got away.” You knew what he was referring to.

“Tonight, you did your best- protecting her from Ragdoll.”

“He still ended up getting to Allegra, knocked her out and everything. If only-”

“Nash,” You cupped his face gingerly to get him to fully look at you. He stopped rambling at the softness in your voice, “that mind of yours can go on for years on the ‘what if’s’ of every situation with Allegra and her safety, but the results will end up being the same.”

“Did… Did I not do enough?”

A heartbroken look crossed through his blue eyes as he lowered his face slightly in your gentle grasp. His sullen expression crushed your heart, but you stood strong. For him. “No, Nash. You did everything in your power. Allegra… She just needs to recognize that she can’t just judge or be angry at you without understanding your reasoning on why you kept her doppelganger a secret.”

“I-I want to explain everything to her, but she-”

“I know. You just… need to give her some more time, I guess. As frustrating as that sounds. Patience just seems to be the key now. Allegra will have to look at this like an adult.” Rather than acting out every time he tried to interact with her. Honestly, it frustrates me.

“Not gonna stop?”

“Never.”

“You Wells men and your stubborn attitude.” You started putting the equipment of the first aid kit away, mentally noting that you’d have to bandage him right before bed as to not waste supplies. “Have you asked Harry?”

“For what? About Allegra?”

“Yeah? Has he not told you about Jesse?”

“I don’t- really like hanging around Harry too much… in my mind. If anything, it’s a miracle if I can get some peace and quiet. They’re all so rowdy.”

You giggled at his quieting voice with each statement he made. “Jesse was Earth-2’s own Flash. Incredibly bright and determined like her father, but so high-spirited. She was truly a force to be reckoned with, especially with all of us with her.” You sighed, retracting your hand as you spoke about the young speedster. Nash gingerly held your hand, knowing that you were close with the two Earth-2 beings. “Harry’s a father too. You never know when his advice can actually swing things around for your approach to handling Allegra.”

“I know she’s not Maya. Allegra’s her own person, but… I can’t help but feel the need to protect her. I wasn’t able to protect Maya, even after all those years of taking her in and keeping her around.”

“This is your penance for Maya?”

Nash nodded, you gave him a sympathetic smile as he answered you, “I can work through the fact that Allegra can hate me, but I will never be able to live it down if I let anything happen to her.” His blue eyes seemed to pierce right through you, rubbing his thumb over the patch of skin on the back of your hand. “Or you.” Your breath hitched a bit.

“Don’t worry you about me. I can handle myself just fine.” You grinned with twinkling eyes and rouge cheeks. “Besides, a charming adventurer gave me one of these in case I needed to make a hasty escape.” You pulled out the smoke bomb he had given you. Nash smiled proudly to himself that you opted to keep what he had given you.

“I should teach you how to make them, it’s fairly easy.”

“Maybe when we don’t have a secret organization backed by one of the biggest and richest labs in the city trying to kill us. Then you can teach me whatever you want.”

You pecked his lips causing the brown-haired man to cheekily smile down at you. “As long as I get more of those, precious.”

“Deal.” You stood up and stretched out both hands to the taller man, curling your fingers to him. Nash took your hands and allowed you to pull him up, towering over you. You tilted our head to the direction of your bedroom. “Now let’s go get ready for bed. I think a shower and beauty sleep is long overdue.”

“Babe, you shower every night though.” Nash quirked a confused eyebrow at you.

“I know. Want to shower with me?”

“No,” the Wells doppelganger deadpanned. Never again. “You turn up the water all the way and it made me feel like I was swimming in one of the deep, rocky pockets of lava within the pits of Hell. I thought my skin was going to melt off my body.”

You blinked at Nash as the both of you entered your bedroom. “I’m not even going to ask why you know and vividly described the environment in Hell. Anyway, I get really cold and the heat helps with it.”

“How do you not feel like you’re getting suffocated from the steam?”

You shrugged. “I don’t know, the heat just feels really nice on my skin.” You pointed to the bathroom connected to your bedroom. “Why don’t you shower first?” You normally take quick showers anyway.

“With pleasure,” Nash padded towards the drawers that kept some spare clothes he leaves at your place when he plans to sleep over. You flopped onto your bed, mentally pulling out your change of clothes while he had entered the bathroom for his shower. The days that Nash doesn’t stay the night usually ends up with you cuddling up to a pillow in bed while wearing his shirts or long-sleeves. Goodness, you love the way his cologne and earthy musk mixed together to cling on his clothes. Nash, of course, knew of your secret guilty pleasure, but makes no complaint of it.

You blinked your eyes languidly a few times, the sounds of rushing water soothing you. One thing you noticed was that Nash doesn’t really wear any suits or dress shirts, a stark contrast to the other Wells doppelgangers you’d met. Curiosity fluttered around within you as you attempted to conjure up an image of him in a suit tailored to his own tastes. Nah, that won’t work either. Maybe formal wear just isn’t for him? I mean, I’ve yet to actually see him in casual wear either. Getting bored, you started flipping through your phone before settling on Netflix. You knew you shouldn’t be starting a new series with Nash over, but damn were you tempted to start ‘The Umbrella Academy’. And that’s exactly what you did while Nash showered.

In less than 10 minutes, Nash had finished up. Upon exiting the misty bathroom, he found you laying on your bed with your legs kicking in the air as your upper body inclined on a pillow with your phone propped up on another. Hair mused up messily than it had been all night. A soft smile plastered itself onto his face as he dried his hair. The taller man could only guess that you gave into Cisco and Barry’s whining on starting a new TV series. Tapping on your screen, you paused the pilot episode. You turned your head when you noticed his figure step into the room from your peripheral. Cheeks automatically heating seeing him adorn a fitting short-sleeve shirt that wonderfully showed off his biceps and pajama pants.

“Like what you see, precious?” He called in a low voice, intentionally doing a little arm flex as he continued to dry his hair. Nash knew you had a thing for his muscled arms… And literally everything else about him.

“A dork in his pajama’s? Yeah, I guess the view’s alright.” You teased him, earning a playful scowl.

“You wound me.” You just smiled cheekily at him, heading to take up the rest of the hot water for the night. Bumping into him on purpose before silently indicated you wanted a kiss, Nash leaned down and kissed your forehead. Before entering for your shower, you had already instructed your boyfriend to apply a bacterial ointment along with bandaging himself up. To which the brown-haired man pouted, wanting to watch you do that for him instead. What a dork. Smiling happily, you shut the door behind you with a content sigh. You started up Spotify, the song Diamonds by Megan The Stallion and Normani played before stepping in under the hot water. “I’m super shero bitch, don’t try me hoe-” You hummed heatedly in the shower, escaping into a music video of your own. Nash snickered to himself as he heard you sing through the thin walls.

***

Padding out of your heated shower, heart appeased with the intense temperature of your shower. You had a towel turban on your head and another one wrapped around your body like a dress. Your eyes spotted Nash, his eyes moving back and forth between two areas in your room before he let out a rough sigh and shut his eyes tiredly. “Nash?”

“Hm?” The blue-eyed man cracked his eyes open and tilted his head towards you as you stood by the door-frame.

“Where you with the boys? Do I need to-” You gestured to yourself.

“They just left to respect your privacy,” I, however, will not look away.

“Oh, okay.” You shrugged, stepping over to the other side of the bedroom as you slowly shed off the towel. Nash’s eyes followed you, eyes darkening a bit and a wily smile on his face. You knew he was watching you. Nash did every time, so you decided to give him a bit of a show. Swaying your hips as you started to lowly hum a song that came to mind, bending over when you needed to get something before fully getting dressed in your sunflower-printed pajama shorts and shirt set. Turning around, you gave him a seductive wink before re-entering the bathroom to commence with your skin-care routine.

“You know,” Nash spoke up as he stood and strode up beside you. He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. “I still think you’re a beauty without all those skin-care products, right?” He pointed to the corner of the skin filled with dermatologist approved products.

“As flattering as that is, you won’t be thinking that when you see me with dry and cracked skin all over my face like a dried-up zombie from those old movies.”

“Bet.”

“I’m not taking that bet.” You frowned, shaking the bottle before pausing. Then you shook it more vigorously. Nash inwardly laughed at your frustration to get what seemed to be the last remnants of the skin care solution.

“Do you need me to go get you that hydrating cleanser tomorrow?”

“Yeah… I think I’m out.”

Nash snickered before pulling you to bed with him after the two of you washed up for bed. You beamed up at the geological myth-buster when he had followed your instructions to bandage himself up. Your eyes caught Nash staring, going off into his mind and wandering thoughts.

“Nash.”

“Hm.”

“You’re thinking about it again.”

“I-I can’t help it. I…” He trailed off. “I should have been better. Done more. For her and Maya.”

You ran a hand through your damp hair before pushing him onto his back and straddling his hips to fully draw his attention away from his thoughts momentarily. His blue eyes widened slightly as his hands gently grasped your hips. “What do I need to do to make you think that you’re enough? That what you’ve done is enough?”

“I can think of a few things currently.”

“…You’re an idiot.”

“That I am not.”

“Yup, you are,” you tapped his nose before cupping his face and giving him a couple of sweet kisses. The Wells doppelganger hummed cheerily against your lips. “What’s done is done. We can only look to the next day and focus on how to better ourselves. It’s just a hard lesson we all need to learn.”

“Speaking of hard-”

“-Let me finish, then we can continue what we started earlier.” By earlier, you meant this morning. You glanced over at the clock. You meant yesterday morning. You had gotten the smart- and by smart, you mean dumb- idea to sleep over at the labs with him. That morning the two of you were… feeling particularly frisky with one another. Bottom line, the two of you almost ended up almost getting caught thanks to Nash biting down a particular sensitive spot on your neck while thrusting himself in. The both of you had to stop when your phone went off which caused you to push Nash off you and accidentally off the bed while you attempted to silence your phone. They can never know, or they’d hold it over my head forever. Especially Iris and Cisco. “Living in the past won’t do you any good, ok?” Nash reluctantly nodded, bringing one of your hands up to kiss.

I’ll try to be good. To be better. For Maya, Allegra, and You. My precious gem. Nash sighed through his nose as you saw raw emotion take over, darkening those baby blue eyes with a certain haziness. “Now can we bang?” The blood rushed to your cheeks at his imminent question before nodding subtly at your horny boyfriend. Well, I mean I’m pretty horny too. Especially since we both never got to finish and today just happened to become the longest day ever. A wide, mischievous grin laced itself onto his face as he pulled you down for more than a couple of kisses.

***

Vrr, vrrrr

Who the fuck needs me up this late? You scrunched your nose grumpily, shutting your eyes even tighter until your mind registered the sounds from your phone. Laying on your stomach, your leg was hooked over a fluffy pillow while your arm was under the pillow beneath your head. “Mmm,” you groaned in annoyance at the noise, haphazardly reaching for your phone from on the bedside counter and cracking an eye open at the sudden brightness of the screen. The phone revealed Barry’s number and goofy pic on the caller ID that you had set. You blinked a few times before swiping on the screen. Um?

“Barry?” You croaked, wincing at the hoarseness of you voice from… earlier activities with your boyfriend. You were greeted by a somber-toned voice, one that didn’t match the happy-go-lucky speedster’s persona.

“(Y/N), C-can you open the door? Please.”

“Yeah, give me one second.”

You heard his soft sniffling as you ended the line, you brain kicking into overdrive as you tripped in the dark to find something to put on. You ignored the echoing dull ache of your body as you moved. Luckily in the dim light that your phone had provided you were able to find Nash’s shirt.

“Hm, what’s wrong?” Nash groaned, waking from the movement and noise before turning to lay on his back. He rose his head to look at you as you got dressed, blinking a few times to fight back the haziness of sleep.

“I don’t know but stay put.” You padded over to leave your room, closing it behind you. Please go back to sleep. You had to make sure Barry didn’t find any trace of the myth-busting explorer.

You hurriedly went to unlock your front door and opened it. What you saw broke your heart. Barry, your closest friend, in tears and puffy, red eyes. “Oh my god, what’s wrong?” You pulled the Scarlet Speedster into your humble abode as you turned on the lights. Locking the door, you brought him into your living room area.

“Did I come at a bad time?”

“No, of course not. I’m here whenever you need me.”

“Are you sure? You look...” Barry trailed off, subtly gesturing to you causing you to look down. Your cheeks flushed at the amount of marks visibly littering your body.

“D-don’t worry about that”

Barry awkwardly nodded. “It’s Iris, she-”

“Babe, who was at the door?” Nash yawned as he ran a hand through his brown locks, walking in sleepily and shirtless before freezing in his spot. You froze at the voice. The taller man blinked a few times, his mind starting to work now. Your eyes widened as the two men made eye contact. You were screaming internally at the awkwardness that had filled the air between the three of you. “Hi,” Nash did a subtle wave.

“Wells?”

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit~ “I can explain-” You started. Oh my god, I want to crawl in a hole and die. The thing is, with everything going on you and Nash decided to stay a secret because it’s really irrelevant with the Carver situation and Barry trying to deal with his lack of speed.

“You and Nash? What? When? How long??” The speedster was mind-blown, giving you an incredulous and stunned look. “Why didn’t either of you say anything? How did I even miss this?”

To be fair, you are pretty oblivious at times Barr. “Barry, focus. Iris first.” You stopped the speedster in his tracks before he rambled on a series of other questions. Turning around, you pointed at Nash with a finger and frown. “And you, we are so going to have a talk later.”

“I welcome it.” Nash grinned cheekily and took a seat next, watching you face-palm in response.

This smooth fucker. “Of course you do-

“-Ew-” Barry cringed at the two of you.

“Ignore him. Anyway- Barry, what happened?”

Barry went on to explain what happened that night. How he did his best to protect Joe and Cecile. How Iris had went off at him for not doing enough for Joe. About his powers and Carver. That he wasn’t there to protect her. How her words had carved a hole in his heart as she kicked him out of their home. “I’m barely hanging on with my powers. She- She said I wasn’t her home anymore. But… that’s the abnormality. Iris- We’d work through it. We’d try to talk it over. She- she wouldn’t do that to me.”

“I’m sorry Barr,” You patted his shoulder as he was seated beside you. You shook your head, mind mulling over everything he had just told you. You were essentially Barry’s confidant when it came to things like this from Iris because he knew he needed another person’s point of view so he wouldn’t be jumping head into anything and risk screwing things up even more. “I fucking knew something was off.”

“What do you mean?” Nash questioned beside you.

“The odd behavior towards you, starring off into space at oddly random times, encouraging you,” you gestured to Barry, “to do things you’d normally never do, the cooking all of a sudden-”

“-Thank you!-”

“-Barry, that’s not your wife. I don’t know who or what that is or why they’re doing this. But that’s not your Iris, Barr.”

“I don’t- I don’t know what to do. What am I going to say to the others? How do I act? Where do I go from here? How am I going to protect the others if I can’t even see the anomaly in front of me? I mean, what if she intentionally sabotages our work to stopping Carver.” Barry started rambling again, his speed gauge watch starting to blink.

“Barry-” You tried to stop his train of thought.

“How did I miss the signs? I was living with an imposter for God knows how long. How am I so gullible?”

“Barry, Nash finally called out. The speedster looked up at him and pursed his lips from his rapid-fire free fall of worrisome thoughts and guilt. “Slow down. Take a deep breath and calm down.”

“Tonight, you need to need to rest. This took a lot out of you, and your anxiety is fueling your speed to be use up.” His speed gauge watch was blinking an orange-scarlet color. “I have a spare bed in the guestroom, you can spend the night here and the three of us can brainstorm. How does that sound?”

Barry nodded at your words, avoiding your eyes as he wrung his fingers together in anticipation.

Nash spoke up, “Allen, I have some clothes you can-”

“Ah-I-I’m good. I’ll just sleep in these and get some clothes from Joe’s tomorrow morning.” You watched with a look and raised eyebrow as Barry walked into a random direction of your home before coming back to where you and Nash were seated. Smooth, Flash. A sheepish look was on the speedster’s face. “Where’s your guest room?”

“Down the hall to the left.”

“Right.”

Once you both heard the door shut Nash leaned in close to whisper in your ear, “It’s a good thing we decided not to keep our nightly activities an all-night this time. Love the new look, who’d you steal it from?” His veiny, but prominent hand had reached over you, lightly trailing the tips of his fingers on your hip under his shirt.

You lightly hit his shoulder, as he snickered at you, “I told you to stay put.”

“I didn’t hear you,” Nash pouted slightly before smirking, “And it’s not like he wasn’t going to find out. My bag is sitting right there by the couch. I mean I’m not much of an artist, but-” The Wells doppelganger trailed a hand over the love-bites on your neck, causing you to shiver. “Even I know that those hickeys were painted beautifully on your skin.”

“And I returned that favor two-fold.” You gingerly grasped his strong jaw with an innocent look on your face. “How’s your back by the way?” You asked him tauntingly.

But Nash didn’t back down, instead his grin widened as he turned his head to kiss the inside of your palm. “Deliciously aching from a precious kitty’s claws. How are those bruises on your hips?”

“Oh hush, you!” Your cheeks burned as the memories of earlier resurfaced. Nash chuckled at you, wrapping his strong arms around you before picking you up and heading back to the bedroom. The multi-versal explorer placed a sweet kiss on top of your head with that smug-ass grin on his face. “Let’s just hope, he doesn’t decide to tell anyone tomorrow,” you muttered to your boyfriend, already secretly dreading what the day will bring.

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