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loveylangdon · 4 years

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If You Don’t I Will

Word count: 3.3k

JJ Maybank x Reader : showing jj subtle ways of how you care for him and John B is tired of him not seeing it

A/N: I wrote another JJ thing bc im a simp and I love him and this was also another idea thats been floating around. Fluff is you squint but you dont need to squint hard, next will def be angst bc I live for it Xx

masterlist

*not my gif full credit to owner*

“Hey” you let out as you carry 2 bags of groceries into the cheateu seeing the boys lounging on the couch gathered around John B’s phone you hear a chorus of “hey’s” as you move towards the kitchen. John B looks up and hands his phone to JJ making his way out the front door sending you a wink. Rolling your eyes you follow John B outside to your car.

“You didn’t have to,” John B says smiling at you grabbing a grocery bag from your trunk shooting you a look

“I have no idea what you’re talking about” you smile innocently to him and make your way over to grab the last grocery bag. You reach past John B until you feel his arm wrap over your shoulder, putting his grocery bag down he wraps his other arm around your shoulder engulfing you in a full hug laying his cheek at the top of your head. You wrap your arms around his torso and give him a squeeze

“Thank you really” he lets out into your hair. You just give him a hug, you haven’t known them for long but John B automatically became like your brother and JJ was definitely your confidant. When you heard about Big John and Uncle T leaving John B by himself, your heart broke. John B had to support himself and apparently JJ was a constant resident in the chateau and it got harder to support themselves even if they both pitched in. When you found out always being smart with your money you set some aside to help supply the chateau so the boys wouldn’t starve.

JJ broke down one night during a late night smoke sesh you two had to get away from everything. He ended up telling you about his dad and mom in its entirety. After that you guys were kind of inseparable.You told him about why you had to move to OBX and he told you where his bruises and split knuckles came from. You never would’ve guessed one of the most caring people you knew would have to go through that. After that you subtly did more little things that hopefully made it easier on him.

When you joined the Pogues you fell for his blue eyes and wild personality instantly his careless but protective nature made you fall hard but there was the rule. No Pogue on Pogue macking. Still fairly new to obx barely being here for a year you didn’t know how real the rule was. Being extra nice to JJ consisted of bringing extra of his favorite beer or asking him to buy you joints even though you didn’t smoke often, you would let him keep them, noticing his favorite snacks and bringing them on boat trips. Kie gladly gave up the title of caretaker and let you take over the snacks and picnics for day trips. After JJ told you his secret he made it clear that he didn’t take pity or handouts, you didn’t pity JJ you loved him and just wanted to make sure he knew it.

So you helped JJ whenever you could making it seem like you were doing it by pure coincidence, knowing that he lived with John B you helped out the house, in general, to make it less obvious. Claiming you all spent so much time there any way it wasn’t fair to not help stock the necessities.

Breaking away from your thoughts “I’m here for you guys always” you squeeze John B once more after you feel him loosening his grip “Let’s go I got ice cream” as John B fist bumps you snort “Oh I also got a better first aid kit” handing John B the second bag you move to the passenger side of the car. Hearing John B go back into the house you grab the first aid kit and hear footsteps as you open the back seat door to grab blankets.

“What are the blankets for,” JJ asks questionably moving over to you to help grab some and you see him eye the first aid kit before you tuck it into a blanket

“For movie night. You can’t have a horror movie night without tons of blankets JJ it’s like against the rules” You quickly come up with the excuse. In all honesty it was starting to get colder and knowing the Chateau has minimal heating capacity you were going to accidentally leave them in the house and let the boys use them. The last time you were here late you asked JJ to borrow a sweater or a blanket and he gave you the one he was wearing and soon realized it was probably the only one you’ve seen him wear ever. Noticing Kie always brought her own blanket you assumed they were more supplied for the warmer days. John B was a big boy he would ask for help when he needed it JJ, on the other hand, was stubborn as hell and would rather freeze then ask for anything to help.

“Okay” JJ says questionably not believing you entirely but not questioning it further “Are you staying tonight?” He asks you can see a glimmer of hope in his ocean eyes as he leans against the car door

“Yeah I think so” you smile and nod at him closing the car up “Are you?”

“No I’m just asking you so you can share my bed with Kie” he deadpans and your cheeks flush

“Sorry” you squint up at him and you see him smile his “sharky smile” “Are Pope and Kie staying too?”

“I think so” he nods at you biting his lip and you know he wants to add something but doesn’t

“Can I share a bed with you?” You ask assuming that’s what he wanted to ask “if I have to share a room with both Pope and Kie I might jump off the end of the dock, plus I got those joints still and extra snacks” you chuckle out trying to bribe him like you even have to. You see relief and a cute smile grace his features and you know that’s what he was trying to ask without even asking

“Yeah you can crash with me, I like you the most anyways” he winks at you and nods towards the house “Have you eaten yet?” He asks you softly as you walk up the driveway “Pope and John B went to help Heyward earlier while I went to work and apparently they ate already” JJ trails off and you frown knowing there hasn’t been food at the chateau in a couple of days and John B has been incognito

“I can make us food,” you say and he perks up “I haven’t eaten yet” you continue which is a lie but he doesn’t need to know that “I bought stuff to make that shrimp thing you were talking about the other day” and you see his face light up as you walk into the house you smile at him and you can see pink dust his cheeks at the fact you remembered that small detail. He puts the blankets down taking the ones in your hands as well and wraps you in a hug carrying you to the kitchen leaving you in a fit of laughter. You see Pope peek his head out over the freezer with raised eyebrows

“What are you doing,” he asks confused as to why you’re wrapped in JJs arms

“Get out Pope y/n is making our food” he throws a look at Pope as he sets you down making Pope return a hurt one

“You guys suck” he huffs out going back into the living room

JJ sits on the counter as you start to pull out ingredients to make his food, John B put the groceries away thankfully and you hum to a random tune

“Thank you” JJ lets out in almost a whisper and you look up at him and see he’s playing with the rings on his fingers a nervous habit he has while looking at his lap not making eye contact

“For what” you feign innocence even though his small thank you made your heart flutter knowing your efforts and little signs of affection didn’t go unnoticed by the blonde boy. Moving to the stove to heat it up JJ finally looks at you and he shrugs his shoulders softly before twiddling his thumbs in his lap

“For taking the time to care about me” he shrugs again like he’s not worth the effort, you go to say something and he cuts you off looking at you with his ocean eyes making you forget how to breathe for a second, sincerity is swimming through them and you can’t help the butterflies in your stomach “I know you had dinner with Kie already. She told me you guys were gonna eat at The Wreck during her break if I wanted to pass by before you went to run errands which I’m assuming was getting food for here” your face flushes at being caught lying about dinner “I also saw the first aid kit you bought, and Its a nice one. I almost stole one just like it from the pharmacy a while back and I know John B doesn’t need one that good” he goes back to looking at his thumbs “And I know the blankets aren’t just for the movie night” He shoots you a knowing look causing you to blush and smile at him, taking a moment in the comforting silence you assume the boys are outside messing around

Humming you smile giddily not confirming or denying “Okay I’m gonna make you food now go away” you joke shooing him out of the kitchen

He gasps in shock “You wound me” he clutches his chest with both his hands and falls back against the cabinets “Treating me how I treat Pope now that’s cold” He gets off of the counter still clutching his chest moving closer towards you

“Leave” you squeal at him as he traps you in between his arms and the sink, he leans in and you think he’s going to finally kiss you, heart beating so fast you think he could hear it if he got any closer. His eyes flicker to your lips and back to your eyes as he licks his lips your breath hitches in your throat, he leans down to place a kiss on your cheek leaving the kitchen and going outside. Watching him retreat you finally let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding in. “Jesus Christ” you huff and go back to making his food with a big smile on your face

____

“Holy shit” JJ practically moans at the smell coming in from the kitchen “I can’t even think of the last home cooked meal I’ve had what about you John B” You hear JJ ask as him as they walk back into the Chateau,

“Uh I think-” John B starts but is cut off by JJ

“That was rhetorical bro shut up” you hear them walk into the living room and see them come into the kitchen “we know you have a secret kook family chill” JJ lets out referring to the fact that John B disappears some nights and during the day and no one knows why. Causing a laugh to come from you and a scoff from John B

“That smells delicious y/n” John B lets out which earns a mean look from JJ

“You can’t have any” JJ says defensively “she made it for me and her you guys are all traitors eating without us” JJ winks at you “what happened to Pogues together for life” JJ adds pointing a finger at John B as you try to stifle a laugh grabbing plates

John B looks at JJ with the most unamused look you’ve ever seen which causes a burst of laughter from you. Catching John B’s attention he gives you a look as if asking if JJ is serious, you shrug your shoulders as John B scoffs “I welcome you into my home JJ and this is how you repay me” He tsks opening a beer for you and placing it on the counter by your plates, he gives you a side hug and places a kiss on your forehead before retreating outside to help Pope and Kie with a projector she found in her garage. As he walks through the living room you hear “Eat your food dumbass, and if you don’t marry her I will” John B shouts out and you immediately turn to look at John B who has his beer raised in the air “Salud” and he walks out of the Cheateu.

Turning to JJ his face is beat red and you let out a small laugh as JJ groans mumbling something about murdering John B “Here eat tough guy I’m gonna grab blankets for outside” you say as you place a plate in front of JJ. You’re about to walk into John B’s room when you feel JJ grab your hand

“Stay please” he lets out a smile while tugging on your wrist gently patting the spot next to him, you can tell he wants to say something again but you can’t tell what its gonna be because he’s looking down at his plate of food. Your foot starts tapping the floor a nervous tick you have when you can’t tell how something is gonna play out. His head snaps to your knee placing his hand there gently to stop it and he looks up at you “Don’t do that, not around me” he lets out looking at you

“wha-”

“You do that when your nervous or unsure of a situation” he squeezes your knee in a comforting motion giving you a small smile at your confused expression, “You think you’re the only one who notices things around here” he shoots you a look and his eyes go wide trying to cover up his confession with a chuckle

“Do you JJ Maybank have feelings for little old me” you shoot him an amused look with a gasp. He opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes out and he looks at you sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck while pink tints his cheeks

“Hey, Lovebirds we got the movie set up come on” you hear John B yell from outside. You move to get up and JJ stops you looking up at you with a look of concentration before he exhales

“I like you y/n a lot actually and it’s scaring me. I’m not gonna lie to you. I’m not used to this or feeling wanted, hell even wanting to be around one person constantly is new for me. You are this incredible person who came out of fucking nowhere and the first thing you did was make sure everyone is taken care of. I didn’t even notice what you would do for me at first because I was so angry at everything. John B pointed it out to me when we found more of my favorite snacks in the cupboard than his” he let out a chuckle and you did too “He told me to stop being stupid and I realized then all the small things you would do for me like when I wouldn’t eat with you guys you brought food, or extra snacks on boat trips when you knew I was going home after, you and Kie would go shopping and you literally got me a hoodie because you told me it reminded you of me. No one has cared about me in the way you have and I’m so sorry for not realizing it sooner” you squeeze his hand gently reassuring him noticing his voice waiver “you’re so strong and stubborn but god if it didn’t make me fall for you harder, and I wasn’t gonna say anything because there is no way in hell that I’m good enough for you, I mean seriously I don’t know what you see-” cutting him off you place a kiss to his lips to shut him up, he places his hand on the side of your neck holding your jaw melting into the kiss. This is what heaven feels like you think. This blonde haired blue eyed prince. JJ breaks apart and rests his forehead against yours smiling like an idiot

“I like you a lot actually too, if you couldn’t tell” you whisper out causing him to let out a laugh placing a chaste kiss to your lips, pulling you into his lap, your back to his chest as he nuzzles into the crook of your neck before you move to face him “Oh” you let out and he looks confused, you shoot him a look and he smirks. Hitting his chest playfully “get your head out of the gutter”

“I know exactly where I would like my head to be” he smirks placing a kiss to your pulse. Rolling your eyes at him you start off “If I hear you talk bad about yourself I will fight you Maybank do you hear me” you look at him knowingly and he raised his eyebrows as if telling you to proceed “That is a fight you will lose every time. I can promise you,” you look at him softly “you deserve the world and all the love that comes with it, you care so much about your friends you’re willing to do anything to protect them literally anything” emphasizing the literally he lets out a chuckle “You are so kind, generous always giving even when you don’t have much yourself that’s what I love about you. There is more good than what you define yourself as and if you have doubts I will be more than glad to fight them with you” you let out rubbing your thumb on his cheek which he nuzzles into until he crashes his lips into yours again.

“I thought you were eating, you haven’t even started are you kidding? YOU GUYS ARE MACKING we’ve been waiting for like 10 minutes” John B lets out from the doorway of the house raising his arms in a what the fuck motion, causing you both to laugh “J I’m proud of you for finally telling her, but Jesus come on guys the foods all cold, we don’t even have snacks because you’re distracting y/n, we’re dying out here” he fake whines

“Sorry John B” you let out a smile knowing you usually prepare the snacks for movie nights but got distracted

“My girlfriend is not your Slave John B get your own snacks” JJ jokes holding onto you tighter

“Says the guy she made dinner for but hasn’t even touched it yet!” John B says dramatically “honestly the disrespect happening in this house, everything is all out of wack,” John B says going to the fridge and grabbing a case of beer and candy making his way back outside before he turns around heading back to you and JJ “Actually,” he says out loud before taking JJ’s plate with food taking a bite and moaning at the taste John B continues “I’m serious y/n if he doesn’t marry you I will” he gets out with a mouth full of food, moving slightly to avoid JJ arms that are trying to swat him for taking his food. John B walks out of the house leaving you two alone again

“I’ll get you another plate, grab the blankets?” you ask chuckling as you move to get JJ another plate of food but he stops you.

Taking his pinky ring off his finger he places it on your fingers trying to find the best fit, finally, it fits on your middle finger, a little loose but not by much, he chuckles “maybe I’ll get you a chain for it” he states chuckling he kisses your knuckles when he’s done “Not an engagement ring but a temporary promise ring until we get you a real one so John B can stop trying to steal you from me.”

“I think its perfect” He smiles bright placing a kiss on your lips and you know that this is exactly where you’re supposed to be

________

A/N: so I wrote another jj thing bc who is not a whore for jj especially soft jj. Roughly edited but not really, this has been floating in my head for a while so feedback and commentary is again always welcome my inbox is always open I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did Xx

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comfyswitcherblanketfort · 4 years

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Horse info 101

A horse girl’s guide to the basics for fic writing with an important and lively horse involved:

This got kinda long I’m kinda sorry but not at all lol

There's three basic gaits (speeds with different patterns of hoof-fall/leg movements

Walking is the slowest and is a four beat gait, meaning each foot hits the ground at a different time. Usually the same pace as a walking human when the horse is calm. Some breeds can walk HELLA fast though. Most horses will fill the same spot/hole where their front hoof was with their back hoof on the same side. If they overstep they clip their fetlock (joint lookin bit above the hoof) or pastern (bit between the hoof and fetlock) and can injure themselves.

Now trotting. The middle gait, a person can jog next to a trot at a comfortable pace but if you push them a little horses can trot faster than your average HS track endurance athlete. Once again some breeds can trot HELLA fast. This is a two beat gait in that two diagonally opposite legs are moving in unison. In some english saddles (I’ll get into that later if we have class time) it’s easier to post while the horse is trotting rather than sit for the gait. That just means you stand up in the irons (stirrups on an english saddle, we’ll also cover that later) at the same time that one of the front legs moves forward.

Also, see how the trotting horse’s head looks? That’s how they travel when they’re relaxed and attentive. The tucked head thing you see Roach doing is because there’s tension on the reigns and Henry learned to ride for an english seat not a western pleasure seat (might get into those but they’re really not important)

Time for the Canter/Lope. This is a three beat gait so that means two legs are moving in unison and the other two are not. Horses canter/lope fast. This is the go-time gait. Some performance/dressage horses are trained to canter extremely slow but if we’re talking transportation trained horses they’re not gonna be that kind of slow. Your average human is not gonna be able to keep up with this for long if at all. This varies in speed too. There's a rather casual canter seen in the gif directly below, then below that is the balls to the wall canter/lope that most horse people just refer to as a run. That’s as fast as they can go.

Basic tack names

Halter + Lead/Lead Rope - these can be made of rope, leather, nylon (more modern) but the halter is generally used for leading and tying.

Bridle - this is the one that you use while you ride, it holds the bit in their mouth. There’s millions of different types of bridles but they’re usually made out of leather even now. sometimes you get rope/nylon ones but I don’t trust them.

Reins - connect to the bit and you use them to steer and control speed. Horses trained in western or one handed riding will ‘neck rein’ which means if you move your hand to the right and the left rein brushes their neck they will move to the right.

Bit - the metal piece in the horses mouth. most english riding bits are broken (joint in the middle) and most western ones are solid. there’s a gap behind the horse’s front teeth and that’s where the metal sits. Some horses have smaller mouths than others and do better with solid bits because the ‘broken’ ones will hit the top of their mouth and hurt. There’s also things called ‘shanks’ on some bits which are just longer pieces of metal that attach to the sides of the pieces in their mouth and point downward. This gives the rider more leverage and makes any tug on the reins stronger. (google “Horse bit shank” if this doesn’t make sense)

Saddle - you sit in it. simple right? wrong. There’s two main types of saddles, Western - with the horn like you see in the running gif, and English- the loping gif without the horn. The saddles used in the Witcher look like the pre-english saddle versions but the basic parts you need to know are the same. The part where you ass goes? that’s the seat. the part right in front of your crotch? That’s the pomel. that’s your ‘oh shit handle’ if anything goes screwy (other than the mane). The part that sticks up and keeps your ass in place? That’s the cantle. I like western saddles SO MUCH MORE but i also grew up mainly riding western so im biased.

Stirrups/Irons - stirrups and irons are where your feet go. In western saddles they’re called stirrups and they’ve got wider decorative leather flaps (called fenders, also originally added to protect trousers/legs from the horse sweat and the buckles of the cinch) and on english saddles they’re called irons because they are usually made of iron and rather slim. Geralt’s irons look pretty similar to modern ones, slim leather straps, minimal iron (or steel or any other strong metal really). Traditional english riders have knee high boots like you see in regency costumes which removes the need for the fenders like on western saddles.

Cinch/girth - this is what keeps the saddles on. You take a strap and attach it to one side of the saddle, run it under the belly right behind their front legs and attach it to the other side. Its usually made of a strong fabric with wool or some kind of softer lining for western riding. English riding uses a leather one most of the time though this horse girl hates them because they’re harder to cinch up. English saddles use buckles while Western saddles use another leather strap to run through the chinch/girth buckle and you either tie it off or use it like a belt.

Chest strap - this keeps the saddle from sliding backwards. It’s attached to both sides of the saddle by buckles and between the front legs its attached to the cinch/girth. this is pretty universal but not always used. Geralt uses one though.

Saddle pad - goes under the saddle to protect the baby’s back and whithers (spot where the neck meets the back and the mane ends)

Tacking up and untacking takes time. This is usually 5-10 minutes when done at a leisure pace and done right.

Basic grooming

Brush down before tacking up - you don’t want stuff chaffing the pony while you ride

brush after untacking- helps clear skin of irritants and feels nice

Shedding scraper/curry comb to get rid of shedding hair - if you want a pic of these just google them I think I’m close to the pic limit for my post.

HOOF PICK - keep the baby's feet clean and clear if rocks so they don't bruise but also so nothing get infected

Yes, plz brush their mane it gets MATTED - a hairbrush works but a wide tooth comb is best

Horses roll to itch their backs and clean off, sounds counterintuitive with the dirt but it works

Shaving a little spot for the bridle to sit is pretty modern but it's easier for everyone involved

Horse Colors- guys roach is not brown she’s a chestnut color

The only thing I have to add to this is that the “Leopard” one is called “appaloosa” in the US at least, and “Pinto” is also reffered to as “Paint” and there’s all sorts of different patterns that you can see. also i want a buckskin so bad. yes i was obsessed with Spirit as a child why do you ask?

Travel care of your babies

Horses CAN and have subsisted off roadside grasses and grazing at night BUT it's good for them to get a lil something extra ESPECIALLY if you’re keeping them in a stall at night where they can’t graze.

Hay and grains like cracked wheat, oats, barley and the like are commonly found in horse feed. Also a lil drizzle of molasses is chock full of calories and all my horses LOVE the taste.

also while we’re talking food: some horses cant keep all the juice/bits in their mouth when they eat apples (we fondly call it making applesauce) or other treats/veg. Yes it gets all over your hand, yeah its kinda gross, but there’s worse things.

Shoes. Babe's need horse shoes. Especially if they're walking over rocks and roads.

Throwing a shoe (when it comes off on accident) is painful sometimes and if left un-dealt with can affect their joints and spine. Imagine walking around in one heeled shoe and one athletic shoe all day. Ow.

On that note though, on lighter travel seasons it's nice to give their hooves a break from shoes (also cheaper)

Horse moods:

horse mood ear chart here: I cant add much tbh

If a horse is comfortable/happy/relaxed they will ‘chew’ on nothing. Just kina a little lip smack type deal. My horse’s bottom lip would hang a couple centimeters below his top one when he was relaxed and I would put my chapstick in it while I fussed with other things.

When a horse is uncomfrotable/scared/tense their lips get sealed tight. I call it ‘fish butt lips’ bc they’re watertight and NOTHING is getting in there.

Stamping hooves can be a few things. Antsy and ready to roll, nervous, deadass scared, or playful/excited.

A full whinny is communication - saying hi, warning, scared, etc.

the really soft whinny is called a nicker and its my favorite sound okay? that’s little soft communication and its usually reserved for times when they’re comfortable.

When they’re really relaxed they’ll cock one of their back legs kinda how we shift our weight to one hip.

general fun facts:

Some horses fake limp when they don’t want to work bc they are lazy and smart and realize their person will get off and check them out and maybe even give them a rest.

You do a preliminary leg injury test by running your hands slowly over their legs and checking for hot spots - inflammation caused by injury is warm

Basic horse saftey is never stand directly in front of the horse if theres a possibility of spooking, if you’re gonna walk behind them walk out of reach of their hooves or right up against that ass. If they cant get a good wind up it wont do as much damage (on that note though I rode/trained horses for 18 years and was only kicked once by a foal).

It’s kinda common sense not to walk/sidestep between your horses legs and under their belly but we do it all the time bc its a trust thing? adrenaline? its fun?

laying on your horse’s back sans saddle, and facing their butt is so nice okay, that ass is soft and cushy and perfect for a nap. I miss laying on my horses while they ate like this every damn day.

Horses can sense your moods. Not unlike the whole ‘witchers smelling you’ thing. They can feel a difference in the tension on the reins and in your posture when you’re tense or relaxed.

Some horses will take care of their riders, some are absolute shits and push the limits for funsies. Some horses will only behave for people they’re used to too. Some horses have trauma from being mistreated and will have triggers kinda like people do. We had a horse who would freak the fuck out if anyone walked around with a red had but as soon as you took it off she was the most level headed horse we had.

A good portion of horses (Who aren’t scared of children) will behave better with kiddos or novice riders because they feel they’re nervous.

If they hurt while they’re moving they usually limp but sometimes they’ll buck. It’s their defense mechanism.

Horses can’t sleep for too long laying down because their body weight will collapse their lungs. Most horses sleep standing up.

They can sit like a dog and it’s hella cute.

Stung by bees? Most horses will take off at a dead sprint bucking and hopping unless you’ve done a lot of trust work/training with them

They also run and jump and buck and rear to play.

If theres two horses in a pasture together one will chew at the other’s whithers (or anywhere else) to ask them to scratch them the same way. its very cute and they sometimes try this with people.

horses hug. I cry.

the whole deal with the rider/horse relationship is it’s a mutual trust you’re building. They let you sit on their back and do weird shit and you trust them not to throw you.

Thank you for coming to class today! If there’s any questions feel free to message me! I’m not kidding I wanna answer your questions and I miss my horses so this is fun for me.

@elliestormfound here it is boo! lol

#the witcher #fan fic #writing tools #horse girl geralt #horse girl solidarity #this got out of hand but what can i say

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trickstercheebs · 6 years

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writing-prompt-s:

One day, you lose your wallet, and it is found by a mob boss, who figures out that you aren’t in such a good place financially, and takes pity on you. So they start anonymously sending cash, clothes, and furniture to you in the mail, eventually, the mob boss sends you a letter to stating that they bought you a house, and it lists an adress. What do you do?

so here we go, doin this prompt bc it sparked a interesting scenario in my mind.

but im doin a twist on the mob boss so lets go

Today had already started off horribly for you, more so than the usual bouts of bad luck. It felt like everything that could of gone to hell had and did so with enthusiasm. You woke up late and barely made it on time to work, but you had to skip breakfast in order to do so. Thinking that was the end of it was a stupid mistake you found out later.

When your lunch break had finally rolled around you were practically running on empty and rushed out to make the most of your hour break..Which was ruined midway when your boss informed you that your hours were being cut again via text. He knew you needed all the hours you could get, your rent was due next week and you barely had enough as it was to pay for that let alone eat.

And now to top it all off, you had lost your wallet while storming back to work to try and plead your case to your boss to get your hours back. You only had ten or so minutes to find the damned thing before someone nabbed it and you lost everything else, which at the rate today was going wouldn’t surprise you. But still you scrambled to comb over every inch of ground between your work and the fast food joint you ducked into a while ago. Time was running out and with it your financial stability and ability to fight off the urge to break down into tears over how fucked you were about to be.

Just before the tears could start, you felt a heavy hand rest on your shoulder followed by what was the roughest voice you have ever heard physically. A chill set up your spine as you turned to look up at the speaker. And you had to really look up, which naturally gave you a good view of a very very finely tailored suit of heathered coal and blood red rust.

“ ‘Cuse me, but I think you dropped this back there a little while ago. Figured it was yours after seeing you just about crawl into traffic..”

A Demon..none of the demons you worked with or knew..looked as intimidating as this guy did now..It could of been thanks in part to the pair of thick horns curling out from under his hat..Or maybe the burning coals peering down at you from beneath the brim of his hat. This guy clearly ran with the Mob that you heard talked about in soft whispers. No one human or demon crossed them, if you ran into the wrong one you were guaranteed to be scrubbed from existence shortly after..You had been woken up one night to such a “scrub job” and promptly felt the fear of god enter your soul. The next day it was as if nothing happened, no one wanted to acknowledge it out of fear they’d be next. And here you were being directly addressed in public no less.....you were very suddenly aware of how quiet the streets had gotten.

You’re jogged from your fear induced daydream by a gentle tap on the forehead by something soft, your wallet no less. The Demon was grinning down at you softly, likely having a idea what was going through your head and finding it a bit funny.

“Relax, just felt like helping a poor soul out, just seeing you scramble about like that on the ground just felt like a cry for help..”

You nod and gently take your wallet out of his hand, giving a weak thank you in reply before getting up off the ground at last. Another thank you slips out before you remember the time..shit you’re going to be docked more time if your shitty boss catches you coming back in late...You let out one last hasty thank you and excuse yourself to get back to work before rushing off. The Demon gives you a wave and watches your flight back to safety, the soft grin slowly slipping back into a frown before he fishes a sleek phone out of his pockets and dials up a number.

“Hey, it’s me..yeah I got a job for you, nothin special just a info job for today..”

Out of his breast pocket he pulls out a small slip of paper..a receipt bearing a name. He quietly lists it off to his underlings and hums a soft tune, walking on his way towards his destination.

Back at work your boss unfortunately doesn’t care to hear your sob story about needing more hours..He threatened to outright fire you if you kept badgering him on the matter. You drag yourself back to work and soon forget the encounter, you’re still alive and hell he even helped you find your wallet..Maybe today was finally picking up? The rest of the day passes by thankfully without further incident and soon you come home to pass out, thanks to your boss you now had the day off tomorrow..So least you can sleep in right?

Elsewhere, in a rather stately but comfortable looking office a folder is handed over the desk to a pair of awaiting hands, the demon from before quietly flips through the papers contained within..Every bit of info about you from the last several years openly splayed out for his eyes to glean over..That same small frown deepens the more he reads..You were broke, and that was putting it very gently..How you were even able to eat let alone scramble like that was a surprise to him. He had seen dozens of other pitiable souls like you in this city and passed them by, but you for some reason had struck a chord with him, and that struck him as odd. He had gotten far in this business listening to that little voice in the back of his mind about things, something about you rang right with him..Setting your file on his gut he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“ Can’t believe I’m doing this..must be going soft or something.”

Picking up his phone once more, he began dialing a few more numbers, it’d had been a while since he had done some “charity” but something about what he was doing felt..nice. Could be the idea of helping a lost soul in need..or maybe he had taken a liking to you? He couldn’t quite tell just yet, but he’d be keeping a keen eye on you to see what happened next.

The day you had been dreading all month had finally come..you barely had enough money, actually scratch that, you had nowhere near enough now to pay this months rent. You were fucked and you knew it, your landlord was a jackass and hated tenants who didn’t have their money on time...You knew he hated you already, you’ve been late several times in the past and dreaded telling him you were going to be late...again. Gently knocking on the door you mentally braced yourself for the verbal attack that was about to happen. The door’s whipped open and a tall gnarled looking demon cranes his neck out to look at you.

“What are you doin here kid?”

“Ah..I’m here about the rent? Mine’s due today...and uh I need to tell you that I-”

“You’re already good for this month kid. You that sleep deprived that you forgot already paying me?”

“wh-What? I...already paid?”

“Yeah, just got the money this morning. You’re good this month, finally on time for once...Go get some sleep, you look like shit.”

Before you can question him further the door’s slammed shut, leaving you bewildered..but happy? How did you even get the money, hell how did you even manage to get up early to pay? You’d heard of sleep walking but this is something else..But you weren’t about to look a gifted horse in the mouth, you now had some spending money, which meant something to eat besides peanut butter sandwiches and ramen. Running back to get your wallet, you decided to make the most of your day off and get some actual food from the store down the block. That night you practically stuffed yourself on eggs, bacon and pancakes, even having some for tomorrow morning for a actual damn breakfast. Being full on something that wasn’t fried or 90% sugar and carbs you actually felt...human for once. You knew it likely wasn’t going to last but, you’d enjoy it for what you could.

The next day at work was quiet, not that you minded that at all, you got to chat with your coworkers about things and stupid stuff you overheard from customers while on job. It was nice, hell even your boss seemed to leave you alone today, he was usually on your ass about something, or one of the others about some menial task he didn’t think you were doing right..When you got home though you were met with a surprise waiting for you on your doorstep.. A hefty looking box was resting against the door with your name and address on it? You don’t remember ordering anything..maybe it was a package from your parents, which in of itself was rare these days..Dragging it in you searched for a return address and only found..nothing? Least nothing but the shipping company’s address.

Carefully checking the thing for anything dangerous you took the risk and opened it..Waiting a few minutes with the window open as a just in case you soon got over your fear of “death by mail” and rifled through the box’s contents...All of which were clothing? Nothing used, and all in your size strangely enough. Several brand new pairs of jeans, several cute looking shirts and even a nice jacket to boot! You searched the inside again more thoroughly to find any trace or reason behind this gift package..Who would be this nice?? All of this looked fairly expensive...then again you only ever bought clothes used or on sale..everything looked expensive to you nowadays. Shifting things around something in the jacket got your attention..hidden in one of the pockets was..a thick looking envelope?

“oh god please don’t let this be drugs...or something gross..”

Poised near the window again if it was indeed drugs..or something disturbing hidden within, you delicately peeled the letter open...Only to see several thick wads of cash crammed in..along with a note.

“Here’s some spending money. Use it wisely, and have some fun.”

It was hand written..elegant as hell and neat, you admit you stared at the note and cash for a good solid ten minutes as you internally blue screened at the brick of cash now in your hands. Was this reality?? Did you accidentally get hit by a bus and not notice and now this is the afterlife? A thousand explanations blurred through your head trying to make sense of why you now had all of this in your lap. It only got worse when you thumbed through the cash and found out you had been randomly given eight thousand dollars. Your bank account never held that much in years...and now you’re fucking holding it in your hands with no clear explanation as to why or how. Tears of joy and confusion slowly worked their way down your face as you sat on the ground taking it all in. You felt numb but excited all at the same time, you had no idea what the hell you were going to do with all of this...The rational part of your head said to save it and maybe spend a little, the note did say to have fun right?

The next day you went out and bought yourself some shoes, nothing fancy or stupid..but some durable sneakers you had been eyeing for months now, hell you bought two pairs in your favorite colors. Walking out with the bags in hand you felt elated somehow, you knew it was silly but it was something you’ve always wanted. After work you went out to treat yourself at a new eatery you heard some of your coworkers gushing about last week. The food was rich and hearty and good god you ate until you felt like you were about to burst inside. You even got some to take home and eat for lunch tomorrow it was so good..You tipped well, because why not? They were working as hard as you were after all, you went home in high spirits once again.

It went like that for close to a week, you spent close to a thousand or more on yourself getting some things you’d need but could never afford..and maybe a few things you just died wanting..The rest had been carefully deposited into your account, not all at one because you were ungodly afraid of being questioned about where the hell you were getting so much money. You felt nice knowing you’d have something of a decent living for a while. And just as your figured things were back to normal, during your day off you got a heavy set of knocks on your door.

Scrambling after the second set of knocks you open the door to see a tired but gruff looking man standing in your doorway holding a clipboard and staring you down.

“Delivery’s here, you ordered a bed and couch set yea? Me and the boys are here to confirm your order and help set things up.”

“...wh....Who? Wait I never ordered anything like that...?”

“This your address though right?”

Seeing the bewildered look on your face he shows you the order form..it is your name and address. You decide you can’t really tell this guy no, judging by the steady tired glare he’s leveling your way. You confirm and he asks for a signature. Once that was taken care of he vanishes back down the stairs for several minutes, only to come back up with a few other strong looking men and women hefting up a mattress and what looks like a frame? You get out of the way and they slip in with practiced ease and one starts setting up the frame while your old mattress is stripped and taken out.

“Forgot to mention, paid for removal as well. Pretty good tip to boot..We’ll be back inna sec with the new couch..you want it in the main room right?”

“Y-yeah..thank you.”

The bed was set up in record timing and soon a brand new, very plush looking couch now stood in your front room..The old weather beaten couch you got off the curb long since gone with the old mattress you bought years ago as well..Both looked so soft and comfortable you almost felt wrong sleeping or sitting on either..It felt like you were in someone elses house almost now..Feeling a bit out of sorts you decide to head out for a little while and maybe get some air..possibly something to eat now that you had the spare cash for it.

Walking down the street you were slowly heading towards one of your old favorite places to eat, a old style burger diner sort of deal. The food was amazing and pretty cheap despite the quality of the food being so good. As you walked towards the doors you felt a heavy hand clap down on your shoulder, making you squawk out in surprise and turn to see a familiarly scary sight. He was donned in a sea blue and lavender suit this time, but those horns and eyes were still the same.

“Hey long time no see! Heh, sorry about scaring ya just now, bad habit of mine movin quietly like that..”

“N-no problem, just made me jump a little is all..but yeah it’s been a while huh? H-how’ve you been?”

“Busy as a bee these days, you know how it is. No rest for the wicked and all that. You know this place? Been running around all day and forgot to eat, now I’m paying for it big time and I’m dyin for something good.”

“Oh..yeah I love this place..it’s got some good burgers and fries..”

“Well then you’ve twisted my arm, let’s head in and find us a seat huh?”

Before you can ask him to clarify what he means by us, there’s a thick arm wrapped around your shoulders and gently herding you inside alongside its massive owner. The brief silence that meets your arrival is short lived but not unnoticed as you’re swept inside. Looking about your newfound friend peeks down at you for a second.

“Hey you wanna grab a booth together or you wanna do your own thing?”

You dwell on it for a second or two...honestly you were curious about this strange demon..for someone as big and damned terrifying they somehow also managed to look..friendly all in the span of a few seconds. And it wasn’t like he’d kill you or something in public...possibly.

“Sure I don’t mind a booth, lead the way?”

With that he resumes steering you towards a free booth and the both of you slip in to get comfortable. After a moment he slips his hat off and for the first time you notice he doesn’t look....well that damn scary, you’re blaming demon magic for the burning coal eyes possibly. Other than the long faded scar tracking over one eye and cheek he looked..nice even.

“There something on my face?”

...Course he caught you staring, you falter for a second but manage to catch yourself fast enough to not look stupid as hell.

“I was just thinking, I never caught your name from before..and I never told you mine..haha, I guess I was just a bit scatterbrained that day and more focused on not being late for work..’’

“Hey no worries, happens to all of us..And shame on me for not bothering to introduce myself sooner. Name’s Desmondias Neri, pleasure to meet you.”

He offers a large hand for you to shake over the table and you smile before shaking and introducing yourself in kind, you quietly notice how damn small your hand looks in his..Then again you’re fairly short to begin with..most demons were just unfairly tall.

Before you could dwell on it more the waitress comes to get your drink orders and tell you about specials, Desmondias flips through the menu a brief moment as you rattle off your usual order..A cheeseburger with bacon and plenty of fixings..along with onion rings and tots..Listening to your order he hummed softly, apparently interested at the choice enough to just about order the same only double the meat and with extra fries. The waitress walks off to put your orders in and he grins at your surprised face.

“What? Told you I haven’t eaten almost all day, I could practically eat a horse by now..and what you ordered sounded pretty good.”

“Well I can’t really argue that..they have good onion rings here, if I could I’d eat here every day but it’s a bit of a walk so I only go when I got the time..”

The next several minutes are spent with you both happily chatting about your lives and favorite past times..its strange how easy you find yourself talking to Desmondias..like a old friend you ran into after not seeing him for years. The food comes sometime later and you both dig in all the while still chattering away..He breaks it up briefly by asking if your day after the wallet incident got any better?

You pause to clear your throat and eagerly tell him about all the strange shit that had been going on to you since then, with so very few friends outside of work you had been dying to tell someone else about this strange occurrence. Desmondias looks about as shocked as you were when you first got the gifts.

“Really? All that happened? Jeeze someone must really like you then, you sure it’s not some secret admirer in your apartments helping you out or something?”

You let out a laugh at the thought of someone being smitten with you enough to give you eight thousand dollars along with other things..You don’t tell him that of course, instead you tell him you’d be surprised if someone who could afford to do all that was living in such a run down complex like that. It wasn’t much of a secret that the area you were in now was effectively the slums..Only dead broke or immigrants bothered living where you were..and you were deadass broke...well were deadass broke.

While you were going off about it all you failed to spot the thoughtful look pass over Desmondias’s face..The rest of the meal goes over fairly well and soon the two of you are heading back out the doors feeling happy and well fed. Your new friend has donned his spooky demon eyes hat as you’re now calling it once more, but that big grin ruins the evil look as he gently claps your shoulder.

“I think it was my lucky day running into you, haven’t had a cheeseburger that good in a long while..And you were right about those onion rings, I’ll have to remember this place if I’m ever hankering for more fast food.”

“No problem, was nice to be able to sit down and grab a bite with you, haven’t had this much fun inna while myself. Wouldn’t mind meeting up with you to do it again if you’re ever in the neighborhood...”

“Was that you asking me out on a date just now~?”

“Wh-!? No no! I just...I just meant if, if you know if you wanted to, that’s all!”

You could feel your face flush up as a deep well of laughter works its way out of Desmondias’s chest, somehow it sounds nice hearing him laugh, the thought’s immediately pushed aside however as he catches his breath.

“I know I know, I’m just teasing ya calm down..But yeah I’d love to do this again with you sometime, I could use the downtime to relax..I should probably give you my number right?”

“Yeah that might help..I can give you mine as well, I got my phone out so just put it in through here”

A few clicks later and a test text and now you both could call one another at your leisure.. Turning to head home after waving goodbye you hear Des, the nickname he put himself down as and told you he preferred it of all things, calling out to you as he walked the other way.

“See ya soon then for our next date! Hahaa!”

You feel your face blush hard as his laughter rings out over your indignant yelling, but the smile on your face stopped any forced venom from seeping into your angry cries at him as he fled homeward.

A month or two passes by, you and Des keep in contact with one another via texts and silly pictures off and on. You do meet up to eat at the diner more than once, Des has taken to calling it his “burger date” which after the first few times has grown on you. Your anonymous admirer has since then given you another eight thousand dollars..you’re still gobsmacked about whoever this is doing this out of the blue..You tell your demon pal about it and he’s as clueless as you are about the entire thing and wonders if the next installment’s going to include a ring. You nearly choke on your food and he apologizes through a fit of giggles over nearly killing you.

“Well I mean if someones givin me that sorta cash they must have a thing for me right?”

“Yeah but I’m not about to marry some stranger whos being my...well my sugar daddy..Or sugar momma if it’s a woman..Hell I’d just want to know who’s doing this so I could find out why and maybe thank them? Maybe get to know them and all that, I just wanna know why they’re doing all this for me..”

“You’ve got me man, I’m still surprised they’re keeping it up this long without dropping in to finally introduce themselves..maybe they’re shy?”

You shrug and pop another onion ring into your mouth...whoever this mysterious benefactor was, you dearly hoped they’d reveal themselves sooner or later.

Another week passes and one day as you come in from work, you find another thick envelope..it’s different from the ones you were used to seeing full of cash, it was a manilla one this time and it felt rather sturdy with whatever was inside. Taking it to open on the couch you dumped the contents into your lap. Inside was a very ornate looking letter and some official looking documents...

The letter itself simply said “Enjoy” in that same flourishing calligraphy you’ve come to know as your admirers handwriting. The documents themselves were what looked like.....a deed to a house somewhere uptown and statements saying it was paid for..Along with that was a letter of acceptance to a new job nearby that you could only dream of getting..

Your heart stopped beating..or was it beating so fast you couldn’t feel it anymore, with the level of shock you were now in it was hard to tell. That same numbness of disbelief was slowly setting in..A house, a actual literal fucking house was bought and paid for you..Along with a job that’d more than pay for its rent and everything..

Scrambling to find your phone you sent a alarmed text to Des explaining what just happened and advice for what to do..Several minutes pass by at a agonizing pace before he responds. He’s just as shocked, and asks if you want to go check it out? He even offers to come with in case it’s some shifty nonsense..and frankly you could almost kiss him for the offer. You were scared shitless of going to this place alone..but with Des beside you it should be fine..and hell you’d have a witness if they turned out to be creepy and murderous..

You get dressed and agree to meet Des at the nearby subway to head on over together, you’re clearly nervous and Des does his best to calm your nerves as you both make your way to the address. When you arrive you find out it looks...nice, beautiful even. The neighborhood is quiet and serene, you can even spot a park nearby as you both walk to the given address.

“This looks like the place...you ready to go in or do you need a moment?”

“Nah I’m fine..let’s check it out..maybe whoever’s behind all of this is inside waiting for me...”

“Well...only one way to find out right?”

You nod and the two of you walk for the stairs, Des placing a hand on your shoulder gently..a gesture that you’ve come to appreciate as his demonic warmth seeps into you. It helps shake off the chills of fear trying to set in as you reach for the door and undo the lock with the key the letter enclosed.

Beyond the door was...nothing, well nothing but a empty hall and living room. A few carpets littered the floor but it looked clear of anything else. You looked around to see if anyone was lurking about, anxiety growing as you couldn’t find another soul in the house. Des on the other hand remained in the living room, simply watching you run about searching.

“I don’t get it...Wouldn’t they be here if they’re giving me something like a damn house?? What the hell is going on...I thought..I thought they’d be here..”

Des..let out a long sigh before slipping his hat off and looking at you square in the face.

“They are here though...I uh, got something to tell you. It’s me..I’m the mysterious secret admirer.”

“ ...w...what? What? No it’s...It can’t be?”

“It is though, it is me..Remember that day I found your wallet? I found it half open in the hands of some shitty pickpocket who was just about to throw it away after seeing how little was in there..He tossed it at me after saying it was a waste of effort and took off..After I found you I might have done some digging and found out just how right he was..”

“You..you just somehow found out how poor I was and sent me shit..was this all out of pity???”

“Only the rent the first time was, I admit that..And maybe the clothes and cash but I saw you out later shopping and...and well..”

“Well what? What are you talking about?”

“You looked happy..something about seeing you smile like that struck me dead and I couldn’t stop thinking about it..about you..I know that sounds creepy I’m sorry. I was just planning on sending you the couch and bed and leaving it at that for good..But then I met you at the burger joint and thought it was fate telling me otherwise..I had fun that night..and getting to know you since then only made it more so...”

You felt what shock and anger that had set in slowly dissipate as he talked..Sure you were still pissed that most of this was a gift of pity..a gift that you really really needed but still.. But the bigger fact that you had apparently got a demon smitten with you doing nothing shoved that anger aside as your face flushed a bright pink..

“So..so all those times you kept asking me to go for burger dates were..were actual dates?? Wait wait...wait how the hell are you able to afford all this? All that money you gave me this whole time..How aren’t you broke Des??”

He gives you a small grin at the question before standing up straight, almost proudly so..

“Well..I mean I am..sort of the Head of the Demon Mob for this side of the city. That kinda helps out alot actually, what you got is pretty much pocket change for me in the long run..”

“wait..wiat you’re the..I’m dating the actual fuckin head of a mob??? The fucking Demon Mob???”

“Yeah, why else would I wear these suits? I know they make me look good but in summer they’re absolute hell to deal with..But yeah, I’m the head of the mob..and we’re kinda dating...If you want to that is.”

“...Well..I mean..I don’t mind it? You’ve been so sweet and fun, and who else out here is going to give me a damn house?? I got a house over taking a demon mobster out for burgers and stupid memes..”

“Hey that’s not all that..I like the way your face crinkles up when you laugh at some stupid joke I tell you..And the way your eyes light up when you’re talking about something good that happened to you that day..”

“Oh god..sh shut up..shut up you’re going to make me blush talking like that...jeeze Des, you’re a huge sap for a demon..”

“You’re already red enough in the face to be mistaken for a imp though..heheh..And what can I say? Can’t help it when I’ve found someone worth spoiling with affection and shit..”

“...pfft, alright fine..You win you big nerd, I’ll take the stupid awesome house..”

“Was hoping you’d say that~”

You couldn’t help but grin back at Des’s stupid happy look now plastered on his face. When you told him as such he snorted and moved to scoop you up into a hug as you squeaked at him in surprise, much to his delight.

The next week you were settled in at last, Des and a few of his helpers gladly assisted you moving in and getting some more things to fill the place out. They had all been dying to meet the person their boss had been gushing about for months now, much to Des’s dismay at them all telling you about it.

In the span of a few months your life had gone from hell to..well surprisingly comfortable. The job turned out to be working alongside Des’s men as a intern in the accounting department, it paid fairly well and you got along with everyone just fine. In a way you had joined the mob and life couldn’t have been better, you made sure to tell Des as much whenever the two of you went on a “Burger Date”.

#ficlet #cheebs writing fluffy shit like always #writing prompt #idk #kept them as androgynous as i could

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