#I WANT MY STORES TO BE FILLED WITH FALL AND HALLOWEEN STUFF

[ur-boyfiend]

hot cocoa kisses

changbin x m!reader

hihi merry crimmis !! wasn't gonna do a fic but then decided eh whattahell why not. much like the halloween fic i'm writing this absolutely last minute so uhhhh sorry in advance if there are any errors ^^; (this is being posted so late i'm so sorry) feedback + pointing out errors are both greatly appreciated :] wc; 4.8k (christ-)

christmas has always been an odd time of year for you. between strange and strained family relationships and your own mental health issues, family gatherings felt like walking over a minefield.

you groan and roll over, shoving your face into your pillows. you don't want to see any of your relatives this year, but you sure as hell don't want to deal with their attitudes if you skip either.

there's shuffling on the other side of the room and you lift your head just in time to see your roommate flick on the light by his bed.

"you good man?"

there's genuine concern in his voice, and you laugh quietly, "right now? mostly. after i see my family? absolutely not."

he frowns, sitting up properly, and you sit up as well, facing him across the room.

"wanna come with me then? my family's been on my ass about bringing someone over, and they're....." he grimaces slightly, "sometimes a lot, but they mean well."

"so how fake boyfriend am i expected to be?" you grin, always up for teasing him.

he rolls his eyes slightly, "or you could be my roommate?"

"well that's no fun."

the comment gets you a pillow to the face, sending you into a fit of giggles.

"yeah yeah, you're a comedic genius, do you wanna come with or not?"

after taking a moment to catch your breath, you nod, "sounds fun."

"i don't know about fun, but sure, whatever you say."

you hum quietly, "should i get gifts for people?"

changbin shrugs, "i usually just bring some kind of sweets for people to share, my family doesn't do individual gifts very much. since not all of us would be able to afford things for everyone."

"oh, that makes sense. we could make hot chocolate bombs though."

"make what nows?"

you laugh, "hot chocolate bombs, they're chocolate shells filled with hot cocoa powder and things like peppermint bits or mini marshmallows, so when you drop it in warm milk the shell melts and boom! hot chocolate."

"those sound good, we can get the stuff to make 'em later, when it's a reasonable hour to be awake."

you yawn, nodding, and flop back down onto your bed. changbin laughs and flicks off the light again, also lying back down and closing his eyes.

winter sun cuts through the window, the curtains making a futile attempt to filter out the harsh glare. you grumble and pull your blankets over your head, only for changbin to pull them back off of you a moment later.

you glare up at him and he grins, "c'mon, you still wanna make hot chocolate bombs?"

sitting up, you flip him off and rub your eyes, not particularly keen on being conscious at the moment, but also knowing you probably won't be able to fall asleep again.

"yeah yeah, only if we can get coffee on the way back from the store though."

"whatever you want, sweetheart."

you flip him off again and he laughs loudly, too loudly for your half-asleep liking.

"okay get out so i can get dressed."

"aw, don't wanna change in front of your boyfriend?"

you're confused for a second, but remember the conversation you'd had earlier, "......i regret everything i've ever said."

"well that's a bit rude."

"oh my god leave-" you grab a pillow and smack him with it, making him laugh.

"okay okay! i'm leaving!"

you grumble a bit as you get out of bed and stretch, feeling your brain fill with static for a moment as your body gets used to being active again.

shuffling to your dresser you grab a pair of jeans and hoodie, getting dressed quickly before putting on socks and shoving your phone, keys, and wallet into your pockets.

going out to the main area of the apartment, you hear movement in the kitchen and stick your head around the corner to see changbin going through the cupboards, a container of hot cocoa powder already sitting on the counter.

"ready?"

changbin turns to look at you and nods, shutting the cupboard he'd been rummaging in and grabbing a hoodie from where he'd dropped it over the arm of the couch the last time he'd come back home. you tug on a pair of worn combat boots, changbin putting on his own, slightly less beat up, pair.

walking towards the elevators, you chat about what his family is like and what yours is like as well, telling stories about other christmases and your favorite things about the holiday season.

it doesn't take long to reach the grocery store a few blocks from your apartment building, storefronts are decorated with lights and ornaments, but the streets are all but empty. it's the day before christmas eve, and most people have already left to visit their loved ones.

the store speakers are playing tinny christmas carols, and you sing along as you go through the aisles, changbin occasionally teasing you for it. you know it's all in good fun, and anytime he makes fun of you, you sing a bit louder.

you're arguing as you go through the checkout line, neither one of you willing to let the other pay. changbin says he should because it's for his family, you counter that it was your idea, so you should pay.

the cashier smiles as you reach the register, "you two are a cute couple."

changbin's ears go red, and you can feel yourself turning almost the same color as the cashier's santa hat. the cashier seems to notice her misstep, but doesn't correct herself. you're not sure if you love or hate her for that.

"we're not a couple," you finally respond, scratching the back of your neck.

"oh, that's a shame." she continues calmly ringing up your items, but you catch the glint in her eye. it takes genuine effort to stop yourself from laughing and she smiles, winking as you hand her your card, changbin too distracted to notice until you've already paid.

when you return to your apartment, you start getting the things you need out of the shopping bags.

"hey, can you fill a pot with water? i'm gonna use it for a double-boiler."

changbin looks lost as to what you're on about, but nonetheless he fills a small pot with water and sets it on the stovetop. grabbing a bag of chocolate chips, you walk over to the stove and grab a metal bowl from one of the cupboards, carefully setting it so that it's suspended within the larger pot.

"while i melt chocolate can you start measuring things? the molds are probably big enough for a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder, doesn't have to be particularly exact, just as long as it doesn't spill over the edges."

changbin nods, "how many are we making?"

".....that's a great question. we probably have enough for at least a dozen? we can probably just make them until we run out of ingredients, it's not like they'll go bad."

"should we do half with the mini marshmallows and then the other marshmallow ones with the cocoa mix that has them in it? because they might not go bad, but the marshmallows will get stale eventually."

"good point, we can bring the ones with fresh marshmallows and keep the ones with the marshmallows mix?"

"works for me."

you hear the water starting to bubble, and you pour the bag of chocolate chips into the bowl, carefully stirring them as they begin to melt. grabbing the half mold on the counter next to you, you spray a thin layer of cooking oil onto it, using a paper towel to even out the coating.

glancing back to the stove, you quickly stir the chocolate again, sighing in relief when none of it looks burnt. pouring in the rest of the chocolate chips, you continue stirring it to make sure it's evenly heated.

as you're worrying over the chocolate, you hear the bluetooth speaker in the kitchen turn on, a playlist you made with changbin at 2am filling the space. you start dancing slightly as you work, changbin humming along to the music.

"okay, chocolate's melted, now for the hard part-" you turn down the heat on the stove, continuing to stir the chocolate as it cools and thickens slightly.

"can you grab a baking pan and put it on the island? i gotta pour the chocolate and i don't need the landlord after my ass."

changbin laughs, the sounds of metal clanking mixing into the noise of the room as he places a metal pan onto the countertop, laughing and joking as he follows your instructions on how to fill the molds and empty the excess, it takes a couple tries but the molds are eventually covered properly and you put them in the freezer in order to set the chocolate quickly.

grabbing one of the bottles of coffee you'd compromised on at the grocery store, you pop off the lid and take a long drink, sighing happily.

"ah, caffeine my beloved."

changbin sits on the counter across from the one you're leaning against, swinging his legs slightly.

"you said we're leaving tomorrow, and then coming back the 26th?"

"yeah, so we'll be spending two nights."

"are we gonna end up with the only one bed?"

"like we haven't slept in the same bed before, mr. i'm sad so you're obligated to cuddle me."

"hey," you point at him, "that was once."

he laughs, "it was not!"

you stick your tongue out at him, but don't actually argue because he's right, and you don't feel like losing an argument this early in the day. instead, you go to the freezer to see if the chocolate is set.

"ok, molds are good, i gotta get them out, can you grab the hot cocoa?"

"roger."

putting the two trays of molds on the island, you carefully flex the plastic in order to loosen the shells so they won't break when you try to take them out. soon there are about two dozen bowl-shaped chocolate shells scattered across the counter in front of you.

changbin thunks the container of cocoa mix onto the counter, "okay master chef, what now?"

trying to show changbin how to put the hot chocolate bombs together is a bit hectic, but it's fun, and by the time you're done you're both covered in hot cocoa mix and out of breath from laughing.

the rest of the day is spent packing and getting ready for your trip, it took a lot longer than it probably should've because you kept annoying each other and getting sidetracked. eventually you're done, and collapse on the couch to watch movies.

you stir as the sun is starting to rise, unsure of what woke you up. a second later there's an ache in your back and you wince.

well, i guess that's why i woke up.

deciding to grab a painkiller, you go to stand up when you realize someone's arms are wrapped around your waist. looking up, you see changbin still asleep, hair messy and cheeks puffed out slightly.

on an impulse you reach up and tap his nose, causing it to scrunch up. a moment later, his eyelids flutter. you're too busy staring to worry about being caught staring, but you still blush when he smiles sleepily at you.

"mornin'," his voice is raspy and still muffled by sleep, which is not good for your sanity.

"mmh, good morning," you smile back, "mind letting go of me?"

he just pulls you closer, burying his face in your hair.

"very much so."

his response makes you laugh, "i don't know what i was expecting."

managing to free an arm, you grab your phone off the coffee table and check the time.

10:43, we should probably get up.

"c'mon, it's almost eleven. if we don't get up soon we won't make it on time."

changbin grumbles but his grip on you loosens and you're finally able to stand up. stretching, you hear your spine pop a concerning amount and you groan, making a beeline for the painkillers in the kitchen.

opening your messages app you go to the thread with your best friend, sending may your next ibuprofen take effect quickly and noticeably, before going into your room to grab a change of clothes.

setting the clothes on the counter in the bathroom, you turn on the shower, giving the water a moment to warm up. as you wait you flick through your playlists, choosing one at random and putting it on shuffle.

you shower quickly, singing along to the music playing on your phone. much as you'd like to stay under the warm water, you know you need to get your shit together if you want to be able to leave by noon.

stepping out of the shower, you quickly dry off and put on the clean clothes, deciding to just let your hair air dry. returning to your room you chuck your old clothes into the laundry basket next to your dresser and put your phone on the charger while you wait to leave.

in the meantime, you grab the messenger bag hanging off the frame of your bed and start filling it with the things you hadn't packed the night before, mostly just your laptop and things for your classes.

changbin comes in a moment later, also shoving a few things into his backpack.

"hey, y/n," you glance over to see him holding up the switch that'd been charging in the living room, and give him a thumbs-up. he nods and adds it to the things in his bag.

"i think we're good?" you puff out your cheeks, trying to remember if you need anything else.

changbin zips the bag sitting next to him, "we should get going soon."

"we packed the hot chocolate bombs already, right?"

"they were one of the first things that got packed, don't worry."

you roll you eyes slightly, "yeah because telling someone not to worry always works."

"c'mon, let's go before you worry yourself to death," changbin takes your hand, pulling you to your feet.

"i'd be impressed if i managed to worry myself all the way to death, that seems more like something chan would do."

"and it'd be entirely jisung's fault."

you snort and grab your suitcase, well aware of the headaches jisung gave chan.

"at least it wouldn't be us, which should count as a miracle."

while you and changbin tried not to stress chan out, you both had rather unfortunate luck and he'd had to manage at least three er visits for each of you.

stepping into the hallway, you check that the door is locked three times before changbin grabs your arm and drags you towards the elevator bank. the elevator cars creak and rattle, and you think that if a fourth er visit comes up it'll be from the aging elevators. you're amazed that they're still running at all.

your apartment building is close enough to the train station that you figure getting a taxi wouldn't be worth it, so the two of you walk, talking mostly about family things.

"i'm not sure if my family's gonna give me a ton of shit for skipping, or if they're gonna be glad i didn't show."

changbin laughs, "well my family's definitely gonna be excited to meet you, not sure if that'll make up for things but, y'know." he punctuates his statement with a shrug, and you laugh.

one slightly chaotic journey through the train station later, you're both in your seats. before long, you're starting to doze off, soothed by the gentle movement of the train.

you wake up again as the train stops, the lack of movement and general chaos of reaching the station dragging you out of your rest. there's a crick in your neck, and you can feel something on the side of your head. stretching slightly, you realize that your head is on changbin's shoulder, and his head is now leaning on yours.

carefully you shove changbin away from you, shaking him slightly. he stretches, and you barely avoid getting smacked.

"wake up before we end up going to the next station," you stand, dragging changbin to his feet. you sling your bag over your shoulder and grab your suitcase, changbin following suit.

getting off the train is easier said than done, the rush of holiday traffic that made navigating the station so chaotic makes navigating the train even harder, but you make it off soon enough.

once you're off the train and out of the station, changbin hails a taxi and you pile in, changbin giving the address to your driver. it's not a long drive, and you're both still waking up, so it's relatively quiet.

however, any calm or quiet is broken the second you step through the door of the house. changbin wasn't lying when he said his family was a lot, but their excitement makes you feel warm in a way your family never did.

after a solid ten seconds of nearly suffocating changbin in a hug, his mom looks up and sees you standing near the door, and somehow smiles even wider than she had been.

a heartbeat later and now you're the one being suffocated, and you can feel tears pricking the corners of your eyes. you still manage to hug her back, and she steps away a moment later, giving you a once-over.

"so, you're changbin's boyfriend?"

"mom," changbin's tone confirms that he expected this line of questioning, and you almost laugh, "he's my roommate."

from further down the hall you hear a soft, "oh my god they were roommates?" and look up to see a younger teen sticking their head around a corner. changbin notices them as well, but you grab his arm before he can do anything.

"no murder," you glare at him halfheartedly and he grumbles.

"i wasn't gonna kill them."

"no aggravated assault either."

he rolls his eyes and his mom laughs, gesturing for you to follow her. you elbow changbin and he seems to snap back to reality, following you as you follow his mom. she shows the two of you to a guest room, turning to make sure you're both behind her.

"i can grab a mattress and some bedding from the hall closet in a minute, feel free to settle in in the meantime."

you smile and thank her, and she gives you both a kiss on the cheek before leaving.

collapsing facedown onto the bed you feel yourself deflate, the mattress next to you sinking a moment later as changbin sits down as well.

"so, thoughts so far?"

you turn your head, rolling all the way onto your back a moment later, "i might end up crying before we leave just fyi."

"that bad?" changbin asks, but you can tell he doesn't think that's the reason.

"no it's just, family acting like family is so foreign to me. not to mention treating me like family even when i'm not."

you get a gentle smack on the side of your head, changbin grinning slightly, "hey, as long as we're friends you're family as far as anyone here is concerned. honestly my mom would probably replace me with you if we ever had a falling out."

you shove yourself into a sitting position, shaking your head slightly, "don't even joke about that."

"what, my mom replacing me?"

"no, about us having a falling out. you don't need to speak that into existence, thank you very much."

he laughs, "aw, you think i'm special?"

"ugh forget i said anything," you roll your eyes, "you're the worst, get outta here."

instead, changbin wraps his arms around your torso, dragging you both down onto the bed. "it's way too late to get rid of me, sorry pal."

you wiggle around in an attempt to lie down more comfortably. "yeah yeah, now let me move, i can already feel my arm starting to cramp."

he loosens his hold and you can finally roll over so you're facing eachother, poking the tip of his nose when you do. he scrunches it up and you laugh, "you look like a bunny."

"you're probably the only person who's ever thought to call me that," he grins.

"it's not like you have many other close friends mr. antisocial."

"we have the same friends!"

"okay listen here-"

"i'm listening."

you pause, not actually having had something to say. changbin seems to notice and he laughs, and you roll your eyes in an attempt to ignore your blush.

it seems like he's about to say something, but he's interrupted by a yawn, making you yawn as well.

"we've both been sleeping almost all day, how are we still tired."

you shrug and curl further into changbin, feeling the blankets drop over you a moment later.

waking up you can hear people talking quietly, and try to figure out what's being said. changbin is still next to you, but he's sitting up now and there's a soft light filtering into the room from the hall.

"you sure seem cozy for someone who was all indignant about just being roommates," you recognize the voice of changbin's mom and smile slightly.

"look i don't wanna push things," changbin sounds tired, but emotionally instead of physically, "i'd rather have him in my life as a friend than not at all."

"have you considered that he might feel the same? and even if he doesn't, i really don't think he'd cut you off over it. you should have more faith in him kiddo."

you suddenly feel like you've done something wrong, a strange sense of guilt flooding over you. trying to ignore the feeling, you stir slightly, acting like you're just now waking up. both voices cut off, and you hear changbin's mom sigh slightly.

"tell him dinner is ready when he wakes up, okay?"

a moment later you hear the door to your room close again, and you rub your eyes.

"mm, what time is it?"

changbin glances at his phone, "it's almost nine, mom says dinner's ready. i think everyone else is either asleep or at least in bed so it'll probably just be us two."

you push yourself up onto an elbow, still abnormally tired, "how romantic."

you feel changbin flick your forehead and you snort, sitting up all the way.

"let's go eat then, could we make hot chocolate after?"

"sure, c'mon," changbin takes your hand and pulls you to your feet again. guess this is becoming a habit, you think, glancing at your joined hands.

stepping into the hall you realize changbin was right about it just being the two of you, the house is almost dead silent. there's still food on the stove, and you smile.

changbin makes a plate for you and one for himself, putting them on the kitchen island. you sit on one of the stools at the island, still not fully awake.

"drink?"

you smile, "just water please."

a moment later changbin sets a glass of water in front of you, putting one by to his own plate as well before sitting on the stool to your side. you talk quietly as you eat, trying not to disturb anyone else in the house.

when you're both done eating changbin takes your dishes and puts them in the sink, "okay, hot cocoa?"

"mhm! can you warm up the milk without it getting a skin or should i be in charge of that?"

"i usually use water for hot cocoa so i think that answers your question."

you snort, "okay, can you grab a saucepan and milk please?"

"yup," changbin gives a thumbs-up and you laugh slightly, grabbing one of the wooden spoons from the utensils near the stove.

after heating the milk for a few minutes you glance up again, "can you grab a couple mugs? and did either of us ever get the hot cocoa bombs out."

"i got 'em out, they should be on top of the fridge, one sec," changbin sets two mugs on the counter, the box of hot chocolate bombs following soon after.

you carefully pour the milk into the mugs, placing the pan in the sink when you're done. grabbing a hot chocolate bomb you hold it up, changbin grabbing one as well.

"cheers!" you tap the hot chocolate bombs together and laugh before you both drop them into the milk. the result is almost immediate, the chocolate shell melting quickly, the hot cocoa bomb rolling around like a bathbomb would.

after watching the hot chocolate bomb melt for a moment you notice changbin in your peripheral, holding a spoon in your direction. you take it and smile at him, stirring the contents of the mug in front of you, the milk going from an off-white to a rich chocolate brown.

when you're satisfied with the level of mixing, you hold up your mug.

"cheers again," changbin says as he clinks the mugs together and you smile, taking a drink.

"man i fucking love hot chocolate, it's literally the best winter drink."

changbin laughs, "y'know what, i gotta agree with you on that one."

a day and a half spent in the whirlwind of changbin's family and their holiday cheer doesn't let you forget about the conversation you'd overheard, and you decide to ask about it when you're back in your apartment.

but saying you'll do something and doing something are two different things, and the night you get back, you spend an agonizingly long few minutes at 2am wondering if you should just ignore it.

groaning into your pillow, you feel a distinct sense of deja vu as changbin flicks on his light.

"you alright?"

you groan again, becoming more and more conflicted.

"...hot cocoa?"

that gets you to prop yourself up and look in changbin's direction, tilting your head slightly.

he shrugs, "you seem upset and i figured if you didn't wanna talk you might want hot cocoa."

"i love you."

your mouth moves before your brain, catching you both off guard, and you can feel your face start to burn. there's not much light in the room, but you can see changbin blushing too. you want to backtrack, but you realize it's not untrue, and decide it'd do more harm than good.

instead, you stand up and cross the room, sitting next to him and putting your head on his shoulder. the movement snaps him out of the frozen state he'd been in, and you feel him wrap his arm around your waist, pulling you closer.

the silence is in a strange limbo between comfortable and awkward, and you don't know if you want to break it because you're not sure what he'll say.

eventually, you decide to bite the bullet, "you don't have to say it, we can just make hot cocoa."

you feel changbin rest his head on yours, and you smile slightly. you wouldn't mind getting used to this, you think.

"if i say it can we still make hot chocolate? or is this an either or situation," he huffs a laugh at the end of his question, and you gently elbow him.

"we can make hot chocolate either way, you dork."

"well i was gonna say it but now i'm reconsidering."

you gasp dramatically and he laughs, pulling you closer again.

"i'm kidding, i'm kidding. don't worry, i love you too."

"you're an ass, you know that?"

changbin hums, pretending to think, "yeah, that might've been mentioned to me before."

"i rescind the hot cocoa offer, i'm going back to bed, goodnight," you try to stand, but changbin wraps his other arm around you as well, pulling you back down.

"nooo, stayyy."

you lean into him, laughing. you feel him bury his face in your hair and laugh harder.

"c'mon, you made me want hot cocoa," you try to stand again, but this time changbin lets you, following you into the kitchen.

you're both quiet while you make the drinks, but this time the silence is firmly within the realm of comfortable, broken only by humming or the sound of metal clinking.

when you both have your hot cocoa in hand, you return to your room, sitting next to each other on changbin's bed once again. you're about halfway done with your hot cocoa when you feel your eyelids starting to get heavy again, and you finish the drink rather quickly, putting your mug on the small table next to the bed. changbin finishes his hot cocoa not long after you, putting his mug on the table as well.

"hey," you look at him and he turns, tilting his head to the side. you smile and lean over, giving him a soft peck. you're both still for a moment before he leans over, reconnecting your lips.

you move your hands up, threading your fingers through his hair. his hands land on your waist, and you can feel him smile.

the kiss tastes like hot chocolate and marshmallows, you think it's the sweetest thing you'll ever taste.

#boyfiend writes #stray kids #skz #stray kids imagines #skz imagines #stray kids fluff #stray kids x y/n #stray kids x reader #changbin #seo changbin #seo changbin x y/n #seo changbin x reader #stray kids fanfic #stray kids x male reader #changbin fluff #changbin x reader

[hoedamn-eron]

baby, please - part 14

You and Santiago go furniture shopping for his apartment. You don't expect to be invited to a Halloween party.

Warnings: Mentions of being sick, so emetophobia warning. Unrequited feelings (👀👀). Some swearing. Teasing between Frankie and Santi, standard bro's. Lightly proofread so definitely some mistakes in here. Word count: 3,616 F!Reader, no use of Y/N.

I'm BAAAAAACK. Sorry it took so long to get this out. Ideally I wanted it out for before Halloween but here we are, nearly at Christmas. My bad!

Also this feels just...a little stale to me. I tried re-writing it and going in a different direction but it just wouldn't fall into place the way I wanted it to. But I think that might be a me problem, and I will probably look at it differently once I'm back into the swing of things.

And I know we've already done a shopping trip with Santiago but I need it for the plot, okay?

Part 13 ● Series Masterlist ● Part 15

He came again with the truck. 

Now was the day to really ask about the car, right? You were twenty-four weeks pregnant; he needed a car. There was no room for two babies in this truck. Oh, but you don’t want to ask him, it was rude, it was up to him if he got a car or not. And honestly, the truck was probably the best thing for today, since he’s planning on buying an entire nursery, twice. 

No, he needed a car. You’ll gently ask him today. 

Santi had finally cleared out his spare room, and he and Frankie had deep cleaned it and gave it a new coat of paint, and it was now ready to be filled with furniture. He had told you that you weren’t allowed to go in the room until the babies were born as there was a small gender thing in there and he didn’t want to spoil it for you. 

“I’ve already looked online with Frankie and his wife, and I have an idea on what I want to get,” Santi said to you as you set off from your apartment. 

“You could have ordered it online,” you say. “It’ll be easier for you.” 

Santi shook his head. “Nah, I like to see the stuff before I buy it. Also, I need your input.” 

You nod and hold back your joke about him being an ‘old man’. You weren’t sure why he needed your input, but you weren’t complaining about spending a day with Santi. Your cheeks warm as you think back on the last few weeks. You hadn’t brought up the fact that you were probably (definitely), stupidly in love with him, and you weren’t going to. You were embarrassed enough that you were practically getting off every night to the thought of him. 

Damn your hormones. 

“How’s your morning sickness?” Santi asked as he focused on the road. 

“Oh, uh…nearly gone, actually,” you say. “It’s just once or twice a day now, or if I drink orange juice. Not sure why they’ve decided now to hate orange juice.” 

He nods at you before smiling. “Good. I’m glad. I know it was getting you down.” 

You bite your lip to stop yourself smiling like a love-struck teenager. “Yeah, it was.” 

You doze against the window of his truck until you arrive to Ikea. As you pull into the busy parking lot, you couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness about the day ahead. It was more than just a furniture shopping trip; it was a glimpse into the future of your babies’ life with Santi, and the thought of that made your heart race. 

Santi parked up as close as he could to the entrance and helped you out of the truck (you will mention the car today). You wobble a little as your centre of gravity was starting to work against you, but you steady yourself by holding onto Santi’s arm for a second before letting go, your cheeks burning. You don’t look at him as you both walk into the Ikea, and you grab a cart before Santi takes it off you. 

“I have to push a double stroller soon, Santi,” you say, grinning at the look on his face. “I’m able to push a cart.” 

With that, you make your way into the large store before he could say anything, Santi soon following you. 

A feeling of togetherness washes over you as you pause every now and then and talk to him about your new house, how it’s big enough for you to fill with furniture. The excitement in your eyes was contagious as Santi navigated you both through the maze of furniture displays, joining in with how the kids would be able to play in the back yard with all the space you’ll have. Your heart swells at the image. 

You’d been imagining two boys, with your eyes and Santiago’s hair. Tanned skin and your nose, and you could see him taking them to baseball games in those jerseys he bought when you both went shopping. 

But sometimes you saw two girls, taking after their father in everything. Down to the curly hair and dark eyes and dressed in those Metallica shirts he was still fawning over. He’d probably get them all matching caps. 

“I could get them a swing set,” you say. “I loved the swing set at my grandma’s house.” 

“Yeah, corazón, I think they would like that.” 

“And a pool, maybe. Not a big one, but a decent sized one.” 

“You can do all’a that now with your house,” Santi says as you both go deeper in the Ikea. Eventually, he does take the cart from you, and you let him with no complaints. 

The first stop should have been the nursery section, but you stop in the toy section. You know, you know, you have bought enough toys for your kids, and Gabrielle has donated enough to you too. But you ‘don’t have this bear,’ or ‘that dinosaur,’ and you throw them in the cart. You grin at Santi as he shakes his head at you, smiling fondly. After a few more additions to the cart (where Santi had to physically pull you away), you finally make it to the nursery section. 

As you walked through carefully arranged cribs, changing tables, and adorable baby bedding sets, Santi's enthusiasm was evident. It was obvious he had done his research, and you watched him with probably heart eyes as he discussed the pros and cons of different options with you, valuing your opinion on every detail whenever he asked you. 

"I was thinking something like this crib," he said, pointing to a sleek, white crib with some wooden accents and a drawer underneath. "What do you think? Is it too minimalist?" 

You shrug, bending to look at the label, checking out the dimensions. “It looks good. But yeah, it looks a little plain. Does it match the nursery at your place?” 

“It does,” he says. He looked around. “But everything does, really. Everything’s so…white.” 

You let out a giggle as you look around too. “There is a lot of white. I suppose it’s gender neutral.” 

“Suppose I could get some sheets to bring in some colour,” Santi mumbled. He looks at you with a grin. “It is a nice crib.” 

“And it turns into a toddler bed for when the time comes,” you say, nodding at the product information. 

“It has a matching chest of drawers,” said Santi, taking a few steps away from you and to the rest of the furniture. “And changing unit.” 

“Ooh,” you say, following him quickly and taking a look. “Oh, I like the chest of drawers.” 

“Yeah? Should I get them then?” Santi asked you. 

“It’s up to you, Santi, these will be in your apartment, not mine. If you like them and you think they’ll go well in the room, then you should get them.” 

You back and forth with him over other pieces of furniture, like whether he should get a rug (“I think it’ll bring the room together nicely.”), or a chair in their room for feeds (“It would make it easier but I’ll probably end up on the couch anyway.”), and after a while, the room started taking shape in your mind as Santiago put more things in the cart. From what you could gather, the room had a nice sage green somewhere, and Santi had chosen a blend of soft pastels and natural wood tones; you had the sneaky suspicion it may be jungle themed, based off of some of the rugs he was looking at. 

You almost laughed. You could take Santiago out of the jungle, but you couldn’t take the jungle out of Santiago. 

As you strolled through Ikea, you couldn't help but sneak occasional glances at Santi, admiring his dedication to making the space – his space – absolutely perfect for your babies. The way he was talking about the future with them with so such excitement and care warmed your heart, and you couldn't ignore the feelings growing inside of you. You were in love with this man. 

Foolishly and despairingly in love. 

“Want some lunch after this?” Santiago asked you an hour later, as you strolled through the warehouse, picking up the flat packed boxes of furniture that he’d chosen. 

You nodded. “Yeah, I could eat.” 

“What’re you craving?” Santi asked, grunting as he pushed another flatpack box onto the cart. 

“Nothing in particular,” you say, shrugging nonchalantly as your eyes roamed over him. “I’ll have whatever you want to have.” 

“Italian? I could go for a pizza.” 

You nod, trying not to obviously stare and get distracted by the way the muscles in his arms move as he loads up the cart. “Sure.” 

“We can stop by my place first, get this stuff to my apartment.” 

You give him a look, raising your eyebrows pointedly at him. His knees. “Santi…” 

He was already shaking his head. “I’ve already asked Frankie to stop by, he’s gonna help out.” 

Your breath hitched at the thought of meeting Frankie. You don’t know why you suddenly felt so nervous, you were going to have to meet him sooner or later; you were pretty sure Santi was going to ask if he could make Frankie Godfather of the babies (of course you’d say yes, why wouldn’t you?). 

“You don’t need to be nervous,” Santi said, chuckling, shaking his head lightly. 

“I’m not nervous,” you immediately say, lying through your teeth. And it’s obvious too. 

“Your face says otherwise,” Santi replies, grunting as he places the last flatpack on the cart. You internally curse yourself; you should have gotten a second one. “He doesn’t bite. He’s soft.” 

“Nothing wrong with being soft,” you quip back, but Santi doesn’t reply. He just pulls the cart out of your reach, and you make your way to the check out. 

After paying (you wince at the price – you offer to pay half, but Santi downright refuses) you make your way back to his truck, where an employee (practically a kid, he looked no older than nineteen, but he was built like a tank) had offered to help load. You, again, attempted not to stare at Santi as you tried not to feel so useless, but every time you reached for a box, even just a small one, Santi quickly shot you down. 

“You’re carrying twins, you will hurt yourself.” 

“I’m pregnant, not elderly!” 

Your protesting falls on deaf ears, and Santi profusely thanks the employee for the help and hands the kid a tip. Santi helps you climb into the truck before making his way back to the driver’s side, and sends a quick text to Frankie, you assume telling him that you were on the way back to Santiago’s place. 

“Want to get Carmelo’s?” Santi asked as he pulled out of the parking space. 

You pull a face. “Their pizzas are greasy.” 

Santi laughed as he looked in his mirrors and drove out of the lot. “That’s what makes them great.” 

“Yeah, ‘great’ at giving you heart disease.” 

“Okay, how about Solorzano's?” 

You go quiet and think about it, before nodding. You’d ordered in with them before, and their garlic knots were to die for. Your mouth practically started watering at the thought of them. Maybe you don’t need a pizza, maybe you could just order appetisers, like the macaroni and cheese wedges, the mozzarella sticks, oh, maybe their chicken wings. 

Yep, Solorzano's was good. 

“Yeah, that’s fine, let’s do that,” you say. 

You arrive back at Santi’s after telling him all about the food you were going to get, him laughing and telling you that you were hardcore ‘playing into the pregnant lady trope’. You pretended to take offence, telling him fact that you were just appreciating good food, that he suggested, whether you were pregnant or not. 

“All right, fair,” he’d said, amused. 

You try not to fawn at his laugh, but you couldn’t help it. You sighed, hopefully thinking Santi took it that you were happy that he agreed with you over your food choices. 

You soon pull up to his apartment and park in his designated spot, only for a dark blue car to pull up minutes after you arrived. Your eyes widen a little as you see the infamous Francisco Morales climb out of his car and approach you both from his place parked behind Santi. He was shorter than he looked in the video, but still taller than Santi. His dark, tousled hair was hidden behind a cap, and it gave him a rugged charm, and there's something about the lines on his face that makes him look like he's seen it all but is still totally approachable. You catch a glimpse of some scars on his tanned arms, on show as the sleeves of his dark shirt were pushed up to his elbows, and it only added to the sense that this guy has some serious stories to share. 

“Hey, Pope!” 

“How’s it going, Fish?” Santi asked, giving Frankie a smile as they hug, patting each other on the back in a way that you would expect brothers to do. The nicknames confused you; Santi had never referred to himself as ‘Pope’, nor Frankie as ‘Fish’. “Could have tidied yourself up a bit.” Santi jokes, motioning to Frankie’s cap and old battered jacket. 

“I’m doing you a favour, hermano, watch your mouth. Sarah asked me to drop this off for you too,” Frankie said, holding up a paper bag before looking at you and pointing at you with a good-natured expression on his face. “You are not to look in that bag, because it is a surprise.” 

Your eyes widened for a fraction before you nodded. “Okay, yeah...noted.” 

“Are you going to introduce us, teo, or did the news of twins and the financial recovery make you forget basic manners and social introductions?” 

Santi gave Frankie the bird before introducing you both. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” you say, shaking his hand as he offered it to you. 

“It’s nice to put a face to the name,” Frankie says, letting go of your hand and taking a look at the bed of the truck, full of the furniture Santi had bought. He nodded towards it as he looked at Santi. “What did you get?” 

“Everything, it seems,” you joke. 

Frankie gave you a grin before turning back to Santi. “When are you gonna get a car, feo? Can’t fit car seats in this thing.” 

You almost laughed in relief. Now you didn’t have to ask and feel like you were intruding. 

“I’m working on it, tu idiota,” Santi replied, opening the bed of the truck. “Now help me with these boxes, you can’t expect me and my knees to do all the hard work. Don’t even think about it.” 

You hold your hands up in surrender at Santi’s firm gaze, landing on you as you had reached for a box. 

Santi hands you his keys and you go up to his apartment to unlock the door, Santi and Frankie following you up moments later, carrying boxes up with them, huffing and puffing together. You grin as you hear Santi grumble that they ‘felt heavier than they did at Ikea’, and you make your way down to get some of the lighter things. You grab the rug that Santi chose, along with the soft toys you’d picked out. 

You eye the paper bag Frankie bought, that was sat in the bed of the truck, the curiosity to take a peek inside itching at your fingertips. You look around quickly before looking at the bag before you finally shake your head. Frankie said it was a surprise, something Santi might have organised, so you shouldn’t. You should leave it alone. 

“You better not look in that.” 

You smirk before looking at Santi, who was giving you an amused look. “I was thinking about it. But I won’t.” 

Santi rolled his eyes in amusement as he and Frankie both grab another box. You grab one last toy before you follow them up the stairs and into Santi’s living room, placing the stuff on the couch. You go back to the truck, taking the last of the small things before sitting back and watching the two men bring back the last of the flatpack boxes. Soon, Santi’s living room was representing the Ikea warehouse with how many boxes were littered around everywhere. You spotted the paper bag sitting on the small dining room table by the open plan kitchen. 

Again, you choose to let it go. 

You step outside, closing and locking the apartment. You see Santi and Frankie chatting by the truck, the bed now closed, and you make your way over. You hear Santi thanking Frankie for the help with the furniture. 

“Don’t thank me yet, you still need help putting that shit together,” Frankie replied. “You’ll probably need all the guys for that.” 

Santi snorted. “Would love to see Benny try to put together a crib...or two.” 

“Well, he put Sofía’s together,” Frankie said. 

Santi went quiet at that, and the two stared at each other. You weren’t sure what was happening, but it was as though they were having a private conversation with each other, without having to say anything. You go quiet, letting them have their telepathic conversation, until you cleared your throat, breaking the awkward silence. “Would you like to join us for lunch, Frankie?” 

After a few more moments, Frankie turns from Santi and gives you a small smile. “I would love to, but it’s Sofía’s birthday next month, and Sarah’s got me running around trying to get the stuff for it and she has me planning this Halloween party in a couple of days.” 

“The guys say they’re still going for Halloween?” Santi asked, crossing his arms over his chest. It was as if his and Frankie’s interaction hadn’t happened. You put a pin in it for now. 

“Benny said he’s still coming, Ironhead’s still unsure, since Claire’s putting a bit of pressure on him to make some solid decisions on the wedding.” Frankie chuckled before looking at you. “You should come,” he suddenly said to you. “I know it’s a bit last minute and it’s mostly for kids, but it should be fun.” 

Your brain stops for a moment, not realising Frankie was suddenly talking to you. You blink at him for a moment before shaking your head. “Oh! Uh, yeah, I’ll definitely think about it. I was gonna go with my friend and her kids trick or treating – “ 

Frankie cuts you off with a wave of his hand. “Bring them along, seriously. Sarah loves meeting new people, she’s been talking my ear off about when Pope was finally going to introduce you to everyone.” 

“Frankie,” Santi muttered firmly, a light blush coming to his cheeks, causing you to giggle. 

You nod at Frankie. “Didn’t realise I was such an interesting topic.” 

“Are you kidding? You managed to get Santiago Garcia to slow down and think about his future for once,” Frankie said, ignoring Santi’s very obvious glare. 

You grin. “I’ll talk to my friend, see if she wants to join.” 

“Great. You’re coming though, right hermano?” 

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Santi replied. “Can’t disappoint Sofía.” 

You feel your chest warm and your heart swell with the way he looks as he talks about his niece, how he was so enamoured with her. You wonder how he would talk about your kids and how he would act with them. You find your eyes quickly swell with years, and you look away from the two men quickly, wiping at them. 

Damn hormones. 

“Great, just let me know plans, yeah?” Frankie said, nodding at you both. “No pressure, though, if you can’t make it.” 

You nod. “No worries, I'll let you know. Or I’ll get Santi to tell you, anyway.” 

“Again, it was nice to finally meet you,” Frankie said, shaking your hand again. “I’ll text you later, hermano.” 

“See ya, Fish,” Santi replied, giving Frankie a quick hug before the two of you watch him leave. You both wave as he drives away. 

“So,” you say after a few moments, handing Santi’s keys back over to him. “What’s with the nicknames?” 

“Our call signs,” Santi said, taking the keys. “Just stuck afterwards.” 

“Oh, right. Why is yours Pope?”

Santi was silent for a moment before he pulled a face, shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter, I think it was something stupid Benny said.” 

You don’t believe him, but you won’t push. He was always a little closed off about his days in the army. “Okay. So, ready for lunch?” 

“Sure...yeah,” he answers, before opening the truck door for you. He hesitates again for a moment as you turn to climb in, before he blurts out, “You don’t have to come to the party.” 

You look at Santi, seeing his unsure face looking at you. “Why?” 

“Don’t want you to feel obligated,” he says. 

You study him for a moment, noticing his stance. He seemed a little out of sorts, nervous almost. You give him a reassuring look. “I want to go. It’ll be fun.” Then you give him a teasing smirk. “And besides, I’d miss out on hearing all the embarrassing stories about you from your friends! No way am I missing this.” 

You see his shoulders relax a little at your words before he rolls his eyes. “Funny. Get in the truck.” 

“You know, if you got a car, I wouldn’t struggle so much getting in and out of this thing.” 

“I fucking knew the truck bothered you.”

• tu idiota - you asshole • feo - ugly

Tagged - @khonsulockley, @bluenredndeath, @superficialfeelings, @othersideoftheparadise, @beezusvreeland

#triple frontier #santiago garcia x reader #santiago x reader #santiago garcia #oscar isaac #pregnant!reader #santiago garcia x f!reader

[nancypullen]

If You Build It...

Okay, autumn will come whether I decorate for it or not but I’m a huge believer in manifesting what you want. That’s why my home is currently filled with pumpkins of every size and color and it has spilled out onto the porch. Or maybe it started on the porch and crept inside. Either way I’m fine with it.  I was swapping messages with a friend last week and she asked if I’d gone all out with Halloween decor this year.  I replied that, sadly, I hadn’t.  Partly because I downsized my Halloween stuff when we left Tennessee, and partly because we won’t be home this year to greet trick-or-treaters.  Then I looked around and realized that I might have fibbed a bit.  I didn’t go all out, but my toned down autumn celebration is still pretty generous.  Oh, I don’t have tombstones and cobwebs and witches out, but this did show up beside the already decorated front door.

And I put a bunch of stuff on the entry table until I figured out where to put it...and it’s still there.

What a jumble, but that’s where it’s staying.

I’ve got it tucked into kitchen corners...

and on window sills.

It’s on either side of the tv cabinet and on the tabletop.

Yeah, I know that bread bowl needs some filler.  I’m working on it.  Most of what I’ve put out was just in the first Halloween tub that I could reach in the garage, so I used what I had.  I did purchase this pillow when we drove into the big city of Dover and I was able to attend church (by church I mean Home Goods).

I love it! That’ll stay out until I decorate for Christmas.  The pumpkins generally do, I pack away the spooky stuff on November 1st and brace myself for the crazy holidays.

BUT....far better than anything I placed inside the house is what Mother Nature is doing outside.  I glanced up as I was pounding a sign into the ground and had to stop and just breathe in the changes.

 "Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons." - Jim Bishop Isn’t that the truth?  The light is golden, the leaves turn gold, copper, and scarlet. Even the air loses its heaviness - if I could find a perfume that smells like autumn, I’d wear it.  There are red leaves on the driveway under and around the car and I refuse to sweep them up. I love crunching across them to get in the car.  If you look left from our porch the street lamp is surrounded by color and when it comes on at dusk it makes the tree glow.

Yesterday afternoon I sat on the porch (another hot mess of mismatched fall decor) and watched leaves flutter to the ground.  It was restorative,  better than a massage or a nap.

I started tidying up the flower beds and I tried to shove my witchy weather vane into the ground (see her in that corner bed?) but I couldn’t get her straight.  I’ll need someone with more upper body strength to do it.  Luckily I’ll have a house full of those people this weekend.  She’ll be flying straight by Friday. But who cares about a wonky witch when you’ve got these colors? 

Hopefully this is the last time the yard will look so scraggly.  We arrived too late to do much about it this summer.  There’s a guy coming on Friday to aerate and seed, hopefully after a long winter’s nap we’ll have a velvety lawn next  season.  Yes, we’re those old people. So there you are, that’s where my head is on this beautiful Thursday in October.  Matt is arriving tonight and I’m hoping he beats the bad weather that’s on its way. I’m also hoping the storms don’t blow away all of the color.  Even if we lose some leaves, it’s early yet - this is just act one.  Autumn’s glory hasn’t peaked yet.  I’m going to enjoy it until the last leaf has dropped from the very last tree. Only then will I surrender the pumpkins. Alrighty, off to the grocery store for me. Yesterday I stripped all of the beds and gave everyone fresh sheets. Today is about food.   I’m just making a pot of chili tonight since I’m not sure what time Matt will actually arrive and whether or not he’ll be hungry.  I’m going to throw together a breakfast casserole for the mornings, have some fruit and yogurt available, sandwich stuff for lunches, probably some chicken on the grill another night. Keeping it simple. Jamie is bringing something delicious for Friday night’s dinner so I’ll just make a salad and dessert for Friday. Easy peasey!  My list for the store isn’t long so maybe I can get in and out in record time. More time for leaf gazing, right? I’m outta’ here. Stay safe, stay well, make sure you stop and smell the pumpkins. (Okay, doesn’t work as well as roses, but you get it.)

Nancy

[leoprosy]

i am soooo excited for fall!!

im gonna be a dork about it on here real quick!!

I usually associate fall with the beginning of school and thus kind of stress (and then, in my head, fall starts mid-August rather than late September). But, because Im not a student this year, I waited as patiently as possible until today to start getting really into fall celebrations and it feels really good and like? natural? correct? to not rush it!! Me and my brother put up the halloween decorations today and got new tea to have! I got cinnamon plum and I'm excited to try it tomorrow morning while I make a cinnamon streusel bread mix from the store!

and me and my friends are gonna watch some early y2k halloween movies, I'm gonna wear my new black dress and maybe do kinda spooky make up and its just really exciting to me to get to celebrate! i want to welcome fall with open arms in a big hug cause its always been my favorite season!!

I want to celebrate the changing of the seasons like this all the time! I set intentions with my candle that a friend already put some intention symbols into a long time ago and aaaaaaa

also doing more witchy kind of stuff (I made moon water, I've used my tarot cards, setting intentions and using that candle etc) feels good and fun and yeah :')

maybe i will share my autumn good times on here :o im trying to not overshare shit on social media anymore or like. do stuff for the sake of social media so i also maybe just won't! idk!! its nice to be filled with like fun falltime wonder and happiness again i feel like a little kid

#me and my brother had a hard time today cause of our parents #and i love and appreciate him so much #we were so determined to make today a good one and i think we did!! #leo thots #i cant wait for yummy tea and tasty bread tomorrow morning waaaa

[pawjamas]

Also thank you, the store I work at had a candle room but they ripped it away from us during the renovation (cruelty) so a lot of our Yankee Candles went on sale and the one I feel in love with was Tangerine Vanilla. My classic favorites have always been anything fruit-scented, but I have a birch candle I enjoy as well. There’s a BIG Yankee Candle store in Deerfield Mass. that has rooms with different themes that I used to go to pretty often (there’s a butterfly conservatory down the street as well that I would go to as well) and last time I was there (last August- I’ve since moved so won’t be going again until next year at the earliest) I got some room plug-ins that were fall scented, so during spring I was like well my room smells fresh I don’t need any spring/summer ones but since summer has rolled in my room has returned to being a bit of a stuffy attic so I don’t think I would mind some fall scents like the berry lemonade or something. The closest Yankee Candle store here is in the state capital about an hour and a half away, back when I lived up north there was one in the mall 20 minutes from my house 😔 I did go to our mall today because I learned Bath and Body Works released their Halloween collection but honestly I don’t really have use for anything there right now. We have the soap dispenser we got from there last year that was a single use one my mom just keeps filling with replacement soap. The “Vampire Blood” theme doesn’t really fit our light, airy, pastel, butterfly, beach, etc. themed bathroom but like hey whatever man. Also went to Hot Topic but in recent years they have less and less I’m really interested in. I think I want to grab a Hellfire shirt from online but less and less I feel like I could easily spend $100 in one go. I kind of just go in, like around, go “this isn’t me”, and then just kind of leave. Most stuff I get really excited for now are online merch drops from like bands or YouTubers or something.

-Silver

ohh that giant yankee candle store w/ themed rooms sounds so nice 🥺 fruit scents are definitely nice and a good choice ! i typically go for soft cozy scents (typically baked good themed) and sometimes floral scents. that butterfly conservatory sounds amazing also, i went to a butterfly greenhouse w/ my gf a couple months back and it was rlly fun ^^

it’s unfortunate hot topic has kinda decreased in having good stuff to buy over the years.. i think most recently i got a pastel pink vintage strawberry shortcake shirt from them but i completely agree there really isn’t much that interests me that they’re selling anymore. the hellfire shirt sounds cool tho :3 it’s honestly easier to just buy stuff online anyways, i know i’ve found several things i’ve especially liked to only be online exclusive (looking @ build a bear specifically)

#letters 💌 #silver ♡

[little-alternative-girl]

I swear to God, as soon as I get my room fixed up again(I HATE BEING SO DISORGANIZED AND MESSY), I’m decorating for Halloween.

The urge to decorate for Halloween is RISING.

#I WANT MY STORES TO BE FILLED WITH FALL AND HALLOWEEN STUFF #I WANT FALL #I WANT HALLOWEEN ALREADY #I WANT IT TO STOP BEING 100 DEGREES AND HUMID AF #usually I can wait till mid September like my ma but I NEED TO GET MY SPOOKY ON NOW

[mshomestyle]

[MHA Multiple Charater x Reader] First day of Fall

I have no idea when fall is (one of the greatest sins I can commit as a cozy blog) or if it began already...I guess I could go check my calendar to find out.

MHS characters enjoying the first day of fall with you:

Reader’s gender isn’t specified.

(Izuku, Hawks, Bakugo, and Todoroki)

Izuku:

-Since he was a top hero, Izuku was rather busy most of the time.

-He was a good significant other, so he did make time for you whenever and as much as he could.

-On this particular day, you both met up (or went out if you work in the same agency) for lunch.

-You sat by a large window in this lovely little restaurant that had such a warm atmosphere. “I barely noticed that the leaves are changing color,” Izuku noted.

-You smiled at the sweet yet curious look on his face, giggling softly. “That’s because you need to take some time for yourself to just look around.”

-Izuku flushed up a bit at your insinuation, “Well...It’s true that I spend most of my time working,” he agreed, “I guess could delegate some of that to my sidekicks.” You nodded.

-”Mhmm! I always see autumn as the season for relaxation, just with how much cozy things are associated with it,” you spoke, “Why don’t we take the long way back and talk about the things we can do to relax more?”

-It warmed Izuku’s heart to hear you talk like this, especially since he knew you wanted him to have less stress in his life, “Sounds great!”

Hawks:

-Red, orange, yellow, brown-Just all of the warm colors really- made you absolutely crave the presence of your significant other.

-To just lie in bed cuddled with him as you drank a warm a drink, watching turning trees flow in the wind, as you spoke about anything and everything.

-You bit down on the end of your pen just thinking about it.

-”Oh, I know that look~.”

-You thought you were hallucinating at first, but even you didn’t have that good of an imagination. “K-K-Hawks,” you almost slipped up and called him by his real name. “I thought you were fighting a villain.”

-”Told you it wouldn’t take me long.” He easily strode over to where you were filling out what would be his paperwork behind his desk and kissed your forehead, sweetly. “But back to what naughty things you were thinking. Is that why you wanted to help me? So I’d be done quicker?” You felt heat rising to your cheeks.

-”It’s not like that!” you defended yourself, “Well...I did want to be out of here sooner, but I had something else in mind.” No use hiding your intentions.

-”And that would be?” You could tell by the look on his face that Keigo still assumed his original thought to be correct.

-”Hmph, you don’t deserve to know,” you pouted.

Bakugo:

-Pop-up Halloween stores were not uncommon, so it was something you made a note to check out when the season for it came.

-”Isn’t it a bit too early for Halloween?” Bakugo asked. You looked at him as the two of you were walking hand in hand down the sidewalk to your destination.

-”What do you mean too early? Don’t you feel that?” you asked.

-”Feel what?” he raised an eyebrow. You giggled softly.

-”Well, every time the season comes around, there’s just this sort of feeling you get-Not the weather changing-but rather sort of something that tells you it’s fall and that Halloween will be here soon,” you tried to explain yourself as best as you could. Bakugo shook his head, though.

-”The only thing I feel is cautious since a villain could come after us at any second,” he grumbled. You gave his hand a squeeze.

-”Just relax and don’t focus on that. Focus on all the nice stuff we’re going to get to do in the next few months, then you’ll understand,” you tried it that way. Bakugo looked at you a bit skeptically, but then he sighed. He loved you to the point of where he’d do and trust what you’d tell him.

-”Fine, let’s just focus on those things then,” he smiled slightly, a sight which caused you hug onto his arm lovingly.

Todoroki:

-Like many things, growing up Todoroki didn’t really get to enjoy fall activities.

-So, you were determined to teach him what was so good about the season.

-”Baking cinnamon and nutmeg based sweets are always better when you do it during autumn,” you explained to Todoroki, who was right next to you in the spice isle of a local grocery shop.

-”What are you going to bake?” he asked, staring as you picked up one of each aforementioned spice.

-”Hm, well maybe some cookies, and eventually I want to make a cake,” you noted smiling softly before turning to your partner, “We should get some pumpkins to carve as well while we’re here.”

-You always did love this season, but were never so determined to do as many fall activities as possible until you got with Todoroki and learned more about him.

-As a veteran in this type of thing, you felt as if it was your duty to show him as much as much as you could.

-”Will that be fun?” he asked causing you to giggle a bit.

-”Doing it with you will be the fun part!”

#izuku midoriya #midoriya izuku x reader #midoriya izuku #izuku x reader #izuku midoria x reader #deku #deku x reader #bakugo katsuki #bakugou katsuki #katsuki bakugo #katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugo x reader #bakugo x you #keigo takami #keigo x reader #takami keigo #keigo takami x reader #hawks #hawks x reader #todoroki #todoroki x reader #todoroki shouto #bnha todoroki #my hero academia #my hero x reader #boku no hero academia #boku no hero x reader #reader #reader insert #Headcanon

[asimpforarmin]

What Dog the AoT Characters Would Have 💛

Character(s): Armin Arlert, Sasha Braus, Jean Kirstein, Connie Springer, Bertholdt Hoover, & Annie Leonhardt

Genre: Light-hearted, modern!au

Warnings: Mentions of animal neglect/abuse, some dog breeds commonly perceived as scary, cursing

A/n: I usually include Mikasa in my headcanons, but I just forgot until last minute that she existed ;-; so, sorry for not including her. If someone requests it, I’ll add her to the list.

💛 Armin

His parents got him a beagle puppy for one of his birthdays and he got so attached to it. He was so grateful that he had a dog and absolutely treasures him.

Named him Buddy because he’s his little sidekick and is always fun to play with and snuggle up to.

Buddy almost never shuts up though. A bird flies past the window? He starts barking. A truck goes by? Goes bonkers. He sees himself in the mirror? Shooketh.

Whenever Buddy starts going crazy, Armin picks him up, takes him away from whatever’s bothering him and scratches behind his ears. That makes Buddy practically melt into Armin’s arms and it’s so adorable. 💕

Buddy is very protective over Armin, or as protective as a dog his size could be. He always barks at the doorbell and is very wary of strangers.

If you walk into Armin’s house and Buddy has never seen you before, Armin will be sitting in a chair holding a dog who’s glaring into your soul.

You and Armin will try to have a normal conversation while Buddy is snarling and growling at you with Armin just patting his head and making an expression that says he deals with this all the time.

After a couple visits, Buddy is still tense around you but unwinds once you start playing with him.

Whenever Armin’s studying or working, Buddy will jump up into his lap and snuggle with him.

Sometimes when Armin falls asleep at his desk, he’ll have his arms on the table and Buddy in his lap.

When he’s in the car, Buddy tries to bite cars through the window. He just growls and bangs the glass with his teeth before Armin stops him from chipping a tooth.

Just how Buddy is protective of Armin, Armin’s protective of Buddy.

If someone talks shit about his dog, he’ll get sad about it. Buddy doesn’t deserve to be treated like that, he never hurt anyone.

Buddy can’t be taken to the park because he just agitates other dogs. He never gets along with them and never lets his guard down.

Buddy’s also one of those dogs who gets really dramatic. One time he was laying on the couch with his ball and it rolled off so he just started howling.

It’s also really hard to trim his nails without him growling, even though he’d never bite anyone.

Once Buddy has calmed down around someone, he’s fun to just hang around.

Armin likes to sit on the couch reading with Buddy on his lap or beside him. He’s great to study with or have around.

💛 Sasha

Adopts a 5-year-old blue greyhound from her local shelter.

She’d been volunteering there for a while when the greyhound came in and just couldn’t resist.

With greyhounds being bred to hunt and Sasha coming from a family who has a hunting background, it seemed like a match made in heaven.

She bought her and gave her a bright pink collar with a little dog bone tag with her name etched in it.

Since greyhounds’ necks are so long, she gives her a big knitted scarf to wear in the winter to keep her all nice and cozy.

Was torn between naming her Snickerdoodle or Candy because they’re both cute names and are both foods, but ended up naming her Pumpkin because she couldn’t decide and Pumpkin’s a really cute name as well.

Sasha loves playing fetch with her and it’s so fun because Pumpkin can run really fast, really far.

Pumpkin almost never barks unless she’s having fun or there’s someone at the door.

Sasha’s bed is lofted by a couple feet for storage and Pumpkin has no problem getting on and off her bed.

The first time Pumpkin saw Sasha’s bed, she didn’t know what to do so just sat there looking up at Sasha. It took a couple minutes for her to realize Sasha patting the bed meant she could jump onto it.

Sasha allows her dog on any of the furniture so there’s short hairs all over the couch no matter what.

Pumpkin’s really kind and gentle around kids so Sasha can basically take her anywhere. She’s super well behaved but sometimes scares people because she jumps in excitement.

Sasha also shares her food with her dog all the time. Always packs extra whenever she goes somewhere so she can give some to Pumpkin.

If you moved in with Sasha, Pumpkin would take to you right away.

She would literally be so sweet and always make you happy all the time. 😭💕

Plays tug of war and fetch a lot with you.

If you’re working/eating at a desk, she’ll lean her head on your leg until you pet her or give her food, or both.

Overall, Pumpkin is so sweet and adorable. She will always cheer you up when you need it and always has enough energy to play.

💛 Jean

Adopted a pitbull who is now 6, but was brought into a fighting ring when he was 4.

He knew it would be a challenge to help an abused dog but wanted to give him a good home.

When he first saw him, he was covered in scars and missing part of his ear.

He named him Kane. He’s a beautiful deep reddish-brown color with a white belly.

From the first moment they met, there was a connection. Kane warmed up to Jean quite quickly for a dog who’s been through so much.

Jean took him home and slowly introduced him to lifestyle changes, like going for walks or taking baths.

He introduces him to other dogs too. Kane showed a little hostility in the beginning, but once he realized they weren’t threats he was fine being around them.

Jean pays top dollar for him. Any issue he has, he takes him to the vet and gets it fixed up. He also gets the best food for him because that’s what he deserves.

Kane loves going for car rides. Sometimes Jean will get in the car with him, no destination in mind, and just drive.

Jean rolls the window down and Kane pokes his head outside. His mouth opens and because of the wind going into it, he showers the window behind him in slobber.

Kane absolutely loves swimming. He’s quite good at it, but Jean still takes a lot of safety precautions, such as a life jacket or shallow water because pitbulls are known to be somewhat bad swimmers.

Every summer, Jean takes out a kiddie pool and lets Kane splash around in it.

He also really likes to turn on the hose or sprinkler and aim it at Kane. He jumps up to bite the water and they both have a great time.

It can be a problem though because when Jean’s trying to fill the pool up, Kane keeps batting the hose with his paw or trying to eat the water and Jean has to get him to relax.

Other than his little quirks, Kane’s a relatively chill dog. He’s alright with being dressed up in costumes or having to wear a cone.

Every halloween, Jean gets both of them a matching costume and they sit on the porch to give kids candy.

Jean also lets the kids pet Kane because over time, he gets very welcoming of people and other dogs he doesn’t know.

Long story short, Kane’s not the dog you want to protect your house, if someone broke in, he’d just start wagging his tail and not be able to tell what’s going on.

💛 Connie

Saw how cool Jean’s dog is and also wanted a badass and cool breed.

He ended up adopting a doberman pinscher.

Like Jean’s dog, she looks strong and intimidating.

Unlike Jean’s dog, she acts the complete opposite of how she looks.

She’s often quite jittery or seems scared. Whenever someone even remotely raises their voice, her ears go down and she lowers her head.

You and Connie often have to give her tons of pets and appreciation after shouting, whether it’s good or bad shouting.

She’s also a total cuddlebug. She loves to be on Connie’s lap 24/7 and sleeps right next to him, watching over him.

Because of her timid personality, Connie named her Lily. It’s a sweet and innocent sounding name. Even though he sought her out to be a “cool” dog, she’s super sweet and didn’t want to name her something that conflicted with who she really was.

One thing about Lily is she loves running. Connie likes to skateboard alongside her as she pulls him along. It’s not much effort for her because Connie’s lightweight and uses his feet a lot. Plus, the area they live is pretty flat, so they often do.

Lily has a hard time understanding what is and isn’t a toy. One time she nearly chewed off one of the sofa legs. Next time Connie sat on it, it snapped and then he figured out Lily was behind it.

After that, he trained her to know everything he puts in her basket is a toy, but everything else isn’t. Then, she used the basket as a toy.

She goes through toys lightning quick.

Every time you or Connie give her a new stuffed animal, it takes approximately .2 seconds for it to be torn to shreds.

Connie loves to take her to PetSmart and let her pick out toys in-store.

If she chooses a toy that means Connie won’t need to guess what she likes and what she doesn’t.

One time she chose one of those scented rope toys, but once Connie took the packaging off, she started acting weirdly.

Once he gave it to her, she started barking at it and whacking it with her paw.

Connie was super confused so he threw it and she chased after it like normal, but once she got close to it she started acting scared of it and barking.

It’s been like that ever since now so they just don’t play with that toy.

Lily doesn’t bark that often. She usually only barks from excitement or when she meets someone new.

She also doesn’t have the zoomies that much so she’s a really relaxed dog to hang with.

💛 Bertholdt

Bertholdt saw his neighbors packing their stuff in a van one day and leaving but saw they left their samoyed leashed up outside.

He wanted to hold out hope that they were just going out somewhere for a bit so waited the rest of the night but found the dog still chained up the next morning in the rain.

He was never close to his neighbors and didn’t want any confrontation so he went up and knocked on the door, checking if anyone was home.

No surprise, they weren’t so he cautiously made his way over to the dog.

It was so happy to see someone and started licking his hand right away.

He unchained the dog and led it into his house where he gave it a nice warm bath and some food.

While bathing her, he took off her collar, with the neighbor’s number and address engraved in it along with her name, Mavis.

While Mavis was eating he called the number he found on her tag. He explained that the dog looked like it was left there on purpose so he took it in until they got home. They just said they didn’t want her anymore and hung up, which broke Bertholdt’s heart.

So he took her to the vet, got some pet things because he hasn’t owned a pet previously and she became a big part of his life.

She clings to him everywhere and won’t ever leave his side. Almost never barks and is super good on a leash.

Bertholdt takes her to the dog park a lot, Mavis is very social and has made a lot of friends there.

Mavis has quite the habit of rolling around in the mud or dirt though so Bertholdt has to give her a bath quite often.

Bertholdt absolutely cannot contain the dog hair. There is so much of it and it’s everywhere, went through like 3 lint rollers in the first week.

He spoils her rotten. Whenever he goes shopping he gets her new treats and toys because he swore to do right by her when her old owners didn’t.

If you were brought into the equation, Mavis would love you unconditionally. She’ll be there to give you high-fives and cuddle with you.

She is the softest thing on the planet so the cuddles are amazing. If you and Bertholdt sleep together, she’ll plop herself right in between the both of you so she could get attention until you fall asleep.

Whenever she needs something but isn’t up, she licks your face until you give her what she wants.

Even though she can get quite hot in the summer, she always wants to cuddle and loves to do it, whether it’s with you or Bertholdt.

💛 Annie (normally I don’t write for her but I couldn’t get this scenario out of my head)

Hitch gave her a chihuahua for her birthday even though she never remotely hinted at wanting a dog.

She didn’t want to return it though and oddly liked it, even though she never asked for him.

Just calls him “Dog” for a bit since she doesn’t know what to name him.

He’s a tan deer head dog so Annie gives him the name “Biscuit” after a couple weeks.

It’s super generic but she doesn’t think he needs any fancy name and he looks like a biscuit so 🤷🏻‍♀️

She has one of the backpacks with a compartment to fit a dog.

She likes to put Biscuit in there and take him out when she goes out.

When Annie takes him out, Biscuit is usually pretty chill, aside from giving a couple glares to random people.

Sometimes he even falls asleep in her backpack.

Whenever someone pisses Annie off, Biscuit senses it. Annie isn’t usually one to get into a full-blow fight and be loud, so Biscuit is her volume. Whenever she starts going off, he starts growling and barking.

And when she does get loud, both of them are yelling and screaming so that often deters the other person.

When she first got Biscuit, Annie didn’t really pay that much attention to him. She’d be on the couch and whenever he came up to her with a ball or toy, she’d throw it.

Then as she started to get used to him, she started to like him more.

Nowadays, she sometimes chases him around the house with a smile on her face and it’s so adorable, especially because she doesn’t smile all too often.

Biscuit is relatively calm, even for a chihuahua. He can often be seen on the couch on his back with his tongue out laying in the sun.

Speaking of being on the couch, originally Annie wanted to keep him off all furniture but soon realized he simply wouldn’t stay off and she didn’t want to bother to train him not to.

Now, they share almost everything. She sleeps with him next to her, they relax on the couch together, and sometimes she even brings him up on one of the kitchen chairs and they share food together.

Biscuit hates her alarm clock with a passion. If Annie doesn’t wake up from the alarm, she wakes up from the high pitched barks of her dog wanting her to turn it off.

Once the two are close, they are bonded for life and can be seen everywhere together.

#attack on titan #attack on titan x reader #Armin Arlert x Reader #Armin x Reader #Sasha Braus x Reader #Sasha x Reader #Jean Kirstein x Reader #Jean x Reader #Connie Springer x Reader #Connie x Reader #Bertholdt Hoover x Reader #Bertholdt x Reader #Annie Leonhardt x Reader #Annie x Reader

[teklarn]

𝔂𝓸𝓾'𝓻𝓮 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓶𝔂 𝓫𝓸𝔂𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭 - 𝓴. 𝓫𝓪𝓴𝓾𝓰𝓸𝓾 (𝓹𝓽.4)

character(s): katsuki bakugou x gn!reader (x eijirou kirishima) 

a/n: y’all it makes me so happy how many people like my work oh my gosh i’m so motivated when enthusiasm shows tytyty <33 

𝕣𝕖𝕓𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕤 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕝𝕪 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕 !!

summary: bakugou x gn!reader. they have feelings for one another but have no idea how to express them, however y/n has someone pining for their attention. 

genre: angst 

warnings: mutual pining, cussing, aged-up to third years, love triangle, romantic tension, one-sided pining, jealousy, toxic kirishima (ok but like he’s hot tho), slowburn romance, not proofread 

word count: 2423

- - -

part 3 , part 5

you twiddled your thumbs in front of the poster. a halloween party? next month? it’d come as a surprise how fast the holiday was coming up. 

your stomach filled with butterflies, however, it sunk when you remembered what had happened last night. 

the little fight you had with kirishima. how it seemed like he suddenly hated bakugou, who was one of his best friends. you didn’t want to believe that kirishima could have had feelings for you. perhaps he was just protecting you. 

you sighed. you truly didn’t want to fight with either of them. maybe kirishima was right. he did know bakugou better than you, but to your knowledge, bakugou had never had a relationship. 

maybe kirishima was trying to say that bakugou would be toxic in the sense that he would never pay attention to you. perhaps he would be too focused on becoming the number one hero. 

whatever. it didn’t matter now. 

the poster listed that it was going to be a costume party, and dressing up was mandatory. you were good friends with mei hatsume from the support group, so she would be going all-out for the season. you wondered if she’d be able to whip something up for you, too. 

you had a few minutes left before class started, surely she should be available for a little bit of chatter. besides, mei hatsume never turned down a new project. 

turning, you started your way to the support classrooms just to be stopped, come face-to-face with the one person you’d been trying to avoid all day. “i don’t want to talk right now, kirishima,” you snapped. perhaps you were being a bit harsh, but he was the one trying to control you, was he not? 

“then don’t talk, y/n. i’ll talk.” 

you shoved past him, clutching your books to your chest. “no.” 

“just hear me out, okay? last night was...i didn’t mean to seem-” 

“seem what? possessive? rude? like an overprotective, jealous boyfriend?” 

“in no way was i trying to come across as any of those, trust me y/n.” 

you continued on your way to the support classes only to find him standing before you again. You sighed, tightening your grip around your books. “what.” you commanded him, you didn’t ask. 

kirishima let out a sigh of his own, letting his arms fall to his sides. “can we just...talk? we’re friends, and we’ve always communicated well with each other.” 

“communication was out of the question yesterday, wasn’t it?” you attempted shoving him away to continue on your way, but he caught your shoulder, finger pads digging into your skin possessively. 

“please, y/n.” 

you looked down your nose at him. “fine. say what you so badly want to get out.” 

“listen, i-” 

the bell rang, and students went rushing back into their classrooms. you shrugged, victorious. “looks like the bell isn’t on your side either, kirishima.” 

you heard him sigh in defeat, but did not look back.

---

there was something about the way kirishima was suddenly looking at you that bakugou didn’t like. at all. his pencil snapped in his grip, chips of wood and led flying into the air. 

speaking of kirishima, what was up with him lately? everything was suddenly about you. he was always around you. sure, throughout the years, you two had gotten closer, but kirishima looked just about ready to abandon bakugou’s ass on the side of the road. 

as usual, aizawa would be a bit late. in about ten minutes, the man would come wandering in, bags hanging low under his eyes, and instruct the lesson before falling back into his much-needed slumber. 

that was when bakugou would interrogate kirishima. but first, he needed to talk to you. needed to be sure he was on the winning side before anything happened between kirishima. 

bakugou walked over to your desk, tugging at your sleeve to get your attention. 

“hm?” you looked up from your notebook. “yes, bakugou? do you need something?” 

“yeah,” he replied, scratching the back of his neck. “you saw the poster too, right? the one about that stupid dance.” 

“well, i don’t think it’s stupid. it looks fun! don’t you think?” 

he drowned himself in your eyes. “mhm.” 

“so, did you still need something?” 

“got any costume ideas in mind?” 

you feigned surprise. “katsuki bakugou? are you saying what i think you’re saying?” 

he licked his lips. gosh, the way his name rolled off your tongue sounded the way honey tasted. “don’t push it.” he grinned. “still considering it.” 

“well, if you’re thinking of going, you definitely should. i’m buying tickets with mina and kaminari if you’d like to tag along.” 

“tag along?” he let out a breathy chuckle. “i’ll be the star of the show if i ‘tag along’, you got me?” 

you gave him a side smile. “mhm. but you do realize how hectic it’s gonna be there, right? i mean, you’ve got to pick something that...pops, y’know?” your fingers sprung out to add emphasis. 

“whether i wear some stupid costume or not, i’m still going to be the star of the show. you got that?”

you knew he was only teasing. if it’d been the bakugou from before, he would have most likely meant it, however, you knew how he openly teased you now. strangely, it was only you who he was so open with. 

bakugou smirked, leaning down to raise your chin with his fingers. “i’ll go if you go.”  

he had your heart pacing rapidly. “mhm.” 

“use your words.” 

“yes, i think i’ll go.” 

“you think?” he taunted. 

“i will go.” you cleared your throat. “bakugou.” 

“good.” his gentle fingers let go of your chin and he wandered back to his desk, eyeing you from there for a moment before flicking open a textbook and reading. 

you diverted your eyes back to your notebook, hands shaking as you wrote down the date. you scribbled down your name three times in the top right corner just to look busy. 

adjusting your elbow, you did your best to make it look like you were merely leaning your cheek on your hand in a bored manner. gosh. you could still feel his eyes burning into you, demanding. serious. gorgeous and blood red. 

kirishima was right about you having feelings for bakugou. however you sat there conflicted for a little while. 

bakugou had just approached you in a similar manner as kirishima. did kirishima..? 

no, you two were only friends. 

you shook your head, still doing your best to conceal the stupid grin crossing your cheeks. 

everyone knew that telling other people if you were just friends with someone after they asked, one person had feelings for the other at least. it was another thing asking yourself that. 

- - - 

it was just a week before the dance, and you still had yet to choose a costume. mina and kaminari had offered you a few of the costumes she’d worn at previous halloween parties, but none had appealed to you. 

you wanted something fresh. wanted something that you’d feel like you would have fun in. 

“wouldn’t dressing up as a pirate be really, i don’t know. i just feel like it’d be super super hot in the gym.” 

mina rolled her eyes. “well duh, you look hot in everything, y/n.” 

you scoffed. “thanks, but i’m not sure about that.” 

“kirishima seems to think so,” kaminari teased from inside the change room. all three of you were currently at a thrift store trying to find matching costumes. 

you rolled your eyes, disregarding the fact he couldn’t see. “don’t bring him up. please.” 

“what happened between you two?” mina asked, slipping the costume back onto its hanger. she slipped it back into its spot on the rack and began sifting through new clothes. “you guys just suddenly stopped talking.” 

you shrugged. “he’s just been...off lately. you know? i don’t know how else to explain it. but ever since that incident where he broke bakugou’s nose-” 

kaminari peaked out from the curtain, jaw dropping. “he broke bakugou’s nose?” 

you waved him off. “yes, now let me finish. kirishima did this thing where he just...he acted all protective in private and then tried to apologize for it the next day. he kept telling me stuff like bakugou wasn’t good for me and everything.” 

mina blinked, jaw dropping to the floor. “honey, what?” 

she and kaminari exchanged shocked glances before she popped a hip out and put her fist to it. 

“bestie, honey. you really are oblivious, aren’t you?” 

you let out an exasperated breath. “he told me that, too! he pinned me to the wall and was like, oh, you’re so oblivious.” you imitated his voice, puffing out your chest to mock his stockiness. 

“baby, baby! do you hear yourself?” mina shook you, taking you by your shoulders. “what the heck? are you blind? he’s down bad for you!” 

“bad? if he had feelings for anyone, not just me, i think kirishima would be a little more considerate.” 

“but it’s bakugou,” kaminari chirped in. “he knows he won’t win if he doesn’t get you now.” 

“please, bakugou doesn’t win at everything.” 

mina raised an eyebrow. “but you already have feelings for bakugou, so technically he’s already winning.” 

you pursed your lips. “i guess, but if kirishima really had romantic feelings for me, he’d be less of an ass about it.” 

“is he going to the dance?” kaminari closed the curtain, rustling around to change back into his clothes once more. 

“i’m pretty sure.” you began sifting through clothes with mina. “bakugou said he’d go if i went. so i’m guessing kirishima is going to be there, too. bakugou and he are never apart.” 

mina slapped her thigh in disbelief. “do you hear yourself, babes?” she wore a stupid grin. “i haven’t seen those two together since...i don’t know, not for the past month. they’re fighting over you, whether you realize it, whether they realize it.” 

kaminari let out a false moan. “oh to have those two fighting over me.” he came out of the change room dressed in his own clothes. 

“did the costume not fit?” mina asked. 

“my fat ass is too fat for it. i’m too hot to be a pirate.” he posed, mimicking aoyama. 

“your ass is flatter than a pancake, kaminari.” 

you chuckled, but couldn’t help thinking about what mina was saying. as your two friends began chatting away, you lost yourself in your thoughts. 

- 

the three of you sat down for dinner at a cheap restaurant. mina and kaminari had bought a matching costume set, and you were still left without one. the two had left for the bathroom, leaving you sipping your own drink alone. 

your chest sank into your stomach when a familiar head full of red, the roots beginning to darken, stepped into the restaurant. he ordered what you’d guessed. 

he waited for the meal to be prepared for take out, rocking back and forth on his heels and whistling softly. 

thankfully, you felt someone rest a hand on your shoulder. you turned, expecting to see kaminari or mina attempting to save you. instead, you found a strange man. he looked to be around your age. you vaguely recognized his face. perhaps you’d seen him around yuuei before. 

uncomfortable, you shoved his hand off. “please go away.” 

kirishima blinked slowly when his eyes found you. you did not attempt to hide your annoyance. 

you wanted to tell both of them to go away as the man started flirting with you. it should be expected. this wasn’t the best place to be hanging out, either. 

you heard footsteps rushing up, and soon, a hand clamped around your wrist. you cried out as kirishima pulled you out of your seat. 

“do you have an issue?” he demanded, eyes boring into the man’s. 

the man licked his lips. “you seem like you have an issue, here.” his words slurred grossly. “we were over here minding our own business.” 

“they don’t want it.” kirishima snapped. 

“kirishima, i can handle this myself. you tried to shove off his grip. he let go, knowing that this wasn’t truly how he wanted to approach you. 

“see?” the man said. “they’re fine.” 

“get out of here.” 

“kirishima, what’re you-” 

the man put his hands up in surrender and wandered out. 

you pushed kirishima back. “what the hell?” 

“fine. be mad at me, but he was invading your space.” 

your brow furrowed. “you’re one to talk! do i need to put some kind of restraining order on you? you keep following me everywhere.” 

“not anywhere! this was a coincidence.” 

you shook your head. “it’s pointless trying to argue with you. you’re so toxic!” 

kirishima tongued the inside of his cheek. “think what you want, y/n. i could see you were uncomfortable, anyway.” 

“no, kirishima. i don’t need your saving. i don’t need you to swoop in and pretend like you’re my hero. you’re not. don’t talk to me again unless you’ve grown the hell up.” 

as if on queue, the bell rang and kirishima’s packaged dinner was presented in a paper bag. he gave you a good, long hard stare before taking his dinner and leaving. 

your chest heaved with anger. you wanted to make him angry. if he felt romantic feelings towards you, you wanted to make him jealous. 

you gave mina and kaminari a text that you’d be going home early. it was only a half-lie. you ran to hatsume’s dorm and knocked loudly. she opened the door without hesitation and grinned widely at the sight of you, already knowing you needed something. 

kirishima was obviously so damn jealous of bakugou, wasn’t he? mina was right. he wouldn’t be able to compete. and you were going to make sure he knew that. 

- 

the blaring lights, the music louder than bakugou’s explosions. students disguised as their favorite characters. 

it was hectic, you were right about that. 

kirishima stood beside him. they’d both decided to dress in their hero costumes. the tension between them was still unspoken. they felt like strangers. 

their eyes scanned the crowd, and bakugou’s landed on you first, kirishima following closely after. 

he couldn’t help the warm, victorious feeling in his chest as he glanced to the side at kirishima’s expression. 

- 

kirishima’s chest caved in. you’d dressed in...who had made it? 

“they’re dressed as...you,” he said, aghast. 

bakugou grinned, watching you dance under the lights in your own rendition of his hero costume, that orange x crossing your chest oh-so-nicely.

- - - 

tags: (if you want to be tagged in future parts, let me know!!) 

@heizenka @misssugarless 

#my hero academia #bnha #boku no hero academia #bakugou fluff #bakugou katuski x reader #bakugou angst #bakugou #eijirou kirishima #kirishima #kirishima x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #anime #mha #deku #class1a #angst #fluff #mina ashido #kaminari #denki kaminari #denki #yn #xreader #ashido #mina #bakugou x y/n #bakugou x reader

[miaurri]

𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤-𝐔𝐩

Synopsis: Yuuji is your nurse and it’s his job to take care of you  Genere: Smut  Contains: Futa, Monster cock, Overstimulation, Handjob, Blowjob, Size difference, Cum inflation 

Waiting in the rooms you were assigned, you kept shifting in your seat as you wait patiently for the nurse to come in and check up on you. You felt your pants getting tighter and tighter, it was so unbearable you felt as if you were going to pass out. It’s only been about a few minutes since you came into the room but it felt more like hours. Your face was flushed red with your eyes being able to focus on one thing. But thank god you didn’t have to wait any longer, you hear the sounds of high heels clicking against the floor as it kept getting closer  You felt a bit nervous though, even though the nurse is a girl and while you were female presenting it was uncommon still for hospitals getting futa patients. You just hope you don’t scare her with your massive cock-  As the heels stopped and the doorknob turns you braced yourselves to face the nurse who’s gonna take care of you. But to your shock you see a boy with pink fluffy hair walk in instead. He worse a typical nurse outfit you’d see at a halloween store, short tight white dress and a little hat to match.  What was notable though was how you can see the slight outline of his cock from his dress. Your eyes kept falling down to see his red high heels he wore, suddenly your eyes met his. “Hi, I’ll be your nurse for today!”  You replied back with a small hum and nod. The nurse seemed to be rather cheery. As he went over to sit down onto the spinning chair that was near a computer he started to ask you basic stuff, your name, why you’re here, other personal info and even introducing himself. Nurse itadori...cute name.  “So it looks like you might have a fever, but it also seems you’re a futa too..hmm” He hummed as the sounds of him clicking on the mouse filled the cold room. He turned over to you suddenly as he looked over at you, you leaned back a bit feeling a bit nervous. Yuuji simply went down on his knees in front of you all of the sudden, you leaned back as he started to palm your crotch  “Well, for our futa patients we give them a ‘special treatment’ for their fever. Which means we need to drain as much cum as we can...so relax sweetie, ok?” He smiles up at you innocently before he unzipped your pants and pulled down. You puled nervous as you felt your cock slipping out. While Yuuji was getting ready to suck you off suddenly  plop!  Yuuji was taken back, he blinked in shocked as his eyes widen at what he was hit with. Your cock was massive, the length and girth ratio was something he hasn’t dealt with someone like this in his job before. He was now the one who gulped nervously as well. “O-Oh my, you’re so...nevermind, I got this” He shook off what he said before he took you in But his mouth stretched over to your tip he choked a bit, it barely covered your tip but he was already gagging. He had two hands rubbing your base while he licked all over your cock. You let out a strained moan as you watched your nurse sucks you off.  He kept kissing and licking all over your cock and even tried stuffing his mouth your balls, giving both of them love while he tries to take you in again. But he was struggling, he kept going deeper but already he was losing air and pulled away. Couching up some spit and drool before continuing  “Uh, N-Nurse...you ok?” You were breathy but your hand went over to pull the nurse’s head off your cock. You felt a bit bad since he was obviously struggling yet, why was it so satisfying to see him struggle to take you in?  You felt bad, you didn’t like seeing someone struggle but seeing your cute nurse attempt to take your cock in was making it twitch even more, but now it only caused more pain to you due to your fever. “I-I’m ok! Just give me a moment...” He panted before going back again to suck you  His tongue flicking your tip and his hands rubbing your base faster, he was drinking up your precum like its nothing. Feeling it run down his throat he kept on sucking and sucking. But wasn’t enough for you to entirely cum. You were getting frustrated and he was getting desperate  You can’t take this anymore- It’s going to kill you and without thinking you suddenly pushed your nurse off of you. Leaving a yelp from the nurse you got on top of him. He looks up at you shocked and flustered, drool trailing from his lips. “W-What are you doing?!” He asked with nervousness in his voice as he whimpers  You didn’t reply, too into your fever you suddenly ripped off his skirt. Letting out a gasp as he covered his throbbing cock. You force his legs open before you suddenly slid yourself in, luckily it didn’t hurt as much from all of Yuuji’s spit and drool that covered your cock  But he was left with a massive belly bulge. “AHHH!!! FUUUCCCK!!” Yuuji cries out loud, definitely loud enough for everyone in the hospital to hear. His cock shot loads all over his belly before you started to thrust. Your hips snapping into him as he starts sobbing in pain and pleasure  His face was now equally as red as yours. But you kept stretching him out by thrusting inside him, watching as his belly bulge kept appearing and disappearing. You made him place his hands onto this bulge, which made his cock twitch some more.  “Feel that? Y-Your first monster cock inside you feels so good doesn’t it?”  “Y-You’re stretching me out!! S-Slow down please!!” He sobbed out, his words slurring from how much he was feeling. Keeping eye contact with you suddenly thrust faster into him, making his cock again twitch and cum from you hitting his prostate.  Being brutally fucked on the floor he begs and begs for you to cum inside him already. “C-Cum in me! Please please please pleeaaseee!!” His eyes were glassy with tears. He was so unabashedly loud, his cock kept squirting out more and more lines of his white sticky fluids.  “Y-Yea, you want me to fill your hole up?” You felt yourself close, throbbing inside him only made hims cry out more. His tears were ruining his makeup, mascara running down his soft face while he kept his hands on his bulge.  “Y-Yes please!! I-I want your cum so badly!!! I- Ahhhh!! I wanna be your hungry cock whore!!!” Yuuji was out of it, he was so fucked out his tongue was hanging on the side of his mouth. But you kept thrusting faster and faster into him. His copper eyes rolled to the back of his head before he suddenly felt something fill him out.  “Aghhhhhh!! Take it!! Take all of me!!” You gave him one final hard thrust before letting yourself go. Suddenly Yuuji felt himself cum once again, arching his back while you filled him to the brim, cum expanding his stomach and dripping onto the floor. He heaves and drooled, too fucked to even think straight he lays there as you pulled out. Now your cum kept spewing like a fountain from the boy’s hole. You felt your cock slowly getting limp and softer while the size slowly goes down. Once getting back into reality you panic seeing how unresponsive your nurse was  “I-I’m so sorry!! Uhhh, do you want me to uh..g-get help?” You ask nervously, pointing at the door as Yuuji blinked before mumbling out. “N-No...ju...just go pick up the..m-m...med...yea” He was too tired from being fucked. You excused yourself from him before closing the door behind him, you wanted to help him out with cleaning the cum but you were way too nervous to go back and stay there for longer  Let’s say the poor janitor had to clean the mess afterwards and now Yuuji had to call in a sick day or two from not being able to move his legs. 

#❤️.smut #Nurse!Yuuji #jujustu kaisen #jjk x reader #jjk smut #itadori yuuji x you #itadori yuuji smut #Itadori Yuuji x reader #itadori x reader #yuuji smut

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Quarantine Lovers (Part 4) | Charlie Gillespie

Dream-a-little-bigger-x’s Countdown to Christmas  Day 8

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE

A/N: Merry Christmas to all who celebrate and happy Thursday to anyone who doesn’t. Out of all the things I’d planned for this month, I wanted to make sure I got a Christmas edition for Quarantine Lovers up before Christmas. I hope you enjoy it! I hope you have the most magical day! 🎄

Pairing: Charlie x reader

Summary: After Charlie had put out all the stops on Halloween, you figured it was your turn to do the same for this holiday. And though it was hard to get in the mood, it eventually all went according to plan, giving the both of you the most magical and safe Christmas time. 

Song(s) used: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Glee Cast Version 

Warnings: It’s cute. Disgustingly cute.

Words: 3,199

It’s December first and you didn’t feel the Christmas spirit in the slightest. While you would normally get all the decorations out on the first day of your favorite month, you couldn’t this year. There was not a bone in your body that even felt the smallest itch to get festive and decorate the house. You barely even acknowledged that it was, in fact, December already until you opened your laptop to start working on the script edits your supervisor sent you and the date stared  back at you on the screen, mocking you.  

“Why so glum, chum?” Charlie asked when he walked into the living room and saw you sitting on the couch with a pout on your face. 

An exasperated sigh left your body while your eyes met his. “It’s December already.” 

Charlie blinked at you with a deadpan expression on his face. “You figured that out by yourself? Good on ya, Sherlock,” he quipped as the expression made way for a smirk. 

“But I normally itch to get the decorations out on December first and now I just… don’t,” you retorted, shaking your head. “Stupid covid. Stupid 2020.” Charlie chuckled at your mumbling before making a beeline towards you to kiss you on the top of your head. 

“I’m sure it’s gonna come soon, my love. Don’t get your hopes up.” You looked up at him, eyes shimmering and filled with hope, silently praying he was right.  “Do you want anything from the grocery store?” he then asked. 

A grin crawled up to your cheeks as you cheekily replied, “Surprise me.” 

Before heading off, Charlie dipped down to peck you on the lips and caressed your cheek sweetly. Once he was out the door, silence fell over the apartment. You hated silence with a passion, so you decided to put on some music. Maybe some Christmas tunes could put you in the right mood. You had to try at least something, you figured. 

“Babyyyyyy” Charlie sang out when he’d returned. Glancing at the clock, you realized you’d been sitting on the couch for an hour, staring at the document filled with comments and notes and edits while Christmas music filled your ears, but not your heart. This almost made you want to cry until you saw what your boyfriend was holding out to you as he approached you. 

“You got me a chocolate advent calendar?” you asked with eyes shimmering and wide. 

He nodded his head, pressed a kiss to your head and then made a beeline to the kitchen, leaving you alone with your advent calendar to empty the other groceries in the pantry and fridge. “It was the very last one left, and I figured it would put you in the Christmas spirit.” 

Your eyes teared up at how thoughtful your boyfriend was. He always pulled off stuff like this so nonchalantly like it wasn’t the cutest thing in the whole entire world. Every day after Halloween, he’d just popped in with these cute little things that made your heart melt like ice cream in the hot summer sun. 

Putting the calendar and your laptop to the side, you got up and made your way towards your boyfriend, wrapping your arm around his waist from behind and pressing your cheek to his shoulder. A chuckle sent vibrations from his chest through your cheek, causing a smile to fall on your lips. 

“You gonna hang on there?” he then asked and started to walk towards the counter where the other groceries were sprawled out while you held onto his waist. “So, that’s a yes.” 

“Have I told you I love you yet today?” 

“About three times.” 

He turned around in your grip, now facing you with a smile hidden underneath that moustache of his. One you weren’t fond of at the beginning, but grown to love after a few days. “Have I told you I love you too?” 

“About three times,” you replied with a cheeky grin before hoisting yourself up to your tiptoes to kiss his lips. “I’m happy I got you.” His hands gently slid across your cheeks whilst his fingers combed back the loose strands of hair of your ponytail until his palms pressed onto your cheeks. 

“And I’m happy I got you.” He dipped down to kiss you again before the two of you tackled the rest of the groceries together. You loved these random, sickly adorable moments you shared. No matter how many times he told you he loved you, you still had to pinch yourself to make sure you weren’t dreaming. This entire past year had been completely wack. From meeting him at the start of the year to spending what sometimes seemed like an eternity in between the four walls of your apartment. Though, to be fair all you wanted with him was an eternity. 

“Wanna cuddle up and watch a Christmas movie with me?” he asked when the groceries were all in place and you and him made your way to the sofa where he plopped down. 

A pout pulled at your bottom lip as you grabbed your laptop again. “I really gotta finish these edits though. But you can watch one and I’ll just join you when I’m done, okay?” Charlie’s eyebrows knitted together as he watched you turn towards the door of the studio-slash-office-space with your eyes on your laptop screen. 

“Gimme kiss then before you go.” He stretched out his arms with grabby hands, making him look like a toddler who wanted a cuddle. You chuckled before leaning down and planting a passionate kiss on his lips as though it was the last one you’d ever share. 

“I’ll be back soon, my love,” you whispered dramatically before disappearing into the office. 

And soon meant really soon. With the faint sound of the Grinch in the background, you couldn’t seem to concentrate on any of the words. So, you decided to leave the edits for what they were for the day -- the deadline was still far enough away -- and join your boyfriend on the sofa. 

“That’s quick,” he noted when you reappeared in the living room. 

Snuggling up to him, you press a kiss to his jawline before speaking, “I can’t miss watching the Grinch with my favorite person ever, now can I?” A smile spread to his lips seconds before the two of you simultaneously pretended to gag mockingly. “Barf.”

“We’re disgusting,” he muttered, to which you agreed with a hum. You might be disgustingly cute, but you loved the dynamic the two of you had since the very genesis of this relationship. You were meant to be, no matter how cliché that sounded. After this year, you knew that for sure. 

The days slowly crawled by and they grew darker and colder, along with your Christmas heart. There was nothing you could do to make you feel festive this year, you thought. You’d tried many things; watching a Christmas movie, listening to some Christmas tunes. Nothing worked. Until you decided on December 21st, enough is enough, and did everything you possibly could at once. 

Or kind of, at least. 

You hauled out all your Christmas decoration boxes and put on your favorite Christmas movie, which was ELF, in the background. This ought to get you into the Christmas spirit. It just had to. This was your very last resort to get into the right mindset for the plans you have for Charlie in three days. 

“What are you doing, lovely?” Charlie’s voice sounded when he emerged from the bedroom. 

You grunted as you lifted the box on the table. “I’m done with feeling sorry for myself for not feeling very Christmassy. I’m gonna decorate with ELF on in the background and I’m gonna force Christmas onto myself.” 

Charlie’s laugh filled the air, and before you could turn around, he was already by your side, helping you sort through all the decorations you’d accumulated over the past two years you lived here. 

“Then I’m gonna help you force Christmas onto yourself.” You looked up at him and the burning sensation of your gaze on his cheek made his eyes meet yours. A smile landed on his lips as well as yours before you reached up and kissed his lips chastely. 

For the next few hours, the two of you spent Christmasifying the entire apartment. With the tree all decked out and lights everywhere, the Christmas-shaped hole in your heart was filled with Christmas cheer. You couldn’t wait until the twenty-fourth when you had planned the most magical evening, all unbeknownst to Charlie. 

On the morning of the twenty-fourth, you sneaked out of bed, careful not to wake Charlie, and made a beeline towards the kitchen. You felt giddy. Giddy about your favorite holiday and giddy about the surprise you had up your sleeve for Charlie today. 

First, you wanted to make him the greatest Christmas breakfast you could. You started on the French toast, you squeezed some fresh orange juice and then sliced some fruit. All while humming along to the radio that was softly playing Christmas tunes in the background.

This month had been a whole rollercoaster of emotions. All you really wanted was to have that perfect first Christmas with Charlie, but thanks to covid, those plans seemed to slip through your fingers. Firstly, you didn’t feel half as Christmassy as you do other years, and secondly, you couldn’t do any of the fun Christmas activities that made everything so festive. The Christmas markets in New Brunswick were all cancelled and you couldn’t see any of your friends and family.

Despite all those setbacks, you still made it your mission to make this first Christmas with a boyfriend like Charlie the most memorable one ever. You had told Charlie you were going to go visit your parents as they had a fire pit in their garden you could stand around and keep warm while also staying safe, which wasn’t a lie. You just weren’t going to spend the night with your parents as they were in Nova Scotia to visit some family. There was a bigger, better plan that laid below that thin layer of a white lie. 

It made you giddy just thinking about it. 

“Merry Christmas, my lovely,” Charlie’s voice called out, making you jump slightly as you were too caught up into the thoughts about your plans. 

Smiling widely, you said, “Merry Christmas, mister ‘stache,” and leaned up to peck him on the lips once he was beside you. “I hope you're hungry, because I think I made breakfast for the entire neighborhood.” 

“This looks delicious.” 

“You look delicious.” 

Charlie chuckled and pecked your cheek before starting to help out with some stuff until it was finally time for you to eat. With Christmas tunes blaring and the two of you either singing along or talking about anything and everything, you ate the deliciously prepared breakfast. Up to the point where neither of you would even fit in your jeans anymore. 

You loved being in quarantine with Charlie. Though you were together all the time, it had never been harsh on your relationship. Sure, you bickered sometimes and you both needed your space every now and then. But you always felt it when the other needed that space and you’d respect it. The two of you were just perfect for one another, and living together during the year a pandemic broke out globally was a big test for your relationship but the fact you made it through to December without once breaking up or wanting to kill one another, had to mean something. 

Everything was just perfect. Especially this day. It was so calm and serene to play board games and watch Christmas movies together. It was the first day of the month you truly felt Christmassy. Charlie was the perfect calming influence on you, and made you forget all about the nerves about the big surprise tonight.�� 

Until you finally made it to your parents’ house. Then, your heart began to pound in your chest. You were so nervous to pull off this surprise. It had to be perfect. As perfect as the Halloween surprise he pulled on you two months ago. 

“Where are your parents?” he asked when you stepped inside the dark and cold house. 

You smirked and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the living room. “Well, they’re not here,” you admitted whilst grabbing the remote and turning on the tv on which you had put the surprise video from his friends. “But they are.” You pressed play and a piano filled the big screen. Madison’s fingers glided across the keys, creating a beautiful tune before her angelic voice filled up the living room while her face appeared on the screen with that gorgeous smile of hers on her face. 

“Have yourself a merry little Christmas Let your heart be light From now on our troubles will be Out of sight”

Then the screen switched to six different little squares with one friend in each of them, except for the one Jeremy and Carolynn were in together. The boy in the middle square with the long blonde locks continued singing. 

“Have yourself a merry little Christmas Make the yule-tide gay From now on our troubles will be Miles away”

Then Jeremy’s voice mingled with Owen’s, creating a gorgeous harmony together while Charlie’s arms wrapped around your shoulders from behind, resting his chin on your shoulder to watch the video in awe of his talented friends. 

“Here we are as in olden days Happy golden days of yore”

Then Savannah’s voice came through and mingled with the boys’. 

“Faithful friends who are dear to us Gather near to us once more”

Jeremy took over again with Jadah beautifully harmonizing this time. 

“Through the years, we all will be together If the Fates allow Hang a shining star upon the highest bow And have yourself a little merry Christmas now”

During the musical intermezzo, they screen cut to Owen on his drums softly drumming along while Madison continued playing the piano. The entire video gave off the cutest and most Christmassy vibe ever. And even though they weren’t together, it still felt like they were. 

On the last chorus, Tori and Carolynn even chimed in, and all seven of them sang together. 

“Faithful friends who are dear to us Will be near to us once more Through the years, we all will be together If the Fates allow Hang a shining star upon above the highest bow And have yourself a little merry Christmas now”

All of them smiled at the camera and yelled, “Merry Christmas, Charlie!” 

You turned to your boyfriend then to find him holding back tears. “They weren’t that bad!” you said teasingly, causing him to chuckle before letting you go and wiping away the escaped tears. 

“It was amazing. We have some talented friends, don’t we?” 

A smirk curled your lips on one corner as you thought about said talented friends. “Mmh,” you mumbled before taking a hold of his hand again and leading him towards the big glass door on your left, the one that led into the garden.  

“That was actually our plan B in case plan A would fail because of covid….” you started while outside the orange and red flames flickered in the dark night sky, showing the silhouettes of five people around the fire pit. “But they put so much effort into plan B, that I didn’t not wanna use to sooooo…” you dragged out the ‘so’ and lifted your hand for a few raps on the glass. 

The five people around the fire turned towards the house, masks hiding most of their faces as they waved at the two of you inside. Looking up at Charlie, you found him staring at the people outside, mouth ajar and eyes wide and watery. 

“No, you didn’t,” he mumbled before averting his eyes from his friends to you. He scanned your face as though trying to figure out whether you were serious or all of this was an elaborate joke. 

“Yes, I did.” You handed him a face mask and held out the hand sanitizer, knowing that if you wore masks and sanitized, you could hug your friends. “You went all out on Halloween for me, bubba. I wanted to do the same for you on Christmas.” 

He held out his hands for you to sanitize after he’d put his mask on and after you’d done that, you slid the glass door open and made your way into the cold with Charlie in tow. The closer you got to the fire, the more you felt the warm flood from the flames and the giddier you became because you were going to see Charlie’s friends for the first time in real life. 

“The fuck, dude?!” Charlie exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around Owen and Jeremy at the same time. Your heart melted at the scene of the boys reuniting after such a long time of not seeing each other in real life. 

“Thank you guys for coming,” you said as you made your way around the girls, hugging all three of them, and once that round was done, Charlie had let go of the boys and allowed you to hug them whilst he said hello to the girls. 

“Where are Madi and Jadah?” he then asked, noticing they were a few friends out. 

“They had plans with their family and they couldn’t fly out by themselves,” Jeremy explained as the masks went off and they distanced a little bit more around the fire. 

Charlie nodded his head as he wrapped an arm around you, pulling you into his thick coated body. “This is such an amazing surprise. Thanks for doing this, guys.” 

Owen held his hands up in defense while Carolynn spoke, “You gotta thank your girl. She’s the one who put all of this together.” 

“Yeah, all of this was her idea,” Tori chimed in. And as all eyes landed on you, you felt your cheeks heat up. Though you had talked to each and every one of these people via text or facetime, it still all felt kind of new and you got nervous around new people easily. 

Charlie turned to you and pressed a kiss to your temple, making you look up at him shyly. “You’re amazing, you know that?” Instead of letting you answer that question, he pressed his lips down on yours passionately. The wolf-whistles and cheers the kiss earned from your friends made you giggle against his lips. 

“I’m gonna get the food,” you then said, patting Charlie’s chest. The three girls followed you to help out and when you got back, Charlie was already playing songs on his guitar with the boys singing ridiculous Christmas songs. Tonight was going to be amazing, you could already tell. 

And it was. You had so much fun with Charlie’s friends that you’d forgotten how cold it actually was outside. Though it wasn’t what you’d dreamed of for your first Christmas with Charlie, it was more than perfect. If every holiday would be this way, you would be perfectly fine in Quarantine for longer with your lover. 

JATP taglist: @hannahhistorian92 @marinettepotterandplagg @thequirkybookaholic @bookdealer5 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @hemmingsness @iainttakingshitfromnobody @ifilwtmfc @angryknightstatesmantrash @kiss-themoongoodbye @charliesmountains​  @thedarkqueenofavalon @caitsymichelle13 @calamitykaty @wiselight @kcd15 @vicesvsvirtuesfanfic @stars-soph @kinda-really-lost @notasofti @alexpjoyner @n0wornever @kaitieskidmore1 @tefilovesreading @pxperphxntom @crybabyddl @merceret @headheartbellarke 

Charlie/Luke taglist: @lukeys-giggle @gingerxarmy @lovesanimals @lolychu​ @perfectlywrongformend3s @luckylouiebug @camiladelrio98 @myfriendscallmebeans​ 

#charlie gillespie #charlie gillespie fic #charlie gillespie x reader #luke patterson #julie and the phantoms #jatp #jatp fic #quarantine lovers

[littlemisslipbalm]

Little Border Town Pt. II

Summary: Harry starts to find himself more and more drawn to the bookshop owner. She’s maybe not as annoying as he first thought. And maybe Harry isn’t the worst like she thought either. A little notebook, drinks, shoes, and a boat begin to show each other that. 

AKA: Harry and Y/N are neighbors that fight all the time, the whole town wants to know when they’ll just fuck. 

ello loves,  part 2 is finally here pls let me know what you think!! barely proofread sorry... also i think theres gonna be quite a few parts to this because i keep not getting all i want to say said in each part. and im trying to keep the chunks relatively short. — also I made one direction lowkey exist bahaha

Word Count: 9.2k | Warnings: flirty fighting/banter, slowburn 

Part 1

-

The next day Harry found himself walking into the bookshop next door without really thinking about it. He hadn’t seen Y/N again for his early morning run and he had his list for her of the Paul Simon albums he already had. They hadn’t had their windows or shades open last night either so it was the first night he didn’t give her a salute and she didn’t flip him off. The jostle in routine seemed a little weird to him so as he walked through the shop's door and the bell sounded, he thought the smile on his face was because he was well rested and unbothered by anything.

Y/N had slept in this morning. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but the beginning of Fall always put her in a cozy sleepy mood. She wanted to go to a pumpkin patch and watch a fire burn out in a fireplace. She wanted to listen to her halloween playlist and plan out an intricate costume with her friends. All of this was a wistful dream though. She had quickly learned that the little border town didn’t celebrate Halloween how they did in the States or any major cities. It was okay, at the end of the day, even if she was a little bummed about it. This was her new life and she would have to adapt to the new customs.

After she walked downstairs and unlocked the door, she went back over to her front counter. Yesterday, right when Harry had come in, she had found a booklet of Marie’s. It was leafed over to the point that all the pages were crinkled and dirtied from hand debris. Each page was filled with her loopy handwriting, all of it in French. She must have only liked blue pens because even if the type changed over different pages, the color was always blue. Each page was headed with a name, a customer’s name Y/N was starting to realize as she leafed through the pages. She sat back on the wooden stool she had gotten for behind the counter and propped the book in her hand. After the name of the customer there were extensive details on them. Not their purchases specifically, but their preferences, their personality, and just tidbits about any quirks they had or interesting things Marie had decided were of note.

She found many names that were now familiar to her after her few months of living in the little border town. There really weren't that many people to get to know and the tourists were starting to die down now that the school year was getting back in. After a few minutes of pouring over Monsieur Friedfrickson’s page, who lives across the street from her and runs the flower and gardening supplies shop, she flips to an even more familiar name’s page.

“Harry Styles.” The page had the name written out in strong tall letters. Marie had used a blue inky pen for his page, not a ballpoint. “Likes Music. Poetry. Love stories. Romance with a happy ending, but also likes the practical love too.” The interests are laid out plain and she purses her lips at the idea that Harry is interested in romance novels. She wondered what type of poetry he liked since Marie didn’t seem to think that had to be elaborated on. “He’s a special one,” it reads and Y/N scoffs to herself, really Marie? She reads on, “His heart is in the right place, but he’s got a mouth on him. Quick-witted and charming, but kind-hearted and sincere.” She pauses, and flicks the page back and forth, checking that it still reads Harry’s name when she gets back to it. Was she really the only one who found Harry vapid and annoying? Sure she had softened a little towards him since she had arrived, but they were by no means friends. “While seemingly perfect in every way, Harry is actually-” it reads and she mutters to herself, “Ok, now we’re getting somewhere.” “While seemingly perfect in every way, Harry is actually scared of his own shadow.” “This can’t be real!” She once again scoffs at the book and looks up to the ceiling like Marie is going to talk back to her from beyond. “His exterior persona is very strong, both physically and in his personality, but it seems like he’s just waiting for that right person that he can really be vulnerable with and let them into what he’s really thinking. He’s looking for his Angie.” Now she’s just confused. Who the fuck is Angie? She almost doesn’t finish reading the page because honestly it’s just making her mad, but there’s only a few more lines. “Lots of tattoos, why so many tattoos? Thinks he’s funnier than he is. Flamboyant Harry is best.” And beside that last sentence is a star. She tries to hold in her laughter. At least it wasn’t a complete page of praise for Harry.

Thinking back to her knowledge of Harry, she realizes that Marie must have known him for about three years. Maybe more if he had come to visit before moving there officially. She agreed with Marie that Harry had a lot of tattoos and that he thinks he’s funnier than he truly is, but she was yet to see flamboyant Harry. She knew he painted his nails and wore rings, as well as interesting clothes, but she wouldn’t say he was particularly flamboyant for any of that. That comment definitely piqued her interest. When would Marie have seen Harry where he was being flamboyant?

Her eyes scan over the page once more and realize that this book is only for the most current year. Marie re-did the customers' outlines every year. So this was this past year before Marie died. She wondered where the other books might be and if Harry’s outline had changed over time and also if her name was in the one from when she had visited. That would be interesting to read. It’s strange to read a dead person’s private musings. To her knowledge, no one else alive knew the contents of these pages and these pages seemed especially personal since they spoke of people’s lives and who they were at their core. Maybe that’s why she didn’t hear the chime of the door this morning when the first customer arrived.

Her eyes don’t shoot up from the page until two ringed hands enter her eye line on the counter. The tanned skin, with the gold and silver dazzling rings on each finger and the cross tattoo all register in her mind as her eyes go wide. She snaps the book shut when her eyes meet Harry’s almost ivy green eyes - they’re darker in the foggy fall light streaming through the window today. She hadn’t even turned on the lights yet in the store, the natural light being enough for her this morning. The book is clutched in her hands as Harry’s smile widens to a grin of amusement.

“What have you got there?”

There’s no cover on the book so he can’t make anything out about it. He assumes it’s some novel she’s embarrassed of and has chosen to slip the cover off of to keep anonymity of it. This assumption is why his tone is so teasing and why she grimaces at him in response. Her cheeks have also tinted themselves, she’s flustered that the man she had just been conversing about with the book was now in the store.

“None of your business.”

“I guess not.” He replies easily when she responds curtly and places the book out of sight somewhere under the countertop.

“Why are you here again?” She’s avoiding his eye contact now, feeling like she’s been caught doing something she shouldn’t have been even though it was perfectly within her right to read something that now belonged to her.

Harry’s smile falters with her followed curt reply. Annoyance settling in, Harry straightens up and removes his hands from the counter. The familiar feeling doesn’t exactly feel nice, but familiarity is better than discomfort. “You wanted a list of my Paul Simon records? So you could order me one I didn’t already have?”

She looks at him curiously as the conversation comes back to her from yesterday morning and she nods. That conversation was real. “Oh yeah, I said that.” She replies, still not looking at him. “Okay,” she says when he doesn’t move or do anything. Her eyes widen, silently asking him to get on with it.

His hands shove into his pockets, searching around for a list he apparently had made. They come out empty. He pats over his jacket pockets and feels nothing but his phone and wallet, no list. “Fuck,” he mutters beneath his breath. She scratches at her eyebrow and sits back on her stool, seeming like she might be waiting awhile. After a few more minutes and no produced list, she sighs. “Do you just want to go next door and grab it since you obviously forgot it?”

“I didn’t forget it…” His voice is low and he shoots a glare at her, the annoyance that had come back had now doubled.

“You did, but it’s okay if you can’t admit that-”

“It must have fallen out of my pocket!” He insists.

She rolls her eyes and stands up. Walking to the front door, she looks on the ground and then a little ways outside. “I don’t see it, just go back and get it. You probably left it in your boudoir, it’s fine.” Her tone is a little less condescending now and more understanding. She forgets stuff all the time and she really wasn’t trying to be rude when he first came in. He had just startled her is all.

He turns around to face her. Her body is now completely out in the open area of the front of the store. His head tilts and one of his loose curls flops over his forehead while he takes in her appearance. “Why do you do that?”

She wets her lips and steps closer to him, more on her way back to the counter than anything. “Do what?” She’s oblivious to what he’s taken note of.

“When you have a conversation in English you’ll swap in some words that are French. They’re easy words to figure out and you don’t do it a lot, but you’ve done it enough times for me to notice.”

“Oh...I don’t know. I prefer French to English. It’s so much sexier.” She walks closer to him and utters her next sentence as she brushes past his shoulder. His gaze follows her every movement. “Would you prefer a girl to whisper in your ear, “let’s go back to my bedroom” or “let’s go back to my boudoir.”?” Her French accent hangs in the air with the word and compared to the hard American accent she had employed for ‘bedroom’, ‘boudoir’ sounds far more dirty this time than before.

A shiver rolls down Harry’s spine, but he doesn’t let it show. She shrugs her shoulders, “I think the answer is clear.” He clears his throat in response and a smile grows on her face. “Don’t you agree, monsieur?” She leans her head into her hand now that she’s behind the counter and looks up at him sweetly. He knows she’s teasing him now, her smile more of a sultry smirk.

“Piccola diavola,” his Italian rolls off his tongue and she squints at his words. She knows “devil” but the first word troubles her - it just means little. Her Italian really wasn’t strong and it hadn’t improved that much since she’d been in the little border town. But she also wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of asking what he had said. Harry chuckles at her confusion and relaxes now that he feels the playing field has leveled once again.

“So your list… Do you want to go grab it? Or if you can just list it off the top of your head? As enthralling as your conversation skills are, I actually don’t have all day.” She trails off again, her questions lilting from her mouth after regaining some composure.

“I wasn’t the one teasing about taking someone up to their bedroom,” he huffs. Her face colors with crimson. While she had been teasing him, she didn’t want to be called out for it.

“Wasn’t teasing…”

“So it was a serious offer?” He inquires with a lop-sided grin, changing the meaning behind her words in one fellow swoop.

“That’s not what I was saying! Shut up and give me your list.” Now her blush was all over her face and neck, and she was totally and completely flustered by Harry.  She glanced down at her hands that were fiddling with a pen and paper, ready to write his words down.

“I can either shut up or tell you my list. But it’s sadly one or the other, love.”

She groans and takes her free hand to run it over her face. “Just tell me what you already have, Harry. Please.”

“Okay, okay,” he chuckles and spreads out his hands in front of them both. He crosses back to the counter and leans on it once more. They are in close proximity once again, only the counter between them now and she can feel his hot breath fan over her softly. Smells of wintergreen gum, her favorite.

She glances up at him and their eyes hook together for a moment before she tears hers away to look back at the paper. He rattles off a good amount of Paul Simon’s albums and she nods approvingly as she scribbles the names down. She would have to look through his discography to find the ones Harry didn’t have and she probably could’ve made Harry do that and then give her that list, but she didn’t. It was too late now to do that as well, so she’d just have to live with her decision.

When he finishes, she glances at him once again. His eyes are very large. A detail that isn’t really important about him is seared in her mind. They’re big and they’re staring right at her. His pupils are almost as big as his irises, it was interesting. Her eyes shift under his gaze after a beat and she straightens up again. While they went over his list, she had indulged in the close proximity, the mingling of warm breath and brushed hands as she scribbled and he pondered. She nods a farewell, “I’ll let you know when I order next, but I won’t say what album you’ll get. It will be a surprise.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything else from you,” his smile snaps back to his face and he scratches absentmindedly at his side. He hesitates before exiting the store. “I have a question.”

“Don’t need my permission.”

He emits a half-laugh, half-scoff from his parted lips. “Wasn’t asking for it...How come you never go out?”

She stares at him curiously, her head tilting to the right. “How would you know I don’t get out?” She challenges him.

“There’s only one pub in this little town and I’m your next door neighbor. I know.” He’s insistent on being right.

She scoffs, but only in an attempt to cover up her embarrassment. Her skin had finally cooled from all the excitement that had happened earlier and she wasn’t in the mood to grow red once again. Today was the first day she had ever felt flustered by Harry. It was annoying, it made her feel out of control. She liked to go out well enough, maybe more than the average person. But she’d only been in the little border town for a few months and going out hadn’t been on the top of her list of things to do. Sure, it would be nice to go get a drink out in the town, but she didn’t really have anyone to go with. Meeting people wasn’t hard in the town, but there weren't many people who were her age and she hadn’t particularly clicked with anyone where she would want to go out on the town with them. It was embarrassing to face the fact that she wasn’t flourishing as much as she had hoped. She was happy, but being confronted with the truth that she hadn’t gone out yet dampened her belief in her success in the little border town.

“I - It’s not at the top of my list of priorities,” she stutters, her chin raising a little in indignance.

One of his shoulders shrugs and Harry makes a little face as if he was indifferent to her answer, even though she knew much better than that. Harry always wanted to get a reaction out of her, maybe that was all he gained from their interactions - entertainment. She didn’t know, but she didn’t feel like giving him the satisfaction and left it at that. His eyes meet hers again, his stare far more intense now. “Ciao, diavola.” He simpers, repeating the little nickname. It was far more sultry of a nickname than ‘Shrimp’ but she wasn’t going to complain. She rolls her eyes in response, the only correct one at that.

-

That night, she found herself feeling pulled to journey down to the pub. It was on the Italian side and like she had acknowledged to Harry, she hadn’t been. She wouldn’t admit to anyone, especially not Harry, that his question had been what had pushed her towards the establishment when night fell. Yet, here she was. Her pants were dark red silk that matched the black tank top with red embellishments that she wore over her chest - the only part of her it really covered. Her boots were a matching black with gold metal bits, they were knock-off horsebit Gucci shoes, the closest she could get to the real thing with her modest budget. She was having to be more frugal lately, after buying her car here in September, she had really seen how little money she truly had.

The heels of her boots clicked against the cobblestones as she stalked up to the front of the bar. There was happy chatter seeping out the open door, the warm but dimmed light also flooding out along with the sounds of people within. Taking a deep breath and fiddling with the waistband of her pants for a second, she made her way into the bar. Stepping off the deep end and making the plunge. She knew there was nothing to be afraid of, but after months of not going there, she felt a little sense of apprehension now.

The warmth was the most surprising bit of the bar that she felt when she stepped past the threshold. Some Italian song was buzzing below the words of the patrons and she smiled at the automatic welcome she felt upon entering.

At the tables, there was a mix of younger and older patrons. At the bar, there wasn’t much of anyone. The young bartender leans across the bar to talk to another man, who had dark brown wavy hair and a dark linen shirt on. He’s seated at the bar and his back is to her so she can’t make out anymore than that. She doesn’t notice the myriad of tattoos gracing the patron’s arm that rests casually on the bar as he laughs at something the bartender had said, just for him.

She smiles, thinking it’s a cute little flirtation between the two and hates that she has to go over to break it up. Her movement gets the bartender’s attention easily and has the patron glancing her way as well. The smile she had once had falters off of her face and her eyes go wide at the realization of who she has settled herself beside. She had left a seat open between her and the man, but now she wished she had chosen a spot across the bar and simply flagged down the bartender. Better yet, she wished she had stayed home. As her smile falls away, Harry’s only grows wider. He’s grinning down at her as he moves his whole body to face her.

“Ciao!” The bartender starters, not noticing her discomfort at seeing Harry. He begins to ask what she would like in Italian, but her eyes widen even further. He’s speaking far too fast for her and she blushed in embarrassment. In her fluster, she forgets to even try French and she just stares dumbfoundedly at the handsome man behind the bar, who’s now looking at her with great curiosity. Harry has watched the entire thing and chuckles behind his glass. She has no attention span left to allow her to even try and guess what he’s drinking.

He interjects for her, actually saving her any more embarrassment, surprisingly. “She doesn’t speak Italian. She’s from the French side and new in town, so she hasn’t been able to refine her Italian.” The bartender gives a smile and nod of understanding in her way and she wishes she knew what Harry had just said. Whatever it is makes the bartender switch to French for her and her jaw goes from being dropped back into a normal position.

“What can I get for you, mademoiselle?” He transitions smoothly and she smiles, his French accent sounding practically perfect. She’s recomposed herself, but Harry is still watching her intently, like a reality television show that he can’t wait for the trainwreck finale to occur on.

After she orders, the bartender gives her a wink and then walks off to get what he needs to begin preparing her drink. Harry slides over, eliminating the courteous one seat between them. Her eyes watch the movement and she refrains from the letting out the sigh festering in her chest. She really had hoped he would not be here tonight, at least that’s what she believed. She truly felt embarrassed that the night after Harry had accused her of never going out, he had seen her out. But it also was nice not to be sitting in the bar alone. It seemed that Harry had been sitting alone at the bar before she had come in,  but she also wasn’t Harry and didn’t know how much enjoyment she would have  gotten out of being alone.

“I see my words had some effect on you.” He says out of the corner of his mouth after running his tongue over the bottom of his lip. Her scoff once again dies in her throat because she knows he’s right and he knows it too. There is no being proud right now. He essentially caught her red handed.

“Thought I’d come out and see what all the fuss was about. I see you’re alone tonight, but I assume that’s how most nights go.”

“You should know by now that is simply not true.”

“Just because you leave with someone doesn’t mean you come with someone.”

“I guess…” He trails off.

She picks up when he doesn’t seem to have any more of a response. “How do you even meet people here? Isn’t it all locals?”

“Not always. Not all of the people here are locals tonight,” He scans the crowd. “She’s visiting...So is she...that whole group actually. Look French. So we’ve got a group from Nice tonight…” He looks a bit more. “Eh, that looks like it tonight, but still. It’s plenty.” He finishes with a smirk and she grimaces, understanding the meaning behind his words.

The bartender returns with her White Russian, which Harry had cocked his head at, but had kept his opinion to himself for once. Expecting Roman to return to their conversation, Harry turns his attention back to him, but he is only greeted with the side of his head because Roman is still staring at Y/N. He coos something to her in French, that Harry can’t pick up and his nostrils flare when she emits a giggle following their exchange. The two people he was last talking to were now ignoring him to talk to each other. How rude.

After another moment without their attention, he huffs loudly. Roman seems too entranced in Y/N to notice, but her eyes slide over to him. “Yes?” She inquires, albeit disdainfully.

Harry isn’t sure what to say to her now that he’s gained her attention. He was on his second drink and her stare has made his mind go blank. All he had wanted was for her to stop flirting with Roman so that she’d pay attention to him. But he hadn’t thought of his next step yet. He takes a sip of his beer to grant him a little more time and she rolls her eyes at his action. His mind rattles through possible things to say, but every single one is coming up as not good enough.

“I used to be in a band.”

Her head tilts and she swivels more to Harry. His comment is unexpected and rather intriguing. She had expected something annoying or rude. Truly she had just expected him to say “Nothing” once he had swallowed his drink so he could distract her from enjoying her night.

“You were in a band?” She asks incredulously, her voice pitching slightly higher than normal. While Harry was many things, including handsome, she just didn’t think he had the right persona to be in a band. He dressed like a grandfather most days and he tended to a little shoe shop, he didn’t come off as a guy who would enjoy traveling around performing. The constant praise would be on brand though, she conceded.

Harry nods and bites back his smile, knowing he had struck the perfect chord. “I was...it only took off in the UK but we were pretty popular.” He boasts.

“So what do you play?”

Harry’s eyes widen, expecting more of a question about the name of the band or something. “Well, it was, like, a boy band…” He says.

She was taking a sip of her drink and she contained her little laugh behind her glass. Another hum as she swallows the liquid that burns her throat a bit. “Oh. Interesting. So no instruments.”

“Well I can play a bit of guitar and piano!” He adds quickly, seeing her eyes shift away from him, like she thinks the conversation is over. “I was thinking of trying a solo thing, but then plans changed...”

“And now you’re here?”

He echoes her, affirming the question. “Now I’m here and I’m not leaving.”

“You don’t miss it then?”

“Didn’t say that. I miss it at times, but this is where my life took me and I’m happy to be here. Maybe happier than I ever was in the band.” His eyes stare at the liquid in his glass and he swirls it lightly, determined to study the way it moves as he ponders something quite personal to him. He never really talked about his past with anyone here. Saying he was in a band and retrospecting that time are two very different things to share with someone. She’s just watching him now, not trying to make a quip or bug him. His demeanor shows that’s not something he’s very interested in hearing right now.

She experimentally puts a finger on his knee when it seems that he’ll never raise his gaze from his glass. His eyes move down to the tiny pressure he feels and sees her painted nail poking in to him. His tongue darts across his lower lip as he raises his head to meet her eyes. He notices the sparkle in them, she finds amusement in the childish gesture and so does he.

“I do miss the stage though,” he admits, smiling more now. “Performing. It was like nothing else.” Instead of a sad state of mind, his look is far more wistful now and she actually feels the smile growing on her face.

“You’ll have to sing for me sometime, then.” She says resolutely after taking the last bit of her drink and then pushing the glass across the bar. Roman had wandered off, much to Harry’s pleasure, but now they both needed another round so she was looking for him.

Harry slides over a chair so that they’re sat side by side. He had originally done it to reach across her for a napkin, but then hadn’t retreated to his original seat after he was successful. They talk as they drink, but most of it seems to be flirtatious teasing even if neither of them recognize that fully. Harry just wanted her attention earlier and now he found that he wanted to keep talking to her all night. It was a Friday and usually he would be looking for someone to take home. The group of women at a table that he had observed were visitors would be a perfect place to start his quest, but that wasn’t on his mind. He liked watching the different shades of blush Y/N’s face kept turning as she drank more and how silly she was getting with each passing drink.

She was enjoying her time out, she had only gotten wine drunk in the confines of her little home since she’d been in the little border town. And that endeavour was all by herself. It was much more fun when you had someone to talk to, so joking around with Harry was a nice surprise. She no longer felt embarrassed about showing up after he had teased her for never going out earlier today. Now she felt empowered, like she could come to the bar whenever she pleased. He was nicer than she had realized. His hand was quick to encircle her back respectfully when she laughed a little too hard at a joke and began to tip off her stool. His smile was genuine and his eyes didn’t flit over her body more than once. His jokes were funnier than she had first thought or maybe that was just the alcohol clouding her mind, that one she wasn’t sure about. But, truthfully, Harry was exceeding expectations tonight and being a stand up human being for once, in her eyes.

A couple at the end of the bar, locals, watched on as the shoemaker and the bookkeeper threw back their heads in boisterous laughter and placed their hands on each other chastely. The older women smiled to themselves as Y/N smacked Harry’s bicep after an especially cheeky joke he told her. They were going to have a field day with this interaction once they told their friends tomorrow morning.

After drink three, she definitely felt drunk. Not completely out of it and can’t walk drunk, but I haven’t drank anything stronger than wine in months so three cocktails are kind of hitting me drunk. And because of that buzz that’s enclosed her mind and body, it makes perfect sense to her that Harry’s hand is resting casually on her knee as they talk. It also makes perfect sense to her to cross her legs, causing two things to happen. Harry’s hand shifts up further on her thigh and her boot is now dangling right next to Harry’s shin. The fabric of his cream linen trousers look especially soft and so the next logical move in her mind is to rub her foot against the fabric. She hooks around her foot easily and the patent leather of her shoe slips softly against the pant leg that flows over Harry’s calf.

He hums lowly at the feeling, but makes no other notion to acknowledge what she is doing. After the hum he gets back to the story he’s telling her about his boat. She had been extremely interested in the boat initially, but not she was transfixed on the feeling of the fabric slipping past her boot. When he shifts his leg, absentmindedly or not, she almost squeaks because this movement has Harry’s foot brushing around her ankle. The footsy was occurring without any acknowledgement of it besides small sounds the two had made in their chests. No knowing looks, just the presence of each other’s bodies against one another.

He had switched to a Manhattan after his second beer for some reason that she didn’t ask, but he was enjoying it nonetheless. When she slipped her foot against his calf, it had sent a spark of electricity from the point of contact up to his alcohol muddled head. It felt nice so he went with it.

Around midnight the two of them were practically in each other’s laps, nursing their fourth round. Brains a million miles away while their glassy eyes stared at each other. Harry’s arm nestled around her waist while hers played with the stir stick in his glass. Their heads inches away, closer than they’d ever been before.

Somehow they decided they should walk home about then. Maybe Harry had checked his phone and decided he was done. Maybe she had glanced at the clock above the bar and realized she needed to go to bed. Either way, they slammed down the last bits of their drinks and stumbled into the street. With only each other to hold them up, they had some trouble gaining their balance. They could walk just fine if they wanted to be serious, but Harry kept trying to step literally on her toes and she kept throwing all her weight into his side. Both of their actions would cause them to stumble one way or another along the empty streets. Their blurred minds thankfully didn’t get them lost, but the travel time back to their places was far greater than the travel time to the bar initially.

Finally arriving at the border of Italy and France, their shops and homes, she stared up at Harry under the glow of the streetlamp across the street. His hair looked more dark brown than his usual caramel chestnut in the light. His linen outfit billowed across his pectorals that were exposed. A tan golden color that he seemed to maintain from his frequent runs and trips on his boat. His jaw had a bit more stubble on it now, his morning shave no longer sleek on his skin. His mustache was still the most prominent bit of facial hair he had and she wondered what he might look like without it. She also thought if she’d ever kissed a man with a mustache, her mind was pretty sure she hadn’t.

As she stared, she moved from his side and took a step closer to her door. His hand reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her and bringing her attention to his eyes. He dropped her hand and stepped closer to her. They had been laughing about some weird encounter she had in Nice the other week. But now their laughter had faded out, the conversation all but forgotten.

“Hi.” She says meekly.

“Hi,” Harry laughs.

“I had fun tonight,” she muses and takes a step forward. She began swinging her arms back and forth, rocking on her feet. She felt antsy now that it was so quiet. The silence made her realize it was really just her and Harry together right now. Which wasn’t unusual, they had been alone together plenty of times. Maybe it was the time of night, but it felt far more intimate to her this time which made her squirm a little. Why was she nervous with Harry right now?

Harry nods and laughs again at her actions. “Yeah, you’re not so bad.”

Neither of them realized the proximity of their bodies until her hand swung a little higher and hit Harry’s hip bone. “Oh! Sorry!” She moves to take a step back, but Harry grabs her hand once again and tugs her even closer. Bringing them chest to chest under the lamp light. Her eyes flicker between where their bodies touch and Harry’s face. He’s looking down at her sweetly, gently. She feels safe with the way he’s looking at her. The warmth radiating from him was a nice contrast to the dark cold of night. The open expanse of skin that lived between the two sides of his mostly unbuttoned shirt seemed to have the most heat coming off of it. He had a jade cross that hung between the two muscles and she almost reached out to play with it. If it hadn’t been so dark and she hadn’t been so inebriated she would have realized the color matched his eyes almost exactly.

He’s not quite sure what he’s doing, but for some reason it feels like he might kiss her. The mood that was set by their surroundings made it sound right. Romantic even. Her lips look precious too, plump and puckered, flushed from alcohol and the brisk night air. They look a little glossy too from the last time she had wet them. He wanted to feel them for himself. His head ducks to move his lips to touch hers.

Upon registering his movement, she moves her hand from his grasp and places it on his chest, causing him to take a small step back.

“I think...I think this should be goodnight, Harry.” She breathes out. She’s trying to clear her mind enough to have conviction in her decision.

After a little intake of air, less than a gasp, Harry agrees, running a hand through his hair, “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Her hand slips from his warm chest, immediately curling in on itself to maintain the warmth his body had just provided. She watches her tendons in her hand ripple before looking back at Harry with heavy eyes. He doesn’t seem to want to make eye contact with her, but she’s determined to leave on a good note.

“Thank you, Harry.” He looks up from beneath his lashes at his name, like a shy toddler. “You gave me the push to face a fear of mine.” With her final words she crosses the little distance between them once again and places a chaste kiss to his cheek. Immediately, his cheek flushes and she can feel the heat beneath her lips, as well as the light prickle of his stubble. Harry swallows, causing his Adam's apple to bob quickly, at the contact. His senses get overloaded with the sweet kiss and the smell of her perfume. It all swims through his consciousness.

She smiles as she pulls away and then turns to let herself into her place without another word. Once unlocked, she gives one last glance to Harry who’s also busying himself with opening his door. She doesn’t see that his free hand is caressing over his cheek where her lips had just been.

-

The next day, she woke up and groaned feeling the stiffness in her body. Especially her head. Oh god, her head. It was like she was back in college, but worse because she wasn’t as young. At least she didn’t have to roll out of bed for an 8 am lecture. For that, she was thankful. Still, the pounding needed to stop or subside at least. Grumbling, she threw her legs off the side of her bed, the fuzzy socks she had slipped on in her drunken stupor settled on the hardwood. She dragged her body to her window and raised the shade. Her window was fogged from the difference in temperature outside and in her room. Kneeling down, she began to pull open the window, in need of the cool fresh air on her clammy skin. Three drinks, or was it four? She couldn’t remember, either way, it was too many.

Her eyes glanced around the view of the window. It wasn’t much since it was so close to the building right next door. Peaking up, she could see the already clouded sky. To the left she could see the street and to the right was more buildings. The scene most easily accessible was the window right across from her. The shade was mostly closed, a little bit of the floor could be seen where Harry hadn’t lowered it completely. It was just the same hardwood as what she sat on staring back at her. She sat there, breathing in the crisp morning air. After a night of drinking, she usually woke up rather early, today was no different.

It dawned on her, far too slowly, that a pair of feet had entered the plain hardwood scene she had been staring at outside her window. A tiny stage now filled with two matching characters. The pair of feet were tanned and large. Little tattoos seemed to be sprinkled both on the toes and the ankles of the feet. She couldn’t read them even if she tried. But upon realizing what these feet might be doing, she had been discouraged from staring any longer. Still, her brain was foggy and her body was not nearly quick enough to hide her from view as the owner of the feet did something to open his shade as well. Then, once again, like deja vu, she was staring at her naked neighbor. Thankfully, this time, he had briefs adorning his hips to keep covering the part of him that would keep her up for weeks trying to forget again. The briefs were, just that. Brief. Low on the hips and barely touching his thighs, it seemed they really only existed to keep that one appendage covered. Still, she had to tear her eyes away from the lower half of his body and let the embarrassment wash over her when she met his eyes.

The knowing smirk of his has him nibbling at the inside of his cheek. She had been checking him out. It was a nice confidence boost after last night. The awkwardness of her stopping him from kissing her had him spiraling in his mind when he went to bed. He didn’t know why he had even tried to kiss her in the first place, probably just because he was drunk. Yeah, he was drunk and feeling needy on a friday night. That’s what it was and she had been there.

He’d have to thank her today for putting a stop to that colossal mistake. They were barely just friends, he hated to think what would happen if he’d done something so reckless as to kiss her out of the blue. Still, he couldn’t shake the thought in the back of his mind that he had gotten the vibe from somewhere. Why else would his drunken mind tell him to kiss her under the glow of the lamp light. He thought back to the bar and what they had talked about. He wouldn’t categorize it as overly flirty. He thought back to their physical interactions at the bar, okay, maybe his hand on her thigh and her playing with his drink was a little flirtatious. But that could be boiled down to him being close to hear her in the bar and her idle fingers wanting something to do while she was drunk. The footsy, though. He wasn’t sure if he could explain that one away. Instead, he would choose to ignore it. If he didn’t think about it, did it actually happen? Was it something he had to worry about? Not in his mind.

Returning his focus to the girl in the window across from him, his smirk was now fully fleshed out on his face. She was still sitting on her knees as Harry looked down at her and if they were in the same room this might have seemed like a rather compromising position. Her cheeks were still red, noticing the difference in height, she clambered to her feet.

“G’morning,” Harry’s voice is groggy and deep. Scratchy almost from the alcohol he had drank last night. It rings through her ears lowly and seems to have her blushing even more. It’s a different feeling than how his voice used to make her feel.

“Hey,” She clears her throat before responding, not wanting her morning voice to crack in front of Harry. Usually she would talk to herself a bit or sing along to her music before going downstairs, not wanting her first customers to hear her as if she just woke up. For some reason, she makes a little wave along with her greeting, feeling especially awkward at this moment. Harry chuckles and repeats her motion. His large hands mimicking the same daunting motion makes her laugh and releases some of the nervous energy she had been holding in her body.

“Fancy seeing you here,” he openly flirts, placing one hand on his naked torso and the other against the frame of the window, leaning towards her. His movement flexes just about every muscle in his body and she keeps her eyes trained on his face, determined not to be caught gawking once more.

A roll of her eyes and she’s back to staring straight into his green ones that he’s still blinking awake. “It’s almost like we’re neighbors.”

He scrunches his nose at her deadpan. “You’re no fun,” he mutters.

She sighs, “I’m fucking hungover after last night…” and runs a hand through her tousled hair.

Her foot rests itself over her other, causing her hip to just out slightly. The movement of her body that accentuated her curves and her words have Harry blushing now. The red flowers at the center of his chest and begins to spread up his neck and cheeks. He’s once again presented with the almost kiss last night.

“Big night out for you,” he laughs, “I’ll admit I don’t usually drink that much, bit of a lightweight myself.”

She only hums in response, her fingers beginning to twiddle with the hem of her t-shirt. It reminds her of what she is precisely dressed in. The big t-shirt and tiny pajama shorts that Harry can’t even see are the only things on her body besides the socks on her feet. She glances down at her legs and takes in the expanse of fleshy skin that is showing just below the shirt. Harry’s eyes follow hers and admires the skin there, wondering what it would feel like underneath his big hands.

“I should probably start getting ready for the day,” She says finally, shaking herself from the random thoughts flitting around her mind about bare thighs and the man across from her. “Are you open today?”

Harry emits a noise from the back of his throat at her question. He draws his arm back from the window and stands up straight. His head tilts as he thinks about her question, his mind still muddled this morning.

“Er..no, actually. I was planning on going out on the boat today, switching my closed day to today instead of tomorrow. Why?”

“I’m in need of shoe repair,” she smiles, her eyes catching the glimmer of the sun starting to peak out. Harry swears it’s her eyes genuinely sparkling on their own accord. “But if you’re out today, it can wait.” She begins to walk away from the window to go to another room in her apartment.

“No!” Harry steps forward, but is restricted by the screen, which keeps him from falling out of his window. She swivels around, looking at him curiously. “I can - you can just come over. I’ll fix it up for you before I head out.”

“Really?” She’s truly surprised that Harry would do such a nice thing for her. She knew they were getting along better, but for him to open shop just for her repair seemed overly nice.

“I mean,” and Harry’s once again blushing under her gaze and he’s hoping she can’t see it. “What are neighbors for?”

“I guess,” she’s still unsure. He seems like he’s nervous, his body tenses and one of his hands twisted in his curls. Harry’s so weird. “Thanks.”

-

She jogs the short distance from her front door to Harry’s once she’s ready. The pair of deep teal almost navy loafers she needed new soles in - she was pretty sure - in hand. A red pinstripe blouse half buttoned falling over her figure perfectly, hugging the right spots and flowing over the others. She’s in white jeans today that are flared slightly but also cropped. As it gets closer to Halloween she keeps having to remind herself not to dress festive and it’s a struggle everyday.

When she reaches the door, it doesn’t open. The cream door doesn’t budge as she tempts the handle with her free hand. She looks between the handle and the inside of the shop. Her eyes search for Harry’s figure. She had been inside his shop only a handful of times, never for a repair before. Maybe less than a handful, once to check it out and once again when she thought she needed a new pair of shoes and then decided against it. Oh, and that one time she went over to yell at him about something. Maybe the planters, maybe the shade, she couldn’t remember anymore.

Now that she thought about it, she had been in the bookshop once more. Two and a half years ago when she had visited the little border town for the first time. It was a little fuzzy for a memory, but she was sure she had at least peaked into the shoe shop after her lengthy visit with Marie the second day there. It looked just as it did now, maybe it used to be a little more vibrant, but she couldn’t be sure. She remembered an older man in the shop greeting her in Italian and her offering her sad ‘Ciao’. Back then she was even worse at Italian. He had looked at her with kind eyes and a sweet smile. It was a similar lopsided grin that she had now grown accustomed to on another man’s face. After beckoning her over to him the old man had turned away from her and shouted into the back of the store in quick Italian. It blew over her head completely. There must have been someone in the back of the shop who he had talked to. She was sure of it, because after she had perused the cute boots and shoes he kept, she saw a swish of hair coming around the counter. It was just as she was turning around to exit the shop, after she had bid farewell to the man she now connected as Joe. Whoever it was had long hair and was tall, slinking out into the main shop floor. The mysterious stranger was whoever Joe had shouted to in the back.

Y/N wasn’t the quickest when it came to timelines and how people could change over time. She didn’t connect the year she had visited with the year of someone else's arrival or the same chestnut waves cascading around someone’s face, just now much shorter. It made perfect sense who would be in the back of the store, but for some reason the idea of time and hair length were standing in this girl’s way. Oh well, maybe Harry would spell it out to her someday.

Harry finally rounds the counter that separated the back room to the front. The shoe shop was set up a little different from the bookstore. Her counter was right when you came in while Harry’s was about halfway through the shop. He shakes his head and laughs at her expression. The sound brings her out of her memory as well as a grimace on her face.

“Sorry, I was a million years away.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s ‘a million miles away’, love.” Harry continues chuckling while correcting the girl in front of him.

She holds up her pair of shoes, ignoring his teasing. “Fix my shoes, shoe man.”  

His smile drops and he walks back from the door. His feet taking back steps as he beckons her into the interior of the shop. When they reach the corner, he takes the shoes from her hands and places them between their bodies. The teal loafers stare up at them. Harry inspects them, a serious expression falling over his features. His brows scrunch together slightly, the wrinkles in his forehead growing more prominent as he examines the shoes. Large hands reach out and begin to finger over the patent leather on the top and the leather soles. After a few minutes of silent deliberation, he places down one of the shoes and then holds the other up as if to showcase it.

“These,” he juts out the shoe in his hand, “need new soles. What did you do to ‘em?”

“I wear them a lot.” She insists while Harry looks on quizzically.

“I’ve never seen you wear these.”

Her brow quirks at his comment. “I wore them a lot before I got here,” she corrects. “They’ve been feeling wonky every time I try to wear them, must be because they need new soles.”

Harry nods, now satisfied with her answer. He hums, regarding the teal shoe in his hand once again. “Alright.”

She looks at him confused once again. “Alright what? Can you fix them?” What does he mean by ‘Alright’? “I’ve honestly missed wearing them these past few months.”  

Harry bites his tongue, a quip ready to be voiced. He’d gotten so used to fighting with her, he was confused how it had slipped away all so easily. His fear of them not talking if they stopped fighting didn’t seem to come to fruition so he could rest easy on that front. But now he was going to have to retrain his brain not to be rude after every comment Y/N made.

“Yeah, of course.” He sighs, placing the shoe next to its mate and then turning his face to her. She had been chewing on her bottom lip, actually worried for her shoes. They really were her favorites. She’d had them forever and it would be heartbreaking if they had to be thrown out. If she couldn’t wear them though she was almost sure she’d just let them collect dust in her closet rather than dispose of them if it really came down to it.

“But it’s like a good amount of my day to replace soles…”

Her face falls, but she tries to hide it. She knew Harry was doing a favor by taking a look right now. If he could fix them it didn’t matter when he did it. What he says next though truly throws her off. No normal enemy-ship turned somewhat friendship overnight would engage in what Harry was about to propose. If any such relationship other than her and Harry actually existed.

“Do you want to come out on my boat today?” His brow arches, his lips in a soft smile, he’s being genuine.

“Why would I do that?” Her brows raise along with her voice, taken off guard by his suggestion.

“More fun waiting for me to fix your shoes on a boat than in your shop.” He says simply before taking the shoes and placing them in a little cubby hole behind the counter for safe keeping. “Trust me, you’ll love it.” Her expression doesn’t change. “Just say yes,” He pleads now.

She sighs, “Fine.” All of the reasons not to go out on Harry’s boat are at the forefront of her mind, but she still finds herself saying yes easily. His pleading really wasn’t necessary to get her to agree. The bookstore could live with being closed today, it wasn’t going to hurt anyone.

#harry styles fanfic #harry styles fan fic #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x you #harry styles x reader #harry styles fluff #harry styles fan fiction #harry styles angst #harry styles smut #eventually both of those will bop up #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles oneshot #harry styles one shot #harry styles imagine #feedback pls ❤️ #me putting this uo at 12:30 am oops

[all1e23]

Tricks & Treats

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Orion’s Halloween is quickly turning rotten until someone helps to turn her day around with a few sweet treats. 

Warnings:  N/A Unless you count a disgusting amount of fluff to be a warning.

A/N:   A new Astrophile drabble! This is set in the very far future, Halloween 2042. Orion is 27 and it’s just the kiddos. No Beck or Bucky. This does have some bits (okay a lot of bits) of the the shared Price of Astrophile universe collab with Tara and if you haven’t read The Price of Gold you need to! Thank you to my beautiful @moonbeambucky​ for looking it over for me. If you have not read the series Astrophile, THERE WLL BE MAJOR SPOILERS.  

Catch up on the series here!

***My fics are not to be saved or posted on any other sites without my written permission. Reblogs are my jam, though! Thanks!*

Halloween 2042

Today has been a disaster. A complete and utter nightmare. It started with spilling hot tea all over her copy of Star Lore and down the front of her favorite skirt, which forced Ori to settle for the little black number Cassie bought her as a Halloween costume. It’s supposed to be a cat but it’s really a dress accompanied by cat ears. It’s not that it’s awful, it’s not her usual taste. It’s a simple spaghetti strap dress, sweetheart necklace that doesn’t dip too low and cut just above her knee. As far as Halloween costumes go it’s fairly modest but it’s a little tight compared to the rest of Ori’s closet. 

Little did she know that was just the beginning to her terrible day. This was the first day in months that Ori was running the store on her own. No mom to fall back on. Not that it hasn’t happened before. At fourteen Ori was working the floor by herself so none of this was new but, today has been a nightmare from the moment the doors opened. It was unusually busy for a holiday, especially Halloween. It wasn’t often that the store was packed with customers on a day like today and there were moments when Ori began to feel claustrophobic with the amount of people filling the tiny shop.  

Half of the morning was spent on decorating the window display for a new series that was set to be released at the beginning of November. The copies were scheduled to be delivered today, but they never showed and when Ori called to check on their status, the man she was unlucky enough to be put in contact with screamed at her, explaining that it was a holiday and not everyone spent their lives working. 

It was one of those days where she wished she was ten years old again and Bucky could swoop in and save the day. 

By some miracle, there was a lull, and she was able to slip behind the counter where her phone is kept when she’s working the floor alone. She swiped away the missed calls from Cassie and ignored the texts from Leo. There was only one person who knew how to calm the swirling mess in her head right now and she knows how pathetic she looks, twenty-seven, and tears swimming in her eyes. She didn’t care because just hearing his voice would help settle her. Theo’s voice rang her ear and as happy as she was to hear it, part of her wished it wasn’t his voicemail. 

“H-hey,” Ori’s voice cracked, she cleared her throat ridding it of the tears choking her. “I know you’re at work. I’m sorry I’m calling. Please tell me I didn’t get you in trouble. I’m so sorry if I did. I just… I needed to hear your voice. I’m having a really awful day. That party with Cassie is tonight. I don’t want to go even though Cassie says it will be fun. And this new series. This stupid dumb shipment. They said they would be here today and I spent all morning doing the window display between the mad rush of customers by the way, they never showed. When I called to check in they said they can’t get here because it’s a holiday and well, they yelled at me. Now, I have to find something to replace the window display and spend another hour fixing what I did this morning. The store is so incredibly busy. I haven’t even stopped for lunch. I’m hungry and tired and I hate this day. Great. Now, I’m whining. Did I mention that I miss you? Well, I do and-” 

“Ma'am?” A deep voice grabs Ori’s attention and she turns around to find a man in a UPS shirt standing behind the counter, she smiles as kindly as she can and pulls the phone away from her mouth to answer him, “I’m so sorry. Can I help you?”  

“We have your delivery.”

Ori can feel the color drain from her face. She shouldn’t have that many boxes and the publisher on the clipboard being handed to her isn’t right. 

“Wait… No. No, I didn’t order that. That’s not mine-”

“Orion Barnes?” 

“Well, yes that’s me but,” She sighs, holding back the whimper that’s threatening to escape her. “Can you hold on just one second?" 

Ori didn’t wait for his okay like she normally would have, she stepped towards her office and put the phone back up to her ear, “I guess my terrible, awful, no good day isn’t over. Talk to you soon? I hope.”

Orion had her eyes glued to a stack of invoices in front of her when the bell above the shop door rang. Thankfully, she was able to clear up the whole shipping mixup, but dealing with that set her even further behind inventory. It didn’t matter much. She knew who it was without having to raise her head. Ori didn’t have to look up to know her sister had arrived. Cassie skipped nearly everywhere, she has since she was old enough to walk and between the jingling of the bracelets on her wrist, the massive keyring on her purse, and the bells on her shoes (that had nothing to do with Halloween) it was easy to know when she arrived. The jingling came to a stop next to Ori, and a slight nudge to her hip that made Ori look up from the papers in her hand to find Cassie handing over a small brown paper bag from the bakery next door. Ori narrows her eyes at the gesture. Is she trying to butter her up about the party tonight? 

“What’s this?”

“Cinnamon bagel from next door,” Cassie said with a certain self-satisfied taunt to her voice. “A certain boy texted me and said you hadn’t eaten today and asked if I could bring you something when I come by to pick you up for tonight." 

Ori beams brightly as she peeks in the bag, avoiding her baby sister'’ suspicious and slightly giddy gaze.

“Question. Why is Theo texting me about your food needs and how does he know about tonight?” 

She doesn’t answer, but this isn’t unusual. Like Bucky, Ori’s softer, gentler when it comes to revealing things close to her heart. There are some secrets she’s not ready for the world (or herself) to know yet. Cassie on the other hand is loud, in all things, but especially with what’s written on her heart. She loves just as deeply as Ori does but she’s quick to shout it from the rooftops, without a hint of fear.

Ori wishes she could be like that sometimes. 

“Something is up. I can tell by the smile you’re trying to hide!”

"I’m smiling because I was hungry and it was very thoughtful of you both.”  

Ori finally gets a look at Cassie’s costume when Cassie sheds her coat and she can’t help the surprised laugh that slips out. She’s in a white cotton dress that looked like it was made from one of those adult onesies, covered in glitter from head to toe and the rainbow leggings she has on matches the tail sticking out of the bottom of her coat and the mane on her hood she has pushed down. 

“What are you wearing?!” 

“What? I’m a sparkly unicorn. I look adorable!” 

Ori grins. 

“Yes, you do. You look beautiful.” 

The bell chimes again and Ori greets her brother without looking, he’s never far behind Cassie after all. Leo looked pretty much like he always does, slacks and a button-up white collared shirt under his coat but he was wearing black square-frame glasses. He leans over the mahogany counter and presses a kiss on Ori’s cheek. Whatever Cassie was hoping to get out of Ori would never happen now that Leo was present. Ori laughed at the pout on Cassie’s face, picking at the bagel as she scans over the invoice in front of her. 

“Ready for tonight?” Leo asks as he steals a piece of her bagel.

Ori shrugs a little, glancing at the clock and sighed when she saw it was nearing six. They would be pushing her out the door soon. It’s not that she didn’t like going out, she did. Things have been off lately and she hasn’t felt much like socializing, which is why her siblings insisted they have a party. If it turns out to be as terrible as she predicts it’s going to be, she can always call Bucky to pick her up because no matter what Bucky still drops everything to come to her rescue whenever she needs it. 

“It’s going to be fun!” 

“I guess. I’m not really a party person.”

“I know but you make the cutest cat ever.” 

Leo’s brow furrows and the worry on his face has him looking so much like Bucky it almost makes Ori laugh. 

“You’ve been working a lot. Skipping family stuff. When was the last time you came to family dinner and didn’t rush out the door? Mom said you’re working more hours than she is-”

“I should! She deserves time with dad and it’s not like I have a life waiting on me right now.” 

It’s been a little over a year since she called off her wedding and ended things with Cole and while she’s happy that relationship has ended, she’s nowhere near where she thought she would be at her age. She had plans and lists, milestones she promised herself she would hit by a certain age and now she’s… floating. No purpose. No real path. Simply riding her mother’s coattails, managing a store she wouldn’t have without her mother and she has no idea where she’s going or what her future is going to look like. It’s terrifying. So maybe she’s been spending a little more time at work to keep her mind busy. Sometimes it doesn't quite calm the chaos in her head, but staying busy helps. 

“That’s not true. You have us and, yeah, mom deserves a break but so do you. We thought it would be good to get out of the house. If you hate it I’ll bring you home.” 

Ori smiles. Leo has always been their protector, ready to jump in and save his mom and sisters from anything that could cause them the slightest bit of discomfort. She couldn't be aggravated with him for wanting to help, he’s only following in Bucky’s footsteps. 

“Yeah, okay. Today has been a mess. Give me a few minutes to wrap things up, okay?” 

She’s barely had time for her eyes to focus on the words in front of her when Cassie chirps from her side, “The window display is a mess. What happened there?” 

“Cassie!”

“I’m just saying. Want me to help you fix it tomorrow?”

“I’ll be out in a minute,” Ori snatches the brown bag with her bagel resting on top and heads back towards the office in hopes she will be able to focus there, “and yes. I would like help. Thank you.”

“I’ll watch the desk!” Cassie shouts behind her, getting an appreciative smile from Ori. The quiet doesn’t last long. The shop bell is ringing and Cassie is yelling for her before she’s managed to make it through one invoice.  

“Ori! Get out here. There’s a delivery.” Cassie’s shouts are piercing her ears and she’s certain  the entire bakery next door can hear her clear as day. Ori steps back out onto the sales floor, frowning and having every intention of reminding Cassie not to scream in the store, but she can’t because she’s staring at the largest bundle of lavender she’s ever seen. 

“I-- this. What is this?” 

“They are for you!” Cassie squeals but quickly stops smiling and looks at the older gentleman who is wearing a warm smile when he confirms that they are indeed for her sister. 

“Yes, ma’am,” The man says with a chuckle, “If you’re Orion Barnes. These are for you.” 

He passes the delicate bundle wrapped in brown paper in her arm and passes over a pen for her signature. She quickly scribbles her name and pulls the small white card out of the twine, grinning foolishly at what’s written. 

“Who are they from?” Cassie begs, jumping up and down. “I already know but I need to see the card myself.” 

Ori presses the card to her chest to keep Cassie from sneaking a peek, she’s not willing to share a bit of the sweetness written there. Cassie quickly gives up on the card and snatches the receipt before Ori can grab it, finding exactly what she was looking for. 

“Theo Tucker! I knew it!” 

The thin paper is pulled from Cassie’s hand by Leo, who is staring at the receipt with a deep frown as if he can’t process what he is seeing. 

“Why is Theo sending you flowers? Where did he find a place that delivers lavender like that? More importantly… why is Theo sending you flowers?" 

Ori can’t answer her brother, she’s too busy grinning like a fool and hiding her blushing cheeks behind the soft purple sprigs in her arms. 

“What do you mean ‘Why is Theo sending her flowers?’ Because he loves her. Am I the only that’s been paying attention?” 

"He loves you. It's the same thing and you don’t get flowers.”

“It is a hundred percent not the same thing, Leo.”

There’s the faint sound of the twins arguing in the background, “How is it different?” “Leo you can’t be serious. You’ve seen the way he looks at her!” She should probably stop their bickering but she can’t. She can’t focus on anything, not while she’s daydreaming about California. 

Maybe it wasn’t the worst day, after all. 

“So, are you going to wear a sprig of lavender as your catnip? Seems like it added a little spring in your step.”  

“Cassie!” 

Cassie had squealed when Ori asked her to draw a cat nose and whiskers on her face. If she was going to dress as a cat she had to go all out. The ears, while cute, weren’t enough to satisfy the perfectionist in her. Before they left her apartment, she sent Theo a thank you text and a picture of her all dressed up. The simple response, you look beautiful, makes her stomach flip and leaves her head spinning. It drops a fraction when Leo asks why she’s smiling at her phone with such a goofy grin. 

No one is ready for that answer, so she tucked her phone in her purse for now. 

The minute they arrived, Leo stepped through the front door and pulled his shirt open to reveal a giant S stitched onto his blue undershirt and he proceeded to do several more times throughout the night. Despite her reservations about the party, it wasn’t so bad. Or maybe she was simply in a better mood. She spent a better part of the night hanging around Cassie and Ariel, who was dressed as Tinker Bell and her lovesick Peter Pan never strayed from her side for long. Ori didn’t know a lot of the people currently filling Leo and Ollie’s apartment, so it felt safer to stick by family. 

At some point a small group of people broke off from the larger party and started playing spin the bottle. It was strange to watch twenty year olds play a childhood game. There was bobbing for apples which didn’t seem all that sanitary if you asked Ori, which is why she declined rather emphatically when asked if she wanted to try. 

Halfway through the night their mom texted asking for pictures, so she took a few with Cassie and Ariel, some of her and Leo and of course all of them posing together. She even sent the few of Ariel and Ollie off to the Tuckers. Another text comes in but it’s not a response from her parents, a very handsome Indiana Jones pops up and she can’t help the huge smile that forms. He looks adorable with that hat and playful smirk and she tells him so. Ori peered over her phone to find Cassie and Ariel smiling, she cleared her throat and quickly hid her phone back in her purse. 

“Oh, look. There are some mummy cupcakes left. I better go grab one before they disappear,” Ori had muttered as she quickly tried to divert attention off of her. 

There was every Halloween themed treat you could think of. The chocolate covered strawberries dressed up as ghosts, bloody s’mores, and candy corn rice krispy treats were gone first. When Ori asked how they managed to do all this, Leo admitted with a sheepish grin that their mom had done most of the baking and Cassie and Ariel had decorated. She should have known Ariel had a hand in the planning, it was too well organized for Leo and Ollie to handle on their own. 

The party started to die down a little after one in the morning, Leo offered his bed but Cassie was already fast asleep and there was no way she was sharing with that human koala. After refusing to take Leo’s spot on the couch, Leo brought her back home with the promise to text him the minute he got back. There’s no way he would let her catch a cab back to her place all by herself. 

It’s nearly three by the time Ori trudges up the stairs to her apartment. She’s tired, but it’s a good kind of tired. Not that she will ever admit this to Cassie but tonight was fun. It wasn’t exactly where she wanted to be, and a very important someone was missing but it wasn’t as bad as she envisioned. She slips out of her heels and drops her purse on the table by the front door, she can clean up tomorrow when she’s not struggling to keep her eyes open. Right as she reaches kitchen island where her bouquet is sitting in her mother’s chipped mint green vase, her phone rings in her hand and she can’t help but grin at the name staring back at her. 

“Hey, you.”

Ori grins, dusting a finger over a stray sprig and she’s suddenly not feeling as tired.

“My day? You know, it wasn't so bad actually. It got better there at the end. Even better now.” 

#Orion Barnes #astrophile files #Theo Tucker x Orion Barnes #Theo x Ori #the price of astrophile #poa #Astrophile

[haikyunicorn]

halloween with kuroo, iwa, asahi and suga

@mer92​ asked “Hiiii I've just started to follow you! Would it be possible to request HC for Kuroo, Iwa, Asahi and Suga on a Halloween date with their S/O? like what kind of costumes will they wear if they will be wearing matching costumes... Or if they would go to Halloween parties or just stay home? Thank you if you decide to write it down! 😊”

Hi, lovely! Thank you for following and requesting<3 it was very fun writing this! this is less plot-filled than my other hcs, i hope that’s ok with you

kuroo tetsurou

Kuroo likes Halloween

He’s not super hyped up about it, but he loves playing scary pranks on his friends and then using Halloween as an excuse :)

He tells Lev and Inuoka that the boy’s toilet on the 2nd floor is haunted and do they believe him?? Absolutely, yes. 

He doesn’t mind going on spooky dates, either!

In fact, he’ll drag you to watch a horror film or stay up all night exchanging scary stories

He would also probably take you and the team “ghost hunting” around the school after volleyball practice when it’s dark and no one’s around

Nerd boy with his nerd costumes

He doesn’t want to spend too much effort or money in a costume he’s only going to wear once this year, but he doesn’t want a lame costume, either

He’d love to get matching costumes with you!!

But all his suggestions will be either memey or nerdy costumes

The firsts that come to mind are the ‘woman screaming at cat’ (he’ll be the cat) or he’ll get you both matching t-shirts with the elements copper (Cu) and tellurium (Te) printed on them “so when we stand next to each other, everyone can see how CuTe we are”

He is also not opposed to character costumes like Rick and Morty or Hogwarts wizards/witches

Kuroo will go to a party with you and slip away for a while the second you both get there with no explanation and then very unsuspiciously hang around you all night

Later you find out he has signed you both up for the costume contest

The both of you are definitely not the best dressed ((read below: suga and his s/o)) but strut on the stage like it’s a fashion show

Or if you refuse to go up and participate because you were involuntarily signed up, Kuroo will still go up alone, pick up a microphone with a deadpan face and say “this is supposed to be a matching costume but there were some technical difficulties” you brought this on yourself, kuroo

Haunted houses and horror films are definitely his favourite things about Halloween!

I feel like Kuroo isn’t afraid of the ghosts and stuff, but he doesn’t handle being jumpscared well

When he gets shocked while in a haunted house or during a movie, he’ll yelp out a bunch of swears lmao

But he loves the temporary adrenaline rush and 10/10 will do it again

If you tease him and call him a scaredy cat, he’ll pout

And you can expect him trying to sneak up on you and scare you the next day

iwaizumi hajime

Iwa doesn’t care much for Halloween

He gets a little annoyed at all the Halloween-themed products that stores come out with because he thinks it’s just a marketing scheme to sell some overpriced shit (it is)

But if you want to go try out pumpkin desserts or visit a haunted house, he’ll indulge you just because he loves spending time with you no matter what you two end up doing

He’s usually not one to dress up for Halloween

The most he’s done is put on a t-shirt with a superhero logo on it 🙄

Oikawa has tried multiple years to get him in “matching best friend costumes” but Iwa has never once agreed

But if you pout a little a few weeks before Halloween, bribe him with some kisses, catch him in a good mood, he’ll say yes (make sure to say no takebacks)

Deciding on a costume consists of you giving suggestions and Iwa saying yes or no to them

He doesn’t want to do something very costume-y, he prefers to wear an outfit that can pass as a regular outfit but it’s based on a character from a movie or series

E.g. Kim and Ron from Kim Possible, Ash/Misty and Brock from Pokemon (Iwa would be perfect as Brock??? he’s already got the hair down fdkjs), Sandy and Danny from Grease (show off his arms yes)

Iwaizumi will go to a Halloween party because all his friends are going lol

Oikawa will be devastated when he sees Iwa wearing matching costumes with you and this is partly why he agreed to do it with you

He’ll keep you by his side or follow you around for most of the party because “the costume won’t make sense if he’s standing alone” or whatever sir just say you’re too shy to do it alone

If you want to stay home, he’s fine with it too

Whether you want to have a movie marathon, bake something, carve pumpkins, anything really, he’ll do it with you

Lowkey wants to watch scary films so he can “protect you” if you get scared

Like if you’re squeezing his arm during a scary scene he’ll be like “it’s not that scary, you wimp” but also he’s pulling you closer and putting his arm around you and his heart is fluttering-

so in conclusion: iwa is a simp for you

Bonus: one time you came over to his house and his mom showed you a picture of 6-year-old Iwaizumi dressed up as godzilla for Halloween💖

azumane asahi

Halloween isn't his favourite holiday for um.. personal reasons

Once October comes around, Asahi is already being tormented by some of his friends (it’s suga) scaring him

He doesn’t despise everything about Halloween, though - in fact, there are some things he really loves about Halloween

Like going to a pumpkin festival, baking sweet treats together, enjoying a walk in the park with the pretty autumn scenery, or choosing and DIY-ing costumes

Asahi loves the costume planning with you!!

The both of you will take days or even weeks in advance finding the perfect costume and figuring out how to make them

He definitely prefers the cute costumes over gory costumes

Some of the costume ideas are Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, Cheshire Cat/Alice and the Mad Hatter/White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, or characters from the Wizard of Oz

i don’t know why all of these are from children’s fantasy stories im sorry-

You and Asahi will take turns going to each other’s houses after school or on weekends and working on your costumes together (It’s his favourite part (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ))

If he goes to a Halloween party, it’ll probably be a small gathering, such as a potluck with the Karasuno volleyball team

Everyone will be in awe of how cute you two look!!

If the team decides to switch off the lights and leave a flashlight on, gather around and tell spooky stories, he’ll want you next to him and you two will be holding onto each other

the first and second years are so jealous of their senpai and his cute s/o

Haunted houses are a no-no, sorry

Asahi doesn’t mind staying in either!

If you have a movie marathon, you guys binge Harry Potter or Studio Ghibli movies (they have magic so they’re Halloween movies right?)

Though if you’re a horror movie fanatic, he’ll try to watch a scary film with you

He will also have a lot of snacks! And the best hot chocolate you will ever have

I can also imagine Asahi doing your nails? And maybe he’ll let you do his nails too

You two make cute designs of little ghosts and pumpkins but don’t let each other see until it’s finished so it’s a surprise

You share lots of cuddles and kisses afterwards, and Asahi can’t wait to spend another sweet Halloween with you🥺🥰

Bonus: Kageyama showed up in his volleyball uniform and said his costume is a volleyball player :)?

sugawara koushi

Suga loves Halloween!!

It’s an excuse to have fun, cute dates under the guise of “keeping up the tradition”

Even before Halloween, he’ll take you on cafe dates to a different place each week to try out the pumpkin specials

You two will make jack-o-lanterns and then compare to see who did a better job, which could potentially end up in a tickle fight

This boy is going all out with the costumes!!

Maybe it’s the mom instincts, but he’s not settling on some cheap online/store-bought costume and he’ll DIY for both his s/o and himself

It’ll be an iconic couple and something very chic

Like you know Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka‘s family halloween costumes? That’s the vibes you two have

Examples of your costumes include: Morticia & Gomez from The Addams Family, Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask (plss)

You help each other put on each other’s costumes and make-up <333

Both of you will go to a halloween party, even if it’s just a few close friends gathering, and you two are gonna be the IT couple

your outfits and makeup will be on point all through the night and everyone will be so jealous💖

He’d probably take you trick or treating to a few houses for fun tbh HAHA

Your neighbours open up their front door to see.. Two grown ass children?? With costumes looking like they were professionally made??? Grinning and holding out their trick or treat bags?????

They’ll be so confused they end up giving you guys candy anyway

Suga is also a horror fanatic!

If you let him, he’ll drag you to a haunted house attraction

He’s the type to laugh at the scares :)

But he’ll hold your hand and let you cling to his arm if you’re scared, trying to reassure you

He’ll also arrange a horror movie marathon + sleepover!

After you get back, clean up and change into your comfiest pyjamas, Suga has already set up the living room

The couch is stacked with pillows and blankets, some of the lights are switched off, there’s a large bowl of popcorn and your trick-or-treat loot on the table and the movies are already queued on the TV 

If you’re not a big fan of horror movies, he’ll opt for less scary but still Halloween-themed movies like Corpse Bride, The Nightmare Before Christmas or Coraline (coraline’s kinda creepy but so good), or the “horror/thriller” movies that are just bad so you both can laugh at them

You and Suga snuggle under the blankets with pillows all around, munching on your snacks and watching the movies until you both fall asleep together

thank you for reading! hope you enjoyed~

#haikyuu!! #haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu!! x reader #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu!! headcanons #haikyuu!! scenarios #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu!! imagines #kuroo #kuroo tetsuro #kuroo x reader #kuroo tetsuro x reader #iwaizumi #iwaizumi hajime #iwaizumi x reader #asahi #azumane asahi #asahi x reader #sugawara koushi #sugawara koushi x reader

[passivenovember]

Walking Home (v)., the  Tourniquet

For you @thursday-knight. Lysm

They’re going to let Billy out of that horrible, gray padded room on Tuesday, which Steve snorts at over the phone. 

“What, you think that’s fuckin’ funny or something?”

“No, It’s just.” It’s kind of funny. Steve wraps the phone chord around his hand. Nice and tight, like a tourniquet. “Tuesday’s weird.”

“Tuesday’s...weird?”

“Yeah.”

Steve can hear something, like. The clack of a pen. It’s a common nervous tick, a way to cope, but. Steve’s never seen any one hold a bic the way Billy does. 

Barrel in his palm. Clicking the register with his pointer finger, like. He’s pressing Reagan’s Big Red Button. The one to blow up the world.

“What’s so weird about a Tuesday release, man?”

“Ruining the start of a week by spending it in the hospital and then having to use the rest of it adjusting to life outside?”  Steve shrugs, remembering that Billy can’t see him. “They could at least give you a Friday. Then you’d have the weekend, right?”

Billy’s grin is somehow manifested in the honey drip of his voice. “Been locked up for six months, Harrington, what’s two more days?”

And that could be true.

Steve doesn’t feel like so much time has passed. The rise and fall of the moon, the turn of the seasons, the way Billy has to wear fuzzy socks with those little grips on them to stay warm in beige corridors, have been lost on Steve. 

Tainted. Wrapped in paper the exact shade of survival. Surgeries and afternoons carpooling the kids to Hawkins general, paying Barry Mildred to do Billy’s algebra homework for him, and. 

Convincing everyone.

Himself, too.

That Billy would be alright. Steve had to do everything he could to get Billy ready for the world, or.

The world ready for him.

“Has it really been that long?” Steve wonders.

And Billy laughs. “Maybe not for you, King Steve. Some of us had to spend the whole of it in one room.” It doesn’t sound as painful as it usually does.

Steve just nods again. To himself.

He remembers the leaves changing around the time Billy learned to walk again. Halloween. Bringing left-over contraband to spoil Billy’s strict diet of organic bullshit while his body healed itself. Amber leaves complimenting blue eyes as they made unsteady laps around the courtyard together. 

Steve holding his arm out time and time again, and. Billy taking it. 

Christmas. Snowball fights with the kids, crystals on long blonde eyelashes while that stubborn mouth fought to return every smile Max threw his way. Those very same lashes, wet with tears, when Billy opened a vintage copy of Cider House Rules, on Christmas Eve. 

All, you really shouldn’t be spending the holiday in a psych ward, Harrington.

But they held hands for the first time that night. Steve said, where else would I want to be?

And Billy, just. Took what he could get--nothing more.

Steve remembers a lot of things. Happiness. Rocky, at first, unearned, a slide into friendship which turned into peachy cheeks that rivaled the setting sun.

Summer, Fall, Winter, and.

February.

Steve must have missed it. All of it, while he was busy being grateful that Billy was alive. 

He checks the calendar.

“You’ll be out in time for Valentines,” He says. Because that’s important, somehow. “Got any big plans?”

“Oh, for sure.” Billy clicks his pen. One-two-three. “Got a girl waiting for me on the outside, thought we could catch a movie.”

Steve knows. 

He knows it isn’t true, that Billy’s just yanking his ridiculously short chain, but. Steve’s heart beats in time with the click of a pen. Advancing and overtaking the tempo to orchestrate a symphony of worry.

Of fear.

It used to taste like copper. Black slime and dirty snow, but now it tastes like mashed potatoes served on a hospital lunch tray. Contraband sweets. Change and forced endings and--

Steve chokes on something. A laugh that falls wrong halfway through, like a sob colored to fit summer days. “What are you doing after?”

The clacking stops. “Just fucking with you, Harrington.”

“I know.”

“Was a joke, I’m not.” Billy clears his throat. “Everyone who matters came to see me while I was here.” 

Steve just nods. Frantically, because he hears words that aren’t there. Meaning that couldn’t possibly color his life in broad strokes. He thinks about what Billy’s saying, what he really means. 

Everyone who matters.

“Where are you staying? Like, when you get out,.” Steve mutters. The chord is wrapped around his hand again. He leans against the wall, wincing as the pins from his bulletin board pinch his shoulder blades. “You got a place to crash?”

Billy doesn’t say anything. 

Steve clears his throat. “You aren’t going back, right? You’re not going. Home?”

“To Neil’s?” 

And Steve gets the distinction. Feels it settle like an axe between his first three ribs. “Yeah.”

Billy sighs. “No, fuck that. Figured I’d ask around. See if there are any beds open at RCA.” Recovery Centers of America, that’s. 

“That’s in Indianapolis.”

“Yeah,” Billy says flatly. Steve thinks, distantly, that he sounds almost. Annoyed. “Owens says there’s a car. It’ll take me wherever I want, long as I stay in State.”

“You want to go away?”

“Sure,” Billy says bluntly. “Wouldn’t hurt to leave this place behind, you know. Maybe go somewhere new--”

“Stay with me.”

Steve’s heart is beating in his eyeballs.

The world falls silent. Only for a moment, for as long as it takes for Billy to drop something on the ground and then swear under his breath. His voice shakes, like strands in the wind. “What?”

“At my apartment,” Steve clarifies. He untangles the phone chord which has somehow worked its way to his elbow. “It’s small and shitty, and the couch only has three legs, but.”

Steve closes his eyes and hopes against hope, praying to every god who has ever existed since the beginning of time and everyone who will come after, that Billy can hear every meaning, every hidden word.

“You could.” Steve says softly. “If you wanted to.”

The clacking starts up again, slow and measured. Steve can hear Billy’s breath. The ragged intake of air that sounds painful, like a boy clinging to life in smoke filled memories. Holding on to his hand, saying, I don’t want to die, Steve, please.

It plants Steve’s feet in an ambulance. It tips the string of a tourniquet, bloody and wet with slime in his hands. It makes him remember. 

Pull it tighter, kid, come on.

And.

He’s losing a lot of blood.

And.

Steve, we’re losing him. 

And.

Kid, step away from the body.

Billy clears his throat. “You mean it?” He asks, and.

Steve lets go of a breath. “Of course I do.”

“You’ll get tired of me.” Billy’s voice, it sounds like shattering windows. Steve doesn’t say anything. Can’t respond, because. Nothing in life is more impossible. 

The world falls silent.

Only for a moment, as long as it takes for Steve to close his eyes. “I can’t watch you get in that car and walk away, Billy.”

It’s nothing. Only a part of how he feels. Only a drop of what he wants, but. It sets things in motion again. 

Billy clears his throat. “Alright,” He says. “Give me the address.”

--

Steve wants it to be something other than what it is.

He buys new sheets. Fern green satin, five-hundred thread count and worth a third of what he has in savings. 

They aren’t what he’d usually go for, color or texture, but. The lady at the department store says muted colors are good for preventing overstimulation after trauma and satin is gentle on the skin. Warm, too, which is always a good thing.

Billy says it feels like winter, now. All, I’m a goddamn human snow globe.

Buying sheets on Valentines, it.

Makes Steve hope that this is something else. 

That Billy will insist on putting his new sheets on Steve’s bed instead of the couch in the living room. That they’ll sleep together here, just how they always did in Billy’s hospital bed. 

Chest to chest. 

Billy’s head tucked under Steve’s chin, but.

Mostly Steve being eaten alive by the guilt.

For feeling like this is the start of their lives. That everything before now--living with his parents, fighting monsters, feeling useless in every sense of the word...

All of it was a dream. 

Preparation for the day he would open the front door and find Billy there, waiting.

Steve takes the sheets back to his apartment. He makes up the living room, rearranging the furniture so Billy can have his own space. The couch as a bed and the coffee table as a book shelf.

Billy has a lot of books.

More than anyone Steve’s ever met, more than Robin and Nancy Wheeler combined and Steve doesn’t own any books himself, or. A place to put them. His apartment is the size of a shoebox.

He’ll get rid of the stuff he doesn’t use anymore. 

He’ll make room. 

In his apartment, in his miniscule life, so that Billy has something of his own. 

And maybe after they’re settled in and the bills are paid for the month, Steve will pick up extra shifts at the video store until he can afford buy one. 

A nice, big oak bookshelf for Billy to house his favorites. 

--

He locks himself in the bathroom an hour after moving in.

Which, you know. Throws the evening for a loop. 

He seems happy when Steve opens the front door, dropping his box of books by the shoe rack and toeing his boots off with a grin. 

His body is loose, and. Open, Like he’s comfortable. Billy pokes around the apartment, making fun of the weird shit hanging up on the walls while Steve cooks dinner.

“You gotta get some real art in here, man.” Billy says. It sounds like he’s by the record player, digging through the stack of vinyl's Steve keeps in a shoe box by the T.V. “And some real music, holy shit. How have you been living like this?”

“I’ve been living just fine, fuck you very much.” 

“You have three copies of Waterloo,” Billy snorts. As if that proves something.

He’s crouched by the mosaic of finger paintings left by Holly Wheeler, studying a particularly abstract piece when Steve hands him a glass of sparkling cider.

“Everyone’s gotta have their backup copies of Waterloo, you know, extra in case you gotta dole them out to strangers.” Steve clinks their glasses together. “Cheers.”

Billy swishes the drink around with a lift of his eyebrow. “You trying to get in my pants, Harrington?”

“It’s not alcohol.”

“Why is it bubbly?” Billy accuses, lifting the glass to sniff at it suspiciously. His nose wrinkles, like a bunny rabbit. 

Steve laughs. “It’s sparkling cider. Cherry flavored.”

“Cherry?” Billy snorts, his cheeks glowing pink like little love hearts. “That’s definitely a sex flavor.” 

“It’s a celebration flavor, you dick.” Steve chuckles again. He files through the records he does have, selecting one he thinks Billy can tolerate. “What do you think of Rumours?”

Billy’s wandered to the kitchen. “Hate the activity, dig the album.” He calls.

The sound of cabinets opening and slamming shut echo through the space while Steve figures out the settings for this vinyl, fiddling with the tiny knobs until Songbird filters through at a pace that seems right.

“Ice is in the freezer,” Steve announces, and.

Billy rounds the corner with a bag of chips, happy little smirk on his face. Steve frowns.

“I’m fixing dinner--”

“I haven’t had Doritos in almost a year, Harrington.” Billy says roughly. He rips open the bag, collapsing next to Steve on the floor by the music stand. Billy takes one and licks the cheese dust off the chip, holding the bag out, like. “Want one?”

Steve face hurts from smiling so much. “Nah, I’m good.”

Billy leans back against the wall, rolling his eyes. “What, don’t eat carbs after four p.m. or something?”

And Steve filters through a million answers, all of which make it sound like he’s trying to get laid, so. He settles in next to Billy, letting his eyes fall closed with the sway of the music.

“No, just. Don’t wanna ruin my dinner.”

Billy snorts, bag crinkling loudly as he dives in for another handful. “I could eat twelve bags of this shit and still go ape on whatever rich boy thing you whipped up.” Billy asses him, head cocked to the side. “Bet the cheese makes you fart.” He concludes.

Steve blinks at him. “You’re disgusting--”

“Processed cheese makes everyone shit their pants, man, that’s like.” Billy wipes his hands on Steve’s leg. “Common knowledge.”

Steve makes a noise like a runover chicken, wiping frantically at the trousers he bought at the Goodwill, just for tonight. 

He wets his fingers with spit, wincing and scrubbing at the bright line of orange nacho cheese that stains his corduroy flares. 

The shape of Billy’s fingers is unmistakable. “I’m starting to regret asking you to move in.”

“Thought I was just crashing here until--”

“Now that you’re here I’m no letting you leave,” Steve smiles at him, the weight of it softening when Billy’s cheeks glow pink again. He knocks their shoulders together. “You’re stuck with me.”

Billy falls silent after that.

Shoveling in handful after handful of Doritos and crunching so loudly that Steve can’t get wrapped up in the bass line on the Chain. 

“Dude, you gotta chew so loud?” Steve asks, shoving Billy’s hand away when he reaches to smear nacho dust down the length of Steve’s neck. “My god, you’re a menace.”

“You love it,” Billy giggles, and.

They stare at each other for a moment. Sort of watching the brush of eyelashes against cheekbones while the music plays. 

A backdrop to the start of something Steve doesn’t have a name for.

--

Night falls and Billy doesn’t come out of the bathroom.

The food has been stored, the dishes put away, but the light which escapes like neon strips of gold to kiss the mouth of the hall carpet never flicks off. Never giving way to rest.

Steve thinks about waiting for him. 

He thinks about going to bed, jiggling the handle to make sure Billy’s okay, breaking the door down when two hours turns to three but that seems intrusive. 

If Billy wanted company he would ask. And if he wanted to come out he would, right?

Steve feels like an idiot. 

Pacing back and forth between the living room and the hallway, trying not to make it obvious that he’s right in the thick of gut-wrenching worry. Violent, intrusive images of brain splattered tile fill his mind. 

Billy could be hurt, or. Asleep in the bathtub. Maybe he slipped out the bathroom window while Steve was turning down the couch for him, making the space comfortable.

Maybe he was never here to begin with. Maybe Steve dreamt him up.

Steve paces back and forth, back and forth, wrestling with the urge to call Dr. Owens and ask what he should do, until the clock above the stove reads 11:34 pm and he has no choice but to call it a night.

His knuckles sound like a machine gun when he taps on the door. 

From behind the oak barrier, Billy makes a noise like he was startled out of sleep. Steve can hear him moving around, when he asks, “You okay? Been in there for a few hours.”

Billy opens the door.

His eyes are red and puffy, cheeks a little flushed, like.

“Have you been crying?” Steve doesn’t want him to cry. Tears and hallow feelings, they have no place in the stretch of nightfall that Steve has built for them. 

He feels himself reaching for Billy on impulse, trying to pull their bodies together, but Billy steps back. 

Away. 

To make room for Steve in the bathroom or to make a run for it, Steve isn’t sure. He knots his fingers together for safe keeping. 

“Of course not, don’t be fucking.” Billy’s voice cracks right down the middle, like. A loaf of bread that has been in the oven for far too long. His eyes are glassy when he looks up, and.

Distant.

Steve feels like an asshole. He leans against the door jam. “I can call Dr. Owens, if you want.” 

Billy stares at him. “Why would I want that?”

“You just seem--”

“I seem like what, Steve?” Billy spits. “You gonna psychoanalyze me too, huh?”

Steve grits his teeth against the urge to. Fight back. “It’s just when I started getting the couch ready, you seemed.” Steve runs a hand through his hair, choosing his next words carefully. “Nervous? Afraid, maybe, just a little. Which is alright. It can be scary sleeping alone in a new place, and--”

“I’m not five years old, Harrington, I can handle a sleepover at my friends house.” Billy snarls. He pushes against Steve’s chest until there are rivers between them. Mountains and oceans.

It’s the first time since Starcourt that Billy seems.

Like himself.

The old self, the one that used his fists to keep wandering eyes from getting too close. Figuring him out. If Steve were a younger man he’d fall for it, hook and line, but. 

He knows better.

Six months and a lifetime with Billy Hargrove have taught him a thing or two. He nods, stepping back down the hallway. 

Billy’s eyes track him. Wide and nervous and so, so blue. 

“‘M going to sleep, dude.”  Steve waves a thumb over his shoulder, taking a deep, needed breath. He calls over his shoulder to give Billy some space. “Come to bed when you’re ready. I’ll leave the light on.”

Billy’s footsteps don’t pass his bedroom door until Steve is settled under the covers.

--

He’s starting to think Billy won’t show.

The t.v. is on in the living room, tinny sounds of Yogi Bear filtering through the wall and Steve wonders if he made a mistake in assuming, that.

Look.

Just because they slept together, like, actually slept together  while Billy was in the hospital doesn’t mean anything. 

Maybe Billy is just scraping the bottom of his energy reserves. Maybe he’s getting to the end of the rope when it comes to his friendship with Steve, and didn’t want to move in but had to.

For lack of better options, and like. 

Income and shit--

“Scoot over.” Billy says.

Steve jumps, poking his head out from under the covers to glare wildly at him. “When did you--”

“Move over.” Billy insists, eyes burning like flame in the darkness.

Steve does, all, “Jesus Christ, you’re just a little ray of sunshine, aren’t ya?” But there are butterflies in his tummy. Gently flapping wings that turn into stinging wasps when Billy manhandles his way into the bed, yanking one of the extra pillows out from under Steve’s legs to punch into shape on his side of the bed.

Steve squawks. “I was using that.”

“It was under your knee caps, dork.” Billy mutters, bullying his way into Steve’s space like he did so many times on warm summer nights at Hawkins General, stiff as a board on his government issued mattress.

Steve’s bed isn’t anything like that, it’s like. A marshmallow. Swallowing the two of them whole when Billy presses his face into the length of Steve’s neck, legs coming up to pin him in place.

“I got weak ankles.” Steve pouts. 

Billy doesn’t say anything as he goes limp and heavy on top of his human pillow. Steve instantly feels like he’s over heating; the guy’s a fucking furnace, but.

Billy’s eyelashes are tickling his collar bones.

His breath fans out over Steve’s skin, like cool breezes on summer nights, and. When he starts crying Steve is there.

Like always, Steve sings him to sleep.

#harringrove #valentines day #billy Hargrove #Steve Harrington #please enjoy my trash

[haylanmakesstuff]

Day 19, 20 of my 21 day Skeksis Costume Build

DAY 19: OCTOBER 28th

           So close! Halloween was just a few days away. Today is Monday and Halloween is only Thursday! Today I worked on the arms and collar.

1.)    You can see in my starting photo for the day I added some “snakes”, including some long strips of black chiffon to the snake area, and some creepy cloth from the dollar store doing the same, front and back.

The arms are covered now, so they were attached to the body (though always removable). You can see in the below picture the grey cloth safety pinned to the arm that will later cover, like a winged weather, the handle, my hand and arms, concealed within.

Still watching She-Ra and The Princesses of Power. It’s so good y’all!

2.)    Now I’ve built up both the practical and cosmetic arm draping. This includes the practical: the stuff that hides my arms, hand, and puppet handle for the arm within it, and the cosmetic: the flowing gold lame wrapped around it, dangling.

The practical grey material you see is sewn to the torso of the costume, but only safety pinned to the arm – that way the arms are still removable. I just hide the pins under the gold pieces. Those gold pieces are tied into place, then glued into place, leaving a little room for the safety pin to hid in.

You can also see here to hide where the arm is attached to the frame, I used a $1 kids black cat costume I found at a thrift store, tore it apart and stole the furry pieces, and created the poofy black sleeve-shoulders the real character has. If you notice 2 blue round balls with masking tape on them (that’s bubble wrap), that’s what’s inside the shoulders to keep them poofed out, otherwise they would hang saggy and not look great. This black poof also has a hidden safety pin to assist in removing the arms. Looks like I’m watching As Above, So Below, just in time for Halloween. 

 DAY 20: OCTOBER 29th

           Making the lower body’s skirt, head and neck pin, strap for helmet, and working on the collar.

1.)    Today I got to test the costume again. Probably the only time you’ll see Skekso in Totoro tights. Kinda Skeski, am I right? Get it? Get it? Anyways, this is one of those moments where you really start to see that it’s going to work and it’s just so much fun and totally rewarding.

2.)    I filled in the top of the collar with gathered black chiffon, and in this shots you can see how the neck comes out of the hole in the middle.

3.)    This black neck chiffon needs some gold tinges to it, so I used Gold paint and put it on lightly with a brush.

4.)    Now I need to start on the lower body/skirt before I run out of time. That’s okay, this is the easy part. Here is a very unflattering picture of the base white skirt. It was actually the lining of one of the curtains I thifted for the robe material. I tore it out, made a floor length skirt with a drawstring at the waist as a base for it:

5.)    Now from testing it earlier, I knew the helmet needed some improvements so it would be more comfortable to wear, and also stay put on my head and not slide around. I wanted to have good movement, and a sliding helmet does not provide that.

That is a shot of the helmet and head without anything blocking it. See that red carabiner in the back? The framed backpack still had a loop from it’s original use on it, and while messing around with it, husband discovered it and realized we could take some of the slide out if we used the carabiner and attached it to the loop of the backpack. It worked and was very helpful. Before use another year this is something I would fix and have a better system for – this was great for short notice but not as good as I think it could be.

6.)    I needed a Skeksis head that was removable for storage and travel, but also not going to fall apart during wear and use. So, the neck PVC pipe is permanently attached inside the head, and the other end is permanently attached into the helmet. Where it detaches is actually towards the lower middle of the neck, here:

That is a regular old nail that pushes through as a pin to keep the two together. The hole is drilled tightly for fit, so the nail is snug, but can be taken out to remove the head from the helmet. I later put a string around the nail’s head and attached it to the pipe because I was afraid of losing the nail, which would make the whole costume un-usable.

7.)    Going back to the lower body/skirt, I used a cheapo hula hoop and sewed it up inside of it to make a hoop skirt that will give the body a little bit of size (before this is was very much up and down/flat). If and when I do improvements to the costume with more time, I want to bulk out the body so it’s not so thin.

I look like I’m on the way to some Norse Festival.

8.)    Now I have to make the skirt look like it’s just a continuation of the robes I already made on the torso so it looks like one seamless robe. I just matched the position and materials and started sewing.

That’s all for today! Come back for the final post about my journey through the Forbidden Forest to build this Skeksis costume in 21 days. Happy Halloween All Year!

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