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partially-controlled-chaos · 2 months

Text

New Life Shall Prosper, ch. 2

Pairing: Halsin x Reader (as gender neutral as possible, given the context)

Rating: T? (not really smut but there's some heavily implied in previous chapters. pregnancy related bits, tad bit of gore)

Warnings: There's not full blown smut but it borders on the edge, mentions of illness and pregnancy, mostly just fluff

Summary: Months after the fall of the Absolute, you and Halsin have carved a happy life for yourselves within Thaniel's Realm, making a safe haven for all. A life full of hope and prosperity, only enhanced once you discover the very real possibility that you are with child.

Word Count: 11.5K

an: This ended up taking so long because it went through three rewrites and it's still massive. BUT I did finally get it posted. There will be one more chapter, possibly two with how I shifted some things, but there's at least one more coming! Thankfully, because I did rewrite and move some things around, about half of the next chapter is already written. Mostly proofread, but I was tired when I posted this so I'll update it later for any mistakes. Thank you to everyone that has enjoyed this so far!!

Follow up to this post.

Read on AO3 here if you prefer!

Find chapter 1 here! Chapter 3, Chapter 4

Masterlist

Loving, tender kisses peppering your exposed shoulder and a heavy dip in the bed roused you from your slumber. Slowly, your eyes blinked open as they adjusted to the light, your vision blurry until you could make sense of your surroundings. You recognized the lumbering shape of your beloved druid. With a content smile on his lips, Halsin loomed over you; his arms supporting his weight above your head as his knees dug into the bed by your hip, causing your body to slightly slope downward.

“Good morning, my heart,” he said softly, “how did you sleep?”

“Fine, but I would do better if you would let me sleep a bit longer, love.” You said groggily as you turned your face from the beaming sun. You heard Halsin chuckle as he littered more slow kisses to your cheek.

“As much as I would love to, dear heart, I’m only doing what you asked of me.” You groaned as you buried your face to your pillow, his comment jogging your memory from the night before as he slid from atop you. Since your discovery that you were with child, you’d noticed significant changes to your energy levels. Being one to typically rise early, you’d found yourself sleeping in later each morning and desiring a nap around mid afternoon. Not that you wouldn’t mind to sleep in every once in a while, it just wasn’t suitable to your current lifestyle. You and Halsin were both early to rise and late to bed, filling your day with growing and expanding the area you now called home. Plants needed harvesting, home needed building, children needed enrichment and growth, and all of it simply couldn’t be done if you slept half the day away.

So, to counteract your sudden inability to wake up at a decent hour, you had practically begged Halsin to wake you in the mornings if you were still asleep when he returned from his daily patrols. He reluctantly agreed, wanting you to rest in accordance to what your body wanted, citing that you should be listening to the call of nature and not the call of a city. When you had finally convinced him, you made him promise that he would make sure you would rise and not go back to sleep, something you could kick yourself for now that the moment had come.

“Come on, my love,” he said as he pulled the blankets from your body and exposed you to the cool air of the room, “there’s much to do today and I made a promise.” With a groan of false annoyance, you rubbed your eyes and finally sat up. Halsin stretched out along side you, effectively taking up as much of the bed as he could to dissuade you from crawling back in. His head rested on a closed fist, sitting up partially to still make conversation.

“And what business do we have planned for today that requires such an early start?” You asked as you draped your legs over the edge of the bed, your arms stretching high above your head with interlocked fingers as your back arched forward. When you were done, you glanced over to Halsin after not hearing a response and you found him gazing at you. His eyes slowly traced along your body, a tender smile across his face the lower his eyes traveled.

“Or did you have something else in mind?” You asked in a low voice as you reclined back as best you could, given that the bulk of his frame was in the way.

“With you? Always,” Halsin said with a smirk before offering you an affectionate kiss to the lips, “but there are some matters that require our attention.” His smile had faded by the time the final words left his mouth and his face had lost its softness. It seemed that his need to wake you stretched beyond your request for a wake up call.

“Is something wrong?” You asked as you straightened again. The change in his demeanor was enough cause for concern for your to snap out of your groggy state of mind. Since the fall of the Absolute, there had been very few times that you’d seen Halsin return to his duty driven mindset and he was teetering dangerously close to that precipice. Something was gnawing at his mind, although you weren’t sure what.

“Not quite, but there’s potential. It’s… it’s better if I just show you. Let’s take a walk when you’re dressed.” With a slight degree of hesitation, you made your way to your feet and began to dress. With a lingering yawn you tugged on your small clothes to cover yourself a bit more as you toyed with your hair, trying to your best to brush away the evidence of sleep. You smiled to yourself as you noticed Halsin watching your every step, his admiration for you never faltering even if you did the most mundane of tasks. He looked as if he was lost in a daze; his expression was no more than a lazy smile and half-lidded eyes.

“If you keep looking at me like that,” you said as you caught his gaze, “you’re going to have to do something about it.” With a hearty laugh and a quick shake of his head, the druid sat up from the bed, his eyes still glued to your body.

“Although you are the epitome of nature perfected, my heart, you’re not picking up on what I am.” You raised an eyebrow, your head cocking at the comment.

“And what would that be?” You asked softly. Without another word, he made his way to his feet, offering his hand for you to take with a knowing smile.

He guided you to the standing mirror by the water basin, turning you until your back was pressed to his chest and you both were reflected in the glass. You watched the reflection as his head leaned forward, pressing the softest of kisses to your still bare shoulder as his hands traveled the length of your body, stopping along your waist. You felt his hands lightly grip your hips, angling them forward until he had you in the perfect position. When his hand left your hip and slowly caressed the skin under your navel, you finally realized what Halsin was so transfixed on observing. There, in the reflection of your mirror, you noticed the slightest of swells to your lower belly. It wasn’t a large bump, but nevertheless it was the smallest of bumps beginning to form. After weeks of seeing no progress, you were now staring at the reflection of a pregnant belly.

“Hells, I hadn’t even noticed,” you said softly as you turned your reflection in the mirror to make sure you saw what you thought you did, “and when did you make this discovery, dear bear?” Your eyes were stuck to your reflection, wholeheartedly admiring the tiny bulge of your lower belly. Although you were still early on in your pregnancy, just seeing the evidence of your growing child filled you with an immense sense of joy and almost disbelief. Until now, the idea of being with child didn’t seem real. Other than a bit of morning sickness and being a bit more tired than normal, at times you forgot you were carrying a child. But now, with the proof of one in front of your eyes, it felt more than real.

“Last night,” he whispered in your ear, “after your bath.” You hummed softly as the memory of the previous night flickered in your mind. You had just barely stepped from your bath before you had felt Halsin’s lips and hands caressing your skin and curves, ravishing you until you both needed another washing.

“Well, then,” you said playfully, “that explains your sudden urge last night.” Halsin said nothing, but the low growl and gentle bite to your earlobe confirmed your statement.

After lingering a few moments more to admire the growing bump to your frame, Halsin’s hands left your hips and left you to finish dressing for the day. You said nothing to each other as you hoisted up a pair of trousers and clean shirt, however the silence between you was not strained. Something was on Halsin’s mind, but whatever it was, was not directed towards you. When you had finished dressing and signaled you were ready to go, you were met with the same loving gaze and tender touches. This set your mind a little more at ease even though you were still curious as to what had gotten the druid so tense. It must be something in the community, perhaps the sense of duty, or maybe an issue with one of the refugees. Either way, you were determined to help him through it and set him at east once again.

You walked through your home together, hand in hand, and walked at a pace that wasn’t quite a stroll, but also wasn’t hurried. It had been a while since you had walked the city together, usually preferring to go your own ways and meeting again at the end of the day, so you quite enjoyed the change of schedule. Halsin’s large hand engulfed your own, holding it securely and offering a sense of peace and protection. You eventually made your way to the opposite side of the town, stepping from the cobblestone streets and into the beginning of the wood line.

“Where are we going? I thought we had business in town?” You asked as you continued your stroll, making note of the slightly firmer grasp that he now had on your hand.

“Business, yes, but it’s out in the forest on the outskirts of the town.” Halsin’s vague answers made your shoulders tense. You were not opposed to surprised, but you felt that this one would most certainly be unwelcome.

“Care to enlighten me? You’re not one to keep secrets, my dear.” You nudged Halsin with your shoulder as you walked, hoping it would make him open up and no longer keep you in the dark. You were impatient, wanting only to see what he was leading you to.

“I promise, it’ll be easier if I just show you, just be patient. We’re close now though, as much as it pains me to say it.” You picked up on the slightest hint of dread in his voice, the droop on his face only confirming your observation.

Admittedly, you had been utterly confused by Halsin, not understanding his sudden hesitancy to explain anything. He was always open with you, even with the most grueling of topics, and you were thankful for that. Both because you appreciated being in the loop of knowledge, but also because you didn’t want him to share the brunt of responsibility alone. He had done that enough in the past and it was high time he was able to share his burdens. Before the fall of Ketheric Thorm, you had made a promise to Halsin to help him through any hardships and even though it had been some time since you’d defeated Ketheric, your promise still stood. It always would. It was your vow to him and you were determined to uphold it.

After some time, you both had made your way to a small clearing on the outskirts of your established community on the line where your home met untamed wilderness. With your hand still firmly in his grasp, Halsin took you to one of the first trees along the tree line, walking you to the backside. There, just above your line of sight, was a symbol meticulously carved into the bark. A skull seated partially in a triangle, the outstretched fingers of a hand adorning it like a crown. You recognized the symbol immediately and a familiar twinge of unease settled in your stomach and your breath caught in your throat. Months after the battle, you were staring at the freshly carved symbol of the Absolute.

“I noticed it yesterday when I was roaming,” Halsin’s voice broke the silence and the tension of the moment, “a defilement of nature and a perfectly good scratching post.”

“By the gods.” You whispered softly as your eyes spotted the marking on the tree. You reached out slowly, your fingertips barely grazing the carved symbol in the tree, almost afraid that it would hurt you in some way.

“You’re certain this is new? This isn’t a remnant of a few months ago?” You knew the answer, but still felt the need to ask. It was a fresh, clean mark; something that had only happened in the past day or so. But, there was one small part of you that hoped and prayed it was a relic from all those months ago.

“Oh, very.” He said as he traced his finger along the carving, “Look at the flesh of the tree. It’s still weeping sap and the cut hasn’t yet browned. It’s recent, my heart.”

Your breathing was slow and methodical, an attempt to keep your rising fears at arms length. For a brief moment the idea crossed your mind that somehow the Netherbrain had survived the final battle and was once again enchanting mind flayer tadpoles, but you were certain this wasn’t true. The Netherstones had done their job of convincing the brain to destroy itself and there was no denying that the same brain that had sunk into waters surrounding the city was anything other than dead.

You then remembered the dying man and his siblings you had met on the road very early on in your journey. The man had been infected with the parasite, but his siblings remained free from a worm of their own crawling in their brains. However, they still followed the teachings and the call of the Absolute, despite not being True Souls themselves. You quickly realized that this mark wasn’t left by someone infected with the tadpole, but by someone who still believed in the Absolute. Someone who believed in the teachings and the power it offered enough to begin a resurgence of the cult, even if there were no tadpoles. The idea wasn’t that far fetched. You knew of plenty of instances where cults or even important figures that had fanatics that carried on the legacy of the entity. The most notable one that could come to mind were the handful of people that served the Szarr palace in the hopes of serving a vampiric lord simply because they were enthralled by him.

“I don’t think it’s cause for concern just yet, although we must be vigilant.” He said as he pulled is hand from the bark, “I roamed the woods the entirety of yesterday as well as this morning. This is the only symbol I can find and I haven’t found anyone lingering. Whoever left it, left it as a warning, but is gone from the area.”

“You don’t think it could be someone in town, do you?” You asked after you’d worked your way through your thoughts.

“It’s possible, but highly unlikely. You know them better than I do, so you must know how everyone feels about the Absolute. These are children and adults who lost their homes and had their lives uprooted because of this cult, I don’t believe anyone would be a follower. Unless you think otherwise?”

“No, not at all,” you said as you continued to observe the marking, “but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. As you said, remain vigilant. Let’s see what comes of this.”

“I sent out a scouting party late in the afternoon. They plan on looking further into the forest and beyond to see if they can pick up on any trail. I would go myself, but if there is no pressing need for me to go out then I would prefer to stay here. I have many people I want to protect.” He lightly pressed his hand to your newly discovered bump, lingering for a moment before pulling away.

With another brief look to the symbol, you were ready to leave and return to the safety of your home. You understood why Halsin would always patrol the community and the surrounding area each morning, but you never thought anything would ever come of it. Maybe it was the lull of a peaceful home or perhaps you had just gone soft after the final battle, but this new discovery had caught you off guard. Any sort of resurgence of the cult could lead to disastrous consequences and it threatened the safety of your very home. There were already so many men and women that had been lost and displaced, not to mention the dozen upon dozens of orphaned children you were now in charge of, and the thought that they could face it all again made a shiver run down your spine. To top it off, you were now welcoming your own little one into the world; a world you assumed was safe.

“Thank you for telling me,” you said as you began the long walk home, “I’m not sure what to make of it, but I appreciate it nonetheless.”

“Don’t let it burden your mind and unsettle your nerves, my heart,” Halsin said as he reclaimed your hand with his, “our home is safe.” You pulled Halsin’s arm around you as you walked, allowing his hand to rest on your lower back as you leaned into his frame. He was right, for the time being your home and community were safe, and you felt even safer being wrapped in his embrace.

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

It had been many weeks since your discovering of the carving in the woods and thankfully everything remained quiet. Life carried on as it had been and you frequently tucked the memory into the far recesses of your mind. You sat cross-legged on your bed, the back of Halsin’s hand rested on your rounded belly as you carefully plucked splinter after splinter from his fingertips. You gently traced your fingers over his, feeling for any more pieces of wood stuck under his skin. Although he was already a skilled whittler, Halsin had recently taken up woodworking. It was a hobby you found to be surprising, but when you learned he desired to master the craft simply because he wanted to hand carve a crib for your little one, you couldn’t be happier. Since then, you always made it a point to pluck any pieces of wood from his fingers.

The partially completed crib sat against the wall of your bedroom, still needing a few finishing touches before it ready for a sleeping baby, but there was still time before it would be needed. Despite needing a bit of sanding and polishing, the crib was absolutely beautiful and incredibly detailed. It taken him a few weeks, but in that short time he had crafted the piece completely by hand and with copious amounts of love. He had even gone so far as to carve the smallest of details along the head of the crib; a parade of carved bear cubs wandering through the beauty of nature and swirls that mimicked the patterns of his tattoos adorned the wood panelling.

With a final look over his hands, you had decided that you’d pulled out any remaining fragments of wood, lifting his large hand from your belly. You held your palm against Halsin’s, taking note in the difference in size. His hands engulfed yours, two of his knuckles easily able to overshadow your fingertips if he were to bend them. Your eyes traveled from his hands and along his arms, observing just how large they actually were and how they seemingly continued to grow at they reached his broad shoulders. You laced your fingers with his as you continued to look him over, not noticing the adoring look on Halsin’s face in the process.

“Is something troubling you, my heart?” He asked as he brought your hand to his lips, softly kissing your fingers.

“Not at all,” you said as his voice snapped you out of your thoughts and you shifted to your regular spot on the bed, “just doing a bit of thinking.” You adjusted the pillows under your head until you were comfortable on your side. With a gentle pat, you motioned for Halsin to join you.

“Do tell, my heart.” He followed your invitation, reclining on his side as well, positioning his head against his hand as he gazed down at you. Gods, you would never tire of the way he looked at you. His gaze was always filled with the utmost admiration and infatuation, which had only increased in the recent months.

“You are rather large for an elf, you know.” You brought your hand to your head, mirroring Halsin’s pose as you spoke.

“Is that so?” Halsin cocked an eyebrow, a smirk spreading across his lips at your comment.

“Oh hush, love,” you said with a chuckle, “you know I mean no harm. It just has me wondering about this dear little one of ours.” You ran your hand along the side of your belly with the thought, still in disbelief that you would be having a child in a few months.

“Are you afraid our child might be taller than you one day?” He teased, placing his hand atop yours, seemingly sensing the worry gnawing at your mind.

“Not at all, but I am worried about having to somehow birth a baby the size of quasit if they end up taking after your size.” You chuckled softly, although the thought was seriously lingering in your mind. Elves and half-elves were typically small in build, but Halsin was of course no normal elf. Simply comparing the size of his hands to yours indicated just how big he truly was. So it was very well in the realm of possibility that your newborn would be well above average in size.

“I don’t think they’ll be quite that large my heart,” Halsin said as he ran his thumb along your cheekbone, “but even if they are, I’ll be there for you. Whatever you need.”

“Thank you.” You whispered. Despite facing the end of the world, the idea of childbirth terrified you. You knew the risks associated with the birthing process and it was a daunting prospect. Healing couldn’t be offered until after the actual birth, so knowing you’d have to endure the hours long process without aid unsettled you.

“Will you be there?” You asked after a moment. You knew it was a dumb question; Halsin wouldn’t dare the miss the birth of his first child or leave you to deal with the trauma of birth alone, but with your hormones fluctuating the way they did, it was nice to have the confirmation.

“Of course, my heart. It’s not even a question.” He quickly kissed your lips in reassurance, “Put your mind at ease. I will be there for the entirety and afterwards.”

Halsin pulled you towards him, nuzzling his nose against the crown of your head, kissing it softly. In turn, you rested your face across the expanse of his chest, taking in his natural warmth and scent as you felt his hand slowly run along your back, soothing your worry. You hummed as you melted against his touch, your muscles finally relaxing after a long day.

“Have you heard anything about the symbols you found?” You asked after a long yawn, the desire for sleep finally catching up to you.

“Last I heard,” Halsin said after a long period of silence, as if he was hesitant to say anything, “there was a small group of followers to the north. Goblins, mostly. And a few orcs if what the scouts have said can be relied upon. Don’t let it bother you tonight, my heart. It can be discussed in the morning.” With your eyes suddenly heavy, you didn’t argue his plea.

Given that it had been many moons since you first discovered the markings on the tree, you weren’t too concerned with the lingering cultists being an immediate threat, but it still crossed your mind frequently. Between the ministrations along your back and sound of Halsin’s steady heartbeat against your ear, you found yourself drifting off to sleep, securely nestled in the embrace of Halsin’s strong arms.

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

“It’s a good thing I’m better a wielding a sword than I am a knitting needle,” you said as you observed your work, “otherwise we’d all be mind flayers by now.” You held up the infant sized sweater you’d spent an hour knitting, your nose scrunching in distain when you realized not only was it far too big for a newborn, but lopsided with different lengths on the sleeves and a warbled neckline.

“Well,” Halsin said with a chuckle as he looked up from his whittling, “let us give thanks that nature has blessed you with other talents.” Although he had already finished the beautifully crafted crib, his whittling hobby had picked up even more now that you were close to your due date. Small ducklings, bear cubs, tiny bunnies, and even squirrel kits were all figures he had started carving, the idea of having a child of his own clearly influencing his design choices. Lately, many quiet afternoons were spent like this, with you and your beloved elf taking much needed downtime together, happily preparing for the arrival of your little one.

“I’m sorry,” you said with feigned hurt, “but are you telling me that this isn’t the beauty of natures creation?” You saw his attempt to hide the smirk threatening to come across his face as he eyed your knitting once more, chewing on the side of his lip to keep it from rising.

“I would, but you made it, my heart, not nature.” You snorted and playfully knocked Halsin’s arm with yours before unraveling your hard work in an attempt to remake it.

The two of you were lounging in the center of town, reclined against the large oak that had miraculously been renewed with life when the shadow curse had been lifted. You leaned against one of Halsin’s large arms more than the tree, trying to find some relief for your aching back. If your calculations were correct, you still had roughly two months left before you were set to give birth, but you were heavily struggling with the physical toll it took on your body. Your back frequently ached and pain would settle in your hips, making sitting anywhere absolutely abysmal, not to mention trying to get up by yourself.

Despite this, you could never say you were too burdened with your condition. Halsin always went out of his way to make sure you were as comfortable as possible, which always filled you with a sense of adoration and love. He was always quick to offer a soothing back rub if your muscles were tense from a long day or if the pressure from your growing little one made your bones ache, making sure to massage deeply and slowly until you melted under his touch. Or if you were overtaken by a sudden craving for a particular food, he would be sure to bring you whatever you desired to your hearts content. He would frequently soothe your emotions if you were overcome with confusing hormones, being by your side until you worked through whatever was plaguing you and would stay until he could see you smile again.

In all of this, his desire for you never faltered; if anything, it was stronger than ever. It wasn’t always sexual, however. His desire to just be close to you only grew stronger the more your abdomen grew. Gentle touches across your back, arms touching when sitting together during supper, holding you snugly against his body while you slept; anything to stay close to you. The same sentiment held true even in ursine form, of course. You frequently found yourself sitting beneath a tree or in a sunny field with the head of your bear placed gently in your lap during a midday nap or felt a wet nose nuzzling against your swollen belly.

Not to say that his more intimate desires for you wavered in the slightest. It was hard enough for you to keep your hands off each other before the discovery of your pregnancy, but had only intensified since. Many nights were spent in each others embrace and were filled with soft kisses and playful bites. Each time was always gentle and seemed to feel more loving than the last. In every aspected you could imagine, Halsin was the perfect partner; not that you had imagined any less from him. The love you had for him had only intensified in the recent months and you could see the same sentiment reflected from him each time you caught him staring at you. His eyes always filled with softness and love, something that made your heart melt on a daily basis.

A shift in placement of your baby made you grunt, your side now aching with the pressure of some appendage now pressing into your ribcage. You sat up from your position against the druid, leaning forward and side to side to try and stop the pain. As much as you loved the feeling of the tiny bits of movement here and there, you couldn’t help but groan whenever the child landed in a particularly inconvenient spot. Occasionally you’d feel a kick here and there, but you mostly just felt the entire body of your child moving in your abdomen. Despite being near you constantly, Halsin had yet to feel a kick or a bit of movement from your belly. It always seemed to stop when he placed a hand on your stomach to feel for movement. You felt them, of course, but wished Halsin could do the same.

“Is everything all right?” Halsin asked as he noticed your movements. He placed his whittling knife and piece he’d been working on to the side, turning more towards you in the process. His large hand slowly worked its way up and down your back, trying to rub out any knot or muscle tension.

“Oh yes,” you said with a sharp inhale, “I just feel as if I have a foot in my ribs. Right in here.” You took his hand in yours, sliding it from your back to the side of your belly where the pain was, hoping he would finally have his change to feel the baby move. His thumb lightly caressed your stomach in an attempt to encourage the tiny little foot to move.

“Well, given the circumstance, I’d wager and say you probably do.” He said with a laugh. As the discomfort in your side finally subsided, you found yourself reclining on your hands with your legs extended in front of you. The change of position seemed to move your little one just enough to alleviate the discomfort and you finally had a moment of relaxation. Your head fell back and lightly brushed against the trunk of the tree, your eyes closing as you felt a gentle breeze across your face.

Halsin’s hand remained on your belly, gently running it along the side and around the front until it eventually settled on top. With a deep sigh you finally opened your eyes, your head rolling to the side to meet Halsin’s gaze. However, instead of meeting your eyes, his own were fixed to his hand atop your stomach, a grin spreading across his lips the more he lingered, but there was the faintest hint of something else in his eyes.

“What’s on your mind, my love?” You asked softly as you took in his expression. He was lost in thought, his mind drifting as you both sat in the coolness of the shade and you returned to your former position. Your hand rested atop his for a moment before sliding up his forearm and back down, the ministrations finally grabbing his attention from his deep concentration.

“Everything,” Halsin said after a long pause, “as always. But I have to admit that as of late I find myself worrying about you, mostly, my heart.”

“How do I worry you? Is it the baby?” You asked, surprised at his answer, “Please, tell me. Let me ease your mind. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to me.”

“Well, partially it’s the child. In my many years I’ve seen countless others give birth and I’m aware of the risks. I know the dangers child bearing can bring and leave in its aftermath. So I have my concerns in relation to that, but most of my concerns lay outside of that.” His palm light trailed across the expanse of your belly; his touch soft and loving.

“Tell me, then, please.” You lightly brushed a few stray strands of hair from his face, tucking them behind a pointed ear.

“We’ve discussed this before, but I have to ask,” he paused as he spoke, that rare look of vulnerability flashing across his face as he tried to form his words, “are you happy? Truly happy? With everything that’s come after the Netherbrain, I mean. Can you say for certain that you are satisfied and content with the life we’ve built here?”

“Halsin, my love, I couldn’t have dreamed of a happier life.” The hand that had brushed through his hair came down his neck and finally rested on his chest, directly above his heart. “Why would you even need to ask such a question?”

“To ease my mind, I suppose. I pulled you from a life of praise and newfound opulence that came from saving Baldur’s Gate only to thrust you into a life of quiet, often thankless, servitude. I just want to be certain that this life is something you want and not something I’ve forced you into; especially now that you are so close to having a child. I don’t want you to have regrets.” He spoke quietly but surely.

“I don’t want or need the praise and wealth the city offered. You, though? You I need. And I can’t go without you for even a second. I chose to leave with you to build a life here because that’s what I wanted. We both did. You didn’t force me into anything. In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, I had to practically beg to convince you that it’s what I wanted, did I not?”

“Oh yes,” he said with a slight smile, “I believe I recall you calling me an ass.”

“I was terrified of you turning me away!” You couldn’t help but laugh at the memory, “You can’t blame me for my words when I wanted nothing more than to follow you and be by your side. And to this day there is nothing I want more. I would choose this life we’ve built and I would choose you again and again.”

You leaned forward slightly, trailing your hand back up along his neck and chest until it rested on his cheek, gently pulling his head towards you until your foreheads met in a gentle caress. You’d come to adore your frequent forehead touches with the elf, almost enjoying them more than a kiss in a moment like this. It was a simple, intimate gesture that brought the both of you so much comfort in moments of insecurity and uncertainty.

“And I would do this all over again in every lifetime, my love. In every possible form we may find ourselves in. All without an ounce of hesitation or regret. And now that we’re having a child? My dearest love, my heart is full. We have built something truly wonderful not only in this community we call home, but something wonderful and beautiful in this tiny little child we’ve created.” You lingered against his skin for a moment more before finally pulling away, your hand still cupping his cheek as you spoke again.

“Halsin, please, don’t every worry that you’ve taken me from something. In reality, you have given me the greatest gift possible. Release those fears from your mind. They hold no weight here.” You whispered softly before pressing a gentle kiss to his tattooed cheek.

“You truly are a gift from Silvanus himself, my heart. You’ve brought back the youthful optimism and stamina of this old, pardon…older druid, my heart.” You smirked at his attempt to remember your distain for referring to himself as old, appreciating the effort.

“Trust me love, if my condition is any indication of how spry you are, I’d say you have the vigor of someone just barely over a hundred.” You said as you began to recline back again. Not satisfied with your quick contact from earlier, he gently took your chin in his grasp and pulled you to him until your lips softly connected. A string of slow, soft kisses soon followed, along with praises coming from each of you after each brush of your lips.

Shouting from across the town square broke the serenity of the moment. You and Halsin both turned in the direction of the commotion, instincts immediately springing into action at the sound. Screams of terror and anger could be heard behind you, steadily growing louder. You were still struggling to even begin to get up when Halsin told you to stay where you were; a command more than a request. Before you had time to argue, Halsin had rushed the the cause of commotion, leaving you on the ground struggling to stand.

“Gods above.” You muttered to yourself as you finally managed to get to your feet, using the tree as support in the process. As quickly but as carefully as you could as to avoid disrupting your little one, you hurried to the sound of the commotion, despite Halsin’s request fo you to stay put.

You had gotten to the town square just in time to see what the commotion was. The freshly deceased body of a war painted goblin was splayed along the ground, its throat having been quickly sliced apart by the enraged cave bear looming over the corpse. You immediately knew the bear to be Halsin, who had no doubt changed at the first sight of the attacking goblin. Two other goblins had accompanied the deceased one, but had quickly turned tail in fear at the emergence of the bear. Not to the surprise of anyone in the community, Halsin quickly chased after them, releasing a roar loud and deep enough that you could feel the reverberations in your body. He would no doubt make quick work of the intruders, giving you the chance to ensure there were no other lingering goblins or nasties before checking in on any potential injuries.

With your hand placed on the underside of your belly for support, you squatted next to the slain goblin, taking note of the silver pendant hanging around its neck. You felt a cold chill run down your spine when you saw the symbol of the Absolute within the safety of your home. Anger surged within you as well, cruising yourself for not handling this problem sooner. Thank the gods that no one was injured, other than the goblin, but the experience was enough to shake everyone. Thaniel’s Realm was meant to be a sanctuary for the lost and lonely, safe from threats of any kind and a place to live in harmony with nature. Now, however, that safety had been shattered and danger was no longer a looming threat, but a real and bloody reality.

You spent the rest of the afternoon checking in with everyone, ensuring their safety and checking for wounds. The children of the realm were shaken by the events of the day, but they were resilient. They had faced too many hardships and dangers with the threat of a mind flayer invasion and Netherbrain control for them to be running from a handful of goblins, but you wanted to be there to lend a hand to hold and a lap to sit on if needed. The nightly supper and bedtime stories for the children continued as usual once the remnants of the mutilated goblin had been cleared away, the usual nightly feel of home returning once everyone had a full belly. You walked home quietly, your mind racing with the events of the day and your emotions high strung. With a grunt of effort you sat on the few steps that led to entrance of your home. You sat in silence, absentmindedly running your hands along the expanse of your stomach as you waited for your druid to return.

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It was well past nightfall by the time Halsin finally returned home to you, bloodied and still in bear form. Even though you were certain would never harm you while in wild shape, there was no denying just how intimidating his form was. His snout was absolutely drenched in goblin blood, splatter even reaching to the top of his head, and you could feel the hot pants of his breath against your legs as he approached. There was the faintest glow still present in his eyes, making it very clear that he was still deeply angry about the situation at hand. The low growls emitting from his chest could be felt in your bones as you gently reached out to place a hand on the underside of his chin. You could feel his pulse begin to return to normal as your fingers brushed against his pulse point, despite the thick layer of fur between his skin and your fingers.

“Come along love,” you said to your bear softly, “let’s get you cleaned up.” His sharp claws were also covered in blood, bits of flesh and cloth dangling from a few of them. Given the sight of him, you didn’t want to imagine what was left of the goblins that had stormed your home, if there even remains at all. Either way, Halsin was drenched in assorted viscera and could do for a warm bath; both to clean and to soothe.

Once you pulled your hand from his chin, the bear erupted in a familiar flash of light, ending the wild shape of the bear and transfiguring Halsin back to an elf, who was just as bloody as the bear. He was still breathing heavily after the transformation, remaining silent as he rolled his neck and shoulders and shook out any remaining feelings of the bear. He closed his eyes briefly, allowing himself a calming breath before look back to you, his gaze much softer but no less expressive. Despite the intense rage you had witness earlier, he was as gentle as ever with you. With a soft touch, he helped you to your feet before quickly looking over you, checking for injuries. After reassuring Halsin that you and your child were fine, you led him inside and drew him a warm bath.

Once he had seated himself in the water of the washtub, he began to calm and relax more, the temperature of the water helping to ease any remaining tension in his muscles. After he had seemed to cool off a bit, you set to work. With a soft cloth and a gentle touch, you began washing the dark blood from his face. Starting with his forehead and working your way down, you worked quietly, not sure of what to say to ease his mind more. With each wipe of his face, you dunked the soft cloth back into the water to rinse it before returning to his skin. When you wiped away the last of the blood from his chin, he finally spoke.

“We cannot afford to sit idly anymore.” He said as you shifted your attention to the rest of his body, wiping along his chest and down his arms meticulously.

“No,” you murmured as you checked for wounds along his shoulders and arms, “we can’t. We can head out in the morning? The next day perhaps? Figure out where the group is, how strong they are, look at the defenses-” Your speech was quickly cut off before you could finish your thought.

“We? I hope you’re not suggesting that you come along as well.” His brows knitted together at your response, utterly bewildered that you would even suggest such a thing.

“Of course I am,” you said quickly, “I can’t sit at home and twiddle my thumbs and expect you to handle it all. I told you when we first came here that we share the responsibility of our home. It’s not your burden to bear alone, Halsin.”

“And you have done an absolutely beautiful job of doing so, my love, but you must stay here.” His hands lifted from the tinted water, reaching out to cup your cheeks with his palms. He looked you in the eyes, holding a stern gaze with you.

“The people here can survive without us for a few days. They’re not completely helpless. They already do most of the cooking and running of the market and the children will be fine under their watch.” You tossed the cloth into the water, standing in the process. Now was not the time for arguing; it was the time for action. Your home had just been invaded and arguing over who should go and when was irrelevant in your eyes. You were both more than capable of dispatching goblins. You pulled a towel down from a nearby shelf after hearing Halsin hastily step out of the water, patting him dry as you checked his lower body for injuries as well.

“Yes, they can. They are prospering beyond what either of us could have imagined and in such a short time. And we are prospering ourselves,” he softly placed a hand on the peak of your belly, “and we cannot risk losing this blessing.”

“I can take care of myself,” you scoffed at the remark, “it’s not the first time I’ve faced a handful of cultists, my dear.”

“You would be a target.” He said firmly, not relenting in his stance on the matter, “If the remaining followers of the Absolute are just as vicious as I remember then they would target you in an instant. Just by looking at you, it’s no secret that you’re carrying a child. I don’t even want to think of what they could do to you or the child if they managed to get a hold of you.”

You could hear the fear in his voice, despite the firmness in which he spoke. Unfortunately, he was right. Being only a handful of weeks away from going into labor, your belly extended far and would only get bigger from here. Targeting you would be the easiest way to distract a raging cave bear or sword wielding druid. And, realistically, you were in no condition to travel, let alone fight. You had a hard enough time earlier in the afternoon just to get up from the ground. Traversing the land, sleeping on the ground, and battle would not only be uncomfortable, it would be impossible. Not to mention the risks it could pose to your child. It could result in an early birth or a loss of the pregnancy altogether. Plus, the idea of toting around a newborn while trying to hack away goblins would be less than idea.

“I know,” you sighed, resigned to the truth, “I know. It’s agreed then, I’ll stay.”

“Thank you, my heart,” his hands landed on your shoulders now, “if the scouts’ information is correct, it should only be a few days walk to their encampment. Give it a ten-day and we should all be back home.”

“What about you? Are you not staying with me?” It was your turn for confusion to cross your face. You knew Halsin would want to leave with them to battle the upcoming fight, but you needed him at home with you; albeit for more selfish reasons.

“Someone has to lead them,” he said, “they are capable, but they need a leader for battle if it comes to that. And given that most of our neighbors are children, I need to be the one to lead them.” You shook your head, understanding his logic, but disagreeing fully.

“And what happens if you get hurt? Captured? Killed? What then?” The pitch of your voice increased, emotion beginning to get the better of you.

“Were you not just willing to walk into a battle with me while with child? Why has that changed all of a sudden?” He huffed at your reaction, not understanding why you both couldn’t see eye to eye on the situation.

“Because if I’m with you out there then I can see you. I can see with my own eyes that you are safe and alive. If I stay here and you go out there, I’ll be left in the dark. I won’t know if you’re alive or if your corpse is rotting on the side of the road somewhere. Maybe captured and left in a cage to starve or something even worse. I need the peace of mind of knowing with absolute certainty that you’re still breathing, my love.” You’d already saved Halsin from a cage once before, so you knew it was possible for it to happen all over again or worse. No. You needed him home so you could make sure he was safe. Safe to remain with you and safe so he could meet his child.

“If I fall in battle then that is nature’s will. And I’ll have died making sure that you, this community, and this little one are safe. It would be a sacrifice made with love; that I can assure you.” He said softly, trying to ease you into the reality of what was needed.

His words squeezed your heart, making you push from his embrace in recoil. Your lips quivered as your eyes became wet, your breath hitching in your throat. Without another word, he pulled you into him, your arms pinned between his chest and yours. Your cheek was pressed firmly to his bare chest, still slightly damp from the bath, and you felt your throat burn with the anticipation of a sob. You couldn’t think of that; of the possibility of Halsin leaving and never returning because he was killed by an off shoot of a cult you’d already defeated once. He held you tightly to his chest as best he could, given the size of your belly, and kept you there until your breathing had slowed and you could speak without your voice cracking.

“I can’t do this alone,” you said after you’d calmed a bit, “I need you here.” You voice wavered as you spoke. Your memory flittered back to the months you travelled together on the road, camping where you could and bringing the best suited to battle. It was often that when you asked one of your other members to stay behind for a spell, they would always question your judgement. They trusted you with their lives, but there was always the hesitancy of staying behind. Like you in this moment, they felt as if they would be the best choice to bring along. After all, what harm could befall your or everyone else if they came too? As much as you found the back talking to be a nuisance, you finally understood why they would do it. It wasn’t to be in control or undermine your judgements, but it was done simply out of a desire to protect.

And now, you wanted to be the one to protect Halsin from whatever dangers he may face. You had both worked too hard to reach the bliss you’d settled upon to let it be unraveled by a handful of goblins and vagabonds. However, you knew in your heart that you couldn’t go. You were a liability and a target. You needed to stay, much to your dismay. But, despite your sudden realization, you still couldn’t wrap your head around why Halsin specifically needed to go. He needed to stay; for both his sake and yours. The idea of giving birth scared you more than facing the Absolute, but more so the thought of your child losing their father before they could even meet weighed more heavily on your mind. Wherever you need me. That was always what he told you when you asked him to stay in camp. He never questioned or argued or requests then, so why is he now? Why did he have to be so stubborn at times?

“And you won’t be, my love,” he softly kissed your temple again, “but those that are going need guidance and I should be the one to answer that call. I’m not venturing forth because I want to roam or feel the rush of battle. Protecting this place we’ve built, and all those in it, are my duty now. You, my heart, and our little one are my duty. To keep you both safe. As I said, it shouldn’t be more than a ten-day. I’ll be back long before this chid of ours comes; you have my word.”

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Sleep would not come to you in the night. The thought of Halsin leaving you for a ten-day at minimum, potentially more, kept you wide awake with a knot in your stomach. You lay on your side, your back pressed firmly to Halsin’s chest as he slept lightly beside you. His breaths were absent of his typical snores, signaling that he was having trouble sleeping himself or a lesser quality of sleep at the very least. His arm was wrapped securely around you, cradling your heavily extended belly as his gentle breaths tickled the hair on the nape of your neck.

Moonlight trickled in through the window, painting the room in an ethereal glow that would have been idillic if it wasn’t for the foul thoughts swimming in your brain. You knew Halsin was more than capable of surviving against a small band of crazed cult worshippers, but you still had your doubts. Saving your beloved bear from a cage in a goblin camp was the first time you’d met the man, so that particular memory kept eating away at your mind as you tried to sleep. If he did end up captured, or worse, would mean that he would be stuck in whatever gods awful place the remnant cultists were holed up in until someone, more than likely you, could find him.

However, that alone would have to wait until after you birthed your little one because ultimately, Halsin was right. You couldn’t afford to go out adventuring in your current state. You had a hard enough time standing from a seated position due to the size of your ever growing abdomen, so to actively battle someone and not injure yourself or your child would be practically impossible. So, you’d have to wait until after you gave birth, but would also have to decide on how long to wait until after they were born. You couldn’t bring a newborn on the road with you and you also couldn’t bring yourself to leave them home. Suddenly, as if he could sense your unease and inability to rest, you felt Halsin stir beside you.

“Rest, my heart.” He all but growled in your ear, his grip around your tightening around you slightly as he shifted himself again, “You’re going to worry the little one into the world far too early if you don’t ease your mind.” His voice was groggy from sleep, but still firm enough to get his point across.

With a huff, both from annoyance exhaustion and discomfort from the amount of effort it took to move because of your pregnancy, you rolled to your opposite side. You couldn’t be as close to him as you would have liked, given the size of your bump, but you managed as best you could. With your nose nestled into the warmth of the crook of his neck and your arms squeezed between you, you finally found a comfortable position that may allow for the slightest amount of sleep. Halsin’s strong arm surrounded your body once again, his arm lightly tracing patterns along your back in an attempt to soothe your nerves. Eventually, and much to your gratitude, you managed to settle into a slumber. It wasn’t the most peaceful night you’d had in a long while, but you couldn’t argue that some rest was better than none. Your sleep was dreamless; just a dark voice of silence.

Come morning, the familiar embrace of Halsin’s lips to your forehead and calloused hand cupping your chin caused you to stir, your mind slightly foggy from the haze of sleep you’d finally managed to settle into. Your lover was hovered over you, planting his usual loving kisses to your skin to gently rouse you from your slumber. You hummed softly at the touch of his lips, reaching up to place your hand over his only to come into contact with his old bracers. The wood was rough under your touch; familiar yet a stranger in these past months of bliss. When your mind finally cleared of your slumber, you realized he was already dressed for the day, ready to take to the road in pursuit of the Absolute assailants.

“First light was agreed upon, my love. Otherwise I would stay here with you for every precious moment.” He said as you sat up, the resurgence of dread filling you. With a deep sigh, you quickly pulled on a loose fitting outfit with the intention of seeing Halsin off for his journey. You still disagreed with him leaving, but you also knew there would be no changing his mind or stopping him. He was leaving out of duty to protect both his home and his growing family, and he was more than willing to die for both.

“A kiss for the road?” You asked softly after you’d pulled on your quick outfit, meeting him to the main threshold of your home.

“Of course. As if you even had to ask,” Halsin said as his hands rested across your shoulders, "It is as I said before you faced the Netherbrain, this shall not be our last, my heart.”

His lips pressed firmly to yours, but there was still the softness you adored. He was always so, so gentle and loving with you. You gripped the edges of his old armor firmly, desperately trying to keep him as close to you as possible as you shared your parting kiss. He groaned against your lips, not wanting to part from you and only desired to hold you to him, but you both knew you needed to part ways so he could meet the scouting party across town. After all, the sooner he left, the sooner he would return to you and your child.

“A ten-day, I promise.” He said as you finally parted ways, meeting your gaze with soft eyes that almost threatened to form a tear.

“And not a day more.” You said it almost as a command, but you also muttered it as a prayer.

With a brush of his nose to yours, Halsin pulled from you, his eyes lingering on your features for a moment longer before his gaze drifted to your abdomen. He knelt to one knee in front of you, placing both hands on either side of your belly before pressing a lingering kiss to the area above your navel. Once his lips parted, he pressed his forehead to the same spot and you could hear him muttering a prayer to Silvanus for safety and guidance. You placed your hands along his, bowing your head to join in on his prayer. Before long, he finally stood

“Not a single day more, my loves.” He repeated when he finally lifted his hands from your body, turning to leave as he did. You shared one final look to each other before he eventually left, calling out his love for you one more time. You leaned against the doorway to your home, your eyes fixed on Halsin as he made he way across the realm.

When Halsin’s bulking frame finally faded from your line of sight, you couldn’t help but sigh as you strolled your way back inside your shared home. The exhaustion from the terrible nights sleep was still weighing heavily on your tired eyes and with Halsin’s fate in the hands of Silvanus, you decided to try and rest more. There was much to do around the area, but for now the people of Thaniel’s Realm could carry on with your absence for the morning. You plopped down on Halsin’s side of the bed, a grunt escaping your lips in the process. Just as you prepared yourself to crawl back under the covers, you felt it.

You could feel the tiny, glorious little kicks from inside your belly. You smiled at the feeling, running a hand along the patch of skin where the kicks were most prominent. It was always a strange sensation, but a most welcome one. The small amounts of movement you could feel coming from your little one always reminded you how worth the hardships of child bearing were. Every morning you woke up ill, every piece of food that made you nauseous, and each ache and pain your body endured were always worth it just to feel the small signs of life coming from within. You sometimes felt guilty when you felt the movement, a feeling a selfishness always coming to a head when you failed to make it to Halsin in time for him to have a feel for himself. Throughout the entirety of your pregnancy, he had yet to feel a kick from your beloved little child.

When the movement from your belly lasted longer than usual, you decided to make a final attempt at allowing Halsin to sense the movements for himself. Without a moment to spare, you quickly made your way to your feet and out the door to your home, your hand placed firmly along the side of your belly to keep track of the movements. With the grace of a deer crossing a meadow, you flitted your way through town, which was unusually busy and full of residents saying goodbye to those traveling with Halsin. With a string of apologies and pardons, you weaved your way through the crowd, being careful to avoid any collisions. You weren’t sure if Halsin was still even in the town, considering he’d gotten a head start to the journey to the entrance, but you were determined to try your hardest to let him experience the feel of his child.

When you made it to the town square you paused, both to scan the crowd for the druid and to rest. In general, movement had become harder for you the more your abdomen grew, causing you to tired easily and not do a much as you were accustomed to doing. You inhaled through your nose and exhaled slowly through pursed lips as you continued to look for Halsin. You took a few steps forward and were delighted to see that your quick footsteps would soon be rewarded.

“Halsin!” You called when your eyes finally spotted him, quickly ushering him over to you with a wave of your hand, the other placed along the side of your extended belly. Halsin’s head quickly snapped in your direction, seemingly hearing the urgency in your voice as his gaze settled upon you. He had been conversing with Thaniel before you interrupted, but he wasted no time in giving a quick, light pat to the boys shoulders to excuse himself before he made his way to you. His steps were quick, bordering on a jog as he approached as quickly as possible.

“I’m here, my heart.” He said as he came to you, “Is something wrong? What can I do?” You now realize that your excitement had come across as potential cause for concern and that concern had quickly consumed his mind. His face was stoic, but with a quick glance to his eyes you could see the worry building. His hands had instinctively made their to your arms, holding you close as he searched your face for answers. There was a twinge of guilt that made its way through your mind with the realization you had instilled fear in your beloved druid, but knew that concern would quickly melt away once he realized why you’d come to him to urgently.

“Nothing,” you said as gently as you could, your excitement almost taking your breath away, “Nothing’s wrong; far from it. Just…just wait. It’ll come back.” Without giving a more detailed explanation, you took his large hands from their place along your arms and moved them to your abdomen. You both stood there in silence, staring down towards your stomach as you waited for another sign of movement.

“There!” You whispered as quietly as possible, but your excitement had still gotten the better of you, “There, my love. Do you feel it?” You placed your hands atop his, pressing them lightly to your belly with the hopes he could have his first feel the feather light kicks coming from within.

The worry that was written across Halsin’s face quickly disappeared and was replaced with a look of what you could only call bliss. The fear in his eyes softened and his eyelids seemed to droop. His lips pulled into a smile and you could swear you caught the faintest glimpse of a tear threatening to fall to his cheeks.

“Yes, my heart, I do.” Halsin whispered as he pressed lightly against you, desperately wanting to feel another gentle bit of movement. As quietly as he could, the druid gave a gentle chuckle as if he was in disbelief in what he was feeling.

“I was afraid it would stop if I kept walking,” you explained as he shifted his hands around your front side to feel more, “I didn’t want you to miss this.”

With his hands still cradling the swell of your belly, Halsin leaned forward and pressed his forehead to yours, sighing happily as he felt another kick against his palm. Several kicks later, you felt him lean more heavily against you, almost nuzzling as his shoulders and muscles relaxed with your touch. He basked in the feeling of his little one moving against your combined touch. You hummed in contentment as you felt him rock you both back and forth slowly, as if you were entangled in a slow dance together. In that moment, despite being surrounded by dozens of people, there were only the two of you, standing together as one to bask in the warmth and joy that was the child wriggling in your belly. Nothing else mattered except the safety of the embrace you shared and the soft, tiny kicks you both could feel.

“Thank you,” he whispered against your skin, “for everything. For allowing me this moment.”

“Just be sure to be back before this child is born, love,” you said softly, “I want you to enjoy many more.” Your eyes opened only to be met with his soft gaze. You’re not sure how long he’d been looking at you, but the warmth behind his eyes made your heart flutter.

“Oak Father preserve you, my heart.” With a final lingering kiss to your forehead, Halsin reluctantly pulled his hands from your belly as he took a step back.

“You as well, my love.” You said quietly. You knew that if you spoke any louder your voice would crack and tears would spill from your eyes. You understood and respected his obligation to protecting the community he had worked so hard to build, but part of you wanted to be selfish and keep him home. You had seen him in battle many times against the Absolute so you knew his strengths, but you also couldn’t shake the memory of your first meeting in the goblin camp. There was always the very real possibility that he could find himself captured once again or even killed and that thought terrified you to your core. You didn’t want to see anything happen to him for a variety of reasons, but the biggest one being the child the two of you were getting ready to bring into the world.

After everything he had gone through and the misery he’d endured for centuries, he deserved this. He deserved to be there to welcome his child in his arms and drink in those first precious moments. You wanted to see the joy in his face in watching that child prosper in the land he held dear to his heart; to see them flourish and grow to respect the balance between nature and civilization. And, more selfishly, you wanted him there when you gave birth. You were terrified to be alone for that and only wanted his soothing presence there to help you though it all.

As you watched the last of the scouting group leave the gates of the community, you turned to head back towards the market. It would soon be time for dinner and with Halsin now gone, the duty of the community now rested on your shoulders. You offered a quick prayer to Silvanus for the safety of Halsin and the scouting party, but also that your merry band of children would enjoy your nightly bedtime stories in Halsin’s absence.

Tag List: @incrediblethirst, @reignydeys, @thoughts-of-bear, @im-eating-rn, @beardedladyqueen , @simplysaying @emorylovescats, @distelsterncat, @cryingoverpixelsetc

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #halsin #halsin x reader #reader x halsin #gender neutral reader #daddy halsin #halsin romance #halsin brainrot #fanfic #fanfiction #fluff #halsin fluff #halsin fanfic

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elizabethwritesmen · 7 months

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I once was poison ivy

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Part 2 but now I’m your daisy

Older!Fireman!Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Synopsis - You've spent your entire life taking men who intend to manipulate you and manipulating them instead. It's the only way you know how to survive. Then, one day, you meet Steve Harrington and you realize love and lust are so much more than survival.

A/N - This will be a two-parter. Maybe three if it runs too long.

Warnings: Fluff, sexual themes, smut to come in the second part, talks of using men for their money, vivid description of a car accident, drunk driving.

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I've been breaking hearts a long time and Fooling with them older guys Just playthings for me to use

The napkin on my lap was in pieces.

I'd been tearing it apart, whether out of anxious habit or sheer boredom I wasn't sure.

The man sitting across from me just would not stop talking. He started the second I met up with him in the parking lot and hadn't closed his mouth since. I nodded along and provided just enough commentary to seem present, but my brain was miles away.

He cleared his throat, staring at me pointedly until I met his eyes, a saccharine smile gracing my face.

"Are you alright, doll? I know all this shop talk can be a lot for a pretty girl like you to keep up with," he stated with all the confidence in the world, and I fought a scoff at his condescension.

"Oh, I'm fine!" I grinned wildly, almost childlike, "To be honest, I'm just in awe of you. Absolutely fascinated. I keep asking myself what I did to deserve a date with you!"

The lies cut through my teeth like butter, slick and smooth. I knew they worked when he puffed out his chest and a red tint covered his full cheeks, "Well darling, if you keep talking to me like that, you'll get more than one date with me!"

"There's nothing I'd love more!"

I know I should've cursed him for all he was worth, but that's not how my lifestyle worked. I didn't care how much of a pig a man was, as long as his money was louder than his mouth. And this man's money definitely was.

You see, he was older, a business man. He worked at some high end finance job, and he was most definitely the boss. I met him through my own job. I was a waitress and he frequented my corner booth on his lunch breaks. He knew my schedule and came to eat every single day I worked at 12:00 sharp with a new story about his job, his divorce, or his 1970 Chevelle. On the days I didn't work, he stayed away, claiming I was the only girl there worth looking at. And, every time, he left me a crisp 100 as a tip.

The last time he'd come in, he'd ended his lunch by asking me on a date. He told me he wanted to pick a dress out for me and treat me to the nicest dinner I'd ever had. Poor thing had no idea he wasn't the first millionaire to offer that. I agreed happily, pushing down any reservations and forcing myself to look forward to it.

So there we were, at one of those restaurants where you have to dress formally and use certain etiquette. I hated those places, I knew I didn't belong there, but it was what I had to do and I always did it with a smile on my face.

He continued talking and I began fiddling with the Versace dress adorning me, tugging on the hem. I only heard snippets of what he was saying. After hearing a million men tell the same stories, I thought there was no reason to pay any real attention.

Our waitress startled me out of the trance I'd fallen into, dropping the check off at our table.

"Here," he smiled, placing $200 neatly in the little black book, "That's enough for you to add a cheesecake to-go for my beautiful companion, and to buy something pretty for yourself!"

The girl's eyes widened and she grinned, staring at the generous amount she'd been given. It took her mere moments to bring by a bag with the cheesecake in a box at the bottom, and I was finally done.

"I'll walk you to your car," Mr. Boring offered in a way that I couldn't possibly refuse.

Well, almost done.

Once we reached my Passat, he pressed me lightly against the driver's door and planted a sloppy kiss on my lips. I cringed my way through it until it was finally over, and he opened my door for me.

"Maybe we can go out again next week?" he proposed, "I'll call you and we can set it up."

"Of course!" I nodded, eagerly climbing into the seat.

"Oh, and before I forget," he sighed, pulling his wallet from his pocket and fishing out two more crisp hundred dollar bills, "This should cover gas and the rest is a thank-you for making an old man feel young again. Seeing you in that dress made my evening."

I smiled at him as he walked away, my expression dropping the second he was out of sight. And then, I was finally headed home.

Something happened for the first time In the darkest little paradise Shaking, pacing, I just need you

It was about a 30 minute drive to my house, and I had the music cranked up the entire way. I was passing through the last intersection before my highway exit when I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

It was an SUV, much bigger than my car, headed straight for me. It was going so fast but in that moment time slowed down. It was too late for me to stop or get out of the way, I knew I was screwed. I yanked the wheel to the right, hoping they wouldn't hit me directly. I thought that if they caught the back end of my car it would hurt less.

They slammed into the back driver's side door, just barely missing me, sending me careening across the highway and into the ditch. I screamed as my head slammed into my window, blood running down my temple and onto my neck.

Finally, everything stopped. My car was, beyond all rationality, still playing music. I turned it all the way down, looking around.

The SUV was upside down on the highway, engulfed in flames. I saw a man laying about 20 feet away from it on the asphalt. I prayed he was okay, and that nobody else was in his vehicle.

Then, I examined myself. Glass had shattered everywhere, and there was a pile of it in my lap. My poor Versace was tattered and bloody, and I frowned momentarily in a small fit of grief. The back of my car was completely done for, and I was shocked my airbags didn't go off. Of course, there was no impact to the front of my car.

It only took minutes for sirens to overtake the scene. There were two ambulances, a firetruck, and several police cars.

I slipped my seatbelt off, groaning at the pain. It felt like I'd been hit by a truck. I guess I had, in a manner of speaking. My body was suffering from the turmoil.

Shockingly, my door opened when I pulled the handle and I climbed out, falling to the ground with a cry and a sharp wince.

"Hey, hey, hey!" the voice was deep, and I glanced up to see the fireman it belonged to running in my direction, "Don't move, just stay still. Please, stay still. God, you could've died trying to climb out of that car. Too tough for your own good!" He kneeled beside me, his arms holding me up, his eyes scanning me for all signs of injury. "Here you go, calm down. It's okay now, I've got you."

His voice was soothing me, and so was his thumb as he rubbed calming circles on my hip.

"Please," I cried, my voice almost too small to be audible. I squirmed, trying and failing to break free, "I need... I need..."

I wasn't sure what I was pleading for. I just wanted relief. My bones felt like they were combusting.

"I'm gonna get you some help, sweetheart, I promise. You're safe with me." He called the paramedics over to have a look at me. They ran straight for us and he lifted me up placing me comfortably on the stretcher.

As he began to walk away, I called out meekly, "Please stay with me!" and reached blindly for his hand. He gave it to me and nodded, squeezing my palm lightly as he helped them wheel me to the ambulance. They got me inside of it and starting poking and prodding, asking me questions.

"I don't want to go to the hospital," I whined, "I'm fine, I don't need a hospital."

"We gotta get you to the hospital, sweetheart. I'm sorry, I know it's scary, but you're tough though, huh?," his voice was still so soothing, and I nodded, holding tighter to his hand that was still intertwined with mine.

"Will you come with me?" I stared up at him, my eyes wide and pitiful in a beg.

"I can't, I have to get back and help clean all this up," he told me, his voice regretful.

"Please," I was whimpering at that point, desperate. I hated begging but he was the only thing keeping me from an anxiety attack. The only thing grounding me. The only thing keeping me from asking questions like, what if I'm seriously hurt? What's going to happen with my car? Is my cheesecake okay? How am I going to replace this dress?

Okay, some of the questions were silly but cut me some slack. I'd just been hit by a truck.

He chewed his lip in thought for a moment before sighing, "Let me talk to my boss and see what I can do."

He was gone for about five minutes, but when he came back, he was only in a white T shirt and his turnout pants. He set his jacket and hat on the bench seat next to me and climbed in beside me, grasping my hand again.

"Thank you," I whispered, and the sweet smile he gave me warmed my tummy.

Hours passed in a flurry of medical stuff I didn't understand and tests being run. When everything calmed down, I was sitting on a bed in an ER, a thick medical grade bandaid on my temple where I hit the window and some pain killers in my system. Fortunately, I wasn't hurt badly at all, just extremely sore and shaken up. I had a concussion, but that was the brunt of it.

"Okay, Miss L/N. I've got a prescription here for painkillers, it should help soothe your soreness and your headache. Other than that, you're free to go," the doctor walked in the room and told me jovially. He was nice, he made me feel comfortable. I was thankful to have him instead of someone colder. But what really made me feel comfortable was the firefighter, whose name I'd discovered was Steve. He stayed right beside me the entire time, even when I was first admitted. He even called my mom for me when I was first admitted, and that's the only time he let go of my hand.

"I think that's all, thank you," I sincerely responded.

"Great. Then I'll leave you be. If anything else happens, come back. Concussions are no joke. But I'm sure Steve knows that, so you're in good hands. He'll take care of you," he gave us a pointed look, glancing from mine and Steve's interlaced fingers to our faces.

"Bye, Joe," Steve dramatized, rolling his eyes.

"Bye Steve. Bye Y/N," the doctor responded between laughs, taking his exit.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Steve turned to me, his hard features softening the second his eyes met mine.

"Have you heard anything else from my mom?" I asked, trying to keep the hope in my voice at bay.

"She checked on you once, about an hour ago. I told her I was taking care of you."

"Oh."

His eyes were boring into me, searching. I'm sure it seemed odd to him, a mother not immediately rushing to her child's side when she hears there's been an accident. Wasn't very strange to me, though. My mom had never spared much time for me.

He cleared his throat, speaking more quietly, "She said she wants me to get you home safe, so that's what I'm gonna do. One of the nurses is gonna give us a ride to the station and I'm gonna drive you from there."

"Well it's settled, then. Let's go," I beamed, grabbing his hand and hopping off the bed. I didn't make it very far, though, nearly collapsing the second my feet hit solid ground.

Steve was quick, catching me and holding me steady. I lifted my eyes and they met his, inches away. I could feel his breath, warm against my skin.

"Be careful there, Super Girl. You're too weak to take on the world just yet," he sighed, and I had to fight the urge to lean in.

He was handsome. I'd noticed it the second he ran over to me, my knight in dirty turnout gear. I'd noticed it again in the ambulance when he told me he could go to the hospital with me. And I noticed it as his arms squeezed me tighter.

"I can walk," I mumbled.

"I'm sure you can, but you aren't. Come on, I've got you," he stated, as if there was no room for argument or disagreement. One of the arms around me slipped down to the crook of my knees and he lifted, pulling me securely into his hold. I gasped, grasping tightly to his shirt, my nails leaving imprints in the soft fabric.

"Steve, I'm heavy!" I screeched, and he chuckled.

"Even if you were heavy, I can handle it," he said, like it was obvious. My stare stayed skeptical and he sighed, "Sweetheart, you're not heavy. You're nothing compared to the gear I wear and haul, and the people I have to carry out of buildings."

I stayed stubborn for a moment longer before giving him a slight nod, "If your back starts to break, put me down!"

"I don't have any plans to put you down, sweetheart," he winked, and with that, he was carrying me to the ambulance bay where an Altima was waiting for us. One of the nurses was leaning against it. She was pretty, like a young Angelina Jolie. Her scrubs hugged every curve and jealousy pinged in my gut at how perfect she was. It turned to discomfort, though, when I saw the way she was looking at us.

There was a scowl plastered onto her face, full of judgment. Her eyes were stuck on Steve's arms around me, and if looks could kill, she'd have me dead in a second.

"Can you open the door for me, Bridget?" he asked, frustration laced in his voice from the way she was staring at us instead of helping.

"Of course, Stevie," she cooed, doing as she asked. He helped me in the back seat, going as far as to buckle the belt around me. My breath hitched as he did so, the proximity turning my cheeks bright red.

Bridget's face dropped as he slid in beside me and shut the door behind himself. She opened it right back, "What are you doing, Steve? Your spot is up front!"

"I'd rather sit back here with Y/N and make sure she's okay. Come on, we should get going. I'm sure she's ready to shower and rest."

She huffed, her anger embarrassingly evident, but she gave a slight nod and slammed the door, climbing into the driver's side and speeding off. My head was pounding, so I leaned on Steve's shoulder the whole time. Every now and then he'd shield me from the sun with his hands or run his fingers through my hair, keeping me as comfortable as he could.

Once we got to the fire station, he helped me out and we waved goodbye to Bridget. She gave me one more dirty look before leaving, and I hoped I would never see her again.

"There you are, Steve!" a voice joined into the mix, and I turned around to see a man about Steve's height with long curly hair approaching. He had a bag in his hand.

"Hey, Eddie," Steve greeted, "Thank you for covering my shift all night."

"All night and all morning. I'm assuming you won't be back after you take her home."

Steve looked bashful. It was cute, his cheeks turning red and his eyes averting downward.

"I promise I'll make it up to you, man. I just couldn't leave her, she needed me," he rushed out an explanation and I couldn't stifle my giggle.

"Yeah, sure she did. Come on, dude, I'm not mad. I needed the hours anyway and I'm not like you, I don't have a ton of beautiful women begging me to escort them to the hospital. My Friday night was all free."

"I don't have a ton of them either," Steve cried out defensively, "Just the one."

"Well then get her home before she decides she doesn't neeeeeeed you anymore," the other man, Eddie, winked then and turned to me, "Oh, by the way, I'm Eddie. Steve's best friend, confidant, life saver, shift coverer. I'm the reason he could be with you all night."

His tone was joking, so I played along, "Oh, well thank you so very much. I would've just died without him. As a matter of fact if he leaves my sight I'm sure I'll faint."

"Marry her," Eddie deadpanned, turning to Steve with the most ridiculously serious look on his face. The only response he got was an eyeroll. "Okay, whatever, get out of here. Here's the rest of your stuff, and what we managed to get out of Y/N's car. You can make the shift change up to me later." He handed Steve the bag and glanced my way, "And Y/N, I'm sure I'll be seeing you again. Until then, I'm glad you're okay."

Steve pulled his keys out of the bag, clicking them. A truck beeped across the parking lot and he wrapped his arm around me, helping me over to it.

The last we heard of Eddie was a scream over the parking lot, "Oh and Steve, put some clothes on that poor girl!"

He glanced down at my ripped up dress and blushed.

"Here," he handed me his turnout jacket, "Put this on."

I did as he asked and slipped back into his arms, allowing him to lift me into the passenger seat. I liked the way the material felt on me, warm and loose. It smelled of smoke but it also smelled of cinnamon and something muskier, all Steve.

As he pulled away, I decided to make small talk. It was a ten minute drive back to my house and I didn't want it to be awkward. Not that a single moment we'd already spent together had been. Steve had a way of making me feel like I was finally safe at home.

"Bridget and Eddie seemed nice," I commented. Obviously, I didn't mean the first part but I had a sinking feeling that Steve and Bridget were something of an item and I didn't want to upset him.

"Eddie is a great guy. We've known each other forever, and he's always had my back." He paused for a moment, "And Bridget was awful to you today. You don't have to pretend she wasn't."

"I just thought you and her were probably friends, or maybe even a thing, and I didn't want to say anything mean about her just in case," I smiled softly, apologetically.

"We're not. But she wants to be. She's a uniform chaser. She doesn't know the first thing about me other than my job."

"Do you get that a lot? Girls that are only interested in you because of what you do?"

"More often than you'd think. But it's okay. I guess it's better than not being wanted at all."

"You think if you were something else, something more boring, girls wouldn't want you?" My brows were furrowed in confusion. How could a man so wonderful have such a gaping insecurity?

"I didn't feel that way at first, but I guess I've become cynical over time."

"Well, I'm cynical with the best of them and I'm telling you that you're wrong," I started, "Don't get me wrong. The turnout gear is ruggedly sexy. Straight out of a calendar, really. But I wouldn't have wanted you to come to the hospital with me if you were any other fireman. I wanted you there because of how you made me feel. Safe, and taken care of."

Silence filled the air. I don't think he knew how to respond.

"What about you?" he finally asked, "That was a nice dress before it was ruined. You must've been on quite a date."

"I wouldn't call it that," I stared at my lap, color rising in my cheeks.

"Didn't go well?"

"It's not that, it's just... I wasn't really interested in him."

"What was wrong with him?"

"You ask a lot of questions," I breathed out a laugh, wanting a subject change. I felt shame, like if Steve found out the kind of men I date and why, he would drop me off and forget about me. I didn't want that. I craved more of him. More of his time, and his headspace. I hadn't known him long, but it's hard not to swoon over a man who spends hours of his time taking care of you.

"I'll stop. For now."

Shortly after he said that, we pulled into my driveway. He helped me out of his truck and into my house, commenting on how cute he thought everything was.

"Where's your bathroom? I'm gonna get the shower running for you," he turned to me and said.

"Oh," I blushed, "You don't have to do that. Really. I can manage to get around."

"I want to. I told you I would take care of you, and I'm not doing it halfway. Now should I go looking until I find it or are you gonna tell me where it is?"

"My room is down the hall, the bathroom is in there," I smiled shyly.

He didn't waste a second, pulling me back into him and let me lean on him the entire way there. I leaned against the sink as he looked around, taking the room in.

"A bath would probably be better than a shower. You're still weak, I don't want you to slip and hurt yourself."

I didn't respond, I just watched him as he turned the faucet on and felt the water, adjusting until the temperature was perfect.

"Thank you," I finally said as he finished up and stopped the drain.

"Of course. You gonna be able to get from the tub to the bed?" he asked me.

I giggled, nodding, "I think I'll manage."

"Okay... if you have any trouble or need anything, you're welcome to call me."

"How am I gonna do that without your number?"

His face went red, a silly smile crossing his lips, "Of course. You're right. Here."

He slipped his phone out, pulling up the screen to create a new contact and handed it to me. I quickly typed in my name and info and handed it back. He called me once, hanging up as soon as it rang, and nodded once affirmatively.

"There. Now you have mine, too."

"I'll call you, Steve."

"Yes, if you need anything at all."

"Okay."

He seemed reluctant to leave, and I was reluctant to let him, but he finally mumbled a goodbye and let himself out. I grinned into my hand, the butterflies still not settled.

I was not the kind of girl to feel things like I was feeling. I had a process, a way of getting through life, and it didn't involve getting hung up on the first handsome fireman I meet. I willed myself to come back to reality, but it was difficult. His face was stamped into my mind.

My phone pinged and I glanced down, his number filling my screen.

"I left my jacket. Can I stop by later and get it? And bring you dinner? I'd like to check on you anyway."

Any hope of coming back to reality flew out the window. I typed quickly and pressed send before I could talk myself out of it.

"It's a date."

#steve harrington #stranger things #steve harrington x reader #Steve Harrington smut #steve harrington fluff #fireman!steve #older!steve harrington #fireman!Steve harrington

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loveroftoomanyfandoms · 7 months

Text

Cooking Up Love, Chapter 6

Pairing: Chef!Matt Murdock x F!Journalist!Reader

Rating: T

Story Summary: Here

Warnings/Tags: Hallmark levels of fluffy, cheesy goodness (and speed that their relationship develops, lol), No use of Y/N, Matt is not a vigilante, Denial is not just a river in Egypt, Idiots in love

Word Count: ~3700

A/N: Here we are with the next chapter! I had to split this day into 2 chapters, so the 2nd half is coming soon!

(And as always, thanks to @theradioactivespidergwen for the super cute divider!)

Tag List: @yarrystyleeza @hailey-murdock @mattkinsella @bellaxgiornata @danzer8705 @chezagnes @shouldbestudying41 @thepunisherfrankcastle @mattmurdocks6thscaleapartment

No need to rush, they just opened, you told yourself as you headed to Daredevil the next morning.

You had awoken early and in an effort to keep yourself busy (and distracted from thinking about Matt too much) you had done a load of laundry, straightened your living area, rearranged your kitchen cabinets, and had begun cleaning out your closet.

Finally it was time to leave for Daredevil, so you had taken a quick shower and gotten ready, then hurried out the door.

You slowed down and took a deep breath as you reached the restaurant, then headed inside.

Karen looked up and smiled. "Hi!" she said. "Matt said you had mentioned coming by today."

You nodded. "Yeah, I loved the crepes he made yesterday during the cooking demo he did for me, so I definitely couldn't resist coming back for brunch."

"Well I know Matt definitely appreciates it." Karen grabbed a menu. "Right this way."

She led you through the smattering of diners to a small table near the kitchen. "Can I get you something to drink? Water, coffee, juice… champagne?"

"Just some orange juice would be fine," you replied as you sat. "Thanks."

Karen nodded. "Okay, I'll let Matt know that you're here then I'll be right back with that."

You smiled. "Thanks so much, Karen."

You looked down at the menu as Karen headed to the kitchen. You were definitely planning on getting the crepes, but you wanted to try something else alongside them. Steak and eggs, french toast, southern-style grits… oh, maybe an omelet?

You read through the omelet choices, finally settling on a 'create your own' style made with your favorite ingredients.

A minute later, Karen returned with your juice. "Here you go. Matt said he'll come say hi as soon as he can. In the meantime, are you ready to order?"

You nodded. "That's okay, I understand that he's busy. And yeah, I'm ready."

Karen pulled out a notepad and pencil. "Okay, what can I getcha?"

"I'd like an omelet, please." You listed off the ingredients you wanted in your omelet, briefly pausing in-between so Karen could write them down. "And a side order of the breakfast crepes."

Karen nodded. "Got it. Okay, I'll get this put in for you."

"Thanks."

You looked around the small restaurant as you waited. While it wasn't completely empty, there were only about a half-dozen tables that were occupied by couples and families. Granted, it was only about 20 minutes after opening, so you figured the after-church crowd hadn't yet descended upon the neighborhood but that it would fill up soon.

After a few minutes, Karen stopped by your table. "Doing okay?"

You nodded. "Yeah, just fine."

"Great. Your food will be out in just a minute."

"Okay. Thanks."

Your phone buzzed with a text message.

Skyler: Remind me why I agreed to take over Lifestyles from you? I'm about to die of boredom at this fundraiser for the senior center.

You shook your head with a grin. Because it was a permanent position and paid a lot more than your old internship.

Skyler: Oh that's right. Thanks.

You huffed out a laugh. No problem.

Skyler: What are you up to today?

I'm at Daredevil having brunch. Matt did a cooking demo for me yesterday morning and made the absolute best crepes I've ever had in my life, so I decided to come back today and try something else on the menu.

Skyler: Like some of Chef Hottie's cake? 🍰🍑

You huffed out a laugh. Pretty sure that's not on there.

Skyler: But it might be on the *secret* menu… 😉 And wait, he's *Matt* now? 👀 When did that happen?

Yesterday. He said that I could call him by his first name. But that doesn't mean anything because even if I *was* interested, which I'm not saying I *am*, he's been nothing but strictly professional towards me the entire week.

Skyler: Mmhmm. Methinks thou dost protest too much. Anyway, I gotta run, they're about to start the auction.

Okay, talk to you later.

You shook your head as you locked your phone back. There wasn't any point in letting yourself fall for Matt since he clearly wasn't interested.

"Create-your-own omelet and a side of crepes?"

You looked up as Matt's voice broke through your thoughts.

Your heart fluttered. He was back in his red chef's coat, but instead of making him look fearsome and intimidating as it had the day you had met him, today it made him look professional and suave. "Matt, hi."

Matt set your plate down in front of you, a bright smile on his face. "Hi. How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you today?"

"I'm good too. Thanks for coming by."

You nodded. "Of course. I definitely wasn't going to pass up a chance to try some more of your food."

Matt's smile widened into a grin. "Well good, because I was actually wondering if you were busy tomorrow evening."

You shook your head. "No, I'm not busy. Why?"

"I was thinking maybe you'd like to come by and help me test out some new recipes? It'd be helpful to get an outside opinion on some of the things we're considering adding to the menu."

You smiled. "Yeah, I'd love to."

"Great. And, uh, I was also wondering what you were doing this afternoon?"

You shook your head again. "No big plans for today, either."

"I really enjoyed my time with you at the farmer's market yesterday, so I thought maybe you wouldn't mind accompanying me while I ran my after-work errands?" Matt bit his lip. "You don't have to, of course, I just thought it might be beneficial to your article to spend some more time with me outside of the kitchen."

You smiled. You couldn't ignore the fact that your article would be due soon, so you were happy to spend whatever time with Matt as you could until then. "No, I don't mind at all. It would actually be really helpful to get some more insight as to who you are when you're not working."

Matt gestured back towards the kitchen. "Speaking of the kitchen, I should get back in it, but can you meet me back here after closing? Say, around 3:30?"

You nodded. That would give you plenty of time to do the few things you still needed to do around your apartment. "That sounds good. Want me to text you when I'm nearby?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great."

"Okay, I'll see you later then."

"Okay. Enjoy your meal."

As Matt headed back to work, you cut a piece of your omelet and blew on it slightly to cool it before taking a bite. Of course it's amazing.

You had no idea how Matt could make something as simple as eggs taste so good, but he definitely had. The omelet was perfectly cooked with just the right proportion of salt and pepper to cheese and fillings.

"How is everything?" Karen asked as she stopped by your table.

"Oh my gosh, it's so good." You took a sip of your juice. "Everything is great."

Karen nodded. "Good. Let me know if you need anything else for now."

"Actually, you can go ahead and bring my bill if you don't mind."

"Okay, sure thing."

You continued eating as Karen left once again, trying to not audibly moan at how good the crepes also were. Definitely going to have to mention how great the food is here in my article.

Karen stopped by to drop your bill off. "Here you go," she said, setting the folio with your bill on your table. "No rush."

You nodded. "Thanks."

You finished your food then picked up the bill.

Your brow furrowed. This can't be right.

Luckily, Karen was walking right past you. "Hey, Karen?"

Karen stopped at your table. "Yeah?"

You slid your bill over to her. "I think my bill is wrong."

Karen looked at it. "No, that's correct. Matt said it's on him today."

Your eyes widened in surprise. "Oh. Well, that was very generous of him."

Karen shrugged, a tiny smile playing across her lips. "Matt's like that."

You smiled. You were sure he had comped your meal because of your article, but the gesture was still nice. "I'll have to thank him later."

Karen turned as the bell above the front door chimed. "I better get back up front to go seat these customers, but I'll see you later?"

You nodded. "Thanks, Karen."

You looked back at your bill, then grabbed a pen out of your purse. Thanks for the wonderful service! you wrote on your receipt, then tucked $30 into the folio, figuring that the cost of your meal could at least go towards Karen's tips.

You stuck your pen and wallet back in your purse then grabbed your phone.

You glanced towards the kitchen before sending Matt a text. Thank you so much for brunch! Everything was great. See you this afternoon.

You stuck your phone in your pocket and stood, then headed towards the door. "Thanks again, Karen," you said as you passed by the host stand.

"No problem," Karen replied. "See ya."

Your phone chimed with an incoming message.

Chef Murdock (Matt): You're very welcome, and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed everything. See you this afternoon.

You locked your phone back and stuck it in your pocket as you headed towards home with a smile on your face.

"Man, I think that's the fastest we've ever gotten through closing," Foggy remarked as he and Matt finished packing up the last few containers to take over to the soup kitchen at Clinton Church. "I might actually have time to visit with my folks a bit before we sit down for Sunday supper."

Matt nodded. "Tell them hi for me."

"You know, you're always welcome to join us after you get done."

Matt shook his head, trying to keep the smile that wanted to form off of his lips. "Actually, I uh, I have plans after that."

Foggy chuckled. "Do these 'plans' happen to be with a certain journalist from the Bulletin?"

Matt's brow furrowed. "How'd you know?"

"Because you've been on cloud nine ever since you personally brought her order out to her this morning and comped her bill." Foggy chuckled. "I thought you were going to sprint out of here as soon as you had her omelet ready."

Matt shrugged. "Even though she's writing a profile on me she's still going to mention the food, so I wanted her to get her order as fresh as possible. And I thought it would be helpful for her article to spend time with me outside of the kitchen, so I asked her to accompany me on my errands this afternoon."

Foggy chuckled. "Uh huh, sure , Matty, it's all because of her article, not because you've got a thing for her."

Matt shook his head. "I don't -- it's not a thing."

"Mmhmm, keep telling yourself that, buddy." Foggy patted him on the shoulder. "Listen, I gotta run so I can get to my parents' before my brothers eat all of my mom's potato bread, but we're continuing this conversation on Tuesday."

Matt grinned. Mrs. Nelson's homemade potato bread was the stuff of legends and as much as he had tried, he couldn't quite replicate it. "Okay, have a good one."

After Foggy had left, he pulled out his phone and dictated a text to you. Hey, we finished closing up earlier than usual, so if you're free now you can come on by.

A few seconds later, his phone chimed with a reply. That sounds great! I'll be there in about 10 minutes.

Matt grinned. Sounds good.

He grabbed his gym bag and the cart of food containers, then turned off the kitchen lights and headed towards the front of the restaurant.

He smiled as he heard you approach, waiting until you knocked softly on the door before walking over to let you in.

"Hey, ready to go?" you said.

Matt nodded. "Yeah, just give me a second."

He set the alarm then wheeled the cart of food containers outside before locking the door. "Okay, all set."

"So where are we headed?" you asked.

"First stop is Clinton Church. I volunteer to cook for the soup kitchen every Sunday after service."

"Oh, that's so sweet of you."

Matt shrugged. "It's my way of giving back to the community."

You reached for the cart handle. "Here, I'll get this cart for you."

Matt smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem. Lead the way."

Matt took his cane out of his pocket and unfolded it, then the two of you headed down the street. "So, how has your day been?" Matt asked as they walked.

"It's been good," you replied. "Started some housekeeping this morning and finished it up this afternoon. How was your day?"

"It was fine. Service went smoothly."

"That's good. By the way, I appreciate you comping my meal. You really didn't have to do that."

Matt shook his head. Karen had told him that you had left the full amount plus tip anyway. "It was my pleasure, really."

You hummed. "Looking forward to your day off?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah, even though I don't actually take the day off it's nice to have the time to just be alone in the kitchen and experiment with new flavors."

"That does sound exciting." You paused as the two of you stopped at a crosswalk. "I'm looking forward to trying out some of your new dishes."

Matt smiled. "I'm looking forward to it too."

"So have you ever had any culinary disasters?"

"Oh, tons, especially when I first started cooking. I once accidentally added garlic salt instead of sugar to a cake recipe."

You let out a light laugh. "Oh my gosh, that sounds awful."

Matt nodded, grinning at the memory. "I started labeling all of my containers after that."

The two of you continued on towards Clinton Church.

"Okay," Matt said once the two of you had arrived. "We're heading this way."

He led you down a sidewalk towards the soup kitchen. "Okay, here we are."

He opened the door and gestured for you to go in. "After you."

"Thanks."

Matt waited until you had wheeled the cart inside, then followed.

He could hear voices coming from the kitchen area. "This way."

"...Yes, that would be fine. Thank you, Sister Frances. Matthew, hello!" Father Lantom said as Matt and you walked around the serving area towards the kitchen. "I wasn't expecting you quite yet."

Matt nodded. "Yes, we finished our closing duties a bit earlier than usual, so I figured I'd just make everything over here rather than at the restaurant."

"Ah, I see. And I also see that you brought us some extra help today as well! I'm Father Lantom, the pastor here."

You introduced yourself. "It's nice to meet you, Father."

"Nice to meet you too. I certainly appreciate you coming today."

"It's not a problem. I'm happy to help out in any way I can."

"Well that's wonderful. I have a few administrative tasks to handle, so I'll leave you two to it. Matthew, let me know if you need anything."

Matt nodded. "Thanks, Father."

He folded his cane up and put it in his pocket, then took the cart from you and wheeled it into the kitchen.

You moved to wash your hands. "Alright, Chef, put me to work."

Matt smiled, his heart warming at how eager you were to help. "Would you set the oven to 350 for me then cut up some cucumbers and tomatoes for a salad?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Okay, great." Matt took a couple of bowls out from under the counter and gave them a rinse in the sink. "You can just put them in these once you've got them all done."

"How do you want the tomatoes cut?"

"Wedges would be fine -- like in eighths, and about half-inch slices for the cucumbers."

"Okay."

Matt got to work seasoning the chicken he had brought for the night's dinner, smiling to himself as he heard you humming softly under your breath.

He felt a pang in his chest. As hard as he had worked to get where he was in his career, he missed having someone to share his joy of cooking with. There was Foggy and Karen, of course, but as much as Matt loved his friends he wanted someone special to cook for, someone to come home to.

…He wanted you.

Matt mentally shook his head, determined to get the melodic sound of your voice out of his mind. Don't get distracted. That's where mistakes happen. Deal with it later.

He finished prepping the chicken and set it on a baking sheet, then put it in the oven. "How are the cucumbers and tomatoes coming along?"

"Almost done," you replied.

Matt moved to wash his hands. "Okay, great. I'll go ahead and make the dressing for the salad."

"You make your own salad dressing?" you said in surprise, then let out a light laugh. "Wait, what am I even saying? Of course you do. What kind do you make?"

Matt grinned as he rinsed out a measuring cup. "A couple of different varieties, actually. But today we're just making a basic Italian dressing."

He got his Braille measuring cups and spoons out of the cart, then grabbed the container marked salad dressing. "There should be an immersion blender somewhere around here. Would you mind grabbing it for me?"

"Sure." You moved to Matt's right, then set the blender in front of him. "Here you go. Wait, let me plug it in for you."

"Thanks."

Matt began measuring out the ingredients for the dressing, adding everything in precise order before blending it together.

"So is there a reason you use an immersion blender rather than a regular blender?" you asked.

Matt nodded. "I can better tell the consistency of the dressing with an immersion blender," he explained. "Using a stand blender runs the risk of overblending."

"Ah, ok. That makes sense." You stopped cutting. "Okay, salad stuff is done."

"Great. Then I need you to portion this dressing out into individual take-out cups. There should be some in the storage closet in the back of the kitchen."

Your footsteps headed towards the storage closet. "Let's see… oh, here they are."

You returned with the cups and lids. "How many do I need to make?"

Matt shook his head. "It should yield about 80 servings or so. Just keep filling until you run out."

He began to work on dessert, which were homemade no-bake oatmeal cookies, and had just finished shaping them and putting them on some parchment paper-lined cookie sheets to set when he heard Father Lantom returning.

"How's it going?" Father Lantom asked.

"There's a few minutes left on the chicken but everything else is ready to go," Matt replied. "Salad is ready to be mixed and I just need to cover these cookies with some cling wrap until they're ready to be served."

"Thank you so much -- both of you. I know everyone will appreciate the wonderful meal."

Matt shook his head. "It's no problem."

"Happy to be of service," you added. "Here, Matt, I'll get started on cleanup."

Matt nodded. "Thanks."

He got the cookies covered then took the chicken out of the oven. "Okay, you're all set."

"And just in time, too. Thank you again, Matthew," Father Lantom said.

"You're welcome. Do you need us to stay and help serve?"

"No, I have plenty of volunteers for today -- the church's senior youth group offered to help out. They should be here as soon as their meeting wraps up in a few minutes."

"Okay, sounds good." Matt turned towards the door as a cacophony of voices filtered towards him. "Actually I think that's them now."

"Ah, good. Let me go get them situated then."

Matt nodded. "Oh, do you mind if I leave my cart of stuff here and pick it up tomorrow? I have a few more errands to run after this and wasn't really thinking about needing to drop it all off at the restaurant tonight."

"Oh, no, not at all. Go right ahead."

"Thanks."

Matt began packing his supplies back into their respective containers while you finished washing the various dishes the two of you had used.

"Here you go," you said, handing Matt his set of measuring cups.

Matt froze as your fingers brushed against his palm, your touch softer than silk.

He swallowed. "Thanks."

You stepped away, your heartbeat increasing slightly. "No problem."

Matt finished packing up while you put away the kitchen supplies you had used. He ached to caress your skin, to know what you would feel like under his own touch.

He sighed and moved the cart out of the way. "Okay, I think that's everything."

"Okay, great."

Matt grabbed his gym bag and led you out of the kitchen and into the dining hall, where Father Lantom was giving assignments to the volunteers.

He turned towards the two of you. "Ah, all done?"

Matt nodded. "Yes, we got everything cleaned up and I moved my cart out of the way for now."

"Okay, wonderful. Thank you again for your help."

"You're welcome," you said. "It was lovely to meet you, Father Lantom."

"You too, my dear. See you tomorrow, Matthew."

Matt took his cane out of his pocket and unfolded it. "Have a good evening."

"Where to next?" you asked as the two of you headed outside.

Matt shook his head. He wanted to keep your next destination a surprise until you got there. "Can't tell you yet, but do you trust me?"

You were quiet for a moment. "Yeah," you finally said. "Yeah, I trust you."

Matt felt a wave of relief. "Okay, good. This way, then."

He bit his lip as the two of you set off down the street. He just hoped he wasn't making a mistake by letting you into his world.

#lotmf writes #Cooking Up Love Masterlist #matt murdock x reader #matt murdock x fem!reader #matt murdock x female reader #matt murdock x you

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courtporatelawyer · 1 year

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Courtney relationship headcanons! Both platonic + romantic ones! (this is going to be a long one)

Duncney!! (romantic)

- Duncan takes Courtney on the most show stopping, thoughtful, and romantic dates EVER, but he still manages to show up dressing like a hobo

- Courtney tends overworks herself, but Duncan will quite literally throw her over his shoulder to go out for coffee or something like that

- Both Courtney and Duncan can cook really well, but physically CANNOT share a kitchen without setting it ablaze with all of their constant bickering

- Duncan simps so hard for Courtney’s singing voice.

- Duncney does frequent karaoke nights with the rest of the KB5

- Whenever Duncan sees anything with the word “princess” on it, he automatically buys it for Courtney. (The tackier the item, the better)

- Duncan likes his coffee black, while Courtney likes it with an ungodly amount of sugar and creamer

Heathney!! (romantic)

- Heather is a lot taller than Courtney, affectionately giving her the nickname “shortney” (canon heights can cry me a river, we all know courtney is a short little hobgoblin who isn’t afraid to kick anyone’s ass)

- Courtney and Heather cannot vocally express their feelings for one another for the life of them, so Heather just resorts to leaving flowers (either carnations or heathers) on courtney’s work desk. While Courtney writes Heather “anonymous poetry”

- Heather carries Courtney EVERYWHERE. Courtney will be reading and minding her own business, then Heather will just randomly pick her up, and tote her around bridal style

- These bitches try to one up each other on EVERYTHING, including romantic gestures. Heather writes Courtney a sweet note? Courtney fires back with an entire novel. Etc

- Courtney is prone to anxiety attacks, and Heather is the only one who can properly calm her down.

- They talk shit about people on their dates

- Heather loves braiding courtney’s hair

Bridgeney (platonic)!

- They watch cheesy rom coms together

- there was a period of time where people thought they were dating

- Bridgette and Courtney are super emotionally open with each other, and most of the time their conversations end with them both sobbing and hugging

- They help each other get ready for dates

- Bridgette wears sandals and shorts in the snow, while Courtney is wearing sweaters in august

- closest friends you will EVER meet

- They call each other “Bridge” and “Court” NEVER by their full names

Gwourtney! (platonic, I’m sorry I can’t do romantic Gwourtney😭 I love it as a concept, but it just doesn’t do it for me)

- Gwen does courtney’s makeup

- Gwen has a FAT CRUSH on Courtney, but Courtney is blissfully unaware

- Gwen draws Courtney all of the time

- They act like Katie and Sadie sometimes tbh

- They clown on each other for their abhorrent love lives

Trentney (platonic)

- They write music together a LOT

- I feel like there were romantic feelings there, but the timing wasn’t right

- They give each other really insightful advice

- When Trent split from the drama brothers, he went forward with his solo music career. However, he did a concert tour around Canada with Courtney, since they’re the musical duo we deserved

- Trent is a good shoulder to lean on for Courtney when it comes to her anger management, as he’s generally pretty relaxed

Scottney (romantic)

- Scott calls Courtney his boyfriend, and Courtney calls Scott her girlfriend

- They definitely have those boyfriend girlfriend matching shirts

- Scott takes Courtney to his farm and his different lifestyle absolutely AMAZES her. Like she is in love with all of this farm animals

- Courtney is shockingly comforting and soothing when it comes to Scott’s trauma with Fang. She helps him calm down whenever he has a panic attack about that god damn shark

- Ice cream sundaes are outlawed.

Courtma (platonic)

- Courtney and Emma work at the same lawfirm. They kick ass.

- They get along scarily well. Like…you’d expect them to butt heads, but no! They agree on practically everything

Courtler (platonic)

-Tyler is a dumb jock, but Courtney is a smart gymnast

-Tyler is prone to injury, but courtney’s CIT medical training saves the day!

-They’re bffs and I can’t tell you why I will die on that hill

Courtlody (platonic)

- Cousins perhaps?

- Courtney and Ellody are in STEM club or something together

- I just think they’d geek out together and it would be cute

Zoney (platonic)

- Zoey KNOWS Courtney has a big old heart deep down, and is determined to find it. When she eventually does weasel her way into courtney’s heart, their friendship is beyond wholesome

- They go out to brunch together

- The kind of gal pals who have sleepovers and talk about their deepest darkest secrets

- cuddle but in a platonic way

Coco (platonic)

-Courtney and Cody have a sibling dynamic. That’s all

Courterra (platonic)

- Heather simps fr

- Sierra will say the most diabolically personal thing about Courtney, but that escalated to Sierra finding the root of Courtney’s problems and working through things

- Shockingly good friends

#tdi courtney #courtney total drama #total drama #total drama island #tdi #duncney #heathney #scottney #totaldrama #headcanon #tdi heather #tdi duncan #tdi bridgette

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saltygilmores · 10 months

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Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls- Season 2, Episode 16, "There's The Rub", aka a Masterpiece of Gilmore-dom, AKA Lorelai Gilmore Is Safely Contained In Another Location, AKA Jess Rory And Paris Eat Together And All Is Right With The World-Part 1

Let's just jump right into this absolute masterpiece. This 45 minutes of bliss. This triumph of GilmoreDom that even Dean Forrester can't ruin. (PS-Don't forget to check all of the previous episodes I've recapped! You can find them in my pinned post).

Yeah okay. The point of this construction was supposed to be for Jess to have a seperate space for himself, right? But this never happens. So why are we doing this again? This poor kid had to sleep on the floor next to Luke and Lorelai when she stayed over. Lorelai told Rory "your boyfriend snores." Tragically Lorelai was closer to sleeping with Jess than Rory ever was.

I hope one of them was Forrester. Perhaps God was trying to smite him and he failed, but hey, try try again right?

1:11 into the episode and I'm already grinning like an idiot. Emily calls Lorelai. "Would you like a gift certificate for a weekend at the spa?" TAKE IT TAKE IT TAKE IT TAKE IT TAKE IT Emily uses advanced manipulation techniques on Lorelai to trick her into accepting a mother daughter weekend at the spa and I couldn't be more proud of Emily.

Me too, Emily. Me too.

I'm not saying Lorelai deserves an injurous chunk of concrete falling on her head (I reserve most of my grave injury/ death wishes for Dean), but a small DOINK or KABONK would have been satisfying to watch.

A shirt that just repeats "yoga kills" over and over is one of Lorelai's more interesting fashion choices. Per the post-opening credits, this s also a Madelyn & Louise episode? How can it get any better? Lorelai is carefully organizing her spa itninerary while Rory declares her plans to stay in for the night, order take out, watch movies and go to bed early. Lorelai is insistent that Rory throws a rager in her absence. With who, exactly? I mean this in the kindest, gentlest way possible: Rory has no friends ( besides Lane, who I suppose has demonstrated her ability to slip out of her room un-noticed and attend wild parties on multiple occasions, should I give her partial credit here?) When you think about it, these are the only true, solid, non-frenemy, non-annoying hangers on (like Logan's "friends"), non-sexually tense friend pairs on Gilmore Girls: Lane and Rory Lorelai and Sookie Miss Patty & Babette. Welp that's it. GIlmore Girls teaches us an important lesson: If you have a penis, you're not allowed to have any friends (who you aren't trying to fuck).

17 years old, but already speaking like a true geriatric Millennial from the later 2000's. I heartily salute your low key lifestyle, Rory Gilmore. You do you, and don't listen to your mother.

"Haven't you ever seen the movie Risky Business? I don't mean you have to start a prostitution ring, but maybe an illegal casino or something." Well, if Rory wanted to start a prostitution ring, I know a teenage gigolo who can call some people and make it happen. L: Why is (Emily) honking? She hates honking.

Rory's Inner Monologue: "I know,I was there."

The chariot that will whisk Lorelai away to a secondary location so Rory can have a night of freedom from her insane mother. Maybe not freedom from three other people imposing their time on her against her wishes, but hey, no Lorelai!

One of my favorite parts of Gilly Girls is the 36 year old Chilton extras who have wives and 3 kids to get home to after chemistry class. Paris Geller's world crumbles when she discovers she recieved an A-Minus on her chemistry test. Since Madelyn and Louise won't give up their Friday Night Fuck Dates to help her study, Paris turns to her wife for help. After much badgering, Rory gives in and agrees to spend the entirety of the following week helping Paris study but declines for that evening, because Rory really needs to be alone, and just BE.

"A whole week of studying with Rory Gilmore. Ugh. I GUESS that's okay. I GUESS that doesn't make my nether regions flutter in anticipation or anything."

On top of the caffiene withdrawls, Emily re-arranged Lorelai's careful planning which was supposed to ensure she was seperated from Emily for the majority of the trip, so now all of their spa treatments are going to be in tandem! Lorelai's disappointments and caffiene withdrawls are like chicken soup for my soul. Ahhh! Okay, fine, Lorelai is pretty tolerable, even enjoyable to watch in this episode, but she's built up so much of whatever the opposite of goodwill is (badwill?) that it's hard for me to let go for one episode and not just snark on her constantly. A girl's gotta snark.

Emily and Taylor Doose were the OG Karens. Did anyone just feel a sudden chill?

AHH! You idiots, you have GOT to stop scaring me like that. Having to see Rory and Dean make out and then having to hear Rory pretend that it actually turned her on is another form of unthinkkable torture outlawed by the Geneva Convention. Rory's sexual experiences really went Dean Forrester, Logan, ????? (mystery 10 years), then Logan again. I hope there was something in between Logan and Logan, for I fear this poor thing has never had an orgasm in her life. Maybe Jess snuck in there somewhere after their initial breakup. Paris maybe? Ditch em all and buy a nice vibrator is what I say. Anything that would unbleach my eyes.

*to the tune of Unbreak My Heart by Toni Braxton* Unbleaach my eyeeesss....don't ever do it AGAAIIIN... Un-do this shit that caused me to claw at my brain and want to rip out my eyes...

If I had a nickel for every time AmyShermanPalladino flip-flopped between making Dean a Nerd or a Jock, I would have many nickels. Frankly, my dear Amy, we know he doesn't know how to read, play sports, or kiss a girl, so just knock it off already. The makeout session lasts an ungodly long amount of time (about another 10 seconds) because he insists on stopping to talk to her 3 words at a time between each torturous application of his lips to hers. I swear I'm going to make a Gilmore Girls Bingo Card and here's a space I'd add to the card: "Dean makes a suggestion for something HE wants to do, not taking Rory's time, feelings, or interest in said thing into consideration, Rory is not able to express just how deeply she does not want to be involved in the Thing, and then Dean goes "WHAT" when she hesitates and then manipulates her into doing the Thing against her wishes, or he offers her a terrible compromise that benefits her in no way whatsoever" This is the second episode in a row where this exact thing happened and probably like, the fourth time total. Dean trying to seduce/ interest Rory in a couple of minutes of awkward groping: "So tonight (SLORP) I was thinking (SLORP) since your mother's gonna be gone (SLORP) I could come over."

We have Oh. What? I repeat, Oh. What? has achieved liftoff. Your shitty manipulation tactics and slorping on Rory's face cannot bring me down, Forrester. Not in There's The Rub. Not gonna happen. Bring on Jess and Paris.

I await Dean Forrester's reasonable and measured response.

"You're right Dean Forrester, silly me, I dont know why I would ever consider spending a single minute of my time with anyone but you. Thus far you have given me no reason to avoid you like Covid-19, even though I don't know what that is."

The Butthead was too stunned to speak. Poor Rory has to EXPLAIN to Dean why she would ever entertain the idea of spending one night by herself. They should show Gilmore Girls in high school sex ed classes as an example of unhealthy dating relationships. I swear. I'm going to publish this Part 1 a little prematurely as I'm leaving for the afternoon and I may as well throw it up, much like the lunch Rory will throw up after making out with Dean. Part 2 soon.

#gilmore girls season 2 #gilmore girls #theres the rub #rory gilmore #lorelai gilmore #emily gilmore #anti dean forrester #denise rewatches gilmore girls #paris geller #jess mariano #milo ventimiglia #luke danes

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mooodyblue · 2 years

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trying to get to you | 50s!elvis x fem!reader

summary: [REQUESTED] you were supposed to hate elvis presley, but what happens when you get swept up at one of his concerts and you find yourself having feelings no girl like you should ever be having?

wc: 3.2k

warnings: NSFW, minors DNI. religious!reader, mentions of god and church, fingering, virgin!reader, slight mentions of masturbation, semi-public maybe? idk things are done in a car, angst.

notes: requested by L! i hope i did your request justice even though it ends kinda weird. i may have to do a part two if y'all want it 👀 i don't know if i like how this turned out but i hope y'all enjoy 🫶🏼 apologies for any inaccuracies or mistakes. y'all know i hate rereading my work.

part two

>MASTERLIST/REQUEST<

»»————-　♡　————-««

there was this new male sensation sweeping the nation. a man, actually. his name being elvis presley. all the girls were talking about him–some boys too. you didn't know much about him until one day you turned the tv on to him performing one of his songs on a show, wiggling and moving his hips in a way you've never seen before. your mother immediately jumped at the tv, shutting it off quickly.

“y/n, you will not watch that man, listen to that man or even speak of that man. no one should ever be moving like that on television, let alone a young boy like him!” she shouted.

“you're right, mama. sorry, mama.” you nodded.

since then, you never listened or looked at him again. you spend most of your time reading or volunteering with your family anyway, so there would be no time for you to even look at elvis. keeping yourself busy was always your main priority in life. there was no denying that your friends poked fun at you for your lifestyle, but it was the way you were brought up. maybe they had a point, maybe you should get out more. there's more to life than books and family, right? you never really got to hang out with your friends because your parents wouldn't allow it.

you got invited to a local event one day, your friends practically begged you to go. of course, it took your parents some convincing. it was a local concert being put on for the community, it wasn't the worst thing you could go to. your parents finally agreed after setting a curfew, you'd have to leave a little early but that's okay. at least you were going. and who knows, it could be fun. you needed to have a little more fun in your life. the problem was, you didn't know who was playing. you forgot to ask, and when you don't ask, your friends don't tell you anything.

when you showed up to the venue, nothing could prepare you for what you were about to see. the name of the man your parents forbidden you to listen to or even look at. hell, you even hated him. ‘that boy is not seeing heaven!’ your dad once said. and you believed him.

“oh, no, no, no! i am not seeing elvis presley! you didn't tell me we were seeing him!” you exclaimed, refusing to walk inside.

“oh come on! he's not as awful as you make him out to be. he's so handsome, y/n! and so talented! just give him a shot!”

“absolutely not!”

“well, you're already here. what are you gonna do? sit outside in the cold all night?”

they had a point. they dragged you inside, securing you a spot up close. if your parents knew who you were seeing tonight, oh they'd just be so mad at you. they would ground you for the rest of eternity. this felt like a nightmare. it only got worse when he finally came out on stage, dressed in a simple all black suit, hair greased nicely with a smudge of eyeliner on his eyes. you just couldn't help but stare. you’ve never really gotten a good look at elvis nor have you even listened to any of his music, you shouldn't be looking at him. but god, you couldn't look away. the crowd was nothing like you'd seen. girls were pushing their way towards the front, screaming things your own father would forbid you to ever say and not to mention the things they threw on stage.

elvis was moving the same way you'd seen him on television not too long ago. he was singing with so much passion and so much energy, but those moves. gliding across the stage, wiggling his hips and getting dangerously close to the hundreds of screaming girls in front of him. it was almost too much. you were having feelings you didn't know if you should be having.

it all went by so fast. there was still time left before you had to go home, so you and your friends hung around a little bit. they were still talking about elvis. elvis this, elvis that. yeah, he put on a good show..and okay, he was very handsome. but no boy should be moving like that so publicly, it was too much.

you glanced at your watch, deciding it was time to part ways and make your way home. staying longer would have been nice, but all the elvis talk was driving you mad.

you began making your way out of the area. elvis was still on your mind. he was truly something else. you were going to have to pray for forgiveness tonight for sure.

“s’cuse me!”

oh. there was no way. you're just daydreaming right? because that sounded awfully like the man you've been thinking about for the past hour. you stopped in your tracks, slowly turning around and eyes widening as you're met with his deep, ocean blue eyes.

“sorry to bother you.” he rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly, looking everywhere except you. “i saw you in the crowd and….w-well, you looked very pretty. i-i just wanted to say hi.”

you didn't know what to say. you weren't one to talk to boys, let alone a boy that you have a strong distaste for. “i’m sorry, i shouldn't be talkin’ to you.” you turned around and started your walk home again.

“well, can i at least take you home?”

you froze again, considering it for a minute. “why?” you asked, refusing to turn around and look at him again.

“um..it's cold out…?”

you looked at your watch and sighed. this was such a bad idea, but at this rate, you weren't going to make it home by curfew. maybe it won't be so bad. god would understand, right? you'll just have to confess at church tomorrow and it'll all be fine. you turned around and let out a sigh. “fine. but i am not speaking to you on the way there.” elvis let out a small laugh, muttering a small ‘we’ll see’ and allowing you to follow him to his car.

the ride home was interesting, to say the least. his presence was intimidating yet comforting. the way he spoke made you question as to why you hated him in the first place.

“so, what's your name?” he asked, ignoring your mention of not speaking to him. you said nothing back to him and continued staring out the window. “you really ain't talkin’ huh?” he shot you a quick glance then back at the road. “now don't tell me you hate me or somethin’, i saw the way you were lookin’ at me up there.” silence. he parked down the street from your house, just as you asked so your father wouldn't see you leave another boys car.

“now, wait a minute.” before you could get out, he gently grabbed your arm and you quickly turned your neck at him. “i don't know what i did wrong. whatever it is i’m sorry.” he released his grip from you. you almost felt bad. he was just being nice. “i just thought you were pretty n’ i just wanted your name, that's all.”

you sighed and turned your body to him, glancing at your watch then back up at him. “my daddy would hate that i’m talkin’ to a boy like you.” you said. “and i would never want to disobey him. i shouldn’t even be in this car with you.”

“then why did you agree to letting me take you home?”

you were silent again, still looking into his eyes. you'd already broken so many rules. there was just something about elvis that had you wanting more. having crushes or liking boys was never something you’ve ever experienced. maybe that's what this is, a simple crush. after all, you're an adult living with overprotective, controlling parents. you didn't have a reason for hating elvis. it's what your parents taught you. he had so much talent and was such a gentleman, treating you like nobody as treated you before.

“look, i don't wanna keep your daddy waitin’. you don't have to answer my question. just…just get home safe.” he patted your thigh, causing a soft gasp to leave your lips. he quickly removed his hand, apologizing. “i-i’m sorry. i didn't mean to touch you. that wasn’t very respectful of me, i apologize.”

that was the first time a boy ever touched you. you were almost ashamed to say you liked the feeling, even if it was for a short second. the way his long, calloused fingers gripped softly around your bare thigh just below the edge of your dress. the feelings you had while watching him on stage were coming back to you, slowly. “i’ve never been touched there before.” you blurted out, blushing.

“oh.” he cleared his throat. “‘m sorry again.”

“can you…um…” you looked down in embarrassment. “do that again?” he looked at you in bewilderment. nothing was making sense. first you didn't want to speak to him but now, you want him to touch you? it was giving him mixed signals.

“i-i don't-”

“please?”

he hesitated for a moment before placing his hand back on your thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. his hand was cold, but the warmth you felt coiling from inside of you made up for it. it was almost comforting. “is this okay?” he asked.

you were shaking a little, anxiety was starting to creep in. you were supposed to be home 20 minutes ago. daddy was going to furious with you, especially now that it's after dark. the moon was already out and shining above you. but there was a feeling you've only felt a few times in your life. you'd touched yourself before, just to see what it felt like but it wasn't very often that you did. but with his hand on your thigh, it gave you the same feeling, almost a more intense arousal.

“you can go up a little more.” you mumbled. elvis crept his hand up higher, the hem of your dress bunching up and showing more of you. he rubbed his hand up and down your thigh in a slow, gentle matter. you looked over at his face. he was biting down on his lip, other hand squeezing at his own thigh to avoid touching more of you. he noticed your eyes on him, glancing up at you as you quickly moved your eyes back to your lap. his hand went up a little more, your panties slowly making their way into his sight.

you don't know what brought this onto you, but you craved more. you'd already gone so far with elvis, you might as well go all the way. “will you…touch me?” he felt himself twitch at the thought of giving pleasure to someone as pure as you. “oh honey, we don't have to. it’s gettin’ late and i know this isn't somethin’ you want.” he was wrong, dead wrong. you wanted this so bad. you wanted to feel his fingers on you, to feel how wet you were just for him. he was the first boy to ever make you feel this way and you wanted to make sure he knew of it.

taking matters into your own hands, you bunched up your dress and moved his hand to your own wet arousal. he let out a shaky breath as he felt the dampness of your panties. “are you sure? absolutely sure?”

“yes. please.” he asked you once more and you gave him reassurance once again that it was okay. he knew you'd never been touched before, so he wanted to be gentle with you, like you were fragile.

his fingers moved your panties aside and ran a finger down your wet folds as you let out a soft breath. “so wet and i’ve barely even touched you.”

he brushed against your clit, slowly rubbing it in small circles. “you ever touched yourself before?”

you nodded. “a f-few times.”

“hmm…” it was an awkward position, but he turned himself a little more towards you to move his other hand to your breasts, squeezing one softly as he continued to rub his fingers on you. you let out a quiet whimper at his touch. “‘m gonna be real gentle with you. tell me if it gets too much, alright darlin’?” you adored how careful he was with you. he often looked up at you, making sure you were okay and that he wasn't hurting you. he moved his fingers down, slowly inserting one inside you. it was an odd feeling at first, almost uncomfortable. but once he started moving it in and out, it became more pleasureable.

“oh my god.” you whimpered. “don't use the lords name in vain, baby.”

elvis inserted another finger, thrusting them both in and out of you as he continued to play with your breasts. you were so tight around his fingers, you couldn't imagine if it were him inside of you. he was a fidgety, twitching mess beside you. the outline of his painfully hard cock straining against the same dress pants he wore on stage earlier. you threw your head back, hips fucking onto his fingers as you let out quiet noises. “c’mon little one, lemme hear those sweet noises.” you wished you could kiss him and feel his soft lips on yours, but you couldn't waste your first kiss on a moment like this. you refused and he respected that.

you threw a hand up at the roof of the car, moaning loudly as he moved his fingers quicker inside you. he moved his hand from your breast back down to keep your panties at the aside while rubbing your clit in quick circular motions. “so tight ‘round my fingers, takin’ me well. imagine my cock inside of you, bet you'd like that, huh? want you wrapped tightly around my cock.” your clenched rightly around his fingers, thighs shaking as you felt that familiar warmth coil in your belly. “oh–elvis!” you screamed his name as you came, praying nobody in the neighborhood could hear you and your lewd noises.

he removed his fingers from you and sucked them clean before wiping them down on his own pants. you pulled your dress back down and glanced up, still catching you breath and taking in what you–or elvis–just did. he was still painfully hard, practically leaking at this point. he wanted to be touched so badly but he wasn't going to push it. he adjusted himself in his seat, grunting at the slight friction against him. you looked over at him and down at the outline in his pants, you did that to him. it was all starting to hit you. you were supposed to be home ages ago, now you're here coming off your high from being finger fucked by elvis presley. the man you hated, that your parents hated and told you to stay away from. you felt your chest get heavy and found it difficult to breathe. panic set in, you messed up. badly. you had to get out of there, and fast.

elvis noticed the panic in your eyes. “hey….hey. baby, it's okay-”

“no, no. i can't–i’m sorry. oh god, i’m so sorry.” you reached for the door, opening it quickly.

“wait, can i at least-” elvis started, but you jumped out and shut the door before he could finish. elvis was left in his car alone, full of guilt and worry.

»»————-　♡　————-««

you did get in trouble that night. your father gave you a long lecture, telling you to beg for forgiveness and to not skip confession tomorrow. you didn't mention elvis though, why would you? during your nightly prayer, you asked for forgiveness and why he brought elvis into your life. there had to be a reason, everything happens for a reason.

you laid in bed that night replaying the whole hour you spent with him in your head. he made you feel good, there was no denying that. just thinking about what he did to you was making you feel warm all over. it made you wonder if he touched himself when he got home. you could almost picture it. elvis laying in bed, those beautiful hands of his wrapped around his cock. thinking about him getting off on the thought of you made you sweat a little, almost tempted to reach a hand down your underwear. you shook it off, laying on your side and forcing yourself to sleep.

church was the following morning. sitting through confession was embarrassing, you wanted to forget about what happened last night. you'd never see elvis again anyway, you didn't even give him your name.

after you got home, you needed to just clear your mind for a bit. you went for a quick walk around the park nearby, trying to piece things together. last night wasn't awful, you did have a good time. it was thrilling being rebellious for once. apparently god thought the same because as you were deep in thought, you noticed the same boy you'd been thinking about nonstop, sitting at a park bench down just barely down the trail.

you could either run the other way and go home or you could be the bigger person and go see him. however, without any second thought, you found yourself walking towards him. you stood right in front of him, taking a deep breath and bracing yourself. “hi.”

elvis looked up at you from his journal, gasping, flashing that smile that you adore so much. “oh! it's you!” he closed his journal and pat the empty side next to him for you to sit down.

“i realized i never told you my name…” you took a seat next to him. “it's y/n.”

“that's all i wanted to know. i just wanted your name and nothin’ else.” he sighed. “look…um…about last night-”

“elvis, i can't stop thinkin’ about you and it's driving me crazy.”

elvis tried to wipe last night from his brain. although he felt awful about you leaving, he went back to his hotel that night just thinking about you. your moans, the way you moved on his fingers and how the world disappeared from the two of you. no matter what he did to forget you, he couldn't do it. he came in his own hand to the thoughts of fucking you last night, guilt setting in right after.

“i did enjoy it.” he admitted. “but i felt like i did something wrong, i shouldn't have done that with you.”

“i wanted it, elvis. you don't understand. my parents hate you. i went home and my daddy yelled at me but i didn't feel bad. i’m supposed to feel bad, why don't i feel bad? i’m disappointing him by sitting here talking to you.”

elvis let out a laugh. you shot your head at him, eyebrows furrowing at him. “what's so funny?” he shook his head at you. “d’ya ever think maybe god brought us together for a reason?” he had a point. if elvis was so awful, why did god continue to bring him back into your life? “it doesn't hurt to break the rules a little.” he shrugged.

you rolled your eyes and chuckled softly. “i suppose you're right.”

there was an awkward silence for a minute as you look away from each other, observing the scenery around you.

“do you wanna break the rules a lil’ more?” he asked you.

you cocked an eyebrow at him. “what did you have in mind?”

“mind if i invite you back to my hotel?”

#elvis smut #elvis #elvis 2022 #elvis movie #elvis presley #elvis x reader #elvis x y/n #elvis imagine #aus!elvis x reader #austin!elvis x reader

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flowercrown-bard · 2 years

Text

We build our castles

"There! It's finished," Jaskier announced proudly and got up.

Geralt watched as he dusted the sand off his knees, but some of it still stuck to his legs, where they were still wet. He had rolled the legs of his pants up, when he had waded into the water to search for the prettiest sea shells, but the hems had still gotten wet and were now clinging tightly to his legs.

"Hey," Jaskier said, snapping his fingers to get Geralt's attention. "As much as I appreciate you ogling my legs, I need you to look at what I made."

With a fond roll of his eyes, Geralt looked at the sandcastle Jaskier had build. It was adorned with sea shells and dark pebbles he had found. Jaskier had complained endlessly about Geralt not helping him search for more and how Geralt didn't know how to have fun. That wasn't true though. Geralt had a great time watching Jaskier hop around, whenever a wave lapped at his trouser legs and he hadn't been able to stop smiling whenever Jaskier had found a particularly pretty shell and called out to Geralt with a grin on his face to show him his newest treasure. So yes, Geralt did know how to have fun. For him, it simply involved watching Jaskier be happy. Lucky for him, that he had found out years ago that being around him was what made Jaskier happy.

"So?" Jaskier nudged him a little with his toe. "What do you think?"

"Hmm," Geralt said, mainly to watch Jaskier groan in fond exasperation. The bard dropped down in the warm sand next to Geralt again, grabbed a handful of sand and half heartedly tossed it at him.

"You're terrible. I tell you, one day, I will live in a castle just like that and then -"

"Would be a bit small for you," Geralt teased.

"Oh, now you can speak." Jaskier huffed indignantly, but his eyes crinkled at the sides in mirth. He let himself fall backwards, heedless of the sand that would get stuck in his hair. Maybe later Geralt could brush it out for him.

"Do you even want to live in a castle?" Geralt asked. "Feels a bit restrictive for your lifestyle."

Jaskier blinked up at him. He had to squint against the sun.

"I don't know. Right now? Absolutely not. What kind of friend would I be if I left you to roam the Continent alone." He closed his eyes and hummed contently. "In a few decades, however? I can imagine settling down. Maybe not in a castle necessarily, thought it would have it's perks. But maybe a cottage. Or I could open an inn and be much nicer then all the grumpy innkeepers who charged us double for getting monster guts on their floors."

Geralt snorted at the thought of Jaskier becoming an innkeeper. He would be terrible at keeping the business alive.

"Would I get a friend-discount if I were to stop by at your inn?"

"Absolutely not!" Jaskier said, "You'd live with me at the inn, of course. Or the cottage. Or..."

"Or the castle," Geralt finished for him. He dug around in the sand, until his fingers found a small sea shell. He placed it on top of one of the crumbling towers Jaskier had build.

"Or that," Jaskier agreed softly.

They fell into a comfortable silence after that. At some point, the sand of the castle got too dry and the towers crumbled fully. Some other parts of it were washed away in the waves.

Jaskier didn't seem to mind. He had that look on his face that he always got when he was daydreaming.

Geralt closed his eyes and let the sun warm his face. Blindly, he reached for Jaskier's hand. Without hesitation, the bard weaved their fingers together.

Summer wouldn't last, Geralt knew. In only a few weeks, autumn would paint the trees red and then it wouldn't be long until winter too fell upon the land.

"We don't have to wait decades," Geralt said after such a long pause that he wasn't sure if Jaskier still remembered what they had been talking about.

"Hm?" Jaskier looked up at him with a grin. "You want to give up witchering and open an inn right now?"

"Absolutely not," Geralt deadpanned. He looked down at their linked hands. "But I have a castle - well, more like a keep where we could live together. At least until spring. And only if you're willing to share it with my family."

Jaskier didn't reply, but his eyes lit up as if he had just gotten the inspiration for the greatest ballad.

"I would love that," he said, giving Geralt's hand a light squeeze. "I would love that very much."

#Geralt #Jaskier #Ficlet #My writing #Witcher #Geralt&jaskier #Geraskier

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ninapi · 1 year

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Save me (Ushijima Version)

Premise: Ushijima struggles to understand the concept of love and what is expected of him in said equation, but he finds himself in the predicament of wanting nothing more than to be with the woman he loves even if it gets in the way of his established lifestyle.

Word Count: 3297

Chapter 2: Summer heat

Summer was approaching fast, the weather was warmer than it had been for the longest time, the grass in it’s prime as green as it can be, the birds danced happily in the air at the promise of the rainy season now in proximity.

The spring tournament was about to end, and the volleyball team was high in spirits as they managed to reach the finals.

Their club was the one to receive a bigger budget out of the entire school, they were one of the reasons the school was so popular to begin with, so in preparation for the finals and as a reward of some sort, they scored some extra budget for a weekend training camp.

The teacher in charge suggested some beach volleyball, it is harder on your body, and it should help them with muscle building, it was a great time to go to the beach, it wasn’t as hot outside just yet, so they should be able to train on the sand all day.

Washijou was against it, one of his family members was marrying that same weekend and he would prefer to stay closer to the city so he could attend both, but the teacher had already booked an inn for the entire team and the budget was no more.

They were in troubles, the teacher could go with them and surely the team knows what they need to work in individually, they could always ask Ushijima if they needed advice, but what about the rest of things that needed to be done? Their coach is so strict that he only allows one male manager and he doesn’t even allow him in the gym every day, he’s only called when needed, but because of this, he belongs to the astronomy club as well and they were participating in an event of their own the same day, unlike the volleyball team, there he is absolutely necessary and they can’t allow him not being there for the event.

That’s when Shirabu out of all of them, surprised the team with an idea. “How about my class president? She knows what she’s doing, she’s the one in charge of everything related to the events in our class, and all of you seem to like her. Maybe she can go with us?”

Ushijima, who was tying up his shoelaces, got up immediately, giving a deep nod of approval.

“I’ll talk to her, I guess.” Semi got up, heaving a deep sigh. Is not like he didn’t want you to tag along but he was pretty sure you’d be more of a distraction than anything else.

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

You were on your way to the library; you didn’t want to leave your summer break homework till the very end and thought of getting the books you needed out before someone else borrowed them first. That’s when you heard Semi calling out for you.

“Oh hey, Eita. What’s up?” he was panting heavily, trying to catch his breath. He’s been looking for you all over the school, exhausting all possible locations and found you just before he was about to give up, like if phones weren’t a thing.

“Do you have anything to do next weekend?” it sounded off to you, like if he was asking you out on a date and it made you cover your reddish face in panic, “W-w-why??” realizing what he just did, he tried his best to correct himself, trying to subside his embarrassment, “The team, we got a weekend training camp on the beach area, the teacher needed us to find someone who could help us. Shirabu said you’d be the best option and everyone agreed you’d be a good idea. If you have time of course.”

You were still unsure of going out of the school in general, but you’ve been practicing with Eita, and this sounded like a fun way of spending the weekend. You would also have some extra time to spend with Ushijima who had been really busy the past few weeks and you haven’t gotten the chance to see him as much as you would have liked.

“I mean, yeah why not. Is it like both days or?”

“Yeah, the teacher already booked an entire inn for the team, I’m sure you’ll have your own room. Nothing to worry about.” that was honestly the last of your worries. Your parents were now in a European tour and all your clothing was left behind in your house. Thankfully, you don’t spend much money living in the school grounds, so you could just order something online and it should arrive on time.

“Sure, then just text me the details when you get them, and I’ll go with you guys.”

The guys were overly excited with the news, specially certain captain who for some reason found a splinter on the bench very interesting. Was he excited? He couldn’t describe what he was feeling, it hasn’t happened before. He’s been a bit grumpy the last few days, or that’s what his teammates said, he didn’t really understand what they were basing on to get to that conclusion, but it was a fact that he kept on wishing he could see you. He wondered if you had eaten something for dinner or if you had a good sleep last night, he wondered if you also felt this strange need of seeing him or if it was just him and his recent incapability to control his own body.

But knowing you would be there during the weekend was comforting, he felt like he could train the entire week without any sort of discomfort, knowing he would get to see you in a few days.

Goshiki let out a loud shriek, getting everyone’s attention. Ushijima’s face was twitching in the strangest of ways while plucking the damn splinter out of the bench, the scene itself could be used as source material for a horror film.

Little did they know, his heart was actually smiling.

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

Going to the beach required many preparations, making you regret your decision of not bringing cute clothing to school with you.

Did you need a swimsuit? You probably did, even if you were there just to support the team, it would be weird having a bunch of shirtless guys playing volleyball around you and be wearing fluffy lounge clothing on the sand.

So you ended up ordering a couple of summery outfits and a two piece swimsuit, the bottom being a cute ruffled skirt.

You also decided to bake some cookies for the ride, this time you made sure to make enough for the entire team and the teacher, he was driving you there and was very nice of him to make sure you would have all you needed as the only girl of the group.

The school bus was unnecessarily big, everyone could have their own seat to themselves if they wanted to, but Ushijima wanted to sit beside you. Even Tendo was surprised by this.

“Toshi-san! Why does it feel like I haven’t seen your face in forever? Come here, let me see you.” you chuckled, and he complied, letting you check every inch of his face, his hands and even his jacket pockets.

There was such a peaceful aura around Ushijima whenever you were around. It’s like if he was a different person, even if he still didn’t talk much.

“(Y/N), you smell like cookies." he’s becoming spoiled and you’re 100% responsible for this. “Yes, I baked some! Here’s your share.” you set his bag on one of his big hands, calling the rest of the guys to come and retrieve their own bag full of treats.

“I know you don’t like me, but isn’t Ushijima-san’s bag way bigger than mine? I’m your classmate!”

Everyone’s bag was smaller, not just Shirabu’s. Even Semi got a smaller share. “He’s bigger than all of you combined. Don’t be a pain, or I’ll give him your share too.” Ushijima was quietly chewing on one of your delicious goodness, he didn’t have anything to say really, he was bigger, that was a fact, but he somehow wished that wasn’t the only reason why his bag was fuller than the rest.

The ride wasn’t long, but you woke up before sunrise to have the cookies ready for the team and before anyone could notice you were dozing off on Ushijima’s shoulder. He could feel the soft puffs of air you were releasing on his arm, your neck straining in an odd position. He shimmied himself down a bit as gently as he could not to wake you up, so you could rest comfortably on him.

If he closed his eyes hard enough, he could feel your heartbeat pressed against his arm, and it was magical, everything in life was so much better when you were there by his side, even the littlest of things like a bus ride could create a core memory for him.

“Toshi-san…those aren’t cookies…don’t eat them…” even in your sleep, you’re the sweetest creature he’s ever seen. “I won’t eat them, don’t worry.” he whispered close to your ear, making you grin in your sleep and nuzzled his arm.

If he could live repeating one moment over and over again in a loop for the rest of eternity, it would be this very moment.

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

The guys had been practicing all morning and lunch time was approaching. The teacher gave you some money so you could go buy ingredients and prepare sandwiches for everyone.

They haven’t seen you since then, you went to the store then spent over an hour making sandwiches for the army of hungry teenagers baking in the early summer sun. So when you arrived with the basket full of food and drinks, a wave of silence fell on the beach.

Ushijima’s eyes were so widely opened, bugs could nest there if they wanted.

You braided your hair and got a lightweight cardigan over your swimsuit, but it was pretty much all out on display for the raging hormones of more than one to perv around.

It wasn’t revealing, just a regular swimsuit, you were actually the only girl in the beach right now that wasn’t showing her assets in abundance, but they’ve never seen you in anything other than your school uniform, except for Semi, but even him was having troubles concentrating now.

“Hey guys! Lunch is here!” you called out for them, and they all walked over to you, to anyone else looking, it was a scene out of a zombie movie, the way they walked mumbling incoherent stuff, their bulging eyes, unconsciously drooling over you. But in your eyes, it was a beautiful summer day to hang out with the boys.

“Here’s your sandwich, Toshi-san. Don’t tell anybody but yours has an extra slide of chicken breast.” you whispered closely, winking at him and you were expecting him to take the sandwich you were holding out for him, but his hands had a very different plan. He grabbed you by your cardigan, bringing you closer to him so he could close it up entirely, button by button, this making you blink in confusion. “What’s wrong? Do I…look that bad?”

He shook his head, not being able to find the right words, he didn’t even know why he did what he did. Is not like he didn’t want to see you in your swimsuit, it was more like he didn’t want the rest of the guys to see it. But why? You’re your own person, you can do whatever you want. He had no right to do this, what if you get mad at him? That was a stupid move. He was beating himself over his own actions when he heard you laugh, one of your hands came over to cup his cheek, caressing it gently, “You’re being extra cute today, huh? My heart was not ready for that!” you handed him his sandwich and continued handing out the remaining contents of your basket, never unbuttoning back open your sweater.

He didn’t know what just happened, but it felt similar to when he wins a match.

“Cute? She said you were cute? Wow, I always knew she was a little weird but maybe it’s just that she sees things differently.” his friend was nibbling on his own sandwich, sneaking glances to watch over your interactions with the rest of the team.

“So how does it feel not wanting other men to stare at your woman’s boobies?” using his sandwich as a fake mic, he went straight into business. “I did no such thing.” “Oh my dear Wakatoshi-kun. Then why do you think you closed her sweater shut on this awfully hot day? You weren’t concerned for her catching a cold, were you?”

Why did he do it? It was still a mystery to him. What was even more confusing was why did you laugh it off? Shouldn’t you be upset? He wouldn’t want someone touching him so carelessly, he was expecting you to slap him on the face, not gaze at him lovingly.

“I’m not sure, my hands moved on their own.” life had funny ways of trying to teach him a lesson, he had it all there for him to act, his body was a faster learner, but he still needed to catch up to it mentally and emotionally. “She looks way too pretty today; you didn’t want them to eat out of your eye candy. Instead of sulking you should tell her how pretty she looks, before someone else does.” Tendo caught a stray look from a group of unknown girls hanging out under a parasol and so he left his troubled friend to confront life on his own while he tried to score a phone number or two.

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

Time goes by fast when you are having fun.

The first day of the training camp was almost over, the stars gifting you the most beautiful night for all of you to enjoy.

The teacher made arrangements for the workers from the inn you were staying at to take care of your dinner arrangements, offering you a lovely and most importantly, very much nutritional meal.

The boys were turning in for the night early, they still had to get up at four in the morning for their team run and had to train all morning, the bus wouldn’t leave until noon.

But since you didn’t have to, you wanted to enjoy the trip a bit more, you haven’t been to the beach in years and just breathing in the salty heavily humid air was filling your heart with excitement.

Grabbing a small pouch from your bag you were ready to sneak from the back of your room back into the beach. It was the perfect timing to hunt for seashells, sunburns aren’t fun to deal with after all.

Ushijima had been pacing in front of your room for the past 45 minutes, trying to come up with an excuse to talk to you and somehow convey the message his friend recommended. So, it isn’t surprising that he heard you sneaking through the balcony. He thought someone was breaking into your room, so without thinking, or knocking, he opened the door to your room and headed in like it was his own house. Your leg was still hanging from the rail and his outburst made you fall to the ground startled.

The confused face he was making made you burst out laughing, this man has the worse timing ever, it’s hilarious.

“Yes, Toshi-san? Did you need me for something?” he was trying to analyze the situation, you looked fine, definitely there was no robbery going on in the premise, were you running away at night?

“I wanted to talk to you about this afternoon. If this isn’t a good time I can come back later-“he was about to leave when you stopped him, calling after him, “It’s ok, I was just going seashell hunting. Would you like to come with me?” Seashell hunting? How do you hunt seashells? Aren’t they like dead already? His confused self just nodded and instead of going out through the door, like a normal human being, he decided to follow your steps, climbing over the railing, causing you to giggle.

There was not even a single cloud in the sky, the full moon so high and bright, there was no need for lanterns.

You walked side by side in a comfortable silence, breathing in the peaceful night until you found a promising patch of sand. You sat close to it and Ushijima followed your lead, both of you digging into the sand with tiny sticks, fully equipped for tonight’s quest.

“So, what was it you needed to talk to me about, Toshi-san?” he took a deep breath, looking up at the moon, “I’m sorry I grabbed you like that this afternoon. You looked too pretty, I was afraid the other guys would also see it.”

You’ve never blushed with this intensity before, and you were suddenly glad you decided to come at night. The summer heat would be the one to blame if someone asked.

“Y-you don’t need to apologize for that. I thought it was cute.” you mumbled quietly, poking the sand some more. “You always say I’m cute.” he questioned you genuinely, the definition of cute he has in his head was very different to what he sees in a mirror when he looks at himself. “That’s because you are, cute.” your eyes twinkled in the dark, the stars wouldn’t rival the beauty of your eyes, not even tonight when the stars shine so bright. “Does it bother you? That other guys see me in a swimsuit?” he was hesitant to answer that question, he was now sure that it did bother him, but he still didn’t know why. “It was not my place to do what I did, for that I apologize. I’m sure your afternoon wasn’t as enjoyable due to the heat.”

“It was enjoyable. I didn’t mind it. Did I make you uncomfortable? Maybe I should have chosen a less revealing outfit.” he made you feel bad, that’s the one thing he was supposed not to do tonight, it’s so hard to get your thoughts across to other people, “You never make me uncomfortable. I just didn’t like the look in their eyes.”

“Were you…jealous, Toshi?” you held onto his elbow, the lack of honorifics causing him to forget he needed to breathe. “According to Tendo, yes. I still don’t understand the feeling very well, never happened before.”

You need some level of patience with a man like him, even if all you wanted was to tackle him on the sand and kiss his very essence, you would wait for him as long as it took. Instead, you laid your head on his muscly arm, taking a deep breath as you searched for his hand. It was so large, pretty much doubled the size of yours. “Is it…ok if I hold your hand?” looking at both of your hands, he just hummed in acknowledgement, wrapping his hand around yours.

You stayed there in silence, holding hands, until it was time for you to return to the inn.

Summer was only about to begin, and it already held a special place in both of your hearts.

•───────•°•❀•°•───────•

The day before the big game, right when classes were over, the door from your class burst open, showing a very exalted Ushijima looking for you.

“(Y/N), I found him. The setter you were looking for, Kageyama. He’s playing against us tomorrow.”

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Tagged babes: @dazaisfavgf @lauraagrace

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