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ignisnocturnalia · 3 years

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Variks x Reader Relationship HC's

Gonna write you as a new light, apologies my God-slaying siblings

News of the Pyramids over Europa reaches far and wide, as does stasis

With this discovery, relayed by a veteran guardian, also reveals news of the Eliksni who instigated the riot at the Prison of Elders

Being freshly revived, there's not much you can make out of the hostility the other Guardians offer the alien

Curious about him, you make a bold request to be stationed on Europa to "monitor" him

Of course, Zavala denies your request and speaks of how important your guns would be here at home

While you say you understand, you're secretly trying to find your way around it

The Drifter

You heard about his escapades to the frozen planet, reasons unknown, but still able to slip through Vanguard sanctions

As usual, a Guardian siding with the Vanguard approaching you with a purpose usually isn't a good thing

"Somethin' you want, kid?"

His tone is carefully jovial, bordering neutral, but you're not foolish enough to think he actually trusts you

"I need to get to Europa."

He stares at you for a solid minute before sizing you up, an inquisitive glare settling on his face

"What's in it for me?"

Having been on Strike detail for months on end, you've got a sweet heap of glimmer and nothing to use it on; you know he doesn't care a lot for the currency, so you offer up your weapons alongside it

He gives you a lopsided grin as he takes the arsenal, waving off the glimmer and taking you to his ramshackle ship

Unsurprisingly, it's a quiet ride, your own Ghost unsure of your actions

Drifter gives you little warning before transmitting you off the ship, leaving you to fall flat on your ass in the deep snow

Despite being a little upset about this, you finally see your goal, the very Eliskni that brought new questions to the ice planet

Every step you take lands your foot in a fluffy sheet of snow, sounding out with a crunch you had never heard before

Soon enough, you've completely deviated from the reason you came to the planet, completely obsessed with the snow under you

The entire time, Variks has been watching you from the window of his base making a fool of yourself

Distantly, he realizes that he thinks you're cute like that

"Here to help, yes?"

You are COMPLETELY caught off guard, turning quickly on your heel before slipping on the ice and landing flat on your ass

A shadow falls over you as you look up to see the well spoken Eliksni towering over you, and you're immensely thankful for the helmet hiding your blush

He offers you one of his real hands, helping you up and you can't help but notice how his hunched form is hiding a solid 8" from his height

Bringing you inside, you slowly decompress from the outside chill and Variks formally introduces himself

You quickly take note of how each of his sentences are punctuated by insect noises, which are quite fun to hear

You explain your circumstances and even though you can only see his eyes, you can feel the confusion in the air

"You left the Tower.. to see me? Variks does not know who you are; you do not know Variks, yes?"

You're slightly disappointed but not surprised by his suspicious behavior, after seeing how other Guardians harped about him

You then remember something very important

"I don't have a ship to get back."

Your ship still sat in the Hangar, locked down until it was needed for use

Variks stood in front of you quietly before also noticing something unusual about you; your weapons were missing

"Stay. I will contact your Commander."

You immediately spring from your seated position, grabbing at his shoulder before he can reach the comms

He seems to understand your plead

You spend the next few days eating freeze dried food, along with MRE's supplied by another curious party on Europa

Variks doesn't join you until he's finished eating in another room, and the conversations you can strike up are limited

You ask him to teach you Eliksni

He appears shocked at first but eagerly obliges, now showing up to eat with you

It's been a good couple of weeks, and you've got a few phrases and words under your belt

Nothing translates directly, everything is interpreted based on the small word choice

Variks didn't know, but you had spent the last 3 days trying to figure out what the closest thing to "I love you" was in Eliksni

That night, when you both settle down to eat, you eye Variks with a renewed purpose

The fuzz in your brain dissipates as, astoundingly, he moves to take off his mouth cover

You can't help but stare at his revealed face not noticing how he fidgets a bit under your intense stare

"Apologies, (y/n). I did not mean to ruin your appetite."

It was now or never

Moving over to sit next to him, you shyly looked up to see he had yet to put the mask back on, instead looking at you with uncertainty

"Yu ne ze." You are my gift. I love you.

The Eliksni's eyes widen and his body stiffens and you worry for a second that you've made a mistake before he turns fully and leans into your face

"Ma yun ne."

His mandibles are often used to caress your face

You find yourself with gifts and trinkets waiting in your small room in the base

He has you spot check his weapons, testing them out and generally having a blast with them

Other Guardians have seen you on occasion, but very few have approached you to ask questions about the mysterious Eliksni

Variks loves it when you hold his hands, even more so when you pet his face

When you find out he can purr, it's one of the most sought after sounds during your intimate moments, and sometimes he will purr simply to indulge you

Even if you're an undead warrior, Variks still piles furs on to your shoulders to make sure you don't get cold during outings

You have had to fend off assassins, often at the cost of your life

This pushes you to accept the deceptive whispers of the Pyramid, carrying you all the way to the Exo Stranger's den

She reluctantly agrees to teach you because of your inexperience, and although neither of you say anything, you and Drifter make quick eye contact

Variks can smell the Darkness on you and is very disappointed, but he doesn't tip off that he knows

Instead, he uses it as an excuse to put you under house arrest

He catalogues every single symptom you have that could barely begin to resemble a sickness, encouraging you to stay inside until you're better

During the nights, you notice he holds you much more tightly against his body

You apologize for your zealousness regarding his safety

Your lessons in Eliksni continue, and soon enough you can hold your own in small conversations with him

Whenever you or Variks look at each other trying to figure something out, you both always ask about the question in your mind

Whoever is asked ends up sitting in the other's lap, but you've found that it's much more convenient to sit in his own

This exploration leads to daily petting or grooming sessions, giving way for more risque activity to take place

Nsfw 👁👄👁

Variks orients himself as a switch, but you can tell he enjoys being on the bottom a little more if his rapid breaths are anything to go by

Brushing and lightly scratching segments on his exoskeleton are immense green lights for him, especially adding just enough force to push into the seams between his limbs

He's very gentle with his teeth, but the red marks he leaves on your body are generous from the amount of fondling he carries out

He's perfectly fine with both of you being bare, so long as a heat source is nearby

This level of exposure allows you to feel every rumble, trill, and moan straight from his chest and you can't deny just how hot it is to have an entire alien making these noises because of you

He delivers plenty of foreplay, always giving you the option to back out of it

With your size difference, you have to work to move up and down his body when you're both laying down

One of his favorite things is when you drag your teeth along his neck or chest, no real threat of harm but an undeniable thrill for him

He may start slow, but towards the end? You're better off simply letting him take care of you the next day

Fluff

After particularly tedious days, you will pull him into your shared room and pepper his face with kisses

Whenever he wants to nap, he selectively chooses your lap so you can massage his back or his forehead

Following the official announcement of your relationship, Zavala finally submits and gives you full permission to stay stationed on Europa, at the price of lengthy field reports at the beginning of every month

Variks, of course, teases you while writing these papers

He'll correct a mistake you made way back in the paper, laughing quietly in the back of his throat as you fume at the obvious inaccuracy

Besides Vanguard papers, you've taken it upon yourself to make him a new arm

You decide to gift it to him once the Dawning starts

Note: I leave some of my handcanons open ended for more ideas, and yes, I am aware they are more like one shot/hc hybrids, but hey, take it as an invitation to ask me to actually write out the whole thing. I will not write out explicit nsfw unless asked, and if I am asked, it will always be gratuitous and extremely detailed ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Finals are eating my timbs tho, so I'm currently attempting to study for these hellspawn

#variks #destiny 2 #relationship headcanon #zavala #commander zavala #the drifter #exo stranger #elsie bray #variks the loyal #Variks x Reader

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wiypt-writes · 3 years

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Riding On

Ch 9- A Labour of Love

Summary: Fliss and Frank receive some news from Boston and Bean’s due date, arrives…and passes, with no sign of him making his bid for freedom just yet. Fliss is frustrated and poor Frank doesn’t know what to do for the best.

Warnings: Bad Language words. Smut (NSFW, NO UNDER 18s!).

Pairing: Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

A/N: Bean is just not playing ball, is he? As always, I hope you enjoy and I love reading all your thoughts.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Riding On Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 8

Touch me, take me to that other place. Teach me, I know I’m not a hopeless case.

August 2019

The alarm had become a bit of a pointless feature in the Gallagher-Adler household, certainly over the last 2 weeks or so. As Fliss headed into the final throes of her pregnancy, her sleep patterns were all over the place. So it was no surprise to Frank that he felt her climbing out of bed at little past 5 am. Blinking sleepily he made a noise of protest because, after all, it was a Saturday, and she chuckled and leaned over to gently kiss his head.

“Stay here.” she instructed, “I’ll be fine.”

He wasn’t going to listen, he really wasn’t but his eyes dropped shut of their own accord. When they opened again it was almost 10 and he gave a start, because Fliss was due to leave in little over an hour. She was off for a Pre-Baby pamper session with Verity, Roberta and Sian, which included a manicure, pedicure, haircut, facial and fuck knows what else. To be honest, Frank had zoned out when she'd reeled off the list of treatments last night over dinner and just nodded in all the right places because he wasn't interested if all truth be told. As long as she enjoyed herself. With that in mind, he jumped up and after a quick shower he headed downstairs.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” he asked as he wandered into the back of the house. Fliss, who was stood by the bay window seat, her eyes roving over the garden, didn’t answer.

“Lissy?” He spoke again and she jumped slightly and turned to face him as he chuckled and crossed the room to give her a kiss. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Where’s Mary?”

“She went up to the stables for a lesson with Joanne before it gets too hot.” She replied, taking the peck he offered with a tight smile. Her voice was flat, emotionless and her entire demeanour unnerved him a little as he prided himself on normally being able to read her very well but at that moment he really couldn’t get a lock on her at all.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

“I had a message from Boston Police…about John.”

Frank made an angry noise in his throat “What about him?”

She looked at him and Frank felt his mind whirring about what there was left that the ass hole could possibly put her through. He was inside, for a long time and he wouldn’t be getting parole this time round either but when she answered, he hadn’t been expecting her to drop the news she did.

“He’s dead.” Fliss said flatly as she looked at Frank. His face contorted into a frown as he looked at her.

“Dead?”

She nodded “Apparently got in a fight with another prisoner and it got a bit nasty. He was stabbed and…” she swallowed “Bled out. Nothing they could do.” Frank watched her carefully as she was clearly pondering something. He wasn’t sure how she was going to be feeling here. She had been married to him after all but, well, Frank was struggling to feel anything other than a sickening sense of satisfaction. If anyone deserved to die it was that fucker.

“You ok?” he asked her as he stepped towards her and pulled her into a hug.

“Yeah. I feel nothing.” she said simply, pulling back to look at him. “Absolutely nothing. I’m not happy he’s dead but I don’t care he is, either, and I’m certainly not upset about it.” She paused, biting her lip “Does that make me a bad person?”

“Bad?” Frank spluttered “Fuck, no honey, of course not” She let out a sigh as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head as she snuggled her face into his chest. “If you think feeling nothing makes you bad then me feeling what I do means I’m going straight to hell.” Frank moved and tilted her face to look at him with his finger a thumb gently holding her chin “He was a nasty, vile bastard Lissy, and he put you through so much, not to mention nearly fucking killing you less than a year ago. If anything you have a right to be throwing a damned party now.”

“Not sure you’d find many places with Congratulations Your Piece Of Shit, Wife-Beating Ex-Husband Is Dead banners or balloons.” she quipped.

“The internet is dark and full of terrors.” Frank smiled back and Fliss snorted at the Game of Thrones reference “Never underestimate it.”

She stayed silent for a moment before she pulled back and looked up at him. “You know what else I will never underestimate?” she asked, and Frank was pleased to note that familiar shine had returned to her face and eyes and he arched an eyebrow. “The power of a back massage.”

Frank smiled “Good job you’re heading off for one then isn’t it.”

“Hmmmm…” she teased, her hands tracing his chest through his t-shirt. “Thing is, unlike your back rubs this one won’t have a happy ending.” “It better fucking not do.” He shot back and she grinned.

“I should go get ready.”

“Ok, you want any breakfast before you go?” he asked and she smiled

“We ate, but there’s some pancakes in the oven for you, you just need to warm them up.”

He smiled “You’re too good to me.” “I know” she shrugged, standing on her toes to give him a kiss. With a chuckle he watched her leave, Thor trotting behind her before he let out a deep breath.

“Does that make me bad?”

The fact that she was even asking that, after everything, was enough of an answer in itself. Bad? There was nothing further from the truth and he hated that she had even entertained the idea. But, as Frank realised when he poured himself a coffee, now the bastard was dead, there was nothing else he could do to her. That particular shadow was now well gone.

And Frank didn’t give a shit whether being happy or, dare he say it, amused at the fact the fucker had died in prison, made him a bad person or not.

*****

An hour later Fliss was collected by Bill, the poor bloke was on drop off and pick up duty and Frank didn’t envy him dealing with all 4 of women. Out of courtesy, Frank had offered to run one way but Bill had waved his offer off, pointing out that he had to collect his mother later that afternoon from the aiport.

He walked out to the car with them, taking a side glance at his girl who was dressed in a pale pink and blue maxi dress, which was quite low cut and made her pregnancy boobs look fucking amazing. He smiled as he opened the door for her, Fliss sinking into the front seat- being basically 40 weeks pregnant and ready to pop awarded her certain perks such as her mother surrendering her usual position in the passenger side.

“Have a nice time.” He said, leaning over to give her a peck.

“We will.” She smiled “I left Mary some Mac and Cheese for lunch, she was asking before so I pulled it out of the freezer.”

Frank smiled “I’ll fight her for it.” “No need.” She grinned “I got you some out too.” “You spoil me”

Smiling, she reached up and cupped his cheek before he straightened up and shut the door. Once he was sure it was closed he jerked his head to Bill who was bent giving Thor a pat and signalled for the man to walk with him a little, taking a few steps away.

“Everything ok?” Bill asked.

“Yeah, well, sort of. She’s probably gonna tell you herself but just in case she doesn’t, she had a call this morning. John’s dead.” Bill blinked, before he gave a snort “Good.” “Yeah, that was kind of my reaction too.” Frank scratched at his neck. “Fliss, however, well she says she didn’t feel anything. Not happy, not sad, just complete indifference. Which, to be fair, is probably a good thing for her. I’m just a little worried she’s numb because it hasn’t sunk in yet.” Bill nodded “If she doesn’t mention it herself on the way I’ll tell V on the quiet when we get there.” “Thanks.” Frank smiled as the two of them headed back to the car. Frank grinned at Bill, as he could hear the chatter from the 4 women even through the closed doors and windows of the car.

“Good luck!” he said, nodding towards the vehicle.

Bill snorted before he frowned a little “How come you haven’t gone with Steve and the boys up to the Water Sports centre?” “Mary didn’t want to.” Frank said “I think she’s still a little, self-conscious, I suppose is the term, around the twins but she’ll come round. You know what she’s like” “Well, when they move over in January she’ll have plenty of time to get to know them properly” Bill shrugged “Right, best get this rabble to the hotel. See you later son.” Frank smiled, nodding at him. As the Range Rover pulled off up the drive he tossed a hand at the tailgate before he looked down at Thor.

“Come on boy, let’s go find Mary.” It didn’t take them long to locate her. Having finished her lesson she’d been busy grooming Monty and then helping Joanne with a few chores, or bugging the shit out of her Frank suspected but Joanne was always so patient with her. The young woman was god-send, having really stepped up over the last 2 months especially. Frank knew why Fliss liked her so much.

He practically dragged Mary home, but it really was getting ridiculously warm and he wanted her to have a few hours inside to keep cool a little. In the end, as always, they haggled reaching a compromise that she could have a little while in the pool provided she sat in the shade quietly to eat lunch. As always he was roped into the pool with her, such a hard life he led, and after 30 minutes of teaching her how to dive they both climbed out and ate before changing and heading to the airport to collect Evelyn who was coming to stay for a while.

He greeted her with the usual nod and smile as Mary gave her a hug, before he took her bag from her and they headed back to his truck, Mary gibbering on about anything and everything, his mother listening and replying when needed. The last time Mary had seen Evelyn she had gone to Boston for the weekend the previous month, something that had set Frank on edge after the last time, but as Fliss had reasoned with him, he knew that he couldn’t allow that to stop him from letting her go. This meant that Evelyn hadn’t seen their house since they had moved in back in June. Mary showed her round, Frank following, and when they got to Bean’s room he saw her stop and look round, smiling softly.

“You’ve done a good job, Frank.” She turned to look at him and he smiled back.

“You sound surprised, mother.” “Not at all.” She shook her head. “I expected nothing less.” “Makes a change.” He couldn’t help the sarcastic shot back and she narrowed her eyes.

“Are we not passed the sniping yet?” she said, tiredly.

Frank held his hands up, “Sorry.” After she’d seen the attic and Mary’s room, they headed back downstairs, Frank showing Evelyn to the Guest Apartment over the Garage which he had put the finishing touches to the week before. Fliss had stocked the fridge fully for her, meaning she had everything she could need for snacks and drinks, and whatever else she needed for a comfortable stay. He left her to unpack, telling her to come over to the main house when she was done, which she did a little over an hour later.

Frank poured her a glass of white wine, and they headed outside, taking a seat at the table as Mary was in and out of the pool freely as the sun wasn’t quite as high as it had been given that it was half four in the afternoon. Evelyn took the opportunity to ask Frank if they were ready for Bean to arrive and he smiled, shrugging.

“As ready as we can be.” He said, “We’ve had all the hospital tours and found the place Fliss prefers so…” “Where have you chosen?” Evelyn asked.

“Bayfront in St Pete’s” Frank said, pulling out his phone “They have a suite called the Baby Place.”

He flicked through his phone’s internet browser to the bookmarked page and handed it to Evelyn who put on her glasses to scan the information.

"The separate family lounge offers some of the amenities of home, such as a game table, bla bla bla and room enough to host celebrations and enjoy time with loved ones." Evelyn read from the website. "It looks like a hotel not a hospital" she mused as she handed the phone back to Frank. "Well, that's kinda the idea mother." He said, tossing his phone onto the table. "It’s actually a state-approved level 3 Regional Perinatal Intensive Care Centre." Mary appeared at the side of them, picking up her towel. "The program is one of only 12 in the state of Florida" Evelyn looked at her, cooking her head to one side as Frank gave a chuckle. "There is that too." He said as Evelyn turned to him. Mary, wrapped herself in the towel and hopped up onto his knee. "We originally discussed a birthing centre with the midwife but Fliss was too worried about what could go wrong or if she decided half way through she wanted an epidural..." he rubbed at Mary’s shoulders slightly, drying her off with the towel. “So when the midwife suggested this it seemed like a perfect compromise. She gets a private recovery area and should make her feel more at ease. She doesn't have fond memories of hospitals." He shrugged "Who does?" Evelyn looked at him, taking a sip of her wine. "Well Fliss has some particularly bad ones what with her back injury and operation, not to mention all the times he put her in one." Frank said, pausing for a second. That reminded him.

“Hey Stack, can you go grab me a can of soda?”

“Only if I can have one.” She bargained.

“Fine, but grab the no sugar. You’re already hyper enough as it is.”

Mary jumped down and headed through the door into the kitchen. As soon as she was out of earshot Frank looked at his mother.

“John’s dead.” He said bluntly “Fliss had a call this morning. He was stabbed in prison.” Evelyn looked at him for a second, before she gave a snort “Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.” She said sarcastically “How has Fliss taken it?”

“Well she wasn’t leaping for joy but she’s not upset, says she feels nothing.” He shrugged, looking up as Mary came back. She handed him a can as she hopped back on his knee and opened the other one herself.

Evelyn studied Frank for a second as if she was considering something before she smiled "I take it the fact she's due to drop tomorrow is the reason you're on soft drinks and not beer." Frank smiled "Just playing it safe. I mean so are you right? That's why you're here for the next 2 weeks." Evelyn shrugged "is it a problem?" "No." Frank shook his head before he grinned cheekily "Why do you think I finished the apartment above the Garage?" "Bill says in England they would call it a Granny Flat" Mary said as Frank gave a snort. Evelyn chuckled a little. "I’m aware of the terminology, thank you, on account of being from England myself." She looked at Mary "You know, people build them on their property when they want their elderly relatives to move in with them so they can look after them." she turned to Frank, smirking "So I'm honoured, Francis..." "I didn't build it just for you." He rolled his eyes "it was half done when we moved in so it made sense to finish it." He picked up his can "It’s a place for anyone to stay, although I'd be lying if I said you weren't at the forefront of my mind when we did it" Evelyn looked at him, shocked, "me?" "Yeah..." he shrugged, grinning "Fliss told me that I wasn't allowed to let you stay in a hotel or at Bill and V's now we have room so this was the best way of actually keeping you out of the house..." "Oh piss off!" Evelyn looked at him, slapping his arm as he laughed. She shook her head and before she could shoot a sarcastic response back, the sound of an engine coming up the drive hit Frank’s ears and a soft smile crept across his face. His girl was home. Thor gave a loud bark and stood up, running to the gate, Frank following him. He opened it, striding out onto the path through the lawn which led round the side of their house to the front. He smiled as Fliss pushed herself out of her dad's range rover and he instantly spotted that her hair was a lighter colour than it had been that morning and was flowing round her face and shoulders in perfectly styled waves. It was evident she had enjoyed herself, as she looked relaxed for the first time in weeks. "Well I would ask if you had a nice time." He smiled, dropping a kiss to her cheek "but I can tell from the way you're grinning that you did." "Oh it was amazing." She smiled as his hands fell to her hips. “Just what I needed. I feel relaxed and absolutely ready to push a baby out of my vagina.” Frank gave a loud laugh as he shook his head. “Well, your hair looks great." "Aww thanks Frank." Roberta slapped his shoulder as she walked past him into the yard. He rolled his eyes as Fliss laughed, tugging on Frank’s hand as she led him to the trunk of Bill's car. Bill was stood with it open as Verity and Sian were looking in each of the bags before Verity pointed at one and handed it to Fliss, Frank immediately taking it from her. He peered inside.

"Because you don't have enough toiletries" he deadpanned. Fliss shrugged. "The lavender stuff they said would help me sleep, which in case you haven't noticed I've been struggling to do over the last 2 weeks." "Hard not to notice when you wake me up at 3:30 am to tell me" "I did that once because I felt sick. And besides, you did this to me..." she pointed to her now really rather large bump "...you should also be feeling the consequences" Bill snorted as he shut the trunk of his car and looked at Frank as he glanced at the older man, almost pleading for help "Sorry lad." Bill chuckled "You got her pregnant and wanna marry her, she's your problem now." "She is here..." Fliss glared at her father. "Oh, trust me Titch, we are all well aware you are." "Rude" Fliss looked at her parents as they headed into the garden. "Steve and the boys will be here in about 5." Sian looked at Fliss having just got off the phone to him. "Said to tell you he is picking up some real meat on the way over...whatever that means Frank?" Frank laughed "he means fillet steak. I got Sirloin. A man's cut. He's being a pussy" Sian looked at Fliss who simply shook her head. "Meat is a big issue for Francis." She said sombrely, patting his chest.

“I just know what I like.” He shrugged. They made their way through to the back in time to see Verity giving Evelyn a warm hug in greeting. It made Fliss smile softly, noticing how different it all was to the stiff handshakes shared when they met for the first time little over a year ago.

Frank dropped a kiss to her cheek and headed inside to put her bag away before he came back down just as Steve and the boys turned up. Then the usual thing that happened at BBQs went ahead, the men crowding round the grill, the women bustling in and out of the kitchen setting out the sides and accompaniments, the 3 kids bombing in and out of the pool.

“You should have come with us today Mary.” Steve said to the girl as she sauntered past in her bathing suit. She paused to look at him.

“What did you do?”

“We did Kayaking, skiing, the boys went bodyboarding but I sat that one out.” Steve said.

“I didn’t know if I would like it.” She shrugged, dropping her eyes slightly. Frank watched carefully as Steve crouched down.

“Me neither, but you know what? It was fun, and the best thing is, if there’s something you don’t wanna do, you can sit it out and watch.” Frank could see from her face she was mulling this over. She looked at Steve “Are you going again Uncle Steeby?”

“Next Friday.” He nodded.

“Ok, I wanna go next time.” She announced. “Mind your manners.” Frank instructed, gently, pointing the tongues he was holding at her.

“Please.” She added. Charlie and Joel both erupted into noise, demanding that their father allow it and Steve gave a chuckle.

“You’re welcome any time Stack, as long as Frank and Fliss say its ok.” He said, standing up. “Fine by me. In fact you can keep her if you want.” Frank shrugged and Mary rolled her eyes.

“You always say stuff like that, pretend you don’t want me here but we all know the truth. You do, that’s why you’re adopting me.”

“Smart ass.” Frank narrowed his eyes at her as she stuck her tongue out and ran off. Bill and Steve chuckled as Frank shook his head, snorting.

“Thanks Steve.” He looked at the man who waved his thanks away.

“You know, she’s getting more like Fliss was every day.” Bill said “you want to watch that, Frank. She was a sassy little swine as a kid.” “Mary was already a sass bag before she met Fliss.” Frank shrugged, turning over the steaks on the grill. “Lissy just encourages it.” “Have you had any luck with her biological father?” Steve asked and Frank shook his head.

“We’re not expecting to yet. We’ve only given him notification of our intent. I suspect when Greg actually starts the process officially we’ll hear something.”

“But you don’t expect him to object?”

Frank hesitated before he shrugged “I can’t see why he would. He’s never been interested in her, at all. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a slight worry but like Fliss keeps telling me, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” “No point worrying about something you can’t control.” Bill said wisely, before he drained his beer “Right, I need another drink. Anyone else want one?”

“Yeah, I’ll come with you” Steve said “Frank?”

“I’m good, thanks.” “You can have one or two, surely?” Steve looked at him.

“Leave him alone.” Bill said, shoving his son on the shoulder, “That’s your sister and my little girl he’s looking out for…” “Fuckin’ pussy…” Steve snorted playfully and Frank threw the burger flipper at him.

Bill and Steve walked away, playfully squabbling and a few seconds later Frank felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around him from behind, Fliss pressing her lips to the space between his shoulder blades.

“Hey gorgeous.” He said, moving so she could slide under his arm. He pressed a kiss to her head “You ok?”

“Yeah, fine.” She smiled, looking up at him. “You know I really do I love your hair." He said, taking in the lighter colour even more in the now closing light of day. Over the past two years, her vivid auburn had gradually tone down and was now a light brown, laced with copper and blonde.

“Thanks.” She said, a little shyly and Frank frowned.

“Don’t you like it?”

“No, I love it…it’s just, well, actually it doesn’t matter.” “Lissy.” He looked at her sternly, and she sighed, her hands worrying one another so Frank put the cooking utensils down and took them in his. “Tell me what’s going on.” “John hated me changing it.” She shrugged “Which is why I went so bright red in the first place. Once I left him I just fancied doing something wild. I’ve always liked it a bit lighter. He insisted I kept it dark…”

“Well you can do what the fuck you want with it.” He assured her, “Unless you want to shave it all off. Then I might raise some objections.” “Sorry. She said gently and he frowned.

“What for?” “Raising him again” she shrugged “We’ve been together almost 2 years now and…” “Hey.” He said, “Don’t ever apologise. I’d rather you tell me when you’re feeling like this. You know that.”

“Of course I do, I just wonder sometimes if it’s ever gonna stop.”

“So what if it doesn’t?” Frank looked at her. She blinked and he shrugged “I’ve told you, you can always talk to me. Nothing you say is gonna make me mad.”

She smiled at him as he dropped his head, gently giving her a peck. “I know, I just get fed up sometimes. Stupid little memories and flashbacks.” “I know.” He smiled at her, kissing her head softly “But they don’t rule your life anymore, not like they used to. They’re just…”he hesitated “A minor annoyance, a bit like him really, insignificant.”

“He’s even more insignificant now.” She grinned “He’s fucking dead.”

At that Frank let out a snort “I take it you’re not longer feeling numb then.”

She shrugged “Mum said exactly the same as you before, that we should be throwing a party so…”

Frank chuckled again, pulling her into him even further as he turned back to the grill.

******

Despite it being her due date the following day there was no sign of Bean. And he didn’t make an appearance on the Monday either. On Tuesday they headed in for an assessment at the hospital, and after an examination the Midwife smiled at Fliss as she lay on the bed.

"Well, Miss Gallagher... he is in the right position." The midwife smiled. “Dropped and ready.” "He needs to hurry up." Fliss grumbled "He was due two days ago.” "Your due date is never exact. I wouldn't worry. His heartbeat is strong, he'll arrive when he is ready." "Already taking after his father." Fliss shot a side glance at Frank who raised an eyebrow. "Ok so if there's no sign of him by the morning of the 28th then just call" the woman said and Frank bit back a smirk at the look of utter disgust on Fliss' face "We'll check everything and do a sweep to get things moving." "Is there anything we can do?" Fliss practically whined "Spicy food? Pineapple? Speed bumps?" The Midwife laughed "I'm afraid they're only old wives tales. The only one with a shred of credibility is sex." Frank grinned and Fliss shot him a glare. "Semen contains prostaglandins" the midwife shot Fliss a wink "It can trigger the release of oxytocin which is a hormone that can help contractions." At that it was Fliss' turn to grin. "So all I need is your sperm and a turkey baster Sailor. Unlucky." Frank rolled his eyes and mentally cursed the midwife for her damned scientific explanation. "But in essence if your body isn’t ready to labour, nothing you do will necessarily get you going." She smiled "Sorry, you're just gonna have to ride it out." Despite the joking there was no activity in the bedroom that night other than a lot of tossing and turning as Fliss was really struggling to get comfortable enough to sleep. Frank hated seeing her so tired and fed up but when at 3:30 am he sleepily asked her if she needed anything she simply asked for a cuddle which he was more than happy to provide.

“I’m sorry.” She mumbled.

“What for?”

“I know I've been a pain these last 2 weeks.”

“You’re heavily pregnant and fed up.” He said, kissing her head

“I wouldn't be able to do this alone. I don't know how my mum did.” She said softly. Frank sighed and pulled her closer, remembering how upset she had been a week or so back when their conversation one evening with Mary had turned to Frank telling her how he had been with Diane when she was born. Hormones be damned, it had set Fliss off about how nice it was that Frank had been there and stood by Diane and how she wished her own mom had that, but instead Verity’s parents had kicked her out and left her alone and pregnant at the age of 19.

Frank knew Verity had been young when she had Fliss, although he had never expressly asked he had worked it out from the fact she was 9 years Bill's junior. He also knew there was a lot of bad blood on that side of the family and that Fliss had never met her maternal grandparents, even when they reached out to her later down the line. She had rather impolitely told them to fuck off, Verity doing the same. When asked by Mary why she hadn’t forgiven them as they were family, Fliss had shrugged and simply replied that family isn't and never would be about blood, but instead it was about those people who saw you at your absolute worst and wanted you just the same. "You've nothing to be sorry for.” Frank gently soothed her, “And you're not on your own. You never will be." "I know." She looked up at him, smiling as he gave her a soft kiss.

Things continued much the same for the rest of the week. Every so often Fliss would get a twinge, and the pair of them would get excited, thinking this was it, only for nothing to happen. On the Friday, almost a week post her due date, Frank called the midwife who arranged for them to come in the next morning. Evelyn, who was being particularly helpful, even if Frank was loath to admit it cooked for them all that night, but Fliss had struggled to eat her meal, declaring she felt a bit sick. After a profound apology to Evelyn she announced she was heading for a bath and then going to bed.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Frank asked and Fliss shook her head.

“It’s not even 7. I might be back down in an hour or so if I feel better.” “Ok, can you manage-“

“Frank!” she said, exasperatedly. “I’m fine.” “Well, you’re-“ he began and Evelyn laid her hand on his arm and shook her head gently. For the first time in, well, as long as he could remember, he obeyed an order from his mother and stopped. “Alright. Just shout me then if you need anything.”

She gave him a kiss on his cheek, her way of apology for snapping and headed off.

“You won’t need that appointment tomorrow.” Evelyn said after a pause and Frank turned to her.

“What makes you say that?” “Because I felt the same the day before I went into labour with you.” Evelyn said “Queasy, tired, just generally off.” “Well, I hope you’re right because she’s fed up.” Frank sighed “He’s fully cooked now, just being a stubborn little bastard.”

“What was it you once said to me about an apple and a tree analogy?” she looked at him, arching an eyebrow and Frank snorted.

“Yeah ok, you got me there” he conceded.

Fliss didn’t come back down after her bath. Frank popped in on her a few times and she was simply led in bed, trying to get comfortable, tearfully complaining that her back ache was particularly bad. Frank led besides her for half an hour or so, gently working at the lower part of her spine that was giving her the trouble before he realised she’d fallen asleep. He left her to it, heading back down to his mother and Mary, before a few hours later, just before 10, they all decided to go to bed as it had been a long day. Fliss didn’t wake up when he slid in besides her, nor when he dropped a kiss to her cheek. He watched her for a moment as she lay, facing him, before he too closed his eyes.

***** His baby was sat on his knee, grinning up at him. He smiled down at the boy, whose hands were wrapped tight around his index fingers. He glanced up, looking around for Fliss but there was no sign of her. Nor Mary for that matter. Hoisting Alex up onto his hip he headed out to the garden and gave a start as he saw both Fliss and Mary floating face down in the pool.

“No, no…” he began to mutter, before his muttering became frantic yells “No, this…not my girls…not…”

With a start, Frank sat bold upright in bed, breathing deeply. He glanced at the clock on the side which read 23:30, damned he hadn’t even been asleep an hour! What the fuck…

He wiped his clammy brow and lay back, feeling Fliss stir besides him.

“Frank?” she asked softly, “Are you ok?” “Bad dream.” He mumbled, turning onto his side and sliding his arm under her neck, pulling her back into his chest.

“You wanna talk about it?” she asked.

He shook his head with the air of a small child, pressing his nose into her neck, breathing in her smell and comfort. As he nuzzled at her, he felt her sigh a little and push back further into him.

“Stop it.” She muttered.

“Stop what?” he asked.

“That, on my neck…”

“Why?” He teased, his nose being replaced by his lips as he gently trailed open mouthed kisses up to her ear.

“You know why…”

“You ready to try what the midwife suggested?” he grinned, his mouth nipping at her ear and she gave a laugh.

“I'm willing to try anything. Just make it quick, I’m not bothered about coming. I only need your sperm.” “Charming…” he snorted as she gave a soft chuckle. His hand that had been resting on her bump softly moved down a little as he shifted, snaking his leg in between hers, opening her up slightly. He hooked her leg up over his hip, his fingers softly trailing up her bare thigh, shifting her sleep shorts to one side as he slipped his hand gently into her folds. She bucked harshly.

“Easy baby.” he muttered.

“Can’t help it.” she let out a soft sigh “Sensitive…” With a smile, he used his other hand to tip her head round so he could catch her mouth with his own, kissing her gently, his tongue softly sliding against hers, swallowing the moans and groans she was eliciting as he worked her with his hand. Had she been a little more with it, she might have been slightly embarrassed at how pathetically short a period of time it was before he had her clamping down around his fingers, shuddering as her release washed over her, but she was too gone to care. She’d hardly even come down from her orgasm when Frank eased her shorts down, then his boxers and with a gently push forward slid into her, the pair of them letting out hushed sighs as he began to slowly slide in and out of her. There was no haste to his movements, no rush, nothing, it was gentle, sweet, loving as he kept her held close to him, his lips lavishing affection on her shoulders and neck. Before long he heard and felt he breathing falling into that tell-tale staccato panting and she let out a low, quiet but downright filthy noise from her throat and Frank’s lips curved into a grin against her neck.

“Come on beautiful…” he mumbled, the heat in his own belly was sending spikes of fire up and down his body as he fought to keep control for a little longer “Come on.” And she did, her head tipped back and with a stuttering whisper of his name he felt her tighten around him, her legs quivering as he himself came, his hips slowing to a stop as he gently bit down on her shoulder. The pair of them lay still for a while, his hand softly curving up and around her bump, over her hip, down her thigh and back again, gently repeating the motion.

“You ok?” he asked and she nodded, humming in contentment. He pulled out of her, righted their items of clothing as Fliss hardly moved. He kept her pressed close to him as he closed his eyes, drifting off again.

He was woken 3 hours later, just before 4 am by Fliss shaking his arm.

“Frank…”

He groaned but didn’t open his eyes.

“Frank…Bean…I think he’s on his way…”

He let out a grin and turned over “My sperms worked then…” he mumbled into the pillow.

Fliss looked at him, waiting for the moment her words registered in his sleep-addled brain, which happened roughly 10 or so seconds later when he suddenly sat straight up, turning to face her.

“Penny dropped?” she asked arching an eyebrow.

He blinked “He’s…” She nodded, “Yeah…” He blinked again before he swallowed, and with a grin stuttered out a single word.

“Shit!”

**** Chapter 10

#riding on #frank adler #frank adler x ofc #frank adler x original female character #gifted #gifted fan fic #chris evans #chris evans characters

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silverhandsass · 3 years

Text

My Beloved Intended (Part 8)

The tension between Valerie and Johnny seems to near its end as the pair begin to see each other in a different light. Valerie discovers a disturbing fact.

(Regency AU | V / Johnny)

All current chapters available on - Ao3

— — — — —

The wait was torture. Seeing each other was bad enough, but the days that they did not meet, did not speak, did not know what the other was doing—those were pure torture.

Johnny had found himself completely avoiding the usual watering holes he'd visit; the club, Calhoun's, all other activities, they had all been suspended. He found himself taking more and more walks around his estate's gardens or spending more time in the library. During the nights that he'd spend with any friend, he'd simply see them for a little while then excuse himself. The only one that did not take that behavior was Kerry, who sat him down and spoke to him. So Johnny told him everything.

Valerie on the other hand had been forced to fuss over her wedding details with her mother and maids. Being measured for the dress, putting in her preferences and then being spoken over by her own mother, discussing plans with her parents about what to do after the marriage, practicing on her skills and talents as a lady, as she was supposed to. If she held another needle, she was sure to poke someone's eye out, and not on accident. The only person she had been seeing this entire time outside of her family was the Lady Palmer—she did not know much of the goings on, but was happy to give Valerie a good kick in the hinds if she was being too down about herself.

Somehow, as the days passed, it lead the couple back to Willowspring gardens. Their mothers had been hovering around, keeping an eye on them the entire day, but they kept a bit of a distance. Instead of the long walks, they decided to start with a bit more leisure. The mothers took their spot with other women under a rather large shade while Valerie and John occupied a small spot by the pond.

They sat on top of a blanket, a bowl of berries between them that they each had picked at but not really dug into. They had not spoken a word to each other aside from basic niceties, not since that night. Even sitting by the water, well out of earshot, it took them a while before either one of them said anything meaningful. It was Valerie, and it was right to the point.

"Do you wish to be free of me?" she asked him, her eyes stuck to the pond.

"What?" he questioned.

"That's what you said. That night. We'd both be free of each other," she said, and Johnny sighed beside her. Val glanced at him. "Is that what you truly want?"

"If that is what you desire," he replied.

"What of your desires?"

"Why are you asking me these things?" He sat up straight.

"God, I will never get a proper answer from you about anything, will I?" She sighed heavily, shaking her head in anger. Her gaze turned back toward the water as she picked at her hem.

"Do you wish to be free of me?" Johnny asked her.

"Do not worry my lord, I will not break our agreement," she mumbled.

"That is not what I asked," he reminded.

"But it is what you hoped for," Val replied.

"Answer the question."

"Yes," She spat. "No. I don't..." She took a breath, "I don't know."

They remained silent for a minute or two and Val was thankful for it, needing a moment to let her frustration pass. It had not been this difficult to talk to him since they first met, and she had forgotten the steps to this particular dance. Maybe it wasn't the way it was before, but something new altogether. She wasn't sure that she liked it.

"Have you been feeling any better?" He asked her.

"About Laurence?" Val raised a brow, sparing him a single glance. He nodded and she looked to the ground. "I no longer lay awake crying all night if that is what you mean."

Beside her, Johnny shut his eyes and sighed heavily. He hated that she had been feeling that way, and hated that he could not be there to help even more.

"I'm just... angry. Not even sad anymore, just angry. At him, at this wonderful society and its rules..."

"At me?" Johnny asked, not daring to look at her.

"My anger toward you was unfounded. Mostly, I am just angry at myself," Valerie shifted in her place, reaching for a berry to fiddle with.

"What for?" He questioned.

"For not seeing it clearer."

That sparked a bit of his frustration, making him sit forward a little to see her better. "You were looking for happiness. Lie or not, he made you happy."

Val rolled her eyes, tossing the berry. "Happiness is blinding."

Johnny reached out and took her hand in his without warning. "It doesn't have to be..." he argued.

Frozen in her place, Valerie slowly looked down at their hands, then at him. The moment she met his eyes, he pulled his hand away. She was at a loss for words for a few seconds, his touch still lingering in the tingles upon her skin. She felt herself reaching out only a tiny fraction, feeling the urge to take it again, to make things okay again, but she didn't know how.

"I should..." She took a breath, "I should like to go for a walk." She could see him sigh, either in relief or disappointment—she could not tell.

"As my lady wishes," he replied, standing up and holding out his hand.

—

The next day, Valerie had woken up rather early, opting to stay in bed for a little while longer until one of her maids would come to fetch her. She had been doing that a lot. It was easy to waste so much time in that manner when she was not getting enough sleep, when she'd go to sleep with a strained headache and wake up with a sore neck.

By the time she was cleaned, dressed and presentable, she walked down to the drawing room to greet her mother, only to see her smiling widely at her. Her mother had been standing next to the central table, upon which was a beautiful bouquet of white roses in a crystal vase. Valerie's brows furrowed as she approached it, finding no note or card attached, only the message from her mother saying that these were from John Linder, along with an invitation to their home for a rather large celebration. It was to be the last one of the sort before their marriage.

White roses. No wildflowers or orchids or dahlias or tulips, no splashes of unnecessary colors. Simple, beautiful, healthy white roses. She smiled for a moment, wondering why he had sent them. If it was to do with anything they had spoken about, or if it was simply him playing his part. Seeing how her mother praised him for being such a thoughtful groom, Valerie leaned toward the latter.

Still, she could not deny that she found them absolutely beautiful, and that a part of her hoped that she was wrong. Valerie asked her mother if she could move the roses to her bedchamber and did so immediately, wanting to keep them close, right where she'd always see them.

—

Arriving at the celebration, Valerie had chosen an elegant, golden dress to wear for the evening. While she had been getting ready in her chambers, she had asked her handmaid to do something a little special for her hair. Her golden curls had been bunched up into braids, small and broad, and twisted into a bun—into which one of the smaller roses had been pinned. Having often worn flowers in her hair alongside jewels or pins, it felt fitting to use only that this time.

On the other side of the hall, she spotted Johnny standing there in his usual dark colors—with his stupid, handsome face—surrounded by women. Valerie felt herself nearly chuckle at the sight, he looked like a puppy surrounded by a handful of lions. They giggled and laughed and poked his shoulder, they batted their eyelids at him and gestured toward the center of the room, possibly asking him to dance.

He looked like he would rather die.

Valerie laughed, but suppressed it immediately, covering her mouth with her hand. Taking a breath, she looked up at him again and he was looking directly at her. Her smile dropped for a moment, but she tried again as a way of greeting. A few people passed her, nearly bumping into her and apologizing for it. The moment they left, Val looked over to Johnny but could not find him. A quick scan of the room didn't seem to help either, but it wouldn't if he had left it altogether.

Great. She wondered if she'd find him in the study, wondered if he'd even want her there. She was in the middle of contemplating it when she heard a slow, casual set of footsteps approach her from her left. They came to a stop and she smiled faintly, her eyes still fixed on the crowd.

"I see you received the roses," Johnny said to her.

"I'm surprised they weren't addressed to my mother," she replied.

"No, to her I'd send an assortment of flowers. White roses... those are only yours," he promised.

Valerie finally looked at him. God, but he was handsome up close, too, particularly with that look in his eye that she could not place. "Why those specifically?"

"The day we made our agreement, that is what you looked like. Among the weeds and leaves," he gestured to the guests, "a singular white rose. Your dress and your name combined, it seemed... fitting."

Eyes wide, Valerie realized she had stopped breathing and inhaled deeply, looking away and feeling flattered. "You're being... unusually charming today."

"Unusually?" he smirked, "I take pride in my charm, my dear, you wound me."

"I'm sure you'll recover quickly enough," Val replied, attempting and failing to hold back a grin. She could not see the way he smiled at her, and the way he continued to do so until she finally spoke. "It was a move well played, my mother surely approved."

There was a moment of silence between them that lasted a second too long for comfort. She felt him lean in to whisper to her, "It was no move."

Her breath faltered, especially as his hand wrapped around hers as he lead her to the open floor for a dance. They swung and moved and she was unsure if they had even been doing the right dance, but all that mattered was that they could not look away from one another. She spent the entire length of the dance wondering what it meant, wondering if she had been wrong after all and if there was more to his action than she thought. Maybe he sent those roses to her as a way of easing that ever-growing tension between them. Or maybe, just maybe...

At the end of the dance, before they could part, Valerie gave his arm a gentle squeeze and glanced over to a set of doors in the hall—beyond which were the stairs to the upper floor. He gave her a single nod, half a smile and parted ways with her. Valerie took a breath, trying so hard to steady that racing heart of hers.

What on earth was the matter with her?

Valerie decided it would be a good idea to mingle a little before slipping away so that their absence wouldn't be noticed so suddenly. Having found her way to her mother, a few other ladies had been around her, including one Lady Palmer. Val had been acquainting herself rather well with her during these gatherings, finding rather quickly that the woman was not afraid to express her opinion. It was a refreshing company to keep amidst all the delicate dolls that paraded around them.

After hearing her mother talk about how in love she and Johnny looked while dancing, Valerie figured it was enough mingling and that she should very much go far away.

—

Approaching the doors to the study, Valerie felt anxious, trying to think of what she'd say. The voices she heard stopped her in her tracks mere feet away from the study. The doors themselves had been left ajar, leaving room for the voices to echo out toward her.

"Do not think me a fool, boy." A deep, harsh voice spoke. "Have you forgotten that your entire future rests on this?"

Valerie frowned, stepping closer to listen. "Her intentions to marry are just as strong as mine, my lord," she heard a voice say. Johnny. That was Johnny. She had never heard him sound so... quiet.

"They had better be. I will not have you put this union at risk and sully our family name. I thought I had made myself perfectly clear!" The man—Robert, Valerie assumed—scolded him, his voice and footsteps getting closer to the door.

Valerie's eyes grew wide immediately, her heart beginning to pound against her chest as she took a single step back. She swallowed hard, waiting for him to turn the corner, but he did not. She saw his hand grasp the door frame only for him to linger in the doorway inside the study.

"If I hear about your indiscretions one more time, I will show you your place, and it will not be pleasant for you."

Her legs threatened to give beneath her as Valerie stepped back, as quickly as she could while attempting to be silent, which wasn't quick at all. Spotting a door to her left, she opened it immediately, hurrying inside and shutting it behind her carefully. Turning around, she found herself to be in a bedchamber, a small one, with a woman staring right back at her.

She was a small framed woman, somewhere in her forties. She had black hair partly wrapped back with a linen bonnet, brown eyes, a curved nose and thin, rosy lips. She stood there, stuck halfway through folding sheets, staring quizzically at Val.

Valerie stood frozen, looking at the servant. The servant opened her mouth, "My lady—" but Valerie hushed her, holding out her hands. Footsteps sounded in the hallway, growing louder and louder behind the wood before slowly diminishing. Valerie sighed heavily and stepped forward.

"Please," she whispered. "Please do not tell Lord Linder I was in here."

"Do not worry, my lady," the servant assured. "I will do no such thing."

"Promise me," she begged, stepping forward to take the servant's hands. "Please, promise me."

"I promise you, my lady," the woman spoke calmly. "I would do nothing to bring you or Lord John any harm. You have my word," she told her, giving her hands a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you," Val sighed, then glanced behind her once. "Could you... could you please check if the hallway's empty?" The servant bowed her head and walked over to the door, opening it to take a peek. She turned to Valerie and gave her a nod. Val walked over to her and took her hands once more. "Thank you."

"Of course, my lady."

"What is your name?" Val asked.

"M-Mary, my lady," Mary replied.

"I will not forget this, Mary." Valerie moved a hand to her arm. "Thank you."

Mary smiled shyly and bowed her head. "You should go now, my lady."

With a nod and a grateful smile, Valerie peeked her head out, taking a quick look of the hallway before hurrying over to the study. The moment she stepped over the threshold, she witnessed Johnny throwing a half-filled glass at the nearest wall with a growl, smashing it into pieces. Valerie jumped in place, startled by the sudden sound. Johnny immediately turned to her, his anger replaced with slight shame as he cursed under his breath.

"My apologies, I... you did not need to see that."

As he spoke, Valerie was already shutting the door behind her and locking it. She then walked up to him without a word and threw her arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a hug.

Johnny was stunned, slightly tense under her touch as it took a good moment for him to react in any way. He was taken aback by it, but the moment he welcomed it, he wrapped his arms around her torso tightly, burying his face into her neck.

"Two weeks," Val told him. "That's all we have left, two weeks and then you'll be free of him."

Johnny pulled away just enough to look at her, keeping his arms around her. "You truly think that would stop him?"

"I don't know, but it's a start," she replied, moving her hands to his cheeks. "We'll think of something, I'm sure."

Having no words to reply with, Johnny simply stood there and looked at her, his thumbs idly stroking her back. Valerie watched him as well, and in seeing him take a shaky breath, she had a thought. She glanced over to the shattered glass over his shoulder, then toward the desk, giving him a gentle pat on the chest as she pulled away. Val picked up a new glass from the set, filling it with whiskey before handing it to him. "Here. You're shaking."

As he reached over to take it from her, his hands lingered over hers for a moment. He then took the glass, raised it to his lips and took a long sip. Valerie placed a hand on his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. Johnny looked down at her hand and smiled faintly, only for a second. He covered it with his own, giving her a nod in thanks and to let her know he was okay.

"Did you get here alright?" He asked her, clearing his throat.

"I got up to the door, but I ended up hiding in a different room when he left. Mary was there, promised not to tell," Valerie quickly explained.

"Mary..." He nodded, his thumb stroking over her fingers. "She's one of my favorite people in this house, has always been good to me, taken care of me. She won't tell a soul."

Val smiled a little at that, but then that smile faltered. "So, when we talked about you being away from your parents... You meant him, didn't you?"

Johnny nodded once, turning away from her to put his glass on the desk.

"His threat... I only heard the end of your conversation. Is it... that bad?" She asked him, stepping closer.

There was a pause, and then another nod.

Valerie remembered something, something she saw when she caught him here with Lady Eleanor. There was a sinking feeling in her gut as she took a breath. "Does it have anything to do with... those lines on your back?" She could see him freeze, his jaw working and hand clenching around the glass. "I'm sorry, I do not mean to pry..." she muttered, reaching for him but pulling back at the last second.

Johnny did not look at her. Instead, he let go of the glass and stood up straight, his hands working at the buttons of his jacket. Once he took it off, he began to undo his vest and shirt, tugging at them as well.

"What are you—" Val tried to ask, watching this.

He placed the articles of clothing over the back of the chair, standing shirtless in front of her as he turned to reveal his back. Valerie brought a hand to cover her mouth, her heart breaking heavily in her chest as she saw, closely this time, just how scarred his back really was. Some of the lines were still pink, they weren't even that old. Taking a staggered breath, she felt her heart pounding against her chest, that aching sadness filling her lungs and clogging up her throat. Without thinking, she reached out a hand, gingerly touching his back with her finger, causing him to flinch and gasp.

"I'm-I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"It's okay," he assured quietly, relaxing immediately. "Go ahead."

Val stepped closer and, a moment later, she reached for a scar and traced her finger along the lines. A few seconds of this had her laying her palm flat against his back. She slowly caressed his skin, trying hard not to tear up, but failing. Saying nothing, she leaned in and placed a gentle kiss right at the center, running her finger over it when she pulled away.

It was then that Johnny began to breathe heavily. Standing there, he wasn't entirely sure what to say or do, what to think. It was the only way he could show her just how severe his fathers words really were. It was the only way he could truly show his trust, to explain it to her better than words ever could. He wasn't sure what to expect, but what she did certainly exceeded it. Where others had scratched him up during love-making, where his friends had clapped a hand against him playfully, where his father had struck—she kissed.

"Johnny..." she whispered, sniffling. "My dear, I wish I knew..."

"It's as I said," he muttered. "Mary has taken care of me."

Val wrapped an arm around herself and moved her hand back over her mouth. Of all the things she expected when she came up here, she did not think she would see this. She did not realize it at the time that these markings had been left intentionally. She had assumed they were accidental or something that happened when he was a child—oh God, she hoped it did not start when he was a child. Then she remembered the stinging feeling of her hand against his face, how angry he looked, how she recoiled from that anger. She cursed at herself silently, wondering just how much she'd hurt him that night. Yet he still took care of her, he still got her home safe.

"Are you still willing to marry into this?" He asked, breaking the silence. "Knowing what you know now—"

"I'm not leaving you here," Val interrupted.

Johnny turned around slowly to face her. Seeing her tears, he placed a hand upon her cheek and gently leaned his forehead against hers. Valerie wrapped her arms around his shoulders again, closing her eyes. Her hands stroked the back of his neck and through his hair gently. She looked up at him to find him staring back at her, and she did not think. She did not think at all as she pushed herself up onto her toes to kiss him.

He was startled by the action but he did not dare to move or pull away, not even an inch. His arms were around her as soon as the surprise faded, and Johnny was kissing her back. A moment later, they pulled away only briefly just to look at each other, to understand that they both wanted this, before holding each other tightly and kissing once more. Valerie gave him a few pecks against his lips right at the end before looking at him, her hands back on his cheeks.

"I promise you. I promise you this will all be over soon."

#Cyberpunk 2077 #regency au #V / Johnny Silverhand #Johnny Silverhand #Fluff #Angst #mentions of abuse #wholesome #comfort #support #pining #romance #its getting good #i promise #my fics #valerie rose palencia

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kimkymury · 4 years

Text

Blue Rose Tears - Chapter 8

Hey everyone, another chapter of Pascal x Carl fanfic is here, I hope you like it!

I’d like to thanks @depressedoverdrawings for for reviewing the history and help fixing grammatical errors.

Warning: Just a little warning, some characters have distorted views about sexuality, and those views do not represent what I think in real life. This was written on purpose to suit the environment and the time that the story takes place, since at that time people were more closed minded.

The Portuguese Version of this story is avaliable on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/955909044-as-l%C3%A1grimas-da-rosa-azul-cap%C3%ADtulo-8

Under the cut!

Chapter 8

P.O.V Narrator

The moon was shining in the sky during a dark night at the Lacombrade Academy. It was the only source of light that illuminated the rooms with open curtains. It was past midnight, the silence was deafening. All the students were already in their rooms resting after another day. The nights of the school used to be very different than its mornings, which were always busy and noisy. The corridors that were full of students running during the day now were empty and dark. There were few boys who dared to go out at night in the middle of that darkness.

In the midst of all that peace and silence, someone was having trouble resting peacefully. Carl's expression was no longer tired or relaxed as in the early evening, it was more like discomfort. His blankets had become messy and tangled because of his unending tossing, it was as if the boy was being disturbed in his sleep. His expression was frowning and agonized, his breathing was more intense.

Inside his head, he dreamed that he was alone in a blank space that had no beginning and no end. The place was empty and quiet, and of a shade of white so bright that it made his eyes hurt. The silence was agonizing, he always walked in a straight line but it was as if he did not move. Despite being an empty place, it gave him a feeling of sadness, or even of being trapped. But it was at that moment that the tranquility of the blank space disappeared.

Carl kept walking, but as he stepped ahead, cracks appeared on the floor. The seemingly infinite white floor began to crack and break, causing pieces to fall into an endless dark limbo. The boy was scared and started running in the opposite direction from which he came, only to see that more and more pieces of the floor were breaking and falling. What would happen if he fell into that chasm? The answer was uncertain, and it scared him. There was nowhere else to run, the only blank space was gradually being destroyed, the sadness and emptiness he felt before had turned to fear.

Now only a small piece of the ground remained, where he could barely balance himself to keep from falling. It was inevitable, the last piece broke, taking him to what he believed to be an endless fall. But Carl didn't feel the impact of the floor or the sensation of falling, the only thing he felt was something holding him by the forearm. The boy had his eyes closed preparing to face the abyss, and after feeling himself being held by the arm, he raised his head to face what prevented him from falling. It was someone's arm, probably a fellow student, as the jacket's sleeve was easily recognizable. However, he had no idea who could have saved him and even how that was possible, his first impulse was to ask.

"Serge?" - The dark haired boy asked without thinking, to him it seemed a little obvious that the pianist would be the one with the attitude of so readily helping him.

He received no answer, and that's when he looked more closely at the hand that held him. It didn't look like Serge's hands, its skin color was lighter, and it wasn't thin and delicate as the Gypsy's hands. Carl had no idea who it might be, he tried to recognize the mysterious figure, but the more he looked up, the blurrier his vision became.

The only thing that he could see were unclear shapes, only colors were recognizable. The last thing he saw in the fog was the dark blue of the school uniform and some warm colors just above, they looked like orange or red. That feeling was excruciating, Carl's vision was slowly fading as he heard his name being called several times, the distant sound seemed to be getting closer and closer. He felt something on his shoulder, like a shaking that tried to wake him up.

"Carl, Carl, wake up!" - A voice called him, making the eyes of the boy still in bed shoot open, leaving him with a frightened expression.

The dark haired boy was breathing fast, he felt every quick heartbeat. Standing next to him was Necroix, who was already ready for classes and was carrying some books in his hand. Carl quickly sat up on the bed, while his breathing slowly returned to normal.

"The alarm clock went off and you didn't wake up, what happened?" - The boy standing beside the bed asked, surprised from never having seen his roommate in that state before.

It had been just a nightmare, that relieved the boy who had just woken up, bad dreams were common when he went to bed worried about something. The fact that he had a nightmare didn't bother him, he was more concerned with the possibillity of being late for breakfast.

"I'm fine, I think I was just really sleepy...What time is it?" - Carl replied reassuring his friend, who did not believe much in what he heard, as he'd seen Carl's agonized expression before waking him.

"It's twenty to six, I went down to breakfast, but as I didn't see you I thought I'd better come back and wake you up." - Necroix said as he went towards his desk, setting the alarm clock to the next morning.

"Thanks for waking me up, I'll be going soon." - The dark haired boy thanked his roommate, getting up from the bed to make it up.

Carl couldn't believe he was almost late because of a dream. If he said that the reason for being late to the first class was a dream, he would be punished for presenting such a stupid excuse. The blankets were folded in the correct order, it was as if they were not messed up. But he couldn't waste time thinking about it, probably his friends were already waiting for him and would be worried about his delay. He was the Class Representative, his reputation and credibility could be affected if he was late.

"I'll see you later." - Necroix says before leaving the room, leaving the boy who was still in pajamas alone in the room.

The hands of the clock were moving. He changed his clothes quickly, taking care that he was well groomed and not seen as sloppy. Carl opened the cabinet that had a mirror on the door. He looked at himself at first to comb his hair, but ended up staring at his reflection longer than he should have. He was looking intently at himself, analyzing every little aspect of his appearance after running the comb through his dark hair. He did not consider himself handsome nor ugly, he had a normal appearance, so normal that he found it tedious to look at. He did not have a very striking physique, but he was not considered strange. How could anyone be so normal in every possible way? By what criteria was he considered normal?

He quickly closed the closet door and took the books he needed, he would only waste time by thinking about nonsense. After leaving the dormitory, it was possible to hear the voices and footsteps of several students, Carl went quickly to the Dining Hall and hoped they would not notice his delay. Unfortunately, that's just what happened, in the way to the Hall he could hear comments from other students who realized that he was in a hurry. Ignoring them was the only thing he managed to do, he had neither the time nor the courage to confront them.

The dining hall has less students than usual, probably due to the time, since most had eaten breakfast and now enjoyed the last few minutes before classes started. After entering the Hall, Carl grabs the meal of the morning on a tray; he would have to eat quickly to get to class in time. He imagined that he would eat alone, since his friends wouldn't have been able to wait for him for so long, but he was mistaken. At a table with few people who all sat some distance away from each other, the red-haired scientist sat alone with a somewhat bored expression. It looked like he was waiting for someone. Seeing this, the dark-haired boy decided to sit with him, wondering if he too woke up late. Carl placed the tray on the table and sat across from Pascal, who was happy to see him.

"I heard you had trouble waking up. Let me guess, you kept thinking about what happened yesterday, right?" - The redhead asked ironically, starting to eat together with his friend.

"How did you know that?" - The religious boy asked a little confused, since he had not discussed it with anyone.

"Necroix told me earlier, everyone was worried that you were late. The class representative is always so punctual.” - The scientist responded, before taking a bite of his slice of bread. As with almost everything he said, he used irony as a way to add humor to any situation.

Carl was a little surprised, he had already imagined that his delay would generate a little concern, but there was still something that he wanted to ask.

"At least I wasn't the only one to arrive late. Did you stay up late studying again?" - The dark-haired boy replied, indicating the fact that his friend was still having breakfast.

"Not this time, I woke up on time and I thought you wouldn't want to eat alone." - Pascal replied, this time without sarcasm, explaining why he was there.

Simple words that meant a lot to Carl. To think that his friend had waited for him so he would not be alone was a gesture of kindness. He knew that the other boys wouldn't do that, in fact he couldn't imagine anyone doing this but Pascal, not even Serge ... That simple and ordinary act was enough to brighten up his day, even if he didn't show it much. The two continued to eat in silence, until Carl asked a question.

"And the others, where are they?" He asked, before taking a sip from the cup of tea, wondering where his friends would be.

"Kurt and Neka went out to play football before class, Serge went back to his room to try to get Gilbert to go to class, and Necroix joined Liliath to do something, I think your brother was with them." - The scientist replied, easily remembering the details.

Carl had expected all that, the boys always did the same things, so their routine was already etched in his mind. He was only bothered that Sebastian was hanging out with Liliath, he knew it was not good to leave his brother with older boys, especially those of questionable reputation. The concern in his eyes was visible, he feared for his brother's safety in a place like Lacombrade, but he had to accept that he would not listen to his sermons.

"Don't worry so much about him, Sebastian is young but very independent, he'll be fine." - Pascal reassures his friend, who felt as if he could guess what he was thinking with just a look.

"I know that, I just wanted him to interact with the boys his age." - The religious boy says, exposing the real reason for his concern, just before taking the last bites of the slice of bread.

The two boys finished eating quickly, soon the bell would ring and they should go to the first class of the day, which would be the same for both. With great effort Carl convinced Pascal to attend the first class, which was the one he liked the least: Latin. He knew that his friend did not care about his grades, as he had the hobby of repeating grades, but Carl worried that he would be punished for excessive absences. The way to class was ordinary, there were no signs of their friends, who were probably in other classrooms of Lacombrade. When they entered the room, there were already some students, most of them having conversations or trying to stay awake.

Although the night before was cold, the sun shone and illuminated the room, the large windows created a friendly, inspiring atmosphere. That room brought a certain nostalgia to Carl, he still remembered his first years studying there. As they went up the steps of the room to get to where they wanted to sit, Carl observed the place and felt happy, in a way.

How can a place as beautiful as this have such a sad atmosphere?

It was true that Lacombrade had excellent teaching methods, but that school gave him such a sad feeling in his heart, he'd felt it since the first time he stepped into the school. Maybe it was due to its cold walls or its secluded location, or it could also stem from the horrible things that happened when no one was around. His thoughts are dispersed when the boys sat down side by side while they wait for the class to start; Pascal looked bored and unwilling to be there, going to class only because of Carl's requests. Some students were surprised to see him in class so early, especially in one whose subject he couldn't stand. Carl knew that Pascal saw no sense in studying Latin, its words and grammatical rules could confuse even someone as brilliant as the redhead. It was precisely in this aspect that they differed.

The dark-haired boy turned to look at the friend who was sitting on his right, he calmly flipped through the pages of a book, as far as Carl could tell, it was something related to Biology or Chemistry. He then noticed a detail so simple that he had not noticed it before: Pascal's red hair had a shade similar to the one he saw in his dream, before waking up. He spent a few more seconds watching his friend, no words were exchanged. Oddly enough, the situation was not awkward. They could stand side by side for hours without talking and would be fine with it, just enjoying each other's company without worry.

That was a quality present in the best friendships, wasn't it?

It was only a few minutes before class started, and Carl found himself thinking again as a form of distraction. His first thought was of Pascal, his best friend, who was right beside him. He analyzed and remembered all the times they were compared with each other for being extremely different. Pascal was certainly nothing like the ideal model boy that people admired, he was just the opposite. He didn't care about grades or a good reputation, his appearance was considered careless, he didn't care about fixing his hair nor was he bothered by his eternally wrinkled clothing. He was constantly late, missing classes to do experiments, and he was kind but did not behave like a gentleman. As much as it was considered a defect, the dark-haired boy admired the fact that his friend could always be so detached from the opinion of other people and be focused on his goal.

He had no more time to think about it, the class had just started and the whole class was silent. Some were concentrated, and others were frightened by the possibility of being punished if they did not know how to answer a question. Carl opened the book he brought with him on the page ordered by the teacher; he followed the explanations carefully, trying to memorize each verbal conjugation. On the other hand, the boy who was sitting next to him did not take his eyes off the scientific book, he did not bother with the possibility of a punishment, and seemed very focused on what he was reading.

A few minutes passed and the scientist calmly closed the book that made him so interested, the truth is that he'd already read it so many times that he'd memorized the whole thing. Pascal, bored and with no interest in continuing to listen to those explanations about Latin, decides to turn his attention to Carl. He seemed focused on what he was learning, although the source of his concentration was the desire to get a good grade, not genuine interest in the subject. But Carl's attention is taken from the book when he sees a small piece of paper folded a few times being left close to his hand by the boy who sat beside him. Pascal gave the paper to him discreetly, without raising any suspicion. While he was curious to know what it was about, he was still afraid of being discovered and punished for not paying attention.

Continued in the next chapter.

Written by KimKymury, thank you for reading!

#kaze #kaze to ki no uta fanfiction #kaze to ki no uta #Kazeki #the poem of the wind and trees #the poem of wind and trees #la balada del viento y los arboles #la balada del viento y los árboles #Keiko Takemiya #takemiya keiko #pascalxcarl #carlxpascal #pascal biquet #karl messier #Serge Battour #gilbert cocteau

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midnightrellik · 5 years

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Hello! May I please ask for Death the Kid taking his longtime crush on a first date? They’ve known each other forever and she's the only one who can calm him down when he freaks out over things not being symmetrical? Maybe at first she doesn’t realise it’s a date? Thanks

You stared at your reflection as you brushed your hair, humming softly to yourself, a familiar tune that you couldn't quite think the name of. It was a tune you often found yourself humming whenever you were thinking about your dear friend Death The Kid. It was a song the two of you would hear all the time when you were just children, running around and playing together, but you couldn't remember where it came from. Perhaps someone was singing it, or maybe music was playing somewhere. It didn't matter either way, as long as you could remember the tune itself, it did all it needed to. It soothed you. Not just you, but the asymmetrical, symmetrical obsessed boy as well. You had found yourself with a talent of bringing Kid down from his freak outs whenever his OCD got the better of him. A special thing between the two of you.

Styling your hair as neatly as you could, you smiled at your reflection as you placed your hair brush down. Speaking of Lord Death's only child, you were going to meet up with him today. He had suggested that the two of you go out for a late breakfast at 8:00 on the dot. So, you had gotten up at 6:00, showered and groomed yourself to look as symmetrical as possible. Of course, when the two of you meet, he was probably going to adjust something, but you really didn't mind. As long as he was calm and content and the two of you were having fun.

Of course, he was a little more to you than just a childhood friend. He was one of the most important people in your life. He was your rock. Your life preserver in an endless abyss. Someone special to you. But of course, you never put too much thought into it, so it never occurred to you, that perhaps he was even more than that. You definitely didn't think about it enough to consider the fact that maybe he saw you as something more than a friend as well.

At just the right time, you left your apartment and headed off to the cafe where the two of you were to meet for your late breakfast. By the time you got there, it was 7:59 and of course, who was just arriving on his dear Beelzebub? Kid himself, getting off right as your watch hit 8:00. "On the dot as per usual Kiddo," you chimed, taking his hand and walking into the cafe. Kid rolled his eyes at your nickname for him and smiled. "Always. Tardiness is not an option."

As the two of you found yourselves a table in the relatively quiet cafe, Kid couldn't keep his eyes off you. He had been enamoured by you for such a long time, ever since the two of you were little. His father liked to remind him of the days the two of you would play together and of how he frequently declared that you would be his bride someday. Who would have thought, that even then, he would be smart enough to know exactly what he needs in life and what he could not afford to lose. Of course, like a lot of boys tended to do at a young age, he also went through a short faze where he decided that girls are disgusting and wanted nothing to do with them but was very quick to realise that drifting away from you gave him a god awful feeling in the pit of his stomach that made it difficult to digest his food.

That being said, the two of you have been close for a very long time. And now, finally, after so many years, Kid was finally prepared to take the first step to making you his. A sweet and simple date, where he would ask you to be his girlfriend. You weren't picking up on the fact that this was a date though... Instead, you were picking up on the fact that he seemed distracted.

"You okay Kiddo?" You asked, tilting your head to the side curiously. The sharply dressed male quickly snapped out of his trance and nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm fine, why do you ask?" he asked, linking his fingers together on the table for a moment before letting go to adjust the salt and pepper to sit perfectly on the table. "Well... You just seem distracted, especially since you haven't tried to fix my hair and all that, like you usually do," you pointed out. For other people, this wouldn't be an issue, but Kid had been doing those things for such a long time, it was weird that he had suddenly missed that step of your meet up.

Caught off guard by your claim, Kid seemed to tense up a little before sitting up straight. "Of course I haven't, you've managed to do it yourself today," He lied, looking you up and down for a moment, only to find that your hair was indeed a little off centre. It was too late to go back now though. There was no way he would admit to completely forgetting because he was completely enamoured by you. You blinked in surprise before smiling from ear to ear. "Really? That's awesome, took me long enough," you joked with a sweet laugh. Good god, what the hell were you doing to this poor boy? His heart skipped a beat and to prevent himself from making a fool of himself out of the blue, he rose from his seat. "I'll go order our usuals. I'll be back," he claimed before making a b-line for the front counter.

As he ordered your meals, he looked back at you occasionally, taking in your completely oblivious form, just drumming your fingers on the table while gazing out the window. He couldn't help but wonder if you had realised this was a date. Yeah, the two of you hung out often, but it wasn't like he always took you out AND paid for your meal. He was a good friend, but not that good.

You were completely oblivious though, glancing over at him for a moment and giving a sweet smile that made his heart skip a beat. Yeah... he really had to ask you out today- no matter how much he wanted to sink into the ground every time he opened his mouth around you. He took in a breath before turning his attention back to the cashier who handed him his change and table number. His cue to head back to the table. He took in another breath, nerves growing by the minute as he made his way back over, placing the number in the exact centre of the table. "So, what are we doing after this Kid?" You piped up the moment he sat down across from you.

"Well, I don't exactly have too much planned, but I was thinking we could go for a walk and see where it takes us," he answered. "Maybe we could head out to that park where we used to feed the ducks." The thought of the memory brought a sparkle to your eyes. You always loved going to the duck pond. Once, Kid fell into the pond after losing his footing on the bank and while trying to stop him from going face first, you ended up falling in with him. "Ugh, I haven't been to the park in ages. School just gets in the way these days y'know?"

"Or you're just bad at managing your time," he proposed with a handsome smirk that made your stomach twist. Your cheeks heated up as you gave a pout and crossed your arms. "Shuddup, I manage my time perfectly. I got here on time, didn't I?" Kid could only let out a small laugh, shaking his head at your childish mannerisms. One of the many reasons he fell for you. You let out a laugh of your own and brushed a stray hair from your eyes.

"I really am glad you invited me out though Kid. It has been a little while since we've had a chance to do something like this," you confessed softly, smiling sincerely at him. Kid nodded his head in agreement and linked his fingers together on the table. "I just found some free time. I missed the company. I can only handle Liz and Patty for so long," he joked but you knew he was kind of being honest as well. They were a bit of a handful at times. You laughed again and rested your chin on your palm as your drinks were brought over and placed in front of the both of you. The worker gave a brief 'your food is coming' before leaving you alone again.

Eager to have a taste of your beverage, you picked it up and took a sip, smiling as the flavour soothed your sudden craving for it. "Well, here's to our dates," you joked, lifting your drink into the air a little. Kid rolled his eyes and lifted his glass to support your joke but felt his cheeks warm up a little anyway. If only you knew.

Shortly after, the same waiter came over and placed your food down, taking the table number afterwards. "Enjoy. Hope your date goes well Mr Death," they spoke, walking away. You couldn't help but snort lightly at the 'Mr Death' part. Oh god it made him sound old! "Oh my god that was- Wait, Date?" God you were oblivious.

//God this ended up sucking ;-; Hope you enjoyed it anyway.

#soul eater #death the kid #dtk #kid #death the kid x reader #kid x reader #souls eater x reader #x reader #first date

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sophelia-moon · 4 years

Text

body drowned

This is my drabble for Day 1 of MikaYuu Bingo 2020! Today’s prompt was “neko.”

Rating: T (Warnings for: swearing; minor violence; possible suicidal imagery; ambiguous character fates but no on-screen death)

body drowned

Kimizuki Shihou found the cats at 8 PM on a Tuesday.

He’d stomped through every puddle from the hospital to his apartment building, fighting with the wind each step of the way, when he saw them—the poor soaked bastards. They were pressed up against the wall to the right of the main entrance, trying their best to avoid the rain. One had long white fur with caramel streaks near his face and paws; his companion was jet black with green eyes.

Shihou approached them cautiously, crouching down when he was a meter away. He held out his hand for them to sniff.

The white cat held back, but the black one slunk forward and examined him. Apparently, he found nothing objectionable. He proceeded to nuzzle Shihou’s leg, looking up at him with wide eyes.

Shihou held back a sigh. His apartment allowed pets, but that didn’t mean he could invite strange animals in unannounced. Even so, if he left them behind to fetch them something to eat, they could vanish before he made it back.

He took off his glasses and rubbed them against the dry fabric beneath his raincoat. When he set them back on his face, his vision was clear. “Are you two going to behave?”

The black cat purred as Shihou gently deposited him into his bag.

An instant later, the white cat bit his hand.

***

Under the current circumstances, Shihou decided it would be best to avoid the lobby. Circling around to the guest parking lot, he slipped in the back and made a beeline for the elevator. Thankfully, no one else was around.

At first, Shihou feared the white cat was going to crawl his way out, but he calmed down after the black cat gave his forehead a few licks. The real miracle was their silence; Shihou didn’t take it for granted as he ascended to the ninth floor as fast as he was able.

Once he fished out his key and shoved open the door, he couldn’t help but relax his shoulders. Setting his bag on the ground, he watched his guests crawl over each other, eager to escape and be the first to examine their temporary abode. After a moment’s thought, Shihou went and shut the screen door to the balcony; the last thing he needed was an accident.

“You guys must be hungry, right?” Shihou said, walking over to the cupboard and grabbing two cans of tuna. “I’ll have your dinner ready soon.”

Once he placed their meal on the floor, they set upon it like wolves. Shihou took the opportunity to put his own dinner in the microwave, a half smile on his face.

After the tuna was devoured, the white cat prowled around the apartment, examining every surface he could reach. The black cat was content to stay in place and groom himself, brushing a paw over his ear in quick, repetitive motions.

Considering the bite marks on his hand, Shihou figured it would be best to leave the two to their devices and sneak them out early in the morning. There was nothing he wanted more than a nice, deep sleep.

***

Shihou woke at dawn to the sound of his fridge being opened.

There’s no way they managed that, Shihou thought, almost forgetting who “they” were. He sat up as quietly as he could, his right hand fumbling for the glasses on his nightstand.

Sliding out of bed, Shihou crept a short distance down the hallway and peered around the corner.

A man he’d never seen before was standing in his kitchen, chugging milk straight from the carton. He was wearing a navy blue baseball cap over his black hair, along with a sweatshirt and sweatpants that looked too large for him.

He’s wearing my clothes.

This fact stunned Shihou almost as much as the sight of the white cat, resting peacefully in the stranger’s left arm.

“What the fuck?”

The man glanced at him. “Hey.”

He put the milk back in the fridge and slammed it shut.

“Hope you don’t mind if I take the cat back,” he said. “He’s all mine, and I’m not giving him up.”

It was so far from the problem that Shihou found himself lacking a response.

As it turned out, he didn’t need to reply. In a few swift steps, the man crossed over to the balcony and threw himself over the side—cat and all.

It took Shihou a few minutes to find the willpower to follow him. His hands trembled as he gripped the metal railing, still wet with rain, and looked down.

Even from this distance, he could tell: there was nothing there. No blood, no body.

Shihou sank to the ground and put his head in his hands.

Thank God was his first thought.

Not my problem was his second.

***

Kimizuki Shihou crawled back to bed at 7:35 AM. In his slumber, he dreamed of cats.

#owari no seraph #ons #yuuichirou hyakuya #mikaela hyakuya #shihou kimizuki #mikayuu #mikayuu bingo #fanfiction #fanfic #writing #my writing #the warnings make it sound super serious but I was more trying to cover the bases #it's not that dramatic a drabble I promise #my post

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veryveryverytemporarily · 4 years

Text

As promised Chapter 3 of The Best Man. The boys go rowing in this chapter for the first time but in separate boats for now. 😂 Naturally Aaron is a strong rower and Robert struggles with his competitive instinct 😂😂 After they go back to their shared hotel room 😉

Link for Ao3 here. The standard of writing isn’t glowing lmao. but I’ve had a go at editing below.

****

Chapter 3

The water on the Thames was its usual murky olive green. Trees overhung the river and moorhens floated around under the weeping willows.

A large group arrived on the river bank and Laura quickly partnered up pairs for boats.

Melissa looked particularly beautiful in short shorts and a halter neck T shirt with her long dark hair shining in the sun. Many of the men hovered around her, tongues hanging out, which made Laura feel nervous. She placed a conspiratorial hand on Robert’s arm.

‘Please, partner with Melissa will you? She’s your family, well she’s going to be your family, isn’t she?’

Robert nodded and stepped forward

‘Mel, come on.’ He reached out a hand to help her step into a boat.

Melissa smiled.

‘Where’s Chrissie?’ She asked, having sat in the front with Robert behind her.

‘She had to go shopping with Rebecca.'

Melissa picked up the oars, though it was obvious she had little idea what she was doing, so Robert leaned forward to show her. He placed his hands over hers and showed her how to use her wrists to stroke forwards and backwards into the water to propel the boat forward. Looking across at the bank he saw Aaron watching him, also dressed in shorts and a sleeveless T –shirt climbing into a boat with Laura.

Aaron had the same impact on him this morning as he had the afternoon before. Robert found he needed to shift back against his bench, and gently adjust himself, hoping the attraction wasn’t too obvious.

‘Hey!’ he shouted across. ‘I am not sure about how fair this competition is going to be, Laura, if you pick the fittest partner!’

‘I know!’ She laughed ‘He is rather lovely, isn’t he?’

Robert screwed up his face. ‘Didn’t mean that sort of fit,’ he scoffed, and watched Aaron’s face.

‘Yeah mate!’ Aaron called across, ’Keep telling yourself that!’

Robert put on his sunglasses and grinned.

‘Okay, the first stretch is to Orchid Island,’ Laura instructed.’It’s about forty minutes away, and the last boat there will get a forfeit, so beware!’

The boats set off. Robert enjoyed the journey even though Melissa struggled to find any rhythm in her stroke and they soon fell behind the others. Robert decided, against his better nature, not to care that they were being overtaken by a number of boats and suppressed his competitive urges.

‘How are you doing Mel?’ He asked ‘Are you alright? Do you need a rest or anything?’

‘No, isn’t this just lovely?’ she answered.

‘Put your oars down for a while, and I’ll row on my own,’ he offered,

She shifted round and gave him a smile under lowered eyelids ’Thanks.’

‘So Mel. I’m guessing you have a boyfriend? Isn’t he here?’ Robert asked.

‘No I don’t,’ she answered, ‘But there is someone I like.’

‘Well I hope he deserves a beautiful girl like you,’ Robert replied distractedly, watching the horizon where the river bent.

‘I don’t know yet,’ she replied.

As they rounded onto Orchid Island they were met by laughs and klaxons.

‘Alright! So what?’ Robert objected. ‘We were slow. We were enjoying the scenery.’

Laura shouted out, ‘But we warned you - there’s a forfeit!’

‘Yeah? What’s that then?’

‘Well, you’re going to wear a blindfold, then three people will kiss you and you’re going to rate them out of 10.’

Robert spluttered.

‘Wha...Seriously? That sounds more like a stag do!’

‘This is nearly a stag do! Except the groom isn’t here right now, ’ Laura quipped back. ‘But anyway. Nah!’ she laughed.‘But look behind you!’

Robert turned in time to see a group of lads ducking under the water. The next thing the boat was rocking violently and before they could draw a breath they had been capsized and were under water in the cold Thames. Robert surfaced, gasping and spitting out river water.

‘Fu..... Ha, ha! Very funny!’ he spluttered.

And then he looked round for Melissa. She hadn’t reappeared. Time seemed to grind to halt, she still didn’t appear. A wave of adrenaline hit Robert. He called her name and some of the others joined in. Where was she? He dived under. When he emerged she was in his arms but it was clear she was unconscious. Robert swam with her towards the land where Laura, Aaron and others all ran into the water to help him carry her out. Her eyes were closed and she didn’t seem to be breathing.

‘Shit’ Robert said.

Aaron stood next to him and placed a hand on his back. Laura started CPR. Robert ran his hands through his hair, watching in agony. What kind of a wedding would this turn out to be with one of the bridesmaids drowned on the first day?

Suddenly Melissa started coughing up water. Robert ran forward and dropped down next to her, taking her hand.

‘Hey! You silly girl you gave us a real scare there!’ He turned and gave Laura a grateful smile.

‘I can’t swim,’ Melissa groaned.

‘Really? Wow!’ Robert laughed.

Laura called an ambulance to meet them at the nearest riverside location. Melissa asked for Robert to go with them, and Aaron, who wouldn’t give up on his rowing partner, also jumped in the back of the ambulance. The para medics gave them blankets since their clothes were wet. In spite of that, Robert started shaking and Aaron looked concerned. Robert smiled apologetically.

‘Always get cold very easily,’ he stammered. ‘I must have poor circulation or something.’

Aaron smiled back.

‘Could be, you know, a bit of shock too, you did actually dive in and rescue this lass you realize.’

He turned to the paramedics. ‘Do you have a hot cup of tea or something for my friend?’ he asked.

After it was confirmed that Melissa was going to be alright but needed to be kept in for routine observation, Laura insisted the boys go home. She fished in her backpack and pulled out a bottle of Champagne.

‘Drink this!’ She instructed them. 'Imagine I am with you, because believe me I would enjoy it if I were!’

Robert gave her a hug. She was tough and his admiration for her had only increased over the last few hours. She patted his shoulder. ‘Go back and have a hot shower. See you this evening, you idiot.’

Back at the hotel, the boys went up to the room. Robert placed the champagne on the dressing table.

‘We’ll need glasses.’

‘Here.’ Aaron fished some out of a cabinet.

Robert poured them each a glass which they drank down quickly, and then poured a second. He called Chrissie, who was still out shopping, and explained briefly what had happened, and she told him she would go to the hospital to see Melissa and catch up with him later.

Robert felt the champagne go quickly to his head. He sat down heavily, letting relief wash over him. Then he looked at Aaron carefully for a moment.

‘Your eyes are lovely. You have blue eyes,’ he said suddenly, and then didn’t know why he had said it. Aaron laughed.

‘What’s so special about blue eyes? You have blue eyes too,well, greeny blue.’

Robert tipped the last of the champagne into the glasses. He was starting to shiver once again. Aaron noticed.

‘You get your shower first. Your lips still look a bit blue. You seriously need to warm up, mate.’

Robert laughed. ‘Are you looking at my lips?’

Aaron rolled his eyes. ‘Are you flirting with me?’ he asked back.

Robert spread his arms in defense. ‘You mentioned lips’ he replied, leaving Aaron shaking his head as he countered.

‘Well, you mentioned eyes!’

He stayed under the shower a long time, letting the warm water seep into him. It was his turn to emerge with the towel round his waist, his blond hair wet and combed back. He noticed Aaron’s eyes flicker over his body, but slipped gratefully into his bed as Aaron prepared to get into the shower himself. Before he knew it sleep overtook him.

When Robert woke and looked at the time he saw it was already late afternoon. He felt ravenously hungry and slightly hung over.

Looking across the room he saw Aaron asleep on his bed on his stomach. His head was turned to one side and his arms were spread out at his sides. He looked so beautiful, his face relaxed against the mattress. Robert fleetingly allowed himself to imagine slipping under the sheet between his thighs, stroking a hand up over his back and neck.

He shook his head and frowned. He decided to get up, stepping out of the bed and going to the wardrobe to retrieve some clothes, pushing his hand down on the semi hard on that had appeared.

The noise of the wardrobe door opening must have woken Aaron because when he turned he was shuffling himself up to a sitting position against his headboard and blinking at the sight of Robert naked in front of him.

‘Enjoying the view?’ Robert smirked.

‘Ugh. Well one of us is clearly enjoying something!’ Aaron snapped back, referring to Robert’s state of semi arousal that was not intending to settle down any time soon.

‘Yeah, well. Admit it. You’re impressed.’ Robert smirked again finally pulling on some boxers he found in the draw.

Aaron just laughed. ‘Get over yourself.’

‘Come on then. You give me a show! We can find a measuring tape if you like.’ Robert laughed back.

‘And you are what...8 years old?’ Aaron replied.

Robert persisted though.

‘No, just it’s only fair, right? I showed you mine so ...’

Aaron sighed. ‘You know for a straight guy you really are a complete dick.’

Robert was just about to step in the bathroom but froze suddenly.

‘I don’t like labels,’ he said, and then shut the door, leaving Aaron blinking in confusion.

That evening Robert and Laura were treated as heroic rescuers by the party, and particularly the Whites. Robert found himself quietly amused at how well fate had treated him this time around, without any scheming required on his own part.

Even Adam spoke up in his praises, walking up with Aaron by his side.

‘Nice one Robert. Rebecca is made up that Melissa is going to be OK.’

‘Thanks.’ He inclined his head. Then he blurted out a question, ‘Are you too joined at the hip or something?’ It sounded aggressive.

‘What?’ Aaron scoffed.

‘Just wondered, that’s all.’

Robert walked away, mentally kicking himself. This best man was getting to him. He needed to do something, so he sought out Chrissie.

‘What’s the plan for tomorrow?’

‘Well Rebecca and I still have things to do in town.’

‘Great. I do too. I’ll come with you if you think you can bear having me around. And I also thought I might just check out the hotel situation. It’s killing me being in separate rooms.’

#robron #fan fic #revisiting the old because of kayaking #chapter 3/11

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searchingwardrobes · 5 years

Text

Until the Day Breaks and the Shadows Flee: 1/8

Here it is, my second contribution to the @cssns! I am really excited about this one because the story of Cupid and Psyche is my favorite myth, and I’ve been contemplating this fic since we first heard of the Underworld arc. Since CS spends all their time in the dark and in bed, this ended up being the steamiest story I’ve ever written. It’s not smut (that’s what my beta and I concluded, anyway), but it goes right up to the line. I must warn you, however, that you’ll have to endure a few chapters of slow burn first. I hope you all enjoy it!

A thousand thank yous to my beta @snowbellewells who is graciously still doing her thing even though she just had to go back to work at her teaching job because I last minute decided to make this an MC. And thanks also to @hollyethecurious for the gorgeous artwork that really sums up this story so well!

Summary: Every night, she traces the contours of his body as Killian whispers words of love against her skin. But can Princess Emma ever be fully happy with a husband who only comes to her in utter darkness? A Captain Swan AU of the Roman myth of Cupid and Psyche.

** I’m also curious if anyone knows where the fic and chapter titles come from. Drop me and ask if you have a guess!**

Rating: M for sexual situations

Words: about 3,000 in this chapter

Also on Ao3

Tagging (let me know if you want to be added or removed from this list): @kday426 @jennjenn615 @welllpthisishappening @let-it-raines @kmomof4 @teamhook @bethacaciakay @profdanglaisstuff @shireness-says @wellhellotragic @distant-rose @mythologicalmango @optomisticgirl @xhookswenchx @branlovestowrite @ultraluckycatnd @vvbooklady1256 @resident-of-storybrooke @thislassishooked @whimsicallyenchantedrose @tiganasummertree @snidgetsafan @delirious-latenight-laughs @winterbaby89 @ohmakemeahercules @gingerchangeling @nikkiemms @revanmeetra87 @cocohook38

Chapter One: On the Rugged Mountain

The procession making its way down the streets of Misthaven was beautiful in a macabre sort of way. It was led by chanting priests in black hooded robes swinging orbs of burning incense. Behind them, Queen Snow and King David rode in an open carriage draped in black satin and drawn by a team of chestnut horses. They were both decked in mourning clothes of black, the queen’s face covered by a lace veil. Behind them was another carriage, this one drawn by two white horses. This one was closed, dark curtains pulled shut. Yet everyone knew who was inside, dressed in the wedding gown that should have been worn in celebration. The townspeople lowered their heads as it passed, some dabbing silently at their tears. Bringing up the rear of the procession were the ladies of the court, also dressed in garments of mourning. The only sounds apart from the clip-clop of the horses and the creaking of the carriage wheels came from them: deep wails of grief accompanied at times by the warbly singing of an old folk song about a maiden wed to death himself.

At the village gates, the priests and mourning maidens abandoned the procession, standing before a throng of villagers. The silence that had fallen amongst the people remained until the royal carriages crested a hill and were no longer in sight.

On these two carriages traveled, cloaked in silence. Even the king and queen were at a loss for words to comfort one another, and their daughter had requested to be left alone for the journey.

Finally, the carriages rumbled to a stop at the top of a misty hill. It was rumored to be filled with monsters and lesser gods and goddesses whose constant turmoil created the rumblings of thunder and flashes of lightning upon its peak.

King David helped his wife down from the carriage, then went to assist his daughter. Yet the door opened before he could lend his hand, and Emma alighted on her own, her face pale yet determined, her back straight.

“Emma,” her mother said, a sob rising in her throat, “you don’t have to do this.”

The princess’s stony expression softened slightly at her mother’s tears. “Yes, I do. What is my life compared to that of our entire kingdom?”

Snow let her tears go then, clasping her daughter in a desperate embrace. David enveloped both his girls, his hand coming up to cup the back of his daughter’s head. It seemed only yesterday he was rocking her to sleep after a midnight feeding. He kissed the top of her forehead before releasing her with a trembling smile, his eyes awash with tears.

Emma clasped the pure white fabric of her gown in both fists. “You know what the oracle said. You must leave me here alone.”

Snow practically collapsed in her husband’s arms as he led her away. Emma watched both royal carriages rumble back down the hill, her courage fleeing with them. Once they were out of sight completely, she fell in a heap upon the ground. She was surprised, however, when tears didn’t come. She supposed she’d had time to accept her fate.

The mist turned to a thick fog, and she wondered if she would die quickly before seeing the monster approach. She closed her eyes and awaited her “groom.” A virginal sacrifice to sate the hunger of a beast and save a kingdom. It was an old story, wasn’t it?

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

Emma had imagined many gruesome scenarios since she learned that she was destined to be the “bride” of a hideous creature. Yet in none of those tableaus had she imagined that she would get bored waiting for the damn thing to show up. Yet here she was, going out of her mind wondering how much time had passed. She curled up on the ground, using the long train of her dress as a makeshift pillow. She didn’t expect to sleep, but suddenly she was jolted awake by the hot sun on her face.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes, amazed to see the green hill, dotted with the most beautiful roses she had ever seen, and the sky bright and blue above her. The fog was rolling away, revealing such amazing beauty as it went. Then the fog revealed something even more unbelievable, and Emma’s jaw dropped.

Right before her was a huge, glittering castle. It was of white stone, with angels on every buttress and turret instead of gargoyles. Every bit of filigree and trim around its windows and doors was done in gold. Emma scrambled to her feet, in complete awe. As if the castle itself knew she was awake, its gates swung open. Emma hesitated for a moment, part of her wondering if she were still sleeping, and another part worrying that it was a trick, but a tug in her core seemed to pull her towards the castle.

She went through the open gates, marveling further at the beauty that surrounded her. A path of white marble cut through a garden filled with flowers of every hue. They seemed more vibrant than any Emma had ever seen, and butterflies and hummingbirds flitted around them by the dozens.

Just like the gates, the doors of the castle swung open of their own accord. Emma made her way up steps also of pure white marble. The marble extended into the foyer of the castle, yet as the door gently closed behind her, the feeling enveloping her was one of warmth. Despite the cool stone beneath her feet, the wooden banister of the spiral staircase was a comforting mahogany, and the plush furnishings made her long to curl up and take a nap.

“Hello?” she called out tentatively.

In response, Emma heard giggling and childlike chatter.

“You were supposed to greet her at the door!”

“Well, you were supposed to be watching from the second floor balcony.”

“Hush, both of you, you’ll scare her!”

At first, Emma couldn’t figure out where the voices were coming from. Then she noticed glittering balls of colored light bouncing and floating all around her. If the accompanying voices hadn’t sounded so delightful, she might have been frightened.

The orbs began to grow and lengthen, and Emma could make out three distinct colors: green, purple, and red. Then she was able to see wings, then the tiny creatures attached to them.

“Fairies!” Emma exclaimed with a smile.

The orbs faded, and then three young women were delicately landing upon the marble floor in front of her. The first had blonde hair like Emma’s, pulled into a loose bun on the top of her head. Her dress looked as if it were made of green leaves.

“I’m Tinkerbell,” she said with a curtsy, “and I take care of the flowers in the garden and will also be your cook.”

The second fairy had long dark hair plaited in two braids, an olive colored complexion, and large brown eyes. Her dress was made of soft deerskin dyed with indigo and decorated with intricate beading.

“I’m Tiger Lily, and we all take care of the flowers, Tink.”

Emma bit her lip to keep from laughing at the dark haired fairy’s obvious irritation with the blonde.

The red-head giggled fondly at her fellow fairies, then addressed Emma. “I am Ariel, and I am to be your chambermaid.” Then she gasped and lowered into a deep curtsy. “I mean, your majesty.”

Emma’s mouth dropped open in surprise as the other two fairies curtsied as well. “I, I don’t understand -”

“We are here to wait upon you,” Tiger Lily explained, “at our master’s command.”

“Your . . . master?”

“Of course!” Tink exclaimed, clapping her hands merrily, “You are his bride, after all.”

Dread flooded through Emma’s veins. Being sacrificed to a monster was one thing, actually being married to one was quite another. She swallowed the bile rising in her throat.

“And . . . who is your master?”

Ariel giggled, and Emma was suddenly weary of the blonde and redhead’s exuberance. At least Tiger Lily seemed more sedate.

“We can’t tell you that!” Ariel exclaimed, as if it were a silly question.

Tiger Lily reached out and grasped Emma’s hands. “You are home now, m’lady, that is all you need know. All will be provided for you; anything and everything your heart desires.”

“But,” she bit upon her lower lip, “when will I meet my . . . husband?” She tried not to choke on the word.

For the first time, Tink looked solemn. “You won’t see him much, I’m afraid. He has many responsibilities. He is away from the castle now, and he gave no word of when he would be back.”

Emma frowned and pulled her hands out of Tiger Lily’s grip. “What kind of being is he? A cyclops? A chimera? What?”

All three fairies burst into giggles - apparently Tiger Lily could be silly too - and without answering, they transformed back into pixies. They dipped and swirled as they darted around Emma’s head in a most annoying fashion.

“Whatever you wish to eat will be served in the dining hall,” Tink’s voice called out.

Emma sighed as the fairies disappeared. She hugged her middle and did a cautious turn, taking in her ornate, exquisitely lovely surroundings. Well, she was hungry, and pork chops with gravy and roasted potatoes would really hit the spot . . .

Scarcely were the thoughts formed when she smelled something delicious down the hallway at the east end of the castle. She followed it, easily finding the dining hall, spread with a feast of all her favorite foods. She wondered for a moment if it could be poisoned, but her growling stomach won out in the end and she sat down to pile her plate high.

Even captive Princesses forced into marriages with beasts had to eat, after all.

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

Ariel chattered excitedly as she showed Emma around her new chambers. They were gorgeous, Emma had to admit, with a large, ornate bed surrounded by exquisite tapestries. Emma longed to draw them around her and sink into the inviting bed piled high with soft pillows.

“Now this,” Ariel said, flitting across the room, “is the master’s favorite part.”

She flung open the French doors that lead out onto a spacious balcony, but Emma latched onto a single word. Her heart plummeted, and the last thing she cared about was a balcony with a view.

“The master’s? This . . . these are his chambers?”

Ariel turned to face her, head tilted innocently. “Of course. I mean . . . they are yours now, too. Yours and his. The . . . marital suite?”

The fairy was wringing her hands now, her face slightly pale. She turned to shut the French doors and pulled yet another tapestry across it. Avoiding Emma’s gaze, she went about the room lighting several candelabra. Then she opened the wardrobe, pulled out a long satin gown and laid it out on the bed.

“So the master will be sleeping here as well? That’s what you’re saying?” Emma demanded, stepping close to Ariel.

Her maid turned slowly to face her. “Yes. I mean, he is your husband after all.”

Emma clasped her hands together as they began to shake and took in a deep breath. She would not succumb to fear now, not when her kingdom was in danger. She released the air in her lungs and tried to force her pulse to slow.

“And when shall he return?”

Ariel shook her head, a look of apology upon her face. “I’m sorry, but one can never tell.” She bit her lip for a moment, then smiled encouragingly at Emma as she grasped her hands. “You have nothing to fear, Princess, I promise you.”

Easy for a fairy to say, Emma thought dryly. She wasn’t sharing a bed with . . . whatever the master was.

“Is there anything else I can get you?” Ariel asked.

“No. I just wish to be alone.”

As soon as Ariel’s footsteps faded out into the hallway, Emma sank onto the bed, finding it just as soft and inviting as she had imagined. She lay sideways, curled in on herself, eyeing the satin gown disdainfully. The cloth looked light as air and far more comfortable than the wedding gown she still wore, yet it had thin ribbons for straps and a plunging neckline, clearly a garment meant for seduction. She simply wouldn’t wear it.

Try as she might, however, she couldn’t get comfortable in her cumbersome gown. Frustrated, she leapt up and stomped over to the wardrobe. Inside, she found a collection of beautiful gowns, and in the back, a collection of nightgowns. She grumbled when she found that they were all in the same style, simply in different colors. Black, red, and pink didn’t seem any better than white, so she returned to the bed and began removing her dress. As she struggled with the corset, she wished she had asked Ariel for her help after all, but eventually she was slipping the simple satin garment over her head. It slid against her bare skin deliciously, and Emma sighed in contentment. She crossed over to the vanity and removed the crown of flowers pinned in her hair, running her fingers through her long locks.

A shiver ran down her spine as she crawled into the giant bed, pulling three of the four tapestries closed. On the open side, she kept the last candelabra burning, the encroaching darkness causing panic to crawl across her skin. She slipped beneath the covers, hoping against hope that the master wouldn’t be returning for their “wedding night.”

He didn’t even bother to see me in my wedding dress, Emma thought sarcastically to herself. She started to laugh bitterly, but then an image rose in her brain of being chased through the halls of the castle by a lust-enraged dragon or minotaur, and it turned into a hysterical half-sob.Then the blood froze in her veins at a creaking sound on the other side of the closed tapestries. Did someone just enter through the balcony doors?

The lights in the candelabra by her bed burned lower in an unnatural way, and Emma’s pulse quickened. She scrambled to the head of the bed, fisting the sheets and blankets at her chin. Was this when the monster would come? Had he been toying with her all this time?

A rush of air blew through the room, extinguishing all the light. The tapestries around the bed, which had seemed so luxurious when she first entered the chamber, now felt like heavy walls trapping her in. She held her breath, straining to hear, but it was useless against the pounding of her heart. She sensed his presence more than anything when he reached the bed, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Not that it made a difference in the pitch-black room.

“I won’t lay a hand on you.” His voice was deep, yet gentle.

Emma opened her eyes but still didn’t relax her posture. “I find that difficult to believe considering this,” she swallowed around the lump in her throat, “is our wedding night.”

She felt the bed dip and pulled her feet up hastily.

“Believe it or not, I speak the truth. You can trust me.”

Emma squinted in the darkness, trying to see his face.

“You won’t be able to see me,” he told her calmly.

“Then how can you expect me to trust you?” she shot back, unable to keep the frustration from her voice.

He surprised her by chuckling in a low, warm tone.

She licked her dry lips. “What kind of monster are you?”

“I’m not a monster,” he answered simply.

She eased forward hesitantly. “Then you’re human?”

“I . . . didn’t say that either.” She heard him pull in a deep breath. “Listen, all you need know is that you are safe and the plague that was ravishing your kingdom is over.”

Emma bit her lower lip. “But you expect something in return?”

“The only thing I ask is what you are willing to give.”

Emma fell back on her pillows in exasperation. “You speak in riddles just like the oracle!”

There was that chuckle again. “They do like to be mysterious, don’t they?”

Now that she was lounging upon her pillows, Emma released the sheets from her grip as well. “So what are we doing, exactly? You say you won’t touch me, so why are you here?”

“You are still my bride, that much is true, and like any groom, I wish to get to know you.”

“Most grooms do that before the wedding.”

He laughed again, and the sound was actually becoming relaxing. She wriggled down beneath the covers and attempted to stifle a yawn.

“You’ve had a long day,” he said gently. “How about tomorrow night you tell me a bit about yourself?”

Emma hesitated, her body tensing involuntarily. As if he could see her reaction, he hastily spoke again.

“Rest assured, I will not touch you without your consent. Ever.”

Emma swallowed, wanting to believe him, but unsure if she should. “Okay, I suppose tomorrow night we can talk. On one condition?”

He hesitated, and it sounded as if he were clearing his throat. “Within reason. That’s all I can promise you.”

“Tell me your name.”

She could literally hear his body sag in relief. And was it possible to hear someone smile?

“That is easy, love. Please call me Killian.”

“Killian,” she repeated, almost testing it on her tongue. “I like it.”

“I rather fancy it myself.” Yes, he was definitely smiling.

A pleasant breeze blew through the tapestries, and then the candles flickered back to life. Her new husband was gone.

#cs ff #cssns #cssns 2019 #captain swan supernatural summer #cs au #cupid and psyche au #myth #enchanted forest au #slow burn

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softxharry · 5 years

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Blacklist (six)

Harry Styles, one of the FBI's most wanted criminals turns himself in-- and all he wants to do is speak with one rookie agent.

It's her job to figure him out and it's his to protect her from her past, but all secrets have to be told eventually.

You can read this here using the tag hsblacklist or on wattpad at brutallybeautiful

ongoing // 2019

Grace

Tuesday 8:21 a.m. Examiner Hatch.

Subject: Grace Elliot Tyler.

Before Monday of last week did you have or have you ever had personal contact with Harry Styles?

Did Harry Styles notify you before he surrendered to the FBI?

Do you know why Harry Styles surrendered himself?

No. No. No.

Hundreds upon hundreds of questions, three separate lie detector tests, all video taped, all audio recorded. Negotiations with Harry, negations with the FBI criminal division, surveillance of my apartment, the list goes on and on. And I was fucking exhausted from it all.

I've done nothing but sit on my laptop with coffee next to me searching Harry Styles' name over and over again, reading news articles about his disappearance five years ago, reading about the murder of his mother, how he sold classified documents to foreign countries when he was twenty and then disappeared off the grid.

I run my hands through my hair out of stress, my eyes burning from staring at the computer screen for far too long. I couldn't understand why Harry wanted me, why he asked for me, why he turned himself in to talk to me. I was going mad trying to wrap my head around it. The news about the Muller investigation echoes in the background, but nothing they're saying resonates with for more than a second.

Ding.

I pick up my phone to see a text message from Agent Hunter asking me to come to the black sight.

There's been an emergency. Styles would like to speak with you.

And just like that, here we go again.

"Tell me about the plane crash."

"It's so good to see you again Gracey," Harry grins.

"It's Grace, not Gracey. To you, it's Agent Tyler," I sit forward in my seat across from him. "I ask you questions. You answer. Screw with me and I walk."

We're sitting in the same old dingy warehouse, inside the makeshift cell that Harry was being kept in. Agent Cooper has been fighting with the criminal division trying to get immunity for him— He knows that Harry has secrets and without him, there's thousands of threats that we may never find. We need him and he needs us.

Harry doesn't budge under the threat, nor does he take it seriously. He still has the same smirk on his face that he's had every second that I've seen him. It irks me.

"The plane was no accident. An assassination rather, the guy who did it is responsible for a slew of other killings disguised as accidents," he said, looking down at the restraints that confined him to the table. "Shall I go on?"

We're back in the same room where we were a week ago before Weber almost blew up the entire Metro, Harry pointing at photos taped on the glass again, giving us information that we couldn't figure out ourselves (again).

"More than 3000 innocent civilians have died as a result of this mans secret assassinations. There's no proof, but the victims are there. Circuit judge in Ohio, even one of your own agents in Kansas," he's pointing to the news article he's displayed on the projector.

Circuit Judge dies in house fire, no foul play suspected.

FBI agent killed by drunk driver.

Again, the pieces start to fall together. And we're back to where we were last week. Right in the palm on Harry's hands. Exactly where he wants us to be.

"I have on good authority that his next contract will take him overseas. Once he's done, he's gone. So, we need to act quickly. I've set up a meeting with an intermediary. Tonight at 7 p.m. at The Capital Grille."

He's glancing between the three of us as he speaks, until he stops to stare at me.

"You should come, Grace. The two of us, no wires, no clumsy agents in the bushes," He looks back at Agent Cooper. "You want a criminal? You need to trust me with my sources."

To my surprise, Cooper agrees.

"Let me be clear. I have no interest in having dinner with you. We get what we need and we go, understood?"

Harry laughs, adjusting the collar of his shirt. His legs are nearly too long for the back of the cab that we are in, his feet tucked under the seat in front of him. Surprisingly, he nods.

"I understand," he said. I felt relieved for a moment, until he comes up with (yet another) witty remark.

"But, it is a restaurant and it is dinner time."

He steps out of the cab and walks around to my side to open the door. We look like a young couple going out for a nice dinner. Harry in a (very nice) suit, I in a dress. It's like we're celebrating an anniversary or a promotion and not catching a brilliant assassin that kills over 40 people in a plane crash to make it look like an accident.

The hostess takes the round fedora that Harry was wearing and I can't help but feel a pang of sadness as he parted ways with it. The fedora was nice to look at. It made him look sculpted, like his jaw line was chiseled out for hours to make it the perfect sharp shape, like curve of his smile was-

"Grace?" Harry asks waving his hand in front of my face. "Hello? Are you there?" He's laughing— not the usual snarky, I-won't-directly-answer-your-questions laugh, but a genuine (very adorable) laugh. I start laughing too at the sad realization that I was fanaticizing over someone who's earned a top spot on the FBI's most wanted list.

We share an awkward moment when we stop laughing, standing in silence until he motions for me to follow the hostess. She leads us to a table close to the front by the windows, overlooking the bustling street right outside.

"If anyone asks, you're my girl friend from New York," Harry whispers in my ear. It was only a joke, but the way his breath tickled against my neck sent chills down my spine, goosebumps speckled my skin. He pulls out my chair for me and I take a seat.

"Why so red Gracey?" he grins, taking a seat of his own. My breath catches embarrassingly in my throat at the comment and I'm thankful when a waiter walks up to us to take our drink orders, thankful that I don't have to answer nor comment on the redness in my cheeks, or the fact that I was fantasizing about his jawline. I gladly just sit flustered for a few moments before it goes away. Harry orders a french wine that I can't even pronounce the name of before I can even think about telling the waiter what I want. When he walks away, Harry folds his hands on the table.

I felt less nervous knowing that there were cameras watching us inside the restaurant and that there was a cleaning van full of agents outside running every face inside for a match in their database.

"Tell me about your boyfriend, did he move from San Fran with you?" he said.

"Where's your contact?" I mumble, taking a sip of the water that was placed on the table before we sat down.

That's one thing that I was thankful Harry didn't know about me. I came to DC alone, a free bird with a fresh start and no cheating boyfriend. The feeling was indescribable, after an entire week of going mad thinking that Harry knew every detail about my life, knowing he didn't was relaxing.

"We have time," he said fixating his gaze on me. I don't say anything.

"So tell me, did your mother also have dark hair?"

"Your contact is late," I mumble again, bouncing my leg up and down nervously. His hand slides under the table and forces my knee to stop bouncing. It takes me a moment to process the touch, I can feel the heat in my cheeks rise again and I know this is inappropriate, but I can't help but want his hand to stay on my knee like this forever.

I need to stand my ground but I can't bring myself to do it and I have absolutely no idea why.

He pulls his hand away when the waiter comes with our drinks, a part of me feels sad that his touch is gone, but relieved at the same time.

"What if I told you that everything you've come to know about your past is a lie?" he mumbles suddenly.

I nearly spit out the wine at the comment. I don't think I can take it seriously. Harry has done nothing but play games with me since the moment I stepped through the doors of the warehouse. He wants to stir up something in me. Groom me to believe that my life is a lie or something. But the 'what if' thought lingers. He clears his throat.

"Excuse me," he said.

I sit at the table for more than two minutes alone until a fire alarm goes off. Everyone stands up in a hurry, pushing past each other to get out quicker. There's no smoke, nor no smell of it, and absolutely no sign of Harry.

Agent Hunter shows up with a team prepped in helmets, pushing past the crowd to the inside of the building with semi-automatics glued to their hands.

Agent Hunter escorts me outside where I stand in the cold for five minutes before it's cleared— with no sign of Harry.

I felt disappointed in myself, the fact that I trusted Harry too much, let him butter me up with the whispers and the knee touching, only for him to slip away right in front of me. And Agent Hunter doesn't forget to remind me about it.

"You let him get away," he mumbles as soon as he's close to me. When he passes, his shoulder collides with mine and I know it's on purpose. I follow behind him, pinching the bridge of my nose to keep myself calm.

Harry Styles turned himself in and escaped a building surrounded by FBI. He played us and it was my fault. All the eyes watching me in the warehouse that day, watching to see if I messed up, will know within a few minutes that Agent Grace Tyler is a fuck up and she was from the very beginning.

I felt like crying or screaming or both.

Until Hunter opens the door to the cleaning van, I nearly burst out laughing at the sight of Harry sitting calmly in the chair in front of the monitors, sipping the wine straight from a bottle, assuming he stole it from the restaurant. I was bewildered, my entire body flooded with relief.

"Hey there guys," he grins, holding the wine glass up for a toast. Hunter steps in, slamming Harry against the wall by the collar of his suit, wine spilling all over the two of them.

"You planned this, you knew he wouldn't show," Hunter spits in his face. Harry is as calm as ever, smiling at Hunter, despite the wine ruining his suit jacket.

"My contact was the first person I saw whenever we entered," his grin is satisfactory. "I left payment in my hat and in exchange he left a photo of the assassin's next victim."

Hunter grabs the fedora sitting in front of Harry to find a photo of an older gentleman- a human rights activist.

"I do believe you owe Agent Tyler and myself an apology?"

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dibs4ever · 6 years

Text

DickBabs Wedding Day (Fanfic)

As promised here is my DICKBABS wedding fic, it turned our longer then I expected but I hope it’s worth the read

“Get back here!” Stephanie grinned chasing after the toddler and scooping him up with a smile. She tickled his belly causing him to giggle.

“Say my name” she smiled pressing her forehead up the against the 15-month-old’s

“Teph” he grinned playing with the sequence on her short sleeved lavender bridesmaid dress

Stephanie smiled “That right” she bopped his little nose

Cassandra entered the room followed by Jason.

“There you are” Cassandra smiled “Let me see my nephew” she held her hands out

Stephanie shook her head “Barbara gave me one duty as her bridesmaid----to get my nephew dressed, you’re not taking that from me. Besides they’re letting you watch him while they are on their honeymoon” she mockingly argued blowing raspberry on Nathan’s cheeks

Cassandra rolled her eyes continuing into the room “I’m not, let me just hold him for a second, besides if it bugs you that much I’ll let you and Timbers play house with him for one night” she held her hands out and Stephanie handed him over. “Barbara is dressed, she look’s amazing”

“Mama!” Nathan smiled

Jason rolled his eyes and walked toward the girls “Now you did it”

“I see mama” Nathan said again

Cassandra shook her head “Sorry bud, we let you see her now you’ll be throwing a fit when we have to pull you away from her, so you can play ring bearer” she brushed the strands of jet black hair away from his little face

Nathan looked at her oddly before twisting his body sideways, making it slightly difficult for Cassandra to hold onto him “Unci Aye see Mama” he reached his little arms toward Jason

Jason held his hands up “Sorry Rugrat, I’ve been told no men are even aloud in that wing of the manor”

Cassandra turned Nathan, so he was back in her arms “I feel like he talks so well for his age” she commented

Stephanie nodded in agreement

“Hey Nate” Jason spoke catching the toddlers attention “What’s her name?” he pointed to Cassandra

Nathan pointed a finger at Cassandra “Ass” he said proudly

Jason and Stephanie laughed

“Ass” Nathan said again, enjoying the reaction he got from his aunt and uncle

“It’s not funny” Cassandra barked “Nathan Cass” she held the C

“Ass” Nathan said again

Jason laughed “Dick wanted me to tell you to just deliver the rugrat to the room where the us groomsmen are when you’re done getting him dressed” he explained before leaving the room

“I’m going to go see if Alfred needs any more last-minute help” Cassandra said passing Nathan back to Stephanie

She nodded and watched her leave the room

“Let’s get you dressed little stud muffin” she told her nephew as she kissed his chubby cheek

“Welp I hate break it to ya Dickie but your kid curses like a sailor” Jason grinned closing the door to the room where the male side of the wedding party was getting dressed

Dick was looking in the mirror making sure everything was straight “Were you making him say Cass’ name again?” he quirked an eyebrow

“You bet I was” Jason laughed flopping down on the couch

“You know she hates that” Tim pointed

Jason shrugged “Would I be a good brother if I didn’t annoy the tar out of my siblings?”

Damian rolled his eyes from where he stood on the opposite corner of the room

“Alright, how do I look? Dick asked turning to look at his brothers

Bruce stepped out of the adjoined bathroom and nodded his head “Barbara isn’t going to know what hit her” he complimented clapping Dick’s shoulder

Dick smiled proudly

There was a knock on the door and Tim stepped forward opening it, Stephanie stepped in holding Nathan now dressed in a tux. Her once neat hair was now slightly tussled “Well it took some wrangling, but I got him dressed” she smiled

Dick laughed moving forward “Hey buddy, look at you” he stretched out his hands

Nathan grinned brightly “Dada!”

He took the toddler and threw him lightly into the air causing him to giggle

“I’m going to go get this fixed” Stephanie motioned around her head

Dick nodded “Thanks for getting him dressed Steph, he looks great” he set the baby down, immediately he ran toward the curtains.

Bruce knew his grandson well enough to know that the small human was going to attempt to climb them, so he quickly stopped him by scooping him up.

Barbara took a deep breath looking herself over in the mirror. She turned around just as the hairdresser was finishing up fixing Stephanie’s hair.

“I’m sorry about that” Barbara apologized

Stephanie laughed standing up “Forget about it, it was my fault for putting him down and not keeping a close eye on him. I swear he’s part spider or something. I stepped out of the room for a second and he was half way up the bookcase”

Barbara laughed “That’s Dick’s fault, he taught him how to climb just about anything”

Dinah smiled “Only, 15 minutes left till the ceremony is supposed to start”

Barbara nodded “Don’t remind me.”

“You nervous?” Cassandra cocked an eyebrow

Barbara nodded “Like you wouldn’t believe, I’m getting married....to Dick Grayson. If you had told me that when I first met him I would have said you were crazy.”

Dinah laughed “Considering you were 12 and he was 9 I’d say I’d understand”

She took a deep breath “I need to sit down for a moment” she passed her bouquet to Dinah and sat down, running her fingers through her hair careful not to mess it up

“You’re not going to run, away are you?” Stephanie half joked

Cassandra nodded “Yeah cause the guys have your kid and if you run away he’s going to be raised by them.... can you imagine how bad that would turn out?”

Barbara laughed “I’m doing this——I want to do this.” She stood taking the bouquet back “I’m ready to marry Richard John Grayson.”

The doors flung open and Helena rushed in dressed in the same matching bridesmaid dress as the rest of the girls “I’m here, I’m so sorry I’m late but I’m here with” she glanced at the time “8 minutes to spare “she let out a breath

Barbara laughed “Sorry the hair and makeup girl just left”

Helena shrugged “No biggie it’s my punishment for being late. You on the other hand look stunning!” Her eyes widened

Dinah nodded “I know right, with her looking like that we’ll be lucky if her and Dick even show up to the reception”

This made the bridal party laugh as they made their way to the door

Dick stood at the front of the aisle bouncing on his toes. He was never nervous but right now he felt like he was about to faint. He looked around at the crowd of guests in front of him he locked eyes with the Clark Kent who was sitting in the second row Jon and Lois beside him. Clark grinned sending him a thumb up

The music started, and Dick moved his attention to the doors as they swung open. First up was Helena and Damian, there were a couple of “Awes” heard from older women finding the sharp dressed yet short for his age 13-year-old paired with the much taller than him woman. As Damian passed the Kent’s Jon covered his mouth to suffocate a chuckle earning a glare from Damian.

Next was Jason paired with Cassandra then Tim with Stephanie and finally the Best man and Maid of Honor Wally and Dinah

Nathan came out last serving as ring bearer, Wally’s daughter served as flower girl “Awes” filled the room as the toddlers entered holding the small white pillow and basket with Bruce beside them guiding the toddlers gently along.

As Bruce tried to hold Nathan’s hand and move him a little quicker the 1 year old stopped in the middle and narrowed his eyes “I do it” he said proudly

Bruce shrugged releasing the boy and walked ahead, this made Nathan quickly follow his grandfather causing the crowd of guests to laugh.

Once they were at the alter Wally bent down taking the ring box that was tied to the pillow and Bruce sat in the front row with his grandson.

Then the wedding march began, everyone stood, and the doors once again swung open revealing Barbara dressed in her white gown, her arm hooked with her fathers. Dick’s breath caught at the sight of her as she walked down the isle

Suddenly he felt tears welling up in his eyes as Jim led her down the aisle. Dick blinked back the tears “Get ahold of yourself Grayson, this isn’t like you” he thought

Jim and Barbara stood in front of him

“Who gives this woman to this man?” Alfred asked, yes Alfred was officiating the marriage. Would they honestly trust anyone else?

“I do.” Jim stood straight

Dick stepped forward to take Barbara’s hand but felt her being held back. The couple looked back at the police commissioner “Dad this is where you let go” she whispered

Letting a low sigh Jim leaned forward pecking Barbara’s cheek

“Take care of her Grayson” he lowered his eyes

Dick nodded “I will sir”

With that Dick took Barbara’s hand and turned so they were standing in front of Alfred

“We are gathered here today to unite this man and this woman in marriage” Alfred began.

After going through the stereotypical wedding ceremony Alfred smiled “The Bride and Groom have decided to read their own vows which they will do at this time, Master Dick” Alfred nodded toward the man

Dick nodded, to everyone’s surprise he didn’t take out a paper “Barbara, as I stand before you today thousands of memories flash through my mind all the way back to the day we first met. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs. Good things and bad things. Surprises that neither of us saw coming. I’ve left and came back more then once. But one thing has always remained the same. It has always been you, no matter how far away I went, how bad things got or whatever obstacle we were going through something always told me you would always be the answer. Our love story is not a fairy tale. In fact, it is probably one of the furthest things away from a fairy tale.” This line caused some eyebrow raises from guests who didn’t know the full story of Dick and Barbara. Dick grabbed both of Barbara’s hands in his “But one thing is for sure it’s ours which makes it perfect. I know I’m nowhere near perfect, but I promise to do my best to be as close to that as I possibly can for you and our son” he kissed her hands

The guest clapped

“Easy Master Dick I have not told you to kiss the bride yet” Alfred teasingly wagged his finger.

Dick chuckled

“Alright Miss Barbara it’s your turn” Alfred smiled

Barbara took a deep breath “Well I’m going to do my best to follow up with that” she joked “Dick, like you I’m standing here just thinking about everything we’ve gone through. We’ve known each other longer then I sometimes realize. I remember when I was 17 there was this short lanky 14-year-old boy who confessed he had a crush on me and asked me out, obviously I shot him down. Then a year later that same boy sneekingly stole a kiss, naturally I punched him in the face” Dick and Barbara exchanged smiles “Little did I know I had just kissed the love of my life for the first time. Fast forward through puberty, and some years later here we are standing in front of each other and that same boy is the father of my child and soon to become me husband. Through everything you never ever gave up on me. You have always been my biggest supporter, even when I was 12 years old and stressing about a test I could count on you to encourage me and make me feel like everything would be okay. I can’t thank you enough for all the things you have done for me through the years. I hope that I can always do the same for you, I vow to always be your biggest supporter through thick and thin no matter what life throws at us”

Next it was time to exchange the rings, when they finished Dick turned to Alfred “Can I kiss her Alfie?”

Alfred smiled “Yes Master Dick, you may kiss your bride”

Dick shot Barbara a wide grin, she smiled back just as widely as he wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her close her arms found their way to his neck and in one swift motion Dick pressed his lips to hers. Both embracing in a gentle yet passionate kiss.

They pulled apart still smiling “Ladies and Gentlemen it is my honor to introduce to you for the first time Mr. and Mrs. Grayson!”

The guests cheered as Barbara and Dick clasped hands they stopped so Barbara could take Nathan from Bruce and together the family of 3 made their way up the isle and out of the room.

“Alright let’s go get wasted!” Jason shouted——-which lead to the reception, and that’s a whole other story.

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catalinda04 · 5 years

Text

Carried Away Chapter 29: Oh! Brothers!

Masterlist

Lucy laid on the bed, on top of the comforter, in her regular pajamas of a t-shirt and shorts, groaning. Her hands moved over her stomach in large circles.

“Why did you let me eat so much?” She whined up at Henry who was trying on his new pajamas.

“Didn’t you warn me of this very thing?” He asked, tying the cord at his waist.

“I’m horrible about heeding my own advice! I know I shouldn’t eat so much, but everything tastes so good.” She whined again.

Henry laid down next to her, his hand replacing hers on her stomach. “My poor pumpkin.” He sympathized, kissing her on the forehead.

Lucy’s eyes closed, “Mmmm, that feels nice.” she sighed. “I like your jammies by the way.” Lucy commented, placing her hand on top of Henry’s stalling his movements.

“They fit pretty well.” He was amazed. His current physique was a bit unwieldy. While the pajamas were too large in some places, they fit across his chest and arms, which was where he usually had problems.

“Mom’s been doing this long enough, she has a pretty decent eye.” She felt him move and opened one eye, to see him pulling the covers out, to slide underneath.

“You know you don’t actually have to sleep in the pajamas. I never do. Ugh! I can’t sleep in flannel, it’s too hot. You just have to wear them for breakfast. And mom’s going to take family pictures with everyone in their jammies in front of the tree.” Henry heaved a sigh of relief, and changed into his much lighter sleep attire.

With her stomach finally settling, Lucy curled into Henry's side waiting for sleep to overtake her. She thought back on the day. After everyone had opened their presents, they all relaxed in the living room and watched the Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer specials. It was a nice quiet hour before the rest of the family arrived.

Grandma Joanne had arrived first, coming into the house, requesting someone to fetch the presents from her car. Henry had volunteered, and returned with a pile of gaily wrapped boxes to be put under the tree. Not long after, Lucy’s aunt Isabelle, Izzy to everyone, arrived with her husband Steven, and their kids 13 year old Sam and 8 year old Howie. Lucy smiled to herself as she recalled Sam’s face when he saw Henry.

“Holy shit! You’re Superman!” Sam had blurted upon seeing Henry.

“Samuel, language!” Izzy admonished, while everyone else laughed.

“Sam, this is Henry. Henry, my cousin Sam. I think he’s a fan.” she stage whispered.

“Nice to meet you Sam.” Henry offered his hand. Sam stared at it for a long second, before slowly extending his hand to grasp Henry’s.

“Can I get a selfie with you?” Sam asked excitedly once he had control of his voice again.

“Sam, you’re being rude.” His mother commented.

“No, it’s ok. Sure Sam, but maybe in a few minutes, ok?” Henry agreed. Lucy had definitely earned some “cool points” with her young cousin today.

The rest of the evening had flowed easily, Henry was enfolded into the group like he’d been there for years. It warmed Lucy’s heart to see her family accept him so readily.

Lucy awoke early to primp before breakfast. She changed into her new Superman pajamas and went to the bathroom to spray some dry-shampoo in her hair, and apply a little eyeliner and lip gloss. Her mother always insisted on taking family pictures on Christmas morning, and then posting them everywhere, including on the following year’s christmas card. She had learned early to not go to breakfast with bedhead.

Lucy and Henry went to the kitchen to find Marie, in her new pajamas with golf clubs on them, making Belgian waffles in bulk. The table already laden with any toppings anyone might want.

“Good morning mom.” Lucy greeted, snitching a piece of strawberry from a bowl on the table.

“You look nice this morning.” Marie commented.

“I woke-up like this.” Lucy said with a straight face, before both she and Marie broke into grins. It had become their traditional Christmas morning greeting.

After everyone had gorged themselves on waffles, the photo shoot commenced in front of the Christmas tree. There were pictures of everyone, the original 4 family members, Clint, Anna, Lucy and Henry, Clint, Anna, and the kids, just Lucy with the kids, Lucy, Henry, and the kids, just Lucy and Henry, just Clint and Anna, and any other combination that someone wanted. Clint, as always, would email the pictures to Lucy later that day.

It came time for Lucy and Henry to leave. Lucy had laundry to do before they drove to the airport for their overnight flight to London. They exchanged hugs with everyone as they readied to leave. Marie handed Lucy a container full of christmas cookies, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

“Thanks mom. I love you. Merry Christmas.” Lucy said with one final hug.

“Merry Christmas. Drive safe.” Marie responded.

Everyone stood at the front window waving until the pair had exited the driveway. Lucy drove in silence, until Henry finally asked, “Are you ok, love?”

Lucy’s voice was thick when she spoke. “It’s stupid, I know. It’s just, this will be the first time I’m not with my family for Christmas. I’m excited to spend Christmas with you, and your family, don’t get me wrong.” She babbled.

Henry took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Darling, I understand. I’m excited to show you my home. And everyone will love you. They’ll love you not just because you’re an amazing person, but they’ll love you because I love you.”

Lucy and Henry went their separate ways when they reached Lucy’s house. Lucy, to separate and wash the clothes she was going to bring to London; Henry to walk and exercise Kal. When Henry and Kal returned, Kal laid down in the living room, and Henry heard Lucy call to him.

“Babe, can you come here for a second?” Henry followed Lucy’s voice to the bedroom.

“What do you nee…” Henry’s voice trailed off as he saw Lucy, laying on her side on the bed wearing nothing but a pair of lacy knickers, her head propped up on one hand.

Lucy sat up onto her knees, and looked up at him through her eyelashes. “It turns out all of my clothes are in the laundry. Whatever should I do?” She asked innocently.

Henry’s mouth widened into a grin before lowering his mouth to hers. His mouth ate at hers hungrily while his hands traced the lines of her body. He pushed on her shoulders, lowering her to the bed, before taking a second to divest himself of his clothes.

They came together in a symphony of moans, and sighs, and gasps. Their hands and mouths staking a claim to each other's bodies. They finished together, breathless, and trembling, and sated.

Lucy curled into Henry’s side, “I can’t believe we get to spend 2 whole weeks together. I’m going to get spoiled.” She kissed his chest, running her fingers along his sternum.

He kissed the top of her head sweetly, “I’m looking forward to spoiling you pumpkin.”

“I think I’ll even let you, Darcy.” She smiled.

When they emerged from the bedroom, they found Kal laying in the middle of the living room floor, one of his paws over his eyes. Lucy barked out a laugh. “You know, sometimes I think this dog is more human than canine.”

“I’ve suspected that myself. He’s too expressive to be all dog.”

Their flight left late Monday night and would deliver them to London around noon. Kal, due to his therapy dog certification, was allowed to fly in the cabin. He curled himself up at Henry’s feet in the spacious First Class cabin of the jet. Lucy had never flown in such opulence. Her seat folded flat into a bed, so she might actually sleep on the flight. Her only disappointment was that she wasn’t sitting directly next to Henry, he was across the aisle.

Once the plane had taken-off and they reached cruising altitude, Henry crossed the aisle with something in his hands. “Darling, did I mention that our hotel room has a whirlpool bathtub?” He murmured suggestively.

“No, I think you neglected to mention that.” Lucy said, excitement giving her eyes a twinkle.

“I thought you might want to brush-up on your moves.” He said handing her the paperback romance novel she’d caught him with that summer. Her jaw dropped in surprise while he chuckled and kissed her forehead before returning to his seat.

“And here I thought I might actually sleep on this flight.” Lucy muttered to herself, her mind whirling with the possibilities that awaited her.

From the moment they landed in London, Lucy felt like she’d stepped on a motorized banana peel. Once they were through customs, and collected their bags, they caught a cab into the city. They stopped briefly at Henry’s house, just long enough for him to deposit his luggage from filming, and pack some lighter clothes to accommodate the much warmer weather on Jersey, and get the box of presents for his family. Lucy stayed in the cab with Kal.

The went from Henry’s house to the kennel where Kal would be spending Christmas. Henry hadn’t wanted to subject Kal to any more flights, so he had booked Kal into a doggie spa for the Christmas holiday. When they arrived to Barkingham Palace, Henry asked the cab driver to wait while they brought Kal in and got him settled.

Lucy was impressed with the operation at the doggie spa. While he was there, Kal would get groomed and pampered like he was one of the Queen’s corgis. Lucy gave the dog a hug around his big furry neck. “I’ll see you in a couple of days boy.” She said before planting a kiss on his head, he grinned up at her.

Finally the taxi took them to Victoria station to catch the Gatwick Express. Once they were seated on the train, Lucy finally felt like she could breathe. They’d been all over London but she had barely seen any of it, they had been so busy.

“Bollocks!” Henry exclaimed softly.

“What’s wrong?” Lucy asked concerned.

“I’m sorry darling. I forgot your present at home.”

“That’s ok. I’ll get it when we come back. It’s no big deal, honey, really.” She soothed, kissing him sweetly.

“I just, I wanted you to have something to open on Christmas Day.”

“Honey, I’m not concerned. What I AM concerned about is remembering everyone in your family. You have significantly more family members than I have.” Lucy recited the names she could remember while Henry filled in the gaps.

They checked in for their flight, and ate a quick dinner before going to the gate to wait. They were approaching the gate when Lucy heard a loud, deep voice call out, “Hank!” Lucy was surprised when Henry stopped, and scanned the nearby seats. His face split into a grin.

“Chuck!” He called, dropping Lucy’s hand to embrace the man striding toward them. He was tall, almost an inch taller than Henry, with the same dark coloring, and dimpled chin. Lucy smiled at the violence displayed in the brothers’ embrace. Why did men always hug so violently?

When the two brothers finished their hug, Henry turned to the shorter brunette woman standing off to the side, behind Charlie. “Heather!” Henry called, wrapping her in a hug, lifting her off the ground.

“Henry, put me down!” The woman giggled. Henry finally set her feet back on the floor, before turning to Lucy.

“Lucy, this is my baby brother Charlie. Chuck, this is Lucy” He introduced the other man.

Lucy extended her hand to Charlie, “It’s really nice to finally meet you.”

Charlie bypassed Lucy’s hand, and clasped her shoulders, pulling her close to kiss her on each cheek. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet the one and only Lucy. This one,” he indicated toward Henry with his thumb, “hasn’t stopped talking about you since you met.”

“All good things, I hope.” Lucy replied nervously.

“Only the best.” Charlie confirmed. “This is my wife Heather.” He indicated the woman standing next to him.

Heather also leaned in to kiss Lucy’s cheeks, though she was prepared for it this time. “Lucy it’s great to finally meet you.” Heather greeted. Lucy was surprised to not hear an accent from the other woman.

“Great to meet too Heather. Are you not British?” Lucy asked.

“No, actually I’m Canadian. Charlie and I live in British Columbia.” Heather explained.

Lucy and Heather made small talk while Charlie and Henry caught-up. They were all 4 seated together on the short flight to Jersey. Both couples arrived at the hotel at the same time. Lucy was starting to feel the effects of 18 hours of traveling, she was grateful to finally be at their final destination.

Lucy stood next to Henry, her hand gently rubbing his back, as he checked-in at the front desk. When Henry and Charlie had gotten keys for their rooms, they turned away from the registration desk, a voice called to them from the bar, “Hank! Chuck!” All four of them turned to see three men and three women approaching from the bar. What followed was a series of violent hugs and insults that could only be exchanged between brothers. Lucy felt her nerves build watching everyone greet each other. She hovered toward the back of the group, until Henry grabbed her hand to drag her into the center and introduce her to everyone. Lucy’s head spun, matching names with faces, and exuberant greetings.

When Piers, Henry’s oldest brother, invited them to the bar for a drink, Henry turned to Lucy to gauge her response. The panicked look in her eyes, coupled with the tense smile, made him refuse, claiming fatigue from their day of travel, but left them with promises to see everyone the following morning.

Lucy collapsed against Henry when the elevator doors closed, sighing in relief. “I was not expecting that.” Lucy commented.

“We can be a bit overwhelming en masse. But the worst is over. All that are left are the nephews, and dad.”

“Thank god. Now I need a bed, and several hours of hard sleep.” She sighed, leaning on Henry as they made their way to their room. Lucy saw flashes of light Provençal colors, a kitchenette, and a sitting area, before focusing on the very large bed. She kicked off her shoes, and stripped out of her clothes, before crawling under the covers to fall asleep instantly. Sometime later, Lucy awoke just enough to feel Henry crawl into bed next to her, and drape his arm across her torso.

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

#Henry Cavill #Henry Cavill Fanfic #Henry Cavill fan fic #Henry Cavill fanfiction #Henry Cavill fan fiction #Carried Away #Kal Cavill

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dragon-fics · 4 years

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S&H: Ch. 24 The Big Day

Chapter summary: Molten and Zion finally get to have their big day.

Notes, Ch. 1, Ch. 2, Ch. 3, Ch. 4, Ch. 5, Ch. 6, Ch. 7, Ch. 8, Ch. 9, Ch. 10, Ch. 11, Ch. 12, Ch. 13, Ch. 14, Ch. 15, Ch. 16, Ch. 17, Ch. 18, Ch. 19, Ch. 20, Ch. 21, Ch. 22, Ch. 23, Ch. 24, Ch. 25, Ch. 26, Ch. 27

Molten combed his damp hair slowly. Fireworks erupted in his stomach as the teeth ran through his strands of hair. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt and black suit trousers—the most formal thing he had worn since Ember’s christening. He stared back at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. It was ten in the morning, just an hour before he’d be standing in front of the altar, waiting for his beloved Zion to arrive.

He thought back to his early days of being a DJ, how he’d often be around wedding parties. He remembered how happy the newlyweds looked, sitting side by side at their table. He hoped that Zion and he would be that happy today.

Once he felt he had fixed his hair enough, he entered his hotel room. On the bed lay his suit jacket, tie and a set of horn cuffs—a piece of jewellery worn by married dragons. This set was silver, with a gold band above below the silver on the band. An icy blue sapphire set in each, to match Zion’s engagement ring. The rings matched the wedding ring Zion would give Molten today—it just wouldn’t have a stone in it. Their ring bearer—Kate—had their wedding rings. It just so happened Zion forgot the horn cuffs. And by Roanain tradition, neither groom could see the other during the week up to the wedding. So Molten was begging that fate would let them give the rings to Kate before the wedding began.

Molten picked up the white box and looked in at the velvet embraced jewellery. He blew on the cuffs and clicked his fingers. A small blue flame ignited between his fingertips. The silver and gold reflected the blue light shiningly, while the sapphire reflected it glowingly. He nodded approvingly at their shine and closed the box. He placed the box back down and started on his tie.

“Molten?,” called Flame from outside the room. “We’d better get moving soon; just remember that we still have to travel to Askel.” He strode into the room as Molten fiddled with the tie. He sighed quietly and did it for him. “You nervous?” he asked.

“A little,” Molten admitted.

“Good,” Molten looked at his sire, confused. “It means you care about him—” he pulled the knot tight “—and that you’re in love." Molten pulled on his jacket and Flame brushed it off. “Now, we better get going,” he said, grabbing the jewellery box and leaving the room.

“Right,” Molten whispered. He spun on the spot, looking around the room before leaving.

The next time I’ll be entering this room, I’ll be carrying Zion in my arms.

*-*-*-*

Zion sat in front of his dresser, a hairdresser trimming his blonde strands. Under the hairdressing cape, he twiddled his thumbs, fighting the urge to mess with his hair out of nervousness. He allowed the hairdresser to finish and leave the room before standing up. He was nervous, excited and anxious. He knew he loved Molten, and he knew Molten loved him. He just wasn’t sure if it was the right step. He was 25, Molten 24. A year after they had moved into their new house, two years since Molten proposed and three years since they’d met.

His thoughts interrupted as his sire entered the room. Already dressed in his best of royal suits.

“I knocked,” Arryn said.

“Sorry, I just...”

“Panicking?”

“... Yeah.”

“Don’t. I’ve seen how you two look at each other, how you are together. And I know for a fact you’ll be both very happy today,” he said softly, fixing Zion’s white tie around his black shirt collar. “And I’m sure he’s just as nervous as you are right now.” He rested his hands on Zion’s shoulders and pulled him into a hug. “And I know she’d be happy for you.”

Zion knew who he was talking about; his dam, who was rarely ever mentioned. He gripped his sire a little tighter. “Thank you.”

And then they were interrupted by another knock on the door.

“That would be your maid of honour,” Arryn said, as he they released their embrace. “And don’t forget your crown,” he said, leaving the room.

As soon as her sire had left, Mona rushed into the room, seeing Zion in only his white suit trousers and black shirt.

“You jacket and tie?!” She exclaimed in a rush. “Have you seen the time?! And we still have to get to the church through the massive crowd of people who want to see a royal wedding!” She was practically yelling at him.

“Alright, I’ll hurry.”

*-*-*-*

Molten stood in front on the huge white alter at the front of the Roanian church. A mass of mumbling echoed through the church filled with high lords of Roania, Molten’s family, and journalists. Compared to the Wyrmian churches, the stone wasn’t laced with gold wire embroidery or scattered with gems, instead it was engraved with messages in Old or New Roana—the native language of Roania—or basic tongue. There were also pictures from their religious book, which—after a bit of inspection on Molten’s part—wasn’t very different to the Wyrmian religious book.

It was about ten minutes past eleven, ten minutes behind schedule. And Molten really wasn’t sure what to do. Not much could’ve gone wrong. Right? He had got from the hotel in north Shovania to the church without running into crowds. Then again, he came from Wyrmia, not Roania. And he knew Zion’s sisters wouldn’t let him fall behind schedule... Well, not by a huge amount, anyway.

He glanced back to his family sitting in the front row, unease resting on his face.

“Relax,” CJ whispered beside him, He was his best man. “He wouldn’t do this purposefully.”

“I know, I know,” Molten whispered back, but his voice contradicted his words. Then the muttering was silenced. Molten looked around. The royal families of both Roania and Wyrmia had arrived; this wedding was more than a show of love between a couple, it was a sign of peace between two segregated countries. While the families settled Molten saw Kate take the jewellery box from Flame.

At least that’s sorted(I), CJ said to him. Molten smiled and drew in a breath.

Then the organist played Bridal Chorus. Molten had never felt so relieved at the sound of an organ play.

About time!

He saw CJ’s lips curl.

A lifetime seemed to pass as Zion walked up the aisle, Mona by his side. He wore his white suit proudly, along with his silver crown. What Molten didn’t know was coming was that Zion had taken some artistic liberties in wearing a shoulder-length veil, because same-sex weddings weren’t traditional, and that there were no rules in place.

So when he joined Molten at the alter, Molten was somewhat surprised, but he liked it.

“Hey,” Molten whispered as the Archbishop made his way out.

“Hi.”

*-*-*-*

The ceremony itself wasn’t all that long, a basic wedding ceremony, but what happened after took the more time than expected. Pictures. Goddamn pictures. The one thing Zion and Molten hated more than anything else in the world. But they had expected it, and Molten had brought his iconic shades, so there wasn’t much worry on that part. But the newlyweds still had to pose for dozens of photos, say thank you to the high lords and royal family of Wyrmia, sign autographs and had to make their way to their Rolls Royce stretch limo. The ceremony and escape route took the better part of an hour, and Molten was sure his family had escaped unscathed long before that. Well, he hoped, because they were never as keen on paparazzi either, and no fan truly knew who Molten’s family was—apart from Mona.

It took another hour to get to the reception at the hotel Molten had stayed in the night before. Most of the guests were already there, chatting away, so the couple freshened up quickly before they had to face the crowd.

The couple stood in front of the door for a moment as Molten unlocked with his key card. As soon as it was open he turned to Zion, a somewhat devilish look on his face.

“Go on,” Zion sighed. No sooner as Molten got permission, he scooped Zion up and carried him—bridal style—into the room. He then placed him down.

“So what dis hold you up?” Molten asked, checking his tie in the mirror.

Zion nudged him over a bit, so he could fix his crown and hair after removing the veil. “I got distracted by my dear sire, that and the hairdresser took forever.”

“In other words; you slept in? Or you procrastinated? Which?”

“I hate you,” he said, looking up at Molten. He looked back down at him.

“No, you don’t. Otherwise we won’t be wearing matching rings.” He smirked. Zion snorted, but his lips curled into a smile. Molten pressed his lips against Zion’s.

“I think we have some guests to see to,” Molten said.

“Ugh,” Zion groaned. “Fine.” He said starting towards the door. At the last second, he picked up his veil. “Can you put it in for me?” Molten took the veil from him and slid the ‘comb’ into Zion’s hair behind his crown.

“That ok?”

Zion tapped the veil. “Yeah, I think so.” As they left the room and started down the corridor, Zion slid his hand into Molten’s. “So us your war veteran, racist, homophobic, sexist grandsire gonna be here?” He asked.

Molten sighed. “Yep, but after our last encounter with him, I think he knows that today is the worst day to voice his opinions.” Zion smiled.

“But we are going to kick him out if it happens?” Molten looked at him.

He hesitated. “I... I.”

Zion laughed. “We’ll just try to enjoy today,” Zion stopped in front of Molten. “Okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” He pecked Zion’s nose. They looked at the double doors to the ballroom. They could hear the bubbling atmosphere inside. Molten walked in, still holding Zion’s hand, but didn’t go straight for the guests, instead going towards the tiny appetisers laid out on a line of tables.

“Molten!” Zion hissed.

*-*-*-*

It had been a few hours since the meal had started. Molten and Zion had escaped for a few minutes onto the jetty by the ballroom. The air near the sea was cooler than that of the city, and the sun held a warm evening-like glow almost constantly at this place in Wyrmia.

The sound of water lapping up against the wooden posts of the jetty tickled Zion’s ears as they both faced the water. Molten held his arm around Zion’s waist. He nuzzled his hair to get his attention, before spinning him around, as if they were dancing, to face him. Zion looked up at him and looked at him to say he wanted to tell him something. Molten leaned his ear close to his mouth.

“I think its time for the cake,” he said.

Molten laughed. “Yeah, I suppose so.” Zion tugged Molten back towards the ballroom.

The cake stood on its own table beside the head table where both of their families sat. One side of the cake was black with white sheet music printed on the icing, the other was white, with black speckles on the icing, to represent stars. The divide between the colours was a curve, hidden by flowers made of icing, all lined up to look like a rainbow—or as others might see it, the stereotypical pride flag. The colour either side of the cake represented the grooms’ suit, and the printed music notes and stars represented their passions.

They made their way towards the cake. They went for a piece from the divide in the cake. They went for a 5 tier cake, each tier was a Victoria sponge. Most of the room took photos or a video of them cutting it. So once they were done, they took it back with them. The waiters cut and dispersed the cake. They seemed to relax a bit.

“Just out of interest,” Lika started, “Is this an actual song or is it a random mix of notes?” She asked as she ate her piece.

“It’s an actual song,” Molten assured.

“What’s it called?” Came Sarabi.

“What was my last album called?”

Mona squealed with her mouth closed. “That’s adorable.”

Zion looked at him questioningly.

“He doesn’t know your album name?” CJ asked.

“My dear husband isn’t so keen on my mixed music style.”

Zion looked to Mona.

“The title of his album and one of his songs was called Zion.” She said, looking to Molten. He smiled, embarrassed.

“I had to alright?” he said at Zion’s dumbfounded face.

Mona slapped Zion on the back. “How did you(I)—” she poked his chest “—not know that?”

Zion raised his hands up in defence. “I have my taste in music!”

“He’s your fiancé-now-husband!”

Molten chuckled at the twins’ argument. Zion whipped his head around at Molten.

“Aren’t you gonna defend me?”

Molten sighed and shrugged. He turned to the DJ, who had been playing soft music in the background. He gestured for him to play their song. The DJ nodded and Molten stood up.

“C’mon,” he said, holding out his hand. Zion smiled a little and took his hand. As they walked passed Molten’s family, Molten flicked Ember’s hair, making her giggle. They walked onto the dancefloor, in between the DJ and the guests.

“Ready?” He whispered.

“As I’ll ever be.”

#Scales and Hooves

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sealegs2414blankpages · 6 years

Text

OSFTSB Ch. 8 ~ Obtuse

Shuffling up to his doorstep Yoongi could see Kim Taehyung leaning one arm casually against his door, eyes glued to his phone. Clearing his throat, the mop of black hair flopped to the side as he snapped his head up and met eyes with Yoongi. A bright smile followed and Yoongi couldn’t take his eyes off of the boxy shape of Taehyung’s mouth. After his gaze lingered for a touch too long, he brought his arm up that was holding a black plastic bag.

“Hope you weren’t waiting long, I stopped to pick up some drinks.”

Taehyung shook his head and pushed off of the door so he could step back and let Yoongi through to unlock his apartment.

“Not at all. Just a little over 30 minutes.”

Stepping forward, the blonde pulled out his keys and slid it into the lock, he began to turn it but stopped halfway through the motion and snapped his head in the other man’s direction.

“What?!”

Seeing Taehyung’s lips slide into a smirk, Yoongi punched the man in the arm without any power and grunted, “Jerk,” before going back to his task and let them into his apartment. Once inside, Yoongi reached for the bag of food that Taehyung had with him. Passing it off easily, the taller man strode through the front door and made his way to the kitchen bar. Yoongi passed by a few seconds later and began to pull out plates and utensils. He didn’t really know what drinks to buy so he ended up with a variety of sort. Soda, juice, banana milk and even beer. He couldn’t drink any but Taehyung had worked all day he might want some.

“What type of job has you working nights?”

Yoongi continued pulling everything out of the bags and didn’t bother looking up to answer the younger.

“I’m a DJ at Kush 109.3 keeping the nightbirds company and hopefully keeping their eyes open instead of in the back of their heads as they drive.”

The younger nodded, he hadn’t thought that the man would be a radio DJ but it made more sense as to why he was able to have blonde hair, he didn’t work at a straight laced, business clones company.

“Your voice is soothing, you would think they would have more trouble staying awake on the road.” He spoke as if he was thinking to himself but still said the words loud enough for Yoongi to hear. It made the tips of his ears turn a light shade of pink as he pulled out the last of the drinks onto the counter.

“Ah, well that’s what the songs are for. I actually get some creative liberty and don’t just have to play that Top 40 shit so I like to mix things up every now and then. Let some underappreciated or not very well known artists shine a little. Open request hour is a good time too. Some of the shit that people request is… Hah, well it’s fun.”

“Hmm, I might have to tune in one night.”

Yoongi raised his gaze to Taehyung’s eyes searching for some type of insincere but politeness. He didn’t find any. No, all he saw was a sincerity that was refreshing. He didn’t outwardly smile but he was on the inside.

“Sure,” he shrugged.

Taehyung looked over the spread that Yoongi had laid out and pointed at the drinks.

“That’s a wide variety you got there. Oh! Banana milk, Jungkookie’s favorite.”

A cough filled the air. Yoongi hadn’t even realized that he had bought it. He didn’t like banana milk much but somehow he still couldn’t break the habit of buying it when he was in the store. He ended up giving it to Namjoon every single time. Luckily, Namjoon didn’t remember the significance of the drink otherwise he would be giving the elder a hard look that Yoongi really didn’t need. Some things just didn’t change. This was one of them.

“Oh, yeah, yeah it is. Do you like it too?” The other man nodded.

“Strawberry is my favorite but I like banana too.”

Yoongi hummed and then began filling his plate with the pad thai that the younger had brought.

“Help yourself and don’t be afraid to grab a beer. I just bought a bit of everything since I don’t know what you like.”

With his plate full, he left the kitchen and brought it into the living room. He had a small dining room but he never used it and it felt weird to start now. Yoongi preferred to just eat at his coffee table with the television on. He didn’t turn it on tonight but he placed the remote nearby in case the younger wanted it on. It wasn’t long before Taehyung had joined him and with not only a beer but a banana milk. He raised a brow at the drink choices but said nothing. Instead he took a sip of his cola and then picked up his chopsticks.

“Hyung, thanks for letting me stop by.”

Having just shoved a large portion of noodles and chicken in his mouth, Yoongi could only raise his eyes to the younger and stare. Chewing and swallowing a little faster than he normally would, Yoongi tried to reply quickly.

“Uh, you’re welcome but you want to tell me why you’re here?”

He watched as the man began to pick at his food and it only made Yoongi wonder once again what the hell was going on. He didn’t feel like much had transpired between them for this, whatever it was, to be occurring. Somehow it didn’t feel right to phrase it as such so Yoongi kept those thoughts to himself.

“ You’ve been friends with Jungkook for years now. You know him better than me I’m sure so I- I’m just not sure how I’ll be able to help with uh whatever is going on.”

That was so smooth Min Yoongi. Stumbling over his words like he did, embarrassing. Though he still didn’t know how to word it properly. Taehyung didn’t seem to care if anything he seemed to nod in understanding. Everything had been very vague so far. Yoongi needed a little more clarification. Taehyung ate a few bites while Yoongi let him collect his thoughts and perhaps string together a sentence that was a little more cohesive than his last.

“I fucked up and I really just don’t know how to get him to talk to me. He’s avoiding me at work, even going to lunch with Mihyun and won’t return my calls.”

Yoongi looked up from his lashes at the man who sat across from him in the middle of a rant. Did he really just complain about Jungkook going to lunch with someone other than him. Yoongi’s shoulders shook in silent laughter. It felt like 6th grade all over again but it was kind of cute that Taehyung cared so much about his time spent with his best friend. There that word was again. Cute. He couldn’t seem to escape it lately with Taehyung. Hmph. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“Is it that bad tha he’s going to lunch with this Mihyun person.”

“Yes!”

The amount of intensity that Taehyung put into that one word had Yoongi’s eyes open wide as if he had just seen a ghost pop up in front of him.

“I mean, no. Well, yes. Mihyun likes him, she always has and she can’t have him.”

Now, Yoongi couldn’t hold back his laughter. He laughed and he laughed and he laughed. The expression on Taehyung’s face was one of annoyance. His brow furrowed as he stared at Yoongi not comprehending what was so funny.

“I’m sorry Taehyung but you sound like a jealous lover and I mean I guess you could be. Are you?”

If Yoongi had thought that Taehyung’s words were funny he had never seen how expressive the younger could be. His whole being radiated him being appalled and that was hilarious in itself. This time Yoongi bit down on his lip to reign in his laughter. So, that was a no. Guess they aren’t lovers. It could happen. Raising his hands up in surrender, he then pressed his hands together and apologized.

“I didn’t realize you could be so obtuse hyung.”

“Obtuse?”

That through Yoongi off his guard. It wasn’t something he had ever been called before and he had always been a little prideful on his careful observations. Taehyung was shaking his head.

“Bunny,” Taehyung let out a sigh, he couldn’t stop using that nickname for some reason. Maybe because he missed his best friend more than he usually did.

“I mean Jungkook and I will never be lovers. He’s attractive sure. I mean I’ve groomed him myself to be sex on legs.” Yoongi began to hack up a lung as he choked on a piece of chicken at what Taehyung had just said. He mouthed, “Sex on legs?” but the other man was continuing as if Yoongi hadn’t just about died.

“But I’m not interested in his dick. Touched it once and that was enough.”

“Once?”

Taehyung waved his arm in dismissal, “Story for another time hyung.”

Yoongi just nodded wide eyed at all the information he had just gotten.

“You can call him bunny, Tae. I understand who you mean now. Don’t press yourself.”

After a few more bites, Taehyung smiled softly at Yoongi. His heart may have just skipped a beat.

“I miss him. I think that’s why I keep using that nickname so much lately.”

Yoongi nodded in understanding.

“Anyway, remember that picture that I took of us that night.”

Yoongi set his chopsticks down and just raised his gaze to Taehyung’s willing him to continue with the topic he had brought up but it seemed the younger was waiting for confirmation.

“The one you deleted.”

It wasn’t a question but a statement because Yoongi expected the man to delete it like he had originally told him to do. Though a little voice in the back of his head said he might want to look at it just one more time. Taehyung nodded, pulled his phone out from his pants pocket, fingers flying over the screen as he found what he was looking for then slid the phone across the coffee table for Yoongi to look at. His large hand reached for the phone pulling it closer to himself and he looked down, eyes immediately drawn to the picture of them that Taehyung was supposed to delete.

Jesus, it really looked like they had just fucked. It was an image that Yoongi quickly realized he wasn’t actually ready to see and maybe he wouldn’t be for a long while. He sucked in a breath and tried very hard not to let his thoughts wander to what could have happened that night. He was just about to say something about not deleting the picture when his eyes saw more of the screen he was looking at. It wasn’t just the picture but it was in a text message. A text message to a number Yoongi wouldn’t ever forget and a name that matched with Taehyung’s nostalgia.

Yoongi zeroed in on the date that the message was sent and it took him a few seconds to figure out that it was indeed the same night that they spent together.

“Fuck.” He muttered under his breath so softly that even Taehyung couldn’t hear it. This was not what he had expected at all. He wasn’t quite sure what to feel. He was still confused though. How did this picture cause any problem between Jungkook and Taehyung. Sure, it looked like Taehyung had sent his best friend a picture of his latest conquest but even still that wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

“Okay, so you sent it to Jungkook. I’m still not sure what the problem is. Are you sure the two of you don’t have a thing?”

An exasperated sigh filled the space between then and then Taehyung through his hands up in the air. He took a long swig of the beer he had almost forgotten about in the importance of the topic.

“So fucking obtuse.”

Yoongi’s eyes narrowed as the words that were said to oneself were still heard by the other. How was he obtuse? Sure, maybe Jungkook and him didn’t have anything between them but friendship but anyone in this situation would come to that conclusion considering the context that was missing from that picture. If Jungkook wasn’t talking to Taehyung then he had to have some type of feelings for his friend. It wasn’t that crazy of an idea.

“He misses you.”

Yoongi looked and felt like he was just slapped across the face. Misses him? Did he hear that right? A part of him had fluttered, jumped in joy but the majority of Yoongi was just lost. He understood that even if Jungkok missed him it was in a platonic way. They had been such good friends, family even for so long. Yoongi would never lie to himself, he missed Jungkook. A lot. A whole fucking lot. This was better though, this distance. He licked his lips, opened his mouth then shut it again.

“So, he won’t talk to you because he misses me? I’m not following here Taehyung. Just spit it out.”

The open attitude that Yoongi had walked through his front door with was starting to close off. The alarm had been rung and his walls were ready to raise and slide into place. Taehyung looked like he was struggling with finding the right words to use but Yoongi couldn’t help him with that.

“Hyung, we both know what happened three years ago. He accepted that as well as he could have but seeing you again, it’s only made him miss you more then I shoot him this really deceiving image. Of course, he would be hurt. It looks like I’m flaunting spending time with you in his face and well a bit more than that.”

“And that’s my fault how?”

Taehyung dropped his chopsticks onto this plate and annoyance flashed through his eyes before he bit it back down.

“It’s not. It’s mine but we still hurt him and I’ve been trying to fix things but he won’t let me in. He normally lets things go in a couple of days or at least tells me what the hell he’s thinking but it’s been radio silence. Please hyung, help me.”

Yoongi licked his lips again. He didn’t really know what to think. Namjoon was wrong. It was laughable how that of all thoughts floated through his head was what Yoongi was thinking about right now. Confusion clouded Taehyung’s face and Yoongi was soon wondering what was going on in the youngers mind. He wore his feelings so obviously on his sleeve. It was helpful for the most part.

“Namjoon what?”

Oh shit. Shit. Shit. He actually said that aloud? What? He had said that aloud. He really said that aloud. God damn it. This wasn’t a topic he wanted to broach. Looking away, his ears were fully flushed and there was no way he could stop Taehyung from seeing it. Not that, that even mattered right now.

“Uh nothing. Just a random thought.”

He took a three long swallows of his cola, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and then looked at Taehyung once more.

“You think Jungkook will talk with me if he won’t talk with his best friend?”

The nodding that Taehyung was giving him made the corners of his lips twitch. He looked like a bobble head doll that got flicked, it just kept going and so enthusiastically.

“Positive! You have no idea. Jungkook still ha- He would, I promise.”

Yoongi chose not to comment on what Taehyung stopped himself from saying. He was curious but now just didn’t feel like the appropriate time to get side tracked. The blonde hummed to himself before picking up his cola again.

“And what should I say? Explain that you were a lousy lay and it won’t happen again?”

Did Yoongi just say he shouldn’t get side tracked because clearly he didn’t mean that. Taehyung’s expression of indignation was the perfect reply.

“Yah, I’m a fantastic lay thank you. Rock your world.” A chopstick was being pointing at Yoongi with such conviction. He only smirked as he rose his eyes from the chopstick and pushed it down with the tip of his index finger.

“I would be the one making your world rock.”

How that snarky banter that was dripped in flirtatious attitude slipped past Yoongi’s lips was beyond him. He hadn’t intended on it but Taehyung had just pushed the right buttons. It was only for half a second but he watched as the younger’s eyes widened in a pleasant surprise before training his expression not to give anymore away.

“And Jungkook used to say you had no game.” The man snorted and that made Yoongi laugh. He pointed with his chopsticks at Taehyung and then his food.

“Finish your food, I have to leave for work in a little bit. I’ll talk to Jungkook for you but I make no promises that this will go the way you plan.”

“Thank you, Yoongi hyung. It won’t fix everything but it will help. Thank you so much!

The smile that broke out across Taehyung’s face was once again the sun’s rays. Yoongi was only more sure that Kim Taehyung was the sun personified. He liked it. He hadn’t felt this warm from just being around someone in quite awhile.

It was nice.

Really nice.

Dinner with Taehyung after the main issue had been addressed had went really well. It was a lot of fun, Taehyung was hilarious and it made Yoongi really relaxed. He was going to need a couple red bulls tonight since he barely got any sleep during the day. That was mostly his own fault but at least his belly was full of good food and laughter. He wouldn’t mind hanging out with Taehyung again, maybe call him to grab a drink sometime. They had each other'sothers phone numbers and this time it felt like the he could actually use it to just chat with the man rather than, I’m giving you my number so if you fall ill on the walk home you can call me and I’ll take your sick ass home. Friendship status had been obtained even if Joon had thought it was something else.

As he walked through the streets of Seoul once again, Yoongi couldn’t help but think of their parting earlier.

“Hyung, who is Namjoon and why was he wrong?”

That had been awkward but he managed to fumble through it.

“A good friend, family really. You don’t really want to know what he said.”

Eyebrow wiggles and a suggestive, “Yes I do.” left the elder in a fix.

Licking his lips, “He uh, he said you wanted to talk because you thought I was hot.” Yoongi couldn’t even hold Taehyung’s gaze he was so embarrassed at saying that aloud. His heart was hammering in his chest, it left a lot open.

“Oh.” The surprise was there so Yoongi chanced a look.

“Well, you are hot hyung. I told you that many times that night. I mean Sexy Leather Hyung is your name in my phone and I would have definitely let you fuck me that night if you hadn’t been so honorable or some shit.”

Did Yoongi say his heart was hammering before? He clearly didn’t know what hammering was until now, he kept his gaze on Taehyung’s warm brown eyes.

“But I’m glad we didn’t. You missed out on a real fine piece of ass, Yoongi hyung.” The teasing and laughter was there but Yoongi didn’t feel any of it. He covered his hand with his hand and grunted.

“Right…” He shifted his gaze to door handle his hand was gripping as he turned it and pulled the door open.

“You wouldn’t have been able to handle the aftermath anyway.” A smirk was given and the topic was dropped just like that.

Shaking his head, Yoongi cleared the memory from his mind. He had told Joon, Taehyung is Jungkook’s best friend. Not happening. He sighed and kept walking through the busy hustle and bustle of people still trying to get home after work and after evening pit stops. He didn’t actually have to be at work until 9pm today but he had wanted to get there early and do some off the air work.

A strong vibration could be felt in his pocket since he had his hand in the same pocket that he had slipped his phone into. Pulling it out, he looked at the caller ID and was surprised. Seriously, speak of the devil. Yoongi stared at the name Jungkook for another moment before finally sliding his finger to answer the call.

“Hello?”

The voice that filled his ear was not Jeon Jungkook’s, he pulled the phone away to make sure that he had read the characters right on his phone, he had so he placed it back at his ear.

“Hello? Yoongi-ssi?”

“Who is this?”

“Ah, sorry. I’m Bae Jinwoo-”

“Where’s Jungkook?”

Yoongi was no longer moving but standing stock still in the middle of the sidewalk, ignoring the angry glares he’s getting from people around him for stopping short and not moving with the flow of traffic.

“He’s here. That’s why I’m calling.”

“Jinwooooo, come dance with me up here.”

Yoongi could hear what sounded like a distant Jungkook in the background slurring his words but overall sounding rather excited. He didn’t really understand what was going on.

“Jungkook-ssi, one moment. Ah, J-Jungkook-ssi wait.”

He was contemplating hanging up because he wasn’t very fond of whatever game was going on. He didn’t need to hear what was going on between this Jungkook and Bae Jinwoo person. However, a nagging in the back of his mind was saying what if Jungkook isn’t okay. So he stayed put but his left foot was tapping in impatience on the cold hard concrete.

“Sorry, sorry about that Yoongi-ssi. As you can see Jungkook is a little intoxicated.”

“A little? Why are you calling me, just take him home.”

“Are you not his partner?”

“Partner? No, what the fuck?”

“Ah, I just assumed the heart next to your name and ah, I’m sorry for bothering you but he needs someone to look after him and I just met him an hour ago so. Should I call his mom then?”

Yoongi’s fingers were pinching the bridge of his nose. It was no fucking wonder that Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jungkook were friends. They can’t handle their liquor and go out unsupervised when not talking to each other. He let out a big sigh and glanced at his watch. He technically still had time but…

“Fuck, no. Don’t call his mom. Where are you?”

Bae Jinwoo gave him the location of a jazz bar him and Namjoon used to frequent here and there. Jungkook had gone there once with him when it had first opened. Weird, it hadn’t really been his scene then but perhaps Jungkook’s tastes have changed since. Who the fuck knew, Min Yoongi didn’t. Changing his direction, he headed back to the last bus station he had passed to hopefully catch it still. He was going to kill these kids.

It took Yoongi 20 minutes to get to the jazz bar and when he burst into the usually quiet establishment he did not anticipate to see the scene before him. The bartender was laughing so loud and this was probably the only reason that Jungkook hadn’t gotten kicked out of the bar. Jungkook had hijacked the live band’s stage and was making it his own show. His suit jacket nowhere to be seen, his tie draped around a saxophone players neck and his shirt was unbuttoned more than halfway down, he was currently rubbing his hands up and down his chest while rolling his hips in a rather sensual way, soon to be sliding his hands down his thighs as he “slut dropped” or so Seokjin would say.

Yoongi stared at the scene transfixed for a few moments before another bout of laughter rumbled deep near by and the words of another asking if this would become a permanent act in the future broke the spell. Walking over to the bar he gave the man who was lusting openly over Jungkook the dirtiest look he could possible give then pulled out his wallet and handed his card over to the bartender.

“I’ll pay that fool’s tab.”

Yoongi looked over his shoulder at Jungkook and shook his head. He couldn’t believe this is what he was seeing. Jungkook was reaching for a man who was near the stage, he looked like a deer caught in headlights. Jungkook’s arms wrapped around the unfamiliar man’s neck and he whispered something into his ear which had the other man shaking his head and trying to get him to step down from the stage. The band looked amused which was something.

“Don’t worry about it Jinwoo already paid and the kid’s been cut off.”

Well, that was a relief.

“Who would have known he couldn’t handle his liquor. What a 180 from when he first waltzed in here.” The bartender chuckled again. Yoongi put his card and wallet back and then grabbed the suit jacket that was sitting on a chair. There wasn’t anyone else around and the bartender gave him a reassuring nod. Apparently, he had been expected by more than just Jinwoo.

Yoongi made brisk strides into the lounge of the bar and stopped once he got to the stage.

“Jeon Jungkook, get down right now.”

He sternly said to the younger male. Jungkook stopped trying to dance with Jinwoo and wobbled his way closer to where Yoongi stood.

“Taehyungieee!”

What the fuck?

“When did you get so short?”

Yoongi’s jaw clenched but he wasn’t about to get bated by a drunk man. Grabbing Jungkook around the waist he pulled him towards him and lifted him off the stage onto the floor. Fuck the kid was heavier than he remembered. Yoongi may be short and he may not have muscle mass like Jungkook or Seokjin but he was still able to flip both of them over if he truly wanted to. Didn’t mean it was the easier maneuver either.

“Ooooh, impatient.” Jungkook slurred in Yoongi’s ear and he hated that it sent a shiver down his spine. It wasn’t even two seconds after Jungkook’s feet had met the floor that he started to rub himself up against Yoongi. He wasn’t sure if this was something that the two generally did when they went to clubs or of this was because the younger was drunk but Yoongi needed him to stop.

“Jungkook, we’re leaving. Let’s go.”

“Noooo, TaeTae, dance with me first. Just one dance.” He whined and pouted before biting his lip in a seductive way.

Yoongi let out an exasperated sigh, Jungkook was really fucking drunk if he was acting this way.

“I don’t have time for this. We can dance at home.”

Jungkook had both of his arms wrapped around Yoongi’s neck and was curling a blond lock around his finger as his eyes tried to focus on Yoongi’s but kept looking at his nose, lips, eyes and repeating the motions. He swung his head to the side and smiled brightly at his hyung.

“Promise?”

“Yeah, yeah, promise. Let’s go.”

Yoongi wrapped his fingers around Jungkook’s small wrist and pulled his arm off his shoulder. He kept his arm wrapped around the younger’s slim waist for support. He didn’t want the man to stumble and fall. Looking to his right he saw Jinwoo?

“Sorry for the inconvenience but thank you calling and looking after him.”

Jinwoo waved away the words of thanks as if it was nothing but he looked a little embarrassed about it all. Yoongi didn’t say anything else, instead he squeezed Jungkook’s side in a small indication for him to start moving.

“Come on, let’s get you home.”

The whole way home Yoongi was unable to get Jungkook to realize that he wasn’t Taehyung and he had just given up on trying. It didn’t matter. It was obvious that the kid wasn’t going to remember any of this in the morning. He really wished he knew just what Jungkook had to drink that night. He had never been poor at holding his liquor but he wasn’t that bad. However, at least with Jungkook he was able to confirm his address unlike with Taehyung. That was a plus and another one was that he didn’t actually live that far from Yoongi. By the time they had made it to the peeling green door of Jungkook’s the man was much quieter. Sleeping was beginning to call to him but he was still saying all kinds of crazy things. He talked about pizza rolls being better than puppies which even Yoongi thought that was ludicrous. Jungkook also informed him of how starving he was for a dish that he had never heard of and refused to repeat because it was the most disgusting combination of food he had ever imagine and he wouldn’t let that live in existence again.

Sticking his hand in Jungkook’s pockets earned him a couple of slaps on the hand.

“No gettin’ frisky!”

Yoongi only rolled his eyes more and pulled out the keys he had been looking for.

“You wish that was what I was doing.”

“Ew TaeTae. I don’ know where that things been.”

Jungkook’s eyes traveled down in the direction of Yoongi’s crotch and then back up to his face with a disgust that had Yoongi laughing. So, those two would never be lovers. Got it. He had very clearly asked something offensive earlier to Taehyung that night. It was pretty funny. Though if he thought about him and Joon, well he would have to react in the same way. Namjoon was like his younger brother and he could never picture him in any other light. No, the mere thoughtthough was giving him chills and not in a good way.

Getting Jungkook into the apartment was the easiest thing he had done all night. As soon as the boy was in, he was throwing his arms wide yelling “Home sweet home!” and then he promptly began stripping. And to think Yoongi had gone through the trouble of buttoning up his shirt. Ah, the tie. Oops, looks like the saxophonist earned a new tie. Oh well, if the only thing Jungkook lost was his tie and perhaps a bit of his dignity that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Yoongi walked in picking up uping the clothes that Jungkook was littering all over the floor. He landed on the couch and curled up. Yoongi wandered until he found Jungkook’s bedroom and tossed the clothes in a corner of the bedroom, at least now they were out of the way. Then he went back into the living room and knelt on the floor next to the man’s head. His eyes were closed and he was breathing softly. Yoongi’s hand reached up and before he knew it his fingers were running through his dark silky locks.

“Mmm…” a soft moan, Jungkook had always really enjoyed when someone would play with his hair. There was something that just comforted him and could even put him to sleep by it. It was something that Yoongi and him shared.

“Hyung, why am I like this?”

Yoongi shifted his gaze from the top of Jungkook’s head to a full view of Jungkook’s face. His cheeks were flushed pink, thanks to the alcohol and his lips, that perfect cupid’s bow of his was plump and glistening as the younger probably just licked his lips. Jungkook’s nose had always been a little angular and when he was younger he had been a bit awkward but now the man had grown into his features well.

“Hmm, like what Jungkookie?”

“I dunno. Annoyed. Confused. Why did you sleep with Yoongi hyung?”

A sigh slipped out of Yoongi’s lips. He didn’t know what to say and he felt awkward hearing what wasn’t for his own ears to hear. He would feel really bad about this in the morning if Jungkook was to continue even though the man should know that Yoongi isn’t Taehyung, their deep voices are kind of similar in a way.

“Shh, bunny. Let’s get you into bed. You need to sleep.”

The name bunny felt weird on his lips, wrong but Yoongi didn’t know what else to do. Jungkook needed to sleep and he needed to get to work.

“He’s my hyung.”

A deep chuckle filled the quiet of the apartment and Yoongi couldn’t help but smile. Jeon Jungkook, how do you always make me laugh with the simplest of words. He wondered that often before and it hadn’t changed. The man who was grinding so sensually and sexually that it made even Yoongi who was very annoyed with the younger shift in his pants just 30 minutes ago was being so adorable. A tad possessive but still adorable.

“Okay, he’s your hyung. Sit up for me, please. “

Jungkook groaned but did what was asked.

“Whoa so cool! The room is spinning. How did you do that?”

All he could do was shake his head as he pulled jungkook to his feet and helped him walk into his bedroom. Jungkook plopped down onto his mattress and immediately pulled his feet under the covers. Yoongi picked them up and tucked the man in.

“Hyung, cuddle. “ Jungkook pouted.

They cuddle? Hmm, not something him and Joon ever did but to each their own. Yoongi shook his head though, he really had to head into work now. He plugged in Jungkook’s phone that he had in his pocket.

“I can’t. I have to go to work.” jungkook’s bottom lip jutted out even more and Yoongi was face to face with the most pitiful expression it rivaled puppies. For just a moment he wanted to abide by Jungkook’s wants and needs but he didn’t. He couldn’t indulge himself. Especially, not when the man still thought he was Taehyung.

As if on cue, “Taetaeeee, cuddle.”

Who knew that Jungkook was such a whiner when he was drunk off his ass. This was a new side for Yoongi to see. He had never seen the man this far gone before this made him chuckle. He may just have to tease him about it later. Leaving his side, Yoongi quickly got a glass of water and found the medicine cabinet. He pulled out a couple tablets to help Jungkook with his hangover in the morning. He ran his fingers through Jungkook’s locks a few times.

“Jungkook-ah, there’s water and medicine on the table. Take it in the morning, huh, bun?”

All he received was a groan that wasn’t words at all but he would take it as confirmation. Yoongi leaned down and pressed his lips gently against Jungkook’s forehead and then removed his hand watching as his locks fell back into place hiding the evidence of his kiss. He didn’t look back as he left and he may or may not have stopped at a store to buy porridge and place it at Jungkook’s front door since he had locked the door on his way out the first time.

“Jungkook is going to be hungover as fuck in the morning. Go over and check on him then. “

“Yoongi hyung? You saw Jungkook. Is he okay? Should I go now?”

“Taehyung, he’s fine. He’s sleeping, just check on him in the morning and you’re welcome. “ Yoongi hung up then and hurried to work. Shit. His boss was going to kill him.

OSFTSB Chapters

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canyousevmyheavydirtysoul · 7 years

Text

My Best Friend’s Wedding. (Part 3) (Pete Wentz x Reader)

Note: I’ve been gone for 2 weeks and in that time, my followers have more than doubled. How?! That’s insanity. Thank you so much <3. And as promised, there will be 8 imagines posted over the next 24 hours. x

~Wednesday, 02:00, 80 hours until the wedding~

The scratching of pen on paper echoed throughout the otherwise silent hotel room. 12 hours had gone by since Meagan dumped the task of hand-writing everything on you, during which you'd only managed to get just more than three quarters of the place cards done, let alone the menus and seating chart. Surrounded by empty vodka bottles, random bits of paper here and there, numerous jars of ink and clutching onto the calligraphy pen as if it were the only thing preventing you from descending into madness, you must’ve looked completely pathetic, and on the brink of insanity.

Your tired eyes began to droop, begging you to give in to the sweet temptation of sleep. Ignoring your exhausted body’s cries of agony, you forced your hand to continue its movements, blinking rapidly whenever your pupils strayed out of focus.

Brendon’s place card was the last thing you saw before you passed out.

~Wednesday, 14:00, 68 hours until the wedding~

“Y/N!”

You woke up with a start, knocking one of the previous night’s vodka bottles to the floor in the process. Dazed and confused, you rubbed your eyes before forcing them open, the blurry silhouettes of Patrick and (Y/B/F) coming into focus. Bringing one hand up to your forehead, you tilted your head back and let out a groan.

“How much did I have to drink?” you spoke slowly and carefully, massaging your aching scalp. You had a pounding headache and felt as if your head might split open.

“Meh, only, like, 4 bottles,” Patrick answered nonchalantly, handing you a couple of aspirins and a glass of water.

“And how long was I asleep for?” you questioned hesitantly, graciously accepting the pills.

“Oh, only 12 hours,” (Y/B/F) shrugged.

You nearly choked on the water.

“What the fu-… 12 HOURS?! And neither of you thought it would be a good idea to wake me up?!” you spoke in a panic, standing up so quickly that you stumbled a bit before you could find your footing.

The two shared a look of mild amusement.

“I’m glad you two find this so funny,” you glared at them.

“Relax, (Y/N/N),” said Patrick, “We still have 3 hours before the rehearsal starts.”

“Yeah, and I’m nowhere near done with these fucking cards!” You kicked at a pillow in frustration. “Meagan is gonna have a bitch-fit.”

“Cards?” Patrick and (Y/B/F) questioned, perplexed.

“What, did you think I was staying up until early hours of the morning writing in calligraphy just for fun? No, Meagan decided she wanted me to hand-write every single one of the place cards, the menus, and the seating chart.”

“Oh.” Patrick grimaced.

“Shit,” (Y/B/F) whispered.

“Yes, shit, indeed.” You sat back down at the table with a grunt. “Now, since you guys have proved to be no help to me whatsoever, I’m gonna try and finish what I can before the rehearsal. Oh, and just by the way,” you turned in your chair to face your friends, pointing an accusatory finger between the two of them, “I hate you both.”

~Wednesday, 17:37, 64 hours and 23 minutes until the wedding~

“Where the actual fuck is (Y/N)?” Meagan screeched, throwing her veil on the ground in frustration.

“Babe, relax. I’m sure she’ll be here soon,” Pete cooed from his seat on the altar steps.

“Why is she trying to ruin our wedding, baby?” Meagan whined while pouting at Pete. Patrick rolled his eyes at her annoying antics, wondering how the hell his best friend ended up with her. “I bet it’s because she’s jealous,” Meagan continued, “She’s always been jealous of our relations-“

“Or she just got caught up with all those place cards you ordered her to write out,” Patrick interrupted her, sick to death of her unnecessary attacks on you.

“You ordered her to do what?” Pete questioned angrily, raising both eyebrows at his fiancée.

“I-I just thought that it would be, you know, more au-authentic and personal if everything was handwritten,” Meagan stuttered, her cheeks now a crimson red; she obviously hadn’t expected Pete to have the reaction that he did.

“So you made (Y/N) write them all out by herself?”

“She does really pretty calligraphy.”

“And you couldn’t have asked her to do it a few weeks ago? This week was supposed to be a chance to unwind a little and for everyone to hang out for a bit before Saturday. Not a time to spring everything onto the Maid of Honor at the last minute,” Pete said in disbelief, appalled at Meagan’s actions.

Meagan didn’t like the fact that Pete was defending you, and her face and body language showed it. Eyebrows furrowed together in fury and hands balled up into tight fists at her sides, she opened her mouth to speak once more, but was cut off when the doors swung open and you ran in, panting heavily and with blotches of ink all over your hands and face.

Hunched over with hands on your knees, you tried to catch your breath. “Sorry I’m… late. Was busy… place cards… Lost track of time,” you panted.

“No worries, my dear! Weddings are a very stressful ordeal! Now, assuming we’re all here…” the overly cheerful minister clasped his hands together and did a quick survey of the room, “Ah, excellent! Let’s begin.”

Meagan stared daggers at you from across the room while Patrick placed a reassuring hand on the small of your back.

“What’s she mad at me for? She’s the one who gave me the stupid job in the first place.”

“You can’t explain crazy, (Y/N/N.)”

~Wednesday, 19:00, 63 hours until the wedding~

If looks could kill, Meagan would’ve murdered you a dozen times in the rehearsal alone. There was also the fact that she’d keep on mentioning how the entire evening was behind schedule because you hadn’t shown up on time. It was the longest 45 minutes of your life, but you made it through. With the help of Patrick, of course.

Swaying gently to the music, you rested your head on Patrick’s shoulder and sighed.

“I wish I could run away for the next four days. Or time-skip until after the wedding,” you sighed.

“You and me both.”

“Believe me, no one wants this to be over more than I do.”

“Hey,” Patrick pulled away a little so that you were forced to look at him. “How come you’re acting so weird about this wedding? I mean, I get that you’re Maid of Honor, and Meagan is going out of her way to make this as stressful as possible, but it seems like more than just stress. What’s really going on?” Patrick’s blue eyes pierced through your (e/c) ones and he seemed to stare straight into your soul. For a moment, you felt compelled to open up to him.

But you didn’t get the chance to.

“Yo, dude,” Pete placed a hand on Patrick’s shoulder. “Do you mind?” he nudged his head towards you.

“All yours,” Patrick gestured towards you with a smile, which Pete returned.

Gripping your one hand tightly while guiding your other one to his shoulder, Pete started dancing with you. A million butterflies fluttered in your stomach.

“I feel like we haven’t spoken in forever,” he said with a sad smile.

“That’s cause we haven’t,” you shrugged, “You’ve been doing Groom stuff and I’ve been, well, getting covered in ink,” you chuckled.

Pete’s face turned serious. “That’s actually the other reason I came over here. I wanted to apologise for Meagan and her unrealistic expectations for you. I mean, how can she expect you to do all of that writing by yourself? That’s borderline slavery. If she has anymore near-impossible requests, let me know. ”

“It’s okay, Pete. I’m the Maid of Honor; it’s my job to make near-impossible things possible. Besides… If it’ll make your wedding that much more special, I don’t mind. Really. I just want you to be the happiest you can be.” Your voice broke a little at the end of your last sentence, and you prayed that Pete didn’t notice. If he did, he didn’t show it.

“You’re fucking incredible, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told,” you flipped your hair dramatically, causing both of you to chuckle.

You stopped swaying and Pete planted a peck on your cheek before whispering “Thank you, (Y/N).” in your ear.

You tried as best you could to supress the pink color threatening to creep onto your cheeks, smiling at Pete before he walked away, staring at him for a little longer than would be appropriate.

Patrick approached you again, looking like he’d just had an epiphany.

“So that’s why you’re so on edge… I can’t believe I didn’t notice it before,” Patrick shook his head as if scolding himself for being so oblivious, running a hand through his light hair.

You stared at him in confusion.

“You’re in love with Pete.”

_______________________________

Thank you for reading x

33 notes · View notes

dyde21 · 7 years

Text

Mechanic 13: The “Not-A-Date”

Super sorry for the delay! I’ll explain a bit more after the chapter! Heads up: Longest chapter so far.

XxXxXxXxX

Pyrrha tried to ignore the snickers of her teammates and friends as she paced back and forth. They had finished doing up her hair a few minutes ago, and she was all dressed up. All that was left was for her was to meet up with Jaune. She was still a few minutes early though, so she had nothing to do to calm her building nerves.

Jane was sympathetic and trying to offer her some friendly idle chatter to occupy her, but Pyrrha kept getting distracted, her eyes drifting over to her scroll.

Weiss and Yang were cleaning up all the supplies they had brought over to help do Pyrrha's makeup and her hair. Pyrrha had insisted that they didn't do too much, and they both agreed. They felt Pyrrha really shone without too much make-up on, and Weiss had admitted that she felt Jaune wouldn't be one to notice or really appreciate it anyway. That was a fact all had agreed on, a bit reluctantly. He wasn't the most observant after all.

Giving up on pacing, she sat on the edge of her bed, placing a hand on her chest and breathing deeply. They were just going out as friends for a dinner as a reward for him working so hard. It was simple. At least, that was the lie Pyrrha was trying to convince herself of.

When her scroll chimed, Pyrrha jumped up. Reaching her hand out to summon it to her, her heart was racing too much and it zoomed across the room like an arrow, causing Jane and Yang to duck as it right near them, narrowly missing before it landed in Pyrrha's hand.

“I'm sorry!” She apologized quickly as she saw the text. “He's here!” She said, looking to Jane in a bit of a panic. “Wait, that's good.” She said, suddenly remembering her nerves were cause she was happy, not out of sadness. She started grinning. “He's here!” She repeated, in a much more elated tone.

Yang leaned over to Jane. “Is she going to be okay?”

Jane offered an exasperated smile. “I'm not sure. I haven't seen her like this before.” She said with a weak laugh.

Pyrrha stood up, quickly putting her scroll in her purse. Normally she wasn't one to carry a purse around, but her current outfit was annoyingly devoid of any sort of pockets, so she had to relent. She took another deep breath, trying to calm herself. She was acting far too out of character. Pyrrha was just concerned about going on a not-a-date with Jaune. Due to her upbringing and her fame, she never had the chance to form many close bonds, let alone dream of dating.

Normally when she was with Jaune, they were fighting or training, which gave Pyrrha a baseline to start from. Even during the ball she found herself surrounded by her friends for support, and was much more like a formal occasion she had attended before.

Just the two of them, eating dinner, was much more intimate than she had experience with.

“You look amazing! Are your shoes okay? You shouldn't have to walk too far, but neither of you have your license.” Yang offered.

Pyrrha smiled, walking a few steps just to be sure. They had insisted on rather fancy footwear, but Pyrrha had managed to talk them down into more comfortable heels, knowing that she would be back to training tomorrow and she couldn't afford to be dealing with sore feet.

“They're just fine, thank you.” She reassured. Pausing at the door, she smiled at her friends. “I'm off. Thank you for all your help.”

Yang just waved her off. “Don't worry about it. You'll pay us back in details later.” She teased with a wink, earning a blush from Pyrrha.

Pyrrha opened her mouth to find a reply, but suddenly found words failing her. She turned, quickly making her way away from her room, towards the front of Beacon where she knew Jaune would be waiting for her.

Back in the room, Yang and Weiss highfived as Jane and Nora snickered in the corner of the room, excited to hear the results of how their teammate's date would go.

As Pyrrha made her way there, she ignored the curious glances from the various students littered around beacon. The star student dressed up certainly was enough to provoke curiosity in the student body. Some could guess who she would be going to be meeting, but others saw it as an opportunity.

As Pyrrha walked, her mind in a daze as she thought about all possible combination of first words she could say to Jaune, she failed to notice a second year beginning to approach her.

Judging by his smirk, and his confident walk, it was pretty easy to assume what his intentions were. He failed to even register on Pyrrha's radar as she walked, unintentionally on a collision course with her pursuer.

However, before he could “accidentally” bump into Pyrrha, he found himself “accidentally” bumped into as a lady cloaked in brown stood over him, staring down at him with a threatening gaze. She lowered her sunglasses as she raised an eyebrow. “Can't you tell she has plans? Perhaps you should stay out of her way from now. I heard from my precious underclassmen that she's been looking forward to this night.” Coco said stared down at the boy.

“Coco! You didn't need to knock him over.” Velvet said worriedly as she stood nervously behind her, eyes flickering as she looked over at Pyrrha who had missed the whole interaction. After hearing Ruby and Yang teasing Pyrrha earlier, she certainly felt relieved to see their friend having the chance to find someone in her life. Though, velvet had to admit she was curious as to who could capture the champion's heart.

Ignorant of the shakedown that she had just passed, Pyrrha's pace sped up and slowed down periodically as she debated between rushing to Jaune, and trying to slow down to make it look like she wasn't too eager.

Before long however, she found herself at the gate of Beacon, seeing a certain blond fidgeting with a tie. Seeing him struggle a bit with trying to get it straight, made her laugh and immediately she felt the weights of stress fall away. Suddenly all the pressure of the night seemed distant.

“Would you like some help with that?” She asked with a small chuckle.

Jaune turned to her, eyes wide and face flushed. “If you wouldn't mind.” He said, giving her a warm smile.

Pyrrha's heart fluttered a bit as she knew, tonight was already worth it, regardless of how the rest of the evening went. Stepping forward, she quickly straightened his tie as she stepped back.

“Is the tie too much? I told Alice I didn't need it but she said it was important.” He rambled a bit nervously.

Looking him over once, Pyrrha realized she needed to thank Alice later.

To Pyrrha, Jaune had looked good in the formal clothes he had worn to the ball, however now her heart had skipped a beat.

Jaune was waring a simple black two piece suit, but it had clearly been tailored to fit him as it rested on him perfectly. A plain black tie hung around his neck, disappearing behind his closed jacket. Even his hair had been slightly groomed, though Pyrrha appreciated that it still had remnants of the shaggy mop that she had come to love seeing. Seeing him in a proper tailored suit made him look older and more mature, versus his usual hoodie and jeans. A blush creeped onto Pyrrha's face, as she was suddenly grateful again that she had let Weiss and Yang take charge. “You look very handsome tonight.” She praised warmly.

Jaune let out a sigh of relief as he looked at her, finally noticing what she was wearing. “You look – wow.” He forgot how to speak for a moment.

Pyrrha's dress was similar to the one she wore to the ball, but made her slightly more mature. It was a rather simple red dress, with a slit down the side to allow for movement. The neckline of the dress was slanted, with just one strap to it over the left shoulder. Her hair was still in it's signature ponytail, but with a hairpin in it and the hair was curled slightly as it cascaded down her back in a much more controlled manner than usual.

Seeing the shy embarrassed smile on Pyrrha's face made Jaune's stomach drop as he suddenly was very grateful for all the effort his sisters had put in cleaning him up, and realized they weren't joking when he was going to have to look his best to keep up with her tonight.

“You look gorgeous.” He stammered out finally.

“Thank you.” Pyrrha responded simply, her face matching her dress as she tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach.

“Yes yes, you both look amazing. My sisters and I, as well as your friends are all praise worthy. Now quick, move closer for a moment.” Alice said suddenly as she walked out hiding behind a pillar.

“I thought you left!” Jaune said suddenly.

Alice snickered. “Nah, I just wanted to see you two react to each other. Don't worry, I'm leaving. But I know of at least 8 people who would kill me if I didn't get a picture of you two, and I'm pretty sure two of them could actually do it.”

Jaune and Pyrrha just shared a gaze, before they started snickering. Their friends certainly could be a bit nosy, and Pyrrha had a feeling some of Jaune's sisters wanted to see their investment pay off. At least the tension was gone.

“Now I need another picture, look at me quickly!”

Pyrrha and Jaune both turned their head and looked at her, the echo of laughter still in their smiles as they turned and the camera flashed.

“Perfect!” Alice said triumphantly.

“But I wasn't ready.” Jaune complained.

Waving her hand dismissively, Alice smiled. “That's why it's perfect. It's natural. I'm not making you pose for an awkward prom photo.”

Jaune grumbled, but knew she was right. Trying to pose for a proper photo would have been nothing but awkward.

“Another photo?” Pyrrha asked hesitantly, not missing what she had said.

Alice snickered and turned her scroll around, showing the pair a picture of Pyrrha's fixing Jaune's tie as they were only inches from each other.

Pyrrha had to admit it was a good photo, but she blushed. “Don't take photos of us without us knowing!” Both Jaune and Pyrrha said at the same time, before they glanced at each other and looked down blushing harder.

Alice just burst out laughing as she tapped a few buttons on her scroll. Suddenly both Jaune's and Pyrrha's scroll sounded as they both received a message from her.

“Matching backgrounds are cute. Make sure to set it later. Now you should be on your way, you don't want to be late.” Alice teased as she turned and started to walk away, still snickering to herself. Casting a glance over her shoulder, she was really happy for her brother. They certainly seemed to be a wonderful pair together, they seemed healthy for each other. She knew things were now out of her hands, she just hoped those two would be able to get through the night without trouble.

Glancing at each other, both Pyrrha and Jaune let out a sigh of relief before starting to laugh.

Dealing with Alice certainly had managed to kill the awkward tension of just meeting up.

Soon, they boarded the airship, as the upper class section of Vale happened to be the furthest part of the city away from the school, so walking in their current attire would be a little impractical.

They both sat on one end of the airship, laughing and enjoying each others company as they ignored the rest of the world.

Some of the other passengers were a bit curious as to why the pair were dressed in extremely formal attire, but more found themselves a bit jealous of the laughter and smiles that the pair seemed to be sharing from the corner of the ship.

By the time the airship had landed and they were walking down the streets of the upper-class portion of Vale, Jaune and Pyrrha were completely at ease. That also meant however, their guard was down.

Pyrrha had been living at Beacon for quite a while by now, which meant that many of the residents had gotten used to seeing the “Pyrrha Nikos” walking around the town, seeing her as just another student rather than a celebrity. However, the upper-class section attracted both visitors, and many who had yet to meet with the celebrity.

Suddenly finding their conversation interrupted, Pyrrha looked over as a little girl was running up to her. “Pyrrha Nikos!” She let out a squeal of joy as she began to panic.

“Hello there.” Pyrrha said a bit reluctantly, shooting a nervous glance over to Jaune.

Jaune smiled reassuringly. Jaune was more than aware of the fact Pyrrha could be stopped by fans. They had talked about a lot during their months together, and Jaune had heard stories about what it was like to be a recognizable huntress. He was aware that Pyrrha felt very grateful for all of her fans, so he didn't mind waiting a little so she could greet them.

Stepping back a little, he gave Pyrrha some space as the girl's freakout drew more attention to her, drawing some others over to see the great “Pyrrha Nikos.”

Pyrrha smiled politely and greeted all of them, a bit concerned about the size of the crowd. It didn't always happen, but from time to time she could find herself trapped greeting fans for a while, as she felt too awkward to tell them she wanted to leave.

She signed various things, and posed for photos with her fans for a few minutes. They were all asking her various questions, complimenting her dress and her hair, her latest fight, telling her she was their hero. All of it made Pyrrha's heart swell a bit. She was honored she could be a hero to so many young girls and boys. Though she had to admit some of the attention it gained her from some of the older folks made her a little uneasy.

Some more time passed, and Pyrrha glanced over at Jaune again. By this point, the crowd had surrounded her, having pushed him farther and farther away.

He once again offered her a smile, but she felt a fist clench around her heart as she saw the hint of sadness that echoed in his smile. It was clear he was feeling a little ignored, but based off the smile he had offered her he understood that she wanted to be kind to her fans.

This was supposed to be their night after all.

The blonde dropped his gaze to the ground as he kicked a few pebbles around with his foot, wandering a few steps away as his shoulders slumped. By this point, most of the fans around her probably didn't even know she was supposed to be with him. They didn't even care either, they just wanted to meet with her.

Clearing her throat, she got the attention of those clamoring around her.

“I really am honored to meet you all, and I'm flattered by your kind words. But I'm afraid I must leave, I have to catch a reservation.” She said kindly, but determinedly as she made her way through the crowd.

“Dinner? With who?” Came one of the voice, a reporter from the looks of it.

Glancing over at Jaune's shocked expression, a smirk creeped onto Pyrrha's face. “With my date of course. Now if you'll excuse we, we must be going.”

With that, Pyrrha wrapped her arms around Jaune's as she hugged close to his side, glancing back and winking at the crowd as she began to lead them back towards their destination, leaving a stunned crowd behind.

Still in shock, Jaune let himself be lead along by Pyrrha, slowly smiling as he saw her smirk turn into snickering.

“Something funny?” He asked, still a bit red from being called her date.

“I'm sorry! It's just that reporter. His face was priceless.” She thought for a moment, her smile faltering. “I'm afraid I may have caused you some trouble in the future when those pictures get out.”

Jaune shook his head, smiling reassuringly. “It's no problem. I'm sure my parents will appreciate the publicity.

This caused Pyrrha to laugh, the sound like music to Jaune's ears. “I'm sorry to tear you away from your fans.” He said after a moment, very real guilt underlining the apology.

Pyrrha looked up at him, frowning. She stopped walking for a moment, trying to figure out the proper words.

“I... appreciate my fans very much. I have been very blessed to have so many. But tonight, it's about us Jaune. We're to enjoy a meal together, I'm afraid my fans will just have to understand that. Tonight you are my priority Jaune, not my career.”

That final sentence earned a blush from both of them. Jaune nodded meekly, unsure of what he could possibly say in response to that.

They started walking again, both letting the weight of what Pyrrha had said sink in.

“But I admit, it was nice being able to be free. I'm sure you will also alleviate some of the attention I'd rather not get.” She offered after a moment, looking over at him with gratitude.

Offering a smile, Jaune nodded. “I'm glad I can help. You know we're away from them though, you don't need to hold onto my arm if you don't want to anymore.” He offered, noticing she was still locking arms with him and walking next to him closely.

“I know.” She said with a cheery smile, not letting go. She giggled slightly at Jaune's blush as he kept walking.

Smiling sheepishly, Jaune glanced at Pyrrha. “I have a feeling you're going to get a lot of questions tomorrow when the news gets out. They're probably going to call us a-”

“Arkos?” A voice said suddenly.

Pyrrha and Jaune both looked up confused. Jaune wasn't going to say that. That was just his sister's nickname for them.

“Arkos, I presume?” The voice repeated.

Jaune noticed they were standing in front of the restaurant. The maitre d' smiled at them, waiting for confirmation.

“Uh, yes.” He said quickly, realizing that must have been the name his sisters had arranged them under. Of course it was.

“Right this way.” He said, motioning for them to follow.

“Arkos?” Pyrrha asked curiously as they walked.

Jaune just sighed. “It's our names mashed together. My sisters came up with it.”

“Oh.” Pyrrha said, lost in thought.

Moments later they were sat down at a table.

Looking around, Jaune suddenly felt extremely out of place.

All around them were clearly very rich patrons. Successful huntsmen, businessmen, politicians. Many wore jewelery, held them selves professionally. Sure his sisters had given him some reminders on proper manners, but he felt much more comfortable near a forge, versus this high class situation. Glancing at Pyrrha, she seemed a bit uncomfortable but certainly more at ease. He figured she was more experience with situations like this.

“Uh...” He struggled to find something to say.

He perked up as he felt Pyrrha's hand reached over, gently squeezing his.

“Hey, look at me. It's okay, it's just us. No one cares about two students eating dinner.” She offered reassuringly.

Taking a deep breath, a smile crept on Jaune's face. “Right.”

Satisfied that Jaune seemed more relaxed, she picked up her menu. “I've heard wonderful things about he...” She trailed off as the prices jumped out at her. She had eaten at a fancy restaurant or two before, but these prices...

“Welcome! Arkos I presume? Or should I say Ms. Nikos and Jaune! It's wonderful to meet you.”

A voice rang out, causing both Pyrrha and Jaune to look up from their frightful menu. A smiling man that looked like he could have handed out movie awards was standing next to the table, perfectly at ease in such a tense atmosphere.

“The pleasure is mine.” Pyrrha offered, trying to piece together who this friendly fellow was. He seemed a bit to casual to be just a waiter.

“Oh! You must be Josef.” Jaune said after a moment, piecing it together. Glancing over at Pyrrha he smiled. “He's dating my sister. He must be the one who helped pull this night together.” He offered her.

Smiling, Josef bowed his head slightly. “Correct! Your sisters came to me with this request, and we were more than happy to accommodate such a situation. Young love is so precious after all.” He said with a slight swoon in his voice.

Jaune and Pyrrha both blushed, staring down at their laps.

“Of course, Dinner is on the house tonight! Order what you will, but I'm afraid the wine menu is off limits of course.” He explained politely, earning a nod from both Pyrrha and Jaune understanding. They hadn't planned on drinking even if they could anyway.

Coughing a bit nervously he leaned over to Jaune. “If you could tell your sisters afterward that you enjoyed yourselves tonight, that would be a very large... relief.”

Jaune smiled sympathetically. Very obviously his sisters had applied some pressure on the poor man. “Of course. I'm sorry for them, they can be a bit... pushy. But you made them very happy, I'm sure my sister will find a way to make it up to you.” Jaune offered, watching the man's face relax.

“Very good. Now then, I'll give you two some time to decide. Let us know if you need anything.” He said formally, before bowing his head and leaving to attend to other matters.

“Well, that's very generous them.” Pyrrha said after a moment, looking at the menu with renewed interest. If prices truly weren't a concern, Pyrrha's interest was certainly piqued. There seemed to be a lot of interesting dishes here. “There's so much.” She said in awe, looking at all the different options. Many of them were also beyond her limited scope of understanding food. Usually her agent would offer her recommendations beforehand, or she'd go with whatever she recognize. Glancing up at Jaune, she was surprised to see him studying the menu intently.

“Hmm... Perhaps the filet mignon?” He mumbled, debating. Glancing up, he realized he had been lost in the menu. Smiling sheepishly he looked at her. “Have you decided what you want?”

Shaking her head, Pyrrha returned his sheepish smile. “I'm in a little over my head I'm afraid. I enjoy eating good food, but I'm not very knowledgeable about choosing it.” She confessed. “Do you have any recommendations?” She asked with a spark of hope. The redhead had to bite back a laugh as she saw her date's eyes light up in eagerness.

Nodding eagerly, Jaune thought back over what he had learned about her appetite. “How hungry are you tonight? Is meat okay or would you prefer something lighter. We should stick to something healthy if you have to return to practice tomorrow.” He began to analyze the situation, making Pyrrha smile.

Normally, it was obvious Jaune could be a bit of an airhead. He wasn't the best at social cues, and when it came to just walking around he could be a hazard to anyone when he held a sharp object. But when he was focusing with tools in his hands, or he was preparing food, she saw a level of focus that really made him stand out to her.

“I am rather starving tonight. I think I would love to try some of the stake here.” She decided to be honest, forgoing attempting to undersell her appetite.

Jaune nodded eagerly, flipping through the menu. After a moment, he nodded in confirmation to himself before setting down his menu. “You'll love this.”

Before Pyrrha could ask what he had picked out for her, the waiter showed up.

Jaune smiled, handing him his menu. “I'll have the Grilled King Salmon with Asparagus, Morels, and Leeks. And just water please.” He said politely, his eagerness leaking out.

When the waiter turned to Pyrrha, Pyrrha glanced at Jaune expectantly.

“She'll have the Steak Au Poivre with Shallots & Rum Sauce.”

Glancing over at Pyrrha, the waiter looked for confirmation.

Nodding a bit sheepishly she added “and just water please.”

“As you wish.” He said, taking both their menus as he quickly made his way away from their table.

Looking up at Jaune, Pyrrha quirked an eyebrow. “What exactly did you order for me?”

Smiling nervously Jaune shifted in his seat. “Ah. Pepper steak with Shallots and Rum Sauce. It was one of the recommendations from my sister, it's healthy, and I'm pretty sure you don't mind the seasonings. Sorry, I should have confirmed.”

Pyrrha shook her head. “Not at all, Jaune. I asked for your help. It sounds absolutely lovely. I'm looking forward to it.” She assured earnestly.

“Good.” Jaune replied a bit awkwardly as they glanced away from each other. Their conversation had crashed and burned already, and they hadn't even gotten their drinks yet.

“Here you go.” The waiter replied, making them both jump as he poured fresh water into their glasses, leaving them a pitcher. He quirked an eyebrow at seeing how jumpy the extremely young patrons were, but shook his head and left them alone again.

Glancing at each other, they took a sip at the same time before they gently set down their drinks, their gazes sliding to the floor again.

Pyrrha wanted to say something, after all she had been the one to reassure him that no one else cared that they were there, but the words failed her. The setting didn't seem right to discuss combat, their usual topic, and many of her stories from Beacon involved battling Grimm or training.

After another moment of awkward silence, they both reached for their glasses again.

The pair paused when they saw each other drinking at the same time. Their gaze met for a moment, before they both started laughing, setting down their drinks to avoid spilling them.

A minute later they both regained their composure, ignoring the curious and judgmental glances from the other patrons.

“What are we doing?” Pyrrha asked after a moment.

Jaune shook his head, sighing. “I don't know. I'm just nervous.” He confessed.

Pyrrha smiled. “I am too. I'll admit this is a bit out of my comfort zone.”

“We're two teens sitting in one of the nicest restaurants in Vale, with no idea what to say to each other, because my sister has nothing better to do than meddle in my life.” Jaune explained, with a soft sigh.

“I'm just glad I can here with you at least. And I'm sure the food will be lovely. We should be sure to thank Alice and the rest of your sisters.”

Jaune nodded. “I should get them a gift, after all without them I wouldn't be able to be sitting here with you.” He returned, watching Pyrrha's blush grow to match his own.

“I suppose I should find a way to thank my teammates and friends too.” Pyrrha offered, going over options in her head.

“They certainly didn't seem to mind helping my sister.” Jaune said with a small laugh. “Students of Beacon seem to love finding their way into trouble.”

Pyrrha laughed, setting down her drink again after taking a sip. “You have no idea. Just last week during class, Yang got this idea..”

A little while later, when their food was delivered, Jaune and Pyrrha were snickering quietly, laughing as they swapped stories about their friends and families. They looked up, not realizing how much time had passed as their plates were set in front of them.

They thanked the waiter, and looked eagerly down at what was waiting for them.

Jaune's mouth was already watering, but he looked nervously at Pyrrha.

Taking a whiff, Pyrrha let out a pleased sigh. “You chose very well Jaune.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Jaune was glad she was happy with what he had chosen.

Pyrrha took a bite, and her eyes widened. “This tastes even better than it smells.”

Eager to try his own plate, Jaune dug in himself. They looked at each other for a moment, each staring at each other in surprise at the wonderful dish. This was much better than anything that had had before.

Their conversation died down as they both quickly wolfed down the food, both absolutely stunned. This place certainly had it's prices and reputation for a reason. Beacon certainly didn't shy away from providing good food for their students, but this was on a whole different level. Even Pyrrha had to admit she couldn't remember having another meal that had been that delicious.

It had earned some disapproving glares from some of the other patrons, but both of them had to let their companion try their dish. They realized they really did have to come up with a way to pay back the Arc sisters for setting this up.

Almost too soon, forks were scratching against empty plate as they had both cleaned their plate completely clean. Looking at each other with a satisfied grin, they slumped back in their seats slightly. Moments later, waiters had already come and cleared the plates from their table.

“That was amazing.” Jaune said in shock. “I need to learn how to cook like that.”

Pyrrha smiled. “I'd be more than willing to be your taste tester.”

They both laughed slightly as they slowly resumed their conversation from before.

However, before long they realized that the restaurant still had plenty of patrons waiting to be seated, and they shouldn't hog the table after they were done eating. Jaune managed to flag down Josef again, looking a little helpless about if they were just able to leave.

“I trust the dishes were to your liking?”

“They were absolutely mouthwatering. Please, send our compliments to the chef.” Pyrrha said politely, her appreciation of the food evident.

“As you wish. As I said before, both the meal and the tip has been covered beforehand. You are free to go.” He said graciously. He paused for a moment, glancing at the blond. “Though, if you wouldn't mind mentioning to your sister that you enjoyed your evening out tonight, I personally would appreciate it.”

Jaune just laughed, offering a smile. “Of course, I'll let her know just how well we were treated here.” He offered.

Satisfied, Josef bowed again slightly before disappearing back to attend to his duties.

Jaune stood up, reaching into his pocket as he fished out his wallet, pulling out what little lien he happened to have on him, he set it down on the table, surprised to see Pyrrha placing money right next to him. Glancing at each other, they were surprised they both had decided to make the same gesture. Some part of Jaune noticed Pyrrha's stack of Lien was larger than his, but he figured her tournament winnings, combined with her rather conservative nature meant she wasn't exactly pressed for cash.

“I guess great minds think alike, huh?” He said with a nervous chuckle.

“The food was very delicious. Even if it was paid for and this isn't much, it only seems right that we leave something for their hard work.” She added.

Stacking their tip together, they quickly made their way out of the restaurant into the evening air. It was getting late, but wasn't quite straight dark out.

The second they had left the restaurant, Jaune let out a sigh of relief. The pressure of acting formal, watching how he ate, managing his posture, seemed to slip his mind. Once again, he was just out with his friend Pyrrha.

Pyrrha was feeling similarly. Proper events always made her feel a bit on edge, though experiencing it with Jaune certainly made it worth it.

“That was wonderful.” She said appreciatively, as she felt a bit bold and leaned into Jaune, holding onto his arm again.

Jaune was a little surprised for sure, but didn't even dream of complaining as he leaned against her as well as they walked. Their chatter was soft and simple, enjoying each others company very much in this beautiful evening night.

“Do you have room for dessert?” Jaune asked after a brief lull in their conversation.

Pyrrha perked up slightly at the mention of dessert. Glancing at him, she slowly smirked. “I'm sure I could be persuaded. Why?”

Smirking in return, Jaune thought for a moment. “Well it's certainly nothing like the place we just ate at. But, working at a counter means you hear of and meet a lot of people. There's this legendary ice cream parlor that's still open.”

Pyrrha looked at him a bit curiously, her sweet tooth suddenly very interested. “That certainly sounds worth the trip.” She replied playfully. Honestly, she was just glad to have another reason to continue the wonderful night she was having. Taking a step away from him for a moment, she leaned forward, clasping her hands behind her back. “I'm buying though. I think it's time I treated the Arc family for at least a treat.” She explained, before she offered her hand a bit nervously.

Jaune was just staring at her, in awe of how she looked as the lamps at night illuminated her form. The soft light danced over her red dress, her hair looking a little more natural after the long night as she smiled at him, filling his chest with warmth. His response was obvious as he reached forward, taking her hand as he began to walk to next to her, still holding hands as he lead her towards where he knew the ice cream shop was.

Their soft chatter continued as they spoke softly, both of them enjoying the night sky. Pyrrha had been stopped once again by a fan, but after signing their shirt, Pyrrha had raised Jaune's hand that she was still holding and excused herself to avoid drawing a crowd.

Before long they found themselves in the ice cream parlor. It was a smaller shop, similar to Jaune's own shop, a little tucked away cozy place.

They had welcomed Pyrrha when she entered the door Jaune had held open for her, but when Jaune walked in after the the red head, both dressed to the nines in fancy clothing, the owner's jaw dropped.

“Little Jaune?” She asked in a warm voice.

“Hey Garnet.” Jaune replied a bit sheepishly.

Pyrrha cast a curious glance over her shoulder at him.

“Friend of my mom.” He offered. Looking up at the owner he smiled. “Is the ice machine still working?”

“Like new!” She replied happily, patting a large machine. Turning to Pyrrha she walked out from behind the counter, offering her her hand. “Pleased to meet you. I'm Garnet, Jaune here fixed up my ice machine and that’s how I met his mother. And you are?” She asked warmly.

“Pyrrha Nikos. Pleased to meet you.” She offered politely. “Jaune spoke highly of this place so we were hoping for some desert.”

Garnet placed her hand to her chest, smiling. “Well aren't you the most polite thing. Jaune, your girlfriend sure is cute! You are dressed up all nicely as well aren't ya? On a little date?” She asked as she moved back behind the counter.

Jaune just groaned, dropping his head into his hand. He had forgotten Garnet owned this particular shop, he hadn't been in here for quite a while.

Pyrrha was just snickering, amused by Jaune's reaction.

“We had gotten dinner, courtesy of his sisters.” She explained, while looking childishly at the freezer with all the different flavors of ice cream.

After Jaune recovered, he was choosing next to her. Once they had both ordered and received their cones, and Pyrrha was at the register. “How much is it?” She asked, handing Jaune her cone while she fished her wallet out of her purse.

“Oh darlin' You don't need to pay! It's on me.”

Pyrrha shook her head. “I insist. We were already treated to a fancy dinner, it's the least I can do.”

Garnet smiled. “Well bless your heart. Aren't you sweet? All the more reason I insist it's on the house. Now listen here, Jaune over there is a good boy. Bit clumsy, and he can not always be all there, but he's got an honest heart. I hope you take good care of him, cause he'll take real good care of you sweetie. Now let the grown ups have their fun and spoil the kids, and just enjoy your date for me, mkay?” She said in a warm voice.

Pyrrha just nodded, unable to respond, fighting off a blush. “If you insist.” She said, getting her cone back from Jaune who had missed the conversation as he struggled to start eating his cone while avoiding spilling it all over his suit.

Garnet just leaned on the counter, watching as Jaune and Pyrrha sat across from each other in the empty ice cream parlor, snickering as they joked and ate their cones. She recalled fond memories of her youth, going on similar dates with her husband when they had just met.

Some time had passed, and both Jaune and Pyrrha had managed to finish their cones with minimal damage to their outfits as the stood up.

“Now do be sure to come on by again, okay? And tell your mom I say hi Jauney! Make sure to walk your girlfriend home all proper like, alright? I know your momma raised you right.”

“Right! I got it Garnet. Thank you.” He mumbled, cursing the fact that everyone in his family and their friends still treated him as if he was a child.

“Pleasure to meet you. I'll tell my teammates about this, I'm sure you will be seeing them before long.” Pyrrha offered with a smile and a wave, as she walked out of the parlor still snickering at Jaune.

Checking their scroll, they realized they had to get to the airship station soon, or it was going to be a nightmare getting back to beacon. As they hurried down the street, Jaune couldn't help but notice Pyrrha shivering.

“Are you okay?” He asked, a bit concerned.

Pyrrha smiled. “Lovely. It's just a little cold. I'm afraid my dress isn't very warm.”

Jaune nodded understandingly. “It looks beautiful, but not very warm.” He offered sympathetically.

Pyrrha blushed at the compliment. “We're almost at the airship. It's fi-” She was cut off as Jaune draped his jacket around her shoulders. Her eyes widened at the action. It was something she had always read about in her romance novels, but had never expected such a cliché action to happen to her in real life. But she had to admit it was nice.

“Are you sure?” She asked as she pulled it tighter around her shoulders, the smell of Jaune reaching her nose.

“Of course! Wouldn't want you to catch a cold.” He said with a grin, before shivering after a moment.

Pyrrha just chuckled at his smile, as he pretended he wasn't cold. She moved closer to him, leaning against him. “I wouldn't want you to be cold either.” She said with a smile. She stared at him expectantly for a moment.

Jaune looked at her, almost as if asking permission as he raised his arm. Seeing her playful smirk still on her face, he took a leap of faith and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him as they walked.

Pyrrha let out a hum of happiness as she snaked her arm around his wait, as they walked, sharing each other's warmth.

Before long they had gotten to the station in time to catch a fight. While they sat on the ship, Pyrrha kept his coat on, leaning against him and resting her head on his shoulder as they sat in silence. By this point, they were both a bit tired, having been dealing with nerves the entire day, then exhausted after spending the entire date together.

“Are you going to be okay getting home?” Pyrrha asked curiously, shifting her head to rest her chin on his shoulder to look at him.

Jaune blushed at her close proximity, earning a smirk from Pyrrha, as he nodded slightly. “I'm sure I'll be fine. It's not that long a walk to my home.”

Pyrrha frowned slightly, before she quickly fished her scroll out of her purse, sending a quick message before depositing it. She ignored his questioning gaze as she rested her head again.

Almost too soon, the moment ended and they were walking back to the dorms, arms around each other.

“You didn't have to walk me all the way back you know.” Pyrrha offered, not complaining in the slightest.

“I wanted to, it's polite after all. My mom would have killed me if I didn't.” He countered with a small laugh.

Pyrrha just chuckled as well, before sighing as she saw the door to the dorms up ahead. It seemed the night was ending, and she certainly didn't want it to. Stopping just outside it, she handed Jaune back his jacket.

“Thank you for lending me it.” Pyrrha offered with a warm smile.

“Anytime.” Jaune countered, putting it back on. He fumbled with his tie a bit, trying to straighten it back out to the best of his ability.

“Let me help.” Pyrrha offered as she reached up, taking it and gently straightening it.

Looking up, she found herself inches from his face, her eyes widening to match his.

Silently she asked for permission.

It was permission he quickly granted.

Pyrrha pulled down on his tie gently, and their lips met.

The kiss was brief, and gentle. Neither had directly kissed another before, so they certainly weren't very good at it. After a moment, they just stared at each other, their faces turning a strong shade of scarlet.

“I...” Jaune started out.

“Yeah...” Pyrrha continued.

“I uh... liked that.” He mumbled a bit awkwardly, clearly having no idea what to do or say.

“So did I.” Pyrrha said with a smirk, before she leaned up and kissed him again.

She felt him gently wrap her hand around her back, pulling her closer ever so gently.

They continued to awkwardly kiss for a minute, neither quite knowing what to do, but very eager to learn. After a moment they heard the sound of a camera going off.

Separating, they looked at each other, before they saw a dark figure scramble up the side of the building, disappearing into an open window.

They looked at each other, before they burst out laughing. They had a guess about what had just happened.

Regaining their breath, they just smiled at each other.

“I had a lovely night Jaune, thank you.” Pyrrha offered.

“No, thank you! It was... very fun.” Jaune stammered out, words failing him yet again.

Pyrrha blushed, but nodded. “Well, I'll see you later?” She asked a bit hopefully. Though, she knew they would have training before long as always.

“Yeah! Of course. Yeah. I'd like that.” He continued on a little too long.

Just chuckling, Pyrrha leaned in and gave him another quick kiss before she opened the door to the dorms. “Good night Jaune.”

“Good night Pyrrha.” He said with a small wave, as he watched her close the door.

Turning around, he began to stumble away, still in shock as his hand gently touched his lips.

“Well done.” Alice's voice said suddenly as she walked out from around the corner. She threw an arm over Jaune's shoulder, gently messing with his hair. “I'm proud of you kid. It looks like you two had a fun night.” She teased light-heartedly, incredibly happy to see her brother having found someone.

Jaune looked up at her, surprised to see her. “Yeah. Thank you for setting it up. I'll never forget it.”

Alice just smiled. “Aww, my brother's so cute when he's honest.” In the end, seeing him like this made her feel like all the effort of pulling strings for his outfit and the dinner and making sure Pyrrha had time off was worth it.

“Why are you here?” He asked after a moment. “Not that I'm complaining.”

Alice snickered. “I wasn't following you, don't worry. Pyrrha sent me a message, saying that you were gonna walk home alone. It's late out so mom sent me to fetch you.” She explained.

Jaune just nodded, still running through the events of the night in his head.

He knew he could never forget it, even if he wanted to.

Up in the dorms, Pyrrha stood outside her dorm room nervously. She had finally managed to calm the raging blush on her face a bit. Sure she had been a bit confident when they first kissed, but once she had time to realize what she had done, her nerves were exploding. Trying to take a few deep breaths before she entered her dorm, she was denied that as the door flew open, to seven curious pairs of eyes.

“YOU KISSED HIM.” Jane, Nora, and Yang said at the same time, as they pulled her into the room, wrapping her in a tight hug.

Ren sighed. “You cost me 20 Lien. I said not till the second date.”

Pyrrha was just blushing wildly.

“How was it?” Yang asked, unashamed.

Pyrrha just stared her down. “I won't kiss and tell.” She replied sternly, which just earned an excited squeal from Jane.

Yang just laughed. “It's okay, we got pictures anyway.” She said, showing Pyrrha her scroll with a picture of them kissing on it.

Pyrrha's eyes widened. “How?”

“We have two ninjas in our group. Climbing down a building isn't that difficult, you know?” Yang continued.

Pyrrha glanced over at Ren and Blake.

Ren just shook his head, and Pyrrha had a feeling he wouldn't be up to that anyway.

Blake just hid a little more behind her book. “They bribed me with tuna.” She confessed.

Pyrrha just sighed, her friends were a handful.

“So... how was it?” Jane asked eagerly, her eyes wide as she waited for details.

Once again, Pyrrha knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep without satiating the curiosity of her friends.

“Let me change first at least.” She plead as she moved to the bathroom with her clothes. As she began to change into comfortable wear, replaying the night in her head, a smile was plastered on her face. Jaune had made her night, been her first kiss, and she knew one more thing. He was her first true love.

XxXxXxXxX

Thank you very much for reading, and I’m very very sorry for how long this took to come out. A few different things came up, causing this chapter to be a hassle to write. One, I started up some art commissions, hoping to get some income which took some time to set up. (No hits yet, but I’m hopeful!) Then my days were also busy with portfolio work and family matters. Finally, this chapter was a nightmare. I hope it’s not too obvious in the chapter, but I was a bit out of my depth with some elements. Being a bit of a stereotypical dude, trying to come up with Pyrrha’s outfit took longer than you would expect, and I also have 0 real life experience with fancy dining, which also took some research and questions. I also haven’t really had much dating experience, so I’m hoping the chapter turned out okay as I hoped to cover up my lack of realistic experience with knowledge I’ve gained from others. xD Plus it ended up being rather long as well.

Either way, I hope it was enjoyable at least. The next chapter shouldn’t take nearly as long to come out, as I have a plan already and it’s one of my favorite tropes to write. I hope you all have a wonderful day! Cheers! o/

#rwby #MechanicAU #arkos #Jaune Arc #pyrrha nikos #I HAVE NO IDEA HOW DRESSES WORK #OR HEELS #OR DINING #OR DATING #I GOOGLE FANCY FISH #That's how desperate I got #fanfic #Hope it turned out okay at least.

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