#anyway yeah here's this I hope it brightens your day

[little-miss-dilf-lover]

would love to see a pt 2 where he continues to give her tiny gifts because he doesn’t know reader knows! then one day she finally gives him a gift of his own and he then gets the guts to actually ask her out on a proper date :,)

this is so cute! im so glad lots of you wanted a part 2 :) thank you for requesting, hope you like it💌

secret admirer part 2

miguel o’hara x f reader

wc || 949

part 1 -> here

masterlist

It had been nearly two weeks since you found out the identity of your secret admirer, and to say you were shocked would be an understatement. You never thought Miguel would think of you in that way. Sure, he's attractive, sometimes charming and occasionally funny, but you'd never thought he'd be interested in you like you were him. 

You've always had a thing for him, but who wouldn't? Ever since you joined the Spider Society, you couldn't help but feel drawn to him. You found yourself thinking about him more often and dreaming about him almost every night. You knew it was silly as he'd never reciprocate those same feelings, so when you found out he was the one who gave you the rose, the thought of it all went to your head. 

For the first couple of days, you couldn't quite believe it. You'd find yourself thinking it must've been a mistake, a simple misunderstanding, something you were incorrectly interpreting. But all those wary thoughts were reassured when you received another gift on your desk the following day, a spider charm bracelet.

Every day since then, you found small, thoughtful presents in your office, cute little gestures; like the type of chocolate you've secretly been craving, a cup of coffee you'd desperately need when it gets to 3 pm, a fresh bouquet of flowers to brighten up your space, a new pack of pens when all your others ran out, just anything he thought you might want or need. All these tiny, considerate actions made it impossibly harder to contain your feelings towards him. He didn't know you knew, and you wanted to keep it that way, for the time being anyway. 

So for the last two weeks, you've received an abundance of gifts from your not-so-secret admirer, which has given you a little boost in confidence, like it made you want to do something bold, something in return. You want to give him something back, something that shows you care about him, something that shows how you feel. You wanted to express your repressed feelings, but though his feelings were clear through gifts, you were still uncertain of his intention. You didn't want to embarrass yourself, especially in front of Miguel. If he rejected you, you knew word would get around HQ, and there isn't a way back from that.

You didn't let those feelings deter you. You thought you'd start small, build up to something, build up to something bigger, but you didn't know what. Miguel is naturally a very closed-off man. A man with a thick exterior, rightfully so after everything, and so you were unsure what to give him, what he might like, what he might need. 

You wanted to give him something special, something thoughtful, just like all the gifts he got for you. For the moment, you settled on a generic and brief heartfelt note and a coffee, as he seemed like he needed one. 

'Thank you for all of my lovely gifts. I really appreciate all of the thought you put in. It made me feel so special

Love from your secret admirer’

You wrote the note in your best handwriting, adding hearts over your 'i's before folding it in half. You walk down to the cafeteria and order Miguel's go-to hot pick-me-up drink and a cupcake for you. You slot the note into the heat protector sleeve and pull out the corner so it can be noticed. 

Your knees were like jelly as you made your way to his office. Your nerves were unbearable, but you reassured yourself, thinking of all positive outcomes.

You flatten over your hair and straighten your clothes as you nibble your lips, adding a touch of colour to your face before knocking on his office door.

"Yeah?" he huffs in his usual way.

"Hi. Sorry is this a bad time?" you ask, cautiously making your way inside.

"Querida," (darling) he smiles, now speaking sweet and gentle. "What can I do for you?" his expression instantly softens at your presence. The moment he heard your voice, he melted inside. He'd become an uncharacteristic ball of mush around you. And it was happening right now. "You okay?" he asks, noticing the tense look on your face.

'Querida'? 'Querida'? he called you that often, but you didn't know what it meant. Why did he call you that? You shake off the feeling and walk closer to him. "Yeah—yeah. I got something for you. Thought you might need it," you smile, extending your hand. 

He softly chuckles as he strolls over to you, accidentally brushing over your fingers as he takes the cup from you. "How much?" he asks, sitting at the edge of his desk, facing you. He notices the quizzical look on your face and grins. "For the coffee, cariño. (honey) How much do I owe you?" 

"Oh—oh. No, it's free. It's on me," you smile, watching Miguel's lips sheepishly curl up. "It's a thank you,"

His head cocks to the side with intrigue. "A 'thank you'?" he repeats.

"Yeah," you smile. "Look in the sleeve," you nod towards his hand.

His eyes squint in confusion as he slides down the protector sleeve. He notices the note, and his features instantly lift, brightening almost.

He's silent for a few moments as he reads your letter. He's quiet, far too quiet, and it's making you nervous. It's only two sentences. Why is he still looking at it? Did he feel embarrassed for you?

His gaze finally meets yours, and his eyes soften, but you can still see a hint of something behind them, something uncertain, something apprehensive. 

"I want to take you out for dinner— tonight. Are you free tonight?" 

#miguel o'hara #miguel o’hara x reader #miguel o’hara fluff #across the spiderverse #spiderman 2099 #miguel o’hara x fem!reader #miguel ohara x reader #miguel o’hara fanfiction #miguel ohara #atsv miguel

[alessiasfreckles]

Fitting In

alessia russo x reader with social anxiety

You've been with the team for a few months, but your anxiety is making it hard to find your place. When you spend lunch hiding out in your car one day, Lessi comes to find you.

A/N: this is my first woso fic, i hope you like it! i'm planning on writing a part two with real fluff, maybe taking place a month or two later. also this is basically just a self insert fic but i figured maybe someone else could relate to it, so this is for all my other girlies with social anxiety and adhd out there

---------------

When you joined the team a few months ago, you weren’t sure how you would fit in. And now, 3 months later, you still weren’t sure.

You had a tendency to over analyse social interactions, situations, anything really, and you knew it didn’t help your social anxiety but there was no way to shut off the constant noise in your brain. At least, not until you met her. Alessia Russo. One of Arsenal’s, and England’s, star strikers. The way she moved on the pitch was like magic, and you swore you could see glitter in the air when she laughed. The crush you had on her grew by the minute. You wanted to at least be friends with her so badly, but you just didn’t know how. 

You still didn’t really have any close friends on the team. Yeah, everyone was friendly, but there were clearly established friend groups, and you didn’t know how to find your place in any of them. When you first joined you would be invited out with everyone, or invited to people’s places for movie nights, that sort of thing. But a lot of the time you felt out of place, so worried about what to say and how you were coming across that the whole situation ended up making you more anxious than if you hadn’t gone in the first place. When you did come out of your shell and say something, you’d spend the rest of the evening thinking about what you said, if it made sense, how you said it, what you should have said instead. 

It was exhausting.

Your sleep schedule was awful, most nights you couldn’t get to sleep until 3am. You’d be lying in bed, desperately trying to sleep but your brain not letting you. You’d wake up feeling groggy, but you didn’t want to let anyone see how badly it was affecting you, so you put on a brave face in front of your teammates. Most days, as soon as training was over, you’d go straight home. You were too tired to do anything other than be alone. 

One day, at lunch, you couldn’t face the thought of trying to figure out where to sit, the overstimulation from everyone talking, the noises and smells, so you decided to sit in your car, alone. You figured that no one would miss you anyway, everyone seemed to have figured out that you were a bit of a loner by now, and they mostly left you alone. 

“Something’s up with y/n, right? It’s not just me?” Leah asked Beth at lunch the next day, scanning the lunch room as she tried to find your face.

“Yeah, but I don’t know what,” Beth shrugged, frowning. “I want to help her, but-”

“Have you guys seen y/n?” Alessia interrupted, coming up from behind them. “She’s not here.”

Leah and Beth both shook their heads. “Maybe she’s in the gym, or on the training field?”. It wasn’t unusual for players to spend their breaks hanging out in other areas, and Alessia nodded.

“I think I’ll go see if I can find her,” she said, and Leah nodded. 

“That’s a good idea, Less. Maybe you can figure out what’s wrong.”

Alessia peeked into the gym, but it was empty. She thought maybe you were walking laps, so she checked the training field, but you weren’t there either. Now she was starting to worry. The two of you hadn’t talked much, but she always listened to what you had to say, and got the feeling that there was a lot more to you than you let on. Deciding to check the car park to see if your car was still there, her face brightened as she found it. When she realised you were sitting inside it, her brow furrowed in confusion. 

You look up from your lunch to see Alessia stood a few metres away from the car, looking at you with a small frown on her face. Is she upset with you? Your eyes meet, and you freeze for a second before raising a hand to wave awkwardly. Her frown clears, and she comes over to the passenger door. 

Knocking on the window and opening the door, she leant down. “Can I come in?” she asked, smiling sheepishly. 

“Uh, yeah, sure!” you reply, sitting up a little straighter, mind racing. Why is she here? What does she want from you? 

“So, um, what are you doing out here?” she asks gently, glancing down at the lunch on your lap.

“Oh, um, sometimes it’s just a lot, you know? Everyone talking and all of the noise. And I never really know where to sit,” you trail off, laughing awkwardly, inwardly cringing at yourself for saying that. 

“I get that. Sometimes some of the girls can be so loud! Like, Katie, didn’t you ever learn what an inside voice is?” she laughs gently, and you smile. “And you know you can sit wherever you want, right? None of us are going to bite you.”

“Haha, yeah, I know, I just…” you shrug, face burning.

Alessia turns to look at you, worry lining her face. “Y/n, is something going on? Has anyone made you feel unwelcome here, or anything?”

“No, everyone’s been so nice, I promise, no one’s done anything,” you start rambling, anxiety rising in your chest as hot tears start to well up in your eyes. You bury your face in your hands. “I’m sorry, this is so embarrassing.”

Suddenly you felt a warm hand on your shoulder, pulling you in to a tight hug. You stiffened to the touch but Alessia’s arms held you gently, and slowly you relaxed into it. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” she murmurs, and you feel your breath returning to normal.

After a minute she lets you go and you let out a shaky laugh. “I’m sorry,” you sighed, wiping your eyes.

“Y/n, you don’t need to apologise, it’s okay, I promise,” she says, big blue eyes full of sincerity. “Can you tell me what’s going on?”

You shrug, not knowing what to say. “There isn’t really anything going on, that’s the problem. I just, my brain is just, I feel like everyone else got like, a manual telling them how to exist and how to talk to people and how to have friends, and I didn’t get the manual. You didn’t get a manual, right?” you ask, looking at her with a wry smile.

She smiles apologetically. “Nope, no manual.”

“Well, it was worth asking,” you laugh. “Things just seem to be really hard for me when everyone else finds them easy, you know? And I’m just so tired all the time, but I don’t know why, I barely do anything, I’m so lazy.”

She frowns at that. “You’re not lazy, y/n. Do you get enough sleep?”

You laugh at that. “Oh no, definitely not. Most nights I don’t get to sleep until like, 3am, sometimes 4am.”

“What, why?” she asks in shock. 

“I don’t know,” you shrug. “I just can’t sleep a lot of the time. I try to, I lie in bed with my eyes closed, but there’s just too much going on in my head, it feels like my brain is actively working against me.”

“It’s no wonder you’re so tired then!” she admonishes you gently, and the look she gives you makes you fall for her a little more. 

“I’ve always had trouble sleeping,” you explain. “Ever since I was little. And I’ve always found social situations hard, too.”

“I’ve always hated meeting new people,” the blonde admits, tucking her hair behind her ear. 

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s gotten a little bit easier, I think, especially after the Euros, I had to do so many interviews and media things, it helped kind of desensitise me to it, but I still don’t like it.”

“Huh,” you say quietly. You never would have guessed that she felt that way. “You always seem so confident.”

“All just a part of my effortlessly cool persona,” she grins, winking at you. You laugh, and she gives you a look of fake hurt. “What, you don’t think I’m effortlessly cool?”

Smiling, you tilt your head. “As long as you believe you’re effortlessly cool, that’s all that counts.” you tease. 

Suddenly, Alessia’s phone buzzes. “Oh, we should probably head back in. The others will be glad to see you, they were worried when you weren’t there at lunch.”

“Really?” you ask, surprise clear in your voice, but it quickly turns to worry. “Oh no, am I not meant to leave during lunch? I’m sorry, I just thought-”

“Woah, hey, relax!” she puts a hand on your arm. “Y/n, you’re allowed to do what you want during lunch. The others were just worried about you because you’re a part of the team. Our team. That makes you a part of our family.” 

You smile sheepishly. 

“Now come on, let’s get going. I don’t fancy giving Jonas an excuse to make us run extra laps, do you?”

#woso x reader #alessia russo #alessia russo x reader #alessia russo fluff #russo x reader #woso #woso imagine #woso fanfics #awfc x reader #lessi russo #arsenal women #arsenal wfc #hannah writes fics

[iwritefandomimagines]

NOTES — JESS MARIANO

based on a request

masterlist

pairing: jess mariano x reader

description: after months of mutual pining, jess arrives at luke’s having read your favourite novel. oh, and he has some notes.

warnings: swearing, jokey sexual reference, other than that just tooth rotting fluff vibes

author’s note: thank you so much for this request, i loved it sm i had to immediately start writing!!! i hope it does jess justice — i love writing him so much. i may go back and edit some bits im not 100% happy with — but i hope you enjoy!!!

pleaaaaase let me know what you think — i love love love reading you guys’ feedback <3

———

“I finished it.”

If you were anyone else, you’d have jumped out of your skin at the sudden, and rather loud, appearance of someone beside you.

But this was you, and it was Jess, so you were more than used to your ‘peaceful’ study sessions at Luke’s being interrupted by his ever-present smirk, his flirting and his endless supply of smartarse comments.

Not that you could complain.

You’d grown used to his omnipresence over a year ago. And it had been months now since you’d realised that you no longer just tolerated his company — you enjoyed it a ridiculous amount and instead longed for it when he wasn’t around.

You eyed him quizzically, noting how proud of himself he looked for reading your favourite book, but also noticing an unusual lack of self-assurance glimmering through his expression.

“I would ask if you mean this trig stuff for Mr Elton,” you gestured down to the homework you’d been painfully poring over for the past hour, “But I know you too well to expect you to actually do your homework, so what are you talking about?”

He didn’t mention that the real reason he never studied in your trig study sessions was because he was more often than not too busy staring at you and coming up with things to say to make you laugh.

Jess raised his eyebrows, but then shook his head and cleared his throat to do a godawful impression of you, “Oh Jess, I can’t believe you’ve never read it. My favourite novel in the whole world and you’ve never read it!”

You scoffed, “If that was supposed to be me, get out of here.”

“Please, like you really want to get rid of me,” he teased, gesturing to the pile of papers in front of you, “Then you’d be miserable and heartbroken and, even worse, have to actually finish your trig homework. Besides, I enjoyed it.”

Your eyes brightened up at this, and you could tell he noticed, “Don’t look so surprised, Y/N. Your taste isn’t that bad… I mean, you hang out with me don’t you?”

“For some reason, yes,” you pretended to grumble, feigning ignorance of the butterflies in your stomach at his usual smug smile, “But you really liked it?”

He sat down in the seat opposite you now, pulling the book from his bag and slamming it down in front of you, “Well, I have notes of course.”

You rolled your eyes, at which he couldn’t help but laugh, “Hey, it wasn’t terrible. I did say I enjoyed it… Some of the notes are nice.”

“Oh yeah, I’m sure.”

“You wound me,” Jess feigned a pout, “Romance isn’t usually my genre and you know that.”

“Of course. Hemingway fanboy is too cool for my sappy romantic books, huh,” you joked, heart still racing wildly at the notion he’d even started reading it, let alone finished it.

“Pfft. Austen fangirl should be less rude and give more Hemingway a try, I say,” he quipped back, tongue in cheek.

“Hey, I like Hemingway,” you shook your head, “I just don’t go to bed and jerk off over how great I think he is like you so obviously do.”

He shook his head and pulled a face that faked shock, “And how much time in the day, on average, would you say you spend thinking about what I jerk off over, huh?”

“You are such an ass,” you tutted, swatting his arm, “Approximately none, thank you very much.”

“Whatever you say, princess.”

“Anyway, if you’re done being gross, let’s get back to the important thing here. You read my book,” You reached to pull the book towards you, only for him to snatch it back and rest his elbows on it.

You furrowed your brows at him, “What’ve you got to hide in there?”

His eyes narrowed, his lip between his teeth now as though he was thinking hard about something.

“C’mon, Mariano,” you leaned forward, “I assumed that since you brought the book with you, I’d get to see at least some of your notes.”

His fingers were picking at the edges of the book’s cloth sleeve, his toes drumming on the floor anxiously like they’d recently begun to do more often when he was around you.

He heaved out a deep sigh, “Look. I’m going to give you this, and then I’m gonna leave the diner, alright? And then, and only then, you can open this book up, and you can read what’s in there. And if you never see me again it’s ’cause I’ve died of embarrassment or something. Got it?”

You rolled your eyes, chin on your palm.

He slid the book in your direction now as you watched him swallow thickly and cocked your head to the side like a curious puppy, “Ever so cryptic, aren’t you?”

“You’ll figure it out, Miss Marple.”

With that, he rose to his feet and darted out of the diner before you could even say another word.

You briefly made eye contact with Luke behind the counter, who watched you carefully for a moment before looking down at the book now carefully clutched between your fingers.

You wasted no time then, pulling open the book and desperately skimming for whatever the hell he was talking about.

You weren’t sure what on earth you expected to find when you flicked through its pages, but it most certainly wasn’t a plethora of sticky tabs with scrawled notes on about how the protagonist reminded him of you.

You expected even less, then, to find a note in Jess’ handwriting at the very back of the book declaring that he realised halfway through — when the two love interests whose relationship bore a crazy resemblance to your own, realised that they were in fact in love — that he’d been stupid to deny that he even liked you, let alone that he’d quite obviously fallen stupidly in love with you.

Shock coursed through you, your heart racing at the uncharacteristically romantic and yet somehow still so incredibly Jess gesture.

You stood up, almost knocking over your chair as you placed the book under your arm and turned to leave, “I’ll be back—uh, soon.”

Luke nodded, “Go get him kiddo.”

You smiled, butterflies whirling in your stomach as you left the diner almost as quickly as Jess had just minutes ago.

You knew exactly where you’d find him — perched on the bridge swinging his feet and letting his mind convince him you wouldn’t in a million years feel the same.

When he heard the sound of your footsteps approaching, you saw him clench his eyes shut as if in hope that he was imagining you and that you’d soon disappear.

“You can’t confess your love for me and then run away, Jess,” you bit your lip as you teased him softly, “It’s not fair not to give me a chance to say it back properly. You do get bonus points for how much of a romance novel cliché that move is, though.”

He sighed, a deep heavy sigh of relief, and it was as though suddenly he reverted to his usual self, “Technically the book confessed my love for you, actually. And the window for reciprocating hasn’t quite closed yet. I’m all ears, pretty girl.”

You loved this.

You loved how easy things always were for you with Jess.

Everything that went unspoken still never went unsaid — sure, you’d been flirtatious friends for a while now, uncertain of quite how seriously he reciprocated your feelings, but deep down you always sort of knew.

You loved that ever since he’d come to Stars Hollow, he’d shown that he cared in his own silly little ways.

And he loved you.

And you loved him.

You sat down at his side, still clutching the book tightly as he finally looked across at you with a small smile.

“You’re such a romantic, huh? I didn’t know you had it in you,” you nudged his side teasingly, “But I— Jess I do love you, and I’ve probably loved you for a long time even though I didn’t want to let myself admit it.”

“Wow, okay Mr Darcy… Wait ‘til Luke hears that the real reason you’ve only just told me that is because you think he’s embarrassing,” he mocked, but you felt him shuffle closer, “I’ve definitely loved you for longer than I thought I had too, if it makes you feel any better.”

“Much better, Miss Bennet,” you laughed, linking your arms and leaning against his shoulder as he pressed a small kiss to the top of your head.

You felt Jess’ chest rise and fall as you closed your eyes and let the sound of the stream beneath you wash over you.

“So, like, I don’t know the protocol with the whole ‘best friends to lovers’ trope like you do, so you’re gonna have to help me out here,” Jess chuckled.

You sat back up to look at him whilst still keeping hold of his arm, “Hmm, I think what’s meant to happen next is you kiss me and ask to take me on a real date. Pretty sure that’s right.”

“Right, everyone’s favourite cliche moment,” Jess rolled his eyes jokingly but cupped your face with his palms, “God, what have you done to me?”

“You looove me,” your response was muffled as he pressed his lips to yours to shut you up, at first gently and then with a touch more urgency.

When you pulled away, he let go of your face and smiled softly, “So about that date?”

“You got it, Mariano,” you grinned, kissing him quickly once more as you paused, “But you’re going to have a tough time doing anything as romantic as annotating my favourite book and writing me a love note, you know.”

He scoffed, “Oh I’ve got plenty more where that came from, Y/N.”

“Is that a threat?” you giggled, leaning back into his side.

“Just you wait and see.”

———

ok so i kinda lost my way with this a bit eventually and i’m sorry it’s quite short but i had sooooo much fun writing it. i love jess so fucking much and i’m so grateful for all the jess requests i get — trying v hard to work through them asap because it’s so fun.

thanks for reading! here’s my masterlist for more <3

#jess mariano x y/n #jess mariano #jess mariano x you #jess mariano imagines #jess mariano imagine #jess mariano x reader #gilmore girls #gilmore girls imagines #gilmore girls imagine

[talkfastromance4]

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face--Jake Seresin (An Arrangement Series)

author's note: thank you for your patience! As promised, this one is longer! and again, the dress in the photo is just so you can see what it looks like.

An Arrangement Masterlist

Follow here for all updates as I do not have a taglist

word count: 8.6k

warnings: a brief interaction with police, break-in

Feedback, asks, comments/reblogs mean the world to me!

Enjoy!

It’s a few weeks before the Navy ball and you’re at the flower shop putting together an arrangement for Betty. She’s at a rehab center after her surgery and so far she’s doing really well so you’re hoping she’ll be out soon enough. Jake has also been gone for a quick mission, he told you about it just before the fundraiser he helps sponsor at the pier.

You weren’t sure what to expect at the pier so you put on a pretty sundress that Jake couldn’t take his eyes off of. You definitely didn’t expect him to show up in his service khakis but when you saw the fundraiser was for foster children and their home you understood why because the kids hung onto him and asked him so many questions about flying the ‘big airplanes’.

The raised funds were to help add onto the house they live in and to hopefully build a new jungle gym. Some of the children were selling tickets and ran the booths with other adult volunteers. Jake stayed by your side the whole time introducing you to everyone while also speaking very highly of your flower shop which made your cheeks warm.

You snip some of the stems of the gladiolas you are working on smiling at the memory of that day and one little girl who kept running up to Jake–she had to be at least eight years old–showing him all the prizes she won.

As the sun was setting, the kids were leaving and that little girl came up one last time. You found out her name was Zara when Jake greeted her by squatting on the ground. She whispered something in his ear, he nodded then turned to you.

“Zara wants to give you something,” he smiled.

“Me?” you brightened and knelt down to her height. She hands you a plush flower with a smiley face in the center.

“Mister Jake says you make flowers.”

“He’s right, I do. Thank you so much, I love it,” you smiled at her. “And I know the perfect place to put it, right in my display case.”

Zara giggled then ran off towards the other kids at the bus and the director of the house they live in, a big smile on her face and you could have sworn she perked her chest up just the slightest.

“Thank you so much for today, Lieutenant. Your donation will definitely help us in building a new jungle gym.”

“It’s my pleasure, Ms. Dawes. Let me know if you need help with anything else. You’re doing an amazing job.”

She was clearly flustered then headed back to the kids. Jake faced you with his hand held out but you shook your head.

“What?”

“You shouldn’t charm people so easily like that.”

“Do I charm you?” he cocked his head to the side, his hand still extended. He wiggled his fingers clearly wanting you to hold his hand.

“I plead the fifth,” you sniffed but took his hand anyway.

“So,” Serena hops on the counter next to you, pulling you from your recollection of memory. “Where’s your boy toy? Haven’t seen him since he brought us breakfast a week ago.”

“He’s not my boytoy, but he should be home tonight. He had a mission to do.”

“Okay, boyfriend then.”

“He’s not that either,” you sigh tweaking the flowers a bit.

“Then what is he?”

You’re not sure what to say so you shrug.

“He takes you out, right?”

“Yeah.”

“He helps you with Betty,” she starts to tick off fingers, “he buys you and your employees breakfast, drives you around…if it looks like a boyfriend and quacks like a boyfriend–”

“That’s not how the saying goes,” you giggle then turn serious. “It’s not like that. It’s…complicated.”

“What’s complicated about it? You like him, right?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, figure it out ‘cause he’s down bad for you.”

You turn away with your arrangement to box it up and to also hide your smile at her comment. The door opens with the bell jingling above it and Reynolds comes in with a basket of your favorite snacks and sweet treats, a sign that Jake is on his way home.

“Lieutenant Seresin is on his way back from base but wanted you to have these to keep at the shop. I have to pick him up…will you be all right getting home?” Reynolds asks.

“I can take her Reynolds,” Serena says peering into the basket.

“Thank you,” you tell him sincerely.

“If you need anything, give me or him a call. I’ll see you Monday Miss y/n. Miss Serena,” he smiles then leaves the shop.

“Jake’s a duck and Reynolds is a duckling,” Serena states taking a pear from the basket and taking a big bite.

Jake sent you a text that he’d be leaving base the same time you’d be leaving the flower shop and asked if you’d like to go to brunch the following morning. After locking up with Serena, she drove you home and the whole way there you have this weird feeling in your stomach.

When you get out of her car you hear a loud crash from inside your house and you freeze. There’s more scuffling and you scurry back inside already calling Jake.

“y/n? What’s going on?” Serena asks in alarm.

“Hey Sugar, I wasn’t expecting a–”

“Jake, someone’s in my house,” you whisper frantically. Serena gasps then pulls out her phone to call the police.

“Where are you? Are you inside?” Jake asks.

“No, I’m still in Serena’s car. She’s calling the police.” You’re surprised at how calm your voice sounds when inside your heart is about to burst out of your chest.

“Drive away from your house, I’m on my way. Stay in the car, y/n I’ll be there soon.”

You gulp when the line goes dead, he rarely calls you by your first name. Serena drives a block away but still in view of your home and you’re freaking out because what if whose inside comes out and runs towards her car? What if they have a weapon?

“It’s fine, the police are on their way,” Serena soothes, “I’m on with dispatch. Someone is five blocks away on another call and they’re coming here now.”

Two squad cars show up without their lights and get out of the car. You watch them walk right inside, your multiple locks were clearly busted. It’s like a lifetime goes by and then you see Jake’s truck turn the corner. Without thinking, you escape Serena’s car ignoring her hissing your name and run towards him.

He slams on his brakes, puts it in park then jumps out as soon as he opens the door catching you just as you leap into his arms.

“y/n, I told you to stay in Serena’s car,” he reprimands but hugs you tightly against him. One hand holds the back of your neck. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m scared,” you whisper shaking your head.

“It’s all right, I’m here and it looks like the cops are too. Have they come out and talked to you yet?”

“No, they’re still inside,” Serena says behind you.

“You can go home if you’d like, Serena,” Jake says, he continues rubbing the back of your neck.

“You sure?” She asks.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay with Jake here,” you turn your head to look at her over his bicep. “Thanks for driving me.”

“You call me as soon as you’re done talking with them, okay?” she holds out her arms and you give her a tight hug.

“I will. Drive home safe, text me when you’re there.”

“Bye Jake, thanks for coming,” she says.

“Bye Serena,” he waves.

She gets back in her car then pulls away slowly. You fold your arms over your chest, feeling a breakdown coming but you can’t do that yet. Jake takes you in his arms again and you close your eyes focusing on his arms around you, his breath blowing on your hair and his heartbeat. It centers you and calms down your breathing, but sadly, your heart is still racing in fear.

The police finally came out to say the perp got out the back door and the coast was clear to head inside. They followed you around jotting down things that were missing; your small flat screen was taken, some clothes and the record player you saved up for was also gone. Your records were still there but some were smashed on the ground and your kitchen was a mess.

“They were probably looking for diamonds or other expensive jewelry,” one of the officers said. “People tend to hide them in their flour.”

“I don’t have any kind of jewelry expensive enough to be stolen,” you shake your head then gasp and run to your bedroom.

“y/n! Wait for us!” Jake calls after you and you look through your clothes again. The dress from Madam Floquet is gone.

“Oh no!” you groan and start to toss hangers with clothes on them behind you. It has to be here, it just has to be.

“Sugar, what’re you–hey, slow down!” Jake’s arms wrap around you, fingers latching around your wrists like a vice until you stop your frantic pillaging. “What are you looking for?”

“My dress! The one you got me, it’s gone! They took that too!”

The clothes in your hand fall to the floor and you bury your face in your hands, Jake’s arms circling around you even tighter.

“No, they didn’t,” he says softly in your ear, “I had Reynolds bring it to my house just for safekeeping.”

“It is?”

“Yes, it wasn’t stolen. Was there anything else missing from your room?”

“I don’t think so,” you whisper.

“Miss, could you write down your statement?”

Jake sat with you at the kitchen table while you wrote down the incident with a shaky hand. When the officers left, you stared around your small house now in a disarray and your door hanging from its hinges. Thinking of other possibilities that could have happened if you were here sent a shiver down your spine but makes you come to a decision.

You look at Jake, his green eyes alert even with the dark circles under his eyes again. Why does it seem like he never sleeps? Before you could catch it, a tear rolled down your cheek.

“What?” he asks, swiping it away with his thumb.

“Okay… I’ll move in with you.”

“Are you sure?” His eyebrows raise.

“I’m sure. This…was an eye opener. What if it happens again while I’m sleeping? You’re right, it’s not safe here but I can’t afford anywhere else. And you are closer to where Betty is.”

“Thank you,” he sighs taking both of your hands in his. “I’m so sorry this happened, Sugar. I’ll get you a new record player–the same one. And don’t worry about packing or anything like that, I’ll take care of everything.”

He brings your hands up, kissing the knuckles, and for the first time since meeting him, you fully trust that he will take care of everything.

And he did. Within twenty minutes after the break-in, he had movers at your place and they began packing up all your belongings. You watched and listened while he instructed where certain things would go in his house. Reynolds was also there to help but he mainly stayed by you to keep you company while Jake orchestrated the moving process.

When all was said and done, he leaned against your broken door frame watching you as you walked through your now empty house. This was your first big purchase as an adult, as a way of freedom of living on your own. You chose the color of the walls, the decorations in the bathroom and now it’s empty, barren.

Jake held out his hand as you circled back. Seeing his hand outstretched felt like a new beginning, a second chance and you were finally ready to accept his help so you took his hand and followed him out into the night. Although, it was nearing five o’clock in the morning.

Although you’ve been here before, he gave you another tour and you saw more Texas decor throughout the house. There were pictures of his family everywhere, he had two sisters who were married and a niece and nephew.

“I’d tell you about them but you look like you’re about to pass out on me, Sugar. Let’s get you to bed.”

You followed him up the stairs and into your room. The fake tree you remembered from last time had twinkly lights that were lit up and you saw your belongings from your old room in here.

“I made sure your clothes were placed in the closet and the dressers, you can rearrange them however you’d like. If you need anything at all, my room is at the very end of the hall.”

“Okay. Thank you, Jake, for everything,” you tell him.

“You’re welcome. Now, get some sleep.”

The first official night after the break-in was hard. You tossed and turned because you felt like a stranger in his house and bed even though you’d slept in it before. Eventually, you did fall asleep and that was the first time you dreamt of Jake.

It was like a dream within a dream, it felt so familiar like it had happened before. Can you have deja vu in a dream?

In the dream, you were at a wedding with Serena sitting next to you and a song came on. Jake appeared in front of you wearing a dark gray suit.

“Did you request this?” dream you smiled at him as he held out his hand.

“Maybe,” he grinned then pulled you against him. You danced to the song feeling complete and whole and just right in his arms.

Then you woke up wondering what song you could have been dancing to that was deemed special for you and him? He left sweet notes for you in the morning before work with a fresh pot of coffee and a muffin that Rhea would make for you who you found out was his housekeeper. She’s a lovely woman in her mid-fifties and talked about Jake like he was her own son.

He still hasn’t talked about his family yet but maybe he’s waiting for you to ask on your own.

Since you moved in with him, he made sure he was done with work so he could pick you up from the flower shop and you could both see Betty together. With Jake being out of state again for a few days, Reynolds has taken up his position of driving you around again.

This is the first time you’re seeing Betty without Jake and you decide to open up to her about Jake and what your situation with him really is about. So you told her about him paying for her medical bills, moving in with him, the break-in. You didn’t tell her these things in the first place because you didn’t want to upset her in her condition but she took it in stride, she’s a very resilient woman.

“Well, Dolly, it seems like he really has feelings for you.”

“But why have me sign paperwork and pay for everything? I have such a hard time understanding.”

“Maybe he grew up seeing love like that. Does he come from a rich family?”

“I don’t know, I just found out he has two sisters and a niece and nephew. We’ve never really talked about his family yet.”

“All you can do is ask. It also might be a way to protect his own heart, and I know you keep yours locked and guarded in a high tower.”

“You really think he has feelings for me?”

“Honey, I haven’t seen anyone look at you the way he does since your grandpa looked at me.”

“Really?” You’re blown away because your grandpa looked at your grandma like she created the universe. “Tell me how you two met again.”

She explains how she first saw John at an ice cream shoppe with her mother. He was the handsomest man she ever saw in her life and she went back to that ice cream shoppe day after day until he finally bought her a cherry cola. They then went to the drive-in a lot, other diners and was told his family had lots of money.

That part wasn’t true but Betty didn’t care, they loved each other like crazy and were married within eight months of first meeting.

“Give Jake a chance, Dolly.”

“But what about–”

“Stop thinking and go with what you feel. Don’t think, do what your heart tells you. Promise me?”

“I promise.”

“When does he come home?”

“Tonight I think,” you sigh looking at your Apple watch. It was a ‘Welcome Home’ gift from him that was placed on your nightstand a few days after you moved in. You appreciated the discreet way he gave it and it did come in handy while you were at the shop working.

“And when is the Navy ball?”

“This Saturday. I’m so nervous, grandma. What if I make a fool of myself in front of his squad?”

“I’m sure you won’t, and I’m sure Jake will be by your side the whole time.”

She dozes off after that. You kiss her cheek and then go home. You hear splashing as you get out of the car in the driveway and you notice Jake’s truck is parked in the middle garage. Your heart leaps knowing he’s home.

“Have a good night, Reynolds,” you smile to him with the window rolled down. He winks then pulls out of the driveway and you head inside.

It’s dark in the house except for the underlights of the cabinets in the kitchen. The back door is slid open and you hear more splashing. You find Jake doing laps in the pool, his body aglow in the aquamarine lights. You watch him glide under the water fluidly for two laps, coming up halfway each time to catch a breath then descending into the water again.

You kick off your shoes, stepping carefully to one end of the pool while he’s at the other and wait until he comes to the halfway mark for air.

“Welcome home,” you call as soon as his head pops up. His eyes open and he smiles widely at you.

He swims to you quickly then stops in front of your legs that you’re lightly kicking in the water. He grabs hold of your moving ankles rubbing the inside of them with his thumbs.

“You’ve no idea how much I like hearing you say that, Sugar,” he pants, catching his breath from the swim.

“Feels like home when you’re here. When did you get back?”

“A couple hours ago,” his fingers tickle up and down your calves now. It gives you goosebumps. “Were you with Betty?”

“Mhm.”

The tickling of his fingers feels nice and it’s taking all your concentration to focus on your breathing.

“How is she?”

“Good. Still in pain and tired. She says hello.”

“I’ll come with you when you go see her again.”

“She’ll like that. How come you’re swimming?”

“It helps clear my head,” he lowers his head into the water and blows bubbles. “You can join me if you want. Birthday suits are highly recommended.” He wiggles his eyebrows playfully.

“Yeah?” you laugh then scratch your nose. “I don’t think so.”

“Can’t blame a man for trying. Do you want a pedicure?”

“Are you offering?”

“To pay, yes,” he nods, then tickles your toes.

“Jake! That tickles!” you shriek, jerking your legs but he keeps tickling. The quick movements of your legs makes water splash on your shorts and shirt then you’re both laughing.

“Okay, okay, I’m done,” he chortles. He stops tickling but keeps his grip on your ankles, his thumbs returning to the soft circles between your feet and along the arch.

He cocks his head to the side gazing up at you. Whenever he cocks his head that means trouble.

“Do you make those sounds just when you’re being tickled or from…other activities?”

“Other activities?” it’s your turn to cock your head.

“Nevermind, Sugar,” he shakes his head, lips quivering into a smirk. Then he rests his chin on your knee. “You’re just tempting me, that’s all.”

“Tempting you? How? I’m not doing anything.”

“That’s the worst part. You don’t even realize…I can only imagine what it’d be like if you were actively trying to tempt me. I’m already a goner.”

He’s staring at you with those hypnotic green eyes, he rolls his head so his cheek is pressed to your kneecap. His breath is warm on your skin and his hands continue to dance up and down your legs, going higher and slower each time.

“I know what you mean.”

The words were out of your mouth before you could even think to stop. You clap your hand over your lips hoping he didn’t hear it but of course he did because now he’s smirking.

“Yeah? Are you saying I tempt you, Sugar?”

“I’m saying…I…” you suck in a gasp when he presses his lips to the inside of your knee. His eyes still laser focused on you as he did so. “I-I understand what you mean.”

“That’s all?” he moves to your left knee, kissing you there as well. “Is this okay?”

His hands are on your calves and he pulls your legs apart a bit. You nod at his question. So with his lips still pressed to your knee, he gives small kisses around the circumference. They feel like little fish kisses, small pulses of his lips on your skin. He does the same thing to your right knee then he’s pulling himself out from the water to his full height.

Water droplets cascade down his body, your eyes follow one that rolls down his cheek and jawline onto his neck then over his chest and toned stomach before disappearing into the waistband of his swim trunks. You gulp, this is the first time you’ve seen him shirtless and what a sight it is. He’s standing between your opened legs and you feel his hip bones, your toes grazing against his calves under the water. This is the closest skin on skin contact you’ve had with him ever.

“Give me the word, Sugar,” his voice pulls your gaze back up to his eyes. He steps closer, crowding your space with his arms. His fingers slide up your thighs then rests his palms on the concrete beside you. “And I’m all yours.”

His pelvis is pressed against yours now, you can feel the coolness of the pool water but also the warmth radiating from his body and your head is spinning. Being this close to him is making your clothes wet and you clench your thighs.

“I…”

“Remember what I said at our first dinner together? How I said I could have pleasured you in your pretty flower shop?”

All you can do is nod because of course you remember it.

“Good. I gotta get out now, though. I’m all pruny, see?” he holds his hand up between you, his fingertips grazing the side of your breast as he does so.

You don’t even have time to look down and see because he’s backing away. A braver version of you would yank him back between your legs and kiss him, asking–no–begging him to show you exactly what he meant about pleasuring you. But you’re not at that brave version yet so you watch him walk through the water and use the steps to get out.

You have a nice few of his back muscles flexing as he runs his fingers through his wet hair. Your stomach flutters and you’re wondering how he could be so damn attractive. Jake pads across the concrete until he’s in front of you, his hand held out. You take it, feeling the water run down your arm as he helps you stand up.

“Want to watch a movie and order takeout?”

Will you be home for dinner tonight?” Jake asks Friday morning while you’re gathering your coffee and muffin. He’s sitting at the island with his tablet reading the news.

“Probably not. I’ve still got a bunch to do for this wedding tomorrow,” you sigh. Rhea hands you our lunch bag. “Thanks Rhea.”

“I added another muffin for dessert,” she smiles then picks up her cleaning supplies and heads into the dining room.

“You’ve been coming home late every night, last night I didn’t hear you until almost one a.m….” he frowns and crosses his arms.

“Yeah, it’s a big order. Me and Serena are working around the clock with Dom and Brynne helping out when they can. They’ve been working on a funeral arrangement.”

“Do you have to set it up for the wedding tomorrow?”

“Nope, they’ll take care of it. They know I’ve got the Navy ball with you tomorrow,” you smile then try to stifle a yawn but it escapes. You feel even more tired when the yawn finishes.

He stands up from his side of the island moving in front of you, bending a little to peer at your face more closely. His palms cup your cheeks as his thumbs brush under your eyes.

“How much sleep have you gotten?”

“I dunno,” you shrug and try to suppress another yawn. “Maybe five hours?”

“Five hours all week?”

“No, five hours last night. My mind kept me up on what I all needed to finish today.”

“You need your sleep, Sugar,” his fingers thread in your hair massaging the base of your neck. You let out a contented sigh.

“I’ll get it when the wedding’s done and Betty’s out of rehab. I told her we’d see her tomorrow before the ball, she wants to see my dress.”

“I’ll make sure we head there first before we go to the party,” he smiles and continues massaging your neck. “I set up a mani pedi for you tomorrow at eleven. Would you like me to call someone to do hair and makeup for you or would you like to do that yourself?”

“You have a hair and makeup person?” you tease but you’re feeling so relaxed with his neck massage.

“Yes, I do,” he smiles.

“Sure, that could be fun. Then I know I won’t look like a clown.”

“You never look like a clown. Promise me you’ll take an hour lunch today?”

“I’ll try.”

“You drive me crazy,” he sighs and removes his fingers from your neck.

“You do give good massages,” you turn your neck from side to side.

“That wasn’t even the full experience, darlin’. Have a good day at work.”

At midnight, you heard rumbling outside and then seconds later rain was downpouring on the windows. You sigh as you mark down on your clipboard a final count of the centerpieces in the fridge. You sent Reynolds home hours ago telling him you’d catch the bus promising you wouldn’t be too late. You broke that promise but you wanted to make sure the wedding arrangements were perfect because it was a shotgun wedding and the couple was desperate.

They insisted on paying double for the short notice and thankfully their request wasn’t anything too crazy. Lots of roses and lilies with pearls added throughout. Serena called it at eleven and you let Brynne and Dom go home early since they’ll be up early to set up for the wedding.

Being alone in the shop was your favorite because then you could crank your music up to as loud as you wanted without disturbing anyone.

Your watch started to vibrate and when you looked to see who was calling, an instant smile appeared because it was Jake.

“You’re up late,” you answer when you pick up your phone.

“Because you’re not home. Are you almost done?”

“Almost, just have to finish cleaning things up and I’ll be home. But it started raining and I don’t want to walk in the rain to the bus stop…”

“No need for the bus stop.”

“What do you mean?”

“Can you open the door? I’m getting soaked.”

Your mouth opens in confusion and you look to the front door where sure enough, Jake is standing there getting drenched by the onslaught of rain. You run to the front of the shop and unlock the door, Jake rushes in.

“What are you doing here?”

“Reynolds told me you sent him home and when I saw the forecast I didn’t want you walking in the rain at midnight. Especially after what happened at your house. And,” he holds up a wet to-go bag. “I brought you dinner.”

“Wow, you didn’t have to–I mean, thank you,” you smile taking the wet bag from him. “I have some towels in the back, I’ll go get them so you can dry off. Alexa, turn the volume down to three.”

You set the bag on your desk then open the door to the bathroom where you have fluffy towels. You wash your hands so much throughout the day you want to have a soft way to dry them off.

When you walk back out, Jake has lifted his hoodie off and because of the rain, it caused his t-shirt to cling to it. You got another great peek at his tanned and toned stomach, a happy trail disappearing into his jeans.

Pull yourself together, you scolded yourself.

“Here you go,” you hold out the towels to him. He uses it for his hair immediately, scrubbing at it fiercely. His hair is sticking up in all directions when he’s finished and you giggle.

“You finish cleaning up and I’ll put the spread out,” he says.

“Okay, the bag is on my desk in the back. There’s a mini fridge with soda and water.”

“I actually brought some wine. Thought you might like it after your busy week.”

“Wine sounds wonderful,” you smile.

He sidles past you behind the counter, your chests bumping and he pauses.

“Hi, by the way,” he says, green eyes glittering. He has a boyish grin and it makes him even cuter.

“Hi,” you giggle. “I have a comb in the bathroom if you’d like to fix your hair.”

“You don’t like my crazy hairstyle? I was thinking of wearing it like this tomorrow.”

“You’d turn heads for sure, but I like it like this.” You reach up to comb your fingers in his hair, pulling it down over his forehead. With his hair being wet it makes it more manageable to move it how you want it to. “There.”

“Thank you.”

His voice is sweet and his eyes are soft staring down at you. You’re caught in his green eyes, anticipating some kind of moment happening but then a loud crack of thunder jolts the moment away. He clears his throat then moves back into your office.

You’re humming along to Dean Martin as he sings From the Bottom of My Heart while you finish cleaning up. You sweep away fallen petals and thorns then start to dance a little with the broom when Frank Sinatra’s That’s Life starts to play. This is Betty’s playlist you play for her whenever she’s in the shop and when you spin around you slam into Jake’s body.

“Oh!”

“I’m a better partner than a broom.”

He takes the broom out of your hand bringing you into his arms in one quick sweep. His hand is warm on your lower back and then you’re dancing, following his footwork easily.

“What about the food?”

“The food can wait, let’s dance for a moment. Practice for tomorrow,” he smiles.

You dance around the small front of your shop, Dean Martin transitioning into Roberta Flack’s The First Time Ever I saw Your Face plays and you can’t help thinking what a magical moment this is.

Moments like this don’t happen to you; dancing with a handsome man while it’s raining outside to old music? You must be dreaming.

“I like this playlist,” he comments, spinning the two of you.

“It’s for Betty. This was my grandpa and her song. They would dance all the time and I always loved to watch them.”

“Did they ever dance in the shop like this?”

“All the time,” you smile, “there’s a picture of them dancing on my desk.”

“Sounds like they had a great love.”

“They did.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Have you had any great loves?”

“I thought I did but…it didn’t work out.”

“How come?”

“He found someone else, someone better.”

“I highly doubt that, there’s no one better than you.”

“You’re just saying that,” you shake your head.

“I’m not. You’re the kindest, sweetest person I’ve ever known. You work your ass off with no recognition even though you deserve it and you always exude this…lightness. Like you have a shine of happiness radiating from you.”

You duck your head and stare at his dog tags hanging over his shirt.

“Don’t do that.”

“What?”

“Look down or away whenever I compliment you. One day I’m going to have you see yourself the way I see you.”

You don’t know what to say to that so you continue to stare at his dog tags, your eyes tracing the letters of his name.

“y/n.”

“Hmm?” you force yourself to shift your eyes up to look at him and he’s so close.

So close that you can see little freckles on his nose and speckles of yellow in his green eyes.

“Do you…” he swallows hard. “Do you want to–”

“Do I want to…what?” you ask slowly. His eyes are hypnotic and this is the moment where a kiss is supposed to happen.

Will it?

“Do you want to–” thunder cracks and you both jump –”um, do you want to go eat now?”

“Oh, uhh, yeah. I could eat.”

You stop dancing, grab the broom and move back to your office. You eat the takeout and ask him questions about what to expect at the ball. Even though a kiss didn’t happen, it was still a very good night.

It wasn’t until you were laying in your bed that you realized why he didn’t kiss you. He said the ball was in your court, you were in charge, and he was waiting for you to say the words.

Or, a little voice in your head whispers, is he waiting for you to sign the papers?

You woke up at eleven Saturday morning and found a note from Jake stating that Reynolds is waiting for you when you’re ready to get coffee and take you to your nail appointment. Next to the note was a peach begonia in a small vase with a couple inches of water. Another small note lays under the vase and read ‘found this on the floor in your shop. It made me think of you.--Jake’

You quickly got dressed in comfy clothes and found Reynolds waiting for you in the kitchen. You’re completely relaxed while your nails are getting done, the hand and foot massage really felt wonderful especially after being so busy on your feet at work.

When you get back to the house, a woman with red and orange hair plaited in a French braid is waiting in the kitchen. Tattoos are scattered on her arms in a random way but they look good in their placements and she has a septum piercing.

“You must be y/n. I’m Inez and I’ll be doing your hair and makeup!” she smiles.

When you get closer you see she has purple contacts in and she’s easily the coolest person you’ve ever met.

She gushes about your nails then has you sit down in her chair.

“Don’t worry about Jake taking a peek, I banned him for a few hours until it’s time to go. This is so exciting, I’ve never met any of his girlfriends before. And I like you, you have a good vibe about you.”

Your cheeks warm at the mention of being called his girlfriend but you don’t correct her. You don’t think she needs to know this is all part of an arrangement. You listen with intrigue as she fixes your hair in an elegant style about the many celebrities she’s met in her job. Who her favorites were and who she’d rather not work with again.

She wouldn’t let you look at yourself in the mirror until you had your dress on so she helped you put it on. As Inez did the buttons you suddenly got very nervous about going to the ball.

“How’re you feeling, toots?” she asks doing some adjustments to your hair.

“Nervous. What if I don’t fit in?”

“You look like a bombshell, and who needs to fit in? He’s bringing you for a reason which is big for him, he usually goes stag to work events.”

“Really? Why’s that?”

“Never had the right person to bring,” she smiles. “Okay, I’m ready to have you look at yourself.”

She takes you into your closet and you don’t even recognize yourself in the mirror. Inez made your eyes look somehow fierce and delicate at the same time and your hair! You’ve never felt this good about how you look before.

“Wow,” you breathe and turn around to see the back of the dress, the diamonds cascading like frozen water.

There’s a knock at your door and Inez goes to answer it. Reynolds appears behind you in the mirror, a big smile on his face.

“You look incredible, Miss y/n,” he says.

“Thank you,” you smooth out the front of your dress. “Is it time to go?”

“Almost. Jake is downstairs waiting for you whenever you’re ready.”

“I think she’s ready,” Inez gives you an encouraging smile.

You follow her out of your room, Reynolds’ trailing behind, and the butterflies are back in your stomach because Jake is going to see you now. You chew on the inside of your cheek as you descend the stairs, eyes on your feet so you don’t miss a step and take a tumble. When you’re finally on a flat surface, you look up and your breath is taken away.

He’s wearing his Navy dress blues and this is the first time you’ve seen him in something other than his khakis. His wings glimmer in the light and he’s clean shaven with his hair styled perfectly. He’s so very handsome.

“Sugar…as I live and breathe,” he drawls, his voice like honey. “You’re breathtaking.”

“Thank you,” you reply shyly.

“I have something for you,” he says then reaches into his jacket pocket. He pulls out a Tiffany blue box.

You’ve never seen one in real life and now he’s placing one in your palm. With shaking fingers, you undo the white satin bow and lift off the lid. There’s another small blue box and when you pop it open you see earrings in the shape of leaves with small diamonds embedded.

“I thought earrings would be best since a necklace would be hard to wear with the neckline,” he says.

“Jake, these are…wow. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” you shake your head.

“I have,” he smiles at you. “Would you like to try them on?”

You nod and he holds the box in his palm so you can remove the earrings from the cushion. They’re cold on your lobes and feel a bit heavier than what you’d normally wear but they fit nicely.

“How do they look?” you ask him.

“Stunning,” he smiles. “Come look.”

He moves you in front of the mirror in the hall and they really complete the look of your dress.

“I love them, thank you so much,” you tell him.

“Are we ready to go?” Reynolds asks.

“Here’s your clutch, it has your phone and ID,” Inez hands it to you. “Have a great time! I want to hear all about it over lunch next week, okay?”

Jake guides you outside to Reynolds’ car with his fingers brushing the small of your back. He helps you in the seat being careful not to sit or place his foot on the slit of your dress. Which, now that you’re sitting, has fallen away from your thigh and you’re a little more exposed. Not too much but just enough to be promiscuous.

True to his word, you visit Betty before going to the ball and when she sees you she starts to cry. Tears prick in your own but you don’t want to ruin your makeup so you blink them away as best you can. She wishes you both to have a wonderful time and can’t wait to hear all about it when you visit again.

Nerves settled in your stomach on the drive to the venue but Jake took your hand, easily guiding you to the entrance. You saw all sorts of good looking people waiting outside, both in uniform and not and you wondered if it was a prerequisite to have good looks in order to join the Navy.

Some greeted Jake as he walked by, using his callsign or just his last name. Some of them were lingering their stares on you and you touched your face in case you had something on it.

It wasn’t until you were waiting to get inside to the main hall that you asked Jake why people were staring.

“They’re staring at you,” he murmurs. “You’re the most beautiful person here.”

“Jake, there’s tons of beautiful people here, including you.”

“But you’re a new type of beautiful, everyone knows everyone here already. They’re jealous you’re here with me, that’s all.”

He pinched your cheek affectionately.

The ball is literally being held in a ballroom and it’s a beautiful space with a grand marble staircase. Circular tables are set up at the bottom of the stairs where waiters and waitresses are walking around with trays of champagne and appetizers. This is a very fancy party.

You chat and mingle with people along the way to your table, Jake making you feel included every time. He pulls out your chair before you sit down and you read over the menu in its looped script. There’s seven courses, each one sounding better than the last.

“Hey Bagman!”

There’s a commotion to your left and two people are standing behind Jake. One is a woman in a beautiful red gown and the other is a man with glasses. He’s in Navy dress blues too.

“Is this Bradshaw’s date?” the woman asks, indicating to you.

“Bradshaw can dream. No, she’s my date. This is y/n,” Jake smiles when he says your name. ‘y/n, this here is Phoenix and Bob.”

“Nice to meet you,” you reply politely.

“You can call me Natasha. Sorry, another one of our friends has been bragging about how hot his date is so I just assumed. We’ve heard a lot about you, sorry you got stuck with Bagman as your date.”

“I thought you were called Hangman,” you look at him quizzically.

“I am. Phoenix has her own nickname for me,” he side eyes her and she just smiles.

“I bet Rooster’s date doesn’t even exist,” Bob says. You note his southern accent and wonder if he’s from Texas like Jake.

“You’re probably right, Bobby. He can’t land any woman with that atrocity on his top lip. Is Coyote here yet?”

“Almost. I bet he and the missus got stuck in traffic,” Natasha/Phoenix laughs.

“We’re gonna grab some drinks,” Bob says, “you two want anything?”

“Moscato for her and whisky for me,” Jake says.

“Be right back,” Bob smiles.

“Are they together?” you ask Jake when they’re out of earshot.

“Nat and Bob? No, Sugar, they’re just co-pilots.”

“Oh.”

“How’re you feeling?” he asks, placing his hand over yours on the table. His eyes show slight concern.

“I’m okay, still nervous to meet all your friends.”

“They’re harmless. They talk a big talk but don’t mean anything by it. They’re going to love you.”

He lifts your hand in his so he can kiss the back of it, his lashes fluttering.

As the night goes on you meet more of his friends, Coyote, Payback, Fanboy and Rooster. You met some of his commanding officers, Hondo and Maverick included, who gave you warm hugs, amongst others that you tried to remember. It was a lot of people but they were very friendly and had plenty of jabs towards Jake. He took them in stride but it made you wonder if their jabs did sting him a little bit.

Dinner was full of conversation, questions mainly pointed at you and about your flower shop. Then Rooster remembered you were the florist for Maverick and Penny’s wedding. Drinks were flowing so you assumed his next question was due to the alcohol being consumed.

“How much did Hangman pay you to be his date? He’s never brought a girl to one of these before,” Rooster jokes.

“Rooster,” Jake’s jaw ticks. He rests his hand on yours under the table, threading your fingers together. “Don’t.”

“What? I know there’s dating services if you need a date. Like if you don’t want to show up to your exes wedding alone, or a family reunion. No way she’d come here willingly with you.”

“Clearly you didn’t pay yours enough because she’s not here with you, is she now?” Jake arched an eyebrow, his tone steely.

You’ve never seen him like this before but the table laughs quietly. This must be routine for Jake and Rooster.

“She’s sick,” Rooster insists, then shifts his eyes to you. “How much did he pay you to be—“”

“Bradshaw! That’s enough,” Jake’s voice is severe and the table goes quiet.

“All right, all right,” Rooster rolls his eyes and leans back against his chair. “I’m only teasing.”

You remained quiet during the whole exchange. Did his friends know this wasn’t really real? What has he told his friends about you? Do they know this is fake, that you’re fake?

“Let’s go dance, Sugar.”

Jake stands up and you follow him with your hands joined together. You follow him to the dancefloor and he takes you in his arms. You can feel him shaking slightly in anger.

“I’m sorry about Rooster. We’ve always had a tense relationship and sometimes it goes too far. None of them know. I promise,” his eyes are serious but you see sadness there too.

“Why do you let them talk to you like that?”

“I’ve said way worse to them, trust me. It’s how we are, always has been,” he shrugs.

“Do they think you’re not good enough to date or something?”

“They’ve known me for a long time and have seen me when I was at my worst.”

“We’ll, I don’t like it,” you squeeze his shoulder. “They make you sound like a bad guy and you’re not.”

“I used to be. They’ve seen I changed but old habits die hard.”

“Hm,” you grunt.

He smiles at your distaste then spins you away from him. He catches you in his arms then dips you which makes you smile and laugh. You see his friends staring at you upside down before Jake pulls you back up.

“They’re seeing how you bring out a different side of me.”

“Are you showing off?”

“Maybe,” he shrugs then winks.

He dips you again and you fall into him laughing, this time people around you clapped at the move. The song changed to The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and you stare at him in shock. You had an odd sense of deja vu then remembered your dream and you gasped.

“What is it?” he asks, gliding along the floor.

“Um,” you move your hand up behind his neck, fingers clinging to the short strands of his hair. “Nothing, just…did you ask them to play this song?”

“I might’ve suggested the DJ play this after I dipped you twice,” he nods. He tightens his hold on your lower back, his hand is warm on your bare skin. Then you feel the gentle circle of his fingertip on your skin and it only prompts you closer to him.

“Why?” you’re whispering now, your faces are close.

“Because the lyrics fit well with how I feel about you. I see the sun rise in your eyes everytime I look at you.”

You want to hide your face at his sweet words but you remember what he said at the pool and fight your inhibitions. So instead, you bite your lip. Jake brings his hand that’s holding yours in between you so he can tug your lip from your teeth.

“What are you thinking?” he asks softly, thumb still rubbing over your lower lip.

“I…I’m thinking I want…” you search his eyes as if the words you’re trying to say are there. Then you heard the lyrics of Robert Flack and it gives you the courage to ask, “Kiss me, Jake?”

He smiles softly, and when he moves his head down you close your eyes. You feel his soft breath first then his lips touch yours so delicately it instantly has you craving more but he kisses you slowly. You’re not sure how your feet are still moving with him but your lips are doing a new dance and when his tongue slips inside you sigh. You bring both hands into his hair while he grabs your waist.

You press yourself against him, loving how his lips feel. You feel it all the way down to your toes, nevermind you’re in a crowded room of people watching you. Kissing Jake is thrilling and new but also feels like home. You feel like you could fly.

You faintly hear a throat clearing but you keep kissing him, smiling a little as he nibbles on your lip. Then the throat clearing is a bit louder.

“Beat it, Phoenix,” Jake murmurs and continues kissing you.

“y/n’s phone is blowing up and I think it’s an emergency,” Phoenix says.

That causes you both to tear away, his eyes mirror the worry in yours and you’re running to the table. It’s missed calls from the rehab center Betty is at. It starts to ring again but you’re frozen.

“Let me,” Jake takes the phone from you easily. “Hello? She’s here with me, she was scared to answer the phone, what’s going on?”

You watch his face for any sign of your worst fear coming true but as he listens to whoever is on the phone, his face relaxes. He gathers your clutch and his phone from the table.

“Do we need to take her? Okay, we’ll be there shortly,” he hangs up then cups your cheeks in his hands.

“What–what–” your voice is shaking.

“An ambulance is taking Betty to the emergency room,” he says very slowly, his eyes steady on yours but you pull away in a panic. His hands are strong on your cheeks and you remain in between them. “Listen to me, Sugar. They found blood in her stool and that’s why they’re transporting her. The hospital will be able to help her faster. Okay?”

“Okay,” you whisper. You cling onto his wrists.

“Do you want to go home and change or go right there?”

“Right there,” you continue to whisper.

“I’ve got you, all right?” He kisses your forehead then grabs your hand. “Let’s go.”

You rush out of the ballroom with him, leaving the precious life-altering kiss on the dancefloor and head toward another life-altering moment.

#jake seresin x reader #an arrangement #an arrangement series #jake seresin #hangman #hangman writing #hangman fluff #hangman x reader #jake seresin fluff #top gun writing #top gun fic #top gun maverick writing

[i-loveoldermen]

KNIGHT KÖNIG X CHUBBY & SUNSHINE & PRINCESS READER

MPV: I really love the Knight x Princess trope it's just so beautiful and adorable! And I thought, why not write about it with our favourite giant?

Warning: angst (good ending)

The sun shun brightly through the young princess room, lighting up the big bedroom and shining right on the princesses face, emphasising all her cute features. The young 10 year old felt bored and she quickly turned around on her bed making her lay on her back and looking straight at her desk that had been cleaned by the maid earlier. The princess blew on the hair that had gently fallen on her forehead to move them away before sitting up.

Jumping down from the bed, she quickly ran out of the room and started looking for something fun to do. She sneaked pass all guards and maids, and made her way towards the flower garden which she had planned to plant anything she wanted when she grew up. Running around in the guard she giggled through the whole place chasing butterflies and admired their beautiful wings.

The young princess did not notice certain blue, grey eyes observing her with his head tilted to the side. His lips was slightly parted and his eyes wide and curious. He had never actually met the young princess and was shocked by her enthusiasm and beauty.

The young boy accidentally stumbled back breaking a branch underneath his feet causing the princess to still her movement and look towards his direction. The princess smile widened and her eyes brighten up.

"Hi there!" She yelled joyfully making the young boy freeze and not blink once. The princess walking slowly towards him with her same sweet smile and waved her hand.

The young boy gulped down the lump in his throat and with broken voice he replied back a squeaky 'hi' causing the princess to let out a soft giggle.

"Are you new here? I've never seen you here before!" The princess asked smiling brightly as ever.

"Well yeah actually.. my dads a cook here and he asked me if I wanted to come so I joined him and may have sneaked pass him to come here, its really pretty in the guard." He replied softly looking down at her.

The young princess looked up and had now realised he was quite tall but ignored it anyway. "Oh! I agree! It sure is a sight here. Lovely flowers never failed to amaze me. I've always loved the beauty and the smell of them. The maids always come by and noticed my love towards flowers so the always bring me books about plants and they always me so calm and happy" the princess spoke not noticing the boy admiring her.

"O-oh yeah! Flowers sure are fascinating" he spoke still looking lovingly at her.

"Oh my! How rude can I be! May I know your name?" She asked tilting her head.

"König" he replied short.

"I'm y/n! Nice to meet you könig! I hope to see you again, for now I need to return before guards notice my absence." She said waving and leaving back the flushed boy.

Weeks pass and the both grow quite close, königs father was quite shocked at his sons enthusiasm as he was a shy boy and never dared to talk to anyone especially because of his height and how boys his age make fun of him. So könig avoided making friend, but when he noticed the young princess he grew fond and actually felt happy being with someone.

Many boys eyed him jealous as they believed he did not deserve the princesses attention and he should stick to girls as tall as him.

Y/n had gotten to know königs father and complimented deeply about his wonderful cooking and mouthwatering bakings.

His father quickly understood his sons change in behaviour as the princess was leaving wonderful influence on his son.

One sunny day, the princess sat on the grass next to könig with a wide smile and hummed sweetly to her self before gasping happily causing the boy next to her to turn his head towards her.

"I have an idea in how we can be more closer!" She yelled throwing her arms in the air.

"What is that?" The young boy asked excitingly.

"You can become my Knight at my 16th birthday and then we'll always be together.!" She placed her hands on his shoulders and gently shook them in excitement.

König smiled brightly and nodded his head, as a naive 12 year old he stood high and placed a hand on his chest towards his heart.

"And I promise if you do make me your Knight, that I'll shall forever guard you and make you safe from harm" he said proudly causing y/n to giggle.

Smiling brightly, y/n jumped high and wrapped her arms around könig making him frozen in place. She gently turned her face towards his red face and smiled while tightening her arms around his neck more pulling him closer, his breath hitched but after time he slowly wrapped his arms around her more softer form.

Years pass and time flew quickly to y/ns 16th birthday. Men all around the village gathered around, hoping to be the chosen Knight, but the bored princess had already chosen her only one. She gently placed her arm on the reel of the balcony that had the view on the whole area and her other arm rested underneath the bored princesses chin, it had been months since her last encounter with her chosen Knight and all his excuses were about how he was training for her and she believed them leaving him alone for concentration.

Her eyes looked around and she met the familiar blue ones that brought her joy making a huge smile form. Her lips slightly parted when she noticed how more matured he looked. More physique and his face looked more serious. But as soon as his eyes meet her beautiful ones that he believed brought him calm and peace made him smile and give a small wave. The princess quickly waved back and sat straight now more excited knowing her true Knight had entered.

The battle begun and many men were quickly eliminated making könig more relaxed knowing he was making it to the finales.

Hard challenges were past until the very last was left. A young fine men with bright green eyes and blond hair smirked at könig and chuckled. "I shall warn you now, that you will not win, as I'm certain I'll win, and even if I did not pass, the princess with surly chose a more bright looking man then a... well beast" the man said motioning towards könig height.

Only did this not bother könig, but also motive him into believing in himself knowing he'll win, and that surly you would chose him.

The finale begun and the two opponents were having a sword fight. König almost dogged all hits but due his massive size, he had accidentally been his a few times. But even so, könig successfully hit the blond many times. The fight was intense and the princess stressfully bit on her nails parying for könig.

The game ended in tie and had come to the final round. After many hits könig took advantage of his size and quickly jumped on the man and brought him down. The blond quickly gave up being frightened and ran away. König was quickly announced winner and the princess quickly ran down the stairs having a bright grin.

"König! Oh könig my great friend! How shall I describe my happiness for you? I'm more then proud to call you my Knight!" She yelled jumping into his arms ignoring all the gasps and weird looks that were given the princess.

The shy Knight quickly noticed the weird glaces but chose to ignore them and wrapped his much bigger arms around her chubby form.

Looking up to him she had her sweet-honey smile and let go of him stepping a few steps back giving her father space to announce him Knight.

The day went amazingly and she quickly dragged könig into her bedroom happily and jumped on her bed while könig stood by her side.

"Oh by the way my lovely Knight, your uniform his on my desk." She smiled lovingly at him causing warmth to surround his heart. A small smile find its way towards the quiet Knight and he made his way towards her desk picking up his armor. Its looked so shiny he noticed his reflection on it. Rising the armor he also saw your reflection. The sweet smile as always.

"How do you like the armor my Knight?" She asked her eyes closing gently before reopening and watching him admire her beauty through his armor.

"Oh I truly love it princess, beautiful, but not as you" he said not realising the affect of his compliment on her. Her face reddened and she giggled before standing up and walking towards him.

"Oh könig, you never fail to flater me" she said while gently caressing his chest earning a soft 'hmm' for responds.

The day ended with the young princess sleeping peacefully in bed while könig stood outside guarding her.

Days pass and y/n and könig grew closer of possible, not a second apart. Her father noticed it aswell but also realising she needs distance as her age for marriage was nearing and he could not handle a Knight for a groom.

Once when y/n was softly planting flowers in her garden her father took a hold of könig and walked with him out. König looked confused and politely asked for answers.

"What is it your highness?" He asked slightly bowing and standing straight again towering over the father.

"I need you to keep distance with my daughter, enought of attraction. I do not want any feelings connecting you two. Is that clear gaint?" He said the last part as a insult causing a small crack in his heart and könig swallowed in a lump before replying gently.

"But your highness-!" "No buts! You obey as I say, I am your king and you're my Knight, and that is your duty!" He said throwing one of his arm dramatically while the other was behind his back.

König did not complain but just nod making his way back to the garden where she was smiling brightly as her eyes caught him.

"Oh könig dear! I looked for you, see my beautiful dahlias! Look how wonderful they've grown!" She said gesturing towards her newly grown plants.

"Yes princess, you're quite right." König replied not showing a single emotion.

Y/n took a notice in this and decided to ask.

"Is everything alright Knight könig? Something seems to be bothering you." She asked placing on hand on his chest.

König gently took her hand and brought it back towards her side sighing.

"No princess, its nothing that concerns you, carry on with you planting." The words came out more harsher then intended causing the young princess to grimace but ignore it feeling small shattering of her heart.

"W-well alright then" she stuttered feeling upset.

The knight quickly noticed her change in tone but could not say anything but let her be.

Days past and könig kept his awful behaviour towards the princess but spoke kindly once in a while, behind the Kings back as not to worry the princess.

Y/n started believe he might have mood swings so she let it be, being blinded by the love she bad for the shy giant.

One day, as both Knight and Princess hung in the garden, the princess chose it'll be the perfect time to confess her long going feelings for her lovely Knight.

"Hey könig, you do know about my age in marriage is nearing correct?" She asked still keeping her eyes on her roses she planted months ago when being ignored by könig to distract herself.

The knight only hummed in responds and the princess quickly turned around with a huge smile.

"Well! My sweet Knight, how to you feel by becoming my Prince instead" she said tilted her head with a worry smile on her nervous face.

Königs eyes widened and his armor suddenly felt more hotter and heavier against his skin.

"Princess i-" before being able to respond he realised the words of her father and decided to keep his promise to the king.

"My apologies princess, but I'm a afraid I have to refuse such a stupid offer. I'm a Knight for you, and that's something you have to live with, but I'm more then happy to help you to chose your Prince." König replied with a smile in the end hoping to smooth her.

But his smile soon faded when he noticed tears running down her chubby cheeks.

"Oh well, didn't know my offer was stupid, you could have just refused kindly." She sniffled as she picked up her gardening tools and left the garden with a guilty Knight.

"Wait, my princess I didn't mean-" "save it könig, I heard quiet enough" she cut him off walking back to the castle with small sobs escaping her.

The day for her chosen Prince arrived and once again, many men and surrounded the castle, even the blond from before.

König stood by y/ns side the whole time stealing glanced time to time and felt guilty and wished he could become the Prince, but he couldn't, especially because of the father.

He noticed that the princess had not once even knowledge the knight, and after the little argument had been avoiding him.

The knight gulped down his sadness and kept his sight on the war between the men.

The fight was intense and once again the blond was left with some random man.

The fight ended with the blond smirking down on the man before waiting for the Kings family to come down.

The King's family came down and congratulated him. The princess sharing a forced and fake smile with him and watched as he bowed slightly and placing a small kiss on her hand causing her to shiver but calm down eventually.

The day ended and the wedding was planned excitedly by her father leaving the sad Princess alone in her bed. She was interrupted from her sorrow when könig barged inside her room with not his usual armor but a pair of regular cloths. He panted as he ran towards her bed and looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Y/N, please my dear listen, I'm so awfully sorry with my behavior with you these past time. But I could not avoid the command as was force to obey by your father by distancing myself from you. So my dearest princess, I ask of you for forgiveness and the kindest of offering me the same offer as before. I promise when becoming you Prince, I shall take care of you with love and protection, and vow to protect you from everything" he said as he leaned closer placing his forehead against the shocked princess

"I... Yes könig! I do want you as my Prince! Oh please do not scare me like that again! I'd be damned if I ever lost you and if I were to marry another, please könig, don't ever leave me" she sniffled as she took ahold of his collar nearing his face towards hers before gently placing her lips against his causing him to freeze.

His eyes soon closed and he gently put a hand on her chin bringer her face closer.

After the affectionate kiss, the pulled apart slightly panting and looking lovingly at one another.

"Oh dear princess, we can't stay her, pack you bags quick, and we shall run and go to my hometown where we're both protected and will love one another without having barriers in between us he said pecking her forehead and standing up helping her up. She quickly rushed and packed everything needed and he hugged her as he jumped out of the window along with her after she placed a note on her desk for her father.

Running away they joked and laughed all awhile kissing and finally being able to love each other as they wish. When reaching home, könig told her that he had planned a garden for her already and said its near a cottage where they both and live and plant as much as they want.

Hearing this, the princess felt blessed and could not have kissed könig harder as they both watched the half planted garden which made the princess happy.

:)

#call of duty #cod #cute #x reader #fluff #romance #kiss #könig x reader #könig mw2 #könig cod #princess #knight x princess #knight #garden #flowers #angst #x chubby reader #chubby reader #x plus size reader #plus size reader #sunshine reader #x sunshine reader #princess reader

[fanficfanatic000]

(A date?) E.M one

Nerd loser eddie x nerd loser fem reader

Trigger warning 18 + content no minors

Summary ( the fem reader works at a craft shop .seems and patches. Reader has more alt style. Reader is 21 and Eddie's 22. Eddie dropped out of high-school after almost dieing. The reader has zero friendsUntil a certain boy came into your work.)

A usual day usually consists of older women asking for floral pattern fabric And the white thread until today It was afternoon when you heard the bell on the door ring as someone with clanking chains walked in "welcome to seems and patches anything ya looking looking for?"You had to greet every customer because The job made you. He walked up to the counter. His figure was tall and leaned back Slightly his ripped dark blue jeans slightly baggy and hanging over his dirty white sneakers. His black Metallica t shirt was slighty tight clinging to his chest under a Jean jacket and a Jean vest. His doe brown eyes looking at you with his small stubble on his chin and a grin. "Uh do you guys have any sew on patches?" He raised an eyebrow"Yep our patches would be in isle 8" you smile "yeah thank you..." his hand on the back of his neck and he gulped "um can you come with me... i kinda wanted a second opinion and...." he gets flustered from your stare "n-nevermind" you smile "no problem its a pretty slow day anyways" his face immediately brightened and the red from his face drained "thanks p-pretty girl" and that caught you of guard cause no one has said that. Your face turned pink "you okay?"He looked down at your name tag "y/n?"You awkwardly nodded yes "um yeah its just no one has ever said that..."He tilted his head "?thank you?" His nose slightly scrunched "no ive never r-really been called pretty" you look down and you walk towards the isle slowly "seriously?""Yep" you say popping the p "Well i think thats probably because you make them nervous so they could never get it out.." his words have you all red and filled with butterflies he runs infront of you and held his hand out "im eddie."You put your hand in his ringed hand "hi eddie" he smiles wide and his beautiful eyes sparkle then you made it to the patches. He grabs a Metallica patch and holds it to the Jean vest. "Where would this look good?" You grabbed the patch from him and put it on the left of his chest. The air heated from noticing how close he really was. "Here would look pretty good"You hear a shaky breath exhale from eddie "Yeah" his face a pink tint as he grabbed a patch with a little coffen on it "how about this one?" You put it under the spot of the other one. The sunsetting out side "um i gotta check out now my uncle wanted me to get pizza and he's probably so Starved" he laughs slightly. As he just gave you an explanation to leave a store. "Well eddie i hope you enjoy your new patches." You say scanning them he smiles "ya know im thinking ill need more tomorrow if a certain pretty girl will be here." He leaned foreword and winked playfully. And you handed him the patches and he stepped out the clear glass door and you watch as he fist pumped in the air then basically skipped away.

look for part two with hash tag

A date em

#fandom #eddie munson #eddie x fem!reader #eddie munson lives #eddie x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie stranger things #eddie #stranger things 4 #fanfic #eddie munson smut #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x you #eddie munson fluff #corroded coffin #stranger things s4 #stranger things au #A date #A date em

[k8luvsu]

“i’m insecure of my laugh”

ft. Tsukishima Kei

f!reader x Tsukishima Kei

angst to fluff

author’s note: thought of this during class, yay!! anyway, i hope u enjoy, stay safe, xoxo ‼️🫶

It was another school day, just talking to your friends, when someone made you laugh— another classmate of yours scoffed and commented, “What kind of laugh is that?” , the others just laughed, telling the person to shut up and mind their own business, but you minded it. Your sound of laughter soon died down, now forced chuckles and smiles here and there. That really affected you, ruining your entire day, heck, maybe your entire week.

Days passed, you were nonchalant and dry. You still showed smiles but the laughs felt like a rare sound to hear now.

After classes, you went to one of the quiet parts of the school. You just needed.. time. Were they joking? Were they being serious? But in the end, it was stuck in your head the past few days, you were zoning out, just.. sitting there. Until you felt someone beside you, humming quietly. You slowly turned your head to see that it was none other but Tsukishima Kei.

“Jeez, Kei! At least say something when you’re here— wait, first of all, how did you know I was here?! Are you a stalker?!” You squealed in surprise, almost jumping from where you sat.

“One, I just had to grab the chance to spook you. Second, isn’t it obvious by now? You go here when you need to cool off or whatever. And lastly, no, can’t a guy know his girlfriend too well?..” He replied in a nonchalant way, but somehow there’s a hint of humor in there, like another one of your daily banters.

“Well… okay, yeah. Why are you here?” You frowned and glared at him, slightly chewing on your lip in nervousness.

“…To check on you…” He whispered quietly, “What?” You furrowed your eyebrows, “I came to check on you…” He mumbled, “What???”, you raised one of your eyebrows, “I came to check on you, dummy!” He finally said in a voice you can actually hear him.

“..O-oh. Oh.” You finally realized, you made a small smile, giggled a bit, almost laughed, but kept it in.

“Why?” He scoffed without looking at you, just looking in front of him to avoid eye contact, you replied, “Huh? What do you mean ‘Why?’, Kei?” You said in a confused tone.

“Why did you let that idiot’s words get to your head? About your laugh?” He grumbled. “Well.. I mean, it is weird, now that I realize, I don’t get why I laugh like—“ You explained before you get cut off by him, “Like an angel? Yeah, I don’t get it too, your laugh is so mesmerizing, it drives me insane.” He confessed with a blush, then you blushed as well. “P-Pardon? No, I think you misunderstood me—“, you quickly replied, “Yeah, yeah, I get it, your laugh’s like that. So what? It brightens up the whole room— brightens up my day. Everyone’s got a different laugh. Your laugh’s my favorite. My medicine.”

“I-I mean- well..” You look down, fiddling with your fingers as you bit and chew on your lower lip, “Look, I know I don’t say these a lot, but please, don’t let the words of pathetic people go to your head, they want to do nothing but make you insecure of yourself. Your laughs and smiles are so.. I don’t know, its like heavenly sounds ringing in my ears. You know? You’re divine. I love you.” He mumbles shyly, his cheeks heating up.

“Pfft-“ You giggle, stifling a laugh, then you laugh out loud, showing obvious comfort in his presence. “No way, did the Tsukishima Kei say that?!”, you laugh.

“There she is,”, he smiles, staring into your eyes as he basks in the divine beauty before his eyes.

the end </3!

#tsukishima x y/n #tsukishima fluff #tsukishima x reader #haikyuu tsukishima #tsukishima kei #hq tsukki #tsukki x reader #haikyuu tsukki #tsukkishima kei #haikyuu fluff #haikyu x reader #haikyuu #insecure reader #insecure #comfort

[bangchansgirlsblog]

My biggest regret

Part nine

**

"Y/n?" His voice was soft trying to wakeup her up from her sleep. "Baby, you need to wakeup and eat,"

Chan softly shook her body.

Her eyes slowly flutter open. She was tired and exhausted from the chemo she had just recieved a few hours ago. It was obvious.

"Hey," she said. A tiny smile played on her lips as she stirred. "What time is it?"

"8:10 and mum said that you haven't eaten ever since you got home with Hannah. Let's go eat and you can come back and rest yeah?" He sat by her and slowly stroked her hair trying to keep her awake.

He had showered and his hair was wet. He was dressed in a shirt and a pair of shorts. His silver hoops were on and he had his silver bracelet on.

"Okay, I'll shower first and come down stairs," she finally gave in and slowly (with the help of Chan) sat up on the bed. "Where's Hannah?" She asked rubbing her eyes.

"She went out with her friends but she'll be home in a bit, do you need help with anything? I haven't done this whole care taker thing ever since I left so I totally forgot how it works," He frowned.

"No it's fine Chan," she giggled appreciating his concern and effort, "I can shower on my own, go ahead and eat. I'll be down in a few."

"I wanna wait for you though," his hands intertwine with hers. Y/n liked that he was being so clingy. They hadn’t had time to be close to eachother all day and she missed him.

"Okay then, I'll hurry up and we can go," his face brightened and his hands automatically carry her out of bed and into the bathroom.

"Channie you have to get out so I can change," Her laugh was so contagious that Chan couldn't help but break his act.

"Fine, call me if you need anything. I'm right outside," and with that he closed the door behind him and let her shower and get dressed.

Dinner was quiet. Everyone enjoyed the hot home cooked meal that was before them as they discussed their day. The boys explained the little things they did in order to prepare for their show in a few days while the parents talked about how proud they were and how they loved watching them grow. The usual.

"There's a party tomorrow night-"

"Ou a party I'm so in!" Hannah exploded out of nowhere interrupting Changbin causing everyone to laugh.

"Where is this party? And will there be adults?" Chan's mum asked.

"Mum. We're literally grown men," Chan chuckled.

"Oh sorry, I'm sorry. It's a habit," she laughed while covering her face in embarrassment.

"It's fine Mrs.B," Han assured her, "Your good but yeah the party is at one of our idol friends. She leaves 30 minutes away,"

"Oh lovely! Well I hope you guys won't be out late at night. It's Christmas time nothing is safe,"

"Mum can I please go?" Hannah dropped her fork.

"No Hannah, these are Chan's friends."

"Chan can I please come? I promise I'll behave and I'll do your laundry for the rest of the time your here and I'll even forget the fact that you ghosted me for 4 years of my-"

"Fine, fine you can come," Chan throws his hands up in the air in surrender.

"You can go BUT Y/n has to go with you Hannah," Chan’s dad instructed.

"What? But dad you know she doesn't like partying!" Hannah rebelled. She was determined to go for the party and it showed.

"Well then, you'll have to convince her because no Y/n, no party,"

"Y/n come on! You have to come," Seungmin encouraged her, "It'll be so much fun!"

Y/n looked around the table. She didn't know what to do. A part of her really didn't want to go to the party. It wasn't her thing but a part of her didn't want to disappoint Hannah or the boys. So she let out a sigh.

"Fine I'll ask my mum,"

This alone made Hannah jump into her arms squealing and leaving kisses on her face before she got a scolding from bangchan.

"Yah! Don't you know she just got chemo?! She's tired! Get off," chan scolded his younger sister.

"Whatever grandpa, Y/n's my wife anyway," Hannah stuck her tongue out before climbing of the now laughing Y/n and sitting besides her.

Chan’s dad rubbed Y/n back before whispering in a joking matter, "Y/n good luck tomorrow,"

"Thanks. I'm going to need it uncle," the boys cheered, giving her the motivation she needed.

**

The next day. 8:15 pm

The music was loud. The room was hot and it stunk. Y/n didn't like any bit of it. She hated it. She wanted to be home sleeping in her bed but she was here instead...

"Let's go get drinks!" Hannah's voice rung through her ear. She simply nodded and followed behind her closely. Trying to avoid the popular rich kids. She had no intention of getting any type of attention but if you arrive to a party with THE straykids you kinda already attract attention anyway.

Once they had arrived to the party, the boys had been each pulled away by someone. Everyone wanted a peace of them. Everyone wanted their attention and that left the girls alone in the middle of the room trying to navigate their way through people they didn't even know.

"Here, it's non-alcoholic," Hannah passed her the cup while filling up hers with the drink that had alchohol in it.

"Don't get too wasted Hannah, I don't know these people and-" before she could even finish her sentence I.N was already by her side pulling her away from the now lost Y/n.

"Fuck," she whispered to herself before looking around trying to look for Chan.

People were staring at her weird and she didn't like it. Was it cause she was the only sober person in the room? Did they know about her and Chan? Did they like her? Was she dressed weird?

The thoughts run through her head as she consumed her drink. She didn’t want to start panicking when they just got here. It hadn’t even been 45 minutes.

She was going to enjoy this party. She was already here anyway.

The music wasn't that much enjoyable but she was able to stand it for the moment while she padded through the crowds.

"Felix!" She called out for the boy who was sat on the couch with two females in his arms. One on the left and on the right. This took her by surprised because She felt uncomfortable but decided to shrug it off because who was she? she barely new him so she couldn't say anything about it.

"Hey Y/nnie!" He was drunk. Y/n could instantly tell, "Whatsup babygirl? Looking for someone? Having fun?" He removed his hands off the girls and decided to pay attention to Y/n because in his state right now. He was going to flirt with her. He didnt care what anyone around him thought.

Both girls looked iirtated by her presence. Who was she? They had never seen her before and yet here she was stealing their “man” who in all honesty didn’t even know their names.

"Felix where's Chan? I've looked everywhere and-"

"Cannonball!!" A loud, familiar voice yelled before the sound of water splashing and gasps run through the room. Who was that? Y/n didn’t even bother to look.

"Y/nnie, do you wanna smoke?" Felix pushes the girls off before standing up (barley even making it)

"Felix you're drunk, this isn't good. I hope the boys aren't as wasted as you. We should get you some water,"

"Oh your cute, you know that right?" His eyes were red and her eyes landed on his shirt because it was halfway unbuttoned. “My eyes are up here babygirl,”

"Thank you but come on, let's go to the kitchen Lix,"

"I like it when you call me Lix," he giggled. Y/n was shook. Why was he like this? Her hand wrapped around him and guided him into the kitchen and she helped him sit down on the stool. She grabbed the bottle of water and started feeding it to him.

His hands wrapped around her waist so he would fall backwards.

"You smell- you smell nice," he hiccuped through sips, "and you have pretty hair, pretty eyes, pretty face and you're thick as fu-"

"Felix! I think you should just keep quiet," Y/n said feeling embarrassed, "sit here and drink water, I'm going to check on the other guys,"

"Okay, yes ma'am," he sat up straight and stayed as still as he could. Y/n found this amusing all though she was extremely worried.

She was wondering around the room when she decided to check in any of the boys were outside and indeed she found Han...in the pool. In the pool? In the pool! In. The. Pool. Everything made sense. He was the one yelling a few minutes ago.

"Jisung! I swear to God if you don't get out this instant-"

"Y/nnie! Come swim with us!" He slurred trying to pull himself out of the pool. Her anger was slowly growing. She was frustrated but mostly shocked because yes they could do whatever they wanted but she thought they would be atleast responsible.

“Han you need to get out the pool and put on clothes or else you’ll end up falling sick!” She exclaimed while grabbing his clothes off from the floor.

“Fine but you’re such a buzz kill,” he pouted and grabbed the clothes out of her hands before proceeding to go back into the house.

She followed him just in case he decided to go back into the pool but he didn’t. He entered the bathroom got dressed and followed her to the kitchen where they both found Felix making out with some random girl.

She was disappointed but she didn’t want to say anything. Making note to talk about this later when she had calmed down.

“Okay, both of you just drink water. Please. You can barely walk,” she passed Han a bottle of water and watched him drink it all. As she monitored the boys she couldn’t help but worry about Chan and his whereabouts. She needed to find him quick because she was ready to go home.

They had been there for 3 hours and she had enough of it.

“Han have you seen Chan?” She asked him.

“Hm…Maybe- I’m trying to think here. Oh! Check upstairs,” His words were a bit hard to understand but she understood it.

“Thank you,” she grabbed her phone off the table and made her way up the stairs.

There were a few couples making out by the stairs case but she wasn’t phased by it. She just wanted to go home.

The second floor had four rooms.

Her sweaty hands open the first door and she could not believe her eyes.

“Leeknow?!” She screamed. “Leeknow?! ew! That’s so disgusting!” She covered her eyes and slammed the door shut. Whatever she saw she swore never to talk about it again.

You’re probably wondering what she saw. Well…Uhm. Let’s just say he was busy and he was sweaty.

Her head was spinning and her eyes were burning. Someone was smoking a blunt so it was understandable but she knew this wasn’t safe for her or her condition so she rushed through each door until she stopped on the fourth door.

She quickly opened it thinking she wouldn’t find Chan but there he was. Sat on the bed. His legs spread apart and a-

a blonde girl in between his legs? He was smiling and stroking her hair. Then he leaned in and they started to make out.

She watched in horror. Her heart shattered into a million pieces. She couldn’t believe it.

But are we really surprised?

**

The book gets crazier lol

Tags 🏷️: @ka0ila @lozurcoz @lixie-phoria @kai-lee08 @moonofthenight @greyyeti @jinnie-ret @yangbbokari @sungprotector @felixoasis @leetaste @hanniemylovelyquokka

[unrequitedloveletter]

Hi! Could I request an Aaron Warner x fem!reader where reader is always flustered when Aaron flirts with her and one day she flirts back with Kenji. Aaron is frustrated (and obv jealous), he didn’t know it was a joke between them and he confronts her about it. This time she’s the one teasing him cause he’s jealous and then LOVE CONFESSIONNN

Thank you!! And sorry if it’s too long

So Am I- A.W x fem! reader

All right, hi! Again, I am so sorry about how long this took and I hope you like it in spite of that.

As I did with your last request, this is a headcanon/fic combo--I wrote out the headcanons first and then turned the confession into a fic because writing it that way is just easier on me when my motivation is somewhat lacking lol

Fic type- this is fluff with angst but only if you squint

Warnings- none!

Okay, so!!

You and Kenji are exactly the kind of friends who flirt but like,, platonically

it's never anything too serious--at most, it's typically just stuff like: "Lookin' good, L/N!" or just random compliments, the occasional wink here or there

also, on another note, Kenji is definitely the type of person to either bring up or agree to marry his best friend if they're both still single at 30

it's lighthearted bantering that you guys do for the hell of it, and it generally gave you both a bit of a laugh so it brightened the mood significantly while you were with him when things got bad at Omega Point and stuff with the Resistance

HOWEVER

when Aaron flirts with you???

it's not platonic (you're in love with him)

it's never platonic (he's also very deeply in love with you)

you ALWAYS, ALWAYS get just a bit flustered around him

kenji teases you for it RELENTLESSLY too because he finds it to be the funniest thing in the world??

"C'mon, Y/N! Warner saying that your eyes look nice in the sun can't just be platonic. He's in love with you and he's flirting! Flirt back and let me officiate your wedding."

"Did Warner flirt with you again??" He asked one time as he caught Aarons back fading from view as he walked away and noticed you standing there, a loving look in your gaze as you watched him go. "Oh, shit, Y/N. You are in so deep."

Warner doesn't really know that you and Kenji flirt platonically, so when he does hear that for the first time, this is how it goes:

"Lookin' good, L/N!" Kenji called out as the two of you passed each other in a hallway, Kenji likely going to visit Castle while you were in search of his daughter.

"This from you, Kenji? You look flawless."

TO YOU, that was where the interaction ended--a bit of harmless flirting, words of encouragement to keep one another on your feet.

whereas warner?? warner was like "Okay, gotta confess my feelings now and see where that goes."

He, however, is a gentleman who finds you in your room that night, and the confession goes as well as Aaron could've hoped--better than that.

Aaron finds you in your room, back against the wall, blanket tossed over your lap and a book in hand. A candle had been lit to keep the room lit well after you were meant to have been sleeping, and when you saw him enter after knocking and you'd said it was fine, you gave him a grin and set the book in your lap.

"Hi," you greet. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Aaron says, closing the door behind him as he steps into the room. "I have something to talk about, is all."

You glance at your book, and Aaron has to fight a grin as he watches you grimace at the cover.

"This book sucks anyway," you tell him, nodding. "Say your peace, please. Anything to distract me from this god awful prose."

Aaron laughs, and your heart gives way to a funny little flip.

"I love you," he says, figuring it best to just rip the bandaid off. "I'm in love with you, and I have been practically since we met. I was content to just wallow in it forever but you and Kenji were flirting and my insecurities got the best of me, so here I am, pouring my heart out like some fool in a romance novel."

"Aaron," you say, laughing a little as you say his name. "Kenji and I aren't romantically involved, I promise. We flirt from time to time but that's just been something we've done all our friendship--it's kept spirits up in the worst of times because we find it hilarious. I'm in love with you too, and I tended not to engage with your flirting because every time you flirted, my heart kicked off into a racing pace and I almost forgot how to breathe."

Aaron can't help the way that his eyebrows raise or the surprised expression on his face, which makes you laugh and in turn makes his heart race just a bit.

"Do you want to stay the night?" You ask. "We can talk, maybe go to see if theres any tea left in the kitchens."

Aaron steps forward, takes your hands and sits down beside you on your bed, glad that he'd decided to change into sweatpants and a shirt before coming to confess his feelings.

"Kenji is going to lose his mind," you say, laughing a bit as Aaron wraps an arm around your shoulder and you let him pull you close. "He's been telling me to get on with it for a year at this point, to confess my feelings, but I've not found the strength. I was afraid I wouldn't adequately be able to put it into words."

Aaron presses a kiss to your forehead, laughing just a bit in turn.

"I didn't do so much better," he comments. "Glad I did it though."

You hum, pressing a kiss to his jaw. "So am I."

#aaron warner #aaron warner x reader #shatter me #shatter me series

[ncteez]

wait now I’m thinking about cutie mailman!mark who always gives a shy wave when you catch him delivering to your mailbox. since it’s hot as hell outside you always try to leave a snack and cold water for him during his routes, and he thanks you by spreading you open in his truck and burying his head under your pretty summer skirt ☹️☹️☹️

-🥀

i changed it a little bit. she's not wearing a summer skirt lmao.

tags: reader is a shameless whore just like me, purchase of sex toys to make mark suspicious and horny, kitchen smut.

wc: 1.3k

mailman!mark, who delivers your mail and packages every single day at the exact same time. Rain or shine, he's there.

Whether you can afford the bill he's delivering to you or not, he's there. Whether it's a package you've been excited for, junk mail, shitty ads, Mark's always there to deliver it.

You moved here some three years ago. The first house with the mail box attached to the wall right by your door. The first house with a ring camera set up. The first house where you've strictly hoped websites ship through your regular carrier service just to see that hot mail man carry all your packages to your door through that little ring camera.

Yeah, he's hot. Cute, even, when the neighbor's cat is lounging directly where he needs to walk and he stops every single time to give the cat a little pat on the head.

Safe to say, when the summer months roll around, you definitely start leaving him out little snacks and cold bottles of water and juices.

Even safer to say that you might have a slight crush on him with the way his face lights up, despite the sun already brightening it to an extent that he can actually be hard to see through the ring camera at times.

All summer, he looks forward to delivering at your house. Hoping that you have mail every single day. Hoping that you thank him with little snacks every single day. Hoping that someday, he can see the owner of the house because it's a little weird how he knows your full name and address, but not at all what you look like.

~

Ohhh, that day comes not soon enough for him.

You began to make it a point to be noticed by said mail man is fall rolled around. You're not just outside for him though, you're out there to....you know, rake leaves..........in a short dress, because the temperature is finally chilling down but, it's not quite sweater weather yet either.

The way you see him nearly break his neck staring at you. You assume he's internally wondering if you're just a mirage or something within his long shift he completes every day, until he notices the little basket of snacks and drink for him.

He looks over his shoulder at you, and you to him.

You give a small wave, he gives a small nod.

~

Anyway, so basically, throughout fall you try to be outside just at the right time. Conversations with him become part of his visit. Little "get to know me" questions growing more and more personal as the conversations continue.

He looks forward to delivering your mail, until...well.

Listen, you didn't entirely buy it on purpose (you did). A suspicious little package that is blatantly obvious to any mail person handling it.

Mark holds the package in his hands, wondering how many times he's delivered phallic toys to the people in this neighborhood. That, he wouldn't know. But, now he knows that it's happened at least once. To you.

You do, indeed, sit on the porch with a warm cup of tea. Big sweater, socks up to your knees, shorts despite the weather getting cooler, when he delivers it to you.

You take it from his hands, sending him a look that gives his body signals.

"What's your name?" You ask him, inspecting that your package offers optimal suspicion to him.

"Mark."

Well, that's definitely a name fitting for a mailman.

"Ah, Mark." You say his name easily, flipping the package in your hand and opening it right there on your front porch. "Do you have a girlfriend, Mark?"

The repeating of his name sends a little chill up his spine, or maybe it was the cool autumn wind, he isn't sure. He swallows around the lump in his throat upon seeing your package confirm his suspicions, shaking his head at you.

"Um, No." He says, voice cracking just a little bit.

"Oh? Shame." You smile as you continue to fumble with your package, examining the toy and noting that it's actually a size bigger than you ordered, but you're not too upset. "Do you want one?"

He checks his watch, averts his eyes, looks up, looks down, bounces from one foot to the other. Then, you fix your eyes back to him, smiling fondly.

"I uh, should really, um--" He points his thumb over to his mail truck, taking a step back.

"Alright, Mark. I'll see you tomorrow."

~

Man, if training a man to have a boner was something you knew you could do, you would've done it ages ago.

Mark, the mailman, appears to believe every single package and envelope you accept from his very hands must contain a sex toy of sorts.

The weather is getting colder, and your outfits are only getting skimpier too.

Naturally, it's not long before you put that final nail in his coffin. Standing just inside the door as he delivers your mail to you yet again, on a Tuesday morning right as the clock strikes eleven.

"Ah, hold on!" You say as he turns to head back to his truck.

You turn, bending over blatantly to show that you're definitely not wearing anything under this large sleeping shirt. It's just to grab his snacks that you put on the floor for...um, no reason.

The way he swallows at what you present to him. The way his pants get tighter. The way he very well might just fucking lose his job if he doesn't get back in the truck and continue to make good time on his deliveries.

"Ah, do you want a warm drink to take with you too?" You ask as innocently as possible, handing him the snacks and watching him nod at you as if he's in a trance.

"Great! Come in and warm up for a second while I make it."

Mark doesn't know why he's risking his job right now stepping through your door. He also doesn't know how he ends up in your kitchen with you, bending you over the counter with a mug rolling and clattering to the floor.

Doesn't know how his fingers slide into you with such ease, or the way you grab him directly between the legs and stroke his cock like your hand was made for it.

But does he care? Not at this moment.

It's like a cliché porno come true. And he won't admit the amount of mailman roleplay he's watched on the hub since meeting you.

You really invited him in, you really didn't wear panties, and now, you're really moaning his name against a smooth marble surface, leaking wet all over him. And he can't get enough, with his big hands gripping your hips and guiding your ass to meet his pelvis every time.

He doesn't think he's ever been this deep in someone before. The fact that you like it as deep as he pushes only drives him further too. Pressing you so hard against the counter when he drives his cock in further, listening for the sounds of how much wetter you manage to get for him.

His hands move to the counter around you as he leans his entire body against you, thrusting tightly into you. Not quite pulling out all the way, mostly keeping himself buried in. Why? Because he can feel you clench him, he can hear your breath get shakier and shakier-- and if there's anything in the world he wants right now, it's for you to come all over him.

And when you do, he can't help but leave you with a little parting gift as well. Finding himself giving you a soft and gentle kiss at your door, only glancing for a moment at his cum running down your legs before smiling, and heading back to his truck.

Learning how to fuck fast and efficiently wasn't really a part of his job description, but it's a perk, he thinks.

#[mail] #[m] #[h.hours] #[mark] #🥀 anon #LISTEN #I JUST #NEED HIM

[rrenzwrld]

secreto de amor XI

chapter 11! read chapter 10 here

ever since jean came home you thought things would go back to normal and your feelings you thought you had for connie would subside. but they didn’t. in fact, it seemed as if they got stronger in the midst of his absence around the house because he wasn’t coming around as often as he was before. you didn’t know what changed on his end but today would be the first time you cared enough to find out.

“hey,” jean looked up from his laptop as you walked into his room.

“hey, what’s wrong?”

“did you and connie like…fall out or something? he doesn’t come over like that anymore.”

“no we’re still cool, we just haven’t been talking as much. i hope he’s okay though, why?”

“just wondering, bye.” you left before he could ask you anything else. you had work later on that day but all you could think about was connie. it was like something in you ached for him and his presence and you hated it. you haven’t felt this way about anyone since your ex and you saw how that turned out.

but then you remembered you still had his number so you texted him and got a response immediately.

he was coming over after his shift and you hoped you’d be off work by then but then you had to get your thoughts straight because the only reason you were hoping to be off was to see a man. emotions and feelings genuinely scared you.

but unfortunately connie came by while you were finishing your shift at work so you didn’t get to see him. but you didn’t trip over it because you knew you’d see him some other time even if it was months from now until he showed up at your job while you were closing. you didn’t even remember telling him where you worked or what kind of hours you had.

“wassup.” connie walked in greeting you.

“aye man, we closed.” your coworker announced.

“i’m with her..” connie gestured to you, finishing up your task and walking over to him. from connie’s perspective, he didn’t know if you were happy to see him or not because your face was so unreadable.

“how’d you know what time i got off?”

“jean told me. went to see him today, remember?”

“right right, i forgot.”

“forgot? your memory is actually terrible.” he laughed and earned a playful shove from you in response.

“so you gonna introduce us or keep cupcaking in front of us like kids?” you introduced connie to your coworkers and gathered a great response to him collectively. since you’ve been working at your job for a while, your coworkers were like your friends because you talked to them whenever you had the time in between work tasks about whatever and they did the same to you.

when everyone exited the space for the night, you and connie were conversing by your car.

“i’m sorry for being gone for so long. i hope you didn’t think i was ghosting you or anything.”

“i just assumed you were busy anyway, it’s cool.” you lied. it wasn’t all that cool for you but of course you wasn’t gonna mention that to him.

“why do you do that?” he looked at you inquisitively

“do what?”

“brush off how you really feel. because i know it wasn’t cool that i just stopped talking to you like that.”

you debated on whether or not you should’ve told the truth about how you really felt for a change or if the situation was even serious enough.

“you’re right, it wasn’t cool. plus you stopped talking to jean too and

he—“ connie grabbed your hand, holding it softly like a delicate flower and caressing it with his fingertips.

“this isn’t about jean. you know that.” how he was looking at you really didn’t help your feelings outside to either. even in the dark, slightly brightened up by dimly lit street lights in the area, you could follow connie’s hazel eyes as they roamed you.

“then what is it about?” you pulled you hand away.

“you. how you feel.”

“it doesn’t matter. you’re talking to me now, right?”

“yeah—“

“then there’s nothing more to discuss. i’m just glad you saw jean today, i’m sure it gave him a peace of mind.”

“i’m glad i saw you today.” if you were a few shades lighter, the blush on your cheek would be more than visible.

“good…you going home right?”

“yeah, i was gonna ask if you wanted to come over my place.” you stared blankly at him.

“for what?”

“i don’t know, just to chill out i guess. i know you’ve never been so…” he was right. you barely went anywhere outside of your own space, let alone another man’s house.

you hummed before answering with words. “sure. i’ll follow you out.” a bright smile appeared on connie’s face which made you begin to wonder if there was a reason why he wanted you to come over.

you followed connie to his apartment, got out and went inside. you didn’t know what to expect but you hadn’t expected it to look so neat. even though it was a smaller space fit just enough for him, he didn’t make it look cluttered at all.

“¿te gusta?” he turned to you but you looked at him with confusion because of the spanish.

“what?” he laughed.

“do you like it?” you nodded.

“yeah. cleaner than i expected.” connie was visibly offended.

“what’s that supposed to mean?” he crossed his arms.

“i expected you to be messy and unorganized. proved me wrong, i guess.” you shrugged.

“you guess…” connie plopped down on his couch and your body moved to follow him. “you’re so nonchalant. like have you ever given a fuck in your entire life?” no one has ever said anything like that to you before. you’re so used to people saying the opposite so this was a new observation.

“i have. and i’m not nonchalant, i just don’t be having a lot to say.” your voice got quiet towards the end of the sentence as you looked down at your hands.

“i understand. you just seem like you don’t really care for a lot of things.”

“i don’t.” you said bluntly

“but you just said you weren’t nonchalant.”

“that’s different.”

“no it’s not.”

“yes it is.”

“well…do you at least care about me?” connie looked at you as if he was making sure you wouldn’t escape his question, using only his eyes.

“in what way?” you met his gaze.

“any way.”

“any way?” you didn’t know if it was you or connie but your bodies were drawn closer to each other to the point where your nose nearly touched his and you could point out every freckle on his face.

“yeah.”

“i do…” connie’s hand moved up to gently caress your cheek. without even touching the rest of your body, that one movement shot bolts through you. you haven’t felt anything like that in a long time and you wondered how long it would last. why it was happening.

“really?”his voice adopted a softer tone as his face moved closer to yours. “show me.” as if it was on instinct, your lips moved to connect with connie’s. the kiss felt as magical as your first one was supposed to feel but then you realized that you might actually really love connie. more than you’ve ever really loved any man outside of family. his lips were soft like small peaches on his freckled face and his tongue swiped over yours effortlessly, as if any of this was meant to happen. at the time, neither of you had a care in the world and you wanted this moment to last forever but…nothing lasts forever.

“shit..” you picked up your ringing phone to answer jean. connie watched as you had a small conversation with your brother and hoped that you’d have enough balls to tell him you were staying longer instead of feeling guilty about upsetting him. now that he finally had a taste of you, he wasn’t sure he was willing to let it go.

“i’m gonna go…” a pout formed on connie’s face and you instantly felt bad. “jean was bout to worry himself to death when i didn’t call him when i got off. i’m sorry.” you gathered your things and stood up off the couch, walking towards the door with connie following behind.

“i understand, i’ll see you again tomorrow right?” you weren’t too sure.

“i don’t know, connie…” he grabbed your hand and intertwined his fingers with yours, gazing at you with pleading eyes.

“please?” you playfully rolled your eyes before standing on the tips of your toes to place a kiss on connie’s cheek.

“you’re such a child.”

“love you too. drive safe, text me.” you nodded before getting in lola and driving off.

love?

#aot #aot x reader #aot x black reader #black reader #connie springer #aot connie #connie springer x black reader #connie springer x black y/n

[schmerzafte]

Cloudy with a heavy chance of rain. (w/ WJSN Eunseo)

(As always, much appreciation goes to @a-casual-kpopfan for the help given to me by editing this post, it's been a while since I've posted a fic, and I hope my skills aren't that rusty. Love, schmerzhafte.)

Rain.

It always enamours you in this weird way.

It always reminds you of a…

Memory.

Is it sweet? bitter? or something else?

You do not grasp it well, but you feel it anyway.

Especially when you are accompanied by someone you adore, someone you care about, someone you love, and someone you cherish until the end. It always brightens your days when you spend time with her, seeing her smile and laugh whenever you crack a joke or two. It is a smile you will never forget, even if you have already seen it a thousand times. It still hits you deep. And hopefully, you will always experience this forever and ever.

“Hey, dummy! Don’t just blank out like that! I’m here you know.”

And with that, your thoughts that are starting to grow, embracing your memories, fade instantly. Because there is a smile that warms up your life when you look away from the window. It’s the smile that you won’t forget, after all.

“Jeez, I sometimes wonder why you do this often, you know? You always blank out randomly every time we hang out.”

Right. You know that she recognizes this behaviour very well. It always occurs whenever you spend your day alone or with her. The thoughts always linger around, emitting a bright light in what currently is a dark place. It is night, after all, which is always the time when both of you finish work, and decide to spend the rest of your days together, in this café. The café that you know well holds every beautiful moment that you and she create every time both of you come to this place after dealing with the mess that is life, especially when you work in such a busy office, and she also deals with the same thing as you are, albeit in a different environment.

“Yeah, I know. Sorry, it’s just…remembering what happened to us, what we deal with together in life, and what we have to face every day, yet we get to meet here, in the exact same place, every day. It’s just…comforting.”

“After all these years, I’m still confused, and it’s slowly grinding my gears, you know.”

Oh…shit.

You know this expression very well, whenever the mood starts to shift, you can easily recognize it by staring at her face, which, while expressing an angry emotion, seems to make your smile wider, just by imagining how cute she is whenever she gets angry.

“You are a cute princess whenever you get angry, Juyeon. I’m starting to notice that as well.”

“Jeez, focus on the topic! I’m asking you why you do this!” she pouts in the most adorable way possible.

“Well, here’s why.”

And then you do the most sacrilegious thing you’ve ever done in your whole life, one that you never thought you could do to other people. But you need to do it anyway, just to prove a point, just to declare something, to her.

A boop to her nose.

“Hey!”

“That is why.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It means I love you, dummy, it means that you are important to me, to my whole life.”

The expression suddenly changes, gone is the pouty face that you thought was the cutest thing in the world, and appearing to you, a surprised face that you rarely see, because she always expects the most unexpected thing from you.

But whenever you talk about this kind of stuff, she blushes very easily, like it’s second nature to her. Maybe it’s coming from her past, which you are very knowledgeable about, or because of how much you care for her, she didn’t expect it to come from you, due to how different you are acting towards your acquaintances, friends, or…someone you cherished forever.

“Don’t…just say that to me, after the fact that you BOOPED MY NOSE!”

That blush again, it’s hard to hold a smile and a laugh, seeing that beautiful expression.

“You’re so damn cute, I wish I could see this expression from you every day, every time.” You replied, whilst holding and stroking your hand to her right cheek, remembering how cute she is whenever she gets like this. And you just wish you could do this forever and ever.

“You know you can, right? We always meet at the end of our work, and whenever the weekend arrives.”

“Yeah, but I just wish I could do this to you every day, 24/7.”

“That’s just wishful thinking, you know? Oh, by the way…” she glances at the barista, which you also know well, because, of course, both of you come here after work hours, ordering the same type of drink, and spending the rest of your days together, eventually, someone from the café would recognize both of you well. “The same one!” she spoke to the barista, ordering her favourite drink, which is the hot cappuccino with brown sugar instead of white, which she always claims “It is healthier than white sugar you know. You should try it!” of course you ignored it, but you just love to see her complain about it every time you ordered a drink with white sugar. Those small things are what keep you alive, those memories that you hold forever. But, whenever she ordered a drink, you know damn well you must keep up with her, just to not leave her alone with her drinks.

“Oh, and for me, one espresso with a shot of rum.” You said to the barista. A rare combination, but you know damn well that you must work late tonight because your boss asked for an egregious amount of wishful thinking that gets approved by the department. With how close the deadline is approaching, you know that you must work harder this evening and stay up late, making letters and invitations to different companies.

“Damn, not just an espresso, but a rum as well? Guess your boss is acting up again, huh?” She scoffed at your order. “Yeah, he’s acting up again, asking for ridiculous favours, adding weird things to an already approaching deadline, which means we have to work double the time to requisite more budget and items to the other department.” You replied to her with a disgusted look.

“Well, such is life, sometimes you get a good workplace environment, sometimes you get a shitty one, just be glad that you have a nice workplace, but with the handicap that is your boss.” There’s a hint of truth in what she said. Yeah, you work every day from 9 to 3, but the workplace you live in is comfortable; a good internet connection, pantries with many ingredients to cook something when you have downtime, an actual good income, and many friendly colleagues that always support one another. It is a rare blessing for some people, because many of those people get a shitty workplace, and a shitty boss too. That is what you’re proud of, but of course, the downside is that your boss is a tough one.

“Yeah, you’re right, anyway, the drinks have arrived!”

The barista comes with both of your beverages, her hot cappuccino, and your espresso with a shot of rum. “Still together, are we? What a lovely couple both of you are, I hope the best for both of you, living the best life, and loving each other!” she happily exclaims. You saw your soulmate smile gently whilst laughing, with a hint of blush on her cheeks. That’s a good expression to see. “Thank you, miss. We wish you the same thing as well, we hope your café keeps running well!” she happily replied to the barista, and you as well said the same thing. The café actually runs really well, it was constructed and ran probably 3 to 4 years ago, which is a good accomplishment for a self-owned café. The owner and the staff have been great to both of you, and made a drink named after both of your favourite moments in life, “Cloudy Rain”, a grey-coloured cocktail with egg white that has been shaken in order to form a “cloud of foam” that floats on the top, representing a drink that symbolizes struggle, and a hardship that both of you need to tackle to move forward in life.

“Miss Juyeon, if you have the time, can you come here at around 9.30 a.m.? We need to deliver an order, but when we saw the place where we were supposed to deliver it, we noticed that it’s your workplace. So…if you wouldn’t mind?” the barista hesitantly asked your soulmate. It’s not often that the café gets a delivery order, because it’s supposed to be a “traditional vintage café, which only serves a dine-in customer”, but when there’s an order, it usually comes from your Juyeon’s workplace, because of how she promotes the place to her colleagues and acquaintances, which in turns, creates a huge profit for the café. A rare occurrence indeed.

“Oh sure, it’s probably Hyunjung or Sojung, since both like this place’s beverages. I’m sure it’s the same order as the previous one, correct?” she asked. Call it intuition, but she knows her colleagues well enough to the point where she remembers the exact drink her colleagues ordered every time, she asks them about ordering beverages from the café. “Yes! Wow, someone’s a great colleague, huh? You’re very lucky to have a soulmate like her who cares about her colleagues.” The barista happily exclaimed. It surely puts a smile on your face too, seeing her being this cheerful, especially with how busy both of your life has been, it’s a rare occurrence, but when it happens, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment, that you will surely remember for the rest of your life.

But you feel sleepy all of a sudden, it feels like a weight is put on both of your shoulders, and your eyes share the same sensation, forcing a situation that you damn well can’t pull out from, with how intense work and life is. It’s weird, because you’re supposed to be awake, with how you ordered such heavy caffeine, combined with a rum as well. It’s supposed to help you with your work tonight. Instead, it forces you to fall asleep, knowing well that you need to drive home with Juyeon back home, in order to work more, and maybe get a proper rest. But luckily, she notices it well enough.

“Hey, dummy! Don’t go to sleep yet, you must drive us home, remember? Hey! Wake up!” she shouts while nudging your shoulder.

But the rain, the heavy feeling, and the warm sensation of Juyeon’s smile put you to sleep quickly, and you can’t help but notice that the rain continues to ring in your ears, keeping your company. It’s been like this for hours, but surely the rain will end soon, right? You clearly checked the weather app this morning, and it predicted that the rain would come to an end at around this time.

But it doesn’t.

Instead, it’s the sleepy feeling that comes to an end quickly.

You wake up in the same place, facing a window, watching the rain outside, you don’t even realize how long you have been asleep, but there’s one thing you do realize.

A familiar voice peeks into your left ear, shouting.

“Hey, it’s 1 a.m., and we are about to clean up before closing the café.”

It’s the Café owner, nudging your shoulder, whilst on her right hand, holding a broom.

After that, do you realize, that you are still in the same place.

The only difference is that you’re alone.

The heavy sensation that you felt, now comes again, but it doesn’t put you to sleep. Instead, it heavily pushes your mind and your heart. The rain, forcing you to memorize a certain moment that you, and the other person you used to be here with, shared.

With your phone in your grip, you checked, and a notification from the Calendar app came.

“11th November: Cloudy Rain.”

As you pull away from the window and your phone, there you see, on the other side of your table.

Grey-coloured Cocktail, with heavy foam on top.

And a familiar portrait of a person.

In front of it, a bouquet of White Chrysanthemum and Gladioli.

Someone who you’ve cherished all the time.

Who you’ve shared those moments, those memories, those sensations.

Someone, with whom you shared the rain together, after hour, in this very place, with a hot cappuccino, and an espresso with a shot of rum in front of you.

Someone, who you loved, to death.

And indeed, as you stare at the portrait,

of Son Juyeon.

#fanfiction #wjsn #wjsn eunseo #reader x eunseo #wjsn fic #eunseo fic #son juyeon

[taintedcries]

for your valentine request, i would love it if you could write chuuya x reader w collecting flowers + picnic!! i want to give him a silly flower crown and have tea time w him :33

KISS ME OUT OF THE BEARDED BARLEY — chuuya

COLLECTING FLOWERS WITH CHUUYA

It was his day off when you took him out (practically dragged him), he was a bit reluctant at first since he wanted to just rest and not socialize for the day, he was exhausted after all the missions he’s been through

You did say the place was close so he just accepted his fate as you drag him out of his house

When he saw the place he just looked at you confused until you said to just wait cause it’s much more beautiful when you go deeper into the forest

You were right, there were so much flowers in the meadow. It was practically perfect

And the clouds gathering causing the sky to darken, casting a soft melancholy look to the place. It was practically the perfect place to relax at, he did not regret coming with you here

"Chuu~ya~!" He could hear their giggles from afar as the sounds of their laughter became near "Yeah?—" 

As soon as he said that he could feel something tucked behind his ear. He glanced behind him, "What is this?" He asked as he neared his hands to his ear

"Eh! Don't touch it, it's just a flower I gave you! Wait—let me take a picture of it before you get it out!!"

He smiled brightly when you took your camera out, he was gleaming, he was practically the sun’s rival whenever he smiles.

You softly smiled at him and click, the camera made a shutter sound as you looked at the picture

“How do I look?” He asked walking towards you, you placed the camera inside your basket—the basket you were gonna fill to the brim with flowers for him.

“Perfect, as always”

PICNIC WITH CHUUYA

When you offered to have a picnic with him, he brightened up (i imagine he would be into those romantic dates like picnic & stuffs but absolutely clueless abt romance)

He offered to set the date up for you but you refused, saying that this was your responsibility since you asked him out on a picnic date and didn’t wanna trouble him (he calls it bullshit but lets you anyways, he picks out a spot for you guys though)

He watches as you lay down the picnic basket and lay out all the desserts and food out infront of him, everything looked delicious.

“These looks delicious, thank you,” he smiled at you before continuing “but really—you should’ve let me help you out.” You waved his concern out “Seriously it was nothing! As long as I get to spend time with you these are all no problems!”

He raises an eyebrow at you but speaks nothing of it as he watches your hand travel to the basket once again

“Want some tea?”

This guy always drinks tea with Kōyō-san, he would gladly drink tea with you

Who is he to refuse his darling anyways?

“You know damn well what my answer is.” He grins at you before taking the cup out of your grasps softly

hihi anon i had a pretty fun time writing this!! sorry its seperated i couldnt get an idea how to write them tgt :((,, ughghd i hope this matches up to ur expectations..

#[足赤 ] — valentine's special #bsd x reader #bsd chuuya #bsd #bungou stray dogs #chuuya nakahara x reader #chuuya x reader #chuuya x you #bsd chuuya x reader #bungou stray dogs x reader

[random-thot-generator]

Love Thy Frenemy + Ch. 7

(Frenemies/Tenderness AU)

SEVEN: Can't Let Go

SIMON GHOST RILEY x FRENEMY FEM READER

Summary: A week has passed since the argument in the alley, and Reader's hurt has been replaced with a seething anger that leads her to make a spur-of-the-moment decision out of spite. However, her poor choices lead to a potentially dangerous situation.

(PLEASE MIND THE TAGS. This chapter could be triggering for some readers.)

Warnings/Tags: Profanity, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Bad Coping Mechanisms, Allusions to sex, Threat of dub/non-con sexual situation, Brief Violence - Reader's a scrapper, Threat of violence though not acted upon... yet, No use of Y/N

(Notes: Ngl, this was a bitch to write. I had no less than three other alternative versions of this chapter, before choosing this one, but thankfully had some help along the way. Massive props to @glitterypirateduck for the much-needed advice and input. I ended up leaving the badger out, babe, but I hope you like the chapter, regardless. 😉👍)

[Image via TENOR]

Word Count: 5020

Chapter 7

-

...I ain't tryna find fate, it's too late to save face I can't get away, maybe there's no mistakes

You break me, then I break my rules Last time was the last time too It's fucked up, I know, but I'm still

Outside of the party, smokin' in the car with you Seven Nation Army, fightin' at the bar with you Tell you that I'm sorry, tell me what I gotta do 'Cause I can't let go...

—Post Malone, 'Chemical'

-

The walk to work is nice.

Blue skies and tattered clouds arch overhead, the remnants of puddles from an early morning shower reflecting the first sun you've seen in days. The world smells fresh and green and new, the signs of spring brightening your mood. It makes you feel light, the first time in a week you've felt like lifting your head to look around.

The first time since your fight with Riley.

You push the thought away. You're not going there today. Not again. You worked through the worst of the hurt and disappointment, and now you've settled into a comfortable, quiet fury that you keep wrapped around you like a warm blanket when the chill of loneliness creeps into your bed at night. You don't miss him, you don't want him, and you sure as hell don't need him. He's just one more bitter lesson you've had to learn the hard way. You won't make the same mistake, again.

Well... not again, anyway.

A car beeps its horn behind you, and you glance back to see Jerry Finch, the lorry driver who delivers the kegs to the pub, waving at you from a black sports car. You give a half-hearted smile and wave back, your steps slowing when he steers his car to the curb.

His window rolls down, rap music thumping before he turns it down. Leaning on his arm in the open window, Jerry tips his chin down to look over his aviator sunglasses at you, a smooth half-smile on his lips. "How ya doin', Dee? Headin' to work?"

You nod, stepping closer to his car, trying to ignore the way he looks you up and down before meeting your gaze. He gives you an appreciative smile and ticks his eyebrows up, ever the flirt. You sniff in amusement and squint against the sun to see him better. "Morning, Jer." You nod at his car. "No lorry today. This your day off?"

He gives you a charming, almost boyish smile and nods. "Yeah. Had some business here in the village, though." He glances down towards the pub, then slants his gaze back to you, thumbing at his bottom lip. "I can give ya a lift, if ya like. Goin' that way, anyhow."

You hesitate but then nod in acceptance. It's just an acquaintance from work offering you a ride, nothing wrong with that. He smiles and motions for you to get in, once more letting his eyes wander over your figure while you settle yourself into the passenger seat and put on your seatbelt.

"Thank you," you murmur, glancing up at him, then away. Jerry's never been one to hide his interest, taking every opportunity to flirt with you when given half a chance. Of course, it makes you feel good to have a handsome man flirt with you, but it also makes you a little leery, too. You try to be nice, but you don't want to encourage him, something that Fiona fusses about every chance she gets.

"Bloody hell, Dee, give the bloke a chance. He's got a good job, he's good lookin', fit as fuck, an' he's gaggin' t'get with ya. What can it hurt?"

Rationally, you know Fi is right, but you can't help yourself. There's just something about him. You can't put your finger on it but being near him just feels... off. You clear your throat and look out the window, your eyes catching on a dark gray Gladiator parked in front of the Tea Room.

Riley.

You can see him standing inside through the tall Georgian windows, chatting with Margie, the owner. She's handing him a bag and a to-go cup that you know will be filled with English breakfast tea brewed strong, with a splash of milk and two sugars, the way he likes. Your heart squeezes in your chest as you watch him exit the building and get in his truck.

Riley's been avoiding the pub when you're on shift. Fiona says he's been showing up in the evening, sitting in his usual spot while nursing his Dewar's. She also doesn't fail to mention Tessa Harker has been chatting him up quite a bit lately, too. It hurts to hear it, but you only give a tight smile and mutter, "Good for him," much to your friend's irritation.

Fiona and Ollie have both noticed the way you and Riley have been avoiding each other, but apparently Riley has kept mum about the argument, as have you. You had wondered if he would spread word about your other job at the Grind out of spite, but no one has mentioned it so far, and for that you're relieved, but you're still wary of what he might do with the information.

"So, what time ya gettin' off work?"

The question draws your attention back to the big man sitting beside you. Did he notice you staring, you wonder. "Um, I get off work at five."

"Then what?" he persists, and you know where this is going.

You shrug, keeping your eyes focused straight ahead. "Then back home, I suppose."

"Come out with me, instead," he suggests, shooting another one of his charming smiles your way. "There's a nice Italian bistro in Blackheath. I deliver to 'em. Nice place, good food."

"Oh, um, well..."

He chuckles and reaches over to pat your knee. "No rush, sweetheart. Got all day t'think it over, yeah?"

Again, the feeling that something is off with him comes to the fore of your brain, but you smile, regardless. "Yeah, sure. I'll... think about it," you reply, knowing your mind is already made up. You just have to think of a nice way to let him down. Again.

Jerry gives your knee another pat, which turns into a sly caress that has you flinching away. He huffs a laugh at your reaction, giving you a playful 'just-kidding' grin, before he lifts his hand and places it back on the wheel. He has big, beefy hands, thick fingers with blunt tips, a working man's hands. You usually find that attractive, have often admired Riley's large hands and long, supple fingers, but for some reason, the sight of Jerry's ham fists curled around the steering wheel makes you feel uncomfortable.

The car comes to a stop in front of the pub, and you're quick to unbuckle your seatbelt and open the door. "Thanks for the ride, Jer," you say, one foot already resting on the pavement.

"Think nothin' of it, love. Glad t'give you a ride anytime," he murmurs, suggestion heavy in his tone. He flashes another smile at you, winking again. He does that a lot, and you find it annoying. "I'll stop by later, see if ya want to go out for dinner, yeah?"

"Y-Yeah, sure. Okay."

You get out of his car and sketch a little wave as he pulls away, then turn to head inside the pub, only to come up short. Riley's standing right in front of the entrance, arms crossed over his chest, dark eyes fixed on Jerry's car, which is now rounding the green.

"Friend o' yers?"

It's the first words he's said to you since last Sunday in the alley, and the way he says it instantly gets your hackles up. You square off with him, casting a disparaging look over him. The proper thing would have been to offer you an apology, but you know better than to expect anything like that from him. Instead, he leads with a question that sounds both accusatory and insulting, all at the same time.

Typical.

"Shouldn't you already know? That's what you're good at, isn't it? Keeping tabs on me?" you snap, glaring at him.

You make a point to bump his shoulder as you pass by him and enter the pub. He's on your heels in an instant, following you through the door, obviously irritated by your response. You ignore him as you round the bar, pulling the strap of your bag over your head before placing it on top of the bar to take out your phone and a paperback.

"Wot? Ya got nothin' else t'say, doll? Tha's not like ya."

Your eyes snap up to glare at him. "Thought we said all that needed to be said last Sunday," you hissed at him, trying to keep your voice down, knowing Ollie would be back in his office.

Simon plants both hands on the bar and leans in, his dark eyes scathing as they pin you to the spot. "I wasn't finished talkin'. It was you that fuckin' ran off," he growls in return, but manages to keep his voice to a low rumble.

Your brows shoot up in mock surprise. "Oh! How terribly rude of me. I suppose I should have stood there until you were finished insulting me." Your eyes narrowed as you sneered at him. "Fuck you for that, by the way."

He's wearing his black surgical mask today, so his angry scowl is more evident than usual. He shoves off the bar in a fit of temper, hand coming up to jab a finger at you. "Like I told ya last Sunday, me an' you need t'talk, an' this time yer goin' t'bloody listen to wha—"

Your snort cuts him off. "We have nothing left to discuss. You made your opinion of me quite clear. But hey! At least I know where I stand with you now. Don't worry, though. I'll keep my distance. Wouldn't want to embarrass you by being seen associating with a slag, right?"

"Dammit t'hell, Dee! I never fuckin' called ya that. I never thought that. Would ya just bloody lis—"

"Riley, lad!"

You both turn to see Ollie heading your way, a pleased smile on his face. Shooting Riley one last venomous glare, you turn your back on him and make for the swinging door leading into the kitchen, his frustrated growl giving you a sense of grim satisfaction as you slip through the door. Fuck him. You hope he stays pissed off for the rest of the day.

You can hear the two men talking as you go back to hang up your jacket, eyes wandering over the unused kitchen as you pass through. What you wouldn't give for a kitchen this size, and here this one sits, unused and abandoned. You had mentioned a time or two that adding a small menu would bring in more business, but since the last cook quit, Ollie hasn't been too keen to fire up the kitchen again. It's a pity, really.

"Dee, love."

You glance over your shoulder to see Ollie standing at the service window. "What'cha need, Ol?"

Mind makin' me an' Riley a cuppa an' bringin' 'em to the office?"

You frown, wondering what happened to the tea you had seen Riley with before. You shrug it off and nod. "Sure thing, Ol. Be right out with 'em."

"Thanks, love," he says, rapping his knuckles before disappearing from sight.

You rinse out the electric kettle and fill it with water, then plug it in and switch it on before grabbing three mugs and the tea tin. You consider making Riley's tea wrong, just for spite, but that would be petty, even for you, or as Riley would call it, bratty. You sniff. He's a fuckin' brat. A bratty arsehole.

You scoop instant coffee into your own mug then add the tea bags to the other two cups, before going to the fridge to take out the milk. It's become routine for you to make both men's tea, your hands going through the motions while your thoughts wander back to Jerry and his dinner invitation.

Your first instinct is to turn him down, as you have all his other invitations, but the memory of how pissed Riley looked as he watched the other man drive away gives you pause. He always did eye Jerry with open suspicion, his instant dislike of the other man never something he tried to hide. He's never said why he doesn't like Jerry, but it didn't change the fact that it would probably piss Riley off to learn you were going out to dinner with him.

Maybe you are petty after all, because now your mind has changed. You are going on a dinner date this evening after work.

Setting your mug of coffee in the window to retrieve later, you take the other two mugs with you out of the kitchen. Rounding the bar, you head towards the narrow hallway that leads to the bathrooms and Ollie's office, walking slower to not spill any of their tea. You can hear their voices through the door as you stop to announce your presence. It's Riley who opens the door for you, not bothering to move out of your way as you slide past him with an irritated expression.

"Move, ya big lump," you grumble lowly, which gets a soft sniff of amusement from him. Arsehole.

"Ah, thanks, love," Ollie says, reaching out to take his mug. You set Riley's on the edge of his desk near the old club chair where he always sits. "Mind closin' the door on yer way out?" Ollie asks.

You give a nod, turning around to see that Riley is still standing in your way. You go to step around him, and he steps in your way again. You blow out an aggravated breath and raise your eyes to his, the urge to shove him again making your hands twitch. When he quirks a brow up at you, you grit your teeth and glare at him. Then an idea sparks in your brain. You look back over your shoulder at your boss.

"Say, Ol. Ya mind if I cut out a little early this evening? I've got a dinner date with Jerry the lorry driver."

Ollie nearly chokes on his tea before he manages to get his cup set down on his desk. His sharp eyes dart between you and Riley, an odd expression on his face as he tries to make sense of what's going on. He finally clears his throat and gives a curt nod. "Yeah. Sure, love. No problem."

You give him a sweet smile that turns spiteful when you turn your head back to the man in front of you. "Thanks, Ol," you reply, meeting Riley's furious glare. "Excuse me. Need to get back to work."

You can see his hands balling into fists, and it sends a thrill of sadistic glee through you. You'd rather die than look away from him right now, a smirk appearing when he has to hold his tongue and step aside for you. By the time you reach the hallway and close the door behind you, you're damn near giddy. The smirk on your face grows to a full-on wicked grin by the time you reach the bar again.

Satisfied with the good, hard poke you've just given the proverbial bear, you begin your prep work, humming a catchy pop song under your breath.

-

You manage to avoid any more close interactions with Riley, though he hangs around the bar your entire shift, giving you a baleful glare every time you draw near. You make it a point to ignore him, chatting with the other customers, talking and laughing like you weren't bothered at all by his brooding presence. You see him visibly stiffen when Jerry comes swaggering in, his signature charming smile already in place.

Before he can speak, you step to the bar and offer him a sweet smile. "Hi, Jer. Ollie said I can leave early, so we can go whenever you like."

Jerry can't hide the surprise on his face, but he swiftly recovers as he leans an elbow on the bar to bring his eyes level with yours. "Good. Been thinkin' 'bout it all day," he murmurs, his eyes drifting down to your lips.

You stiffen, discomfited by the look in his eye, but try to hide it by ducking to grab your bag from beneath the bar. When you raise up again, a pleasant smile is plastered on your face. "I just need to grab my jacket and tell Ollie I'm leaving, then we can go."

"'Course, sweetheart," Jer replies, watching you as you round the bar and head for the hallway. He catches Riley staring at him and lifts his brows, giving him a smug little smirk, which you honestly think is stupid of him. Despite Jerry's size, you have no doubt Riley would mop the fucking floor with him. You roll your eyes. Men and their stupid bloody posturing.

The sooner you get this over with, the better. This game is quickly losing its appeal.

-

Jerry offers to take you home to change if you want, but you decline, honestly not comfortable with the idea of bringing him up to your flat. He seems a little perturbed when you turn down his offer but then shrugs and drives to Blackheath, instead.

As he said, the little bistro is nice, the food delicious. The conversation is lackluster, though, but you weren't really expecting much. Beyond talking about himself, Jerry doesn't seem to hold much interest in other topics. Big surprise.

Once you're back in the car, he drapes his arm over your seat and leans in, a sexy smirk on his face. "So, where to next, sweetheart? Your place or mine?"

Your brows shoot up in mild surprise. "I thought this was just dinner," you reply, crossing your arms over your chest. "Moving a little fast, don't you think?"

He tips his chin down, giving you a knowing look. "C'mon, Dee. We're both adults here. I've seen how you an' that other barmaid check me out. Not that I'm complainin'." He gives you one of his smarmy winks, and you fight the urge to wrinkle your nose in disdain.

You sniff and give your head a small shake. The audacity of this bloke. Did he honestly think you were just going to drop your knickers because he bought you dinner? "Yeah, I think I'd rather go home by myself. I have work in the morning."

Jerry draws back, blinking. "Are you serious?" When you roll your eyes, he scoffs and tilts his nose up, as if he can't believe you are turning him down. "Whatever. Your loss, sweetheart," he mutters with a slight sneer and starts the car.

The drive back to Banfield is tense and awkward, but you honestly prefer the silence. When Jer finally speaks up, you startle out of your thoughts. "Mind if I take a shortcut?" he asks, his tone off-hand.

You shrug. "Fine with me." If it gets you home quicker, you're all for it.

Yet when he veers off the main road onto a country lane, you frown. You aren't familiar with this particular backroad, but from the direction you're going it doesn't look like you're heading towards home.

"Are you sure this goes to Banfield?"

Jer slants a condescending look at you, a shitty little smirk pulling up a corner of his mouth. "I drive for a livin', sweetheart. Ya really think I'm goin' t'get lost on the way to bloody Banfield?"

Your eyes roll up, but you hold your tongue, yet after another five minutes with nothing even closely resembling civilization in sight, you can't keep quiet. "We should be in Banfield by now. It's just a ten-minute drive from Blackheath. Are you sure you took the right road?" You glance around at the dark, unfamiliar landscape. "I don't even know where the hell we are right now."

"I took the scenic route," Jer drawls, waving a hand. He then drops it on your knee and gives it a squeeze. "Chill out, sweetheart. We'll get there. Eventually."

Apprehension creeps up your spine like the drag of an icy finger. You don't like this. This man, who you really know nothing about, you now realize, is driving you out to the middle of nowhere. "Maybe you should turn around."

Jerry glances over at you again, and this time the look in his eye makes the small hairs on the nape of your neck stand on end. "Maybe you should try to relax." His hand slides up your leg to grip your thigh. "I'd be happy t'pull over an' help ya with that, sweetheart."

And there it is. The reason for getting you out here alone. You aren't even really surprised, always knowing in the back of your mind that there was something off with him, though you chose to ignore it this time, just to spite Riley.

Hindsight really is a bitch sometimes.

"Jer, I told you I wanted to go home," you murmur, trying to keep your voice low and even.

He huffs, a smug expression on his face. "C'mon, Dee. Stop playin' hard t'get. It's jus' me an' you now. Your boyfriend doesn't have t'know. I can keep my mouth shut. It'll be our little secret, yeah?"

"My boyfriend?" you blurt out, confused.

He rolls his eyes. "Oh, right. Sorry. Your friend," he sneers and then scoffs. "Don't act like ya don't know who I'm talkin' 'bout. That scarred up freak with the mask who's always up yer arse."

"What the fuck did you just say?" you choke out, fury strangling your voice. You're ready to claw out his eyes for what he said about Riley.

Jerry waves a dismissive hand at you. "Enough with the games, Dee. I know ya only went out with me t'make him jealous, an' I'm fine with that, really, but don't ya think I deserve some sort of... ya know, compensation for playin' along?"

Rage consumes you, hot and prickling beneath your skin. "Take me home. Now!"

The cold, flat look in his eye chills you to the bone. "Not 'til I get what ya owe me, sweetheart. Don't look so offended. I doubt this is the first time you've paid up for somethin' by lyin' on your back."

The hard slap you deliver to his smug face has him swerving across the narrow road before he slams on the brakes, sluing the car around in the loose gravel. You only manage to free your seatbelt before he grabs you.

"Are ya fuckin' crazy, ya bitch?" he yells in your face, shaking you hard as he shoves you back against your door. "Ya could'a killed us!"

You jab your thumb in his eye for his trouble. He bellows in pain, releasing you to clutch at his face, freeing you to reach behind your back to paw at the latch. The door flies open under your weight and dumps you out backwards onto the gravel. When his hand seizes your ankle in a crushing grip, you frantically kick out with your other foot. Though you're unable to see from your position on the ground, you revel in a brief moment of satisfaction when you feel it make solid contact with his head, and he yells in pain again. Yanking your legs free of the car, you scramble to your feet, snatching your bag from the ground as you sprint for the woods.

Too terrified to look back, you run headlong into the tree line. You stumble through the undergrowth, feeling the spindly branches and thorns tear at your clothes and snag in your hair as it rakes bloody scratches into your exposed skin. You trip over tree roots and stub your toes on stones hidden beneath the moldering ground cover of dead leaves. All the while, Jerry is bellowing like an enraged bull as he thrashes through the foliage somewhere behind you, shouting threats and curses at you the whole time.

When you inevitably fall flat on your face, you skid across the forest floor to hitch up at the base of a huge oak. You have just enough time to crawl behind its massive trunk before Jerry comes crashing through. When you hear him approach, you clap your hand over your nose and mouth to muffle the sound of your gasping breaths, terrified he will hear you. Your eyes go wide when you see him pass by your hiding spot close enough that you could reach out and touch him, if you wanted. Scared beyond reason, you press your back against the rough bark of the oak and pray he doesn't see you when he pans the flashlight on his cell phone around.

A strangled noise issues from his throat before he growls out a frustrated, "Fuuuck!" You can see him pacing back and forth as he rakes his hands through his hair. If you didn't know any better, you would think he was panicking. "Crazy fuckin' bitch," you hear him seethe under his heaving breath, growling again. "Fine, ya stupid cunt!" he shouts at the dark woods, throwing his arms up in the air. "Find yer own way home, then!" He then turns around and stomps back the way he came, still uttering curses.

You don't dare move, not even when the sound of his heavy footfalls fades away. You don't dare move, not even when the only thing you can hear is the wind rattling the tree branches overhead. You don't dare move, not until you at last hear the distant sound of a car motor rev to life, the sound gradually diminishing until you can't hear it any longer. It is only then that you are brave enough to slowly stand up on your shaking legs, only to lean once more on the trunk for support as a sob finally tears free from your chest.

You remain that way for several minutes, trying desperately to regain your composure, even as your brain keeps circling around the notion that Jerry's departure is some sort of ruse to lure you back out into the open. It's the idea of spending a cold night alone in the woods that finally has you lifting your head to take in your surroundings and evaluate your situation.

At first glance, it seems pretty dire. You have no idea where you are, you're too scared to venture back onto road for fear of Jerry lying in wait somewhere, and it's pitch dark out tonight, not even the wan light of the moon visible in the overcast sky to help guide you through the woods.

Your only real option is to call for help.

Reaching into your bag, you take out your phone, cursing under your breath when you drop it due to your trembling hands. The glow of the screen is a small comfort as you unlock your phone and open your contacts list. You stare at the emergency number, finger hovering.

If you call the police, there will have to be a report filed, and then there will be an inquiry to investigate your claims. You already know it will be your word against Jerry's. His solicitors will no doubt drag your name through the mud to discredit you, and he will probably still get off with nothing more than a light slap on the wrist, if he even gets that, because he actually didn't do anything to you, at least not physically. Hell, you had done more damage to him than he had to you. He could claim you attacked him, and he wouldn't even be lying.

You look back down at your phone, one name standing out like a beacon in the dark. When you see that name, you think of home, of safety, the two things you want most right now. You select it and hit the call button, holding the phone up to your ear and praying there will be an answer. Your breath catches in your throat when you hear the line connect.

"Whad'ya want, Dee?" a gravelly, annoyed voice growls into your ear, and a sob escapes your throat, you are so relieved to hear him.

"Ruh... Riley? P-Please, Ri... please. I n-need you..."

-

No one in the White Dog knew what to think when the usually quiet giant that sat at the end of the bar suddenly erupted out of his seat, the bar chair toppling over. "Doll! What's wrong? Where are ya?" he barks into his phone.

He apparently doesn't like what he hears.

"He fuckin' did what?! " he growls, a look of pure murderous rage igniting in his dark eyes. As he listens to you, however, his rage is tempered by his troubled concern. "Are ya hurt, love? I swear t'God if he―" His hand clenches into a trembling fist, even though his voice is now a low rumble. "Please don't cry, love. I know, I know, but I'll find ya. Ya know I will. I'm on my way right now. Just... keep yer phone on for me, yeah?"

He's already making for the entrance as he says this, the murderous look returning as he mutters, "I'll kill that bastard," before he barges through the door. He hits it with such force, it slams into the outside wall hard enough to shatter the frosted safety glass. He doesn't even acknowledge it as he runs to his truck and tears off down the street with a bark of tires the next instant, leaving a silent pub full of stunned onlookers in his wake.

-

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Taglist: @stillinracooncity @cumikering @cutiecusp @deadbranch @ghostlythots @thetiredtoad0-0 @glitterypirateduck @gothgirl6-6-6 @sofasoap @cathnoneofyourbusiness @shuttlelauncher81 @luminousbeings-crudematter @crunchlite @delilah-grimes @bobochacha

#simon ghost riley x fem reader #simon riley x fem reader #cod ghost x fem reader #ghost x fem reader #simon ghost riley x frenemy fem reader #simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley x reader #cod ghost x reader #ghost x reader #Frenemies/Tenderness AU #Love Thy Frenemy

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

He's Too Good for You

Note: direct follow up to chapter 1. this idea came to me when I was at work and, being a cleaning lady in a healthcare facility, I'm always in the way (or are other people simply in my way?). Anyway, I changed the setting so this fic didn't become personal, and none of the interactions I wrote here have happened irl. I just get to day dream a lot during my job and this fic is the result.

Warnings: angst/fluff. mention of bullying.

pairing: Nurse!Sihtric x Cleaner!you (f)

summary: You suddenly lost trust in Sihtric, while Osferth knew the truth.

wordcount: 5,5k

Masterlist

Chapter 2.

You don't work on weekends, and yet you found yourself in the elevator at the hospital on a Saturday, going up to the seventh floor. 

Skade's words had been stuck in your head ever since the day before, but your feelings for Sihtric were still stronger, and so you decided to bring him lunch. He had told you yesterday that it would be a rough day for him and that he probably wouldn't have much time to even sit down and have lunch. So you hoped to brighten his day, and you used it as the perfect excuse to go and see him.

You became anxious as the elevator brought you to your floor. You nervously squeezed the paper bag in your hands, which held a fresh and warm sandwich from the place you had lunch at yesterday with your favourite nurse. 

You passed Osferth, the baby nurse, as you walked to the lunch room, and he gave you a friendly but slightly confused smile. Everything seemed fine, until you stepped into the lunch room and looked through the window, which gave a clear view to the hallway at the opposite side of the room, where you saw Skade, and your stomach dropped. She was right next to Sihtric, standing way too close for your liking, with their backs towards you. And suddenly she pressed a kiss to his cheek, to which he didn't even flinch. A sharp exhale was pushed from your lungs up and out your mouth while tears welled up in your eyes at the same time, and you turned on your heels as you gasped for air.

Maybe she was right, you thought, maybe Sihtric was just being nice to me because he pitied me. Me, the poor, dumb cleaning lady, who never had a chance with a nurse as handsome as him. He told me he didn't like Skade, but maybe that was a lie, maybe everything was all pretend. Afterall, he made me feel like I had a chance. Like we had something going between us. But there he is, being very friendly and looking rather comfortable with Skade.

You dropped the lunch bag on the table and immediately went back to the elevator. You passed Osferth again, who, when he saw your face, frowned and made haste towards the lunch room you had just run out of. And there he figured what must have happened. Because this wasn't the first time that Skade was all over Sihtric.

But you only saw that Sihtric froze at the sudden peck on his cheek. You didn't see that Sihtric gave her a shove and told her to never do that again. You didn't see that Sihtric stormed off towards the lunch room while he furiously wiped his cheek with his hand, feeling violated in a way. 

'S-Sihtric,' Osferth stammered, who was caught in the midst of it all, 'she… she just left.'

'Who?' Sihtric snarled as he rubbed his cheek with a wipe.

Osferth pointed at the lunch bag, which Sihtric snatched off the table and ripped open. He then saw the sandwich inside and understood that who had just left was you.

'What?' he mumbled, 'how… she… she was here?'

'Yeah,' the baby nurse said and then pointed to the elevator, 'she saw… I mean, she just lef-'

Sihtric didn't wait for Osferth's ful answer, and he ran through the hallway, to the elevator, where he only caught a glimpse of you as the doors closed right before his eyes.

'No!' Sihtric groaned and repeatedly pressed the elevator button, but to no avail, as it was already going down. 

He took a few steps back and raked his fingers through his hair, looking for another way to get to you, and then he saw the door to the stairs. He gasped and ran towards the door immediately, almost kicked it open, and he jumped down the stairs as fast as he could. But by the time he reached the ground floor, you had already left the hospital.

'Was that the cleaning lady?' Skade asked after she snuck up behind Osferth, who jumped at her sudden presence as he had stared down the hallway.

'Jesus!' he hissed, 'she has a name, you know,' Osferth muttered, and then left.

It was Monday again, and for the first time in a while you dreaded going to work. The whole weekend you kept thinking about Skade kissing Sihtric's cheek, and you hated yourself for thinking he was into you before that happened. You were so embarrassed by the fact you had showed up at work on your day off to bring him lunch. To bring a guy lunch who clearly wasn't into you, and you just hoped he hadn't seen you. You hoped that no one had seen you, but you knew Osferth had.

The hallway felt like a walk of shame, and you kept your head down as you dragged your feet towards your little office. You prepared your cleaning trolley while Finan ran up to you to greet you. He gave you a firm hug and you tried your hardest to smile like you meant it.

'What happened to you?' Finan asked when he saw your puffy eyes.

'Just slept badly,' you half lied.

'Oh, well… be sure to take it easy,' he said, 'you don't look too well.'

'Thanks,' you scoffed and locked the office door.

'You know I don't mean it like that,' Finan said as he walked with you to your first room, 'good luck, okay?' he smiled and gave you another hug before he went back to work.

You quietly did your job, feeling thankful you still hadn't run into Sihtric. But unfortunately you did walk into Skade soon enough. She didn't say anything to you, but she made her presence known. Every time you had cleaned a room, she'd enter to make it a mess again. She deliberately walked over the recently mopped floors, and she left dirty cups on purpose, which stained the tables, so you had to wipe them again. 

You tried your best to just do your job and not let anyone see how upset you were, but it all got worse when you felt your heart break as Sihtric walked into the lunch room, after you had just cleaned it for a second time due to Skade's pranks.

'Hey,' Sihtric said, and he smiled awkwardly. 

'Hi,' you reluctantly replied and avoided eye contact.

Sihtric suddenly felt nervous and didn't know what to say, so he quickly made himself some coffee, while you were putting your cleaning supplies back on the trolley. He knew it was you who had brought him lunch on Saturday, and it had completely warmed his heart. If he hadn't been smitten by you already, he would've been after Saturday. But as he already liked you, it only made his feelings stronger for you. And he immediately felt the strange tension in the room after he had greeted you, and it made him nervous and even slightly upset. He didn't understand why you had brought him lunch and had left right away, without saying hello. He wanted to ask you about it, but then wondered if maybe you had left the lunch for someone else. He was too shy to ask, in case he had eaten someone else's sandwich, no matter how unlikely it was. But he didn't want to embarrass himself by bringing that up, so he kept quiet as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

Because Sihtric was clumsy and incredibly nervous, he accidentally dropped the full cup on the floor as it slipped out of his slightly trembling hands when he turned to you. The cup broke into several pieces once it hit the ground, and the coffee splattered the floor you had just finished cleaning for a second time. You both stared at the mess at your feet, and you had reached your absolute limit.

'Are you fucking kidding me!?' you shouted, to which Sihtric's eyes grew big.

Sihtric froze. He knew you weren't joking, as this was not your regular tone, and you definitely had never looked this upset before.

'I- I'm sorry,' he stammered, bewildered at your reaction, and he stared at you.

'I just cleaned here!' you yelled, and your voice broke, 'god, you're such a jerk!'

You grabbed your trolley and quickly left the room before you broke down in tears. You felt as if Sihtric and Skade were both just pestering you at this point, and you didn't know how much more you could take.

The rest of the week unfortunately wasn't any better than that Monday. You kept avoiding Sihtric, who had no idea why he just couldn't get a moment alone with you, while Skade continued to bully you without anyone taking notice of it, except for Osferth. Osferth was quiet, but he was very aware of what Skade was doing and why. It didn't take long for him to understand that you both were into Sihtric, and he knew a silent war was happening during working hours. Osferth saw how you looked more visibly upset with each passing day, he saw how Sihtric looked unhappier with each passing day, and he saw how Skade's bullying became worse with each passing day. And on Friday, Osferth decided to stick up for you.

'You should stop,' Osferth said when he was stocking up the patient rooms with clean towels, alongside Skade.

'Stop what?' Skade asked, feigning innocence.

'Bullying her. I- I see it. I know what you're doing. Leave her alone.'

Skade scoffed, amused, and turned to Osferth. She leaned against a cabinet as she threateningly got up in his face.

'Or what?' she smiled.

'Or… or I'll file a complaint.'

'A complaint?' she chuckled, 'you have no proof of anything. And clearly the cleaning lady is too scared to speak up herself.'

'Stop calling her cleaning lady!' Osferth snarled, 'you're… you're a bully. Nobody likes you here. Sihtric doesn't like you either. You need- you should stop. Just stop.'

Osferth's cheeks had gone red, and he quickly left the room after his sudden outburst. He passed you in the hallway as your shift was over, and he saw you had been crying again when you stepped into the elevator. He then found Sihtric in the lunch room, who sat with his face buried in his hands, not looking much better than you had looked. Osferth wanted to tell Sihtric about what Skade was doing for a few days already, but he hadn't found the courage yet, until now.

'Sihtric-'

'Not now,' Sihtric groaned, 'please, just… if you have a question, find Finan or Uhtred.'

'No, you have to listen to me-'

'Please,' Sihtric said as he threw his hands up and stared at the young man, 'just leave me alone, will you?' the Dane said and got up to leave the room.

Osferth opened his mouth to speak again, but Sihtric glared at him in passing, and Osferth wisely closed his mouth again.

A whole week had passed, and when you arrived at work again that following Monday, you knew it was going to be another week of hell. You took a quick glance at the working schedule of the nurses, and you saw that Skade was working in the morning all week. You also saw that Sihtric was working afternoons, and you weren't sure if you felt happy or upset about that. Sihtric changing shifts meant that you didn't have to see him, which was a relief. But not seeing him was also exactly what made you so upset.

As expected, Skade continued her bullying as soon as you started your work, by leaving dirty towels on the floor for you to pick up and not using a plate when she was eating, leaving crumbs scattered around in the lunch room. Finan and Uhtred confronted you about how you were slacking lately, and that the place wasn't as clean as it usually was. You wanted to take the opportunity to confess to them what's really going on, but you were too embarrassed about it, so you apologised and said you'd do better, then went back to work.

You passed Skade in the hallway, and she grinned at you.

'I have his number, you know,' she smiled proudly, and continued her way through the hallway as you were left feeling completely devastated.

You didn't have Sihtric's number. You had only met him a few months ago, even before he met Skade, but no matter how sweet he was, numbers were never exchanged for some reason. And you just knew that it was done now, you had no chances at all anymore. 

You pushed your trolley back to your office with tears in your eyes when your shift was over. You packed your bag and locked the door, but you were stopped by Osferth before you could leave.

'Sihtric asked me to give you this,' he said and handed you a piece of paper.

'Sihtric?' you furrowed your brow, 'why? when?'

Even hearing his name was enough to make you upset, but you accepted the note regardless as Osferth pushed it in the palm of your hand.

'Just yet. He came in early today.'

'A little too early,' you scoffed, 'his shift starts in an hour.'

You figured he was probably there to see Skade before his shift started, and the thought of it made you feel sick to your stomach, as you knew those hospital romances were unfortunately true, and nurses would get intimate with each other from time to time in the empty rooms. And as a cleaner, you knew exactly which rooms were empty, so you were always careful to knock before just opening the door and flicking on the lights.

'Listen,' Osferth said quietly, 'he… he doesn't like her.'

'What?'

'Sihtric,' he swallowed hard, 'he doesn't like Skade. He changed shifts so he didn't have to work with her anymore.'

You stared up at the tall, young nurse.

'I don't… understand,' you mumbled.

'I know what's been going on. I've seen it all. Skade is a bully. She's after Sihtric, but he's not interested in her. She gives him the creeps, at least that's what he told me.'

'Then why did she kiss his cheek?'

'She's been doing everything in her power to enchant him. She's overstepping, not respecting his personal space. He can't stand her and wants her gone. But, unfortunately, Uhtred wants to keep her around as she is quite a good nurse and well… we need all the help we can get.'

'But I saw how he didn't even flinch, Osferth, when she gave him that kiss.'

'You didn't see everything,' Osferth said, 'he shoved her away and stormed off once he registered what had happened. I told him you left him that lunch bag on the table and he ran after you. But he was too late, you were already in the elevator. He even ran down the stairs, all seven floors down, but you were already g-'

'He ran after me?' you frowned, suddenly feeling the slightest hint of hope again.

'He did. He wanted to see you. He doesn't understand why you are avoiding him. Look,' Osferth said, 'I haven't told him about you and Skade. I almost did, but it's not my place and I don't know if he's aware that you like him. And I didn't know if you wanted him to know. So clearly, he has no idea why you have been so upset lately.'

You didn't know what to say. You looked at the piece of paper in your hand while your mind was racing. If Osferth was right, then you still had a chance. Maybe Sihtric really did like you after all. But as much as you wanted it to be true, the past weeks had been too rough to just believe everything you heard right now, and you needed time to think. And so you thanked Osferth for telling you what he knew, before you got in the elevator. And only when the doors closed, you decided to read what Sihtric wrote you;

Can we talk?

You folded the piece of paper again and threw it away once you stepped out of the elevator, and you went home. You weren't ready to talk to him yet and become vulnerable, as a conversation with him now would mean you'd have to tell the truth. You'd have to tell him that you're in love with him, and as much as that was true, you still worried that this was another trick from Skade.

The next day at work was absolute hell, and you were done. Just absolutely done. Skade had clogged up one bathroom sink with toilet paper on purpose, so the floor was completely soaked. She had been smart enough to do it in a room where there was currently no patient residing, so no one but you would noticeit  when you did your routine job. And then, when your shift was over and you walked to the elevator, you couldn't find your keys. You searched your pockets and then every room, but they were just gone. You walked into the lunch room and asked if anyone had seen your keys.

'Your keys?' Finan frowned, 'no, where did you last see them?'

'I found out I forgot to lock my office,' you said, 'so I probably left them on the door before I wanted to leave. By the time I went back they were just gone.'

Uhtred and Osferth also tried to think if they had seen a set of keys anywhere, but no one had an answer for you. And then you locked eyes with Skade, who grinned and then shrugged.

'Oops,' she said.

And that was the final straw.

'Okay,' you scoffed, 'you know what, I'm done. I quit.'

'What?' Uhtred blinked, confused and shocked, 'what do you mean?'

'I can't do this anymore,' you confessed, defeated.

'But… why?' Finan asked.

'I'm just done,' you said again and fought your tears as you looked at Osferth, 'I enjoyed working with you guys, but things have changed. I just can't work here anymore.'

Before Uhtred could ask any more questions, you turned on your heels and walked through the hallway, to the elevator. You still didn't have your keys, but you didn't care anymore. You would figure that out eventually, you just had to get out of there before you completely broke down in front of everyone.

But when you reached to press the elevator button, someone grabbed your wrist and pulled you into the empty hospital room that had been under water just hours before. The door got closed and the bathroom light switched on by a motion sensor, only faintly illuminating one side of the room, and whoever grabbed you was still just a shadow. But you immediately recognized the voice and scent as they closed in on you.

'What did I do?' Sihtric almost growled as he pushed you up against the wall and pinned your arms down alongside your body.

You stared up at his half lit face, then looked away and tried to escape his grip, without success.

'Nothing,' you mumbled as you fought your tears.

'Clearly I did,' he scoffed and leaned his forehead against yours, 'you've been avoiding me since we had lunch. I know you stopped by on the weekend and you didn't even say anything to me. Why?'

You didn't reply, instead you tried to avoid his gaze. But Sihtric had enough of this. He took your face, lifted your chin and forced you to look up at him.

'Talk to me,' he breathed, 'what happened here? What happened between us?'

'It doesn't matter,' your voice trembled.

'It matters!' Sihtric almost yelled out of frustration, 'tell me what happened.'

'Skade!' you then shouted.

'Skade?' Sihtric furrowed his brow, his eyes darting over your dimly lit face.

'Bet you really don't like her, huh?' you scoffed.

'What do you mean by that?'

'I saw you two,' you hissed and managed to give him a shove, after which he took a step back.

'What?'

'That Saturday, when I didn't say anything to you. I saw how she kissed your cheek and you didn't even react to it!'

'Oh, gods,' Sihtric groaned and raked his fingers through his dark hair, 'I told her off for that! I pushed her away-'

'Sure you did,' you sassed.

'I did! I do not like her at all. And I told you that!' Sihtric said with a stern voice.

You stared at Sihtric as he towered over you again, and you were both visibly upset as a silence fell in the room.

'Yeah, well,' you mumbled and shrugged, 'it doesn't matter. I'm just a cleaner and you're too good for me anyway,' you sniffled and wiped a tear.

You then tried to push past Sihtric, but he grabbed your hand and pulled you back in, then cupped your cheeks as he pushed you back against the wall.

'Why would you say that?' he asked, his voice firm, but pain lingered in his tone, and then suddenly made the connection, 'wait… did Skade tell you that?'

You didn't reply, and he once again took your chin and forced you to meet his eyes when you tried to look away.

'Did she say that to you?' his voice was low and breathy, and even in the half darkness you felt his piercing eyes on you.

You didn't want to fully break down in front of him, so you bit down on your lip and shrugged lightly, hoping he would just let it go.

'Come on,' Sihtric sighed and pressed his body against yours, 'talk to me, sweetheart,' he whispered, and then suddenly sniffled, 'I don't like this. I don't like this distance between us, and I don't understand it.'

You took a deep breath and allowed his hands to roam down your frame and settle on your waist, while you began to nervously tug at the zipper of his black jacket as you sniffled again too.

'You… you asked me if I wanted to be a nurse,' you finally whispered, 'and I said no. Then later that day Skade told me you're just being nice to me because I'm a cleaner. That you feel bad for me so you try to include me, or something like that.'

'But you know that's not true,' Sihtric said, clearly hurt, 'you know that. We all like you here-'

'I'm not good enough for you,' you ignored him, 'I'm not a nurse, I don't have a fancy degree and I don't plan on getting one either. I just clean the floor you all walk on, and she's been making my job a fucking hell ever since you and I had lunch together,' you continued, finally telling someone the truth, 'she's been bullying me constantly by throwing stuff on the floor on purpose when I just cleaned it. She's been leaving dirty sheets and used bandages for me to pick up, even though that is not part of my job. But I have to clean it, because she makes it look like I didn't clean anywhere at all. And it worked, you know? Finan and Uhtred already pointed it out to me and believe that I've been slacking.'

'What-'

'I'm just done, Sihtric,' you cut him off again, 'I'm done. I don't want to work here anymore. And I just can't… I can't pretend I'm fine by seeing you with her. The way she kissed your cheek and how she told me she has your number, all after I thought I had a chance with you,' you scoffed, 'I was so fucking stupid, it's just embarrassing.'

'My number?' Sihtric asked, surprised, 'Skade does not have my number. That is not true, she lied.'

You stared at each other, speechless as the light in the bathroom to your right went out, and Sihtric then took your hand and pulled you to sit next to him on the empty hospital bed.

'Listen to me,' he said as he held your hands, 'I desperately try to avoid Skade, but she just follows me around like… like some kind of curse. I don't like her. I don't like her at all, I swear it. I know she's into me, it's obvious, and it freaks me out. But that feeling is not mutual. I mean, how can it be? How can I like her,' he scoffed, 'when… when I already like you? More than that, actually, and I thought I was quite obvious about that too,' he then exhaled sadly, and mumbled, 'but I guess maybe I wasn't clear enough about my feelings for you.'

You sniffled and wiped another tear as you shrugged again, and looked down at your feet.

'I can't stand working with her. And that is why I changed shifts,' Sihtric continued, 'I simply didn't want to work with her anymore after she repeatedly ignored my boundaries. But changing shifts meant I couldn't see my girl anymore either,' he almost whispered now and took your chin again, 'it meant I couldn't see you anymore. Why do you think I've been arriving an hour early at work?'

'I thought you wanted to see Skade,' you mumbled.

'I wanted to see you,' he said, 'you. Not her. Gods, never her. Only you. Did Osferth give you my note?'

'He did,' you admitted, 'but I threw it away. I'm sorry. I just really… I couldn't… I didn't want to face you, knowing my true feelings would have to be revealed if I did.'

'Well, my true feelings are revealed now too,' Sihtric said, 'believe me, little miss, I only have eyes for you. You can ask Osferth if you don't believe me, I know he's been aware of certain things.'

'I know,' you said quietly, 'he told me some stuff too, I just didn't know if he spoke the truth, since I don't know him that well yet.'

'I never meant to upset you or make it seem as if I wasn't genuinely into you. And I am sorry that you had to walk in on Skade overstepping my boundaries once again,' Sihtric shuddered at the thought, 'and I wished you would have stayed just a moment longer that day, to see what happened after she did that, so you would've known the truth. But,' he paused and sighed, 'all the bullying she did,' he continued and gently caressed your cheek with his thumb as he leaned in, 'why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you come to me, sweetheart?'

'Because… when you dropped your coffee…'

Sihtric clicked his tongue and sighed. 'You thought I did it on purpose too?'

You nodded slowly. 'I'm sorry,' you whispered, 'I'm sorry I called you a jerk.'

'Don't worry about that,' he chuckled softly and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you against his chest, 'it's all good. I'm just glad I now finally understand what was going on between us. But now what? You plan on quitting?'

'How-'

'I overheard you.'

'I just see no other option.'

'But that's ridiculous, darling.'

'I know,' you said, 'but look what you did. You changed shifts to get rid of her, I can't do that. And I… Christ, I can't even go home because she hid my keys.'

'What?' Sihtric pulled away and looked at you, 'she did what?'

'I forgot to take my keys off my office door, and when I went back for them they were gone. I asked in the lunch room if anyone had seen them, and everyone said no. Except for Skade, she just grinned.'

Sihtric clenched his jaw while he stared at you.

'That's enough,' he huffed and then grabbed your hand. 

He pulled you with him, out of the empty patient room, into the hallway and to the lunch room while his blood was boiling.

'Wait! What are you doing?' you asked, confused, and you tried to keep up with his fast pace.

'Getting your keys back,' Sihtric muttered as he stalked towards the room.

When Sihtric bursted into the lunch room, everyone turned their head towards the two of you. You half hid behind Sihtric, who was shaking with anger as he held your hand behind his back.

'Where are her keys?' he asked Skade, his voice was calm but his fury was hearable.

'What?' Skade asked, and then chuckled awkwardly, 'I haven't seen-'

'Where are her keys?' Sihtric asked again, louder and more impatient this time.

The other men all stared at Skade, who looked uncomfortable and tried to laugh it off.

'Don't make me ask again,' Sihtric hissed and stepped closer, to which Uhtred jumped up from his chair.

'What is-' Uhtred tried to speak, but no one heard him.

'Okay, fine,' Skade rolled her eyes, 'they are up there,' she pointed to the kitchen cabinets, where you couldn't possibly reach, 'I threw them up there.'

'Unbelievable,' Sihtric muttered as he walked over to the kitchen.

He pushed himself up to his tiptoes and blindly searched the top of the cabinets, until his fingers got a hold of your keyset. He grabbed the keys and stepped back towards you.

'Here, love,' Sihtric said as he gave you your keys, loud enough for everyone to hear, and then turned back to the table, 'if she isn't gone next Monday,' he said and looked at Uhtred while he pointed at Skade, 'I will get myself transferred to a different floor.'

'What-'

'You heard me!' Sihtric yelled, 'I will not work with her again, ever. It's your choice who you want in your team, me or her. When she is not respecting my personal space, she is harassing my girl, and I want her gone!'

'Oh my god,' Finan gasped as he suddenly understood everything, 'I knew it. I knew there was something going on with those three. Did you know?' he asked Osferth.

'I knew,' Osferth mumbled, and Finan frowned at him.

'No you didn't,' the Irish man said, embarrassed he hadn't picked up on the love triangle earlier.

 'I did,' Osferth sighed, 'before any of you did.'

'He did,' Sihtric confirmed, 'but it doesn't matter!'

'Okay, okay,' Uhtred said, 'look, I think you need to take the day off, Sihtric. Go home and calm down. And Skade-'

'I'm serious,' Sihtric snarled, 'if she's still here-'

'I know,' Uhtred tried to calm him, 'I know,' he sighed, 'I'll just… I'll see what I can do, okay?'

Finan took a sip of his coffee, not wanting to get in the midst of this, while you and Osferth shared a quick smile and a nod. And Skade? She just sat there, staring at her feet. And when she looked up, she saw how Sihtric had his arm around you when you both walked to the elevator, and she finally understood how you had felt the entire time you believed you had no chance with him. The only difference was that Skade truly had no chance with him, because Sihtric was all yours.

'Lunch?' Sihtric asked as you both left the hospital.

You smiled and nodded, and he took your hand to walk you to the same bakery as a few weeks ago. Sihtric ordered for you, like the first time, and you sat down in a cosy, quiet corner. And once again you both kept stealing glances and shy smiles while you ate. 

When you both had finished your lunch, Sihtric smiled at you and patted on the couch for you to sit next to him.

'Come here,' he said.

You smiled shyly and did as he asked. Sihtric wrapped his arms around you and pulled you closer, then you looked up at him while he simply smiled at you.

'You know, I've been wondering,' you said, 'how did you get those scars?'

'Oh,' Sihtric chuckled, 'well, before I started working in the hospital, I was actually a medic in the army. Done some tours that left me some reminders.'

'You're a veteran?' you asked as your eyes grew big.

'Mhm,' Sihtric hummed and smiled softly at you.

'Really?'

'What? You can't tell?' he raised an eyebrow.

'How should I be able to tell?' you smiled, confused.

'My eyes.'

'What?'

'Can't you see it in my eyes?' Sihtric asked, with a sudden playful tone.

'What… do you mean?'

'Just look closer,' he smiled, and you leaned in as you stared up into his mismatched eyes.

'I really don't understand,' you giggled as you felt shy under his intense gaze, 'I don't know what you m-'

Your words were cut off when he took your chin, and held you gently in place as he finally kissed you. You leaned into him and closed your eyes at the feeling of his warm, soft lips against your own, while you both didn't shy away from adding a little pressure to make it last.

And when the kiss was broken, you both didn't stray far from each other, keeping your lips touching as you both tried to catch your breath.

'Want to get dinner later?' he murmured against your lips while his rough hands still held your face.

'Sure,' you smiled, 'what do you want to get?'

'Hm,' Sihtric hummed, then smiled against your lips, 'you,' he said and kissed you again.

taglist: @clairacassidy @finanmoghra @uunotheangel @hb8301 @bathedinheat @neonhairspray @anaeve @bubblyabs @travelingmypassion @sylasthegrim @andakth @chompchompluke @willowbrookesblog @lady-targaryens-world @skyofficialxx @elle4404 @alexagirlie @sweetxime @solango @gemini-mama @cheyennep3107 @little-diable @jennifer0305 @drwstarkeyy @mrsarnasdelicious @verenahx @urmomsgirlfriend1 @moonchildrenandflowercrowns @foxyanon @sigtryggrswifey @liandav @diiickbrainn @sihtricsafin @lexwolfhale

#sihtric kjartansson #the last kingdom #sihtric x reader #sihtric x you #sihtric fic #the last kingdom fic #sihtric #tlk #modern!sihtric #osferth

[yourangel137]

“Beautiful.” A Kazuha X Fem!reader Fanfic

Again one of my proudest possessions, so I want to post it here too for safe keeping <3

Pairings: Kazuha x Fem!reader

Warnings: reader is insecure. Did not proof read

Genres: fluff

Type: drabble

Word count: 835 words

Summary: Reader is insecure about herself, but Kazuha likes her for who she is. + Confession

Everyone would fall for him if they know what kind of person he is. Gentle and kind by nature, poetic with his words and patient with his gestures, he’s the type to treat his loved one like loyalty and you knew that too. It’s just the fact that,, you aren’t confident enough about yourself to fully accept your feelings for him. To you, he deserves better, he deserves someone prettier and someone whose willing to give more than you think you’re able to give. Yet, every time you try to avoid the kind wanderer, he always seems to find his way back to you. Why was that? Why does he care to stay when he deserves better?

Unknowingly to you Kazuha always has his eyes on you and has always seen you as the most beautiful girl he laid his eyes upon. To him, your body is beautiful, your face is gorgeous and your personality is breathtaking. Even if you try to hide your insecurities from him, he knows you’re insecure. He can feel your attitude change around him, your body posture curling and trying to hide your body in some way. It hurts him seeing you so insecure, but he hopes one day you’ll see yourself the same way he sees you.

Your hand trails over the railing from The Crux, feeling the small marks on the wood. You told yourself you wouldn’t go with Beidou and Kazuha on the boat to Inazuma, but in the end you gave in and joined anyways. Maybe because you could never say no to Kazuha his puppy eyes whenever you reject his ideas at first. ‘Dangit.. Why must he be so cute..’ You think to yourself. A breeze touches your exposed neck, goosebumps forming in your delicate skin. Today the breeze seems to be colder than usual and you didn’t fully prepare for colder weather. Before you can think of a possible solution to the sudden cold temperature, a voice calls out to you. “Are you cold, Y/N? It’s colder than usual today.”

The sudden voice you hear from behind you makes you jump a little before turning around to face him. “Ah.. Kazu.. Yeah I guess it’s kind of chilly today. I’ll be okay though~” You answer him, cheeks flaring up a little from embarrassment he caught you thinking to yourself. “Let’s get you inside instead. I know it’s going to rain soon and I also do not want you to catch a cold.” He holds out a hand for you to take, a gentle yet sweet gesture he uses on you so you’d come with him.

It’s hard to reject such an offer so you gently put your hand on top of his and let him lead you away from the deck and to a warmer place instead. Once you two got inside, you watch him let go of your hand and instead grab a blanket and put it around your body. “You should be more prepared next time, the breeze can get cold really fast. Always bring an extra pair of warm clothes with you, dove.”

The sudden nickname makes your heart skip a beat, cheeks flaring up this time from the sudden rush of love you’re feeling for the man before you. “I’m sorry.” You say, but instead of more scolding, you see Kazuha his eyes soften for you. “Why do you think so little of yourself, darling?”

“W-wha-?”

“I know you’re insecure about yourself. I just personally don’t understand why. To me, you’re like a work of art. Your words flow like music out of your mouth, your personality is as warm and bright as the sun, your beauty is as beautiful as the prettiest and brightest of flowers and your whole existence brightens my life more than the sun is even able to do.”

You’re at loss of words, quickly noticing how Kazuha his cheeks turned pink from his sudden confession. ‘Wait.. is this a confession?’ You ask yourself, yet you couldn’t seem to place those words on your tongue and speak them out loud.

“My words might be a lot to take in right now. So I want you to take your time and let this flow in your mind for a bit longer before you answer me back.”

You quickly shake your head and you part your lips to finally speak your mind too. “I like you.” Yet the way those words left your parted lips, ended up louder than you hoped they would. His cheeks flare up more, turning into a more reddish glow, yet his smile is brighter than his blush.

“That was supposed to be my line, dove.” He let’s out the cutest chuckle before speaking once again. “I hope one day I can make you realize how beautiful you truly are. But... Let’s take things slow and steady my sunshine.” Silently you agree with him, nodding along with his words, words you never thought he’d tell you.

He really is too good to be true.

Thank you for reading <3

Much love,

Angel

Made on: 26-03-2023

#genshin #genshin impact #genshin kazuha #genshin kazuha x reader #genshin kazuha x you #genshin kazuha x y/n #kazuha #kazuha x reader #kazuha x you #kazuha x y/n #kazuha fluff #genshin impact kazuha #genshin impact kazuha x reader #genshin x reader #genshin x female reader #kazuha kaedehara