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#for the record I'm fine at the moment I'm just like preparing for the next breakdown so I have a good outlet
neptuneiris · 3 months
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Behind the Scenes (04/05)
Behind the Acceptance
pairing: actor!aemond × fem!reader
summary: there are new changes for you and Aemond, he wants to rectify himself for past mistakes and you get used to your new life with the father of your son present.
word counter: 10.2K (consider it as a christmas gift, love you all❤)
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I'M SO SORRY!
i know the wait has been too much and you don't know how sorry i am. i experienced stress during my last week of uni before leaving for vacation and i got a new job, which consumes my time and i couldn't edit or do any writing, but i managed to find small times to write and that's why it's taken me so long. i appreciate your understanding, really🥺
I would like to wish you all merry christmas and a happy new year, my best wishes to all of you and also to your families, have a great time and God bless you all beautiful people, you are amazing and truly thank you for so much🥰
now yes, enjoy!
warnings: aemond dad melting our hearts and that's it:)
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When Aemond told you to please go back to work and stop running away so that the two of you could face all this together, you didn't quite understand what he meant by 'go back to work'.
However, the next morning after waking up and starting to prepare breakfast for Aenar, you received an unexpected call that answered your question.
It's an unknown number so you accept the call with some caution.
"Y/N speaking? This is Michelle Watson, from the Warner Bros studio production department," she says and your heart jumps.
"Hello?"
You speak on the other end of the line, holding your phone to your ear.
It's HBO, who Aemond is working with right now and where you left your job thrown after unexpectedly meeting him again.
Nerves soon set in and you hold your breath, already feeling ashamed for leaving the shooting set like that without saying anything to anyone and creating a complete circus the moment Aemond called your name in the trailer in front of everyone.
"Yes, she speaks," you reply nervously.
"We want to inform you that despite what has happened, we understand it and the circumstances that led you to leave unexpectedly during your working hours," she tells you in a soft and formal voice, "And we will expect you tomorrow without any problem to resume work."
You frown completely, hesitate a little and blink several times in disbelief, not quite understanding.
"I'm sorry… what do you mean by resuming work?" you ask, barely able to contain your own surprise and disbelief.
"Some conversations took place," she explains, "Mr. Targaryen was quite insistent on convincing the production team to reconsider your situation. He advocated on your behalf, explained the circumstances and your entire track record as an excellent professional makeup artist so that you could continue to work with us."
With your lips parted and your eyes wide open, you are speechless for a moment, staring at a spot in your living room with your heart pounding, definitely not expecting to hear any of this after everything that has happened on this day.
You didn't even expect Aemond to decide to do this for you after everything that happened with him and Criston.
And just when you were starting to worry about how you were going to pay the rent for this apartment and even started to make a schedule in your mind to go get a job somewhere else tomorrow or even today.
"So if there's no problem and everything is fine with you, we'll expect you tomorrow at 7:00 A.M."
Completely speechless.
You can't even control your own heart rate.
But in spite of that, you can't help but feel a huge relief run through your entire body, where you still feel overwhelmed by the generosity and gesture of trust they are offering you, but you definitely feel completely relieved and grateful.
"Yes, yes, of course," you hasten to say, trying to control your emotions, "I'll be there. Thank you so much."
They give you a few more details, you ask few more questions and finally end the call, which leaves you with mixed emotions as you silently contemplate that you still have this new possibility of a better life for you and Aenar.
But you also think about Aemond.
And you will also wait to see how Aemond's integration into your son's little life will be now.
You really appreciate this gesture, you know that only he can do something like this with his influence and connections.
And in fact it gives you the confidence that he will keep his word that no one else will interfere in your and Aenar's life, only the two of you will make the decisions.
Arriving at the recording set, you leave Aenar in the nursery and then you enter the corridors of the whole big production, which is buzzing with its usual atmosphere with its twinkling lights, technical equipment with the huge cameras, microphones and all the sets ready.
You honestly feel nervous knowing that tomorrow you and Aemond will be working in the same place again, like in the old days.
But that's why you try to be as prepared as possible and you won't let all kinds of personal matters interfere with your work.
And once you arrive, you take a moment, take a deep breath and push open the door, where that familiar atmosphere once again envelops you.
You don't even know why but your heart is pounding as you walk down the halls and every step leads you to your area, the makeup and wardrobe trailer.
You assume it's out of shame after what happened yesterday.
Unfortunately your entrance doesn't go unnoticed and as you close the door behind you as you walk just a little into the trailer, some curious faces turn to see you, including Jess, who stops her usual routine and rushes over to you, her eyes wide with surprise.
You hug her back gently, feeling relieved and less tense by the warm welcome from Jess who, even though the two of you don't know each other very well, she actually seems like a very nice person and her personality shows you that.
"Ah Y/N, what a relief to see you again!"
She exclaims with her tone full of joy.
"God, I thought you wouldn't come back," she says as she hugs you excitedly, providing you with some comfort.
"I'm so sorry about yesterday," you say with a regretful gesture and you both break the hug, "I shouldn't have left like that and you don't know how embarrassed I feel. I'm really sorry."
"Oh no, don't worry about it," she assures you instantly, making a nonchalant gesture, "That's all in the past. The important thing is that you're back and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it," she comforts you with a small smile, "We have a lot of work to do today and we need to get you up to speed right away."
Jess, full of energy, ushers you further into the trailer while you greet your other co-workers. Then she explains the day's itinerary precisely, pointing out schedules, wardrobe changes and other important details.
All the while you nod, thanking her for her guidance and trying to keep up. In the midst of all the preparations, the huge door opens again and Aemond is now the one who makes his presence known.
Your gaze meets his and you see the obvious and unexpected surprise in his eyes at seeing you again, but there's not much reaction from either of you as instantly the makeup artists call him over and guide him to start prepping him for today's filming scenes.
And Jess also takes your arm, guiding you to the back of the trailer where the dressing rooms are located explaining what you will be doing, forcing you to look away from him.
And you can only feel Aemond's gaze on you until he loses sight of you.
Jess continues to explain to you, but you can't help but think and wonder certain things, like if everyone here, even Jess, knows about you and Aemond... what you once were and that you have a child together.
The behavior of both of you yesterday was very obvious, that's what you would think if you were an expectant one, so surely there must be some speculation.
And at that moment you remind yourself that your priority right now is your work and that the personal should be kept out of your work environment, so you shouldn't even think about it.
Finally you focus on following Jess's directions, putting aside distractions and preparing for the day.
Jess leaves you alone to take care of her own work and you start with yours, where you spend about an hour still in the back of the trailer, where you check and prepare the costumes that already have to be ready for the scenes that will be filmed soon.
When in the middle of everything, you hear some footsteps approaching behind you and thinking it must be one of the other actors or one of your co-workers, you turn around and the first thing you notice is that silver hair.
Aemond enters this section of the trailer a little unsure, without saying anything, while you also watch him without saying anything.
He is ready to record his scenes with that scar on the left side of his face that his character has and he only lacks the costume.
Until finally he speaks first.
You knew that having a conversation with him again would happen soon, so you're not surprised.
But for a moment there is a tense silence and a slight nervousness and insecurity on the part of both of them, where a clash of emotions is reflected in each other's gazes.
"Hey," he says in a soft, low voice, taking a couple of steps towards you.
You try to smile a little in his direction, not knowing exactly what to say or what to do.
"Hey," you wave back.
There is an awkward pause before Aemond again takes the initiative, taking a few cautious and slow steps towards you.
You bite your lips and lower your gaze for a moment, as he puts a hand to the back of his neck and looks so insecure and nervous standing there, surprising you a bit, as that behavior in him is unusual.
He usually always has that confident attitude in everything he says and does.
"I'm glad you're back," he admits to you, his low tone full of sincerity, "It's good to see you around again."
His words and that friendly gesture take you a bit by surprise, and although you still feel overwhelmed by the unexpected situation, you appreciate the way he is leading in handling all of this to start working together for Aenar's well-being, leaving past tensions behind.
"Thank you," you reply, feeling that sense of relief in your chest again, "Oh, hum… and thank you for talking to production so I could come back," you say a little shyly but gratefully, "You didn't have to."
He lets out a scoff in a nonchalant and also absurd gesture, frowning slightly his nose and forehead.
"Please, it was the least I could do," he tells you softly and with a warm tone, "Besides, it was nothing. I was just afraid you'd decide not to come back."
You hum in understanding.
"I thought about that," you confess to him, lowering your gaze for a moment, "But things were going to be easier for both of us with Aenar if I came back here," you explain, "Still, it was a very kind gesture of you."
Aemond nods, his gaze conveying a mixture of emotions that reflect both relief to see you back here, understanding, and also regret for the past that still haunts him. But he doesn't let those thoughts invade him too much at that moment.
Again there is silence in between for a few seconds, when he speaks again.
"How is Aenar?" he asks in a voice charged with a mixture of happiness, nostalgia and longing for his son.
"He's fine," you say in a soft voice, "He's in the studio nursery. Mary takes very good care of him," you add, wanting to reassure him that his son is being properly cared for.
He nods slowly, humming in response, trying to hide the intensity of his emotions in his gaze.
"That's good, I'm glad to hear that," he replies, vulnerability in his tone and gaze.
The air between the two of you still lingers, charged with emotions that neither of you dares to express openly. However, taking advantage of the conversation, Aemond decides to propose something.
He just met him yesterday and can't wait to see him again, to be in his company.
Yesterday's hours were simply not enough. And knowing that his son is well brings him relief and a feeling he hasn't experienced before since he found out he is a father.
"If you want, I can pay for a trusted babysitter for him," he offers and this gets your full attention, "I'm just saying… so you don't always have to bring him with you to work," he says with a hesitation, his tone betraying his insecurity about his proposal.
You remain silent for a moment, not knowing what exactly to say, in fact processing the unexpected offer. And Aemond can't help but feel even more unnerved by your silence.
"I-I… I don't know," you murmur, hesitant.
This nursery in the set is at least in the same place as you and that gives you relief that whatever happens, you can rush to him right away.
The idea of a babysitter strikes you as a mixture of relief and concern.
In the morning you'd have more time getting ready to come to work and it wouldn't be as much of a burden on you, yet you've never left someone to take care of Aenar while you're away.
But leaving him at home and coming all the way here to work, that causes you hesitation, besides the fact that you have to know the person who will take care of your child perfectly, as well as have confidence in her, above all.
"Only if that makes you feel more comfortable," Aemond adds softly, "But if that's not what you want, that's fine."
You bite your lips, feeling uneasy at the thought of someone else caring for your son and having him away when you're working.
"And you know someone who might be trustworthy?" you ask attentively and still with hesitation in your gaze.
"Yes," he tells you immediately, softly, "Rhaenyra has an army of babysitters to take care of my younger nephews. I can ask her for help with that and I know she'll say yes," he assures you.
"And they are professional babysitters?"
"Yeah, yeah, Nyra is also very careful with the selection and the babysitters she has hired have years of experience and so far several of them have worked with her for a few years now."
And after a moment's reflection, you agree.
And as convincing as the information is, still a mixture of worry and resignation envelopes your body.
But you knew that sooner or later you would have to face the situation of balancing your job with the responsibility of caring for your little one, accepting the idea that you won't always be able to have him with you.
"All right," you nod to him, "But I'd like to do some interviews first."
"Yeah, of course. I'll take care of that, don't worry," he says softly, nodding to you and you nod back.
"Thank you, Aemond."
"You don't have to thank me, Y/N, it's for our son. And if he or you need anything, please just let me know."
Seeing Aemond so willing to be a present father and his desire to be involved in his son's life, to some extent relieves you and surprises you a little, clearly because of what happened at first when you found out you were pregnant.
But so far… he has really shown you that he wants to be present and without having Criston and all his team around anymore.
The slight tension in the air is felt again as you and he continue to navigate the terrain of this new dynamic, which feels a little weird and you feel very nervous, though you don't even know why, while he at all times seems unsure.
And in an attempt to diffuse the tension, now you're the one who speaks first.
"Okay," you nod, "And if you…" you try to say a little nervously and with some caution and insecurity, "If you want to go see Aenar at the nursery or even at the apartment, you can," you assure him with a soft tone, "I never said you couldn't visit him and I don't plan to take that right away from you."
Vulnerability is reflected both in your words and in Aemond's expression, who with his soft face and with his gaze full of various emotions, places a small gentle smile on his lips.
"I'd love that."
Your words mean more to him than you probably realize. That sincere gesture of openness on your part, Aemond deeply appreciates.
Just as he appreciates that the conversation has reached a level of understanding and cooperation that neither of you had anticipated, but that you definitely appreciate. It doesn't end there yet, though.
"Can I ask you something?"
You nod, with no problem.
"Sure."
"What will you be leaving work on when your shift is over with Aenar?" he tells you interested and attentive.
"Um… well, yesterday I took the bus," you explain, considering that just yesterday was supposedly your first day, "And I had already planned that if I finished late, I'd take an Uber. Like now in the morning I was running a little late and took an Uber," you reply, trying to explain your transportation routine.
In fact there is nothing wrong with moving this way, many people do it, besides you don't have many options.
But that's what Aemond doesn't want, he wants to make your life a little easier, especially since Aenar lives with you and he doesn't want to risk something bad happening to both of you one day with public transport.
"Well, if you want, I can take the two of you," he also offers without hesitation, "Or if it seems too much, I can ask my driver to pick you up and take you wherever you need to go, without problem," he assures you, "I just don't want you to move that way with Aenar or by yourself."
This new unexpected offer from Aemond also surprises you, that you even think about turning him down, telling him it's not necessary.
Mostly you see it from Aenar's safety side.
But his concern is genuine and also you know that then moving you will start to be a problem.
You know you can't afford Uber every day, the fares aren't exactly cheap and there are other needs you have to take care of, besides taking the bus late could be dangerous.
"Well…" you look at him hesitantly and a little embarrassed, "You won't have a problem with that?"
"No, of course not," he answers you instantly.
You nod in his direction, grateful for his consideration.
"Yes, it's fine and seriously thank you for this too," you can't help but say, "Sometimes transport is complicated."
"Don't worry, it's fine."
He is about to say something else when a third voice interrupts him, entering the same space as you.
"Yeah, I know, sorry, I'm already on it," he assures her instantly.
"Aemond, are you ready now?"
Enters one of your co-workers, watching him intently and instantly with concern at the sight of him still in his civilian clothes.
"For God's sake, why aren't you dressed yet? Your scene is going to shoot in less than fifteen minutes!"
"I'll be back in ten minutes. Hurry up, please," the worried girl says and hurries away.
You instantly at that moment decide that the two of you can talk later and hand him his clothes from the scene he'll be shooting soon and he thanks you, heading for one of the small dressing rooms quickly.
When he finishes putting on his clothes, you quickly help him look perfect for filming the scene.
"I'll be seeing you," he tells you before leaving and you nod.
"Sure."
And from that moment on, over the next few days, everything changes as much for Aemond as it does for you.
He kept his word to drive you and Aenar back home every time your shift ended. And if he was still filming scenes, he would send his driver to take you instead of him, also to bring you in the mornings.
The relationship is cordial and collaborative and while there is no romantic reconciliation involved, there is a determination to build a more stable and secure future for Aenar, as well as prioritizing his well-being above all else.
At work, too, the dynamic between the two of you changes completely. Communication is professional, as it should be, but in every interaction there is a complicity that seems to have evolved.
There is a quiet understanding, a new focus on cooperation and mutual respect that is taking shape.
Also Aemond kept his word to hire a fully trusted babysitter and while he took care of that, sometimes you found him in the nursery with Aenar, keeping him company and playing with him.
At first this caused you some noise and also confusion, since Aemond is under the public eye spending quality time with his son and doesn't bother to hide it, so you wondered if already everyone working here, also Aemond's co-workers, knows that he has a son with you.
Again that sight couldn't help but make you smile with a certain nostalgic look, watching the interaction of those two silver-haired heads in their own world.
But it made you feel happy to see your little boy laughing and playing with his father.
And if so, you doubt that it will come out soon, because working in this production of whatever position, there is a confidentiality contract for everything, even for the personal life of the actors.
But when the shooting of this show is over, everyone is probably going to know about it. Although it seems that Aemond doesn't even think about it and doesn't really care.
So you decide not to ask him anything about it and how Criston and his whole team is going to take it.
You honestly don't know what Aemond has done with him, what they have talked about and what exactly happened for him to leave you and Aenar alone.
And you don't want to know. You've had enough of him and everything he did to you. And fortunately you live in peace and feel safe to have Aemond on your side this time.
And before you can say anything, Aemond steps forward with a soft little smile.
When one day on your day off you find yourself making dinner while Aenar watches his favorite cartoon in the living room and you supervise him occasionally from where you are, there's a knock at the door.
You're traumatized with the thought that maybe it's Criston and something bad is going to happen, but when you open the door you find Aemond with a woman by his side.
"Hey."
"Hi," you try to smile, a little confused.
"Are you busy? I-I didn't know and thought I'd just come over," he says, "And I'd let you know but I don't have your number or-or something."
"No, no, it's fine, I'm just making dinner," you hasten to say.
"I came because I wanted to introduce you to Elinda Massey," he tells you, pointing to the woman next to him and she looks at you with a warm smile, "One of the babysitters Rhaenyra recommended to me to take care of Aenar."
"Oh," you nod, now understanding.
You watch Elinda and she radiates warmth and assurance in her gaze, instantly feeling comfortable with her presence.
"It's nice to meet you, Elinda," you say with a small smile, extending your hand to her.
"Same to you, Y/N," she replies, shaking his hand with yours, "Aemond has told me so much about you and Aenar. I'm very excited to meet him as well."
Aemond beside her nods, his expression calm.
"Elinda is professional and very experienced. I wanted to introduce you to her and thought maybe we could do a little interview together, just to get to know her and see how she gets along with Aenar."
You instantly nod again.
"Oh yeah, yeah, sure, come on in," you step aside, allowing them to pass, "Aenar is watching his favorite cartoon," you say as you close the door behind you.
Aemond instantly walks towards him, making a sound of surprise, catching his attention and Aenar instantly notices him, smiling big at the sight of him, his huge blue eyes lighting up and reaching out his little arms towards him.
Both you and Aemond know Elinda better and you realize that she is a woman who has all the necessary experience and training. Besides the fact that when she approaches Aenar, he instantly laughs and plays with her.
Aemond laughs and takes him in his arms, starting to leave a bunch of kisses on his huge chubby cheeks, making him laugh as he holds him against his chest and speaks to him in a honeyed tone.
And you again can't help but smile as you watch the scene.
There is still that feeling of worry in you knowing that you will have to leave Aenar in someone else's care.
But Elinda shows you so much in so few hours, she tells you about her experience, shows you letters of recommendation, first aid certificates, as well as other care and Aenar has fun with her.
Aemond stays a few more moments in Aenar's company, playing games and watching the cartoons he likes, while you finish dinner and cleaning the kitchen.
The three of you establish a work schedule for her, as well as you tell her some recommendations and observations regarding Aenar.
And once everything is ready and clarified, she leaves and Aemond tells you that he has already taken care of all the payment details with her.
Every now and then you hear how Aemond asks him questions in a honeyed tone and repeats the same expressions he does when he sees his favorite character on TV, and then both start laughing.
Those sounds, the sound of your son's laughter and also Aemond's expressions, unconsciously make you smile and you watch from the kitchen as Aemond makes funny gestures or faces to make him laugh and attacks him with a lot of kisses all over his face or tickles.
Then you walk him to the door once he is ready to leave.
And there the two of them make themselves comfortable on the couch, eventually Aenar falls asleep on Aemond's lap, his back and head against his chest. He cautiously gets up holding him gently and puts him to sleep, while you thank him.
"Oh, right, I almost forgot," he says stopping in front of the door and turns to you, "This is for you."
You see him take his wallet from his back pocket and inside it, he pulls out what appears to be a black card and holds it out to you. This catches your attention and also confuses you, taking the card with that confusion, not understanding.
And only when you take a good look at it in your hands do you realize that it is a bank card.
"It's yours."
He says and you frown more, then raise your gaze to him asking for an explanation.
"I can only send money to it, I don't have direct access. You'll get the PIN from the bank, tomorrow after the shoot, I'll take you to activate it," he tells you, "You know, it's in case you need money to buy something for Aenar or for you, whatever you need."
Then when you fully understand the explanation and the purpose of this, you start to panic.
"Aemond—
You try to say feeling the lump in your throat and your heart starting to pound.
"I know I didn't tell you about this, but please, I want to do it," he interrupts you with a pleading tone so you won't reject him or reproach him about it, "Besides, this is necessary. Sometimes I will have to travel to other cities for shootings or events and I won't be able to see you or him and I want to make sure you don't lack anything. So just accept it, please."
"But—
"Please," he insists.
This really seems too much to you and you have an idea of the amount of money the card must already have. And no… in spite of everything, you don't want to accept this and feel that you are taking advantage of him.
You watch him still with hesitation and worry on your face, tension hanging in the air as you and he stand in complete silence, saying nothing for a few seconds.
You look back down at the card in your hands and Aemond follows your gaze, both of you standing face to face.
And it just seems that Aemond reads your thoughts by the hesitation and insecurity on your face.
"If you don't want to use it to also buy things for yourself, use it just to buy Aenar whatever he needs," he tells you softly, "After all, I was going to do this sooner or later, wasn't I? It's my responsibility to make sure he doesn't lack anything and that's what I'm going to do."
You let out a long breath, beginning to feel less of the weight of the luxurious and clearly exclusive black card in your hands, with his words beginning to soften your chest at the mention of Aenar.
"Fine," you mutter finally, letting out a sigh and raising your gaze to him, "B-but I'll only use it for things that Ae-
This gesture from Aemond is a clear sign of concern and responsibility he feels towards you and his son. And you truly feel that genuine desire that he wants to contribute for the welfare of both of you.
You try to clarify but he quickly speaks up.
"Yeah, okay," he nods at you, "Don't worry. Just… use it."
You nod again.
"Thank you, Aemond."
A slight flicker of concern appears in his gaze and he quickly tries to be able to struggle to find the right words to be able to explain himself so you don't misunderstand him.
"I don't want you to feel like I'm trying to—
"No, no, I don't think so," you tell him softly, with understanding, "This…" you look back down at the card in your hands and let out a sigh, "This is actually necessary and very helpful…. you really don't know how much I appreciated it."
He nods, his expression relieving a bit as he sees your behavior and also as you accept his support.
"Easy, it's okay," he assures you in a soft murmur.
"Also…" he starts to say with some nervousness but definitely more confident, "I wanted to ask you if you have social security for Aenar and you," he says with a serene expression, looking directly at you.
Again silence settles between the two of you but the air is different, calmer and less tense, feeling the mutual understanding.
And Aemond, after the two of you say nothing for another long few seconds, thinks it best to talk at this point about another plan he has in mind.
This also immediately catches your attention and you watch him warily, tilting your head to one side and starting to get an incredulous look on your face.
"You're not seriously thinking that—
"Y/N, please," he interrupts you, "This is no problem for me, really," he insists, "I just need to know."
"But—
"This is also important and I can pay for it."
"But it's a lot of money and I don't think—
"Do you really think I'll let you and Aenar go through life without being covered?" he asks you incredulously, "I can handle this. I really can."
His words continue to reflect that genuine commitment and you, despite your concern, feel something warm invade your chest, especially the gentle and willing way he is looking at you.
After all that has happened, seeing Aemond so determined to contribute to your son's well-being gives you a new hope and opportunity for Aenar's future.
The costs are too much, nothing you could really afford, not even for Aenar, since your salary was not much and had to cover other needs. You couldn't even afford it on your current salary.
You have always worked very hard to try to give Aenar everything he needs. Among them, paying for a social insurance for him, in case of anything.
But you could never afford it.
And that suddenly Aemond is offering it to you so easily, clearly because he can afford it, you feel somewhat overwhelmed and also feel that it is too much.
"And you're completely—
"Yes, I am," he interrupts you again, being very clear and honest with you, "This won't be any trouble, really," he assures you.
You want to tell him thank you, but the words get stuck in your throat. However, Aemond sees the gratitude is visible in your gaze, along with your concern and how you find yourself overthinking it.
So he just gives you a look of understanding and total reassurance.
"I'll be leaving. You need to rest. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
You let out a long breath, bite your lips and nod in his direction.
"Okay."
"Good night," he says softly as he opens the apartment door again.
"Good night. Drive safe."
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Lately the days have been more… peaceful.
But as the days progressed, you realized that it was useless to feel that way because when you returned to the apartment, everything was absolutely fine. And also everything is easier when you transport yourself with Aemond's help or with the help of his driver.
Having Elinda as a babysitter, your mornings are easier and she does an excellent job with Aenar, so you have nothing to worry about.
At first you would leave home feeling horrible and your whole body tense, always alert to your phone and exaggeratedly paranoid.
Aemond also one day told you the same thing, that lately things have been quiet, even the recordings have not been heavy for him compared to other days or other jobs.
And for the same reason that he is busy filming, he hasn't attended any events or interviews, that happens rather after he finishes filming a new show or movie and there is still time left for that.
Aemond drives in silence and the soft background music on low volume fills the entire interior of the car while you watch the city through the windows and Aenar sleeps secured in one of the back seats.
So on this one day and for one occasion only, Elinda had an important commitment that she couldn't postpone, so she didn't show up for work and you didn't have any problem, since you can bring Aenar to the nursery on the set.
And now it is Aemond who is driving them home after your shift ended almost at the same time he finished filming his scenes.
He and you haven't talked much during the whole drive, only about work, but even so the silence is comfortable and you can't wait to get home to cook a nice dinner.
The cityscape soon transforms into familiar and somewhat… careless streets, as you approach to your apartment.
He parks in front of your building and watches you.
You know this isn't a luxurious area and there's a lot of detail to look at, but it's what you can afford right now.
And that's just what Aemond thinks as he looks around the neighborhood, hating to leave you and Aenar here when he can get you a much better place. But he knows you'll say no.
"Will you stay here any longer?" he asks you softly, "I mean, will you continue to pay rent?"
"For now yes," you nod to him, "I'm saving up to move to a better place, to an apartment in a different area and that's close to work," you let him know, "It's just taking time because of my paycheck."
Aemond stares at you intently for a moment, thinking and pondering your words, with a thoughtful look on his face, while you make sure you have all your belongings with you before getting out of the car and carrying Aenar.
And just as he is about to speak, a familiar sound interrupts him and his son's crying is heard throughout the car.
You follow him too with all your things in hand, walking over to both of them.
You quickly turn to him to attend to him, trying to calm him down, while Aemond reacts and quickly gets out of the car to open the door to the back seats.
It takes him a little while to unfasten the seat belts, but once he's finished he takes him in his arms and whispers comforting words in his ear to make him stop crying.
"Shh, my little one," Aemond whispers, holding him against his chest and stroking his silver hair, "Hey, it's okay, it's okay," he murmurs, leaving a soft kiss on his forehead.
You move to his side and run one of your hands over his wet cheeks, watching you for a moment with teary blue eyes only to close them tightly and continue crying.
"Either he wants to sleep in his room or he's hungry," you say, stroking his face to try to calm him as well.
"He didn't eat?" he asks you attentively.
"Yes, Mary said yes."
"Then he wants to sleep," he says, trying to wipe the dried tears from his cheeks, "Come on upstairs, I'll take him," he tells you and you nod.
All the while Aemond tries to comfort him until they reach the door of your apartment, but when he lays him down in his crib, Aenar cries more and he carefully holds him in his arms again, trying to soothe him while you quickly stop in the kitchen and prepare a baby bottle, hoping it will help.
And when you hand it to Aemond, he stands gently pacing around the room holding Aenar with one arm while the other hand holds the baby ottle for him against his mouth, hoping it will soothe him and he will fall asleep.
You take the bottle and Aemond carefully lays him down to sleep in his crib, leaving a soft kiss on his forehead to finally let him rest.
Aenar eventually calms down as he drinks from the baby bottle and watches with his blue eyes Aemond above him, who is still gently walking him around the room.
And little by little, wrapped in the safety of Aemond's arms, he falls asleep.
He sits up and turns to you, where you both look at each other without saying anything for a moment, sharing a silent connection.
"Thank you," you whisper to him.
"Don't worry," he says back to you in the same way.
Together you leave Aenar's room without a sound and gently close the door.
That night Aemond drives to his apartment with a new thought in mind, one of which is to always provide a better life for you and Aenar.
That's why, without telling you anything and taking advantage of the fact that it's your day off, he manages to leave the recording set early, he tells you to accompany him to the mall to buy new clothes for Aenar and you accept without thinking about anything else.
During the ride, so far you haven't questioned him about anything and that relieves him, but when you finally pay attention to the streets he is driving through, that's when your confusion appears and Aemond is thankful that you are about to arrive at the real place he wants to take you.
"I don't think there's a shopping mall around here, Aemond," you tell him confused, watching the streets carefully.
You realize that he is actually driving through a private residential neighborhood, with the streets lined with luxurious homes or rather mansions that would catch anyone's attention and you are clearly no exception.
And remembering your locations, you can tell that this neighborhood belongs to the Visenya Hill area, the most exclusive and prestigious area of King's Landing.
"Aemond, where are we going?" you look at him completely confused and questioning.
"I want to show you something," he tells you without giving you any more detail, generating more confusion and despair in you.
"But you said we were going to the mall."
"I know, but I lied to you," he says with some regret and you frown, "If I told you I wanted to show you a house where you can live with Aenar, you wouldn't have come."
"What?"
You inquire in your completely incredulous, serious and questioning voice, watching him with your eyes wide open.
"Surely you're joking," you tell him absurdly, shaking in his direction and watching him completely intently and seriously, really wanting to believe this is a joke.
"No, I'm not," he says letting out a small laugh, watching you for a moment to turn his gaze back to the road.
"Aemond," you start trying to warn him, serious.
"We're here," he announces out of nowhere, alerting you more fully.
You watch with your lips parted and completely attentive at all the windows, as the car comes to a stop in front of an impressive house, whose high ceilings and elegant white columns stand out in the neighborhood.
The front garden with the green lawn, a beautiful fountain and flowering bushes only make it stand out more, besides the elegant entrance, its huge windows and the dimension of the whole house that makes you continue to stare at everything with your mouth open.
In comparison, Aemond looks at the house with a hopeful expression and feeling genuinely happy and excited. But at the same time, he is worried about your attitude and what you will tell him about all this.
At first you refuse to get out of the car, still incredulous and surprised, telling him this is crazy, but Aemond makes you get out and also gets Aenar down from the back seats, instantly on this rare occasion preferring your arms instead of his father's.
"Aemond," you try to say, worried and still unable to believe it.
"Easy. Come," he tells you completely unconcerned, leading you to the entrance of the house.
You observe everything, unable to help yourself, as there is even furniture and everything looks too expensive but too beautiful at the same time.
You watch as he holds the fucking key in his hand and opens the beautiful, gigantic door for you, without giving you a chance to say anything else.
And as you enter, the entire interior of the house spreads out in front of you, illuminated by the daylight filtering through the windows and highlighting every majestic detail of the property.
The simple entrance is large with a crystal chandelier above you hanging from the high ceiling, the living room is spacious and there is also a small decorative fountain. Further on there is another living room that you can observe from the spacious and eye-catching kitchen.
And the entire upstairs also completely grabs your attention, having three huge bedrooms, the master bedroom being the largest of them all, each with its own bathroom and closet.
The bathroom down here is ridiculously large for a bathroom. The pantry is also a ridiculously large room for a pantry.
The garden is lovely and has a swimming pool which, according to Aemond, can be automatically closed off for Aenar's security. There is a laundry and drying room as well.
"It's perfect, don't you think?"
Aemond tells you slightly excited as you walk down the stairs behind him, with Aenar in your arms and who also looks at everything around him with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Work is nearby, my apartment is nearby and Elinda has come to this area to work before, so it won't be a problem," he tells you with that little smile, turning to you, looking with that gleam of hope compared to you.
He clearly expects the same reaction from you and even having already seen the house, you let out a sigh and look at him with a serious and confused expression.
"Aemond, what do you think you're doing?"
"Well, it's for you," he tells you, pointing to everything around him, still not seeing how much this is costing you, "It's perfect for you and Aenar. And a chance for him to live and grow up in a nice, spacious, safe place."
You are speechless for a moment, feeling that heaviness in your chest and your heart pounding as you press your lips together and briefly observe everything around you again.
"Everything will be taken care of by me, you won't have to worry about anything," he assures you softly, "Aenar's room is big, the kitchen is big, there are two living rooms and..." he shrugs, "Like I told you, everything is close by."
"Tell me you haven't already bought all this," you say slightly concerned.
And then all emotion from Aemond slowly fades.
"But why? What is it that—
"Aemond, this is too much," you interrupt him incredulously, shock in your eyes, "How do you think I'm just going to accept this just like that?"
He steps closer, with the slight concern in his gaze, trying to convey calm, but his eye reflects the urgency of his purpose.
"Y/N, please. I only want what's best for you and Aenar. Besides, you said you're moving soon and—
"Yes but to an apartment, not a house that costs millions of dollars," you tell him absurdly.
"Yes, I know, but—" he bites his lips, nervous, "I wanted to do this. I wanted to give this to you and Aenar," he says insistent, "A safe place in a quiet neighborhood, where you can also have your space without having to worry anymore."
You shake your head.
"But—
"Look, just..." he tries to find the right words, trying to work on your willing attitude for not accepting this, "Consider it, yes?" he insist, "You don't have to make a decision right now, for now I just wanted to show you around, nothing more," he says calmly, though you know that behind that calmness is an obvious longing.
"But it's just that this is too much and... no," you look at him with slight concern, "I don't need to consider it because no matter how much I think about it, my answer is no."
"Aemond, this..." you begin to say with restrained sadness, hesitating, "This won't change the past. This won't make it so I can forgive you," you tell him resignedly, "This isn't about me and Aenar, it's about Aenar nothing else and her well being," you tell him in a broken voice, "But this... this house... it's too much."
"Y/N..." he says, taking a couple more steps towards you, wary, "Two years ago, I was the worst shitty boyfriend," he says with sadness and regret, "I had to support you, be there for you completely, I shouldn't have let Criston talk me into his plans, accept in the beginning to hide you and hide my responsibility."
He says as he looks nostalgic at Aenar in your arms.
"And now that you've given me this second chance, I just want to make things right....I want to do what I should have done in the beginning."
Aemond's expression, although he himself tries to remain expressionless, still feels as if he has been hit hard in the stomach when he hears your words.
And all illusion disappears, as well as his enthusiasm.
He resignedly steps back, leaving a space between you and him, not wanting to overwhelm you any more than he already has.
He thought this would be a good idea, that by the time the three of you were here, looking forward to the idea of a new home, you would understand and accept.
But there are still many open wounds from the past and he knows they cannot be healed with these sudden gestures.
"I know, it's just that I-I..." he tries to say with his voice laden with regret and deep remorse," I didn't expect this... a house or an apology to just fix things," he says sincerely and with disappointment, "I just wanted to give Aenar stability and offer you a safe place for the both of you, give you a better life."
Silence envelops you both, dense and charged with mixed emotions.
Aemond tries to find some sign on your face, wanting you to see his true intention, longing for some small indication of hope or acceptance.
And you feel the overwhelming weight of responsibility and emotions inside you. All of this is tempting, though your heart is still scarred by past pain and also distrust. And you are torn between caution and the opportunity to give Aenar the stability he deserves.
Aemond remains silent, respecting your space and your time to process the situation. But the indecision in you is all too obvious.
"Y/N, I promise you that all this is for Aenar and nothing else," he tells you seriously and sincerely, "I promise I won't try anything, except to take care of him and make sure he lacks nothing," he insists, "At least stay in this house until he grows up a little more and if you still think it's too much, we can find a smaller place," he proposes.
His words are left floating in the air, while you continue to think too hard. His proposal echoing in your mind, plunging you into a sea of thoughts, with indecision.
Aemond seems to have put his heart on the table, but your emotions continue to struggle between caution and hope, as you cannot ignore the possibility of offering Aenar a more secure and stable life, which is all you wish for him since you could not give him that at the beginning.
And it is also what Aemond desires, that is why he is so insistent and you see his true intention to give this to Aenar, without any other intentions in between.
But is it right to trust him again? What if Criston and his team try to intervene again? This time they would do it more easily.
Maybe it can be different this time.
You honestly feel like you're taking a big risk by agreeing. It's a big bet to open your life and Aenar's to this new opportunity, but you also see how he's striving to give you something better.
And that's exactly what has you questioning and wondering: should I give this a chance?
"All right," you finally say in a soft voice with a mixture of nervousness, "But only for Aenar."
Aemond looks at you with surprise and hope.
"Really?"
You nod, swallowing hard and Aemond lets out a long breath, visibly relieved and then, avoiding smiling big, takes the house key from his front pocket and holds it out to you, to which you take it a little confused.
"Don't you have to give it to the real estate agent?"
"Actually, I already bought it," he says with a nervous but innocent gesture at the same time, scratching the back of his neck, "Well, I haven't paid the whole amount, but I've paid most of it. So it's yours."
Seven fucking Hells.
You can't help but think as you close your eyes for a moment and let out a sigh, unable to believe it.
The new house soon began to have that warmth the moment you started settling in with Aenar. Every room radiates a sense of peace and comfort that you haven't experienced in a long time.
The move wasn't difficult at all, the only thing you had to transport from the old apartment with the help of Aemond and his driver was your clothes, Aenar's clothes, her toys and her crib, nothing else.
The house already had furniture, beds, decorations and even televisions already installed.
The high ceilings allow natural light to flood in, while the white walls set off the black and gray furniture and Aenar toys, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.
Aemond builds Lego block forts together with him, buys him toy dragons, cars, stuffed animals and they both watch Aenar's favorite cartoon or movies, getting cozy on the shag carpet or on the couch.
Because Aemond's apartment is close by, his commitment is more accessible, so there is never a day that goes by that he doesn't visit Aenar.
Special moments between father and son are spent in the living room, where toys scattered on the floor become Aenar's playroom area.
Also some evenings the three of you have dinner together, where Aemond offers to feed Aenar and eventually the dining room fills with laughter and smiles as you focus on him.
The backyard also becomes a realm of adventure, where they both even plan picnics and invite you over.
They also both sometimes spend afternoons exploring with laughter and playing with the plastic cars on the lawn where Aenar imitates the sounds Aemond makes from a car.
The new house is filled with happy and warm moments, forming the perfect setting for Aenar to begin to grow up, having both of his parents looking after him.
The proximity of work and Aemond's apartment made the daily routine easier. The routes are short and convenient, allowing more time to enjoy time together.
And above all you definitely feel more at ease having Elinda taking care of Aenar while you are considerably closer to home from the set.
When one day at night, you had already received a message from Aemond telling you that he would be a little late to visit Aenar, as usual, and you replied that it was fine, even though tomorrow is your day off and you have no problem with sleeping late.
But the clock is almost half past eleven at night and you think he is not going to arrive, when just at that moment you hear the doorbell ring and you go to the door, checking from the IPad the cameras of a program that Aemond installed to record Aenar while he sleeps and also monitors in case of anything and so you can make sure he is okay.
And finally you open the door, watching Aemond carefully.
"I thought you weren't coming anymore," you tell him in a low, warm tone, but also worried.
Aemond nods, letting out a sigh.
"I finished later than I thought. It was a hard day," he tells you heavily.
You nod softly and understandingly, stepping aside to let him pass.
"Aenar is already asleep."
"Yes, that's what i thought," he says calmly, "But it doesn't matter, I won't wake him up, I just want to see him," he watches you with tired eye, "You should go to sleep too," he says as he places one of his hands gently on your shoulder, "I'll lock up and set the alarm when I leave."
Hesitation shows on your face for a moment, watching him intently and with a flash of concern.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, don't worry," he nods at you with a small soft smile, "Go get some rest, I'll take care of it."
"Fine, but anything tell me, no matter what it is, okay?"
"Okay."
With a soft nod, you both head up the stairs and down the hallway to the rooms, you wave goodbye to him before entering your room and he enters Aenar's room.
And once in your room, you cover yourself with your sheets and thinking that you would fall asleep the moment you were in the comfort of your bed, you suddenly stare at the ceiling for a long time unable to close your eyes and clearly unable to sleep.
He hasn't left yet, as you haven't heard that soft 'click' of the door or his footsteps in the hallway walking away.
You try to find sleep any way you can, but the thought that Aemond is still in the house is what keeps you awake.
And it's not because you don't trust him, on the contrary, you look at the time and feel remorseful and worried that he has to drive back to his apartment so late.
Minutes pass and suddenly you find yourself restless, sleep refusing to invade you. So with quiet steps, you approach Aenar's room, where the dim light of a night lamp reflects through the frame below the door.
Carefully and determined, you gently open the door, first peeking your head and then your body, catching the attention of Aemond who turns his head towards you, sitting near Aenar's crib and gently and very lightly stroking his hair so as not to wake him with a look of affection that does not leave his face despite the interruption.
"Can't you sleep?" he whispers to you, watching you with a soft gaze.
You nod softly, folding your arms as you look down at sleeping Aenar with palpable tenderness.
"It's late and I thought maybe... if you want, you can sleep here," you say with a warm tone but your hint of shyness in your voice is noticeable, as well as your hesitation to suggest such a thing.
It's no problem for you, it's just that he's never slept over before and you don't know what his reaction will really be to you proposing that, whether he'll say yes or no.
"And you're okay with that?" he observes you thoughtfully and softly.
"Yes, of course I am," you assure him completely nonchalantly, "It's totally fine with me."
He nods at you with a gesture, without wiping away his soft little smile.
"Thank you."
And then both his gaze and yours return to watching Aenar asleep in his crib. And Aemond resumes the smile of tenderness on his lips, again sliding his hand over his hair.
"He's beautiful, isn't he?" he whispers with a flash of pride in his gaze.
You hum in assent, slowly moving closer toward them both.
"Yes, he is," you reply, gazing at your little one with indescribable love.
A brief silence envelops you for a moment, only hearing the soft hum of the spinning lamp projecting images on the ceiling, creating a peaceful low-light scene of animals and stars for Aenar.
This usually helps him sleep and also calms him down a bit if he wakes up crying in the middle of the night while you wake up and rush over here.
"For a while I imagined how he would looked like, whether boy or girl..." he murmurs in a soft, warm, low, wistful tone, "No matter what you decided to do when you left, I always thought about it," he gives you a meaningful look, guilt on his features and you nod, watching him with understanding.
Aemond clenches his jaw and looks at Aenar again, while you remember those days, where fear and uncertainty lived inside you every day.
You wish you had them, those happy moments that a new mom should experience, but that was not the case for you and yet... you cannot imagine a life without your little boy, it is impossible.
What is supposed to be happy news, was not happy for you and Aemond.
There was no single moment of joy at the beginning, when you learned of your pregnancy. Nor did you experience that feeling the first few months, when you ran away and went back to building a new life.
And Aemond feels the remorse most in these kinds of moments, when Aenar is asleep and he looks at him, not being able to believe and wondering over and over again how it is that from the beginning, he supported the idea of just getting rid of him.
And now he sees only him and cannot imagine a world without him.
Shame overcomes him, guilt also and he even wants to cry with anger as he thinks of all that you must have gone through, without his support, trying to make a living for you and his son, all alone in a new and unknown place.
And he knows that this, allowing you to be in Aenar's life, is a great opportunity that he doesn't deserve and yet you have given it to him.
"I know you said you can't forgive me but... someday can you? For how I reacted and for the decision I supported in the beginning?" he asks you, unable to help himself and needing to know.
His tone is charged with a mixture of regret and longing as you feel a pressure and a slight sharp pain in your chest at his words.
Silence stretches for a moment throughout the room, Aemond respects your silence and though there are many reasons why you should never forgive him for what happened, you still decide to be honest.
"I don't know," you whisper in a low, sad and vulnerable tone.
The words echo through the room, enveloping the space with palpable tension.
Aemond feels his heart pounding, filled with overwhelming regret. He lowers his gaze, unable to bear the weight of his mistakes and your words are like a dagger in his heart, but still, he understands you completely.
He nods with compression, letting out a regret-laden sigh, still gently stroking Aenar's hair.
"I understand," he murmurs with a tone of melancholy and fragility, as well as in his gaze full of pleading and remorse.
"Does your family know about him?"
And you with your sad eyes full of regret, you watch him out of the corner of your eye.
And you see all those emotions in him, all his thoughts reflected in his gaze, trying to stand firm and on the sidelines as he continues to watch Aenar.
You can't help but ask, trying to calm the atmosphere a little, though it's useless, as that slight tension is felt and also that physical and emotional distance from both your side and him.
"I've wanted to tell them, only Nyra knows but I asked her not to say anything," he confesses to you in a low voice, trying to speak firmly but the nostalgia is clear, "Even though I know my mother and siblings will be disappointed in me when I explained what happened two years ago, yes I have wanted to tell them," he nods, "But first I wanted to discuss it with you," he says looking briefly at you over his shoulder.
And now it is remorse that comes to you.
"Tell them, Aemond," you tell him firmly with a soft tone, "They deserve to know."
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566 notes · View notes
navybrat817 · 9 months
Note
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A little steam to power you through your Monday?
I barely made it, but I will take him. And a little something because I appreciate you.
Strike a Pose
Pairing: College!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader
Summary: You get a front row seat to your roommate's latest photoshoot, which happens to feature your boyfriend.
Word Count: Over 1k
Warnings: K-I-S-S-I-N-G, college AU, nicknames, Bucky Barnes (yep, he's a warning)
A/N: A little more Titan and Starshine that no one asked for!❤️ Not beta read and written on my phone, so any and all mistakes are my own. Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog for new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!
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You were a bit surprised when your roommate, Roxy, messaged you to come to her recent photoshoot. A photography major who captured exquisite images, she was hardly ever without her camera. But she typically didn't ask you to show up for a session unless she specifically told you she planned to take photos of you. She hadn't in this case. She also ambushed you at the door of the studio and you wondered what was going on.
"Is everything okay?" you asked as she ushered you inside. 
"Just fine, but wait. Before you go any further," she replied, stopping you before you could take another step. "Did you talk to Bucky this afternoon?"
You raised an eyebrow and tried to get a read on why she was asking. You didn't go a day without talking to him and it still made you giddy that he usually reached out first. "Yeah, we're supposed to meet up in an hour. Why?"
"You know how I'm doing an athletic spread for my next project?" she asked before you nodded. "Well, one of my 'models' got sick today and I bumped into Steve and I asked if he wouldn't mind me taking some photos of him and he also suggested Bucky and-"
"They both agreed?" you guessed. It made sense that she asked. Steve and Bucky, especially with his boxing background, were both in amazing shape and certainly had the looks of models.
"They did. Steve should be here in a bit, so it's just Bucky and I for now."
You didn't feel a surge of jealousy or nervousness. There was no reason for it. "Unless you're hitting on Bucky, I don't see what the problem is," you teased. You trusted them and hoped you hadn't given either of them a reason to think you didn't.
"Hey! I take offense to that. I know he is your man and we both want you here," she huffed, making your heart flutter. Bucky Barnes was your guy. "He keeps looking at the door to make sure you're coming. He's down so bad for you."
That made your heart beat faster. He was waiting for you? "I was kidding about you hitting on him. I know you wouldn't do that," you assured her. You didn't want to hurt her feelings with a bad joke.
She flashed you a huge grin after a moment. "I know you were kidding. I was just giving you shit," she teased. Of course she was. "But speaking of your man, it is my duty as your roommate and friend to prepare you as much as I can: He's going to ruin your panties. I'm not kidding. Soaked. And it's only fair that as his girlfriend you should witness him in his glory before the film develops."
You almost sputtered as she practically dragged you further into the studio. "You act like I haven't seen Bucky... Fuck. Me."
"Right here, Starshine? I'm game if you are," Bucky winked.
Your boyfriend sat in the middle of the room surrounded by steam, looking the part of a young, modern king. It was unbelievable how he looked so commanding and he wasn't standing. Was it the sleeveless shirt that accentuated his muscular arms or the way.the light made his brown hair shine? Or was it confidence in his blue eyes as he unashamedly looked you up and down?
The whole package.
"Told you. Soaked panties," your roommate said as she checked her camera. "And for the record, I haven't seen Bucky fuck you, but if he keeps eye-fucking you like that, I just might."
"I can't help myself," Bucky said, licking his lips as he beckoned you closer with his finger. Your feet moved forward on their own accord. "She should be the one being photographed."
Your stomach did a funny flip. While you wouldn't say you lacked confidence, you wouldn't call yourself glamorous either. "I'm no model," you protested. 
"You could be," he said, taking your hand the second you were close enough. "You're so beautiful and I don't have enough pictures of you. It isn't fair. You're depriving me."
"You're ridiculous," you giggled before he pulled you into his lap. "This is an athletic photoshoot."
"Should we show her how you can put your legs behind your-"
"No!" you giggled more. 
"Okay," he chuckled, bumping his nose against yours. "But you really could be a model if you wanted to. Or maybe a ring girl."
"You'd let me walk around the ring in a bathing suit with no objection?" you asked, knowing Bucky would support you if you really wanted to. Lucky for you, he was the right kind of possessive boyfriend. He treated you with respect instead of like an object. 
"I would because I know you're leaving with me at the end of the night, Starshine," he said.
"Whatever you say, Titan."
You inhaled when he gripped your chin and forced you to meet his gaze. Your cheeks were so hot you were shocked you didn't burst into flames. You could try and blame it on the steam, but it was all him. 
Your Titan.
"Wait! Hold that pose!" Roxy ordered. "Ahh! This might be my best shoot yet!"
With Bucky as her model, you knew it would be. 
You paid no attention to the camera going off as you continued to gaze at Bucky. Beneath the flirty surface was tenderness in his eyes, a private moment amongst the flashing lights. Maybe you could get Roxy to make a couple of copies of the photos. One set for you and one set for him. 
"Now KISS!"  
And there was no hesitation when Bucky surged forward, capturing your lips in a devouring kiss. You moaned softly as he moved his tongue with yours in a heated dance, having to remind yourself that the two of you weren't alone. There was no way for you not to crave him though. 
Isn't that part of what young love is all about?
Except you hadn't said that word yet. 
Soon.
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Oh, these two. More of them here. 💙 Love and thanks for reading! 💙
Masterlist ⚓ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi
1K notes · View notes
stopyourmasquerade · 2 years
Text
ᐢ..ᐢ ﹒ enhypen react to the tiktok trend "fellas grab your ladies if your lady fine"
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heesung
he was playing on his computer and you sat next to him. he turned his head to you and smiled before looking back to the screen. you put your phone against the computer and heesung looked at your phone and then to you with a confused look (・・;). you pressed the record button and as soon as he heard the audio, he couldn't help but smile because he knew that trend; he went to hug you with both of his arms and with a slight smirk on his lips. heesung's eyes were glued on you as and he didn't look back at your phone. when the recording stopped, there was no more music and he chuckled from the awkward situation. therefore you both laughed and heesung couldn't resist the urge to give you a quick peck on your cheek before removing his arms from you.
jay
jay was watching tv when you approached him with your phone in your hand. you put your phone higher and got closer to him till he showed up on the screen. he turned his head to your phone first and he noticed the tiktok recording screen. jay chuckled, raising an eyebrow before looking at you "what are you gonna do ?" (¬_¬). you just smiled and pressed the red button as jay looked at you with a confused expression. he stared at your phone till he recognized the lyrics and remembered the trend on tiktok "oh ..." jay knew what he had to do ( ◡‿◡ ). he turned his head back to you with a big smile and wrapped his two arms around your waist. although this was your idea, jay looked happier than you at the moment.
jake
jake was already smiling when he noticed that you were coming closer to him, holding your phone in your hand while he was watching a show on his phone. you put your phone in front of jake and you and he glanced at your phone, moreover when you pressed the recording button he panicked "what ? what ?". you ignored him so he just awkwardly smiled and looked at your phone waiting for ... a clue ? "what y/n ?" it was after he heard the lyrics that he stopped panicking, nodded and went for a hug "oh okay ...". he showed you a big smile and looked at the screen before giving you a kiss on your cheek (づ ̄ ³ ̄) (that he failed to do because he ended up kissing your lips and giggled like a kid at his mistake).
sunghoon
sunghoon was on the bed watching videos on his phone. you put your phone against the headboard and adjusted it till sunghoon was on the screen. he quickly noticed that you were preparing something and slightly smiled "what are you doing ?" he asked you with a confused look and put his phone down when you ignored him. you pressed the recording button and waited for his reaction. luckily, sunghoon recognized the trend as soon as he heard the audio and went closer to you. "ah really ?" (-_-) he sighed furrowing his eyebrows trying to look tired of you, but he broke a smile when he wrapped his arms around your waist.
sunoo
he was busy on his phone but then turned his head to you with the cutest confused look he could make when you tapped his arm. sunoo tilted his head and smiled while looking at you "mm ?" (⌒‿⌒). he turned his attention to your phone and you pressed the record button. therefore he panicked, opening his eyes wide and turning his head back to you "what ? what is it ?" he whined and you stood still till the end of the recording as sunoo was just turning his head back and forth to you and your phone. "sunoo, you were supposed to hug me if you think i'm pretty ! it's a tiktok trend ! you don't think that i'm pretty ?" you teased waiting for a sassy reaction from him and sunoo just whined "no ! i didn't know, let's do it again !". (when you filmed again, he kissed your cheek while hugging you tight o(>ω<)o)
jungwon
you called jungwon who was sitting on the floor with maeumi. he quickly stood up and walked to you. then you gestured him to sit next to you and he did. when he noticed that you had your phone in your hand with the app opened, he stared at it for a moment waiting for an explication from you "what are you doing ? a tiktok video ?". you answered him yes and you went to press the record button and he just looked confused "wait ? what should i do ?"ヽ(´ー` )┌. you looked at him with your arms crossed implying that you were waiting for him to do something, and he understood that, but he genuinely didn't know what to do as he didn't get the lyrics. then he suggested to record the video again and you told him what he had to do. (he agreed and hugged you for a moment, then tightened his arms around you and grinned =`ω´= while you were whinnying to let go)
riki
you approached riki while he was playing animal crossing on his ds, laying on his stomach. he turned his head to you when he noticed that you were moving and he sat down. when you sat beside him he wrapped his arms around you and slowly rested his head on your shoulder and then lifted it back. this was usual for riki, he randomly hugged you. but anyway, this wasn't good, he ruined your plan ヾ(  ̄O ̄)ツ "no niki, don't hug me right now". he moved his arm away from you with a confused look "why ?" "because of the tiktok i want to make" you pressed the record button and stared at riki. he knew that you were waiting for something, but he didn't get the lyrics, so he just guessed that he was supposed to hug you again ┐( ̄ヘ ̄)┌. therefore he wrapped his arms around you and when you smiled he tightened the hug.
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mimisempai · 8 months
Text
At their own pace
Summary
The words had been said and Crowley and Aziraphale's relationship had taken a new turn. An unknown turn. Unknown to both of them.
Both uncertain, they seek advice from their new friends, Maggie and Nina.
Notes
Happens just after my fix-it for episode 6. Can be read separately even if there is mention of it.
On Ao3
Rating G -  1702 words
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Crowley parked the Bentley in front of Aziraphale's shop. He didn't get out right away. 
Today was different.
He was even a little nervous, if he was honest with himself. 
Aziraphale and him.
Since yesterday.
Everything had changed.
That was huge.
He leaned his forehead against the steering wheel.
“I want to do all the things that I don't know yet that people do when they're together and I want it to be the most natural thing in the world.” 
Aziraphale had told him. But he hadn't realized that Crowley knew little more than he did about what people did when they were together. 
Okay, there was no point in stalling.
He got out of the car and entered the shop, calling, "Angel, I'm here!"
No answer. 
He walked over to where he always left his glasses, and his eyes fell on a small piece of paper lying next to the horse sculpture. He picked it up and recognized Aziraphale's handwriting.
I went to see Maggie. I'll be right back. 
Aziraphale. 
Crowley sighed and was about to settle into the chair when his eyes fell on Nina's coffee shop across the street. Coffee wasn't going to calm the kind of nervousness he was feeling, but at least her coffee was good.
Moments later, he walked through the door of the coffee shop and up to the counter. 
"Oh, hello, Mr. Grumpy."
Crowley raised an eyebrow and looked at Nina, "Excuse me?"
Nina started to pour an espresso and replied, "Muriel gave you that nickname.  I think I'll keep calling you that."
Crowley muttered, "That little..."
Nina chuckled and replied, "How many shots of espresso today?"
"Just one and..." he looked around and, avoiding Nina's gaze, asked airily, "Do you have Eccles cake today?"
Nina replied, "How many will Mr. Fell have?"
"Four." Then, realizing he'd been so easily tricked, he decided not to react.
Nina wrapped the four cakes and placed them next to the espresso on the counter in front of Crowley.
Crowley was about to pay her, but she shook her head, "It's on the house. Even though you're basically a little responsible, you both still fought for all of us, so it's a little thank you."
Crowley nodded and was about to grab the cup and cakes when Nina's hand came to rest on his arm and stopped him.
She said quietly, "I guess you talked to him," she nodded in the direction of Maggie's shop across the street. Crowley turned to see his angel chatting animatedly with the blonde woman.
Without turning, he replied, "You could say that. We're not very good at it, but we got there. Except I have no idea what I'm doing."
Nina replied gently, "As far as I know, you're not pressed for time, are you? Give yourself some time."
He turned to the woman pushing the wrapped cakes toward him, "And that's a good start. Trust me."
Crowley nodded and this time grabbed the cakes and coffee. 
Nina asked him again before letting him go, "And how is he?"
Crowley replied, "I don't really know. Yesterday was intense, we both needed some time to think."
He started for the door and Nina said, "Keep talking and you'll be fine."
Crowley stepped through the door and prepared to cross the street.
**********
"Mr. Fell, what can I do for you? What mysterious song are you going to ask me about?"
Aziraphale approached the counter and said gently, "I think after yesterday's events you can call me Aziraphale. And..."
He paused a little awkwardly before continuing, "I don't need a record, I need some advice."
Maggie leaned against her counter and said softly, "I'm listening."
Aziraphale replied, "Here... uh, you, last time you mentioned that you were well, you know, in love. And today I know what that's like and..."
Maggie exclaimed, "Oh! Mr. Grumpy has finally decided to speak to you?!"
Aziraphale chuckled, "Mr. Grumpy, he's not going to like that," then the angel realized what Maggie had said and exclaimed, "Wait! Why do you say he's finally decided to speak to me?"
Maggie replied softly, "Nina and I wanted to see you both yesterday, but it was just Crowley at the bookshop. We were going to give you a hard time at first for messing with our love life, but it turned into something positive, so we kind of wanted you to have the same chance we had. For you and Crowley to finally talk for real. We told Mr. Grumpy that you needed to talk. That he needed to talk to you. Because it was clear from the outside that..."
Aziraphale muttered, "It was clear, but I didn't see it."
Maggie said gently, "Mr. F- Aziraphale, we rarely see what is right in front of us."
Aziraphale nodded and continued, "Yes. Good. So, actually, I... I don't know what to do after that."
Maggie raised an eyebrow, "After... what?"
Aziraphale blushed slightly and replied, "After... talking?"
Maggie looked confused, then surprised, and finally asked in a low voice, "Is this your first time? He is your first... love?"
Aziraphale, unable to speak, nodded several times.
The blonde woman smiled and said sheepishly, "I'm not necessarily the best person to ask, but..."
She turned her head toward the window before continuing, "I think you should ask him." 
Aziraphale turned to see Crowley with a bundle in his hands and a cup of coffee.
Maggie whispered in the angel's ear again, "Do as we suggested. Talk to him. And take your time. There's no rush. Look, I love Nina and I'm willing to wait until she's ready, and I think Crowley's that kind of person, too."
Crowley leaned against the door and greeted Maggie, "Any news on Freddy's side?" Maggie shook her head, and Crowley continued, "Velvet?"
Maggie replied, "I asked my contact, but he hasn't called me back yet."
Then he turned his head to Aziraphale and said, pointing to the bundle, "May I tempt you to a little snack at the shop, angel?"
He was rewarded with a broad smile from the angel, who waved to Maggie before moving toward him.
Then Aziraphale asked him, "What did you buy with your coffee?"
Crowley replied, "Some Eccles cakes."
"Oh, that's so nice!"
Crowley grumbled, "I'm not..."
Aziraphale cut him off with a nudge on the shoulder, "We both know you are. So let it go."
Crowley grumbled as Aziraphale opened the shop door for him before closing it behind them.
Crowley had already walked over to the sofa and placed the cakes and his coffee on the desk next to it before throwing over his shoulder, "Tea, angel?"
Aziraphale joined him and replied, "With pleasure, my dear."
Crowley went into the back room and started making tea, and Aziraphale watched him for a few moments in silence before sitting down on the sofa. He felt a little strange and didn't know how to act. So when he heard Crowley rummaging around in the back room, he decided to join him. The demon had his back to him, waiting for the water to finish boiling, when he entered.
Aziraphale raised his hand and held it out, pulling it back just as Crowley turned, probably aware of his presence. 
"Angel?"
He looked at the angel's hand, which seemed to hang in the air.
Perceptively, he said softly, "Not so easy, is it?"
Aziraphale, hand still in the air, asked, "What do you mean?"
Crowley raised his hand and replied softly, "You said yesterday that you wanted to do all the things you don't know that people do when they're together and that you wanted it to be the most natural thing in the world."
Aziraphale gave a sheepish little smile and nodded, "Not that easy, no."
Crowley had brought his hand up to his, and they were only a few millimeters apart.
Aziraphale closed the distance and pressed his palm against the demon's, who slid his fingers between his own as Aziraphale's instinctively closed on Crowley's. 
"Easy..." Crowley said softly, a small smile on his lips, and that was enough for Aziraphale to make the feeling of inadequacy disappear. He felt the angel's tension melt away. Crowley pulled him closer before wrapping his arms around him. Aziraphale immediately closed his arms around Crowley, regaining the feeling of comfort from the previous evening, and sighed slowly.
The demon whispered into the angel's hair, "Angel, I don't know much more than you do, you know. I'm going in blind, too. But someone told me that we had time and that we needed to talk."
He felt Aziraphale chuckle against his chest.
"What did I say that was so funny?"
The angel lifted his head and replied with an amused twinkle in his eye, "I think this someone is related to the person who gave me the same advice." He laughed this time, "To think it was us who had to work to bring them together."
Crowley chuckled as well, pleased to see the Angel loosening in his arms.
Suddenly, the kettle whistled, indicating that the water was warm enough. 
Crowley started to move away from the angel, but to his surprise, Aziraphale whispered, "Crowley, wait."
Crowley stopped and waited.
Aziraphale raised his hands and placed them on the demon's cheeks before pulling Crowley's face to his own. 
Crowley murmured, "Angel, are you s--"
Aziraphale nodded slowly before closing the distance and gently pressing his lips to Crowley's.
It was a gentle touch. Just lips and breaths connecting. A soft kiss that lasted a few seconds before they parted. Crowley immediately took the Angel's hands in his own, afraid to lose the connection.
Then he said softly, "Yeah, just like that, Angel. At your own pace."
Holding one of Aziraphale's hands in his, he used the other to turn off the hot plate under the kettle before preparing Aziraphale's tea. He grabbed the cup and, still holding the angel's hand, pulled it behind him toward the sofa.
He didn't see that Aziraphale brought his other hand to his lips, touching them delicately with his fingertips...
This time, the angel's expression was not sad, there were no tears in his eyes as his lips curved into a gentle smile.
_________
Still not beta'd
Still not my native language
Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰
Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝
Ineffable Growing Love series : here (After season 2)
Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here (Before season 2)
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achaotichuman · 4 months
Note
*Slides in asks* okay but like Modern!AU but like Lucien as a Hot Motorcycle guy riding down the coast with his hot artist boyfriend Tamlin.
Sorry but I'm a motorcycle lover and imagining Lucien riding A Harley, wearing all those leather and gears is making me 🥴🥴🥴 and the gloves, don't get me started on the gloves 😭😭😭
Ngl I have never written a Modern!Au before, and I know nothing about motorcycles, but first time for everything right? One hot man with motorcycle and hot boyfriend coming right up!
"Do you need a ride home?" Tarquin asked. Tamlin looked up from his music sheets to see the younger man packing up his guitar, preparing to head back to his place.
Tamlin glanced around at the others, Kallias was sitting on the couch up against the wall with Viviane beside him. Both knee-deep in papers and books. Eris and Cresseida were sprawled over an armchair, practically covering each other as they jotted down notes. They were at the recording studio, today they were supposed to be recording some vocals for a song they had been working on for six months now. But it seemed most of Tamlin's friends were taking the opportunity to cram in extra study time. Considering exam seasons were coming up it was now wonder why everyone could only think about their courses.
It still made an irrational part of Tamlin angry. They had started this group to record and eventually put out music, not to study.
Tamlin himself was pursuing a bachelor's degree in environmental science. He desperately wanted to help with the protection of their natural world. It was dying, slowly but surely, dying. He was pursuing this path out a need to do something. To help. To do his part.
Still, he was trying to juggle what he really, truly wanted to make his life. Music called to him at every given opportunity. Never in a million years would he give up his hope to one day help restore at least some of the earth they had lost, but he still hated that his friends were just... seemingly no longer interested.
Even Tarquin who had picked up his things and was preparing to walk out the door, had only played a few chords today before burying himself in notes and studies.
"No, I'm fine, thanks for the offer though. I might take you up on it next week." Tamlin said, returning his eyes to his music sheets.
"You sure? Everyone's staying here for the night, you'll have to catch a taxi if you want to get home." Tarquin pressed.
Tamlin sucked in a breath. Everyone was staying here tonight, because their recording studio, was also technically classified as Eris' basement that he let them use from time to time. Eris mostly came down to listen and watch the show when they were using the studio. Every now and again Tamlin could convince him to play a melody, but those were rare occasions.
Their entire band wasn't here at the moment. Thesan and his soon-to-be husband were buried in their own life. Bron and Hart were on a back-packing trip around Europe. And the second eldest Vanserra brother Silas was on vacation with his girlfriend. So at least most of the time they were busy when they were at the studio.
Still, it felt like they had stopped playing for the most part. Maybe he was being a little dramatic, but he loved playing in this group. The idea of losing it broke him more than he cared to admit.
"Yeah, I've already got a ride, he'll be here in a couple of minutes." Tamlin snatched up his phone and quickly checked the time, already 5, he should start packing up his things as well.
"Who's picking you up?" Kallias asked, not looking up from his notes.
"Lucien." Tamlin said, beginning to pack up his sheets.
"Ooohhh" Cresseida whistled from her seat beside Eris, "Hear that Eris, Lucien's picking him up."
"Yes I heard Cress." Eris hummed, "Believe it or not they have been dating for some time now."
Viviane huffed, "Dating since they met more like it."
"Hey!" Tamlin said, "We were good friends, its just... recently it became more."
"As if," Kallias said, "I remember when I first saw you two at a party together. Lucie practically had his hands all over you, and you glared at anyone who dared to try and get his number."
Eris let out a loud 'hah'. And Tamlin's face couldn't have been hotter.
He couldn't deny the truth in their words though. Tamlin had always felt strangely possessive over Lucien, and Lucien had never held back from touching Tamlin like he owned him. That had just always been their relationship, they stuck so closely together one might think they were joined at the hip.
It was also Lucien who warned Tamlin against dating Rhysand. Tamlin hadn't listened, too charmed by Rhysand's flirtatious personality that he never saw how the man gaslighted and manipulated him. Nearly talking Tamlin out of thinking Rhysand had cheated on him.
Six months, that's how long it took for Tamlin to leave bed without sobbing every time he passed a place that reminded him of the bastard he once called his lover. A year it took for him to look at Lucien, the man who had stuck by him the entire time and finally realize what had been beside him all along.
And how he was teased for not realizing it sooner.
A message popped up on Tamlin's phone. Lucien. It read 'Outside, ready when you are.'
Tamlin quickly grabbed his bag and threw it over his shoulder, "Alright, I'm going now."
"Have fun with Lucie!" Viviane called out, the rest of his group laughed. Tamlin walked outside with Tarquin. The younger man knocked his shoulder against Tamlin as they headed out of Eris' house and out onto the street.
"You have to admit, it took you ten years to realize Lucien was right there, you're lucky he didn't get taken before you could have him.
"Yeah, I know, I don't deserve him." Tamlin hummed.
"No one does, its Lucien for the Gods sakes." Tarquin said, a wistful look appearing in his eyes, "You scored with him."
"Don't even think about him like that Tarquin." Tamlin snarled. Tarquin rolled his eyes, then turned towards his car parked on the curve.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Tam." He said as he unlocked and opened his car door, "You head off with your precious lover."
Tamlin rolled his eyes, but waved as Tarquin started his car and drove off.
What a prick. A what a bunch of pricks his friends were.
Well, they were his pricks so he couldn't really complain.
As Tamlin watched Tarquin drive off down the road. The sounds of another engine filled his ears, he turned to see Lucien heading down the road towards him. On that damned motorcycle.
Lucien stopped abruptly in front of him, sending dust flying in his wake. He swung his leg off the motorcycle as he pulled his helmet off.
Head to toe in leather, gloves covering his hands and red pouring out down his shoulders, Lucien stood before him. Tamlin felt his breath get caught in his throat as he watched Lucien's chest expand with his breathing, forcing that tight jacket to stretch around his ribs, accentuating every muscle he had.
"Hello beautiful." Lucien purred as he walked towards Tamlin and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Tamlin blushed so hard he felt dizzy. He bit his lip and pressed his forehead to Lucien's.
"You brought your motorcycle," Tamlin murmured, remembering one to many times Lucien had done terrifying tricks while Tamlin had watched, scared out of his mind.
"You love it." Lucien accused. Tamlin laughed.
"I like the leather." Tamlin whispered, tracing a circle over Lucien's sternum. Barely able to take his eyes off the gorgeous body before him.
"Everyone does." Lucien said as he pressed his lips to Tamlin's. Tamlin entertained his kiss for a second, before he pulled away with an eyebrow raised.
"Who is everyone?" Tamlin asked.
Lucien laughed and wrapped an arm around Tamlin's waist, holding him close, "Anyone that passes me."
Playfully, Tamlin shoved Lucien's shoulder, "You've got too big an ego for your own good."
"You say that like you don't."
"I deserve to be egotistical." Tamlin said.
"Whatever you say, my love." Lucien said, pulling him in for a proper kiss. Tamlin complied, pressing their bodies right up against each other.
After Tamlin finally remembered they were in fact, in public, he pulled away from Lucien and pulled out his helmet from his bag. Quickly strapping it on, he let Lucien get on the bike first before his slid in behind him.
Tamlin wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's middle. Tamlin wouldn't admit it aloud but being on the motorcycle tended to terrify him at times. Considering he had no clue how it worked, and Lucien often went faster than he should just to 'impress him'.
It was impressive, or it would be if Tamlin wasn't on the bike with him. At least Lucien always slowed down whenever Tamlin asked.
They took off. Speeding down the highway so fast everything in Tamlin's vision became a blur. He held tightly onto Lucien and laughed. Watching the blurry view beside them.
The wind whipped around him. A welcome coolness against the hot sun. They passed cars and sped through the city. Tamlin felt every part the girl on her bad boy boyfriend's bike from the Hollywood movies, and he loved it so much.
They eventually found the coastal road. Lucien slowed as they went through the scenic route. Passing the glorious sea spread out over miles and miles, glittering in what was now the sunset light. Oranges, red and purples danced on the horizon, a beautiful painting that adorned the sky.
Tamlin let out a content hum as he hugged his boyfriend a little tighter.
Eventually they slowed to a stop outside of their favorite restaurant. Tamlin furrowed his brow as Lucien shut off then engine. Taking off his helmet Tamlin asked, "What are we doing?"
"I'm taking you out to dinner of course." Lucien said, taking off his helmet, and pulling off his gloves. Tamlin nearly licked his lips as he watched those bronzed hands slowly be revealed.
Standing up, Tamlin placed his helmet on the bike, then turned to Lucien. He wrapped his arms around Lucien's neck, then stood up on the tips of his toes.
He pressed his lips to Lucien's. The Vanserra paused for amoment, seemingly surprised, but then he gripped Tamlin's waist and pulled him close. His tongue gently prying Tamlin's mouth open and slipping inside. Tamlin moaned and pulled him as close as he was physically allowed.
The sun set over their heads. A brilliant end to the day.
In Lucien's arms. Covered in that skintight leather. Kissing him senseless. Tamlin didn't think he could ever be happier.
I may add more to this at a later date, just because I really like it. Thanks for the prompt! I loved writing this!
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fleckcmscott · 6 months
Text
Silver Dollar
Summary: An outage in Gotham provides the perfect opportunity for a special night.
Words: 4,629
Warnings: Smut
A/N: This story was prompted by a request from @iartsometimes! 💜 It's probably a little tamer than intended. 🤭 Thank you for the request! Also, much appreciation to @sweet-nothings04 for low-lighting visibility tips. 😂 🌃
If you have any thoughts or questions, please comment, feel free to message me, or send me an ask. Requests for Arthur and WWH are open!
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The graffiti plastered bathroom plunged into darkness.
Arthur stiffened where he stood, blinked into the blackness. His vision did not become clearer. Grumbling, he tucked himself into his pants and stepped back from the urinal. The handle took two tugs to flush. He fumbled for the sink, gave his palms a rinse shorter than the Gotham Department of Health recommended. Paper pharmacy bag in hand, he opened the exit's steel door and headed northwest. He raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glaring, August sun.
Gotham had gone crazy in record time.
People spilled out of luncheonettes, crowds crammed shop doorways. Traffic lights refused to light and pedestrian signals refused to signal. Horns blared in the building pandemonium. A passenger yelled out of a taxicab and flipped the bird, while the driver pounded the steering wheel. Chaos repeated block after block. The Stutton Cowboy on the center billboard ("Price is good. Flavor is everything.") no longer waved. His cigarette hand hovered over his mouth in shock.
Arthur was prepared. Whether due to bad writing or an unpaid bill, he'd spent his share of evenings smoking in the dark. This was something he was good at, an event he could take the lead in.
Bumping a fleeing college kid who had a bottle of vodka hidden under his arm, Arthur shouldered his way into the nearest grocery. Squeezed by a couple of oh lords, maneuvered through murmurs and gripes, and ran through a mental inventory of the drawers in 4A. The day dimmed as he neared the rear aisles. When he arrived at the Home Needs section, he crouched between an abandoned cart and a baby stroller.
He squinted at the battery rack. AAs for the radio, Ds for the flashlight. Maybe some candles, just in case...
An ever-expanding line of shoppers accelerated the beads of sweat on the young cashier's forehead. Handwritten receipts and totals by calculator took twice as long. Arthur sidled to the next line, overseen by a matronly woman wearing a paisley wrap dress who did all the math in her head.
"I'm gonna need a drink after today," she said as he approached the counter.
It took a moment for him to realize she was looking for a kindred spirit. A rapid blink, a subtle nod. "Yeah. Me, too." He eyed a row of bottles on the shelf behind her. That'd make his reply believable.
She followed his stare, stretched to grab a green bottle with an art nouveau label, and put it on the counter.
Vermouth. He wasn't familiar with that word. It sounded exotic, like a fine imported thing. It was a screw top instead of a cork, which he tended to frown on. Uncorking a bottle together was romantic, whereas this was akin to opening a liter of seltzer. He was about to decline it when the price tag froze him. At $14.99, it was more expensive than any wine he'd ever had.
Maybe it really was a fine, imported thing.
"Is it good?" he asked. He picked it up, studied the back as if a connoisseur.
"One of our best sellers."
He gave the matron a one shoulder shrug, half-commitment about to go full. "I'll take it."
~~~~~
Y/N strode the hallowed halls of Gotham City District Court. On the corner of Badger Boulevard and Olsen, the granite behemoth belied the civil servants who were paid far too little to deal with far too much.
Adjusting the bag on her shoulder, she ambled down the checkerboard floor towards the clerk's window. Rita, her favorite, was working today. Rita returned every call, always helped with a combination of sarcasm and cheer.
"And what did you bring me today? she asked when Y/N plopped her canvas bag on the counter. Rita stopped watering her shaggy spider plant and walked to the window.
"A motion to continue the Caruso case and a dozen new filings. You can send the invoice for the filing fees to my office." Y/N split the stack of folders into three slim piles and pushed them through the gap under the glass. "How did your bowling league do last night?"
"We're one game away from regionals! I'm trying to convince my husband to-"
A loud pop echoed down the corridor, bounced along the linoleum, ricocheted off horsehair plaster. The air conditioner's hum devolved to a grinding whir. Bright fluorescents gave way to dingey emergency beams, crisscrossing through dusty, recycled air.
Hand on hip, Y/N looked up. "Did you misplace the electric bill?"
"Great. Judge Harkness is in the middle of a jury trial on the fourth floor. He hates taking the stairs." The clerk covered her face, glanced at Y/N's folders through parted fingers. "I'm not sure when I'll get these processed."
"That's all right. I just wanted them off my desk. I haven't seen the surface in six months." She retrieved a business card from her purse, pushed it to join the files, a gesture repeated every visit to Rita, a reminder to reach out. "Don't forget to update me on your tournament. And don't let His Honor forget who actually runs this place."
When she arrived at Dube & Ellis after a fifty-two-minute walk - all subways stations were cordoned off - she was sweltering. Polyester didn't breathe and it comprised seventy-two percent of her wardrobe. That Terry had done exactly the wrong thing by drawing back the vertical blinds on each and every window was typical. "There's not enough light in here! The whole city's out!"
She unbuttoned her collar and dropped in her chair. Normally her Sanyo desk fan would rattle and grate. Now she'd give her whole paycheck for a hint of its cool breeze.
Power outages had been a feature of many seasons in Missouri. Tornado season and sticky season, window season and squirrel on the transformer season. One night a drunk driver had slammed his Studebaker into a utility pole three houses down. It'd crushed Mr. Walter's front porch and left the road without electricity for two days.
Her mother had instructed them not to open the refrigerator unless they knew what they wanted. Shut the doors to the hottest rooms and placed rolled towels at the bottom to keep air from seeping in. Though she'd loved how the sun filtered through her lace curtains, she'd kept the drapes shut. They'd lit candles at night. She'd done needlepoint in her favorite chair and watched her husband play cards with their daughters until bed. A real family affair.
Daubing beads from his brow with a handkerchief, Phil stood in the center of the room. His expression said keeping them there any longer would be an OSHA violation. He wasn't wrong. The office had become the least relaxing sauna on the east coast.
"You've all put in a lot of work today." He spoke in the voice of a grandfather and daubed again. "I know it wasn't easy. I guess there's no sense in us staying any longer. If the power's not back tomorrow-" A gulp here, as if he couldn't believe what he was about to say. "Enjoy a long weekend. My wife'll be glad to have me home. I think."
Y/N stole a glance at her watch: 4:42 PM. A whole eighteen minutes early. Though it wasn't a lot, she got how hard it was for a workaholic like Phil to give them five. Offering a soft smile, she went to him and stuck out her hand. The corner of his mouth twisted wryly before he accepted.
She gave his arm a collegial pat. "We're as caught up as we can be, so feel free to stop sweating."
~~~~~
The next morning's breakfast: cornflakes and blueberries. Y/N gave the milk a good sniff before pouring. With the microwave, toaster, and stove out of commission, oatmeal, toast, and eggs were off the menu. (Not that Arthur complained about the latter.)
They'd discussed how to use what was left in the fridge and freezer before it all went bad, but salads wouldn't work for every meal, and they were only two people. The Caswells across the hall, the neighbors who'd gotten their mail while they were in Missouri, had a grill. Y/N gave them a package of ground beef and a bag of frozen vegetables.
Arthur let his spoon clatter in the kitchen sink and rinsed his bowl. (It was a good and joyful thing that the water - and therefore the toilet - still worked.) "You know, I should go the children's clinic."
"Do you have a gig?" She sipped her orange juice.
"No. But it's boring hanging around all day without the TV. They hire me a lot. I'll go for free."
She rose, rubbed the small of his back. "That's so sweet, Arthur. And very kind."
"You could come with me." He paused, pressed his lips together. She'd seen him on street corners but hadn't witnessed the entirety of his performance. Even with her unending support, he suspected an all-out clown show would be the one place she'd feel out of place. He dared a glance her way.
And found a wide-eyed expression of approval. She cupped his hips, planted a wet kiss to his cheek. "You couldn't keep me away."
In the cab downtown, excitement bloomed in him, unfurling in a great wave of nervous joy. Knuckles intertwined, he hugged the prop bag on his lap, thighs jiggling. "Do you think they'll mind me just showing up?"
"No." She shook her head, placed a soothing palm on his knee. "They'll be happy to get a break in the monotony. It's a medical facility, they'll have generators, but the staff are going home to no power. They could use a laugh. The kids definitely could, too."
The Philomena Children's Clinic was squat for Gotham. Five stories of alternating beige concrete and polycarbonate windows, shaped into a squared-off U. Moss hung from the side of the porte-cochere, green clumps littered the pavement. Cartoon animals played on the entrance doors, giraffes and bears in happy acrylics.
When he checked in unannounced, Gertel the receptionist had a snotty face, but he'd learned not to take it personally. She liked order, worked eight to eight, even on holidays, and her only hobbies were the anagram puzzles in the newspaper and Harlequin romances. She was a tough egg to crack. The most he'd gotten was a pinched smile, a thin line of conceit.
Once he'd procured visitor badges for Y/N and himself, he went to the staff room to change. White base, blue triangles at the eyes, exaggerated red grin, bald wig with green curls, patched brown pants. He'd skipped his checkered suit jacket for a white lab coat, a long ago find from the secondhand store.
Rather than congregating in the common area, the kids remained in their rooms. The change put a limitation on his usual song and dance. Without those trappings, he wasn't quite sure what to do. He hesitated in the doorway of 201, thumbed a flat balloon in his pocket. When the little girl watching Sesame Street gave a small wave, he wiggled the worry from his shoulders and stepped forward.
Stephanie showed him a picture she'd drawn, all crayon streaks and misshapen house. In turn he crafted a balloon hat, put it on her head and told her to get well soon. A youngster next door, no more than five, told Arthur all about Misty, his golden retriever, and how much he missed her.
When Kevin, swallowed by an oversized robe, IV drip drip dripping, started to cry, Arthur's chest hollowed out. The boy hadn't seen his mom in two days. Being alone in a hospital was hard, a fact Arthur had lived. He plucked a prop handkerchief from his breast pocket, pressed it into the boy's tiny hands, pushed the corner of his mouth up with his thumb. "You'll see her soon," he said, words carrying a conviction he hoped was right.
Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted Y/N chatting with an RN at the nurse's station. He went into the corridor to eavesdrop, knelt beside a girl in a wheelchair smothered with pink and purple stickers, Heather plastered across the side panel.
"It was nice of him to come," Linda said. "A lot of their parents can't afford the cab fare to get out here, with the subway out and all. And if they're not working, they aren't getting paid. He's always excellent with the children - sometimes he's just like them. Do you have any at home?"
Heather leaned in, prodded his shoulder. "Who's that lady?" she asked, pointing at Y/N.
"That lady?" He grinned from ear to ear. "That's Mrs. Carnival."
The girl gaped in astonishment. "She's not a clown?"
~~~~~
Stolen sheets hung from the railing at both ends of the fire escape. A forest green acrylic blanket obscured the front. A floral comforter, retrieved on tiptoe from the bedroom closet, covered the wrought iron platform. Two wine glasses and vermouth stood on the steps. All that was left was to tune the radio to easy listening, which Arthur did, treading lightly to avoid a stubbed toe.
Nodding, he smiled at his handwork. Well, at the blurred shapes he could detect in the dimness. He looked skyward. With the sun below the horizon and the usual light pollution gone, the night was sparkling.
Candlestick in hand, he eased the bedroom door ajar and sidled through. Gold flickered through the dark, a softening glow. Y/N was an unmoving lump on the mattress. Leg dangling out from the sheet, her half-slip a line on her thigh. Though sleep now came easier, her ability to nap stoked an ember of envy. Midday snoozes happened only after a bit of afternoon delight. She'd tired early, around quarter past six. If he let her doze any longer, she'd be locked in a daze brewing coffee at 2:00 AM.
Hot wax stung the web between his thumb and forefinger. He hissed, shook his hand, shoved the candle on the nightstand. The edge of the mattress sunk under his weight. He grasped the cotton sheet. Dragged it from her shoulder. Revealed the lace trim of her ivory chemise. A brief mumble fell from her mouth, a wet sucking sound. Her fingers curled into the pillow. He pulled the sheet down further. It puddled to the floor.
Stretching one arm, she rolled back to wince at the candle, then at him. "What time is it?"
"Nine-thirty."
That jolted her awake. "I slept too long."
"Mabel called earlier."
"What did she want?"
"She said the blackouts were on the news. I let her know we're all right."
A tender caress to her calf, which felt like silk in his palm. Images of the romantic evening he was about to have with his wife played in his head, a loop that made his stomach all aflutter.
Y/N boosted herself on her elbows. "You have that look."
"What look?"
"The look that means you're up to something," she said, brow arched to her hairline.
Part chuckle, part scoff, he laughed. She read him too well. While it made surprises harder to hide, it pleased more than it annoyed. He stood, offered his hand. "Come here," he said. She accepted, pausing long enough to blow out the flame. He led her to the fire escape and sat on the comforter.
Halfway behind the glass door, she clutched her arms over her chest. "Arthur, I can't go out like this."
"No one'll see you." He gestured at the impromptu walls. Besides, he was six feet away and her form was barely more than a shadow. "And without all the lights, you might be able to see the stars. The way you did back home. Like you told me in the park."
A beam bloomed across her face, what he imagined might be a faint blush. Bent at the waist, she slipped into the half moon's light. One hand on the doorknob, a lifeline in case she reconsidered. Her fingertips relented one by one. First the pinky, last the middle. She settled to his left, knee pulled to her chest, the other leg folded under.
Arthur shuffled closer so they were hip to hip, reached behind her for the wine glasses and bottle with the art nouveau label.
Y/N snagged it from him, squinted at it. "Vermouth?" She held the bottle while he twisted the cap. "My mother used to drink this before bed in the summer. And she rubbed it on Mabel's gums when she was teething. Whiskey, too."
When he brought the goblet of garnet colored liquid to his lips, his nose wrinkled. The liquor smelled like an overgrown garden. He dared a small sip, anyway - and bitterness coated his tongue. He winced, sputtering. "This taste weird. This was supposed to be wine."
"It is, just a different type." She drank long and deep then drank again. "This one's not bad. Strong on the cloves but it'll get the job done."
A news bulletin interrupted the animated notes of Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass. "In what authorities are calling a historic event, Gotham's five boroughs remain dark tonight - including McKean Island. We're assured safety measures are in place and the maximum-security wing remains in lockdown. Though the extent of the damage is unknown, we're happy to report that crews from Pennsylvania and New York are on their way to our fair city to lend a hand. Police Chief Miles O'Hara and Mayor Thomas Wayne are urging calm and-"
"That's enough of that." Y/N flipped the off switch. "You know the best part of all this? Wayne Tower is just as dark as everywhere else."
Unable to stop a chuckle, Arthur shook his head. She wasn't one for holding grudges, but the ones she did carry lived in the lines of her palms, plain enough for any flimflam psychic to read.
But he didn't want her to talk about that, not now. And he knew of a guaranteed method to distract her, to bring her back to where he wanted. He refilled her drink and clinked their glasses.
Second helping swallowed, she inched her bottom forward to lay on her back, arm tucked beneath her head. "It was wonderful to see you work today. Thank you for inviting me. I'm sorry it took so long."
"Well, you come to my standup shows." Only a month ago, she'd recorded his performance and given him tips over Thai. He stretched out next to her, set his still full glass on the steps. "The girl in the wheelchair asked who you were. She was surprised Mrs. Carnival isn't a clown."
"As surprised as everybody was that I married one?"
A hitched laugh. He fiddled with his trousers' belt loops. "I guess."
"There's a magic wand." She pointed at the skies. "By the moon, to the right."
Arthur hummed a contented hum, let his eyelids flutter shut. The street was peaceful, as still as he'd ever heard it. With most shops and restaurants shut down, the list of leisure options fit on a postage stamp. It was a moment to capture, preserve, like swirls in a vase.
A breeze rustled the sheets, blew across them, carried Y/N's natural scent straight to his nostrils. Warm and spicy, like roasted vanilla edged with musk. He breathed deeply, needing to fill his lungs with her anew. Sighing happily, he turned to her.
Silver gleams turned her skin to gossamer, dusk smudged her features. Feathered brown locks merged with the vines on the bedspread's pattern. Her breast threatened to fall out of the armhole of her lingerie.
Christ. They were outside. He hadn't planned on getting aroused. But the longer he looked at her, the harder he got.
Y/N sipped, balanced her stemware on her sternum. "Thank you for tonight, too. You're always so thoughtful." A simple sentiment but exactly what he longed to hear. An affirmation, a pledge to love him further.
But before he could respond in kind, the glass between her breasts began to tip...
He caught it, a splash hitting his wrist, crimson droplets landing on her collarbone. He set it on the step, bent to seize her lips. An unpleasant earthiness covered them. He licked it away, coaxed back her sweetness.
Gigging, she broke away. "Was this your plan? To get me out here and ply me with drink?" The hand on his shoulder dragged to his cheek. The breathy voice she adopted shot straight down his spine. "To take advantage of me?"
It wasn't but he didn't have to tell her that. He nudged closer, his erection grazing her thigh. "Maybe."
A slow smile of pleasure. "I like that plan."
Her palms snuck under his t-shirt, forced it upwards as she explored his body. Nails swirled at his abdomen. It grew taut, stuttered at the sensations, her tickles and temptations. When she reached his pecs she gave a firm pinch. At his displeased grunt, a wicked laugh left her, bawdy and amorous. A clear sign of what they were up to.
His thumb followed her chemise's ribbon strap. His hand fell to her side, skimmed her rounded hip, the delectable curve of her leg. Her half-slip had a daring slit. He slid through, drew lazy circles on her inner thigh.
She shivered. "You're not making it easy to be quiet."
Fingertips traced her panties' elastic leg. Heat emanated from her core, luring him nearer and nearer. Her swallowed whimper rushed him there. Slick and wet, the nylon gusset clung to her vulva.
He'd grown deft at touching her, even in the dark. He trailed a careful stripe along her labia. Inner lips were a prominent line through the fabric, her clitoral hood a plump ridge. Light and rapid he flicked his nail across it. Her pelvis snapped up, held. Millimeter ruts chasing his scrapes, fingers digging his back.
A shudder racked him. His forehead pressed to hers. "If we had more room, I'd taste you." She pressed her lips together, a squeal trapped behind them.
The same breeze that'd carried her scent could very well carry her hungry little whines around the block. So he captured her mouth with his. It started off tender and shallow but was soon all encompassing. She raked through his hair, tugged and tugged again. His tongue sought hers, caressed, collided. Teeth bumped with a muted click.
Sharp gasps. Her neck, her breasts, her entire being arching into him. Desperate push-pulls. He pressed on, strokes licks of fire on her clit. Mewling built in the back of her throat. He heard it in her shallow pants, felt it in how she gripped his bicep. Her thighs trembled, vulva throbbing in his hand.
"Ah!" She squeaked, a strangled, undignified sound.
Snorting, he shoved her sweaty face into the crook of his neck, caught the cries she couldn't stop. (Long ago, she'd offered to visit his apartment on her lunch break - with the explicit promise she could be quiet. He hadn't taken her up on it. Phew!) Her grip on his shirt tightened. One leg went straight, the other knee brushed his cock. Stillness punctuated by tremors. He kissed her temple, slowed his caress to a languid pace.
Legs akimbo, she blinked at him. Signaled silence with a finger to her lips. She balanced on her knees, shed her panties, patted the spot where she'd lain. He scooted over immediately. When he tried to sit, she pushed him to lie on his back. Moving to straddle him, she unbuttoned and unzipped his fly. He made no move to stop her.
Y/N braced herself on his chest, reached between them to press him to her entrance. She began to ease herself onto him, ease him inside her. But he told her to stop.
A strap fell down her upper arm, loosened her camisole to accentuate her cleavage and reveal a breast. Her nipple poked out, its dusky brown a tantalizing contrast to her white skin. Moonlight sculpted the apple of her cheek in whirls of silver. The stars shone about her head, caught in her tresses like sequins on an evening gown.
A pleasant fuzziness swept through him. Nearly three years and he was still drawn to her like a magnet. He'd bet his life that'd be the same case in twenty.
She cocked her head. "What is it?"
He brushed her hair behind her shoulder. Lowered the other strap. "Perfect," he said, smiling as his heart swelled. "You look perfect."
Teeth pressed her lower lip in a shy smile. When she bent to kiss him, her nipples dragged up his chest, prickled his flesh. She shifted the angle of her pelvis forward, the angle that rubbed her clit on his public bone. The one that left his black curls a matted, wet mess.
A sensuous thrust, her hips rolled in a seductive circle. "I want you to come," she whispered, and licked his bottom lip.
One foot braced on the grate beneath him, which bit even through the comforter. He bucked into her, into that heady stretch of her slippery heat. As if testing their connection, she raised up until he nearly flopped out, until only the glans remained. Then her walls encompassed him once more. Clutching, grasping. A steady rhythm. Relentless motion that bewitched and bewildered.
He cleared his throat to keep from crying out, channeled the urge to groan into grabbing the baluster behind his head. Her pinky brushed the strong sinew of his neck, her tongue followed his collarbone. Tightness in his loins spread to his abdomen, crawled through his limbs.
A burst of light, white and pulsing, formed behind his eyelids. Fire rippled through his veins, a scarlet flush of satisfaction. He bit the inside of his cheek, permitted one weak whimper to escape. She held herself in place while he finished, in the way she knew he liked. Stroked the tension from his dimples until they melted into a smile.
Slack and sated, his arm dropped to the ground. He puffed out his chest and cheeks and huffed. On a swift peck, she began to push herself up.
Just then, the Caswells' glass door creaked. Sluggish steps, like a hiker stuck in the mud. Y/N ducked on top of Arthur, held her breath. A hurdy gurdy voice called from inside. "...should have added it to the list last week. Where are you going? Louie L'Amour's about to start on GPR!" The rattle of a far-off rotary phone. "Oh, I bet that's your mother. She's called every hour!"
"I never said you have to answer it!" A resigned sigh, the click of a lighter. Arthur could almost hear the man deflate.
"The heat must be getting to them," Y/N said. "I think he'll be out here awhile."
Arthur murmured into her hair. "If you weren't so sweet, we wouldn't be in this jam." A playful swat to her bottom.
Laughter tickled his neck. She lifted herself a couple inches, pulled up the straps of her camisole. Careful to remain discreet, she grabbed her panties, clambered off him, and duck walked towards the living room. One foot beyond the threshold and she scampered out of sight.
He zipped his trousers, straightened his shirt, stretched as he stood, stuck a hand in his pocket to appear nonchalant. He grabbed the radio and headed inside. The rest he'd retrieve ten minutes later, when the neighbor would be forced to answer to his mother.
As he entered, Y/N emerged from the bathroom. His feet stumbled to a stop, his brain blanked. She'd shed her clothing and now stood nude before him. His stomach again went all aflutter.
"Let's repeat all that as soon as we can.” She curled her fingers around his wrist, not giving him a moment to resist. “By candlelight. In our bed."
~~~~~
Tag list (Let me know if you want to be added!): @harmonioussolve​​​​​ @ithinkimaperson​​​​​ @sweet-nothings04​​​​​ @stephieraptorr​​​​ @rommies​​​​​ @fallenstarsabyss @gruffle1​​​​​ @another-day-in-chuckletown​ @hhandley80​​​​​ @jokerownsmysoul​​​​​ @rafaelbottom @ralugraphics​​​​​ @iartsometimes​​​​​ @fleckficgirl
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snowangeldotmp3 · 1 year
Text
'solitude'
(hi! this is a prompt fill that i'm doing, and i decided to do all three prompts that @fishwear sent, so!! thank u for the prompts btw!)
prompt list here
1. slow dancing x ronance
“How many records do you own, Robin?” Nancy asks, sifting through the crate.
Robin scratches the back of her neck. “Probably too many. I stand by the fact that records are the superior music format.”
Nancy snorts, rolling her eyes. Robin grins.
They’re silent a moment, going through Robin’s collection, before her eyes fall onto a certain record.
She pulls it from the box and looks at Robin skeptically. “Billie Holiday?”
Sitting next to her like this, Nancy can see the pink that blooms through Robin’s cheeks.
It’s pretty.
(She’s pretty. Nancy likes making Robin blush.
You see, Nancy came to the realization not too long ago that she does, in fact, like girls. And, though she’ll never admit it, Robin is the one who made her realize this, even though she’s pretty sure she’s had crushes on girls before Robin.
Oh yeah, and Nancy’s got a big fat crush on Robin.
No big deal.
Except Nancy’s been trying to make a move for weeks. Dropping hints that she knows Robin should’ve picked up. The only conclusion Nancy’s come to is this:
Robin will not make the first move.
So you know, that’s an extra dash of torture to the whole situation.)
“Yeah,” Robin sighs, running a hand through her hair, “one of the best jazz singers like, ever. Seriously. Her music just has so much emotion, like, infused into it.”
Robin’s getting excited, the way she does whenever she talks about, well, anything that she has an interest in. That sparkle in her eye and the curve of her lips and the way she talks with her hands; Nancy can tell she was fully prepared to be ridiculed for it.
“Well,” Nancy says, handing her the record, “put it on. I wanna listen to it.”
“Wait, really?”
Nancy nods, smiling. Robin slips the record out, onto the turntable, and gently drops the needle.
The speakers crackle to life, a soft piano melody bleeding through, the crooning voice of Billie Holiday flooding the surrounding room.
It’s nice.
Nancy has to admit, it’s a really good record, but there’s something… missing about it. They’re both too rigid. Robin’s too nervous that Nancy will make fun of her, which she won’t, but even Nancy feels Robin’s nerves radiating off of her.
(Which… is a little unlike Robin. Usually she’s all snark with infuriating, sly smiles and inside jokes. Nancy’s only seen Robin nervous once, when she thought there was a possibility of rabies from the demo-bats.)
She’s up on her feet, and it’s out of her mouth before it registers. “Sway with me?”
Robin stops. Leg no longer bouncing, cheeks reddening, and wide eyes staring back at Nancy. “Uh… what?”
Nancy’s brain finally catches up with the rest of her. She can feel the heat spreading on her face, blush now matching Robin’s, no doubt. Her mind begins listing every possible reason to back out, to step away from this and pretend like it never happened. To not get too close to her.
Screw that.
Ignoring her brain’s warnings, Nancy holds out her hand. “You heard me. Come on, it’ll be fun.”
“I can’t dance,” Robin protests.
“I’ll teach you. It’s easier than it looks, promise.” Nancy smiles, wiggling her fingers, trying to persuade Robin.
Robin sighs dramatically, letting her head hang. “Fine, but let me put on a different one.”
“You have multiple Billie Holiday records?”
Robin shrugs, “I like jazz.”
Because of course she does.
Nancy grabs Robin’s hand, intertwining their fingers, and pulls her close as the opening bars of ‘Solitude’ fill the room.
Robin’s cheeks burn a deeper shade of red, and this close, Nancy can count her freckles, creating mini-constellations out of them.
Robin sways rigidly, no rhythm and almost robotic motions, and Nancy knows it’s because she’s doing everything she can to not make Nancy uncomfortable.
Nancy pulls her impossibly closer, bodies flush against one another. “Is this okay?”
Robin jerks a nod.
Nancy leans her head against Robin’s chest. “Still okay?”
“Yeah,” Robin breathes, like she’d forgotten to breathe until Nancy asked. Nancy finds the rhythm again, swaying comfortably, listening to the jack rabbiting of Robin’s heart.
(Nancy silently thanks whatever higher power out there that Robin can’t hear her own heart hammering against her rib cage.)
After another song or two, Robin relaxes a bit, finding the rhythm and swaying along, no longer stiff and robotic. Nancy closes her eyes, the swaying almost hypnotic, lulling her into a strange sense of calm that she’s not felt in… well, she’s not sure if she’s ever felt like this.
Nancy doesn’t know the song, but Robin hums along freely now. She can feel the vibrations against Robin's chest, her heart still a bit fast, but not as erratic as it was two songs ago.
It’s odd, she notices, just how well they fit together.
(Nancy doesn’t believe in soulmates, and she knows Robin doesn’t either, but she finds it a little funny that they fit so well together. Like they were made for each other, and perhaps they were. Perhaps they weren’t, but Nancy wants to make it work. Wants to try, at least.)
She pulls away a moment, just to look at Robin.
Robin’s head tilts, and for a moment, it reminds Nancy of a confused puppy. It’s adorable, and a look she’s never really seen on Robin, either.
Her tongue darts out to wet her lips, like she wants to say something. Nancy stares at her lips before meeting Robin’s gaze. Robin swallows thickly. Whatever she had to say disappears, and it's back to Billie Holiday filling the silence between them.
And then,
The music stops.
Nancy reaches up to Robin’s face, tucking a strand of her hair behind her pierced ear, before cradling her jaw. Robin’s eyes search Nancy’s, flickering down to her lips, and back up again.
“Robin,” she murmurs, “can I kiss you?”
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pocketramblr · 8 months
Note
For the ask game: what about an au where Bakugou is the quirkless one, and Izuku has the perfect combo of his parents quirk?
1- Izuku can breathe green fire, and can telekinetically manipulate the flames, though this doesn't work on fires he didn't create. People say he could be the next Endeavor, and Izuku says he'd rather be All Might, who is an even better hero and makes people feel safe, not scared. "Well, fire is a scary quirk, but I'm sure you'll be just like All Might if you want to be, Izuchan!" (Izuku never could quite put his finger on why that annoyed him, though he was much better at recognizing the unfairness and assumptions others faced.)
2- Bakugou is quirkless. He also knows how to play the game. (Remember his "don't smoke I don't want it on my record but illegal quirk use that never gets punished is fine, also I'm only at this sucky school because it'll make a better origin story for main character me" moment?) So he works very, very hard to be the top of the class academically, does not waste words on those who don't deserve them (yeah he's going to be a hero. No he doesn't need to prove that to his middle school science teacher.), and rather extensively knows his rights and how to sick his mother on the school when needed. (Mitsuki is the most hated parent at Aldera primary.) Eventually, he agrees he needs a better middle school he isn't fighting to get the bare minimum at, and leaves then.
3- Izuku gets very frustrated very quickly when at the beginning of middle school, his friends expect him to start talking bad about Bakugou too, and are even more annoyed when he tells them to knock it off. Just because he's a shoe-in for a hero school doesn't mean he has to be so self righteous all the time! Izuku ends up largely being alone in middle school, and figures it's better that way, focusing on training and studying.
4- Bakugou ends up using his parents connections to figure out some support tech as he prepares for UA. Mitsuki tells him not to get his hopes too high this time, because she can't promise being a nightmare parent will work to actually get him fair treatment, UA is a different beast than Aldera Primary. He gets mad because he didn't ask her to pull that card this time and can get in himself, she gets mad at him because he's too smart to stop thinking of backup plans now, it's a whole screaming match thing that ultimately changes nothing about either's expectations.
5- Masaru's opinion on it is that it seems there's an actual chance for Katsuki to make friends at this new school who could encourage him- that Ashido girl sounds nice- and that would both help him maybe get in, but also get him a support network if he doesn't. No one listens to Masaru except his old classmate Inko, who nods on the phone and says she gets it, she really wished Izuku would have more friends over too, because sure he's been trying hard but UA is so selective
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madameaug · 7 months
Text
Happy Weight || JJK x OC
Pairing: Jungkook x Jennette
WC: 577
Context: Jennette and Jungkook have been together for over two years. Naturally, when you are around someone you are comfortable with, it's expected to gain some weight. Happy, relationship weight.
-----
Jennette turned her body to examine her behind, not in a boastful ego-stroking manner, but in one of confliction. As a black woman, she naturally had curves. The beauty standard within the black community praised voluptuous curves. The Coke bottle shape with minimal weight was recorded on the scale.
It was the same curves she genetically had. Nothing that caught unnecessary glimpses. Depending on the bottoms she wore, she could hide her figure. Even in her baggy sweatpants, her behind protruded further from her back. The same deposit of fat was now in her midsection. She rubbed her stomach, gently lifting her stomach. Peach-colored stretch marks across her pelvis creeping up her love handles. Mini rolls stacked upon each other. Lowering her shirt back down, she looked at herself in the mirror. Looking at her new body.
She could track down the moment she started the noticeable weight gain. Three weeks later, she moved into Jungkook's place. The next big step in their relationship. The once-in-a-while food rendezvous turned into a daily ritual. Jungkook's Korean dishes and Jennette's soul food knowledge. Their meals often were less than healthy but packed plenty of flavor. Savory smells linger in the kitchen every night. And every night, they ate better than the last.
A familiar scent of kimchi led Jennette to the kitchen. Jungkook rhythmically shook his hips as he prepped another side dish. He was humming an R&B classic 'Bust the Windows' by Jazmine Sullivan.
Jennette playfully grabbed a handful of Jungkook's surprisingly heavy ass cheek.
"Damn baby, you got a wagon." Jennette deepened her voice, imitating a thirsty man.
"I'm getting thick. Three C's." Jungkook laughed, continuing his cooking. "Just like you."
A brief frown coated Jennette's lips. Was her weight gain that apparent?
Jungkook served kimchi and beef skewers on the plate. Steaming waving above the meal. Jungkook blessed the food before taking a bit into her hard work. He moaned in satisfaction at the taste. For a brief moment, he paused, eating to look at Jennette.
She pushed the kimchi around her plate.
"Is it not up to your liking?"
"It's good." Is what Jennette said, but not what she wanted to say.
"Eat up then."
As told, Jennette took a few bites, but truthfully her appetite wasn't present anymore. Dinner was awfully silent. That was until Jennette spoke her question.
"Jungkook, have I gotten fat?"
Any good boyfriend would know that this was a dangerous question to be asked. A question that could very easily instill insecurity within one's partner. Unsure of how to answer, Jungkook went with his gut.
"No."
"Really? You don't notice the extra weight I've put on?"
"We've both gotten chunky. But it's just happy weight."
"Happy weight?"
"Yeah, happy weight." Jungkook shrugged carelessly.
"So you don't care about the ten pounds you've gained?" Jennette genuinely asked. She couldn't be surprised though. Jungkook's profession prepared huskier men who had muscle definition.
"I'm not losing sleep over it. Are you?"
"A little."
"We can work together if that's what you want. You know I've always wanted to bring you to my gym."
"Thanks, bug. I'll think about it."
The rest of the night continued in a light-hearted fashion. Jungkook lay in bed with Jennette pressed alongside him. He stroked Jennette's thigh.
"Don't lose all this 'happy weight' and then be unhappy with me."
Jennette laughed, reassuring Jungkook.
"I'll keep some of the weight and all the happiness. How about that?"
"Sounds perfect."
-----------------
A/N: Jungkook and that shirtless gym picture....
He makes it harder not to be delusional.
Likeeeeeeeee omggggg
He's so fine, my God!
ruff ruff woof bark bark
A/N: I also think happy weight is so cute
Whether couples are gaining weight together or losing weight its adorable to me :)
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furbygoblinxiv · 8 months
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So I made a quick oneshot (and accompanying sketch) to get back into the swing of Writing Things, which I've called The Quest For Monster Energy. Featuring three peak lords (tired doctor Mu Qingfang, eccentric brew master Zhang Qingyan, and definitely-not-suspicious logistician Shang Qinghua) coming together to make an energy drink concoction akin to Monster Energy in order to stay awake and complete their tasks.
(I definitely lifted the brewing peak lord name and the beast keeping peak name from this @/tossawary post: https://tossawary.tumblr.com/post/649140398750580736/im-sorry-this-feels-real-weird-but-i-love because Convenience and they've said it's fine before)
Nothing with shipping, nothing explicit or mature, just 4k words of "what if a Victorian child got a hold of monster energy" vibes:
Mu Qingfang had a quest, and once a month, there was a meeting to try to fulfill it.
Shang Qinghua, punctual as ever, was the first to arrive at Mu Qingfang's leisure house right at dusk. With as much time as he spent in the clinic or his personal lab, it was the least used – and thus least cluttered – of the small group's houses. The disciples who cleaned it twice a day were there more than he was, some weeks.
"Shang-shixiong, it is a pleasure as always," Mu Qingfang greeted as the other man sat down and began to unload various small pouches onto the table, next to where Mu Qingfang had already set an assortment of jars. One package had blood splatter on it, which Mu Qingfang ignored. "Has that pain reliever this one sent over worked well for you?"
Shang Qinghua flexed his wrist as he set the last package down, showing off his mobility. "Worked like a charm! No more stiffness or carpal tunnel here!" He grinned, which in the dim lighting, gave an almost menacing appearance when paired with his eye bags and mustache. "How late do you wanna bet Zhang-shimei gets here?"
Zhang Qingyan, lord of the Zui Xian peak of brewing and alchemists, had an unfortunate tendency to lose track of time. She wasn't often intentionally late (ignoring occasions where she was being petty, at least), Mu Qingfang just knew first hand that her laboratory had many small timers yet no overall time keeper. She once claimed that it was just a distraction, whatever that meant.
"I suppose it depends on if she had another chemical explosion," Mu Qingfang responded. "And if she decides to stick around afterwards and clean it, or if she just delegated it onto-"
"HELLOOOO!" Came a cry as the door slammed open, cutting the doctor off.
Zhang Qingyan, one for less propriety than even Shang Qinghua at times, made her grand appearance as if the entire front half of her body was not covered in soot and her hair was not burnt at the ends. Mu Qingfang was only a little shocked she wasn't fully covered, and also wasn't showing up even later. He’d almost call this early for her.
"Sorry I'm a bit late, there was an explosion in the lab again and I had to assign disciples to sort out the mess before I could arrive," she explained as she dropped into her spot at the table and began removing bottles from her bag. "It was necessary to work until the last moment to ensure I was fully prepared for this meeting." With a grin, she removed the last, and largest bottle from her bag. It had a glowing orange liquid in it.
"How are your disciples?" Mu Qingfang inquired politely, though he couldn't tear his eyes away from the strange glow of the bottles that she was sorting on the table.
"The same as always, I suppose! The younger ones have broken a record this year on glass vial breaks, and I caught one of my inner disciples in the middle of a challenge to lick acid yesterday, so they're coming along nicely." She had an eccentric yet caring attitude towards her disciples. If asked, Mu Qingfang knew she'd say she's proud of their tenacity and willingness to test new things. It's part of why she tended to try out new experimental potions on herself as opposed to them the way her predecessor had.
Mu Qingfang wished his lack of student experiments were for the same reason, but his was less out of compassion and more because he couldn’t seem to keep the same group of inner disciples for a long enough period of time to even try to experiment on them. It would be a valuable learning experience for them! They loved being the experimenter, but an important part of being a medic was fully understanding the effects of things! Unfortunately, the moment he thought to ask who would like to test out experimental medicines or new qi blocking techniques, half of them would leave the mountains for personal study or to become an assistant to a specialized peak elder instead. His head disciple refused to even potentially be taken out of commission after lasting this long, and the outer disciples had learned to avoid him when he spent too long on his research.
It was fine, he was okay with going through official channels for human experiments, the slower ones that disciples could opt into for experience. And when that wasn’t an option, well, then he turned to personal experimentation.
"Are they still making a game of sneaking into the alcohol storage cellar?" Shang Qinghua asked, as if he had never done that as a disciple with only Mu Qingfang as an accidental witness. He would have gotten away unseen had Mu Qingfang not been sent there on a dare by his shixiongs for the same purpose.
"With those talismans and arrays that Shang-shixiong helped me with, the new challenge is just finding the cellar in the first place." With a dramatic eye roll, she finally finished sorting the bottles the way she liked. "And you'd be surprised how much that's deterred them."
Shang Qinghua shook his head. "Kids these days know nothing of sleuthing and sneaking," he declared, Zhang Qingyan nodding along.
Mu Qingfang just wished that disciples would stop getting black out drunk and falling off their swords before they even had fully developed brains.
"Enough about the children though!" Zhang Qingyan said. "They're cleaning up the results of my latest and greatest creation! This should act as the perfect base for our concoction," she said, dramatically gesturing to the literal glowing bottle in front of her. "These other bottles are other chemicals and potions that may complement the mixture well. What have you all brought to the table?"
Mu Qingfang gestured to the jars of herbs and small monster parts in front of him. "Since last month, my experiments have shown that Leeching Three Eyed Serpent eyeballs have positive effects on energy and awareness. As well as that, some variants of the herbs I have been cultivating in my gardens have shown enhanced energy signatures when paired with the selectively bred tea leaves this one has been growing."
The other two nodded, both unphased by the strange contents of the jars for entirely separate reasons, so he continued. "This one, however, is still unsure as to whether the presence of the serpent eyes will have an averse or negating effect on the tea like the Sleepless Rhino Explosive Boar horns did last month."
All three of them shuddered at just the thought of that meeting.
Shang Qinghua was up next, and he unloaded an assortment of small items from his pouches as he explained them. "After some talks with a merchant contact, he willingly parted with a stack of talismans designed to keep the victim awake long enough to be tortured." He paused, waiting for any outcry at the torture mention, before he went on and clarified, "I definitely didn't blackmail him for them."
Mu Qingfang, well aware of Shang Qinghua's questionable habits and tendencies by now, simply nodded and stroked his mustache in thought. His shixiong may be shady in his business dealings, but he brought great financial benefits to the sect, and didn't seem to have it in him to betray them. He was a good man, Mu Qingfang wasn't worried. Zhang Qingyan, meanwhile, didn't even seem to pick up on there being anything wrong with what the other man said, instead inspecting the markings on a talisman she took from him.
Moving onto the next pouch, the logistician pulled out a strange trinket, a small blue object with sharp edges. "This, from what I understand from my, uh, readings, is an Everwaking Star Fragment. If this is the object from legend, then it's said that it can dissolve in any liquid, and whoever drinks it is cursed to never sleep again. The last bearer of it, however, was asleep when I found it, next to them and not on their clothing of course, because I would never pickpocket someone who fell asleep poisoned or drunk at a bar. I’m not sure if they had used any of it before then."
Zhang Qingyan's eyes lit up at that, and she snatched it from his hands before he could even protest. "So if the entire thing dissolves in liquid, then what about one small portion of it? Could taking off just the corner of one spike cause eternal wakefulness for just a few days?!" She brought the object up to her eye level as she excitedly murmured to herself about the possibilities.
Of course she was too distracted to pick up on the implication of their shixiong pick-pocketing a drunk person, but again, he was a good guy, and that was none of Mu Qingfang's business.
Shang Qinghua wrapped up his presentation with his usual offerings of vitality enhancing incense sticks (which Mu Qingfang suspected he got from succubi) and what Shang Qinghua called "ground up coffee beans" that he got from trade in the south, but insisted were lackluster alone.
"Should we use Mu-shidi's strongly brewed tea as the base, or Zhang-shimei's great creation?"
Zhang Qingyan thought for a second, staring at the orange glowing bottle in front of her. "The tea. This stuff is pretty strong on its own, and will need to be diluted so that it doesn't automatically stop our hearts or melt our golden cores!"
Mu Qingfang poured the specially brewed tea into a container in the center of the table, and their experiments began.
Once a month, the peak lords from three of the most overworked peaks got together for a late night meeting. Their goal? Create a concoction that gives the drinker both wakefulness and energy to keep going and complete their mountain long list of duties and obligations.
Shang Qinghua called it a quest for the "Monster Energy Drink", which seemed like a fitting name in Mu Qingfang's opinion.
It had started a few years ago, with the doctor approaching the alchemist for something to enhance the tea he already took to keep himself awake for days on end. Things had snowballed when he had accidentally served it to the logistician after helping repair a broken leg. From there, an alliance was born.
Mu Qingfang was a doctor. He knew that it was important to maintain one's body, and that rest and rejuvenation were vital to keeping one's mind sharp. He said as such to Liu Qingge every time the man crashed into the clinic. But Mu Qingfang was also the head doctor of a peak of learning medics, peak lord on a mountain of reckless disciples (and peak lords), in a region of land where people were constantly getting infected or sick.
As much as he knew rest was important, he knew that sometimes, working and saving lives was even more important.
And thus: monstrous energy drink.
Adding the glowing orange liquid into the tea, even just a few drops of it, made the tea go from a dull brown to a glowing dark green. As Zhang Qingyan used her spare potions to work out the right consistency, Mu Qingfang removed some of the monster eyes from a jar and ground it up in his mortar and pestle, and Shang Qinghua attached the energy talisman to the side of the experiment container and dropped a few ground coffee beans in. A moment later, he lit one of the incense sticks and fanned the smoke into the container for a moment before extinguishing it.
After adding the crushed eye to the mixture, it became a brighter shade of green. And when Zhang Qingyan chipped off a corner of Everwaking Star Fragment into the mix, the glow began to pulse.
Having added all they wished to add, and the liquid having not exploded on them yet, they stared at their pulsing creation in awe. Mu Qingfang felt like they had created a forbidden substance.
"That genuinely looks radioactive" Shang Qinghua muttered to himself, like that was a word that made sense. "If a disciple drank this, they'd probably never close their eyes again."
"If a disciple got their hands on this, they would either qi deviate on the spot or enter a coma with their eyes frozen open," Mu Qingfang replied to the only part he actually understood. He couldn’t even begin to fathom how he’d treat that level of…poisoning? in his clinic beyond drastic measures.
"Well, we added all we planned to this beauty and didn't stop to test it along the way, so who knows if it's safe," Zhang Qingyan said as she scooped an empty bottle into the container. Shang Qinghua’s bagged eyes went wide at the sight of the bottle in her hand having the same bright green pulsing glow as the source potion.
"Zhang-shimei, I'm not sure you should-" Mu Qingfang tried to warn, but as always at these meetings, his warnings were not enough to stop the brewmaster from closing her eyes and taking a swig from her glowing bottle.
Shang Qinghua, who usually had pretty controlled (if extreme) facial expressions, seemed to mirror Mu Qingfang's open shock and horror at the move.
A full body shudder racked through Zhang Qingyan, and her eyes flew open with a start. Her vision was unfocused, but then her expression slowly raised to an almost unhinged grin as she stared at the bottle in front of her. Her breathing had noticeably sped up, both audible and from how her shoulders heaved with the motion.
"Boys," she started, not removing her hazy eyes from what she clearly considered her magnum opus. "Prepare to never need to sleep again."
She raised a hand to wipe away at her lip, and already it was shaking so badly that she had trouble aiming for her face.
Mu Qingfang reached for the notepad he kept in his pocket, and recorded down what had been added to the mixture and the immediate side effects. He made sure to note down the violent shaking and lack of focus it had brought his fellow peak lord with three lines under it, and an arrow for good measure.
Shang Qinghua also noticed the quivering. "Oh. Hm. Well, I can't have hands that shake that badly, or I'm gonna have some trouble filing our taxes," he said, laughing as if that were a joke. He pulled some melon seeds out from a bag in his pocket and began to snack and think.
Mu Qingfang was also thinking. There must be an herb or something in this house strong enough to make an impact in this hellish drink they created, one that could stabilize hands and make the sudden onset of energy less overwhelming.
Zhang Qingyan likely was not thinking of solutions, as she was clearly too busy acclimating to the energy rush to think at the moment.
Hand paused halfway to his mouth, Shang Qinghua got an idea. "Mu-shidi, didn't you work with Lin-shimei to make a calming supplement for some raging beasts on Xi Jiao a week or so ago?" He asked, despite having organized the material transfer and thus knowing the answer.
Lin Qingpen, of the agricultural peak Min Nong, was a major help with Mu Qingfang's herb gardens. While her peak covered all kinds of vegetation as opposed to Qian Cao's medicinal focus, her affinity towards plants made it possible for Mu Qingfang to selectively breed for specific attributes of his herbs and plants in the first place.
Reaching into one of the main spacial pouches that he kept on his person, the doctor pulled out the package with Lin Qingpen's note of well wishes still attached. "Shang-shixiong is correct, and this one does in fact have some left over."
Shang Qinghua's eyes lit up at the sight of the pouch, and he rubbed his hands together in anticipation as he smiled. The gesture, for some reason, reminded Mu Qingfang of the over the top villains of the plays he used to watch as a child.
He has been planning on using this powder for experimenting on calming herbal remedies for troubled patients, but he can always request more from Lin Qingpen tomorrow. Mixing a pinch of it into a cup of water, he handed the cup to a still shaking Zhang Qingyan, who downed it without question and only minimal spilling.
"She's got more guts than I do," Shang Qinghua admitted, as if one's guts has anything to do with this experiment process beyond likely being damaged.
After downing the herbs strong enough to calm a rampaging Fire Tailed Dragon Horse down, the effects were almost as fast as those from the initial potion were. Her hands stopped shaking as badly, and her breathing slowed down. A few moments later, her eyes regained focus.
Eventually, she was in a normal enough state that it wouldn't be malpractice if Mu Qingfang needed to perform surgery while under this drink's effects.
"Oh yeah, it definitely needed something to act as a counterbalance, good call," she said as Mu Qingfang recorded the side effects down. "One of you should probably try it with the Restful Temperament leaves mixed in beforehand so we know if those should be taken separately or not."
There was a brief moment of uncomfortable eye contact between himself and Shang Qinghua. The doctor knew that, as suspicious as his business dealings and as often as his physical injuries, the man across from him at the table was a coward. Light glistened off of his face in a way that Mu Qingfang swore was dripping sweat, but he had no way to confirm since the light of the candles and the glowing energy drink were rather low. It was kind of pathetic to watch, in a way.
Sighing, he took an empty bottle from Zhang Qingyan's side of the table and scooped his own helping of the concoction. Dropping a hearty pinch of Restful Temperament Leaves into the bottle, he mixed it for a moment as he tried to wrap his head around what he was about to do. At least it caused no visible changes to the already strange looking drink…
Stored in a hidden pouch against his breast were a handful of incredibly rare panacea style substances that fully cured the body of any curse or poison that may be contaminating it. It didn't work on injuries, and the peak lord only used them for what he deemed catastrophic level emergencies.
He wondered if drinking a glowing liquid in the name of science and staying awake counted as an emergency.
"Oh come on Mu-shixiong, don't back out now," Zhang Qingyan crowed with an almost predatory smile, sensing his weakness. "We've definitely drank way worse drinks at this same table before, right Shang-shixiong?!" She leaned over and elbowed the logistics peak lord, who looked like one more strong elbow to the side would knock him down for good. The other man nodded with a nervous looking smile, still staring at the glowing creations before him.
Staring at the ominous elixir in front of him, he let out a sigh. He couldn't believe he was sometimes referred to as the most responsible of the peak lords.
He took a drink from the bottle.
The first thing he had to note: it tasted abhorrent. He knew it wouldn't be pleasant, given the mix of random plants and monster parts that had been added, but this was leagues worse than even his worst expectations. Despite having a strong stomach, he fought off the urge to throw up and demand to know what Zhang Qingyan had put into the base potion.
Instead, he forced it down with a grimace and mentally mapped every place in the leisure house that stored medicine to help soothe stomach issues. He could have sworn he felt it bubbling all the way down, despite its lack of bubbles, and felt his veins and bloodstream light up as if electrocuted. The fact that Zhang Qingyan had downed this with a straight face was both terrifying and impressive.
Luckily, his mind stayed as sharp as ever, and his hands had no notable shake to them. He made sure to note down these effects and mix some of the Restful Temperament Leaves into the base container of the substance.
"That seems to be as good of a balance as we are going to get," Mu Qingfang announced to both of the peak lords watching him in anticipation and dread.
Zhang Qingyan let out a cheer and took another swig from her Restful-temperament-free bottle, immediately causing her hands to start shaking again.
Shang Qinghua let out a sigh of relief as he bottled his own share of the energy granting monstrosity they had just created. With a quick sip, he muttered “tastes almost like actual monster energy” while shuddering. "Of course, we'll have to keep in touch about potential side effects," he said louder, staring at his bottle and likely calculating ways to market, mass produce, and sell it off if it didn't cause deadly effects.
Mu Qingfang knew that Zhang Qingyan had some pretty strong hangover cure potions that she had amplified, and that Shang Qinghua had poison curing artifacts from grateful trade partners. If there truly were adverse effects, they should be fine, but it'd be important to note for the next time they made an experiment or if Shang Qinghua decided to sell it.
Zhang Qingyan bottled the rest of the container and divided it up between the three of them. "Well boys, barring any unknown side effects, I think we just stumbled across the perfect energy drink." She declared.
Mu Qingfang knew better though. He knew they would find even better energy and sleep alternatives before the month was over. "Same time next month?"
The other two, stashing away their personal bottles, started to pack their things. "Oh yeah, this was just the prototype," Zhang Qingyan laughed as she stood from the table. "Improvements can always be made, we can't be falling asleep during next month’s Immortal Alliance Conference, after all!"
Shang Qinghua let out what may be a nervous laugh as he agreed, but Mu Qingfang was sure it was just the lack of sleep getting to him.
"If we don't see each other again, I'll see you all at the immortal alliance conference," he promised, with affirmations from the other two as they made their way out into the night.
With pleasant calls of farewell made and his leisure house evacuated, Mu Qingfang stared down at the concoction in front of him.
He was a doctor, he knew how important sleep was, and how vital it was to not drink random glowing potions of haphazard mixes of items. And he knew that, as an immortal, he didn't truly need to sleep. But he did need to focus, and he did have work to do.
He took a second swig from the bottle and stood, clearing everything else off of the table. He had the feeling some emergency would be calling him to the clinic any minute now, despite it being well into the night. It had been too calm for too long, which typically meant trouble on Qian Cao.
Extinguishing the lights, Mu Qingfang headed off into the night. His exit left nothing behind save the energy drink, alone and glowing on his table, a soft pulsing light beckoning to any unfortunate disciples who may see it come morning.
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lieran03 · 1 year
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Black Hole
Ensemble Stars x you
Feeling down is normal, but what if this kind of feeling never left you alone? And it only grows to the point where you can't see the light anymore. Where you think everything is better without you
Unit: Knights
Pairing/ships: all members of Knights (a bit romantic for Izumi, general for the rest)
Words: 4.6k++
Warning: contains self-loathing, self-doubt, talking bad about oneself, thoughts of suicide, and the kinds!
ENJOY~!
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She didn't really know what had happened. She even didn't realize how things going. It feels perfect as it is, but somehow at the same time, it didn't feel like one. She did her best in everything, she even just knew that everything went to the right place and moment. And yet, she still has a strange feeling inside her. The unsettling feelings tell her something is wrong. It's not as perfect as how she sees it. It's not as grand as she thinks it is. The achievement she currently feels? It is all only a fabricated truth she creates to console her own self.
She didn't want to believe it, she couldn't believe it. The numbness started to kick off. The void inside her brain. The blank mind keeps appearing once she hears the others talking. And just like that, her record has been flunked to the deepest end. The moment she can't even think about the next stage, the next costume, the moment she feels the blinding light burn her eyes. That's when she knows she has fallen. The feeling inside her grows and keeps growing, like telling her to just go away forever.
It was so sudden, it was too fast to even be called as the same one as the last. Isn't the problem her? She tries to find something, or maybe someone to blame for this darkness that starts to find a safe place inside her heart. But at the end of it, while she lies silently, she knows who to blame. It is her, after all. It was her fault in the end. The feeling was too overwhelming that at first, she thought it was only an illusion she made to run away from reality.
At last, even when she didn't know the core of the problem, she cries. She cries every night until her tears have dried off. And that's the moment where she believes, she didn't deserve to be happy.
"Practice has finished!" A loud shout startled the girl. She looks around, tries to recollect herself, and finds out where is she right now. "Don't forget we have a big live tomorrow! Especially you, Ou-sama."
"Sena is no fun! Live should be full of surprises, right?" The girl didn't notice it, but turns out the man called ou-sama-- or more well known as Leo--talk to her. "Is there something wrong?"
"Huh? What are you guys talking about?"
"Are you not getting enough sleep?" The blonde one asked, making the guy with red optics chuckle a bit.
"Then, I should do the job to cuddle you to sleep."
The girl chuckled a bit before she shook her head, the brightest smile was evidence, a smile that fool everyone inside the room. "There's nothing wrong, I'm getting enough sleep lately." Lies. How could she sleep when all she could think about was the mistake she did in the previous live? "I'm currently drafting the stage for Ryuseitai and Ra*bits next month. Tenshouin needs it this week, which means tomorrow since school will be off the day after."
"But, are you really okay, Onee-sama?" The red-headed asked with a frown on his forehead. Instead of showing weakness, the girl glared at the youngest in the group. "You have deep eye bags."
"If someone asked me that again I will be very mad, okay? This is my job, so that's fine. Everything has been going the way I want." Of course, that's just another lie. Up until that point of the day, she didn't know how much she has lied to the others. All she knows is that she has to.
The five of them look with doubtful stares, and yet the silver one decided to cut it. If she says she is okay, then it is just the way she says it. There's no point in playing detective or beating around the bush if the preparator didn't want to be caught red-handed. Still, with the biggest smile, the girl packed all of her belongings, the stage layout, the lyrics book, the costume book, and some of her school work too. The rest did the same, they didn't want to make the girl feel bad about going home first. At least, that's the only thing they could do to her for now.
Still with the same "stoic" smile, the girl bid her goodbye to the Knights' member. She bow quite deeply before she walk fast, not letting the others see her face nor her expression started to change. She can't keep it up, the more she stays with people, with humans, the more she wants to tell them all about what she was currently feeling. But, isn't that only burden them? She knows exactly that everyone has their own share of problems. And to tell at least one of them, to show weakness when she should be the pillar for them, does that even make sense?
There's no possible way she would tell Leo, the ou-sama of Knights. He has been through a lot, he has been to the deepest end and she did not want to bring him there once again. Once is enough, and she believes that the scar was still there. It's just that Leo has a knack for keeping secrets from others. Acting like everything is fine when in fact, he started to doubt his skill again. That's when she steps up as their temporary manager, their producer.
And then, there's Izumi. No one in their rightest mind would tell that guy. Not only he has a sharp tongue, but he indeed sometimes do not care about other if it did not involve him. He cares for Leo because Leo is his teammate. He cares for Anzu since she was the one who scheduled a lot of their lives and helps with their costumes sometimes. And so, does she even has meaning for that third year? Does she even have value in front of Izumi's eyes? She bet that she was nothing, especially when she did her job poorly.
People might think Ritsu and Arashi would be the best to tell about this problem. And yet, her tongue was tied whenever she wanted to tell the truth, to tell them that there was a pain inside her chest. Arashi always cares for others and she often forgets to take care of herself, how could she add the burden on her shoulder? While Ritsu, might be a genius like his brother, that doesn't mean he didn't have a lot of things going on inside his mind. His unit, his brother, his Mao, why would she add to the list? About her just feeling something is wrong?
Lastly, there's Tsukasa. He probably got no problem getting asked for help, but isn't that the problem? The fact that he doesn't mind being asked anytime, anywhere, and anyhow. It didn't scare her, it worries her. He has the burden of Knights since he was the only one in his right mind to keep Knights as a chivalrous unit. And so, that end of the reason why she did not tell anyone from the Knights even though she spend almost 24/7 with the Knights, either helping them study, practicing or even before live and after live.
While walking to her own home, where she knows no one will greet her, she could only wear her earphones, hoping that the music currently blasting loudly from there could swipe away the loneliness inside her. But the more she listens to the song, the more she realizes, she's alone. So suddenly she decided to stop, listening to the song intently. Why would the lyrics represent her feelings right now? Why does the song only grow the void inside her chest more? If there was a hole before, right now it was empty, there's nothing left inside her chest.
"Am I really going to be a good manager for Knights this week?" she mumbled while she put out the earphones. Stumbling a bit, the girl finally walked toward her room and put her bag just anywhere before she lies on the cold floor. At least she can still feel the cold, at least she feels something. "Why am I ... so pathetic?"
After mumbling the words, suddenly tears trickled down. She hates it. She hates when she's so weak, she hates it when she cries. Crying won't solve her problem, after crying she probably would have no energy anymore. And that can't happen, there's so much to do. With force, she finally rubbed her eyes, trying her best to stop the tears to continue trickling. The pain did make her think about the other thing, but still, something inside her push the button. And with that, the cries only got louder.
"Why are you even still alive? Why are you still here? No one needs you, and no one appreciates your hard work. You are working alone, why are you trying so hard to get praised? You are a failure ... all your work meant nothing. So, why?! Why are you trying so hard? Just why?!" The girl thumped on her chest, trying to feel something there instead of the pain and numbness. "No one loves you, so why are you still here ...? Knights are probably better off without me, they only need Anzu, right? Then it's alright for me to be gone ... right?"
After saying something like that, she cracked open her eyes, tears still evidence. After that, she looks around, trying to find something. It took a few minutes before her eyes fall on something on her desk. Crawling, and walking very hard, she tries to reach it. Once her hand touches the cold metal, her whole body shudder. This is it, right? She only needs to do this and everything will be fine. She can express her feeling. Or at least, she can get rid of the pain with it. Just once.
***
"Don't you think something is strange?" Arashi suddenly asked the Knights when they were changing. The live will be held in a few hours, so it's only right for them to get ready now.
"What is?" Izumi asked, his tone cold and agitated.
"Our manager," Arashi said once again, her tone stern, like scolding Izumi.
"Hm, now that you said it, I think there was something strange about her. Especially, her with that new wound every day."
Tsukasa nodded his head, agreeing with his sleepy senpai. "She rarely wants to put off her blazer too even though she's working outside and gets hit by the sun. I was worried and by accident asked her once."
Hearing what Tsukasa said made all of them silent, even Leo who was busy humming and composing some new song. All of their attention was on the youngest member, but he still didn't say anything, earning a whine from Leo who was already so curious about what will be the answer. Cautious about their surrounding, Tsukasa gathered them in one place and whispered the answer all of them needed.
"She said she's okay." There was silence for a long time, and after that, finally, Izumi snapped at the youngest.
"Do you think we are joking right now? Do you want to get slapped, huh? So annoying!" With his usual words, Izumi pinched Tsukasa's cheeks, earning a yell and whining from the youngest.
"Suo is annoying! We want the real answer!"
"But that's really what she said to me! The only difference was that she pull her clothes, like she want to hide something, and clenched her teeth when saying that."
Arashi sighs a bit, knowing very well where this will go. "Then there is really something wrong with her. Don't you think that we need to do something? After all, she's our manager."
"She didn't ask for our help, there's no use in helping someone who didn't need it," Izumi cut off Arashi's train of thought.
Ritsu stares at Izumi who has walked back to his place, now busy with his phone. "Secchan is really cold. If our manager tries something crazy, then I will blame it on Secchan. Don't you all agree?"
"That's right! I'm with you, Ritsu! It is Sena's fault!"
"Huh? Why is it on me so suddenly?"
But even when Izumi tries to complain and explain everything from his point of view, no one listens to him. With the fear of being pointed to be at fault, and with a hint of worry in him, Izumi thinks about sending a message to the girl. He sighs a bit, looking at his teammates who were getting their make-up done. Didn't know what to do, finally, Izumi decided to text her, saying that he want a drink right at this moment.
Panting, the girl that still uses her blazer even when she was sweating a lot finally knocked on the door. All of the Knights member, including Izumi, stares into the door when it creaks open, showing that their manager seems timid before entering the room. She didn't just bring drinks for Izumi, instead, she brings for all of them. First off, she went to Izumi and give him his drink before going around, earning a confused look from everyone.
"I'm so sorry that I forgot to bring you guys some drink."
"But we did not order it?" said Arashi, more like a question to herself.
"Uhm, yeah, yeah ... you guys didn't. But it's just what I should do, it's my work after all."
"Our manager is sure working so hard, I'm so glad to have our manager by our side," Ritsu cooed, hugging the sweaty manager.
"Ah, Kuma-san, please refrain from hugging me. I'm all sweaty from all the running and it will ruin your stage costumes." Ritsu only whined and hug tighter. But turns out, he slowly pulls off her blazer.
"It's hot here, you need to cool off. Here, let me help you."
"Kuma-san, don't ...!" But it was too late. Ritsu has succeeded in pulling her blazer. She was glad that she didn't decide to roll up her sleeves before so no scar will be seen. But even so, they can still see her fingers wrapped in bandages, almost all fingers. "T-this is from cooking! I know that Sena senpai strict with his diet, and Arashi-san need to look out for her body, that's why ...."
"Why are you working so hard when no one tells you to?" Izumi suddenly asked, his eyes full of menace, while his tone was like spatting hurtful truth. "We didn't ask you to cook, we didn't ask you to help us in every stage, we didn't even tell you to repair our costumes, so why did you do it?"
The girl flinched. Of course, she did all of that. Not because she was hoping for praise from them, but because she will feels like she was important that way. But can she even answer that? If she admits that, won't all of them say that she was just trying to get favored by them? That way, she was even more pathetic than she already was. No matter how hard she tries, no matter what she did, in the end, she's a failure.
Instead of answering with a real reply, she only mumbled a sorry. This was what make all of them question everything, but more importantly, everyone throw a glare at Izumi for saying such things to the girl when all of them knows that she was currently not in her right state of mind. Izumi couldn't care less, at least he can't show his own worry. Inside his mind, he has been cursing himself for acting so recklessly like that.
The words sorry didn't die only once, she repeated it a few more times before she stopped. Saying sorry too much will increase their suspicion and she did not want it. She has been okay, or at least she tries her best this past week to say she's okay. And yet, she had enough of her lies. She knows if she stays with Knights longer than that, she probably would start to cry. Especially, when Izumi's words rang inside her brain all this time. She could not hear anything and only Izumi's words.
So, after all, everything she did was futile, right? No one will like her, and no one will approve of her. She will still be a failure. As their manager, as their producer. How much she wishes that she could be like Anzu, isn't it better? Yumenosaki probably only needs one capable producer instead someone like her. A worthless one. And Izumi has approved her thoughts. She's nothing, she's nothing compared to Anzu. Even when they were the same age, she can't reach Anzu's level.
She often slacks off, not like Anzu. She often forgets things or schedule, unlike Anzu who remember them at the back of her mind. Anzu is always one step ahead of whatever the idol needs, not like her who easily forget to bring the drinks for the Knights member. She only need to take care of Knights, but Anzu need to take care of a lot other units. So why can't she do her job properly? Why can't she achieve Anzu's level?
Her face started to twist in agony. This has started again. The void. It feels like there was a black hole inside her chest, taking all of her and her rationality Everything that everyone said was true, so why would she get offended? She should have learned some self-control. She should have been braver and more selfless. No matter how hard she tries to do all of that, she only disappoints herself more. After all, she's only a failure, right? It's not her mind playing tricks. She is a failure.
Clenching her palm, drawing some blood from her palm, she decided that it was not a good time to show this side to the Knights, not before their stage. She did not want to show her monster to them. She's ugly already, why would she show the ugliest side of her now? Or maybe she could do that so Knights will let her go, isn't that a better thing to do? Shaking her head, she stops that thoughts. If she left the Knights now, she will give a lot of burdens not only on Anzu but the Knights' members. How can she do that?
All she could do only make trouble, how much pain would she bring to the other now?
Immediately she ran, fast walking away after saying that she has something to do again. After their manager was nowhere to be seen, four pairs of eyes turn to Izumi, wanting him to fix this. Izumi knows very well that it was, after all, his fault. Yet, he didn't know how to fix it. Maybe he will think about it tomorrow, or maybe after his stage. Or maybe never. Izumi can't think straight, not after he sees that she has no problem making herself hurt. It feels like she likes to be hurt.
Hours passed and the Knights' performance ended. When they went back to their waiting room, there were cookies, some other heavy food and low-carb snacks, drinks, and a note. Ritsu instantly know it was from their manager, but his eyes squinted when he found the handwriting was rushed. He shows it to the others, earning a low sigh from everyone. Izumi can't take any more of this, so he walked away, wanting to find his manager.
"She's been gone ...? No one sees her?"
"I do ask Shinkai senpai too, in case she went to the fountain. Ah, lately she likes to be there and Shinkai senpai even said sometimes she sits inside. When he asked, she said that she just want to try Shinkai's 'puka puka', and turns out it was refreshing."
"Such a crazy girl! What if she catches a cold after?!"
"I think Senpai already knows? She was down with flu yesterday, and everyone has been saying that for today's live, she can leave everything to us. But suddenly, she shows up and says sorry for being late." Anzu's information feels like a truck just hit him. Izumi really can't take this. What is actually wrong with her? Does she get obsessed with saying sorry?
"Did you hear anything else? Or do you know something more?"
Anzu seems thinking for a few minutes before she claps her hand, indicating she just remember something. "It was that one night. Knights didn't have any practice but I found her inside your guys' practice room. There, she was watching her own reflection. I can't hear what she says but ... she suddenly slaps her own face once."
"This is really frustrating! Why is she so annoying?!"
"Senpai, I know I'm not the right person to say this. But I think ... she often harms herself. You know, the feeling when you get an injury like to show you have done a lot and great things? I think she wants to validate her own work."
At this point, Izumi really didn't know what to do. Feeling suffocated, he finally say thanks to Anzu before searching for his manager around the school ground. Unexpectedly, he found her in the Knights' practicing room, alone, in the dark. If he didn't see her reflection, he probably won't notice her. Izumi didn't know if he should say he was lucky or not when he notices the manager didn't know he was there. So, he decided to walk slowly before showing up behind her.
"S-Sena senpai!"
"What do you think you are doing here?! Alone, in the dark! Do you want some crappy student to find you here and do something to you?! Do you want them to mess you up or something?!" Izumi's harsh tone succeeds in making the girl flinch. That's when he knows he messed up, that's when he knows, she's in that phase, again.
"I'm sorry, Senpai," she muffled, "I'm sorry that I became like this again. Even though you have already taught me to conceal these feelings."
"What ...?"
"You said yourself, stop comparing myself to Anzu. At first, I didn't, I didn't even know what was wrong. Am I just delusional? Or am I overworking myself? Can it be that I'm really going crazy? But Senpai ... the pain didn't go away. It starts to eat me, it starts telling me all the flaws I have. I'm not you, Senpai. I'm not ... perfect like you."
Izumi knows. He has seen this side before. It was a one-time thing and he thought it won't ever repeat. But, how many times does this kind of thing happen to her? How long has she repressed all of those feelings so the others won't see them? Izumi admits it. It was all his fault. He said to her, those feeling are not valid, that they only play, toying with her mind. But he didn't realize. Those feelings are what she feels.
"I'm sorry that once again I'm venting this to you. I'm sorry that I'm so weak that I can't even fight my own mind. I'm sorry that I'm ... me." The girl finally broke into small sobs. She can't no longer stare into Izumi's bright eyes. It pained her, to tell others about her own feelings.
Bewildered by what he found, Izumi walked slowly toward her before he engulfed her in his arms. He tries his best to share his warmth, even though his body mostly is cold, with the girl who was shaking. Who is at fault here? Him? Or is it her to have these feelings? Izumi can't answer it, he can't find the answer.
But he knows, there will always be a black hole inside someone's heart, a hole that will take all the confidence, all the happiness. Even though nothing is wrong, even when everything went just like what they expected, the hole will always be there and took away everything. Anytime they like without any break. And it was all his fault for not noticing it from the start. It was his fault for waiting for her to tell him. He didn't need her to tell him first to show, the hole has come back.
"I'm sorry that I can't be a better manager for all of you." Izumi knows it too, even when he said she's been doing great, her mind would only play tricks and say it was only for consolation. There were a lot of questions, and a lot of other answers he could give. But Izumi could only settle with one.
"I'm sorry too for not noticing this. Let's blame the hole inside our hearts. Let's blame them for existing inside. So, instead of hating yourself, let's hate the black hole there."
"Everything was so well, Senpai. Everything! The preparations went well, the music plays well, the singing was so good, the dancing was so on point, but why do I still feel something missing?"
"Can I fill in that missing piece? Will you let me be the missing piece you needed? The hole inside, can I be the one who fixes it?"
"You will get tired of me whining every day," she mumbled on Izumi's clothes, burying her head deep and inhaling his scent.
"You will be tired of listening to my scolding every day too, so aren't we break-even?" Izumi chuckled even when he knows it was not the right time. "You can fill my hole too when it came. I know that I always want to show you my perfect side, but this time, I will let you see my imperfect side too."
"I'm not good at remembering things," the girl suddenly said, looking up at Izumi's pretty face. "I can't remember how to prevent this hole to come back."
"Then let me remind you every time it came back. No, on second thought, just let them. Show the hole to me, and I will fill you. How was that sound?"
"I will bother you all the time."
Izumi chuckled again, this time with an annoyance--not a real annoyance--tone. "You will always be in my head, making me worry all the time. So, this is the only thing that I could do. After all, two pieces of a puzzle can complete the whole series, right?"
"Senpai is so strange." The girl shook her head, smiling a bit.
Both of them know it was not a genuine smile. But at least, Izumi can once again see that smile. A smile that shows, I will do it again, I will try to stand up again even if it's hurt. She too knows it too, there was still a hole inside her chest, the pain, and the suffocating pressure still there. Except for this time, she will face the hole with Izumi. She will learn once again how to fight it off. And Izumi knows it too. He will be by her side when that black hole started to grow.
"So annoying, you should have told me earlier instead of hurting yourself like this!" Izumi sighs, grabbing both of her hands that have a lot of bandages. "And I know that your mind still playing tricks on you. But I want you to listen to me. You are enough, you did well. You did not need any validation of your hard work. Because after all, you know the best for all of your hard work. At least, I know how hard you work. For now, let yourself rest in my arms."
With Izumi's last word, he once again brings the girl into his arms, he will remind her as many times as he needed to, that she was worth it, and she's worth more than any scars on her body right now are. She's worth even when she's broken.
***
A/N: first time writing on tumblr! I hope all of you like this Knights - Izumi story, even though I think it was too long. Though I really wish it's not boring. Please do tell me your thoughts on this story! I always love any feedback about my writing ^^
Also, sorry for the crappy ending, I really didn't know what to do. I still want to show that, that hole will still be there, but even so, they will be all right. So I hope this makes sense
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This is a scenario for the Jerv Squad (BTAS, Gotham, Arkham). Let's say there's a guard at Arkham who's been making their lives Hell lately (think Lyle Bolton). When they're out of Arkham, their adorable S/O sweetly tells him they have a surprise for him! That guard? Dead. Totally dead. Messily, brutally, dead. They can see the body, if they want! How does Jervis react?
"The only good Arkham Guard..." Hatter Party x gn! Reader
God I hate Bolton so fucking much I'm just channeling that internally.
TW: murder, mutilation, body disposal, taxidermy
BTAS
- He is rather neutral on actually seeing the body. He trusts his loved one to have done as they say. He will, however, ask if you need any assistance with disposal.
- If you do, he'll mind control someone to take care of it. Do it in such a way it won't be attached to you at all. Clean. Neat. You don't need to be there for that.
- While he understands you obviously handled a lot of gore and violence in the murder of this man, he still feels some need to not make you watch things like that. You deserve to only see good things. Sweet things, kind things.
- Knowing you did this after seeing him hurt... It makes the bruises ache less. Did you get hurt? He'd feel truly a cad if you got hurt. Kissing over even the smallest scratch you might have gotten.
- He's going to want to stay out of trouble for a bit. He just wants to cuddle next to you in bed for a while. Watch some old movies with you and order food in for a day.
- It'll be one of the moments you see him casual, his hair pulled up out of his face, pins in his mouth as he gets fabric together for sewing outfits.
Gotham
- Only wants to see the body as evidence that the man is really dead. He's certain you really did it, but... it's good to make sure, especially with how many people seem to "come back" in Gotham.
- You certainly did the deed, though. All for him...
- Similar to BTAS, he's not going to do body disposal himself. Hypnotize some big brutes to cut the guard up into teeny tiny pieces, yank out his teeth to derail dental record identification and maul his face.
- Yet all the while it's happening he's taking you in his arms and holding you close. Kissing you softly. It becomes a dance in which he twirls you in the moonlight. Slow, then moderately paced to the music in your minds.
- As the body is spread across different parts of Gotham and beyond, he wants to spend several days only focusing on you. On the both of you.
- You deserve pampering after all that. It takes hard work to do what you've done! He loves the wickedness of your mind and the planning it must have taken.
- You'll have to be careful, though, love, or else you'll have a cell right next to him at Arkham.
Arkham
- Oh~? Oh, oh, oh? A gift from his beloved? His dearest Alice?
- When he finds out what the gift is, he wants to see the body immediately. Gloat. Get all those details on how he suffered for all the times he suffered.
- In truth, he's so giddy he can hardly stand himself. Probably kicks the body and might even mutilate it further.
- If he's in a particularly "creative" mindset, he might look into giving the corpse a seat at the tea table. Taxidermy can't be too difficult, can it? Especially with a stuffed rabbits head. Fine movements with scissors and a sewing needle...
- The guard is much more useful this way! Really, it's like he's a brand new man. That makes Jervis giggle at his own joke.
- As for you... He can't thank you enough. If you thought he was clingy before, be prepared for right after this happens. Holding onto you tight. His protector.
- It makes him a little sad. He wants to protect YOU! But perhaps- perhaps you can protect each other.
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onecantsimply · 1 year
Note
Hello, i love your work and i would like to request an headcanon for Jack the ripper from record of ragnarok.
I know this Is something u don't think he'll do but.
What about jack fighting/arguing With his fem s/o and he accidentaly hurt her feelings/hit her, how would he male It up to her?
I know What i'm requesting you Is a lot,so feel free to decline the request
I cannot simply deny a request if it’s of Jack The Ripper-
-
• Oh. Oh…
- The second that Jack had realized what he had done, he’s in a silent state of being both horrified and regretful. His eyes are on you, and he can’t help but stay frozen as you’re holding your hand over the place he had slapped you. One of his hands are practically over his mouth, with the other still being open from how it had done an action Jack never wished upon you.
- His voice is soft spoken as he calls out to you, holding out the hand he had slapped you with. And yet, when you take one step back, Jack can only freeze once more. Your color has festered with faint irritation directed at him. And Jack didn’t know what to do.
- Would he approach you, even if you were irritated? Or should he give you space and let the both of you reflect? Even with your current state, Jack had decided to apologize, and even offer so give you some alone time.
• If you need your alone time, Jack is completely fine with it. He knows why, but it really makes him regret everything in that one moment. The instant that you’re out of both earshot and eyeshot, Jack is completely overthinking. He knows that killing someone or making them feel fear wouldn’t help his situation, and would only make him feel worse.
- So he happens to prepare some tea for himself, (as well as you if you decide you need some.) and decides to read something just to pass the time. Though, even as his eyes read through the words on the book he has probably read a few times before, his mind’s worry lays on you. He was scared.
- What if that simple action had led to a complete split off? That would have shattered his own heart to pieces. And he knew that he wouldn’t exactly be able to put it together based on how his life was already going. What if you didn’t trust him anymore? Seeing the colors of distrust in your body as you see him would have made him heartbroken once again. What if you had hated him?
- All of those thoughts had put a weight on Jack’s shoulders. Something he had never thought he would feel. But yet, while love can come with bliss, it can also come with pain. Right now, Jack was experiencing the latter, and he didn’t feel good about it.
- Jack doesn’t want to lose you, and the fact that he had accidentally injured you in his own rage had him regretful and rather depressed. The thought of seeing you look at him with any other emotion other than your expression and color of love or infatuation had him close to shattering.
• Though if you want to hear him out about it, he’ll immediately have you in an embrace, muttering his apologies at least dozens of times. He will make sure you’re comfortable, even if it means doing everything in the building.
- He will make you tea, he will keep you in his embrace, he will do just about anything to make sure you’re calmed down so he can explain his situation. As he does so, he just can’t help but look into your colors. Depending on how they are, Jack may be shifting uncomfortably in his seat, or he may look down at the table once again.
- Though, when things do seem to be forgiven, Jack has the intention to be much more gentle with you. He doesn’t want the same thing to happen to you again, especially if it’s from him. While you may understand from next time, it still puts him in a regretful state that he was the one to injure you.
- Please cuddle this man. He needs it when he’s in a depressive phase like that-
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neonlitlesbians · 7 months
Text
mine
Darcy pokes around inside the city's database. Rat does its best to keep them both sane.
this is the longest short story i've written so far, hope it characterizes darcy in a way i haven't yet written down
cw: mild digital cosmic horror, a near-death experience, and bad sleeping habits
[Warehouse den. Darcy is typing on hxr computer, craning hxr neck and staring intently.] [Rat opens the back door and comes in.]
Rat: Evening. Darcy: Hiii! R: Whatcha up to, cutie? D: Well, since my first little experiment [Darcy's disembodied right hand flies up and pokes Rat in the cheek], I changed my focus a bit. See this? [Points to the third of hxr four screens.] R: [Takes her jacket off and tosses it to its usual spot next to the mattress.] I do see that. Map? D: Sorta! I'm poking around in some of the city's more exposed local networks. It's a visualization of everything I've found. R: Oh, did you wanna watch that old DVD tomorrow, then? D: Yeah, this will probably keep me up a bit. R: No worries, babe. [Stretches her arms. Loud pops and cracks ensue.] I'm fuckin' tired, so. [Leans over to kiss Darcy on the cheek.] Goin' to bed. Don't strain your eyes too much. D: Good night! R: [Flops unceremoniously onto the mattress.] Night. [Darcy continues working. And working.] [Shx probably should have gone to bed a little while ago.]
> {Another day.}
R: You want pizza? D: Hm? [Hxr eyes don't leave the screen.] Oh, sure. Did you order yet, or— R: [Raspy chuckle.] It's already here. [Clears a spot on the table to set the box.] D: Thank you! [With a third disembodied hand, deftly pulls a slice from the pizza.] R: Ooh, learned some new tricks, huh? D: Yeah. Feels good to be able to multitask. [Pulls up something new on the second screen. Leans in a little closer.] R: [Sigh.] [Rat fidgets a little. Darcy doesn't appear to notice.] R: Babe? D: [Gaze remains stationary.] Hm? R: You gonna be like… done anytime soon? D: With what? R: Your datamining. Could you like, take a break? D: Once I'm done with this server, sure. R: Er- sure, I guess. I don't wanna break you out of your focus, but… [Trails off.] D: But what? R: You're a little distracted lately. D: Aren't I always? R: I don't mean the ADHD, I mean sleeping. Are you getting enough sleep? D: … R: When was the last time you stood up? D: Calculating… [Eyes go fuzzy for a moment.] Eighteen hours, twenty-seven minutes, fifty-five seconds. R: Gxrl, get up. [Darcy has no arms, so Rat gently pulls hxr back from the chair and turns hxr to face her before standing hxr up in front of her.] D: Hey, er- D: Mmmf. [Rat kisses Darcy on the mouth.] [The pizza lies forgotten.]
>> {Another day.}
[Rat sits on the floor close to one corner of the desk. Darcy sits at hxr monitors, as before. Four hands now dance across the keyboard and with a few small devices on the table.] R: How's it going? D: Too much just to jot down and record. I might have to dive in myself. R: Is that really, like, worth it…? D: Well, it's experience instead of feeling. I should learn a lot more. R: [yawn] Dangerous. Weren't there warnings about malware and stuff? I don't have a computer brain, but— D: Fair, but I'm at the end of things I can reach on my own. There's a lot more I need to just aim my whole brain at. You know? R: [Shakes head.] Not really R: I should probably go to bed. Gonna drag you with me, you know. D: One dive? I'm not tired yet. It won't be long. R: You need sleep. D: It's just a test dive. I know I shouldn't go too deep. R: [Grumble grumble.] Fine. I'm yanking you out if I need to, though. D: Of course! [Presents the necessary cables.] Jack me in, babe? D: You're gonna need to stay awake, sorry. Safety. R: [Shakes her head vigorously, like a dog getting out the rain.] I'll live. [Rat jacks Darcy in.] R: I can't keep taking care of you, you know. R: You know I can't even take care of myself. R: Darcy? D: Preparing to restart… [Hxr eyes go static.] R: Fuck. [Rat buries her head in her hands in exasperation.]
>>>
[Darcy's consciousness flits about the network, rifling through digital file cabinets and peering inside recycling bins.]
>so much to see!!!! holyshit 0_0
>whats this? "TransactionsRecords"
>woah >whats this over here? "BlueprintsRecords"
>what about this? "BirthsDeathsRecords"
>thats >thats a lot of >files >whats this? "BirthsDeathsRecords"
>er >thats >a lot of >births and deaths >oh >oh wow >w >ww >whats this? ACCESS DENIED
>no >let me in ACCESS DENIED ACCESS DENIED ACCESS DENIED ACCESS DENIED ACCESS DENIED ACCESS DENIED ACCESS DENIED ACCESS DENIED ACCESS DENIED
Validating… ACCESS GRANTED "BrainRecordsLogs"
>what >like >what kind of brain Validating… NetworkClusterSystem.Core3.Brain
>i >whose brain NetworkClusterSystem.Core3
>thanks >what else is in NetworkClusterSystem NetworkClusterSystem.Core1 NetworkClusterSystem.Core2 NetworkClusterSystem.Core3 NetworkClusterSystem.Core4 NetworkClusterSystem.Core5 NetworkClusterSystem.Core6 NetworkClusterSystem.Core7 NetworkClusterSystem.Core8 >stop >stop it
>so thats >just# >just one. >ju##st one core >of
>iv# been >ive been up too long @_@ i should come back later >get me out of here Preparing to restart…
. .. … D: [Gasp] D: I'm b- Rat? [Rat is sprawled over Darcy, hugging hxr like a stuffed animal. Tightly. It's asleep.] D: …
>>>>
{Another day.}
D: Be right back. [Four of Darcy's hands rest on the desk. Hxr other two hands jack hxr in. Hxr eyes go static.] [Rat sits on the floor, her arms wrapped around her legs and her head buried in her knees.]
[Time passes.] [It's quiet, save the buzz of computers and lights.]
[Rat looks up.] R: You comin' back any time soon…? [Rat stands up.] R: Darcy…? R: How far down in there… R: Darcy? [The buzz is quieter from Darcy than usual. Shx's still jacked in, but hxr body is colder.] [It looks like hxr eyes are fully dark.] R: Darcy? [Upon closer inspection, there is static. It's faint.] R: Darcy. R: You there? [Rat wraps its arms around hxr.] [Darcy's breathing is barely detectable.] R: Darcy. R: Gxrl. R: You done? R: Darcy? [Rat shakes hxr lightly. Darcy does not react.] R: Aren't you usually done by now? [Rat kisses hxr cheek.] R: Come baaaaack. R: Darcy. R: Hello? [Rat shakes hxr a little more vigorously.] R: Stop playing with me, gxrl. [Rat kisses hxr on the mouth.] [Darcy is unresponsive.] R: I know you're in there. R: Or in the computer, or whatever. R: Can you hear me? R: Can you hear me?! R: Darcy! R: Come back!! [Rat hugs Darcy tighter. It strokes hxr hair over and over.] R: Come back, bring my gxrlfriend back. R: Bring my gxrlfriend back!! [The tears won't stop.] R: Come back! I know you're there! [Rat's voice echoes through the empty warehouse. She's the only one who hears it.] [She breaks down.]
[Time passes.] [There's a buzz and a shower of sparks. The main jack ejects itself.] [There's static.] D: [static] D: ##. D: # .. r D: … rra D: ##t? D: i [Rat is still clinging to Darcy. Its nails are digging into hxr skin.] [One hand brushes Rat's hair to the side.] D: you D: oh [She's asleep.] D: t D: tea D: rs D: im D: # s###o D: rr#y
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mimisempai · 8 months
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Addicted to your softness
Summary
Crowley overhears a conversation between Maggie and Nina and learns from them how Shaw spoke to his angel.
Notes
If you look at that scene when Shax mocks Aziraphale's love of food, his softness, look at Aziraphale's face and you'll be heartbroken like me.
On Ao3
Rating G -  1562 words
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At Aziraphale's request, Crowley was on his way to pick up a classical music record that the angel had ordered from Maggie. As he walked through the door of the record store, Crowley realized that Maggie wasn't there and was about to call out to her when he heard a voice.
"Nina, I assure you, I'm fine."
Crowley was torn between leaving and staying to tell his angel some gossip.
"But as for this demon, I no longer know their name -"
"Shax."
Shax? Why were they talking about Shax?
"Yes, Shax, what they said to you was extremely hurtful. And I don't want you to think that..."
Maggie's voice interrupted her, "Nina, everything you told me was stuff I've heard before. But I know who I am and what I'm worth. What hurts me more is what they said to Mr. Fell."
"He said you could call him Aziraphale."
They talked about his Aziraphale?
"Yes, Aziraphale. I think he seemed more affected by what they said to him than I was."
Crowley couldn't stand it any longer and joined them in the back room, "What did Shax say to him?"
Both women gasped and Maggie hesitated.
Crowley insisted, "Tell me everything."
Maggie replied quietly, "I don't remember the exact words, but they insisted he was soft, mocked the fact that he liked to eat so much, and asked if they should get him some sushi, and Mr. - Aziraphale looked almost sad for a moment.
That bitch, Crowley thought, feeling anger well up inside him on behalf of Aziraphale.
"Hey, you're not going to pull that lightning trick again, are you?"
Nina's voice snapped him out of his spiral and he shook his head. The coffee shop owner then asked him gently, "Do you need any coffee, like 6 shots of espresso?"
Crowley shook his head, "No, on the other hand, I want six of your biggest Eccles Cakes, if you've got any left."
Nina nodded, kissed Maggie on the cheek, and said to Crowley, "Come on, I'll give you this."
As they walked to the coffee shop, Nina asked him, "Are you going to be okay?"
Crowley replied, "Yeah... no... I hate the idea of him... anyway, let's just say his last employer never really treated him right, even though he never did anything wrong, so..."
Nina nodded, "I know, even if Maggie and I aren't, weren't, well, anyway, when that old witch talked to her like that, if it hadn't been a demon, I don't know if I could have held back. So I can only imagine now that you and he..."
"Yeah." Crowley replied simply as they reached the coffee shop. Nina quickly disappeared behind the counter and returned with a plate of Eccles cakes, which she handed to Crowley, saying, "This is on me. Take good care of him."
Crowley nodded and stomped out of the coffee shop, heading straight for the bookshop.
As he entered, he spotted Aziraphale standing in front of one of the shelves and called to him, "Angel, may I tempt you to a little snack?" 
As the Angel turned, he showed him the plate of cakes, pleased to see his eyes brighten as he nodded eagerly.
Crowley asked, "Isn't Muriel here?"
Aziraphale shook his head as he followed, "No, while studying the books they came across a compendium of the city's monuments and expressed a desire to explore the city."
"Oh, very well," Crowley replied, placing the plate of cakes on the small table, "Sit down and I'll bring you a cup of tea."
"Oh, you're an angel, thank you."
Crowley turned and replied with a cheeky smile, "No, angel, that's you."
He heard the angel chuckle as he entered the small kitchen to prepare the tea. 
A few moments later, he returned to Aziraphale with the tea and sat down next to him after placing the cup in front of him.
He handed the plate to Aziraphale, who greedily grabbed the cake and lifted it to his mouth.
Crowley couldn't help but smile at the various sounds of pleasure the angel made as he tasted the cake.
"What's the matter?" the angel asked, looking confused as he finished the first cake.
Crowley shook his head, "Nothing's wrong," then handed him the plate.
Aziraphale picked up another cake and asked with a smile, "Are you afraid I'm not eating enough?"
Crowley replied, "Nothing of the sort, angel, I just want you to eat what you feel like."
Having just bitten into the cake, Aziraphale smiled back, "That's sweet of you, but also a little strange."
I want you to forget what that idiot said to you.
"Crowley, my dear, I find you a little weird. Not that I dislike your attentions, but I have a strange feeling. Is something wrong?"
Crowley shook his head and replied, "No, nothing, eat."
The angel frowned and said in a falsely scolding tone, "Crowley...no lies between us. I sense there's something on your mind. I may often be oblivious, but I can see that you're upset about something."
Crowley sighed and replied, "I just heard from Maggie what Shax said to you that night.
Aziraphale looked puzzled at first, then Crowley caught the moment when the demon's words came back to his mind and immediately saw the angel's expression as he shrugged and said softly, "It's nothing I haven't heard before, at least Hell and Heaven are connected on this."
Confused, Crowley asked, "What do you mean?"
Aziraphale explained, "It's nothing much, Gabriel used to chastise me too for eating human food and that it made me soft." He unconsciously ran his hand over his stomach, but Crowley saw it and grabbed it, saying, "You know that's crap, don't you?"
"Well..." Aziraphale breathed, looking away, "for two people to be talking about it, there must be something to it."
Crowley grabbed his chin and turned his head toward him, saying in a firm voice, "I'm telling you, it's crap. It's coming from two people who are incapable of enjoying life -even if that's no longer true for his former royal smugness. You know, watching you eat is one of my favorite things, Angel?"
The angel shook his head gently, "How could it be?"
He gently ran his thumb over the angel's lips and replied, "When you eat, you look absolutely delighted, you're the picture of bliss, and I don't see the angel anymore, I only see you, Aziraphale. You don't hold back, and it's like seeing you fly on your own wings, if you'll allow me the metaphor. Forget what they told you, both of them. Don't be ashamed of who you are. Yes, you're soft, but so what?"
Crowley wrapped his arms around Aziraphale's waist and pressed his cheek against his stomach before continuing, "I like that softness, and I wouldn't have you any other way. And besides, it's all mine now."
He felt the angel laugh softly against him, then felt his hands settle into his hair, forcing him to lift his head.
Aziraphale leaned toward him and said softly, his voice trembling slightly, "Thank you..."
"Thank you for what, Angel?"
The angel replied softly, "For always telling me what I need to hear. Always."
On the wall, after telling the demon how he had given away his flaming sword, Aziraphale worried, "I hope I didn't do the wrong thing.
The demon looked at him, smiled, and said gently, "Oh, you're an angel. I don't think you can do the wrong thing."
********
Aziraphale said in a desperate voice, "I lied. To thwart the will of God."
Crawley nodded and replied in a gentle tone, "Yes, you did, but... I won't tell anyone," then turning to him, he added, " Are you?"
Aziraphale didn't answer, so the demon continued, "No. Then nothing has to change, does it?"
Aziraphale sat down on the bench and asked, lost, "But what am I?"
Crawley replied comfortingly, "You're just an angel who goes along with Heaven as far as he can.”
Crowley straightened and, cupping the Angel's face in his hands, replied gently, "Angel, I've never told you anything but the truth, nothing more. Just as I'm telling you today. I want to keep seeing you enjoy what you love. I want to keep seeing your eyes light up when you see a dessert that should be banned for its sugar content. I want to keep hearing you marvel because you've just discovered a new restaurant. Because that's who you are, and that's who I love."
When he heard Aziraphale gasp, Crowley realized what he had just said and didn't regret it, knowing it was the perfect moment. He leaned in to kiss the angel, but Aziraphale shook his head and pushed him a little, "W-Wait, Crowley!"
Crowley replied, "Don't even bother asking me if I'm sure, because..."
"I love you too, you idiot!"
"Oh..."
They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. Only they could have this kind of declaration of love, chaotic and messy, but so them in the end.
When they had calmed down, Aziraphale repeated more softly, "I love you."
Crowley didn't answer, closing the distance and pressing his lips to the angel's in a kiss that celebrated a love that had been sown many millennia ago, that had taken time to grow and was finally blossoming into the light.
_________
Still not beta'd
Still not my native language
Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰
Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝
Ineffable Growing Love series : here (After season 2)
Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here (Before season 2)
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pink-tonic · 4 days
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Eye-Catching📰
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Warnings: None
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"I have an idea for a new article!" Taeko exclames.
I tilt my head, "What do you have in mind?"
"The leader of the Sports Club just came back from a swimming tournament, and he won! I think that it would be an interesting article to write," she explains to me. Her eyes are practically begging me to give her my approval.
"Sure! I think it would be interesting to hear how he won. When do you want to interview him?" I ask her, and in that moment, I can see a smile form on her face.
"Let's do it right after school!"
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
"I'm kind of nervous," Taeko shyly admits to me. We're already heading to where the Sports Club meets, but I guess she's starting to get more nervous as we approach them.
"Don't worry about it! It'll be really quick! And I'll be asking the questions, so you just have to record his voice," I tell her, hoping that what I say will ease her nervousness.
"Yeah, that's fine. It doesn't seem too bad."
After a minute or two of further walking, we make it to where Rito is. He's currently waiting for the rest of the members to come out of the locker room, but in the meantime, he is doing short stretches to prepare himself for the exercise he is going to do.
"Um... excuse me!" Taeko calls out to the blond athlete.
Rito stops his stretching and looks over towards us. He waves at us, and we return it back.
"Hey, there! What brings the two of you here?" Rito asks us as he looks at the both of us.
"We're here from the Newspaper Club, and we're wondering if we could interview you? If we can do it quickly right now, that would be great!" I explain to Rito, hoping that he would accept my interview.
"Yeah, of course! I would totally love to do an interview! Go ahead and ask," he tells us.
"Oh! Can we record your voice? It would be easier than to write every word you say," Taeko asks him. I can see that she's still nervous even after asking him such a simple question.
"Yeah, that's fine with me!" Rito agrees.
Taeko takes out her phone and taps on the recorder app, and starts recording Rito. I then open my notebook and look for the questions that I already made ahead of time.
"Okay, the first question is how did the tournament go?" I ask the star athlete.
"It went amazing! And I'm saying that partly because I won, and also because I met some really great people there too. Super ambitious people, and that's what I like to see. I hope to be able to do it next year!" Rito happily answers me. A smile is present on his face with every word he says, and you can see the joy in his eyes as he thinks back about the past weeks.
"Students around the school really love your lively personality. They want to know how you got this personality?" I ask one of the questions that Taeko came up with.
"Hmmm... I don't know, actually," Rito tells us before letting out a light chuckle, "It's just who I am if I'm being honest. I've always been this way since I was a child. I guess doing what I love has made me so lively."
"And on that note, when did you find out that you liked doing sports? Did you recently get into it, or did you like doing it while you were younger?" I ask him, diverting from my original questions in order to know more about his past.
"Ever since I was a child, too! At first, I was really into basketball and running, but then I started to swim, and I basically got addicted to it! It's all I've ever been doing since I was, like, ten.
I look over to my right, and I start to notice that the other Sports Club members are starting to come out, so I decide to hurry up.
"We're almost done here. But I'm wondering what type of advice you would give to people who want to do sports or people who don't have much motivation in general?"
"When it comes to sports, I would say to try it and see what happens. Yeah, sure, you'll be new to it and you might not be that great, but the fun part is learning. The more you practice and the more you learn, you'll see how far you've come! When it comes to motivation, I usually motivate myself by reminding myself what I have to look forward to! It can be something small or something big, it doesn't matter! As long as it means something to me - and in this case to you, then that's all that matters!"
"And to end it off, what is something that no one else knows about you?" I ask him the final question, and I close my notebook.
"I have a pet goldfish! And he is my daily motivation," he answers with a heartfelt laugh.
Taeko stops the recording and saves it to her phone.
"It was great talking with you, Rito! This will get published as soon as possible! Thank you for doing it with us."
"Yeah, no problem!"
We start to leave the area, but as we leave I see a familiar face.
It's Ayato.
I notice him, but it doesn't seem that he notices me. He seems to be in some sort of daze, as if he is thinking really hard about something.
To others, it would look like he is just daydreaming, but I'm filled with concern due to how dangerous he can be. What is he planning this time?
"That went really well, actually," Taeko tells me.
I'm taken out of my thoughts, and I snap back to reality. "Yeah, it really was," I quickly respond.
"He is super nice! No wonder people like him so much," Taeko starts off, "I can't wait to publish this in the paper!"
Maybe I'm thinking too hard about this. I shouldn't worry too much, right? Maybe this week will be normal for once.
I continue to walk beside Taeko as we go back to the clubroom, so the meeting can start.
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