#i am not ready to wake up at the ass crack of Dawn | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wlntrsldler · 3 months

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poisoned mercury | everybody talks

a/n: don't love this chapter. definitely a filler, but the next chapter is much more fun!

iii. everybody talks by neon trees

series masterlist | previous | next

tagged chrisr0driguez, travisstoll, and connorstoll.

lukecastell4n: little break but we'll be back so soon poisonedmercury

poisonedmercuryfan: new music????????

castell4nsgf: omg im excited

stollsluvr: ME TOO

chrisr0driguez: we miss you guys already!

lukecastell4n: fr, we miss seeing your beautiful faces on tour :(

travisstoll: working hard

lukecastell4n: hardly working 🥱

connorstoll: give me my guitar back

lukecastell4n: no

“mornin’ five star,” luke tossed you one of your probiotic drinks from the fridge as you entered the kitchen.

you caught it seamlessly, mumbling a quick thank you. it wasn’t even seven am, but the two of you were already awake. it became a routine since it seemed like you both had the same idea. your coach told you that you needed to workout, even though you were on probation, in the off-chance that you’ll be allowed to play again when the season starts. you figured that the campers would be enjoying their vacations and sleeping in so you’d have the community gym to yourself. unfortunately for you, luke castellan was an early bird.

your gym schedules synced up and you often found yourself having to make small talk with him in the kitchen while you filled up your water bottle before you ditched him to head to the gym. he would trail a respectable distance behind you, giving you your space, as he walked to the gym. the two of you did your separate workouts, sneaking glances at one another because it was a little awkward that you lived together, went to the gym at the same time, but didn’t talk to each other.

it wasn’t for a lack of trying on luke’s part. he’d tried to talk to you a few times, but it seemed to not be a good idea to start a conversation before you had your morning coffee. it was funny for the first few days, but he was afraid that it would quickly cross the boundary of being quirky and cute to being straight-up annoying. he lived with you and he showed mercy to the rest of your cabinmates by not pushing your buttons. too much.

he still occasionally indulged in bickering with you, which seemed to be all of your conversations. you always found something new to argue with him about. your dad was right about you being hard-headed and stubborn, but for some reason, luke didn’t mind. his days at camp were fun, at least, as fun as a summer camp could be, and your interactions kept him on his toes. the usual schedule of meals, rehearsals, and attempts to write new songs, became repetitive after a few days, but with you in his face, ready to argue at any moment, it felt like there was something to look forward to.

you took the foil off your drink, downing it in one go. you tossed it in the recycling bin before turning to him, “do you go to the gym at this hour to spite me?”

luke chuckled, cracking open a red bull, “the word doesn’t revolve around you, you know?”

“i know that,” you rolled your eyes, “but you can go to the gym any time in the day and you choose to go at the ass crack of dawn. why?”

“it’s peaceful,” he shrugged, “the machines are empty and i don’t have to wait. it’s nice.”

“that’s why i go this early.”

“see,” he smiled, tilting his head. “great minds think alike.”

you grimaced at his comparison, scrunching your face up. the sun was beginning to rise causing an orange glow to cast on your face. despite waking up so early and sleeping so late– he’d heard you come in with clarisse at 3 am this morning after a late-night smoke session, luke couldn’t see a trace of tiredness on your features. luke envied you. he definitely did not look that good after 3 hours of sleep.

you fixed the zipper of your sweater, adjusting the bottom of it to better fit your hips. you were wearing a tight-fitting workout outfit, black nike pros, and the usual vans you wore when you worked out. your hair was in a high ponytail keeping it out of your face, which was a good thing. he’d seen how intense your workouts were and you definitely didn’t need to have your hair in your face while you leg pressed 275.

“i just feel like i see you everywhere,” you commented, “and everyone just wants to talk about you.”

luke’s eyes twinkled, “what do they say?”

“luke castellan is so talented, luke castellan is so hot, blah, blah, blah,” you imitated the words you’d heard from other campers, sighing in discontent. “like shut up already. i thought that it would die down after the first day of you guys being here, but it’s been a week and it’s the same thing.”

luke followed you out the cabin door, walking beside you for the first time since you both started going to the gym at the same time, “well, do you agree with them?”

you stopped in your tracks, turning to face him. your eyes raked over his face and his body, contemplating. you weren’t blind. you understood why people said what they said about him. luke castellan was attractive with his curls and toned arms and his stupid full lips, which seemed to always be in a smirk, but the hype was too much. and poisoned mercury’s music was good– great even, but you needed to hear something other than how muscular luke castellan was or how his scar made him look rugged or how his voice sounded like angels singing. you were at your breaking point.

luke stood there, rocking back and forth on his toes and the balls of his feet, patiently waiting until you made up your mind. your lips formed a tight line, “i don’t see it.”

“fuck, five star,” luke scoffed, unable to stop the smile on his face. he shook his head, curls bouncing around, “you sure know how to make a guy feel special.”

“don’t need to fuel your ego any more than everyone else does,” you replied, continuing your walk to the gym.

you didn’t seem to mind that luke continued to walk beside you, which was progress, in luke’s mind. his bandmates have been on his ass about trying to be friends with you since the rest of them developed friendships with you and clarisse over the week they’d been here.

he’d seen you on the couch with chris watching tiktok videos on how to properly take care of his curls a few times. (luke was not stealing some of the curl cream that chris bought per your recommendation. his curls just suddenly became a lot more defined recently.) he watched you play darts with travis at the activities center and argued with him about why he didn’t need to buy a dart set for the cabin. (he agreed with you there. there was an incident in atlanta where connor was sent to the er because travis managed to lodge a dart in connor’s calf after losing a game.) he once saw you, clarisse, and connor return from a swim in the lake in the middle of the night when he stayed up trying to write a song. (the song remains unfinished on his notepad, tucked safely away on his bedside table. he had no inspiration to write any music at the moment.)

again, it wasn’t for his lack of trying. you just didn’t seem interested in forming a relationship with him outside of being roommates. it was getting to him. just a little bit. he found himself thinking of you a lot. the boys started to comment on how he hadn’t gotten with anyone at camp yet, despite getting numerous offers from older campers and head counselors alike, but luke shrugged it off and said that he didn’t want to start drama so early on in the summer. it wasn’t a lie, per se, but it wasn’t the whole truth. for some reason, he just couldn’t get you out of his head.

“i can’t control what people say,” luke said after a moment. “i’m sure it must be so annoying to hear about how great i am.”

“you are so full of yourself,” you groaned, shooting daggers in his direction. this made him laugh. “you know what you can control, though?”

“what?”

“the mess you make in the cabin,” you replied, “seriously, you guys have been here a week and the cabin already looks like a fucking frat house.”

luke thought about the state of the common area. you were right. the cabin was a mess, empty cans everywhere, crumbs on every surface, and wires from the playstation scattered across the living room floor. the boys weren’t the neatest, they were teenagers after all, and luke had to clean up after them more times than he could count. having his mom on tour meant that he often got stuck with clean-up duty.

“hey, don’t blame me,” he raised his hands up in defense. “i recycle.”

“aren’t you a model citizen?” you remarked sarcastically, opening the door to the gym. you pursed your lips, staring at luke. “yeah, i still don’t get it.”

luke snorted, smiling at you, “have a good workout, five star. looking forward to walking home in silence with you.”

when you didn’t say anything else, but threw up the middle finger as you walked away, luke couldn’t help but stare at your figure before you disappeared from his view. what a way to start his day.

–

“hi, luke,” two girls called as they passed by the boys, waving flirtily at the lead singer.

luke sent them a smile back, tossing a wink to them that made them giggle as they walked away. it was a miracle that there were no news leaks about where they were. luke’s mom was happy that this arrangement was working out.

travis swung an arm around luke, “c’mon castellan, save some girls for the rest of us.”

luke pushed his arm off, laughing, “trav, didn’t you literally go home with a girl on our first night here?”

“ah, yes, stacy,” travis sighed, dreamily, smirking to himself as he recalled his first night at camp. he shook his head, facing luke again, “but seriously, castellan, ten girls have said hi to you since we left dinner and you’re flirting with them but not doing anything about it.”

“i promised my mom i’d be good this summer,” he shrugged, stuffing his hands in his front pockets as he led the boys into the cabin. “and i told you guys, it’s too early to start shit. we got the whole summer. spread out your escapades, stoll.”

luke thought that being back at camp half blood would bring back some terrible memories, especially his last summer there. it was the summer right after his dad left and luke was miserable. he was a moody 8-year-old who yelled at everybody who tried to be his friend, which resulted in him being alone all summer. he sat in the back of the room during music lessons, refused to participate in the end-of-summer performance, and on many nights, cried himself to sleep because he missed his dad. he felt pathetic.

but so far, surprisingly, camp was actually nice. at his core, luke was a music fanatic, so it was energizing for him to get to talk about his music and his journey to stardom. his favorite interaction so far was with two, younger boys, who enthusiastically approached him and said that they were learning how to play guitar and sing because they looked up to the band. it was a little concerning at first, given that the band’s reputation wasn’t necessarily kid-appropriate, but he appreciated the sentiment. grover and percy walked away grinning from ear to ear when luke made them promise that they’d stop by again soon to show him their progress.

luke sat on the bar chair, watching as connor and chris turned on the playstation, mumbling about a rematch on 2k to prove that one was better than the other. many things changed in all of their lives, but some things stayed the same. they were still just four best friends; the difference was, now, they got to travel the world together doing what they loved.

chris and luke met in their freshman english class. chris let it slip that he was learning how to play bass because his mom warned him that if he broke another bone trying to skateboard, he’d have to walk to the hospital himself. she was joking, of course, but chris figured that after two years of failed attempts at learning how to skate, he should hang it up.

he decided to try his hand at music and the bass became his new hyperfixation. they started writing music in luke’s old bedroom in connecticut shortly after. for years, the songs were just for them. they recorded it on shitty equipment and used garageband to fill in the instrumentals until they met the stolls. the stolls, luke’s neighbors who moved into town when luke was 16, heard them trying to figure out a hook for a song they were writing and offered some help. travis, with connor behind him, introduced themselves and the rest is history.

poisoned mercury was born. travis convinced the other three that their music was good, that they should go out and play at local cafes and bars. at 16, luke became the front man of poisoned mercury. the song the four of them wrote together on their first day as a band, became the lead single of their debut album. kilby girl spent thirteen weeks on billboard top 50 and in less than a year and a half, the boys had a record deal with olympus records and they were heading off to start the north american leg of their world tour.

you walked into the cabin with clarisse, laughing as she explained the incident that caused her to have glitter all over her face and her hair. one of her campers was having trouble opening the glitter jar and when she came over to help, the top popped off and glitter sprayed all over her.

“i feel glitter everywhere,” she shuddered, “i need a shower before we help out with concert prep.”

you looked around the cabin, grimacing, “it smells like boy in here.”

“it’s our bachelor pad,” travis called out from the kitchen. he walked out into the living room with a fresh hot pocket in his hand, eyes widening at the sight of clarisse, “woah, what happened to you?”

“arts and crafts day,” clarisse cringed, falling into the couch cushions. “i’m gonna be covered in glitter for days.”

“hey, watch out,” connor paused the game he was playing with chris, shoving clarisse slightly. “you’re gonna get glitter everywhere.”

“ah, yes, because having glitter is going to ruin the aesthetic of empty cans and half-eaten chip bags?” clarisse cocked an eyebrow, pointing at the mess the boys made. you and her were engaged in a passionate rant about how much it sucked living with teenage boys before your arrival to the cabin.

“we’ll clean up,” chris rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly glancing at clarisse. you had a feeling that cleaning was the last thing on their agenda.

you sat on the bar stool across from luke, “i didn’t expect to live in the mojo dojo casa house this summer.”

“the what?”

“from barbie,” you replied, “when the kens take over barbieland?”

luke shook his head, “haven’t seen it.”

of course, he hasn’t seen it. clarisse and the boys fell into a conversation about how she accidentally got glitter bombed. luke watched you as you mindlessly scrolled through your phone, occasionally letting a chuckle leave your lips when you found something funny. he felt a little creepy staring at you like this, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off you.

the sun was shining behind you, a soft glow framing your face and it made your brown eyes look like pools of honey. your nose piercing was iridescent under the light, which made luke’s eyebrows raise in surprise. he thought it was just plain silver, but when you tilted your head in certain directions, he could see sparkles of purple and pink. your long hair was thrown messily over your shoulders, a few tangles here and there, and the god-awful, orange camp half blood shirt you wore actually suited you. luke was a firm believer that nobody looked good in orange until he saw you in it.

“you’re staring,” you mumbled, looking up at him. “don’t tell me i have glitter on my face now too.”

luke cleared his throat, playing with the chain around his neck, “yeah, like a tiny speck on your cheek.”

you groaned, rubbing the right side of your face, “is it gone?”

you didn’t actually have any glitter on your face, but luke figured it would be less awkward to say that you did instead of telling you that he was staring just to stare. he nodded, “you got it.”

“thanks, i cannot deal with glitter,” you got up, walking over to the group. “hey, we can use some help with prep for next week’s concert if you guys are free.”

“we’re not doing anything, right?” connor looked around. travis and chris shook their heads. “what about you, castellan?”

“nah, i can’t,” luke said, “promised mom i’d try to write at least one song this summer and i’ve been in a rut so i think i’ll try to do that. you guys have fun though.”

“perfect,” you smiled, “we can leave after clar gets out the shower.”

they sent you a thumbs-up before you walked into your room. clarisse disappeared into the bathroom shortly after. luke took clarisse’s spot once you both left. he propped his feet up on the small table in front of him, leaning back on his seat. he waited patiently for the sound of the showers to turn on before he spoke, “she’s hot.”

“yeah, she is,” chris said, hitting play on their game.

“don’t even think about it, castellan. when i said start a relationship with her, this is not what i meant,” connor remarked, shaking his head, “we are not gonna fuck up our relationship with mr. d because you can’t keep it in your pants.”

“oh, you’re talking about y/n?” the three boys stared at chris, who sunk into his seat, blushing furiously. luke narrowed his eyes at chris, a playful smile on his lips. he’ll have to ask him about that later.

travis blinked, bringing his attention to his brother, “s’not like castellan has a chance anyway.”

luke’s head snapped to travis, “what’s that supposed to mean?”

“i mean she’s out of your league, big guy,” travis shrugged.

“well, yeah,” luke rubbed his jaw. he wasn’t that dumb to believe that you were in his league. you were lightyears ahead of him. he’d been rejected before, of course he had, but not since poisoned mercury got big– again, really bad for his ego – but he’d never been counted out before he even threw his hat in the ring.

“i’m with trav on this one, luke. don’t fuck it up.”

luke stared at his friends in disbelief, “can’t y’all have a little faith in me?”

“no,” they said in unison.

“fuck you guys,” luke flipped them off, ignoring their snickers. “i’m going for a smoke.”

he really needed to get you out of his head.

#frances writes #poisoned mercury #luke castellan x reader #luke castellan imagine #luke castellan pjo #luke castellan fanfic #luke castellan #luke pjo #luke castellan x yn #luke castellan x y/n #luke castellan x you #percy jackson fanfic #percy jackson

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slvt4em1lyprenti2s · 7 days

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Shy?

Masterlist

Criminal Minds Masterlist Emily Prentiss Masterlist

Summary: Professor!Emily x fem!student reader, what happens when profesor prentiss and the reader finally give into their feelings?

Word count: 1.5k

TW: Making out, I think that’s it?

Pairing: Emily Prentiss x female reader

A/N: Should I make this a series? Idk it might be fun!

Studying behavioural profiling is, well, different. It’s like science, criminology and psychology and smooshed into one subject. But the best thing about it, you ask? The teacher. Emily Prentiss is the most divine woman to ever step foot on this earth and no one can tell me otherwise. The way she strides along the front of the lecture all, her raven hair that falls in front of her face when she bends down to click something on her laptop, her eyes that always seem to find mine in a room full of students, her veiny hands that brush over mine when giving back a test. Ugh god, I swear I’m falling in love with this woman.

It’s 7:45 am on a Wednesday and I’m walking across campus so I can get to lesson a little early to touch up my notes from my other class with Agent Morgan and to go over my- okay I’m bullshtting I just want to see Emily. And to be honest, I think I’m one of her more favourite students so I think she doesn’t mind me being early.

I push open the door to the lecture hall and start walking down the steps, laptop bag slung over my shoulder that contained notebooks, pens, pencils etc, all the essentials. In my hand I held a travel coffee mug with my favourite hot chocolate in it because I wasn’t too partial to coffee. As I reach the front row I notice that Professor Prentiss has been following me with her eyes and watching the sway of my hips as I walked in. ”Morning Professor.” I try to say as if her eyes all over me weren’t causing a blush to creep up my neck. I took a quick check behind me finding out I was the only one in the room.

“Hi, y/n. How are you today?” She asked her eyes staring into mine, genuinely curious.

”Good thank you, tired but good, what about you?” I smile as she chuckles lightly at my comment.

“Just about the same as you darling.” She replies with a smirk on her face seeing my face instantly bloom with red at the pet name. I shuffle my bag slightly before she says “I was out on a case for the last two or so days and I, only just, made it back in time to teach you guys. Lucky me hey? The only reason I’m even slightly okay with having to wake up at the ass crack of dawn is because of students like you. You actually listen and care, god knows that kind of work ethic is rare these days.” Emily looks exhausted and about ready to jump into bed at any second but the words that she said seem to cloud my head so I don’t pay much attention to her disheveled state.

Students like me? What does that even mean? Well, she explained what it meant but I still wasn’t convinced. Nonetheless I responded “Yeah, it really is. All the people in this class want to be profilers or something along the lines of such and yet none of them take their education seriously. I want to throw something at them every time they talk over you. I might actually do it one day, it's so annoying!” She smiles fondly at my words making a cage of butterflies escape into my stomach and I smile back.

“Now, I can’t have you throwing things at people, can I now sweetheart? That’ll get you kicked off the course. And I don’t think you want that, I certainly don’t want that, and besides don’t worry about the others. You’re doing amazing ah, that reminds me can you stay behind at the end? I just want to speak to you about your grade on our most recent exam. It’s nothing bad, I promise. You’ve done exceptionally well, in fact so well that I want to talk to you about further opportunities you have open to you.” She places her hand on my shoulder as we now stand face to face, she got up halfway through talking to lean on the front of her desk. I smile and subconsciously lean into her touch. The remains of the blush from the pet names yet again lingers but I say a small “Thank you Professor.”

At that moment the door to the lecture hall swings open revealing another student in their own little world unaware of the building tension in the room. I give her one last smile and go make my way to a seat in the front row. I get out my laptop and notebook and start writing the dates and titles. I could feel eyes on me the whole time, I look up and lock eyes with Emily, finding her already looking at me. She sent me a wink and glanced back down at whatever she was working on. A crimson flush invaded my face and I returned my eyes to my page.

After the lesson I packed up slower than normal so that I’d be able to stay behind a little longer than she probably ment. I put my laptop in my bag and zip it up and grab my now empty hot chocolate. I walk up to Profesor Prentiss’ desk and find she’s already looking at me, again.

“You know, you should stop staring at me so much. People might get the wrong idea.” I say, suddenly feeling confident, a teasing smirk on my lips.

“What if I want them to get the wrong idea? What if I want them to think you’re mine?” I quickly shut up at that remark, all my confidence suddenly disappeared and I turned into putty. Heat rose to my cheeks and my head dipped to avoid her piercing gaze, it wasn’t mean, more admiration. But, any look from Emily Prentiss is intense. “Cat got your tongue honey?” She had a shit eating grin on her face as she saw me nod slowly.

“Anyway, your grade! Okay you scared the highest in the class, and you got full marks. This isn’t anything new for you I'm sure, you’re a bright young woman. But, scoring this high in a test this hard, it opens doors for you. So, I’m here to offer you a chance to shadow me and the team for a week to see how we handle cases and what the job entails really. I also wanted to let you know that if you have any interest in joining the team I would accept you in a heartbeat. You’re a brilliant profiler.” Yet again for what feels like the millionth time today, heat rises to my cheeks. She stalks the way round her desk and stands in front of it.

“That sounds amazing, oh my god, really?” A smile broke out on my face immediately. She looked pleased at my reaction and took a step closer.

“Yeah of course really, why would I joke?” She laughed softly. I muttered a small ‘true’ and kept shamelessly checking her out as she still came closer to me and lowered her lips down to my ear and whispered, “Do I make you nervous darling? Is that why you get all shy whenever I’m around?” I nodded again while looking down, her hand found my chin and tilted it up. “Look at me when I’m talking to you.” I felt a strange tingling in my lower stomach as she said that.

I looked her in the eye and she bought me closer. “Is this okay?” she muttered, her breath fanning across my face due to the proximity.

“Yes.” I breathed out. That was all the confirmation she needed to softly press her lips to mine. She held me like I might break at any minute, so tentative and caring it made my heart flutter. My hands found their way around my waist and I pulled her closer. She moved us around so now I was the one against the desk as she deepened the kiss, her tongue moving into my mouth. I instantly let her take control of the kiss and press her hips against mine. A small whine left my lips and I lent into her arms which were on my hips.

She pulled away and looked into my eyes before whispering, just to me even though there was no one else there, “I don’t want this to just be a fling, just to make that clear.” I smiled wide and pecked her lips once more.

“Neither do I.” She pulled me in again and we kissed with smiles on both of our faces. We knew we would have to be a secret for a while obviously but it didn’t stop me from fantasising about what was to come.

#wlw #lesbian #wlw fanfic #lesbian pride #emily prentiss #emily prentiss x reader #emily prentiss x you #sapphic #criminal minds #wlw pride #emily prentiss x female reader #emily prentiss x y/n

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thegnomelord · 6 months

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Prompt #13? With gaz and soap if you dont mind (i dont know if i have to ask for smut or not but can u make it smut?)

anon you are so lucky you asked for smut because I was SO ready to make this as angsty as I could but smut it is :Dd Play the game HERE

Prompt: "Get up."

CW:NSFW, Top Mreader, Sub bot Soap, Switch Kyle, fluff, mutual masturbation, frotting, sleepy sex, Johnny being needy.

The sun rises slowly on the horizon, sending rays of soft sunlight filtering through the blinds only for them to fall into Kyle's face. He flutters his bleary eyes for a few seconds before closing them again; the morning air is cold and he pulls the covers further over himself, nuzzling his face into your neck.

Kyle smiles as your body curls around him, your voice hoarse as you mutter a low "Morning?". You feel him shake his head, grumbling something under his breath, not at all ready to wake up. "Yeah," You hum, already half asleep yourself. Neither one of you are morning people, content to share each others warmth and sleep to the final minute.

Unfortunately you're dating the human version of a golden retriever.

"Oi," You feel the bed dip behind you, Johnny's cold hands settling on your shoulder. "Get up."

"No." You groan, pulling Kyle closer to yourself, pointedly ignoring Johnny. "Cold." You add; you still don't know how Johnny can wake up before dawn shows it's ass crack to do his morning run and exercise.

"You worried of freezing yer chebs off?" Soap persists, shaking your shoulder. "C'mon, I'm bored."

"If Kyle's not up, neither am I." You grunt, cracking your eyelids just enough to catch his scowl, looking him up and down to see his body covered in sweat, dressed in a loose top and figure hugging shorts— Any other day you would have been tempted to pull him down and eat him, but now you only close your eyes and relax back into the pillows when Kyle shuffles to nuzzle his face into your neck.

"That so," Soap's words would have set alarm bells in your head had you been more awake, but sleepy as you are you think nothing of it when you feel Soap's weight shift off the bed.

That is until a pillow slams down on Gaz's face, clipping you in the process.

"Fuck- Soap!" Gaz yelps, pressing his arm over his head and using you as a human shield. It's no use as Johnny's as accurate with the pillow as he is with any gun.

"Sun's in the sky already, wake up." Johnny just giggles like a child, only stopping his soft assault when you sit up, the cold air having free reign to gnaw on your skin when the sheets pool around your torso seeing as you like sleeping naked.

"Alright," You suppress a shiver as you push the covers off yourself, putting some distance between yourself and Kyle. Your eyes settle on Johnny who's grinning like a loon, thinking he's won. "if you want to be a nuisance so be it."

"Wot-" Before Johnny can say anything you grab him by the shirt and pull him down into the space you created, swiftly pulling the sheets over yourself before you freeze your cock off.

You catch Kyle smirking lovingly as you trap Soap between you two, amused how Johnny just submits to you without complaint when your hands slide across his body. "You were doing that on purpose." Gaz chuckles.

"Ah dinnae ken wot yer talking about." Johnny huffs but shuffles to kiss him, starting to pant. There's always a certain thrill he gets when he's surrounded by you two, your firm chest pressing into his back and chest to chest with Kyle, pressing so firmly against him he can't even squirm when your hands wander over his body.

"Hmmh," You hun, not believing him for a second, especially when you feel his hard cock tenting his shorts, a small damp spot forming where his tip is. "And this has nothing to do with it?" You murmur in his ear.

"Nuh-uh," He shakes his head, the smug thing he is, purposely pushing his arse back to grind your cock between his cheeks. "But ye've got a problem of yer own."

Kyle snorts, silencing him with another kiss. "Looks to me like you're just looking for trouble." There's a lazy lust in his eyes, making Soap shudder when he slips them beneath his shirt, absentmindedly tweaking a nipple.

"Stap yer haverin'" Johnny moans low and slow against Gaz's lips, "Wouldn't be in this state if ye got up in a proper hour." He huffs, making you think you've spoiled him too much, but it's hard to not do it when he wiggles his hips so eagerly for you the second you start tugging on his waistband.

"You're not going to get fucked faster if you wake us up early." You can already taste the hypocrisy as you peel down his shorts; You're not the least bit surprised when you see he's gone commando, his cock hard and red and leaking against Gaz's equally flushed one.

"Dinnae lads, works just fine." He chuckles, grinning and swiftly tilting his head down to suck a hickey into Gaz's neck, throwing a leg over him to give your wandering better access to his hole.

You're treated to your second surprise-not-surprise as your fingers feel the cool surface of a plug. Kyle meets your eyes and grins, "Thought ahead did he?" He can already tell what you've found just from the look in your eyes, his hand sliding down to grip both of their cocks. "Needed us the second you woke up, yeah?"

Soap groans so beautifully, pleasure dampening his rational thoughts and leading him to nod his head. "Yeah," You tug gently on the plug, the pleased whimper escaping his throat like the angel's choir to your ears, leading you to draw more of those sounds by slowly thrusting the plug into him. Your mouth goes dry at how his walls suck in the plug without any resistance, sweet little 'ah, ah, ah's leaving his lips every time you push the plug in as Kyle strokes up to swipe across their heads, both of you working in tandem to make him buzz with pleasure.

You don't doubt he's stretched enough to take you now, loose as he is from last night and the thought of him working out with a butt plug scrapping against his prostate has blood rushing down to your cock— but no, you're not going to give him what he wants just yet.

"Ah, fuck, lads-" Soap whines, head tipping back to rest on your shoulder and giving you and Kyle access to nip and kiss his neck, his muscles twitching from the constant unending pleasure he's being drip-fed. "-please, want more- it's not enough-"

You pull the plug out fully with a wet 'pop' and the loud needy whine he makes has your brain leaking to your cock. "Yeah, do you think he's earned it?" You ask Kyle, your voice light with mischief, ignoring Soap's whining as you swirl your fingers around his clenching hole, gathering the lube before pushing two finger in to doublecheck he's ready.

"I don't know," Kyle puts on a thoughtful mask, the pace of his hand never increasing or changing no matter how much Soap attempts to buck into him. "I haven't heard any apologies about hitting me with a pillow yet," He smirks and bites Soap's neck.

"Fock-" Soap jumps from the sudden sting of pain and you take the opportunity to press firmly on his prostate, making a small stream of pre dribble from Soap's cockhead, "I'm sorry alright? Now please just- ah focking need it-" Soap sucks in a sharp breath, tears prickling his eyes from the overstimulation.

"Alright, alright," Gaz murmurs and kisses away the wetness around Johnny's eyes, giving you a subtle nod as he increases the pace of his hand, Johnny's precum easing the glide of skin on skin.

"Relax now." You pull your fingers out, quickly using the residual lube on your cock before blindly guiding your tip to his hole, your cock bobbing at how greedily his hole kisses your cockhead, fluttering around nothing. "Breathe," You instruct, feeling Johnny relax against you as you push in.

The angle is awkward given you're all on your sides, but it doesn't seem to be a problem for Johnny from the way he moans, panting like a work horse, his body easily taking you to the hilt in one go, so familiar with your presence inside him he doesn't even struggle to adapt to your shaft splitting him open. "Fuck- that's the spot." Johnny groans, bucking his hips into Gaz's hand, relishing the way your cock scrapes against his walls.

"So eager for us," Kyle hums, letting soft little moans of his own, pleasure buzzing up both of their spines. You set a slow pace, pulling out to the tip of your cock before pushing back inside balls deep, rocking their cocks together into Gaz's hand so all of you drown in hedonistic bliss.

You don't attempt to increase the pace nor does Johnny try to make you speed up, moans filling the silence of your bedroom every time your tip catches on his prostate, every time Kyle strokes up to play with their tips, every time your hips meet Soap's with your cock sitting so deep he swears he can feel it in his throat, every time your hand slides up to pinch Soap's nipple only to slide down to join Gaz's hand for a brief second only to go back up before it becomes too much.

Soap doesn't even notice how close he is until the second Kyle roughly squeezes their tips together and Soap's cumming just like that, whole body shuddering and his tight walls fluttering around you as he bites Kyle's shoulder to muffle his moans, cum spurting from his tip all over Gaz's hand.

You and Kyle aren't too far off, your hips bucking a few more times before you shove your cock as deep as it'll go into Soap's willing walls, cumming deep inside him with his body clenching around you in an attempt to milk you for all you have. You barely catch the swift movement of Kyle's hand and he's following after you, cum spurting across Johnny's front, pleased moans and harsh breaths leaving their chests heaving.

"That take care of you?" You hum as you relax into the mattress, all of you boneless. You don't attempt to pull out, not that you could with how he's clenching around you like a vice.

"Hmh," Johnny hums and nuzzles his head into the crook of Gaz's neck, making Kyle snort and card through Johnny's mohawk with his clean hand, his eyelids hanging low and a yawn leaving his lips.

Perhaps you could squeeze out a few more minutes of sleep...

#Gnome's Prompt Game #cod mw2 #x reader #gnome correspondence #trinkets from the hoard #male reader #top male reader #john soap mactavish #kyle gaz garrick #kyle gaz garrick x male reader #kyle gaz garrick x reader #soap x reader #sub john soap mactavish #john soap mactavish x male reader #john soap mactavish x reader #cod modern warfare

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obsessedelusional · 1 year

Text

Touch Starved

paring ✦ Bella Ramsey x fem!Reader

summary ✦ Your costar Bella and you are busy doing a press tour for the new season of the show you work on together. What happens when people begin to notice the tension between you two?

word count ✦ 1,500ish

authors note ✦ second lil Bella oneshot y’all feel free to request for Bella they have rotted my whole brain I need ideas to write lol

masterlist

FEEDBACK AND REBLOGS APPRECIATED!!!

⊹ ꙳ ✦ ⁺ ‧ ⨯. ⁺ ✦ ⊹

“Did you hear me, Y/N?” The kind lady conducting the interview asks, disrupting your longing gaze at your co-star Bella Ramsey. Working so closely with them for several months, you had formed a tiny crush of them. You tried your best to not make it so obvious but when they were sat next to you hair down and a suit looking so damn fine you couldn’t help it. Sneaking glances all day long. They only made it harder because you couldn’t help but notice how often their hands were on you in some way or another. Usually resting on your hands, fiddling with your fingers. Or one sat on your thighs or one hand holding your lower back. Their hands always found their way to you.

“Sorry, can you repeat it?” You awkwardly let out a laugh before the say it again. You pray that they edit that out.

“What was your favorite part of filming this season?” She smiles, waiting for a response. It happens naturally you eyes dart to Bella who’s sat next to you, her hand rests on your back under your coat. The only thing keeping them from touching your skin the thin shirt wardrobe dressed you in. Their eyes already on you, smile on their lips. You smile back before responding, giving you attention to the interviewer.

“Uh… it was definitely the whole cast. Considering they had already filmed a season before I joined season two, they were all so welcoming. Made me felt like I belonged, very quickly.”

“She fit right in.” Your male costar chimes in.

“I remember the first day I was absolutely terrified. Bella was the first to welcome me with open arms, literally open arms. She’s a hugger.” You tease, playfully shoving their shoulder.

“Don’t act like you hate it.” Bella responds, eyes narrowed.

“I never said that, I love your hugs.” You roll you eyes, only for Bella to throw their other arm over you shoulder hugging you. The feeling of their laughter brings an even bigger smile to your face. Bella gets more comfortable, half hugging you now. The PR lady, Victoria, who’s always around for for press days motions to quit it. You hadn’t noticed but Bella rolls her eyes before letting go of you. The interviewer asks the next question, that goes on for another thirty minutes. The entire time glances are shared between the two of you, filled with playful banter between the two of you and the rest of the cast.

When it finally comes to end everyone separates themselves. Someone on the team for the show ordered an car, sending the cast back to the hotel for the night. It had been a long day and tomorrow was just as long. You wasted no time, getting ready for bed immediately. You were instructed to be up at 5 am for the car to be picked up to take you to hair and makeup for another long day of press.

—

You’re sat in hair and makeup, a handful of people working on you. You’d been chugging your coffee since five and it’s yet to kick in, your yawning. Probably pissing of the woman trying to do your makeup. You look up as Bella walks in sitting down in the chair next to you, it’s seven.

“Must be nice to not have to wake up at the ass crack of dawn.” You tease, they take a small sip out of their drink before responding.

“Can’t help that I wake up beautiful.” They beam, flipping their hair dramatically.

“Must be nice.” You say sarcastically.

“You’re always looking beautiful, though.” Bella responds, shocking you.

“Thanks.” You blush, just as the lady doing your makeup tells you to look up. Giving you the perfect excuse not to have to continue the conversation, Bella was good at making you nervous. Sometimes you wondered if she did it on purpose.

—

The first press day moment is with a pretty popular news outlet. It goes smoothly, it was a lot quicker than most of the press stuff you did. Your thankful because of how quickly it went by there’s more than enough time to sit at the next studio and eat at their craft service table. The makeup lady touches you up quickly before the group sits down before the camera.

Today they dressed Bella more casually hair is curled, the slightest hint of eyeliner dawns their eyes. They always wore the least makeup, still managing to look effortlessly handsome. You on the other hand we’re forced to sit in the makeup chair for hours sometimes. You’re deep in thought, admiring Bella’s curls when you hear your name.

“Huh?” You ask.

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah.” You smile, readjusting your self.

“Ya know? You seem distracted these last few days.” Bella whispers your way, causing you to grin. Praying your face isn’t as flustered as you feel. The man conducting the interview sits down introducing himself. Each of you take turns saying who you are and who you play. They waste no time, starting in on the questions about the show. About twenty minutes of show related questions pass by before the interviewer starts in on the more personal questions.

“So Bella and Y/N, the two of you shared a lot of screen time together. What’s your relationship like off the screen? After a recent interview, you guys got people wondering.” He asks.

“Wait what?” You ask, confused. They reference the interview from yesterday, how it had been posted this morning. How fans are now wondering what’s going on between the two of you. Teasing you about how much your started at Bella or how Bella rolled her eyes before letting go of you. Almost seemed like some one had instructed Bella off camera to stop, upsetting them in the process. Before either of you can respond, the shows PR person shuts the interviewer down.

“That’s not relevant to the show. Next question.” She commands and the interviewer listens, moving along. You try your best to participate for the rest of the interview too busy spiraling on the information provided to you. You look over to Bella who just give you a reassuring smile, squeezing your hand not letting go until the interview is over.

Of course they pair Bella with you to share a car back to the hotel. The lady from PR didn’t look too pleased with you the rest of that press event. You were busy scrolling through your Twitter mentions. People saying the shipped the two of you, some people saying the opposite. A lot had wondered because it always seemed like Bella had to have their hands on you. Many nasty comments about your physical appearance. People calling your delusional for thinking you’d have a chance with Bella. Some nasty comments directed at Bella too, those ones pissing you off the most.

“Everything okay?” Bella interrupts your endless scrolling.

“Yeah I’m sorry.” You apologize.

“Is it really so crazy that people notice the chemistry between us?” They smile, disregarding your apology.

“What?”

“Have you seen the edits? All over TikTok, us staring at each other none stop. High-key flirting. I get it.” They’re tone serious but you can’t tell if they’re serious.

“You get it? You don’t exactly make it easy to not stare at you, you’re always touching me.” You respond.

“Oh my god.” They laugh, letting out a sigh before continuing.

“I don’t know how much more obvious I can make it. I had originally planned on waiting till this press tour was nearly over so if it went south I could just avoid you.”

“I like you.” They admit, nervously fidgeting with the rings they always wore.

“So I’m not delusional?” You ask, relived.

“No you’re not.” They laugh.

“Then I like you too.” A short silence falls between you two.

“So what does that mean?” You ask, the one to interrupt the quietness.

“It means I can do something I’ve been wanting to do, if that’s okay with you?” They ask, slowly closing the already short distance between you guys. All you can do is nod yes, their lips only a few inches from you. You can feel their breath on your lips. Eager to close the gap you slam your lips on theirs. You two start kissing, hands exploring each other. Forgetting about the man who’s driving the car, eyes hopefully too focused on the road to notice the two of you kissing.

Bella pulls away, only because the car comes to a stop. The driver notifying you of their arrival to the hotel. Bella opens the car, you follow closely behind. Upon entry Bella leads you to their hotel room. At their door, they stop taking a moment to look at you.

“Victorias gonna be so pissed.” She laughs.

“How so?”

“Now that I’ve gotten a taste of you, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my hands off you.” They bite their lip, pushing you into the door way opening the door so the two of you can slip inside. Kissing you again, only this time more hungry than before. Like they’ve been starved of your touch.

#bella ramsey x reader #bella ramsey oneshot #bella ramsey pov #bella ramsey fluff #bella ramsey #bella ramsey x you #bella ramsey imagine #tlou #the last of us #Ellie Williams

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thenatashamaximoff · 1 year

Text

Whispers In The Dark

Summary: When a casual one night stand develops into a deeper, forbidden love, you and Wanda try to keep your relationship a secret as you navigate the challenges of balancing your growing emotions with the fear of being caught.

Pairing: Wanda x Reader

Warnings: 18+ (no smut)

Words: 6,462

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┌─────────────ᗢ─────────────┐ @diaryoflife @women-am-i-right @creatively-analytical @obsessed-with-wandamaximoff @beforeoursecrets @iliketozoneout @olsensnpm @hoefnagel └─────────────ᗢ─────────────┘ ┌─────────────∞─────────────┐ @myfavoriteficss @pinkytoecrust @cyncity32 @romanoffomixam @peachbear88 @magicallymaximoff @therealmeari @peggycarter-steverogers @ba-romanoff @natashabelovas @morbid-gaymer @reminiscingtonight @when-wolves-howl @idontknownemore @natashasilverfox @sayah13 @fuxk182 @scarletwitchofthewilds @natashamaximoff69 @wuwu96 @jsonebraincell @whendarknessturns @marvel4liferz └─────────────∞─────────────┘

⚠️IMPORTANT ARTHOR’S NOTE: The following story (or following chapters) will not include detailed moments of smut. However, it does contain enough sexual content that I feel more comfortable labeling it NSFW/18+/MDNI. With that being said, read at your own discretion. Enjoy.

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The extremely comfortable bed you were laying on beckoned you to stay put, the weight of the covers over your body engulfing you in a warmth you didn't want to disrupt. It was hard to stay awake when you were so perfectly nestled in like a swaddled newborn. You had to find the energy to toss the covers off of you, though your limbs didn't seem to want to really move at the moment. Yet, with the seemingly loud vibration hammering away on the nightstand next to you, you were being signaled that it was time to get up.

Wait a minute… you don't own a nightstand yet.

You turned your head, the confusion evaporating quickly as you realized exactly where you were. You remember the bar, the attractive woman you knew you wanted the second you were aware of her presence, drawn to her like a moth to a flame. And you couldn't help but smile when you remembered just how successful you were in accomplishing that. But now it was almost six in the morning and you had to get ready for work.

You didn't want to wake her up. The slivers of light sneaking past the curtains to show the peacefulness across her face in the midst of slumber was the best thing you've ever seen. You didn't want to be that kind of one-night stand, being unnecessarily loud, not even being thoughtful of the one who doesn't need to wake up at the ass crack of dawn. No, you were going to be considerate and make a quiet move to the bathroom.

You kicked your feet over the bed, but you still weren't entirely used to the fact that a nightstand was present. You bit your tongue when your leg smacked into the front of the bedside table with a loud thump, and you weren't quick enough to catch the falling lamp, flinching when it fell to the floor with a crash.

A peal of light laughter came from behind you as you stood up, bringing the sheet along with you and using your phone to survey the damage done to the lamp. And, boy, that lamp did not survive that fall.

"I'll pay for that," you said, looking toward her. How does that even happen? The one time you wanted to make a smooth exit and the nightstand wanted to put up a fight. An inanimate object was your downfall this early in the morning and there was absolutely nothing you could do about it. "I'm sorry to wake you."

You were defeated.

"Are you getting in the shower?" Her voice was soft with no hint of annoyance in her tone. Was she not mad at you for pulling her out of the pits of her deep slumber? You'd be pretty annoyed that you were woken up by your one-night stand at six in the morning because they couldn't handle the nightstand.

She should at least be mad about the lamp.

"Uh, yeah?" You wonder if that was okay. This wasn't your place, after all. Yours wasn't completely unpacked yet and you didn't want someone as gorgeous as her to see that storage container apartment you got going on.

She moved to flick on the lamp resting on the nightstand that hasn't embarrassed you (yet), replacing the morning sunrise slipping through the closed curtains with a brighter, artificial light. She ran a hand through her hair, getting some of it out of her face, as she sat up in the bed. You couldn’t help but stare at her - the way she tugged those locks brought memories rushing into your mind as you subconsciously brought your bottom lip in between your teeth in a gentle bite. "I'll join you," she said.

"You'll… what?" The smile she sent you at your confusion made your heart skip more than just a couple of beats. "Uh, we just met last night… in a bar, no less."

She raised an eyebrow, though the smile still remained on her face. "We also just slept together, Y/N. It's nothing I haven't seen."

You swallowed the saliva forming in your mouth so hard that it made the actual gulping noise. Your cheeks flushed with embarrassment once more as you looked away from her, scratching the back of your neck. "That's fair," you confessed. You looked back at her and laughed as she hopped out of the bed with a smoothness that you wished you had earlier. It would've saved you from a lifetime of embarrassment.

She raced you to the bathroom, making you laugh harder at her little victory yelp when she beat you there. You wrapped your arms around her, bringing her close as you used your foot to close the door behind you.

It has been only a few hours since you parted ways. You walked down the halls, your mind occupied by… her. Her face, her hands, her smile and touch and laugh. You remembered every single second about last night and you just wanted to do it all over. Relive it once more. But you know how a one-night stand works, and there's a high possibility that you'll never see that woman ever again.

"Ma'am." You turned your head on instinct to see someone running up to you, holding a clipboard out along with a pen. "Just need a quick signature."

"What's your name?" you questioned as you accepted the items she was holding for you.

"Jennifer, ma'am," she answered, even throwing a little bow in there. You couldn't help but shake your head with a smile, quickly scanning the paper before scribbling your signature over the line, turning your head to meet her gaze.

"It's nice to meet you," you told her. Your eyes were drawn to something over her shoulder like a magnet to metal, your next words getting caught in your throat when you saw her leaning against the wall, focusing intently on the person she was talking to. You handed the woman the clipboard (her name was irrelevant now, you couldn't think of anything coherent at the moment) as you walked past her like a zombie ambling toward fresh brains.

You reached Wanda, looking at the agent she was conversing with. It only took mere eye contact for the man to send you a stiff nod before immediately walking away, turning to look at her.

"What're you doing here?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, almost just as confused as you were. "I work here." The crease in between your eyebrows only deepened with more confusion. "I'm an Avenger." Even with her clarification, it didn't make it any more clear to you. You don't remember her name on the list. She must be a new recruit. "Why are you here?"

You opened your mouth to answer but were interrupted when someone stepped up to you.

"We're ready for you, Director." You looked at the older man, reading his name badge as Phil Coulson. That answered her question for you, your eyes going back to Wanda to see the raised eyebrow and tight lips.

"Director?" She looked away from you, getting herself lost in thought. "Well, that's not going to work well."

You cleared your throat, your jaw clenching tightly as you turned to the agent. "Thanks, Coulson. I'll be there in a moment."

Coulson sent you a nod and left the two of you be, turning back to Wanda. As she tried to wrap her mind around what was happening, you waited for Coulson to be completely out of earshot.

"Why didn't you tell me that you're a new Avenger?"

"Probably the same reason you didn't mention that you're the new director," she countered.

You opened your mouth on instinct to rebuttal but closed it when you realized she had a point. You groaned, running your hands down your face. This is the worst-case scenario. It would've been better if you never saw her again compared to this, though just the thought of that pulled your heartstrings. You don’t really know how to imagine never meeting her.

"You're the boss," she said, once again pulling you out of your thoughts, "aren't you supposed to at least know who the Avengers are?"

"They sent the files, but I didn't read them," you confessed. "I wanted to meet the team members face to face." You did, however, read the names on the files and she wasn't there. You said her name so many times last night, you'd definitely remember seeing it on a folder. She must've been a last-minute addition, SHIELD not having enough time before your first day to compile and send over a file.

At the same time, would you have been able to stop yourself from approaching her at the bar? No. The way her lips formed a pout made you want to do anything to wipe that away, so you would've ignored logic and spoken to her. You still would've made her laugh. You still would've made her smile for the first time in what seemed like forever. You still would've made her moan and pant your name as your skins melded together underneath her blankets, lightly scratching her back as she made you-

"Where did you just go?" She snapped you out of your thoughts again, but this time you were a bit upset about it. Your cheeks flushed red, burning hot. The smirk on her face told you that she had an idea, but you shook your head and ignored her question.

"You are aware that this… thing can't happen anymore, right?" As your finger bounced in between you and her, her smile expanded, tinged with a mischievous glint that hinted at something devious lurking beneath. You found yourself needing to bite your tongue harshly in hopes that the pain would distract you from the warmth igniting in your gut.

"Obviously," she assured you and you sighed with relief. Now that the two of you were on the same page, maybe now you can stop stressing out about it. You knew for certain that you wouldn't be able to hold back when it came to her, so it was nice to see that at least one of you had some self-control. Quite honestly, the only thing stopping you from dragging her to your office and feeling her right then and there was the fact that you don't exactly know where your office was located just yet.

Maybe someday…

No. The relationship between you and Wanda Maximoff could not come to be. No matter how strong the connection, how tempted you’d be, it could never come to fruition. The unfortunate reality was that your relationship with the woman standing in front of you had to end before it even began.

That thought abandoned your mind when you watched her teeth catch her bottom lip, raising an eyebrow at you seductively. Your breath caught in your throat and your thoughts immediately became a jumbled, contradicting mess. She laughed as you finally managed to utter, "You're going to get me fired, Wanda."

"Director." You didn't turn, losing yourself in her eyes. You wanted to touch her. To take her face in your hands and connect your lips right at this moment, in front of everybody. New job be damned. And the annoyance that demanded your attention cleared their throat impatiently.

You turned your head to look at the addition to your conversation to see Coulson standing there, nodding his head at Wanda, a sign for her to skedaddle.

"I'll see you later, Director," Wanda hummed as she walked away, your head turning back so you could watch her leave.

"It's been more than a moment," Coulson pointed out, forcing yourself to tear your eyes away from Wanda's retreating figure to look at him.

You blinked. "What?"

"You're late," he clarified.

Your eyes widened. "Oh, right! What are you waiting for, Coulson? Let's get a move on." You gestured for him to lead the way, patting him on the shoulder when he rolled his eyes and turned his back on you.

"It's a good thing you're getting acquainted with the Avengers," he said as you walked alongside him. "You two know each other?"

"Not at all," you stated.

He hummed thoughtfully, clearly not believing you in the least bit. "That was Wanda Maximoff. She's got magic hands."

The snort that escaped your nose was involuntary. "She does indeed." You hadn't realized you said it until Coulson stopped moving to stare at you, his eyebrows bunched together, bewildered. You cleared your throat, your back straightening as you clarified, "That's what she told me earlier. She just didn't really tell me what she meant by it." You were right, there is no longer any more doubt in your mind that she was definitely going to get you fired. "Why don't you tell me more about Maximoff?" Though phrased as a question, he knew it wasn't one.

He continued forward and you easily matched his speed, walking alongside him. "She has a long list of powers," he started. "Telekinesis, energy and mind manipulation, and she can read thoughts. I’m willing to bet there’s more, she just hasn’t unlocked them yet."

You stopped walking this time, trying hard to keep your composure. "Mind reading?" So, she definitely knew what you had been thinking about earlier. "That's… nice to know."

Observing your reaction to the subject being discussed, he quickly decided to switch gears. “Well, she’s not the only one on the team. There are other Avengers you have yet to meet. We’ll start with…” He gestured for you to follow as he led you through a set of doors, revealing a sprawling laboratory that occupied most of the floor.

Pausing at the entrance, you watched as Tony Stark worked intently on a holographic keyboard. It was only when Coulson began walking deeper into the lab that you followed, cautiously advancing until you stood in close proximity to the brilliant inventor.

"Who's disturbing my bubble?" The hologram vanished as his fingers moved away from it, turning his head to look at you.

"New director," Coulson explained. "We're just making the rounds and you're the first stop."

"Y/N," you extended your hand towards him. His gaze shifted from your hand to your eyes and, in that moment, it became abundantly clear that he was not going to meet the handshake. You quickly withdrew your hand and let it fall to your side.

"Tony Stark, but you already knew that." He smiled at you, though it seemed a bit forced as his eyes assessed you from head to toe, sizing you up. "You're a bit young to be a director of something like SHIELD, aren't you?"

You couldn’t help but feel a surge of annoyance at his comment. Without thinking, the words slipped out before you could sensor yourself, "You're a bit old to be playing dress-up, aren't you?" As soon as your response left your mouth, you realized the potential consequences of your remark. Insulting the man who was throwing a lot of his money into this agency was not the smartest move. All it would take is a simple “adios” and you’d be out of a job.

To your surprise, Tony simply smiled widely and extended his hand toward you. Stunned, you accepted the strong handshake. “It’s refreshing to have someone bite back," he said, glancing at Coulson. "Take notes."

"Yes, sir," Coulson agreed, nodding with a forced smile. You couldn't help but grin, crossing your arms over your chest.

As Coulson gestured for you to follow him, you lingered for a moment to watch Tony go back to work, biting on a pen when he watched a small simulation of his suit taking on a battle, to which the suit loses. He huffed in exasperation, taking the pen out of his mouth and tossing it aside. It made you wonder how long he had been tirelessly working on this project.

"I know someone who specializes in nanotech if that's something you're interested in," you confidently suggested, capturing the billionaire's attention. Ignoring Coulson’s constant attempts to guide you away, you continued, "I can introduce you to her if you'd like."

A spark of curiosity ignited in Tony’s eyes as he reached for the pen he had just thrown, handing it to you along with a scrap of paper. With a grin, you swiftly scribbled down the specialist’s name, eager to offer a valuable connection. Tony glanced at Coulson with piqued interest, “Where’d you find this one?”

“She found us, sir,” Coulson replied, monotonously, before subtly guiding you out of the lab with a hand on your back. "The rest of the team would be a lot easier to please."

"I'm not looking to please them." Well, not all of them, at least. There was one person you found yourself wanting to please more than most. She did things to you that you just can't ignore. "My job is to lead them. I'm not here to make friends." Or lovers, but you refrained from adding that.

"Nice to know," he stated, leading the way into the training room. "Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff, meet your new director."

The pair, entangled in a fierce sparring session, paused and separated as Coulson made the introduction. It was evident that they were skilled fighters, evenly matched and fully engrossed in their training. Or they were just taking it easy. Friends normally don’t beat the shit out of each other just for fun. You shook their hands.

“Directors usually don’t properly introduce themselves,” Clint remarked, a hint of amusement in his voice as he rested his hands on his hips with a heavy breath. “They just read our files and assume they know us.”

“They sent the files, but I didn’t bother with them,” you confessed, shrugging loosely. “Bonds grow stronger when everybody’s on the same page, not reading personnel off of a piece of paper.” Glancing at Coulson, you added, “I’m making this guy walk me around the building to introduce me to the team face-to-face.”

Natasha raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile playing on her lips as her arms folded over her chest. “Did you meet Steve yet?” Coulson fidgeted for a moment beside you, and one of your brows quirked up with interest at the sound of her teasing tone.

“I’m sure he’s next,” you replied, a faint smirk lifting a corner of your mouth when the redhead’s smile only grew wider. “I’m sensing an inside joke here.”

“Coulson is a bit of a fan of Rogers,” she explained.

“I have all his trading cards,” Coulson interjected, cutting the conversation off before it went much further. “We should get to it.”

“Can’t wait to see him, huh?” she joked, her grin turning sly as she stepped back. While they returned to their sparring, you and Coulson made your way out of the room.

“All of his trading cards?” you asked. “Do you have them laminated?”

“Each and every one of them,” he confirmed, and you could sense the pride hiding in his words.

He led you into the war room, where Steve Rogers stood, engrossed in a discussion with other agents about an ongoing mission. As the two of you entered, the captain’s attention shifted, and he straightened up, displaying his characteristic posture.

“Captain Rogers, this is Y/N, the new director,” Coulson announced, adopting a more professional demeanor in front of the patriotic hero. Natasha’s description of him being a fan seemed under-exaggerated, but maybe that was the point. You’re relieved to see that the team wasn’t all as serious as Coulson here.

“Good morning, ma’am,” Steve greeted respectfully, offering a small nod from his position across the table.

You pressed your lips together, a mischievous grin forming as his eyes traveled up and down your figure. “I know you all think I have big shoes to fill,” you began, acknowledging the weight of the previous director’s legacy. “Nick Fury was one of the best, but I’m here to bring about change. I’m not looking to repeat history.”

“I can respect that,” Steve commented, crossing his arms over his chest. A slight smile tugged at his lips, and you could feel Coulson’s subtle restlessness next to you. He was clearly worried you might embarrass him.

“What’s your current mission?” you asked, leaving Coulson’s side to join Steve at the table, studying the scattered papers.

“We’re dealing with drug dealers hijacking ambulances for narcotics,” he explained, arranging the papers to give you a better view.

You looked up at him, a hint of surprise on your face. "I didn't expect a big-time Avenger to be doing a simple drug bust," you commented.

"You’re not the only one around here looking to make changes," he said.

You grinned. "I can respect that."

Coulson cleared his throat and you both looked over him. "If you'll excuse us, Captain. We have a busy day ahead.”

"Of course," Steve said. "It was a pleasure meeting you."

"As you, Cap." You accepted his hand when he offered it over the table, giving a strong, brief handshake before releasing you. You walked behind Coulson as you left the room, grinning widely as you moved to his side. As soon as you were clear from Steve's earshot, you spoke. "You're jealous." It wasn't a question, and Coulson didn't show any expression in the statement. What did it take to coax a genuine smile out of this stoic guy?

"Thor is off-world dealing with some other stuff," Coulson said, ultimately ignoring your comment. “Banner has been MIA since the incident in Sokovia. And, since you’re already acquainted with Maximoff, I’ll show you to your office.”

Your heart fluttered at her name, immediately looking away from him to hide the faded blush forming on your cheeks. Why did her name make you feel this way? You had just only met her last night, so there weren't any long-time feelings between the two of you. But just thinking about her is taking away your ability to breathe. You didn’t struggle to follow your tour guide, but you did have trouble straightening your mind. You had hoped these introductions would last longer, giving you more time to avoid having to deal with everything. But without any distractions, you were forced to succumb to the realization that Wanda Maximoff was going to be in your life for as long as you were the director.

"Here." You released a deep sigh when Coulson finally stopped to gesture towards a door, giving you the distraction you needed to catch your breath. “This is your office.” You released a puff of air at the closed door, your name engraved on a plate nailed in place. You couldn’t let the emotions get to you - not in front of Coulson, at least - but this seemed to have made your title a lot more official. “The door’s unlocked.” If you didn’t know any better, that was a passive way of rushing you. “We also left you a little treat as a welcome present.”

Your hand pressed down on the handle, pushing slowly against the door with the agent right on your heels, and you managed to look up just in time to see something in your office that was most definitely not Coulson’s “little treat.” You quickly backed out of the room, bringing the door with you as you turned to face him. A nervous laugh nearly crawled out of your throat, but you managed to swallow it just in time. “I’m pretty sure I can handle this part on my own, Coulson.” The man didn’t argue with you, shrugging and walking away without another word as you slipped into your office. “What are you doing?”

“This isn’t the kitchen?” Wanda sat at your chair, not even bothering a glance in your direction as she casually ate what looked like a croissant (most likely the treat Coulson was referring to). You huffed, glancing over your shoulder as you made your way to the desk. Finally, she looked toward you, a smirk tugging a corner of her lips. “I could’ve sworn it was…”

With every step you took, your heart raced harder and faster. You couldn’t deny the intense attraction you felt towards the woman occupying your desk, even though it seemed so sudden and unexpected. She leaned back in your chair, crossing her legs and taking another bite of the croissant, slow and drawn out as she maintained eye contact with you. You couldn’t help but notice how the crumbs fell onto her lap, biting the inside of your cheek rather harshly as your breathing hitched in your throat.

“Is there something you need, Agent Maximoff?”

She quirked an eyebrow at you, though that smirk still lingered on her lips as she hummed thoughtfully before saying, “Agent Maximoff?”

You cleared your throat, trying to regain your composure. “That’s your name, isn’t it?” you replied.

“It is,” she answered, shrugging as she added, “but it’s a much different turn from what you were calling me last night.”

Her words hit you with surprising calmness, as if she were merely commenting on the weather. You struggled to hide the impact they had on you, the way they made your stomach twist and turn in a way that would make a professional dancer jealous. You had a job to do, and engaging in whatever this was with one of your employees was definitely not part of the job description.

You took a deep, steadying breath and reminded yourself of the boundaries that needed to be maintained. This was the type of position people would kill for (literally) and you didn’t want to blow it away by fraternizing. No matter how tempting the allure of a forbidden connection might be, you had to separate yourself from the matter. “I apologize if I gave you the wrong impression,” you expressed, your voice composed but firm. “Our interactions last night were outside the scope of our professional relationship. Neither you nor myself could’ve predicted this kind of… predicament. As of now, we need to focus on our respective roles within SHIELD.”

Wanda’s smirk faded slightly, and she leaned back in the chair. “Is that what you want?” she questioned, her tone holding a hint of defiance. “To just pretend like it never happened?”

You met her gaze - the way her eyes were soft nearly made you take back everything you had just said - but you maintained confidence in the matter, your expression determined to just rip this Band-Aid off and toss it in the garbage. “We have to be realistic, Agent Maximoff. We can not carry a personal relationship. It’s for the best if we maintain a professional distance moving forward.”

She sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly, and a flicker of disappointment passed through her eyes. “I understand,” she said quietly. She stood up, popping the rest of the croissant into her mouth, chewing it thoughtfully. “You want to carry on like strangers.” A friendly smile lifted her lips, and you could feel a tug against your heart at the sudden loss of warmth.

You nodded, standing your ground. “It’s the right thing to do,” you affirmed, but your voice wavered slightly as you cleared your throat. As you spoke, you couldn’t help but notice how slowly Wanda was approaching you, as if she were a lioness hunting a gazelle. Panic fluttered in your chest, causing you to take a small step back. You made the mistake of meeting her intense, dangerously hungry green eyes. “I’m the Director, you’re an Avenger,” you stammered, your confidence suddenly faltering. The realization of the inappropriate proximity between the two of you struck you like lightning as the back of your legs bumped into a couch you didn’t bother to notice when entering the office, stepping to the side so your back hit the wall behind you instead. Wanda was now mere inches away, her presence enveloping you. Panic and desire wrestled within you, making it hard to form coherent thoughts. “I’m your boss. We…” You trailed off, a sharp breath catching in your constricted throat.

At that moment, Wanda’s grin transformed into a wicked smirk, her eyes seemingly penetrating your very soul. The air between you crackled with tension, and you could feel the heat radiating from her body, or perhaps it was the fire building up behind your flushed cheeks.

You were torn between the weight of responsibility and the magnetic pull of desire. The line between professional boundaries and personal longing blurred as the intensity of the moment consumed you both. The electric pressure hung in the air, captivating you and her in a web of conflicting emotions. Time seemed to slow down as you battled with the overwhelming desire and the consequences of succumbing to it.

“We can’t…” you managed to utter, your voice barely above a whisper, the words feeling feeble against the mounting temptation. Every fiber of your being yearned to give in, to explore the forbidden depths of this connection with Wanda. But the weight of your position as her superior, the potential repercussions, and the need to maintain professionalism weighed heavily on your conscience.

Wanda’s smirk only grew more wicked, her eyes gleaming with mischief and raw hunger. She leaned in closer, her breath brushing across your lips as she whispered, her tone dripping with seduction, “Who says we can’t? Sometimes rules are meant to be broken.”

Your heart pounded in your chest, torn between reason and desire. You could feel the fire burning within you overwhelming any remnants of restraint. With a surge of courage, you closed the gap between you, surrendering to the intoxicating pull of her presence. The world around you faded away as your lips met in a fiery embrace, unleashing a torrent of passion that had been brewing beneath the surface. Walls crumbled, and the pressure of responsibility melted away as you both embraced that forbidden desire that had blossomed between you. In that stolen moment, you chose to abandon caution and surrender to the allure of a love that defied expectations.

Wanda didn’t hesitate to return the kiss, making it more intense, more fervent. You were ultimately pinned against the wall by her body when she moved to get closer to you, feeling the tip of her tongue swipe your bottom lip, silently asking for permission, and she swallowed your moan when you granted it. Her hands gripped your hips to tug you flush into her, sparking a burning sensation in your core, and it only seemed to get hotter when her fingers danced up your body, slipping under your shirt to surf the smooth skin of your curves.

You pulled away breathlessly, your head falling back to the wall as her lips landed on your neck with no mercy, licking and sucking any spot she could touch. You attempted to say her name, to bring these overwhelming feelings to an end, but the only sound you could produce was a groan when her nails dug into you to leave crescent-shaped imprints on your shoulder blades.

“You’re not doing a very good job at keeping things professional, Director,” she whispered, her lips suddenly brushing against your earlobe. She laughed, and your stomach tightened at the breathy sound so close to your ears. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were enjoying what I’m doing to you.” You gasped when her knee squeezed itself between your legs, pressing against you in a way that nearly had you whimpering. “I love the sounds you make for me, Y/N.”

“W- Wanda,” you whispered. “Ple…”

“That’s it, baby,” she breathed, laughing gently as she pulled away slightly to meet your gaze. Her eyes were dark with desire, hooded by a smoldering intensity that mirrored your own. “Tell me what you want.” She smirked, thoroughly enjoying this moment. “Do you want this?” She picked her knee up higher, pressing into you harder, causing your body to jerk forward at the feeling of her touch. Everything inside of you burned painfully, desperately. One of her hands descended across your spine, bringing it around to drag a finger down your gut until it reached the hem of your pants. Chills covered your arms when you felt her dive in without a second thought, an inhuman sound getting caught in your throat. The wide smile crawling on her face told you she found exactly what you wanted.

The sound of a knock on the door shattered the fragile bubble of intimacy that had enveloped you and Wanda. Time seemed to slow down as she moved away from you, your hearts pounding in sync. The handle turned, and your chest tightened with a surge of panic, fearing that your secret would be exposed.

With a casual nonchalance, Wanda stepped aside, effortlessly transitioning into a composed state. She sauntered over to the couch you had already forgotten about, settling herself as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, you seemed to struggle to regain your composure, attempting to mask any signs of the passionate encounter that had just taken place.

The interrupter entered the room without a second knock, Phil Coulson pausing at the door when his eyes landed on Wanda before they flickered to you. He cleared his throat, crossing his hands in front of him as he said, “Am I interrupting something?”

“Just a meeting, Coulson,” you claimed confidently, fully collected at the sight of your deputy, raising an eyebrow at him as you folded your arms over your chest. “We just finished.”

“Not really,” Wanda countered, and you didn’t need to look at her to know there was a teasing smirk faintly tugging a corner of her lips, “but I’m more than willing to wait to thoroughly finish later on, Director.” You managed to fight the shivers that rode your body, but the chills that erupted across your spine were a different story. You wondered if Coulson could hear the way she calls you Director, or if it was all in your head. She stepped into your field of vision when she made her way toward the door, giving Coulson a happy smile as she rested her hand on the door handle. She looked at you over her shoulder, and you could feel your cheeks flush when you saw the darkened look in her eyes.

The door seemed to echo when she closed it behind her, sealing you and Coulson in the room. His words cut through the lingering tension, bringing your attention back to him. “I apologize for interrupting, ma'am,” he began, his voice laced with urgency, “but we have a bit of an emergency.” He stepped closer, holding a tablet that illuminated with an image on the screen. “It seems that Thor’s notorious brother, Loki, has returned to Earth.”

The weight of the situation settled upon you, dispelling the remnants of desire and reminding you of your responsibilities as a leader. As Coulson played the video, you watched a seemingly ordinary scene: Loki calmly walking down a sidewalk. It felt odd to watch. Loki’s presence seemed to always bring a catalyst for chaos and destruction, so you find it difficult to believe that his return could just be taking a stroll, enjoying the sunshine.

Coulson’s gaze met yours, and you could see the faint colors of concern clouding his eyes. “We need to assess the situation and determine his intentions,” he expressed. “While it may seem inconspicuous now, we can’t underestimate the threat he poses.” The memory of Loki’s previous misdeeds lingered in your mind, a vivid reminder of the destruction he had wrought. It was clear that immediate action was necessary to prevent another catastrophe.

“I don’t want to waste time waiting for him to make a move,” you declared, your arms crossing firmly over your chest. Your gaze shifted back to the tablet, a sense of urgency seemingly squeezing your heart. “Loki didn’t return just to enjoy the scenery. Bring him in.”

Coulson nodded, tucking the tablet under his arm. “I’ll mobilize our resources and initiate the necessary protocols,” he affirmed, determination steeling his expression. “We’ll do everything in our power to locate and apprehend Loki swiftly.”

You strode purposefully past him, making your way to your desk. With a swift motion, you brushed away the loose croissant crumbs from the chair before settling down. As you took your seat, your voice carried an air of authority, “I trust you understand the importance of conducting this mission covertly.” Your attention moved away from the man standing in front of the door to one of the papers resting on the surface of your desk. “We cannot afford to have the public become aware of Loki’s presence, not after the chaos that ensued during his previous visit to our planet.”

He nodded in agreement. “I will assemble a team that can operate discreetly,” he replied.

“Make sure Maximoff is included in the roster,” you stated unequivocally, your voice firm and decisive as you reached for a pen.

Coulson hesitated, stepping forward to stand on the opposite side of your desk. He cleared his throat, attempting to voice his concerns, but you were quick to shut him down, “She may be fresh, but, from what you’ve told me about her, her powers have the potential to match Loki’s.” Your eyes locked onto his, and the next words that came from your mouth held a hint of a challenge. “Did you mislead me about her abilities, Deputy Coulson?”

His head shook vigorously. “No, ma'am,” he responded quickly, his tone filled with conviction.

“Then what seems to be the problem?” you pressed, a brow arching with curiosity.

He squirmed under your scrutinizing gaze, his discomfort palpable. “She hasn’t fully gained the trust of the others,” he claimed.

A smile played at the corners of your lips as you leaned back in your chair, assessing Coulson intently while tapping the tip of the pen against your palm. “This mission presents the perfect opportunity for her to earn that trust,” you countered. “I don’t recall my orders being up for debate.”

“Understood, Director,” he responded, resolved. You could see the way his jaw tightened in irritation, but you chose to overlook it as he added, “Agent Maximoff will be included in the mission.” You nodded, acknowledging his commitment, and watched as he walked away, disappearing through the closing door.

As soon as the door clicked shut, you released a heavy sigh, feeling the full weight of being director bearing down on you. Exhaustion crept through your body, and you sank deeper into your chair, running a hand over your face in an attempt to dispel some of the weariness that had settled upon you. You tossed your pen back onto the desk when a realization dawned on you…

Today was just day one.

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reptilian-angel · 4 months

Text

The Cafe' Prince & The Killer Cook Pt. 1:

Chapter One - "Egg on your Face" Mega-Omelet

ME: Blitzø, having suffered a the worst day of his life, finds an unexpected silver lining when he awakens inside some random cafe hosted by a sweet (if oddly articulate) little girl, Via and her chef daddy, Stolas (Who looks like Hell on Wheels and cooks just as good, but who gave a shit.)

Later on after this chance encounter, a completely unanticipated offer might just be what Blitzø needs to turn his trashfire of an existence into a lifetime of amazing food, exciting moments and maybe even . . . Love?

Stolitz fluff, food chain puns, good food and healthy doses of angst await you at the Stars & Stir-Ups Cafe’!!! (Yet to be named)

Inspired by Pink Lomito’s ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE Stolitz Cafe’ AU fanart and written with their blessing, so I can only hope this will live up to the hype! (Displayed Below)

Full disclosure, I DO bake as a hobby, but I am NOT a career baker so most of descriptions of any foods mentioned, cooking and otherwise, will totally be written by an author completely in the dark, so please be gentle with any criticisms regarding any of the cooking displayed here. (Also see the end of the chapters for the recipes used, or at least the closest comparisions.)

Get Your knives and forks ready, you sinners & saints, and please enjoy!! I owe nothing!!!

Normal P.O.V.

When Blitzø woke up, he was automatically confused.

He had expected to be face flat, ass up on the shitty, grime covered flour of the bar he had trudged into last night like he had only hours to live. It had been a record-breaking shitty-ass day for him and he decided, like the many, many bitchy broke losers out there who had had their dreams squashed and trampled on like gnats in Hell, to drown his sorrows. Burning $ouls like tissue paper, he had began going for broke, mooching off other patrons and drunkards, earning petty shots in impromptu contests and maybe even performed a small strip tease for a gaggle of succubi and incubi.

He wasn’t a hundred percent sure how it ended, although he did have a vague recollection of plowing his dick into one of the incubi in one of the nasty as fuck bathroom stalls and wondering if the greasy pump soap could be used as lube before fading to black.

Christ on a Pogo stick he had REALLY gotten fucked up, didn’t he?

That said, he wouldn’t have been shocked in the slightest if he had found himself upside down, half- naked and definitely robbed of his wallet and phone in some shady alley at the crack of dawn. Yeah, that would have been normal for him.

Waking up in a plush, fancy-pants booth with a soft, comfortable quilt thrown on top of him was not.

He began leaning up to try and get some sense of where the fuck he was, but everything between his ears immediately started to bitch at him with an acute, relentless thrum that felt even worse than the headaches Moxxie gave him while bitching at him. On a good day.

He gave a low groan, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes in a sorry attempt to dull the throb. He swore everything was hurting, his horns were hurting, his scars were hurting, fuck, even his brand was hurting -

“Fudge.”

That innocent correction almost made him tumble out of the booth. He barely smacked his palms against the floor to keep him from actually falling face flat on its surface. Points for highly trained trapeze instincts. Centering himself, he found a pair of big, bright pink, and admittingly cute eyes of a little owl demon looking right at his.

Even with him being upside-down, he could tell they were a girl; maybe four or six, with a messy nest of long dark hair let loose save a small ponytail tied up on the side of her head with a scrunchie covered with moons and stars and a simple pink jumper with white stars of various sizes printed all over it.

It had taken a second for his hungover brain to figure out she was an owl, the white heart-shaped frame of her face like that of an owl’s a dead giveaway. The way she blinked at him only cemented that conclusion. She blinked calmly at him, despite how fucking weird he was sure he must’ve looked as a middle-aged, hungover, hot mess sleeping in what he just know fully realized was a restaurant booth.

Feeling caught off guard for a number of reasons, he could only respond with, “Sorry?”

The Little owl gave him a reproaching look, or at least as close to one as a toddler could manage. “‘Fudge’. You said it wrong.” She stated in all seriousness. “You’re supposed to say ‘fudge’ when you say the ‘F’ Word. Otherwise, it’s not polite.”

“Says who?” He asked.

“Says my daddy.” She said proudly as if she was referring to Lucifer himself. “He says ‘Politeness is the-” She paused, her face scrunching up in concentration, “- ‘Per-Ah-Get-Ive’ of sensible young demons’.”

He gave her a small smirk. “Oh yeah? And what is that?”

“What’s what?”

“Whatcha just said – Know what it means?”

He had expected her to respond with a "yes" as all little hellspawn do to prove they were just as smart as their parents who most of the time are dumber than the garbage man, and of course be all snooty and snobby about it too.

But, amazingly, she shook her head so much her hair flew in both directions. "Nope! But my daddy taught me that word. Which means it must be a smart grown-up thing to say. My daddy's all grown up and smart so it makes sense to try and apply it to my everyday 'Wing-guess-tics'."

"Uh, 'wing-guess-tics'?" He repeated with a smile.

The little owl nodded. "You know, the way you talk and how you sound to other people. Don't you ever take pride in how you sound towards others less proud of themselves?"

Blitzø sure as hell didn't. In fact, good mood or bad, he couldn't give two shits in a Gluttony Ring brand crapper what every other piece of shit thought about him or the way he talked. Which is exactly what he should tell to this innocent, sassy, too precious for words little oh satan's taint, he was too hungover for this.

Getting up at an old man's pace, he grunted, "I don't really have an answer to that, ow."

Okay, sitting up straight didn't quite stop the ache, but it wasn't harping so badly now.

The little owl made a sad sound. "That's too bad. Everything needs an answer."

"Does it?" He asked while once again pressing into his eyes to try and settle his headache. She gave an affirmative hum.

"They do. Sometimes."

Blitzø gave up trying to squeeze his eyeballs back into his brains and gave a slow roll of his neck, breathing with the small audible stream of cracks that followed. "Yeah, well, sometimes is better than no times I guess." Once his neck didn't feel so stiff, he looked down at the little owl who still was blinking up at him. "Hey kiddo?"

"Yes?"

"Can you, uh . . . Can you tell me where we are right now?" Geez, Blitzø, you need a little kid to tell your dumb, hungover ass where you crashed? Talk about hitting rock bottom.

She giggled like he had just told a funny joke. He admitted, even with a headache, the sound was nice to hear. "You're in our cafe, sir. Mine and Daddy's cafe. You've been here ever since last night."

He felt embarrassment collide with exasperation in a wave that only incensed the pounding in his skull. Grreeeaaat. Now he had to deal with a bitchy dad that could probably make a Karen more bearable. And considering his crappy luck, he could probably give Moxxie a run for his money when it came to whining and botching. Like he didn't have enough of a migraine already.

To distract himself from the imminent ass-chewing, Blitzø decided it was a good time as any to take a quick peek around. In case, things went tits up, he should know how much he could tag with horses and dongs later.

Look all over, he had to admit . . . He was pleasantly surprised.

The cafe was definitely a little ritzier than almost every other diner or bistro in Pride, at least the ones run by imps or sinners. It wasn't an 'in-your-face-so-suck-it-bitches' bourgeois nightmare that you found on the cover of rich people magazines, but it was still easy to smell the $oils that had been burned to buy the number of furniture and appliances that filled it. Pristine designer steel tables, floors tiles so clean you could eat off of them, cushy warm booths like the one he was sitting in that felt comfy enough to be small bed; yeah, this place made the local Hellbucks look like a gas station men's room (Which was also, coincidentally, one of the many places he would periodically wind up in after a bender).

He could probably make off with one of the tablecloths - Made with actual fucking linen, not rag or crappy burlap - And the money he would get for it would easily pay off his non-existent mortgage.

The walls, covered in perfectly intact, shiny wallpaper that was neither covered in mildew nor aged and peeling, colored the interior with a tasteful cream and vanilla striped pattern. Each dark strip of cream had subtle motifs of shooting stars, little crescent moons and cheery spiraling suns. The cushions seated on each chair and the fabrics of the booths were royal blue and spotted with muted violet stars, all differing sizes, each cleaner than the back seat of an Imp City taxi cab. Plus, no springs popping up to try and fuck him in his little red hole.

He then noticed the bar. A quaint but spacious counter as long as Blitzø's body and tail combined, a simple but pricey cash register at one end, with matching leather stools lined up perfectly beneath it. A large glass case half the size of his van sat at the other end, the inside holding shelves of numerous plates of decadent-looking desserts and pastries that drew an expectant grumble from his stomach.

It wasn't his fault, the last thing Blitzø remembered having that was even close to food was some outdated peanuts and the olives he wiped from some douche who had ordered nothing but martinis that were drier than Wraith in a heatwave.

And he normally hated olives, Christ, he must've been fucked up to devour those things, pit and all. Fuck, did I bang the guy who ordered then too?

Okay, not the priority right now, Blitzø. Especially with the cute little kid in front of you whose dad is definitely gonna throw you out on your ass the minute he sees you -

"Oh! Daddy's awake! Good morning, daddy!"

Fuck.

Blitzø jerked his head up at her cheerful greeting, opening his mouth if only to curse at how his head throbbed in response -

— Only for it to immediately die when he caught sight of "Daddy" coming into the cafe'.

Fuck him twice.

The demon that had stepped into his view was, hands down and pants down if his belt was loosened, one of the most gorgeous demons he had seen.

And the tallest, Jesus Christ.

The owl demon was as tall as a tree, with legs for days ending in jet black talons that clicked delicately against the immaculately clean tiles as he strode over. His body was much, much thinner than Blitzø had expected, delicate and lithe with sinfully svelte curves around his well-rounded hips that he felt an instant, barely concealed urge to wrap his legs around and squeeze. His upper body was just as long, lengthy frail arms that grew like willow branches from his shoulders with dainty but large hands and fingers that reminded him of spider legs as they moved and were just as dark as his feet. They were probably as soft as that little fluff of feathers that peeked out on his chest.

Looking at his face, he was slightly taken aback at the sight of not one but two pairs of eyes peering back, although the second pair were smaller and placed higher on his forehead, just as wide and bright as Via's, but instead of pink they shone with crimson and were as opaque as a ruby. It was obvious who this little girl got her looks from the most; the same dark spot at the tip of his beak, and the same shade of grey blue feathers, only his grew darker in hue as they climbed up his very lean throat, combed into a neat and very trim style that clearly was given a lot of attention. The only blemish to it would be the bold streak of grey that cut through the feathers which easily gave away his age, but somehow that had actually improved his looks as it contrasted the young (and pretty) features of his face.

His outfit wasn’t too extraordinary but still, Blitzø felt himself growing warm at the sight of the white button up dress shirt and the open cranberry pink waistcoat the owl was currently snapping shut dexterously and simple dark slacks that hugged his legs perfectly.

Fuck. I was once woken up with V wearing lingerie that was made pretty much just string but this guy is dressed like a fucking waiter and I wanna lay him flat on the counter.

Blitzø was suddenly that much more thankful for the blanket covering his lap, because he was sure feeling the telltale signs of a growing boner.

Oh well, he was sure it would go away once this guy started to whine about having to deal with a drunken piece of shit first thing in the morning -

The tall owl, even with the slightest of sleep still clinging to it, smiled warmly and brightly at his daughter. “Good morning, my Owlette.” Blitzø felt himself once again be knocked off guard by his chocolaty, silky tenor voice, the sound of it sending pleasant shivers down his spine.

Fuckhim three times, he sounded hot too. Satan, this sucked.

The owl’s pleasant chuckle only added to Blitzø;s horny chagrin. “I see you beat me down to the cafe’ today. I hope you slept well, my Starfire.”

The little “Starfire” nodded happily. “I slept good, Daddy! And so did our guest!” She gestured innocently at the imp, who then tensed at being put on the spot by a kid. “When I came down to check on him, he was snoozing like a kitten!”

Blitzø, of course, made a face. A kitten?

It went unnoticed by the little owl, but not by her father who gave her a stern, but still soft look. “Via,” He started. “You didn’t disturb our guest while he was sleeping, did you?”

“Via” quickly shook her head, he feathers swinging side to side in a flurry. “Mh-mm! No, Daddy, I promise I didn’t! I was real quiet until he woke up and said the bad thing wrong.”

He blinked at her. “The ‘bad’ word?”

“One of the words that Mummy used to -” He explanation was abruptly cut off by her father’s wincing and his hands waving the universal sign for stop. “O-oh, alright, alright, sweetie, I understand, no need to go further!”

Blitzø watched them quietly.

Huh. So pretty boy had post-marital troubles with the little former wifey, huh?

Yeah, that made sense. Aside from his friend’s, Blitzø had yet to see any marriage that wasn’t one step away to instating the “death do us part” vow.

This guy must have gotten out while the getting was still good. But not without a few licks dealt, judging by the signs of wariness on his face.

He mentally sighed. Alright the hottie daddy knows you’re here and first impression has clearly gone to shit so, get ready for take two, dumbass.

Blitzø, deciding that jokes was the way to go in a pinch, then said casually. “I guess ‘Mummy’ wasn’t a ‘fudge’ kinda girl.” He then put on his best smile as he looked straight on at the pretty owl. “Me, personally, always liked the mine with plenty of nuts.”

As smooth as it sounded, he still cringed on the inside. Oof, Blitzø, how lame do you sound right now?

However, to Blitzø’s surprise and relief, the innuendo did not go unnoticed by the only other adult in the cafe’. Both sets of eyes went wide and the haggardness on his face was instantly washed away with a swift, prominent pink flush that Blitzø definitely liked seeing. Next to Via, it was probably the cutest thing he saw this morning. It certainly took the edge off the ass-chewing he was sure to get.

Usually, anytime he cracked any sex jokes around others, he was almost immediately told off by whatever prude or asshole or Karen was in the vicinity (i.e. Moxxie) and who clearly had no sense of good humor. (Like they didn’t start humping on each other’s earlobes the second every one’s back was turned like the hypocrites they were.)

Anybody else who didn’t was either not giving two shits or just as eager to talk dirty after a line up of shots.

But this bird seem reasonably sober. But then again, judging by his frame, he was probably the type of demon to go for light drinks like martinis or cocktails rather than tequila or beezlejuice. Considering the little girl now running up to him and hugging his shins, it was more than likely. He had the bitter experience of always dealing with a parent more often found nursing a hangover rather than an infant and it was an all around shitty experience he had no wish to repeat.

However, right now, he wouldn’t mind getting another peek of that cute ass blush as the bird briefly ducked down to scoop up into his arms. “W-well,” He started, “It’s certainly good to see you awake, Mister . . . ?”

“Name’s Blitzø. The “O” is silent.” Blitzø stated without missing a beat.

The owl blinked. “What ‘o’?”

“Exactly.” Blitzø nodded without thinking and once again, groaned in pain as everything from the neck up throbbed.

“Oh dear, hangover not quite remedied yet?”

Blitzø hissed out a breath. “Yeah, that’s a big fat fff-fudgin’ no.” He smirked weakly at Via’s approving nod. “I feel like I decided to go dumpster-diving outside the nearest Sinnabon’s for a midnight snack-run.” His empty stomach than made itself known by giving an impatient grumble. “And it looks like I’m up for round two so I think it’s about time I get outta here.”

The owl blinked again. “I’m sorry?”

Blitzø carefully climbed out of his improvised bed and unsure of what to do, opted to take apart the bedding and fold it as neatly as he could. “Yeah, I know, I know, I should’ve been out of here hours ago, I get it. Satan knows no-one wants to deal with a hungover dumb-a first thing in the morning. I know I wouldn’t, plus you gotta kid here and I can’t imagine you want some strange weirdo around your baby-girl so I better clear out before -”

The quilt literally rising out of his hands cut him off like a record scratch. The fuck-?

He watched cow-eyed as some kind of blue sparkly whatsit energy surrounded the quilt and untangled the lump he had been making a mess out of. It than began folding itself in a much more professional fashion than his was and as soon as it finished, it levitated right over his head and towards the guys who, judging by the ethereal sheen wrapped around his talons, was making it.

“Mr. Blitzø,” He started calmly. “As the owner of a cafe’, I have often had ‘strange weirdos’ coming in and going out from here every day. Thankfully, most of them are courteous enough to show up around working hours, but I am no stranger to any who who wander in from the late-night crowd, which I’m assuming is where you come from.” His tone wasn’t accusing but Blitzø still frowned at the teasing lilt he definitely heard.

“As for my little Starfire,” The bird continued, nuzzling his daughter on the cheek which earned a giggle. “Via, I like to think at least, is an excellent judge of character, especially more so with strangers. So, if she thinks that you’re trustworthy then that’s more than enough reason to let you stay.” With a twirl of his talon, he sent the quilt through the door leading upstairs to, whatever the fuck it led to as he set Via down on one of the stools after a quick, dramatic spin that earned him another giggle. “At least, long enough for us to feed you a decent breakfast.”

That last bit was definitely NOT what Blitzø thought he’d hear. “Uh, excuse me?”

“Oh certainly, after you’ve been given food of actual substance to eat instead of the leftover, surely bacteria-ridden remains scrounged from a random dumpster.” The big bastard responded blithely as he made his way around the counter, to where Blitzø finally noticed the fancy-looking coffeemaker that made him feel more broke-ass than he already was. “But first, I believe refreshments are in order. Would you prefer coffee or tea?”

The asshole part of him wanted to deliver a pissy comeback at the offer. He was a grown-ass man, more than capable of getting his own food, fuck you very much and no trust-fund, (sexy) long-legged prick had the right to tell him what was okay for him to eat or not – Moxxie already got his ass enough about that, he didn’t need anyone else doing that shit.

Big bitch was probably trying to keep him here long enough to call the cops on him the minute his back was turned so he could stick him with some BS robbery charges just for shits and giggles. Which had happened to him before due to more than one nut-job Karen and/or Kevin.

And of course, since it was fucking Hell, there was only a certain amount of times that you could get arrested and get bailed out before the taxpayers think to simply say “Fuck it” and just take your money and never bother to find your cell keys.

That in mind, he was so not in the mood to bust out of prison again, that one stint in Greed was enough for the next five years.

Well, fuck this bird. The front door was right there and he was not gonna have to put up with whatever bullshit this guy was -

His stomach halted his would-be flipping-the-bird-at-the-bird-on-the-way-out escape with a rumble even louder and more impatient than before. The tell-tale smell of brewing coffee didn’t do anything to help quell it. And damn, did it smell good . . .

. . . . . . Oh, forget it, they dump that dumpster every other day and he was too hungover to spare the effort to drive. Or Look for his van. Or try to remember the name of the club he was at.

“. . . I usually have iced coffee. But right now, I’ll take a regular coffee, as black as blood.”

That request was responded to with a humored smile. “I myself usually take it black as sin, but I’m always up for a challenge.” Turning to the way too complicated than should be normal looking, coffee-making monstrosity, he also added, “Also, forgive me.”

“For what?” Blitzø asked as he came closer to the bar. This close, he could now spot a simplistic yet obviously custom-designed hotplate big enough to fit enough food for five people, flat black surface on one side and a classic stove-top on the other.

“For not introducing myself properly earlier.” A clean, see-through glass coffee pot that Blitzø didn’t even see him pull out appeared in his hand as he whipped out a coffee filter so finely made it looked more like a hankie, bypassing the coffee maker completely. “I’m Stolas, owner of this cafe’ as well as Chef and Barista. You’ve already had the pleasure of meeting my daughter, Octavia, my darling little helper.”

“Daddy says I’m his ‘Suzy Chef’!” Via, also now known as “Octavia”, chirped proudly. Before Blitzø took a seat on one of the stools, he moved as to help her up but she shook her head. Gripping the crank under the seat, she pulled it up and down like a desk chair’s until the seat was low enough for her to climb up. He watched in bemusement as she then adjusted the seat back up. Clearly, they were built with the varying heights of Hell’s diverse demographic in mind.

Not bad thinking, Blitzø had to admit.

“Indeed you are, my Owlette.” Stolas chuckled. Having placed the filter inside a clenex wrapped around a chic-looking coffee pot, he placed a silver carafe onto the stove-top side of the hotplate and flipping the switch. Taking out a bag of coffee grounds that smelled fucking fantastic. “She and I have been running this little cafe’ for about four months now. And if I may so, we’re doing rather well. Granted, we’re not millionaires but I’m certainly not complaining.”

In almost no time at all, the carafe’ started whistling sharply. Stolas took it off and replaced it with a small skillet that Blitzø didn’t see being pulled out either, only to stare unabashedly at the medley of cheeses, meats, veggies and eggs that literally flew in from the entry to what he guessed was the kitchen like it was something of out of a kid’s movie. He knew Via giggling at his face but he forgoed responding to that, as while Stolas attended to the coffee pot, a bottle of oil floated over to the skillet and poured a delicate amount inside with two slices of butter following suite. “. . . Uh, yeah, if you’re good at something, you should capitalize.”

“Perhaps, but it’s not really so much about the money as it is the business of cooking itself.” Stolas said earnestly as he dumped the grounds into the filter and sweeped up the carafe to pour in the hot water in one fluid motion. “I find that this line of work gives me much more gratification than that of my previous occupation.”

“Oh, what was that? Real estate spokesman? Attorney? Phone seee-” Blitzø was instantly reminded of Via’s presence as the little girl hummed happily while folding and unfolding a napkin she plucked from the napkin holder closest to them. “-eeecrecy operator?”

If Stolas noticed the near slip-up, he didn’t comment on it. “No, I’m afraid. Simply one of the cogs of the crumbling, over-heated machine that is known as Hell’s government.” While the skillet started to pop and sizzle, the owl than summoned a sizable knife to finely chop one onion to join the oil and butter. As the coffee grounds were left to bloom, Stolas made quite a show of crumbling up a thick sausage into bits with one hand while simultaneously conjuring an actual clutch of flames in the other hand, selecting a few strips of bacon to cook and crisp in a matter of seconds. Most likely to show off for Blitzø and his daughter who “oohed” at the sight.

Admittedly, Blitzø was a little impressed too, but he’d be fucked by a mime before he ever let on. “Geez, playin’ it up a bit, don’t ya think?”

“Perhaps a bit.” Stolas admitted, not so sorry in the slightest. “But compared to how stoic and quiet I had used to be, I relish any chance to ‘play it up’.” Having deemed the bacon thoroughly cooked, which it definitely was going by the smell, he extinguished the flames and set the crispy strips onto a cutting board for a magicked knife to chop up. Washing his hands in a small sink set by the hotplate, he gestured towards the enchanted parade of flying ingredients, allowing three eggs to gently land on the counter.

Blitzø, at this point, had taken his eyes away from the free magic show in front of him, cool as it was, to quietly observe Stolas’s shapely ass as he bent over to retrieve something from one of the lower cabinet.

Hmm. He could feel the tip of his tail flicking in appreciation. Guess the cake wasn’t only in good in the cases.

He tried to keep ogling as unnoticeable as possible as he asked. “Old job sucked that bad, huh?”

“Oh, abominably so.” Stolas groaned as he fished around in the cabinet obliviously. Eventually, he made a small sound of triumph as he located his prize; a small mixing bowl which he then set on the counter next to the eggs. A crooked finger brought a whisk right into his hand just as all three eggs were lifted and cracked into the bowl and the shells were tossed away. “And all I can say is that I’m bloody well glad that it’s behind me.”

“And now Daddy gets to be the bestest chef in all of Hell!” Via proclaimed, which was rewarded with a loving smile.

“Well, I certainly try my best.” He said cheerfully. He made sure to keep close attention to the carafe’ as it poured more water into the now ready coffee grounds as he beat the eggs thoroughly. As dark, fresh coffee began to drip into the pot, he set the bowl aside to neatly dish the sausage and bacon into the skillet. “I don’t know if anything I make will win any awards, but I wouldn’t mind if they didn’t. As long as I have my Via and this cafe’, I’ll be happy.”

Those words, despite himself, left a deep pit in Blitzø’s stomach.

He was all too familiar with the feeling to know that it wasn’t hunger.

And the cause of it was the warm translucent air wafting around in the little cafe’ that was more potent than the coffee.

And more pointedly, how out of place he felt to even be watching it.

He felt his claws clench the leather of his seat, the fabric creaking softly in response to his tightening grip. The pit felt like it was growing larger, making his shoulders tense. He found himself staring full-on at the clean surface of the bartop and tried to ignore the itch of his spines going erect. For the next few minutes, all that was heard was the sizzling and firecracker-like popping of the skillet as the eggs were poured in, the repetitive sound of coffee dripping and Via humming as she tried to fold her napkin into something other than a lopsided square.

Blitzø took a deep breath through his nose, his lips sputtering a bit like a horse’s (Didn’t he wish) as he exhaled.

“. . . Look, I’m . . . ” He paused a moment to think his words over carefully. The last thing he felt like doing right now was to sound an utter dickhead to the guy who was making him a hot meal for a total stranger.

No telling if he was the type to spit in on the plates of assholes who deserved it.

“. . . I’m sorry for, uhm, for having you make deal with me first thing in the morning.” He managed to get out rather lamely.

He wasn’t sure if the bird heard him. But that didn’t stop him from continuing. “I . . . I had a really, really real sh- crappy day yesterday, and – And I just needed to blow off a little steam.”

Images started to flash unbidden in his head. Of zeroes, of bottles, of bitter looks and smashed frames only made everything in Blitzø had been able to blissfully ignore up until that moment, then chose to rear its ugly head making him let out a barely concealed grunt. “. . . Point is, I-I’m sorry for screwing up your day and -”

He was interrupted by a good-sized mug being set calmly before him. He started as the smell of the dark roast curling in soft puffs and into his nostrils, the scent heavenly and already mending the throb of his head – only to be taken aback at the feel of a large, plush-soft hand petting the space between his horns in a comforting rub.

It took every single inch of Blitzø not to either smack the hand away or bite it off on sheer impulse.

He looked up and instead of what he thought for damn sure was going to be a patronizing sneer, – Because how else would any prick look after patting an imp’s head like a puppy’s? - Stolas’s face was as soft and reassuring as the smile on his beak.

A smile filled with nothing but understanding and warmth.

Sweet Lucifer, when was the last tim anyone had smiled at him like that?

“No apologies are need here, Mister Blitzø.” Stolas said simply. No hint of bullshit. “Nothing’s been broken, nothing’s been ruined. So please, don’t worry. I’m not a demon so easily rattled. Especially by lovely surprises such as yourself.”

. . . . Blitzø blamed the warmth he felt tingling on his cheeks on the steam coming from the mug.

Stolas didn’t comment on it, but he was sure that he heard some not very subtle amusement in his voice as he turned back to his cooking. “Would you like for me to add some peppers to dish? They were freshly picked this morning and I’m sure that they’ll taste wonderfully with the eggs.”

“UH-” Blitzø grabbed the mug and pretended to study it to keep himself from doing anything else dumb. “Y-yeah, sure, whatever, go nuts. I’m good with whatever.”

“Marvelous! I’ll add some as soon as the eggs have cooked for a bit.” Stolas said cheerfully. Blitzø muttered a “yeah, whatever” to his back as the owl reached from some green and red peppers big enough for Via to hold in both of her hands. He then made a small hoot that Blitzø, even with how off-kilter he felt at the moment, found cute. “Oh, and let me know how the coffee is, please. I’m trying a new blend I finally managed to put together a few days ago and I’d love to hear your opinion.”

Blitzø blinked at that. “Wha-? You mean this isn’t instant?”

Stolas shook his head. “Oh no. I try my best to use fresh items whenever I cook. Not that I have anything against instant or frozen food, but, as a chef, I find it almost like cheating if I’m not as authentic for my customers. The last thing I want is to have our cafe’ be mistaken for another Twink Trip or Hexxan.”

Blitzø would have taken a shot at that remark. Namely how if you loaded up gas station coffee with a fuckton of sugar, cream, and booze, it didn’t matter about the quality ‘cause who would give that much of a damn about dirty bean water -

That is, had he not taken a sip out of his mug.

It took a moment of peering down at his “coffee” to think up a much more direct response. “. . . . This is the best damn cup of coffee I ever had.”

“Thank you!” Stolas accepted the compliment cheerily. I admit it took much longer to properly cultivate and grow the beans for it than I had originally anticipated. I mean, I already knew the process was intricate but it’s a whole other experience when you actually attempt it yourself.” Stolas gave a weak chuckle as he prodded at the eggs simmering in the skillet. “I’ve lost count of the amount of times I almost blew up my grinder or ruined my insides.”

Blitzø, taking a much larger sip of his coffee hummed appreciatively. “Yeah, bad coffee can f- trip you up.” He knew that to be true. He once had to get his stomach pumped from drinking brew made by some dumbshit in his RV. That experience wasn’t really as painful as the telling-off Moxxie gave him afterwards. Little bitch always had act like he was right.

He took another big gulp. “You did good, though. Five stars.”

It wasn’t blind praise. Blitzø never bullshitted how he felt about what he drank and ate, (Much to Moxxie’s, Fizz’s, his Sunday Barista or, really, anyone’s annoyance) and the coffee was no exception; heavy and crisp with a balanced pairing of earthy and floral notes, the acidity like berries that left plenty of room for flavor instead of just tang. And the aftertaste didn’t linger like secondhand smoke, it left gradually with a mellow sheen that he didn’t mind in the slightest. Even though he was more an iced coffee guy, this was a kind of coffee Blitzø could see himself drinking again. When he wasn’t hungover, that is.

“Well, I’m thrilled to hear that, Mister Blitzø. Thank you.” Stolas responded gratefully.

By now, he had placed a lid over the eggs to let them simmer which allowed him to focus on chopping up the peppers. The imp assumed that had all he had been cutting up before Stolas turned to delicately slide a plate baring an apple that had been sliced in a way that the core stood erect as a tower with the slices spread open like a flower bloom. Before he can ask how the hell he did that so fast, Via chirped happily before plucking one slice and biting into it with a thank you.

Blitzø found her delight over the piece of fruit adorable, which the baby owl took as an invitation to pluck another slice and offer it to him with a smile. Satan, could this kid get any cuter?

He took the offered slice with a cheeky grin. Only to quickly toss it in the air and catch it with his tongue like an iguana’s, adding a “Bleh!” just for laughs, for which he earned a round of giggles from Via. He had almost missed by being blindsided by the cinnamon and spice flavor that had been baked into it. It had to have been made that very morning if the warmth and freshness of the slice was anything to go by, allowing the fruit to melt orgasmically well into his taste-buds. Wow.

He and Via had had unanimously agreed to split the apple between them, with no objections from Stolas as he busied himself with divvying up the vegetables and summoning other ingredients from the kitchen to prepare accordingly. Via filled up most of the time with chattering on innocently about little things, how funny her dream was last night, how home-school was “five times better than private school as there were less big dummy poop-heads” - Blitzø almost choked on a slice while Stolas lightly admonished her about “language” - And how her daddy once made her the bestest cake ever in the in the whole wide world for her fifth birthday. Blitzø, for as sweet as he found her daughterly praise, had to swallow the gag when she started going on about the “tasty” mouse chunks Stolas had added.

Bird or no, eating mice for Blitzø was a flat out no.

A sudden, horrifying though than popped into his head. Was Stolas going to add mice to his food?

Like mouse sausage? Mice bacon? Rat peppers? Was that a thing?! Or was he just pulling a Moxxie and asking dumbass question?

. . . Probably just being a Moxxie.

His internal debate was cut short by something else being set before him. A damn good-looking something.

An omelet the size of Blitzø’s fist lay before him, hot and steaming and straight from the hot plate. Yellow as can be with spots of golden brown, there were no signs of tears of breakage, with a perfect fluffy layer peeking from the folds stuffed with meat, veggies and oozing cheeses. The artsy fucker had even gone the extra mile and draped the top of it with a thin sheet of mozzarella, some garnish and a couple slices of baby tomatoes. Talk about extra.

“There you are, this morning’s special - ‘Egg On Your Face’ Mega-Omelet, with all the fixings and extra cheese for those unwelcome aches and pains. If I’ve done my job right, it should fix you right up.”

“Like magic!” Via dded with a bright smile. Both men chuckled at her.

“Like magic, huh?” Blitzø smirked. Well, I’ll just have to see about that.

Sure, the eggs may have looked good, but Blitzø had learned all too well that food looking good and tasting good were two totally different things.

What looked like a pile of slop to the naked eye could taste just as good as a five morning star meal served Beelzebub herself. The same thing applied to a plate of fancy finger foods that cost the same as a house mortgage but tasted like cardboard in the end. And Blitzø certainly had more than enough exposure to lousy food like that, thank you and fuck you very much, with no wish to repeat it.

Which he hoped he wouldn’t with this monster-omelet before him.

Deciding not to put it off any longer, he picked up his fork and dug the prongs into the soft-cooked eggs, scooping up a decent-sized bite with plenty of pepper, meat and cheese. After a moment’s consideration, he also speared one of the baby tomato slices. He gave the loaded fork a few blows to cool it, because there was no way he was going to down a maybe-shitty breakfast with a burnt tongue.

He stuck the fork in his mouth -

And his mind was BLOWN.

If there was such a thing as a bit of paradise, than these eggs were the mother fucking proof in the pudding. Or omelet, in this case.

The eggs were cooked to perfection; nice and fluffy to where they melt on in his mouth like luscious chocolate from Lust’s first class bakeries. And the flavor was like a parade in his mouth, from the salty onions, the crisp tomato and the sweet peppers, the numerous flavors sucker-punched his sense of taste without overwhelming the presence of the eggs. The meat inside was spectacular too, the bacon was at the optimum point between chewy and crispy, and the sausage was deliciously flavorful and greasy. His kind of meat, with the right amount of salt and black pepper.

He could barely hold down the pleasurable moan, but did nothing to stop all the muscles in his body from going lax.

Man, fuck trying to go to heaven, the key to fucking Eden’s Gate was right in his head hole.

A bemused coo. “So I take it you like it?”

Blitzø taste-jizzed mind abruptly snapped back into focus. Stolas’s beak was curled into a big, smug-ass grin that made his own fault in to a frown. The owl simply looked at him expectant. Dammit, if the kid weren’t here, he would have gladly told the bird exactly where to shove that grin.

Instead, he gave a disgruntled growl. “Yea, it’s . . . okay.”

Most chefs would have promptly gotten offended by such a dry appraisal of their “masterpieces”, especially if it came from an “uncultured swine” such as him.

But once again, Stolas surprised him by delivering a pleased smile in lieu of a hissy fit. “Well, I’m glad you like it. Eat up now, or it’ll get cold.”

Blitzø chose not to shoot off a shitty comeback, despite being rankled by the “order”. He took out his bubbling frustrations out on his food, picking up the plate and bringing it close enough to begin shoveling the omelet into his mouth like a starving man.

The petty, spiteful gremlin that was roughly, meeeh, ninety percent of his overall personality hoped that such a messy personality hoped that such a messy display would earn at least, would earn a groan of disgust. Always did the trick when he wanted to annoy Moxxie.

However, much to Blitzø’s complete consternation, the owl just gave a small humored hoot and returned to the hotplate with a single crack or insult. Like he didn’t give two shits about his bad manners.

Blitzø internally growled. What an ASS.

. . . A pretty ass, but still.

“I’m glad you’re pleased by my cooking skills.” The big bastard (Yes, Blitzø was calling him that again, suck it.) said happily, busying by wiping down the skillet while beating a new batch of eggs and sliding two slices of bread into a small old-fashioned toaster. “I have to admit, my main specialty is baking and drinks, but I try my best to expand my range of cuisine when I can.”

Once the yolks and whites were thoroughly whipped, there were poured into the skillet and almost immediately they started to sizzle and bubble from the rewarmed metal. “Unfortunately, I can’t cook the kind of food necessary to run a full-fledged cafe’.”

Blitzø swallowed a sizable bite of egg and pepper before asking, “Can’t you just wiggle your fingers and hocus pocus a steak or something?”

Stolas shook his head. “Alas that’s more Lady Beelzebub’s forte than mine. Even my magic can only do so much. Now if this was a flower shop that would be another matter, but it is what it is.”

“I’m glad it isn’t.” Via piped up. “I love Daddy’s cafe’! And I love helping him cook!”

“And you do such a magnificent job, my Owlette.” Stolas’s praise was followed by a small plate of scrambled eggs encircled by toast cut into the shape of flowers and mice, covered in butter and jam. Via took it with a bright thanks, digging in right away with a sparkly pink fork also provided by Stolas. “But sadly, a cafe’ needs more than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and milk to cater to wider clientele. Not that I’m downplaying your talent as a chef, darling.”

“I’s okay, Daddy.” Via said, crumbs dotted on her beak from biting into one of her toast flowers. “I know it’s only because I’m not big enough to use the stove yet.” Blitzø mirrored her smile as she beamed up at him. “Once I can do that, Daddy said I could make even better dishes just like him.”

“Indeed I will, Starfire.” Stolas affirmed. “But for now, I’ll have to settle for looking for another cook. Sadly though -” Stolas pulled a face. “- There hasn’t been one suitable enough to help me run things here.”

“Yeah, it’s hard running the show solo.” Blitzø agreed. “Sucks even more when you don’t have a good crew to back you up. Don’t know where I’d be with M&M.”

Stolas blinked. “Uhm, ‘M&M’?”

Via blinked too. “Like the candy?”

Blitzø snickered. “Nah, Moxxie and Millie, friends of mine and my emplo-” He cut himself off with a grimace. “Well. Who were supposed to be my employees.”

The sudden downtrodden shift that overcame the imp id not go unnoticed by Stolas. “‘Supposed to be?’ What does that -”

“Don’t ask.” Blitzø said curtly. After a second, he added a little less harshly. “I-I don’t really wanna get into it right now.”

Because if I do, I KNOW I’m just going to get pissed off and do something shitty all over again.

“. . . . Alright then.”

Blitzø could hear it clear as day that the bird bastard had more questions, and would more than likely prefer to bombard him with rapid-fire questions like Moxxie would when he wanted to be particularly annoying. But thank Satan, he looked put off enough to put him off.

Small blessings.

The next few minutes passed in silence. The lull of it broken only by the sounds of silverware hitting the plates as Blitzø and Via ate, the drip of coffee as more was brewed in the pot and the subdued sounds of crunching each time either a somewhat concerned Via offered Blitzø a bite of her toast or, returning the favor, when he offered her a bite of bacon or sausage – He learned quick that she didn’t like peppers so much so he did well to avoid giving her any filled-to-the-brim bites. He could only hoped that the reason she liked it wasn’t because the meat that was in it wasn’t made from rodent.

It probably was, though, because . . . Birds.

Eventually, Blitzø had cleaned his plate, a satisfying weight settling in his stomach, he let out a contented sigh, his headache feeling miles better than almost a half hour before. “Woo, that was good. A frickin’ plus.”

The owl’s smiled chased away some of the terseness from before. “Happy to hear it. It’s always good to get good reviews on new dishes.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet. Quick question, though.”

“Yes?”

Blitzø pointed at the now empty plate. “Level with me – Was there any mice in that? Because, I get it, you and Via are birds, but I kinda draw the line when it comes to eating plague-carrying little turds.”

Stolas tittered at that. “No, no, I assure you, no lovely vermin of any kind was served to you. Unfortunately, I’ve learned that mice are terrible cures for hangovers.”

“What’s a hangover?” Via asked in that no-filter, childishly clueless way that all little hellspawn did.

Stolas, in a perfectly natural response to such a question, was freeze awkwardly. “O-oh, well, erm-”

Blitzø supplied the answer. “It’s like a really bad stomach bug, but for grown-ups.” Giving the little owl a conspiratorial grin, he added in a fake whisper, “Basically, if you eat too much green stuff, your poop comes out greener than Mammon’s butt.”

Via burst into a peal of little girl laughter that definitely brought an easy diffusion to Stolas’s unease, even earning a couple of barely smothered hoots that were poorly hidden by his hand.

Huh. That was twist.

Usually the parents were scolding him at this point, the usual uptight bullshit spiel about “using such vulgar language in front of their innocent little babies, you demented little firetoad!”

Not that he gave a shit because he was a comic genius, fuckyou, Moxxie.

After a bit, both birds managed to quell their laughter enough for Stolas to gently urge Via to head upstairs and get ready for the day. She agreed without protest, stopping only to allow Blitzø to ruffle her headfeathers as he added, “Gotta look cute for the suckers!” That earned him an admonishing look from Stolas that was weakened by his approving smile.

A smile that only grew bigger when Via caught the imp completely off-guard with an unexpected hug, her tiny arms wrapping swiftly and tightly around his waist, almost sending him falling off his stool. Before he could recover, Via was already heading up the staircase, humming cheerfully all the way.

Stolas’s soft chuckle drew Blitzø out of his shock. “Via has certainly taken a liking to you quickly.”

“Uh, yeah, I-I guess.” Blitzø rubbed at the back of his neck. “Last time I got hugged like that, some piece of shit nicked my wallet to buy thirty Bruiser King gift cards.”

“Oh, that’s a pity.”

“Joke was on him, though, he got food poisoning with the first card he used.”

Stolas hummed approvingly as he poured them both a fresh cup of coffee. “Well, I suppose there is such a thing as karma.”

Blitzø barked out a laugh. “Ha! Yeah, and maybe there’s a God.” He accepted the refilled mug, along with the offered sugar and creamers, and dumped almost each one in like an alcoholic adding liqueur. “Uh, speakin’ of, what do I owe ya?”

Stolas, who had added his own preferred condiments to his coffee in much more moderate manner, paused in his blowing at the steam rising from his mug. “Pardon?”

“What do I owe ya? For the food and coffee.” After a moment, he also added with only a tiny wince of guilt. “And whatever else my drunk ass did to your place before I blacked out.”

By emotionally-traumatized principle, he wouldn’t have asked outright. Often times, being the victim of a classist system that shat on those on the bottom rung, he had been subjected to grossly padded bills and unexpected expenses issued by a good percentage of the “well-to-do” owners of “upstanding establishments” where he wound up spending half the night washing up dishes. Once he got fast enough, and only if neither the food nor the service was worth the lightening of his wallet. Blitzø didn’t hesitate to pull a dine and dash; making escapes either through the bathroom window, the vent, or once through riding one of those fancy dining carts into the kitchen and out the employee entrance that admittingly had been fun to ride . . .

. . . Right up until he learned too late that the entrance opened right up to a three-story staircase with no handrail.

Needless to say, that had been one shitty ride to the hospital, Moxxie lecturing him the whole damn eight miles.

After everything – And he meant everything – in his lower body healed, he opted to hold out on anymore dashing. At least until the little baby-dick whineypuss would get off his fucking back about paying.

That aside, he saw no reason to be the deadbeat bun right now. Not when Stolas had been nothing but polite towards him. Even though he certainly didn’t deserve such kindness . . .

He braced himself for the amount as he took a long sip of his sweetened coffee -

“Oh, you needn’t worry – You don’t owe me a sint.”

Blitzø sputtered into his mug, nearly choking on the brew as he processed the owl’s words. “*Cough* *Cough* *Hack* Blegh! Excuse me?”

“You don’t need to pay me.” Stolas restated. “Like I said, you’ve done nothing wrong. You’ve been nothing but civil, you are obviously sorry for any offense you think you’ve given – Not that you have, don’t make that face – And more importantly, Via likes you. So I see no reason to change you.”

Blitzø frowned at him. “You’re screwing with me.” He stated flatly.

“I assure you, I am not. Honestly, your praise over your breakfast was payment enough. In all honesty, you were doing me a favor.”

“Meaning?”

“I don’t get a chance to try out new recipes on new faces very often, so any new opinions are always appreciated.” Blitzø felt his face fault at the slow, awfully sensual smile the owl sent him. “Especially ones as sublime as yours.”

Blitzø forgoed looking him in the eye, each cerise eye of his hooded and looking at him like he was going to be the next dish for him to devour, choosing instead to chug down half the contents of his mug. Gulping audibly, he mumbled back, “Glad I was such a good guinea pig for you.”

“I prefer the term ‘freelanced taste-taster’, personally.” Stolas retorted politely.

“I don’t want your charity.” Blitzø bit at him.

“Nor am I giving it to you. Like I said, you did me a favor.”

“How do you know I’m not some thieving bastard taking adventure of goody-two-shoes shop owners like you?”

“I have measures set to prevent such an occurrence.”

“I’m an undercover health inspector and you just failed.”

“Now you’re just grasping, dear.”

Blitzø rubbed a hand over his face. “You can’t just -” He let out a frustrated breath. “Look, I get you’re an . . . Okay guy and you are obviously trying to set a good example for your kid. I get that, but I don’t want to be the lasting impression of what to expect when giving out freebies to poor drunken bitches like me. No one should have to deal with that without getting paid, -”

“Mister Blitzø.”

Stolas’s firm tone stopped him with the sharpness of a smacked ruler. His face was stern, but not completely harsh as he eyes were looking at him with a softness that pricked at his chest.

“You. Do. Not. Me. Anything. And when I say something like that, it’s because I mean it with all the sincerity that is implied. It is not just for the sake of looking good in front of Via and certainly not some sort of dastardly ruse to get you to lower your guard. You’ve apologized and you meant it, you’ve been kind towards my daughter and enjoyed my cooking without bias or sarcasm. That said, believe me when I tell that is something I care for much more than any check or bill.”

Stolas sipped at his coffee calmly, making no comment about the for certain mollified expression on his face. “So, please, no more apologies. They are appreciated, but to be honest, after twenty-two of them, it just feels repetitive.”

Blitzø gave him a look. “Sorry what now?”

“Mister Blitzø -”

“Nah, nah, what you just said, the fuck you mean I said sorry twenty-two times?”

Stolas’s beak dropped into a thin line, taking a moment to maybe think his words over before formulating a response, “When Via and I found you last night, you were in a . . . A great deal of distress.” He was clearly trying to more emphatic than judgmental. “You were greatly intoxicated and horridly incoherent. Once I was close enough, all I could hear was you saying sorry over and over.”

Blitzø could feel himself growing hot from the neck up in embarrassment. The apprehensive caution in Stolas’s voice was doing fuck all to help the crashing wave of shame following up like a speeding train.

He didn’t need Stolas to tell him what he was bawling like a baby over.

But, ever the bottom bitch for punishment, asked anyway. “. . . I say what for?”

Stolas then turned sheepish. “O-Oh well, uh-uhm, I don’t quite recall -”

“Bird, I don’t do any of that hee-haw Shit, it’s too early and I’m still hungover and all I’m gonna do is get pissed off now WHAT did I SAY?”

With two sets of eyes, it was easy to see that Blitzø was not going to give up on getting an answer. Stolas sighed softly.

“You made a great deal of apologies to a great deal of people. I didn’t catch every name but, erm, you had quite the list.” He sipped at his mug, stalling for only a minute before continuing.

“You apologized to a miss Mistly for dinging her car door while trying parallel park by a Wacdonald’s, a miss Queen for breaking smashing her one of a kind pirate ship in a bottle instead of the pinata by accident on her birthday, a miss Millie for chipping her favorite ax, a mister Moxxie for making him run all the way to Greed for a single battery for your TV remote, dropping his guitar fourteen times, borrowing his wallet, or more accurately, pinching his wallet to pay for Voxflix twice, a miss Barbie for stealing one of her skirts and ripping it whilst performing a split, I couldn’t really make out what exactly you were apologizing to a “Vee” and a “Fizz” for -”

“Okay!” Blitzø blurted out. “Okay! I get it! I get it! I was a hot mess, no more shit needed, I got it!” He cringed at the indignant crack in his voice. Christ, like he didn’t look enough like a pathetic shit already. He might as well plan to fake his own death again.

You know what they say, fifth time’s the charm.

“It wasn’t that bad.” Stolas’s weak attempt to reassure him only bounced off of the imp like a ping-pong ball. “It really wasn’t. Really, you should have seen me afterwards when I was binge-drinking.”

Blitzø scoffed. “Yeah, yeah, I’m sure you got real frisky from all those white wine spritzers.”

“Actually, I tended to lean more towards absinthe.” Stolas retorted, with no little bit of sass, taking a small bit of gratification from Blitzø’s surprised. “Of course, with how I was knocking back each bottle, you’d almost believe they were Purgerade drinks.”

Blitzø lifted his head from where he had been pressing it into the bartop. “Damn, how many we talkin’?”

“At least two to three on a good night, or whatever was close to that.”

The imp gave a low whistle. “”Fuck me, bird. I get shit-faced after half a bottle, how the fuck are you still standing?”

“At this point, stubbornness and sheer dumb luck, I believe.” Stolas quipped.

That startled enough mirth in Blitzø to actually make him laugh. “Join the club, pal.”

“I fear I cannot, as I have cut back my vigorous drinking to properly attend to Octavia. Leaving my former occupation did wonders for helping me cub the habit.”

“Bosses sucked that bad, huh?”

“Doubly so, considering it was a family business, sort to speak, although, I can assure they were family in name only.”

“Ugh. Preachin’ to the fuckin’ choir – there’s only so much shitty family a bitch could take in one day.”

“That, Mister Blitzø, I can wholeheartedly agree on.”

There were getting off-track. Blitzø bit his lip. “. . . I’m sorry for my shit.”

“For the final time, no more apologizes are necessary.”

He angled his head towards the staircase door. “I probably scared your kid.”

“Via has seen far worse, I assure you. Even when off your cups, you weren’t untoward her in any way, so you can save any of the claims of indecency that you’ve half-heartedly concocted in that crafty little mind of yours.”

“Just let me fuckin’ pay you.”

“I neither require nor want your money and I promise you, should you try to force any $ouls on me, I will promptly set it to aflame.”

“Lilith’s titties, you’re a stubborn bitch.”

“And you are an equally stubborn spendthrift.”

“Fuck you.”

“Not without dinner, if you please.”

Blitzø groaned. “God, we’re gonna keep talking in circles if you don’t just charge me and get it over with. I’m not fucking broke, I have the $ouls, just let me pay you.”

Stolas’s counter remark definitely caught Blitzø unawares. “It’s been a long time since anyone’s done something genuinely kind for you, hasn’t it?”

Blitzø’s hackles rose instantly at the “innocent” statement. “You trying to say something?”

Stolas merely sipped at his coffee. “Just an assessment.”

“Or you being a dickhead.”

“I made you a free breakfast for which I expect nothing in return. I am being absolutely forthright whereas you are choosing not to believe that I have no ulterior motives. Who, might I ask, is being the dickhead here?”

Oh, this smug bitch.

He had wanted to let loose a snarl that would make the owl falter in his not requested charity streak. He felt the urge already rising in his throat, ready to finally tell off this prick who was seriously starting to piss him off . . .

. . . But could only let out a low whine at the exhaustion of prolonging the one-sided argument, the fatigue of a bad night, getting totally smashed and crashing just as hard setting in. Being still half hungover sure as shit was not helping to keep the spark of pride burning.

If anything, Blitzø felt even more tired.

He wanted nothing more than to lay everything out, pay whatever the fucking bird deserved and drag his broke-back ass back home and lick his wounds from last night. And the only thing that was stopping him was getting through to this royally stubborn and feathery (Not to mention pretty soft-looking) bastard of a demon.

“Alright, look – I want to pay you back, but for some weird ass reason, you won’t let me.”

“I think we have perfectly established that.”

“So we got a problem.”

“Which could be solved by you accepting my putting your breakfast on the house.”

“And it should be clear as fuck that ain’t happening.”

“So I’ve gathered.”

Blitzø blew a breath of air out of his nose. “I’m not just being an asshole here – I don’t like owing people anything. I’ve been dipping in and out of debts for years, financial and personal. And just that fucking recently I finally managed to pay off a good chunk of them only to literally be screwed over again almost the same fucking day. So now I’m once again edging too damn close to bankruptcy for my liking.”

He gave the owl a flat look. “Meaning I can’t take any chances, such as freebies or random handouts, cuz Charity was just as easily turn into high-interest loans with zero time frames for return payments, unless you want to set up an installment plan that involves cutting out pounds of flesh ever week. Obviously, a guy like me can’t afford to look any more fucked up than he is with a chunk of anything missing.

“All that said, do you see what I’m gettin’ at?”

“. . . . I’m starting to.” Stolas said with a considerate look.

“Satisfaction eased through Blitzø’s frame. “Great. Glad we finally got that -”

“All the same, you needn’t pay me.”

And just like that it was gone.

He growled so sharply it would have destroyed eardrums had he done it inside of headphone speakers. “You fuckin’-”

“But since you won’t accept the gesture,” Stolas interrupted calmly. “How about just doing me a special favor?”

“‘Special favor’?” Blitzø blinked. “What kinda -”

A sound not unlike a light bulb dinged in his thank full-no-longer-as-sore cranium.

Oh.

Oh okay.

He gave a resigned sigh. “Hooookay, look, tootsie hootsie, if you just wanted a quick shag in the back all you had to do was ask. But I gotta warn ya, the place I’ve fucked in was a public bathroom that probably wasn’t cleaned in the last year or two, so I’ll probably need to wipe down the goods with something. Baby wipes would be good if got’em -”

“NO!” A spluttered hoot brought his attention back to Stolas, whose heart-shaped features had turned an almost violent shade of crimson in the span of half a minute. “No! No, no! Not that kind of favor, no! I mean I need your mouth!”

Blitzø gave him a deadpan look. “Yeah, I got that much, relax.”

“No! No! I mean -” Stolas let out a shaky warble before planting his face into his hands while muttering to himself in fit of bashfulness.

Blitzø just sipped at his coffee, waiting for him to spit whatever he wanted to say out. To his credit, he didn’t stare, knowing from his own share of verbal vomiting moments that doing that would just make his embarrassment worse.

Even though he no clue what the fuck he was suddenly so damn worked up about.

I mean, fuck, if I had a sint for each time I said the “wrong” things, I’d be raking in more money more green than Mammon.

A deep breath. “Forgive me, I’m doing this all wrong. I’m trying to offer you a deal. Something, I hope, will mutually beneficial to the both of us.”

The incredulous look on Blitzø’s face was quickly addressed. “Nothing vulgar or dramatic involved, you needn’t worry. Nothing of the sort.” He took another deep breath. “I would like for to come in again, and try my cooking.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Say what now?”

Stolas made a small noise of exasperation. “As I said, I’m still relatively new to running a business dealing with dining and catering and the like. I’m often pushed into having to spontaneously expand my range of techniques and specialties depending on my success. I know I’m capable, but I know that I can’t just rely on my own opinion and preferences alone. Even more so when I’m attempting new dishes. As such, I need an outside opinion.”

The imp blinked. “And yooouuu think that’s me?”

Stolas nodded. “Very much so.”

“Some fucking rando off the street who broke into your private property, was wasted out of his mind and could just as easily rob you blind despite these so-called ‘measures’ you said you have?”

“Not as ‘so-called’ as you say, but yes.”

“Rrrright.” Blitzø rolled his eyes. “Don’tcha have, I dunno other foodie friends, you can ask? Or maybe just wait for some famous food blogger critic douchebag to to come in and give you a rating?”

“None that would trust to be fair or take seriously, or assume my want for approval is really a want for cheap compliments – that I’m desperate enough to give someone license to either be obnoxiously petty or to deliver the best shallow review that procures them a not so low-key invitation to my bedroom.”

Blitzø grunted. “Asshats.”

“You should see how quickly they recoil as soon as they learn of Via.”

“Fuckin’ asshats.”

“Quite.” Stolas affirmed. “And to answer your other question, yes, I do have others whose say I do value, but I’ve heard relying on the biased does not help one’s credibility. I do appreciate the precious few whom I’m fortunate enough to have as friends, but I need a healthy dose of honesty from outside sources to provoke me to experiment and expand myself.”

“And you think that guy is me?” Blitzø repeated, gesturing to himself crudely.

“Of course.”

“Bullshit.”

“Good gracious, and you call me stubborn.”

“It’s not -” He let out a small snarl.

Seriously? He was still keeping this up? Enough was enough.

“Look, I get you’re trying to be nice, I get that. But, trust me, I’m the last fucking guy you want to be nice to let alone have around. Seriously, ask fucking anyone in hearing distance – I’m a right bastard on a good day and a pushy dickhead on a bad one, I’ve fucked up more people than I’ve actually helped and you would have more sense to shoot me rather than invite me over again. I mean, you gotta kid to think about, and -”

Blitzø shook his head. “And you don’t want me messin’ with your business. The one I tried starting flopped before I even got my feet off the ground. Pretty sure that speaks a fuckton for how helpful I can be towards you.”

He could barely ignore the burning sting of truth in that statement.

Saying all the shit that was a constant boiling inside him all out loud sucked.

It sucked balls.

He knew it was better than letting it all rot and fester like he let everything else – But it still sucked.

Fuck what his therapist said about it being being cathartic. He should quit that bitch.

It’s not like he would be able to pay them for much longer anyway.

Blitzø knew he was not the kind of person to be asked to come back. Even the scraps of friends he had managed to hang on to could barely wait for him to leave as soon as he said hello.

Moxxie was the leading example of proving him right. Even when Blitzø actually adhered to his demands of privacy and properly asking for invites to visit, (That Blitzø still found completely anal of him although he bit his lip) Moxxie was adamant to get him out the door before he could even get two fucks in.

Even Millie, Moxxie’s blast and a half of a wife, who was far more accommodating than her whore-back husband, drew the line when it came to his company being longer than necessary.

That was to say fucking nothing about his own flesh and blood.

Barbie Wire, his twin sister, his other half, would sooner see him six feet under before seeing him again.

Cash Buckzo, his father, never asked for him, never wanted him, and made it a point of telling him so straight to his face more than once.

His mother, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . She sure as fuck would have been better off without him.

And his exes? Those who he didn’t remember or couldn’t care to remember, those he never took a chance on because of him being too much of a pussy to try?”

Verosika? It was pretty fucking clear on how that went.

Fizz?

He was never wanted.

He was never missed.

He was never asked to come back.

Not for a visit.

Not for a drink.

Never just to hang and shoot the shit.

He was always tossed away as soon as necessary.

He was always left behind, pushed aside, shoved into the background.

Forgotten.

Dead for all those concerned.

Dead, except in the way he wanted when he was at the lowest he could be.

No one ever missed him.

No one ever wanted him back.

Nobody.

“. . . . I fuck things up more often than I get them right. There’s a pretty good chance if you get involved with me, shit’s gonna go sideways for you too.”

He wasn’t sure if he had muttered that part aloud or not. Not that he gave a shit.

He halfway expected to be asked to repeat himself.

Or maybe Stolas would curse him under his breath for being such a dramatic bitch.

Maybe he would finally cut the bullshit and be real about what the fuck that he really wanted from him.

However, all Blitzø got in response, was a soft touch at his wrist, soft as silk and just as gentle.

Along with two sets of big cerise rose eyes that crinkled gently at the corners as they held his gaze with calmness and sympathy.

And maybe something else, but that could’ve been that whiny, fractured part of himself making up what wasn’t actually there.

“I’ve taken far riskier gambles than trusting a stranger out of the blue, Mister Blitzø.” Stolas spoke in such a comforting voice. “And I have yet to lose from any of them. Perhaps it’s rather cocky to say so, but since my winning streak has yet to be broken, I think you’re a rather good bet to take a chance on.”

The tender smile, that was nothing short of dazzling, he gave Blitzø at the end such a declaration was a damn good seller.

Satan forbid this man ever works for Vox – cause with that smile, he could sell gas station keys like they were the keys to gates of Eden itself. I mean, if his touch alone could send sparks up my arm like he was doing right now. . .

Fuck him if he knew.

The hand causing such a feeling than gave two soft pats to his wrist before lifting away to grab the coffee pot once more, refilling Blitzø’s mug with still steaming java and the exact number of sugars and creams he had diluted it with before.

“So, how does coming in twice, three times a week sound? I usually close the cafe’ around seven since I try to get Octavia in bed by eight thirty on weeknights. If you like to come by over the weekend, I close around six thirty to seven o’clock depending on how busy I get. Except any catering orders or special events, I’m not fussy over whenever you come over. All I ask is that you let me know when you’re coming by in advance so I can have something ready for you. A day or two ahead would be just fine.”

Blitzø, this time, could not find in him to groan loudly in protest to the blatant hardheaded dismissal of the what seemed like hours long argument. The argument he bitterly realized that he couldn’t fight against.

That did nothing to stop him from throwing his head back and scowling at the annoying as shit clean ceiling tiles above them.

“. . . . . . . You really aren’t gonna give this up, are you?” He said after a while.

“I suppose I’m about as bull-headed as you are.”

Blitzø gave a chuffing laugh at that.

Well, fuck.

What was he supposed to do with that?

What could he do with that?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fuck it, if the worst happened, he could just disappear again, right?

Not likely Stolas would look for him just for a review, right?

. . . . Right.

“. . . . . . . . . . The peppers and onions were both sweet.”

Stolas blinked at him like the owl he was.

Heh. Cute.

“The omelet was good, but it was kinda over-sweetened; I don’t know what kinda onions you added but personally I would use a more subtle kind of onion to help round out the sweetness of the peppers.”

He let this sink in for a moment before continuing, “I remember seeing you add a green pepper so next time I would recommend using a shallot, maybe about half a tablespoon’s worth should be right. A regular tablespoon’s good too if you don’t use too much of the peppers.”

He sipped at his refreshed coffee. “I personally, like some spice in my eggs to help me wake up, so don’t be afraid to throw some in the mix in the future. Like oregano or basil. You don’t have to go crazy with the amount, though, - just about when you’re making the bowl and a few dashes of it on top when ya put it on the plate. It��ll pair well with the tomatoes and not distract you too much from the rest of the food.”

He took a breath. “Coffee’s good, strong enough to double as a chemical peel, everything any caffeine addict is looking for. The aftertaste doesn’t turn me off from drinking the rest and from how it feels going down I am a hundred and fifteen percent sure you’re a nit-pick bitch cuz I taste how finely you ground the beans without turning them to powder. It’s good ya didn’t because that shit’s only good foe about half hour before fighting to keep your eyes open by either shooting up some dope or knocking back enough 66-Hour-Energy drinks to give the Big B a heart attack.”

Shouldn’t he stop? Maybe he was saying too much. Stolas had asked for honesty and Blitzø was doing his best to deliver it with as little jackassery as possible.

Problem was, for Blitzø, jackassery was his default language, according to practically everyone and their fat mom’s. And, most of the time, he didn’t even realize how much he let slip out before he got a sharp crack across the face. Or a knee to the balls.

He chanced a look at Stolas. If he looked upset, he could take it all back. It wasn’t too late, he could still backtrack -

Tiny stars sparked in Stolas’s wide eyes. Small and bright and beautiful, looking every bit like the twinkling little lights his mom would tell stories to him and Barbie back in their childhood. After the circus ring was cleared of trash and the last Hellhorse was tucked in their stall. Back when, even thought hings weren’t easy, everything was okay.

Before everything suddenly wasn’t.

Stolas, upon noticing Blitzø looking at him, instantly grew more flustered in some odd cacophony of joy and mortification, his plumage fluffing up from the top of his crown to the little floof of feathers on his chest. His hands belated came up to smooth them back into place, unfortunately they did little to quell them along with the rosy blush that tinted his face plate into an eye-catching pink.

Damn, this bird was so cute it was unfair.

The anxious itch in his chest was put to ease right there and then.

This couldn’t actually work, could it?

. . . Could it?

. . . . . . Maybe. Just maybe.

Emboldened, Blitzø sent the owl a lazy smile that easily darkened the pink on his face, matching the warmth the imp felt on his own face. “The apple was like a fucking angel feather, so soft and tasty. You have got to show me how the ever-loving fuck you made it turning to to applesauce ‘cause that shit was better than fuckin’ crack.”

Stolas looked like he couldn’t decide whether to be elated or overwhelmed.

After an awkwardly long amount of time, he clearly had settled on elation. His upper set of eyes turned upward in little crescents as his beak returned the smile with a brightness that Blitzø felt proud of bring out.

“I’d be happy to, darling.”

To be continued . . .

ME: Hey all you sinners & saints! Who’s excited for HAZBIN HOTEL coming out this friday?!?!?!? (Or Thursday if you actually watch it at it’s appointed time) I know I am!

I am SO EXCITED AND DESPERATELY TRYING TO IGNORE THE FACT THIS STORY IS LITTERALLY GOING TO LOST IN HAZBIN HIGH THAT I KNOW IS COMING FOR THE PAST WEEK. AND THE WEEK AFTER THAT. And the week after that . . .

ANYWAYSO, here is the recipe for the Mega-Omelet, which let me tell, just reading the ingredients alone mad me feel full! Also, what do you do for your respective hangovers? Let me know in the comments!

I’ll have the next (& FINAL chapter of this installment) written and posted as soon as I can, so until then, eat hearty, everyone!

Oh, and enjoy your stay at the Hazbin Hotel . . .

84 notes · View notes

adorawritesalot · 4 months

Text

The Cafe

hi everyone! my first ever kpop one-shot (and my longest one ever)! spare me pls

pairing: widowed father!bangchan x cafe owner!fem!reader

word count: 3.5k

warnings: mentions of death, about five curse words, two idiots in love, overthinking, the L word, lmk if i missed anything

STORY UNDER THE CUT

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

Chan was a regular at your cafe. And by regular you mean he comes by every day, 3:12 pm sharp. You would be stupid not to notice him; he’s too beautiful for his own good. His dark brown curls rested peacefully on his forehead, blissfully unaware of the effect they had on you, and his chiselled jaw looked like it could cut through diamonds. It didn’t matter if he was wearing a T-shirt or a coat, you could see his well-built body even through his clothes. He just looked so dreamy to you, and maybe that’s why you were thinking about him on your Sunday shift. One of the two days that he doesn’t come by the cafe. It was hard to wake up at the ass crack of dawn at the weekends long before Chan started going to your cafe. But ever since he first showed up in a black sweater and his hair unruly, asking for an iced americano to-go, waking up for your weekend shifts was even harder.

“You need a coffee.”

Snapping your head up quickly, you smiled at your friend tiredly, “Thanks, Hwa. Just what a girl needs at 9 am on a Sunday.” You quickly started making his drink to wake up at least just a little bit.

“I’m just saying,” he shrugged, “you probably haven’t gotten many customers anyway. Had a long night?”

You turned around with a fake scandalised look on your face, making him laugh. “You make me laugh, Park Seonghwa. I have a child to take care of!” you cried out jokingly, flailing your hands around. It made him look around the cafe and ponder on how far you’ve come. He had known you for quite some time now, meeting you at one of the many college parties his friends dragged him to. Back then this cafe was real only in your imagination, and he can remember the mental picture of the cafe he had when you first told him about your dream quite well, seeing as it was standing right in front of him. Well, besides the autumn decorations on every surface imaginable. He felt proud of you, and he would come to this cafe even if the coffee sucked.

“I know, babe, but don’t you think you deserve to at least go on a date? And before you say something,” he put a finger up, making you turn back around, “maybe you can ask a hot customer, ‘cause I know damn well you don’t go anywhere else than your flat and the cafe,” he looked at the back of your head pointedly.

You keep your eyes trained on the coffee in front of you as you think of a certain customer. Obviously, you’ve thought about asking him out, but what if he was taken? He looked to be older than you, and honestly, it would be a crime to leave that man single. And the second problem was even worse; you couldn’t, for the life of you, function properly when he was just on the other side of the counter. Yes, that may be because you haven’t felt the touch of another human being in quite some time, but you told yourself that it was just because of his stunning looks to keep your sanity.

“Your coffee’s ready,” you turned around, smiling at him sarcastically.

“You really don’t wanna talk about it, huh?”

“No, not really.”

He looked at you plainly in silence before softening up. “Just hit me up once something happens, please. Or even when nothing happens. You know that our door is always open for you, y/n.”

“Of course, Hwa. We still have to plan the sleepover, anyway. Now shoo before the Sunday brunchers start coming,” you laughed, and it made him check his watch.

“Oh god, I left Wooyoung in the car alone for fifteen minutes.”

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

3pm on an October Sunday had never felt as good as that day. Cleaning tables after a long day of being alone at the cafe mixed with your playlist playing softly in the background sounded like music to your ears. Even though it wasn’t by far the busiest day that the cafe had lived through, it felt like it. Your Sunday part-time worker texted you yesterday evening that he got the flu and could barely even stand up, so you told him to get well soon and then cried for an hour, like the responsible boss you are.

After you finished cleaning up, you set the cleaning timer on all coffee machines to 4pm, turned off all the lights, put on your coat and grabbed your stuff. Stopping the music, you looked at your phone, only to see 3:10pm written on it. That means you can still catch the earlier bus without running to the bus stop and then start that series you’ve been itching to watch half an hour earlier. You add a little skip into your walk to the door, opening it. Just as you stepped out, a body stepped right in front of you. Yelping, you step back slightly, looking up at the stranger who wanted to come into the cafe, only to find Chan standing right in front of you, in that black sweater of his that you saw him in for the first time.

He took a step back. “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

You nodded at him with a laugh, “yeah, of course. I’m sorry, too. You just really scared me.”

He then looked at your hand, which was holding the keys to the cafe, and then inside the building behind you, seeing the lights off. His expression falls and a little frown makes its way onto his face instead. “You’re closing? I thought you were here ‘till 5 today.”

Your expression fell too, “oh my god. I forgot to put up the autumn schedule on Google,” he giggled a little at your expression, “in autumn and winter, we close at 3pm on Sundays. I’m so sorry, this is totally my fault. Do you still want coffee? The machines are not going to start the cleaning process until 4, anyway.”

He interrupted you with a laugh, “you really don’t have to apologise, it’s nothing. But, um,” there was some hesitation in his voice, “but would you, maybe, no pressure, really, I don’t want you to feel like you have to, um.” He looked down at his feet and then back up at you with a nervous smile. “Would you want to go somewhere? With me. If you’re not busy, obviously.”

You laughed out of shock, “Oh, um. What? I mean, really?” He smiled, his dimples on display, and nodded.

“Yeah, sure. Sure, I would love to.” Were you dreaming? “Do you want to go in, then? O-or-”

“No, no, I was thinking maybe, um, get street food and just go to the park around the corner? Because I don’t want you to spend time making something? Actually, scratch that, that’s just plain and stupid, maybe I should plan something fancier,” rambled Chan, combing his hand through his hair.

“No, I think that sounds good,” you said, maybe a little too quickly, “I mean, uh, yeah. Sure, sounds good. Perfect, even.”

“Okay!” There was that smile with the dimples.

“Okay,” you smiled up at him sweetly, “oh!” Turning around, you locked the door quickly before turning around. “Shall we, then?”

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

The food wasn’t necessarily good, but you would honestly eat worse if it meant you could spend more time with Chan. You were sat on a bench, a first date friendly distance between your bodies. You’ve gotten to know random things about him in the past hour and a half; he is 30, just seven years older than you. You also found out that he works in the local firm that’s ten minutes away from the cafe, which is why he comes to the cafe at the same time every day, and that he likes to make music with his friends. What mattered to you more, though, was how attentive and awfully nice he was. Paying for your food, walking on the outside of the sidewalk, and actually listening to what you had to say came to him naturally.

“I’m sorry, y/n, but I’ve gotta be somewhere at 5, so I’ll have to go,” he exclaimed after laughing at your previous statement. His words made you check the time on your phone, seeing that it was, in fact, nearing 5pm.

“Oh, wow, I didn’t even notice it was already 5. Time flies by when you’re having fun, I guess,” you giggle at the hopeful look in his eyes once you said you had fun.

“I had fun today, too, y/n. I’m glad you had time for me. I’ve been meaning to ask you out for a while now, and I’m happy I finally managed to do it. You’re a great person and even better company,” he stood up and look at his feet, red tinting his ears.

“Chan,” you started, also standing up, “could I get your number before you go?”

He looked back up at you for the second time that day. He thought you wouldn’t want anything more with him, maybe just chatting when he gets his coffee, but that’s about it. He let his insecurities cloud his judgement. He thought you were the one who saved this date from being a complete disaster, not knowing that this was the sweetest date you have ever been on.

Maybe this whole dating thing isn’t as hard as he remembered it to be. Or maybe it’s just your presence that’s making it easier for him. He doesn’t know, but he thinks exchanging numbers with you could be a good idea.

And as you part ways with him, he waves at you with a giddy smile, dialling the 3racha group chat. You wave at him with a giggle and a bright smile, calling Seonghwa quickly.

“You won’t fucking believe what just happened.”

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

It’s been almost a month since your first date with Chan. And to be honest, you were in deep. You have been texting him almost all the time, and every time he would come by the cafe, he would stay a little longer, just to see you smile. You’ve gone on different dates in the past month, but your favourites were probably the museum and the aquarium date.

But today marks the day of the biggest, and in your opinion the most important, date so far. You will be going to a respectable restaurant, dressed in your finest clothes. Seonghwa told you, that he thinks Chan might finally ask you to be his girlfriend, something you aren’t too sure of. Sure, you’ve fallen for him, and you would love to think he’s in the same predicament as you, but your overthinking mind cannot help but worry.

Especially since he texted you at half past ten in the morning that he can’t go on a date today, because his work will probably keep him busy until late at night. So, you texted him that you understand and that you hope he doesn’t stay in too late, and then took a break to cry in the breakroom. Your mind was screaming at you from every corner of your brain. Why are you crying over this? It’s nothing personal, you’re sure, Chan wouldn’t do that to you, but you can’t help but worry. What if you are just another girl to him, while he is the main topic of your conversations with your best friend?

Trying to push those thoughts away, you got up from the floor and cleaned up.

At least your part-time worker doesn’t have to close by herself, you tell yourself to feel better about this whole thing.

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

Chan felt like an asshole. He accidentally put his daughter’s recital on Saturday instead of Friday in his calendar, so he made plans with you. Turns out, the recital is, in fact, not on Saturday. His daughter was talking about it all the way to the kindergarten, all while he was silently cussing himself out. What is he supposed to tell you? Oh god, what if Jisung and Changbin can't come today? Nari would probably stop functioning if she saw two empty seats next to Chan. And then her teacher, who already didn’t like Nari for some reason, would be mad at her. This was bad.

Then he remembers that he’s talking about Changbin and Jisung, the two guys who were by his side every step of the way. They wouldn’t miss Nari’s recital for the world.

You, on the other hand? He was planning on telling you everything today at dinner; from his daughter to his feelings for you. And now he had to call off the date. Driving to work had never seemed this long. His mind was running through all the possibilities. He wasn’t stupid, he knew he should’ve told you sooner. Chan was just too scared to say anything. You were probably the best thing that’s happened to him ever since the death of Nari’s mum. What would he do if he fucked this up, too?

Brushing it away as best as he could, he texts you that he won’t be able to make it to the date due to work and that he’s sorry. Because he truly was, and all he could do was hope that you wouldn’t take anything personally.

Thankfully, his day at work went by quickly. Nothing out of the ordinary popped up, and so he could leave peacefully at 3 pm. He really wanted to see your smile and get coffee, but he knew he couldn’t, so he drove past the cafe to Jisung’s place, where he would be picking him up. Thankfully, Jisung lived quite close, so the drive didn’t take too long. Chan pulled up to his friend’s house like he had a million times before, unlocking the car as he saw Jisung standing there.

“Hey, Chan,” he greeted enthusiastically, receiving a greeting back, “you excited?”

“Hell yeah. This is Nari’s biggest recital so far. I just hope everything goes well.”

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

“Excuse me, sorry, excuse me, sorry,” he muttered as he passed people to get to their chairs.

Changbin looked at all the parents around them, “Gods, when did these people even get here? I thought we were gonna be the first ones here.” He received an enthusiastic nod from Jisung.

“Well, we were, but then Channie hyung just had to talk to Nari’s teacher,” Jisung rolled his eyes jokingly.

“Sorry I care about my daughter.”

A beat of silence passed through the group. Changbin and Jisung held eye contact with raised eyebrows until Jisung averted his eyes to look at Chan, “you okay?”

“Yeah, of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

All three of them knew he was fucked with that response.

“Is this about y/n?” Changbin asked, already knowing the answer.

The lights started to dim, “we’ll talk once the recital ends.”

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

He stood up, clapping proudly as he looked at his daughter. She waved at him with the biggest smile on her little face, and he knew he had to make things right. He turned to Jisung. “Could you go to Nari? I have to talk with Bin.”

Jisung nodded sombrely, seeing as he wanted to hear this conversation, but ran off happily to his niece.

Changbin sighed, “so, what did you do?”

And so, Chan tells him. Changbin knew that he hadn’t told you about Nari, but he didn’t know Chan wanted to tell you today. Chan tells him how he lied to you, and how it’s slowly eating away at his conscience. And mainly, he tells him, “I don’t want to love her, Bin. I don’t like what that means to me.”

“What do you think it means, Chris?”

“It means I have something to lose again, and I’m not strong enough for that anymore,” he whispers harshly.

“Well, if I can, I’ll tell you what I think it means,” Changbin started, “I think that means having someone who can help you bear all your problems. It means having someone who is here for you all the time. But mainly, it means having someone who loves you unconditionally, Chris. And from what you’ve told me, she’s great at all of these things. And she would probably be great with Nari, too. Nari would love her,” he paused, wondering if he should say it, “Nari will love her. But you gotta let her.”

“But, Bin,” Chan tried to reason.

“We both know she would want you to be happy. And if that means being with y/n, which I personally think it means, then she would want you to be with her.”

Chan finally looked back up from his shoes to his friend. Chan knew he was right. Changbin was always right. But what about you? Would you even want him?

“Stop overthinking and go tell her how you feel, please. I’ll cry if you don’t,” Changbin joked.

“But Nari-” Chan began, only to get interrupted.

“We’ll take her home. Go make things right,” he replied, pushing Chan to the entrance of the building. Chan only smiled before he took off, taking long strides to his car.

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

You sighed as you wiped down the last table. It was almost 5 pm, which meant you were closing for the day. It wasn’t your normal schedule, but it was the annual maintenance day, so your customers knew about this.

All you wanted right now was a tub of ice cream, a cheesy romance movie to make you feel even worse, and three boxes of tissues to cry into. You knew this was stupid to cry about; after all, it was just a cancelled date. But what if this was just one out of many? Maybe he just didn’t want you anymore, or he never wanted you in the first place.

And maybe you could just cry over a man on a random Friday night.

You stopped the playlist sombrely, turned off the lights, and grabbed your things, seeing it was eleven minutes past five. You were supposed to be sitting in the best restaurant in the city right now.

A ring of the bell above the cafe’s door interrupted our train of thought. “Sorry, we’re closed for the day,” you turned around, only to see him standing there, dressed in that damned black sweater of his.

“Chan,” you breathed out, “what are you doing here?”

Chan froze for a second. He was finally here, after sitting in the traffic for ten minutes. He had plenty of time to think about what he was going to say and do. Problem was that he forgot all of it the moment he saw you. And so, his heart took over. He took quick steps towards you. He stopped just short of you.

“I’m so sorry, y/n. I need to tell you so much, but first I want to apologise. I haven’t been truthful with you in every aspect and,” he took a breath,” I’m just so sorry. Could we sit down?”

And as he told you about his late wife and his daughter Nari in one of the cafe’s booths, you felt like a complete asshole for overthinking this. Of course he didn’t tell you, dumbass. You wouldn’t tell yourself either. A few minutes of silence were all it took for you to realise what Chan had just said.

“Chan,” you started, trying to find the right words as you stood up, “be honest with me right now, please. Do you see this thing between us going somewhere serious? I get that you lost your wife a few years ago, and I’m really sorry to hear that. And I get that you have a daughter, so you probably won’t want her to meet me this soon or anything, but-”

He kissed you.

He kissed you, and it felt like all the tension from your shoulders fell right between the two of you and then dissipated into thin air. His kiss felt like a breath of fresh air although you were losing your breath slowly, but you wouldn’t have it any other way. Your hands found their way around his neck as his hands traced your waist, bringing you even closer.

You then parted; you were both breathing heavily, but Chan’s face had that dimpled smile you’d fallen for.

“I’m sorry, I just had to shut you up, y/n,” he giggled, “I do see this going somewhere and I do want you to meet Nari as soon as possible, because I don’t think I can handle another day without letting you know I love you. I love you, y/n.”

The smile you had on your face could probably brighten any of Chan’s dark days, and he just wanted to kiss you again.

“I love you, too, Chan.”

:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

THANK YOU for reading! friendly reminder that my asks are open!

asked to be tagged: @bangtancultsposts

#chan is a sweetheart #just a puppy #bless him #chan is a girl dad #stray kids x reader #skz x reader #bangchan x reader #bang chan #changbin #han jisung #seonghwa #wooyoung #ateez mentioned #bangchan x y/n #bangchan x you #cafe owner au

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ateezreactionsandscenarios · 2 years

Text

Attention

Pairing: Jeong Yunho x Reader

Genre: Angst, Smut, Fluff

CW: Yunho is a bit of an ass at the beginning, marking, possessive Yunho, fingering (F receiving), oral (F receiving), overstimulation, slight restraint, creampie.

Prompts: 6) “Was it worth it?”

72) “Use your words.”

74) “Did I tell you to stop?”

Word count: 7840

Summary: Yunho has been off lately, work is getting to be a lot and he's not paying much attention to you anymore. At dinner you try to catch his attention but end up catching the attention of 7 others.

Prompt List MasterList Buy me a Coffee

It was 1am and you were still awake...Well just about. Your phone held tightly in your hand as you slowly drifted in and out of consciousness trying your hardest to keep your attention fixed on the show you were watching. You were waiting up for Yunho to get home, not that you needed to of course, but you always liked to know he got home safely especially on nights he wasn't with you.

Practice must have been running late again, that wad the whole reason Yunho decided to stay at the dorms with the rest of the group for the time being, he felt it was easier on you if he did that to save you waking up at the crack of dawn every morning and him waking you up when he'd come home late at night. Yet there you were, the same as last night and the night before, struggling to keep your eyes open just waiting for the message to come through that he was home.

Your eyes shot open when you felt your phone buzz in your hand. Quickly opening it, you were glad to see his text.

[1:12 am] Yunho: Home.

[1:12 am] Y/n: Yay!!! How was practice??

[1:15 am] Yunho: Good.

[1:15 am] Y/n: Oh good, well get some sleep you must be tired. 😥

[1:20 am] Yunho: Ok.

[1:21 am] Y/n: Ok, well I love you, sleep well ❤

[1:22 am] Yunho: Night.

You felt a small pang of hurt in your chest as you read over the texts. You tried to shrug it off as him just being tired, it was 1 in the morning after all, but the way he seemed so blunt and seemed to not give even an ounce of effort hurt. You were too tired to deal with all that right now and maybe after getting sleep the two of you would be feeling better in the morning.

The next morning you were woken by your phone ringing on the bed side table. In your half asleep state you didn't bother looking at who it was that was calling before answering.

"Hello?" You say, voice still thick with sleep.

"Hey sleepy head." You open your eyes fully at the sound of Yunho’s voice, he seemed a lot more normal in comparison to last night.

"We've got a short practice today and the guys wanted me to ask if you wanted to come for dinner with us tonight." You felt a small smile appear on your face.

"Of course, where are we going?"

"I'm not entirely sure, Hongjoong said he saw this nice restaurant the other day, he said it looked fancy but not over the top fancy." You hum along to his response as you thought about what you could wear, you didn't want to be too dressy but you didn't want to be underdressed either.

"That sounds great, I'll join you guys, tell them I said thank you for the invite." You must have been on loud speaker because as soon as you said thank you a chorus of "You're welcome" could be heard down the phone, making you laugh.

"I'll pick you up at 7."

"Okay, see you later, I love you." You smile to yourself, but the line went dead without a reply from Yunho. You're really trying not to worry about it, he's busy and tired and you understand that, but he's been so off it's starting to get to you. Shrugging the whole thing off you go over to your closet to find something to wear.

Evening rolls around and you're borderline ready. You decided on a black dress, you needed to get Yunho's attention especially after how he's been. Your dress was shorter than you'd normally wear but not too short to the point it was inappropriate and the neckline was just deep enough to give a small glimpse at your cleavage, you're grateful Yunho is tall since from his angle he might be the only one seeing it which is exactly what you planned. You never dressed for anyone but yourself but right now you were willing to put that moral aside for the night, feeling pushed aside yourself by Yunho you needed something that you knew would catch his eye and hopefully he'd actually give you the attention you'd been craving. Attention that lasted longer than 10 minutes.

You're busy fiddling with your earrings and checking over your makeup when you feel your phone go off.

[6:59 pm] Yunho: Here.

[7:00 pm] Y/n: I'll be down in a sec.

You smile giving yourself a mental thumbs up as you take one last look in the mirror before grabbing your bag and rushing to the door. Walking out the front door of your apartment building you see Yunho waiting by the car, dressed up in his smart casual shirt and jeans combo. The smile he gives you doesn't go unnoticed.

"Wow, wow, slow down." He chuckles as you start to rush over to him.

"We don't want to turn dinner into a hospital trip." He says holding you by the waist to stop the potential of you losing balance.

"I'm fine, I won't fall. You look great." You smile fixing the small curl in his collar.

"So do you, amazing actually." You feel a sense of pride take over as you watch his eyes scan over you with that look you knew all too well. It seems you got his attention, and guessing from where his eyes lingered a little too long, something else has his attention too.

“Shall we get going?” You nod in response just before he leans down giving you a quick kiss on the cheek and opening the car door for you. You raise an eyebrow at him, silently joking with him about the chivalrous move while he rolls his eyes at you with a wide smile. He waits for you to get comfy in the car before closing the door and rushing over to his side and getting in.

The drive to the restaurant was like it always was with you two, singing along to the music that was playing and having a laugh. There’s a moment when the car falls into a comfortable silence, the music quietly playing in the background as you hum along. You notice how Yunho looks over to you, a smile on his face like he was seeing you for the first time all over again and you can’t help but smile back. You were internally scolding yourself for getting worried over some stupid texts, how could you second guess how he felt towards you, just the way he looks at you told you all you needed to know.

Turning his attention back to the road, his hand moves from the steering wheel and settles on your exposed thigh, giving it a light squeeze telling you he was still giving you his attention even if he wasn’t looking at you, and that’s where his hand stayed the rest of the journey only leaving your thigh to change gears from time to time.

You pull up to the restaurant and your eyes light up from just the view of the outside. You guessed Hongjoong wasn’t lying when he said it was a bit fancy, it looked like something you’d find in Paris, and from this alone you started to feel that you were possibly underdressed. Before you could put your hand to the door handle Yunho was already out of the car and rushing over to your side, repeating what he did when he picked you up. Taking your hand he helps you out of the car and shutting the door behind you before linking your arm in his and walking into the restaurant.

You started to wonder where everyone was, no one meeting you both outside. Your thoughts were answered when the hostess led you and Yunho over to a large table, everyone already sat down and deep in conversation.

“Here they are, took your time.” Wooyoung jokes calling over and moving everyone’s attention to the both of you. You both laugh his comment off, but you’ve now realised no one seems to be looking at Yunho. All eyes seem to be on you. You feel a small blush creep up your cheeks at the sudden attention. Yunho notices all eyes are on you but he doesn’t think anything of it, glancing back down at you he can see why all the guys are staring, he knew if he was able to that’s all he’d be doing too. With his hand on the small of your back Yunho guides you over to the last two available seats, him taking the one next to Mingi and you next to Jongho.

“You look nice tonight Y/n.” Mingi compliments as you approach your seat earning a small smirk from you.

“Are you saying I don’t look nice anyway?” You joke laughing at his flustered face as he tries to back pedal.

“No, no, you always look nice, I meant...”

“It’s okay Mingi, I’m pulling your leg.” You smile resting a hand on his shoulder in comfort, you could feel the tension leave his shoulders as he starts to giggle along with the others.

Joking with the boys was like second nature to you now, when you were first introduced to the Ateez boys you were a bit more reserved, keeping your humour on the down low out of fear of offending one someone or making a bad impression, but over time you grew to be comfortable around them and you came out of your shell more and more to the point you can now be your true unfiltered self in front of them, and they love every second of it, to the others you’re like their little sister.

You take your seat and Yunho tucks you in earning him a lot of ooh’s and ah’s which makes you chuckle lightly, turning your face away from Yunho so he couldn’t see. Conversation quickly picks up where it left off, Hongjoong, Wooyoung and Seonghwa talking about the various figures they’ve been looking at followed by Wooyoung threatening to break one of Seonghwa’s Lego sets which soon breaks out into a small argument that Hongjoong tries to stop. San and Yeosang sharing funny videos with each other and saying how they remind them of different members of the group. Mingi and Yunho are laughing at some weird inside joke the two of them share that you are still yet to work out, and you’re conversing with Jongho about a TV show he’s been binging lately.

“Y/n, I’m telling you, you need to watch it, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, one minute you think it’s this person and then the next your mind is changed completely. It’s a mind fuck.” Jongho rambles on excitedly with his arms waving all over the places as he tries to explain the plot without spoiling it for you.

“Jongho, I have one question...Will it piss me off?” His eyes widen and he frantically nods his head at you.

“I don’t get annoyed at TV that much but this has me screaming, I need to know who it is and I’m getting nowhere.” You nod along as he talks with a smile on your face. He knew your taste in TV shows all too well, you loved the type of mysteries that had you screaming and rethinking your list of suspects.

��You’ve sold me, I need to see this show now.” You laugh and his smile widens knowing he finally has someone to rant to about it. You carry on talking about different TV shows and movies with Jongho but you’ve noticed he’s starting to get distracted every now and then but by what you have no idea and choose to ignore it completely.

Yunho glances over to you out of habit but stops when he catches onto the way Jongho’s looking at you, the tips of the younger’s ears turning a light shade of red and his eyes wide with concentration. Yunho keeps a subtle eye on him until he notices how Jongho’s eyes would occasionally flit down to your chest while you look away for a second and then go right back to your face when your full attention is on him again. Yunho feels how he starts to frown with annoyance and can’t help it, he knows he can trust Jongho not to do anything but the way his eyes wander over you sparks up jealousy and possessiveness inside him, emotions he never usually feels.

“One sec.” He quickly says turning his attention back to Mingi for a second. Mingi lightly nods and turns his attention to San and Yeosang jumping into their conversation as Yunho turns to you.

“What are you guys talking about?” He asks calmly with a small smile making sure to shuffle a little closer to your side and resting a hand on your thigh for Jongho to clearly see as a way of sending him a silent message.

“Oh Jongho was just telling me about this show he’s been watching, we need to watch it when you’re over next.” You smile excitedly in hopes he’ll agree.

“Jongho, is this that same show you’ve been raving about to us for the last few days?” The younger nods frantically again.

“You seriously need to watch it, come on if not for me do it for y/n.” He says as the both of you turn to Yunho with pouts on your faces pleading him to give in.

“Okay, okay, I’ll watch it, but if it’s awful I’m forcing you to have a Harry Potter marathon with me.” Jongho grimaces at the thought of it, it’s not that he didn’t like Harry Potter but it’s the thought of not only having to sit through all 8 movies in one sitting but it was also the thought of having to wear the robes. Yunho always made the others wear their house robes whenever it was on, he thought it was hysterical and a fun idea despite the groans from the others.

“Oh y/n has to know this story.” You hear Seonghwa mention your name from across the table which instantly grabs your attention.

“What story?” You ask leaning placing your arms on the table and leaning over them to be able to hear them better.

You were oblivious to the looks you started to receive, the way you were sat with your arms tucked under your chest meant your breasts were lifted a little more showing off a bit more cleavage. Wooyoung and San exchanged wide eyed looks silently confirming with each other that they were seeing the same thing. Noticing the youngers looks Hongjoong gave Wooyoung a discreet elbow to the ribs and a warning look telling him not to ogle at you.

“Oh.” Seonghwa clears his throat getting himself together to tell the story.

“At practice the other day we were working as usual after break but someone must have left an open water bottle on the floor.” He starts soon getting interrupted by Wooyoung who’s dying of laughter as the scene plays out in his head again.

“We’re getting to a pretty intense part of the choreography when...”

“Yeosang knocks over the bottle and slips on the water.” Wooyoung interrupts, wheezing with laughter while the others chuckle along, all except Yeosang who’s rolling his eyes.

“Oh come on Yeo, it was hilarious, you ate shit and kissed the floor.” The younger continues to wheeze out between fits of laughter.

“Oh, you want to try an embarrass me, how about we tell y/n what happened to you earlier?” Yeosang cocks a mischievous brow at Wooyoung who’s now rendered to silence at the realisation of what he’s talking about.

“You dare.” Wooyoung warns as Yeosang gives him a smirk before turning to you.

“Our lovely Woo over there likes this girl, she goes to the coffee shop a couple streets away from the dorms.” He starts. You can’t help but look at Wooyoung who’s scowling at this point and aww at him finding his crush really cute.

“We walked past the coffee place today and he saw her in there and got all excited. So being the good friend I am I told him to go for it and ask for her number, maybe even buy her a pastry.”

“You dare finish that story and I swear.”

“I’m hyping him up, he gets excited and decided he’ll do it. Just as he turns to go in he walks into the glass door.” The table erupts with laughter while Wooyoung sits sulking in his chair.

“He got so embarrassed he turned around and walked off.” You’re close to tears with how hard you were laughing, granted you felt a little bad for Wooyoung, it must have been a horrible experience, but you couldn’t help the image of him bouncing off the glass door playing in your mind.

“OKAY HOW ABOUT...” Wooyoung screeches quickly standing from his chair. The sudden movement and lack of room he had made the table wobble, resulting in your glass of wine falling down the front of you. You quickly sit up straight rushing to grab your napkin to clean yourself up.

“Shit y/n, I’m so sorry.” Wooyoung panics, his hands waving around not knowing what to do with himself.

“It’s okay Woo, you didn’t mean it, lucky the dress is black.” You laugh as you continue to wipe over your cleavage while Yunho assists in trying to clean up your dress as best he could. The table went silent. You and Yunho were too busy trying to clean up the wine to notice how all eyes had fallen on you again. They all wanted desperately to look away, to be respectful to not only you but Yunho as well, but the way your tits bounced a little as you wiped over them had them all in a trance, only to be made worse when you pulled the front of your dress forward a tiny bit to get the last of the wine off you. Jongho next to you became a blushing mess, getting the best view out of all of them, apart from Yunho. He knew he needed to tear his eyes away but no matter how much he tried he couldn’t.

Once you were cleaned up as good as you could get you looked back up to everyone, who quickly diverted their gazes elsewhere but not before Yunho caught on, the grip on his napkin getting tighter with annoyance.

The rest of dinner went smoothly, conversation flowed as normal and no more wine was spilt. One thing you did notice was Yunho’s hand never left you, he always had his hand either on your thigh, the small of your back or on your arm, it was comforting but at the same time a little strange given how he’d been acting lately.

The end of dinner rolls around and Hongjoong quietly asks for the bill. Lost in conversation you don’t realise the bill has turned up until Hongjoong is pulling out his wallet.

“Oh, how much does mine come to?” You ask catching Hongjoong’s attention as you sift through your purse fishing out your money.

“No, no, dinner is on me tonight for all of you.” Cheers from the boys erupted around the table and thanks from all of them could be heard, but you shake your head in protest.

“No, I can’t let you pay for me as well as the 8 of you it’s too much, please.” You hold out your hand in an attempt to hand him your cash.

“Y/n, relax I’m the one who mentioned it to Yunho about inviting you, so it’s only right I pay.” He smiles over to you waving his hand for you to put your money away. You still held your hand out until Yunho lightly held your wrist bringing it back to you.

“You might as well give up on trying baby, he might be small but he’s stubborn.”

“I heard that.” Hongjoong quipped shooting Yunho a quick glare before turning his attention to the bill. You couldn’t help but chuckle at the short interaction as you put your purse away. After the bill had been taken away you all get to your feet, grabbing anything you brought along with you and all headed to the door.

“Thank you so much for the invite, I’ve had a great night.” You smile addressing them all.

“You’re always welcome y/n, no invite is ever needed for you.” Seonghwa replies softly, leaning down to give you a quick hug. After Seonghwa gave you a hug the others started flooding towards you also giving you hugs and telling you it was nice to see you again. You don’t stop the beaming smile that was on your face, feeling loved by all the boys always made you happy, you felt at home with them.

“Come on then, let’s get you home.” Yunho ushers, his hand finding it’s place on the small of your back again. You nod in response and give a small wave to the group thanking them again before you followed behind Yunho to his car.

Sitting in the passengers seat you let out a content sigh with a smile still on your face.

“Today was nice, did you have a good time?” You ask turning to face Yunho as he starts the car.

“Mhm.” Was all he replied with. You tilt your head in confusion at his bluntness and the seemingly serious look on his face.

“Are you sure, you don’t exactly look happy.” Another mmm was your answer, short and blunt, not even bothering to look at you. You could feel the smallest bit of annoyance bubble up inside you but you decide to leave it, snapping right now would just be cause for a bad situation. For the rest of the drive to your place the two of you sat in tension thick silence, him clearly not in the mood to acknowledge you and you not in the mood to start a fight over his childishness.

Pulling up to your place you step out of the car silently only turning to look at Yunho when he gets out himself.

“You coming in for a bit?” You tried to make it sound more like an offer than a straight out question. He gives you a small nod yes and follows you inside. Closing the door behind him you can’t shake the uneasy feeling that’s settled inside you, it would have been one thing if he dropped you off at home and went back to the dorms but now he’s stood in your living room with you, just the two of you and the tension is undeniably thick, so thick you could cut it with a knife. You needed to speak up.

“Yu, is everything okay, you’ve been a bit off.” You say stepping towards him lightly holding his forearm. He combs his fingers through his hair as he thinks of a response, frustration now clear on his face.

“Was it worth it?” You look up at him wide eyed and confused.

“What do you mean, what did I do?”

“What you pulled at dinner, you know what you were doing, that dress, wearing it around the guys, I don’t know if you noticed but all night they’ve been staring at you and it wasn’t your face they were staring at.” His tone is sharp and annoyed, his eyebrow raised as he spoke.

“Yu, you’re over reacting, hell if anything I wore this dress to get a reaction out of you, you’ve hardly spoken to me for days and yes okay I get it you’re busy with work at the moment but I’m just sick of the one word answers all the time, you don’t seem to give a shit anymore.” Your voice raises the more you talk, the built up frustration spilling out, you can’t tell if you want to scream or cry.

“I just wanted to wear something that would get your attention and only your attention, I wanted to feel seen by you again.” Yunho was slowly getting closer to you as you spoke while you took steps back to keep some sort of distance between you as you continue to rant.

Your outburst is cut short when your back hits the wall and Yunho towering over you, caging you in with an arm resting against the wall next to your head.

“Yu...what are...”

“So you wanted my attention huh?” He asks, voice low and his eyes piercing yours. You swallow thickly as you slowly nod at him keeping eye contact.

“Then my attention you’ll get.” Before you could say anything his lips were against yours in a bruising kiss, the force of it making your head slightly hit the wall behind you, keeping you pinned to the spot. Yunho’s lips were quick against yours making it difficult for you to keep up with his pace, it was like he wanted to do so much but had very little time to do it. One hand placed itself on the back of your neck while the other held you close at the hip, pressing you against his body. All the air in your lungs seemed to have been ripped out but the last thing you wanted to do was to break the kiss for a breath, if this was how you died then you’d die happy in the arms of Yunho and his lips against yours with bruising intensity.

Yunho is the one to pull away first but only momentarily, taking a breath before diving into your neck. A gasp escapes you as he leaves open mouth kisses along your pulse point, occasionally nipping at the sensitive skin earning him a small whine from you every time. This wasn’t the type of attention you were begging for but you weren’t complaining in the slightest, you were revelling in it becoming putty in his hands as you could feel the heat start to pool at your core.

His lips trailed up to dot kisses along your jaw before descending again first to your neck, down to your collarbone until they finally hit the swell of your breasts. Yunho kissed and bit any skin of your breasts he could get to, small teeth marks started to litter them and when he pulled back he couldn’t help but smile down at them.

“What?” You ask breathing heavily.

“Mine. All of you is mine and now you have the marks to prove it, anyone does so much as peek at them and my marks will be there to greet them.” You felt dizzy over the thought of him marking his territory.

“Just know there’s more where that came from baby.” Before you could even think of something to say you felt your feet leave the floor as you find yourself getting thrown over Yunho’s shoulder, his strength showing in how he’s able to carry you to your room holding you with only one arm that’s purely there for support. Kicking the door to your room open Yunho makes his way over to the bed, dropping you from his shoulder onto the mattress with enough force to make you bounce a little as you landed.

The dark look in his eye tore through you, a shiver running down your spine as he slowly crawled onto the bed, settling his knee between your legs and bringing his face to yours. You lift yourself to rest on your elbows, the gap between you closing ever so slightly but close enough for you to feel his breath lightly fan across your face. He take a moment to take in the sight of you, wide eyes, waiting for his next move before he wraps an arm around your back pulling you up as he settles on his knees pulling you to straddle his lap bringing you back in for another fast paced kiss.

Yunho’s hands run up your back, fingers gripping the zip of your dress slowly pulling it down making the garment fall loosely around your shoulders, exposing enough skin for him to resume his previous ministrations. Moving from you lips he trails kisses and bites along your jaw and down your neck, making sure to stop every now and then to suck deep purple marks in the most visible spots on your neck making sure you couldn’t cover them with ease. Once he was happy with the litter of bruises he’d left scattered across your neck he continued his work further south, decorating your collar and chest in the same way all while you let out soft sighs and whimpers as your fingers tangle in his hair pulling him in closer to you.

While his lips keep busy along your chest, Yunho moves his hands to slide up your thighs and under your dress, effortlessly lifting the item of clothing off you completely, pulling away from you to let it come up over your head. He doesn’t move for a second as his eyes lock onto the matching set of lingerie you had hidden under the dress all night.

“New set?” He asks looking up to your face through his eyelashes.

“Went out and bought it not long after you called, thought it would be a nice little surprise if things got this far tonight.” Your voice is breathy, panting lightly from how worked up he’s already got you.

“Purple too...pretty.” He purrs dipping his head down to kiss along the swell of your left breast while one of his hands come up to give the right a bit of attention, lightly squeezing and ghosting his thumb over your already perked nipple causing a shaky sigh to leave your lips.

"Purple suits you." He continues to purr against your chest, only for his hands to snake around the back and one swift motion, the clasp comes undone, bra straps dropping down your shoulders as it loosely hangs off your body.

"Oops.” He smirks as he teases the light fabric straps down your arms, throwing the new garment onto the floor. Looking at your slightly annoyed face at the fact he didn't enjoy it on you long enough, a pout making its way onto your face.

"But..." You try to whine, silenced when a long finger of his is pressed against your lips, his eyes did all the talking for him. Keeping his finger pressed to your lips he raises himself a little to drop you onto your back once again, caging you under him. His finger slides down from your lips, pulling slightly at your bottom lip as he watches it bounce back into place before running his finger down the length of your torso until it hit the front of your panties. His eyes never leave yours as he hooks his finger under the hem and pulls the small, thin panties off you in one swift movement.

You became hyperaware at how exposed you were and how fully clothed he was, making you blush a little from embarrassment. You could feel the feather light touches of his fingers ghosting along the inside of your thigh, your hips bucking slightly to get him to touch you where you need it most, but only to be met with a small smirk.

Yunho’s fingers continue to ghost along your skin, brushing up your slit with hardly any pressure. You grip his shirt tightly in your fists, looking up to him with pleading eyes and a pathetic whine as you try again to roll your hips into his hand trying to get even an ounce of friction to ease the crippling need you were feeling in your core.

“Please Yunho.” You plead attempting to pull him closer to you but he keeps himself rooted to the spot.

“Please what Darling?”

“Please touch me.” Your grip on his shirt tightened even more to the point your nails would be digging into your palms if it wasn’t for the fabric between them. Your mind snapping back momentarily to how Yunho is still fully clothed, you decide to waste no time rushing to undo the buttons of his shirt, but the shakiness of your hands make the task difficult.

“No.” Yunho growls, gripping both your wrists in one hand easily and pinning them above your head, bringing his face back down to yours so close to the point your noses almost touch.

“You’re going to be patient for me, understand?” You swallow thickly, hardly blinking as you slowly nod your head in understanding.

“Use your words.” He says tightening his grip on your wrists making you wince a little but purely out of pleasure.

“Yes, I understand...I’ll be patient.” Your words came out sounding more pathetic than you anticipated, the neediness perfectly clear in the way you spoke.

“Good girl.” Yunho purrs, biting your bottom lip before he lowers himself down your torso and settling between your legs.

You watch the way he quirks his eyebrow once his eyes meet your core which you know for a fact is soaked. He doesn’t make a comment, he simply bites his lip as he dips a finger to run along your slit again, collecting your wetness to bring it up to your clit, tracing painfully slow circles around the sensitive nub. Your breath becomes shaky again, exhaling in staggered puffs as you try to roll into his finger again needing more pressure to get any sort of relief. You hear Yunho tsk at you shaking his head a little before his free hand settles on your hip, firmly holding you down on the mattress.

“I told you Darling, be patient.”

“But...I need more.” You whine gripping his hand on your hip trying your best to lift it just enough for you to be able to move again. You hear a small huff of a chuckle, looking down to him you watch as his other hand leaves your core completely and also settles on your hip helping him again leverage to hover over your face.

“Fine, I’ll give you more, but remember what they say...Be careful what you wish for.” Your eyes widen at his words, you really have no idea what you’ve just gotten yourself into. Seeing your wide eyes Yunho quirks an eyebrow at you with a smirk before dipping back down between your legs.

His fingers are back on you in an instant, but this time they weren’t so light. Pressing his thumb against your sensitive nub he rubs firm small circles making you yelp at the sudden stimulation. Yunho’s fingers dug into the flesh of your hip, the slight pain adding to the stimulation he was giving you. Your eyes were screwed shut and your mouth hung open slightly, heavy breaths filling the quiet room. You wanted desperately to open your eyes and talk a quick look at Yunho, to see his face, those dark eyes, to watch exactly what he was doing to you, but any time you gathered yourself together enough to even attempt it he either picked up the pace or added a bit more pressure again, making you screw your eyes shut even tighter.

The knot was already starting to slowly build and your heavy breaths turned into frequent moans and chants of please. You could hear a low hum before Yunho plunged two fingers into your soaked core, he wasn’t playing around tonight he was going straight for it. Scissoring you open first, being sure to prep you ready for later, but that was still a little while away. Your hands gripped the bed sheets to the point your knuckles turned white and high pitched moans filled the room when he started to curl his fingers, grazing your sweet spot.

“F...Fuck.” Was all you were capable of saying, your mind gone to mush and the ability to form a coherent sentence had gone completely out the window. Picking up his rhythm the fingers inside you were now pumping into you at the same pace as his thumb circling your clit, it was mind-blowing to say the least and it had your eyes rolling back into your skull as you felt the knot quickly tighten even more threatening to snap at any given moment.

The thrusts of his fingers were merciless, abusing your sweet spot and you clit simultaneously, you were so close to your high you could almost touch it but you needed just that little bit extra to get you there.

“Y...Yu...”

“You’re close Darling...Why don’t you cum for me, make a mess...go on.” His low voice and command shot straight through you, affecting you so much it had your orgasm hitting you there and then, his name leaving your lips in a flow of chants and your legs trembling uncontrollably as you tried desperately to close your legs around his hands.

“Oh no, I’m not done with you yet.” Yunho chuckles removing his hands from your core and holding your legs open by your knees. You didn’t get a chance to recover from your orgasm before you felt his tongue lapping up your essence, licking a frim line straight up your slit and flicking your clit quickly with the tip of his tongue every time he got there. Sitting up with a yelp of overstimulation you look down to see your boyfriend’s head buried between your thighs making quick work of lapping up every last drop.

“Yunho...So sensitive.” You cry out falling back onto the mattress squirming every time his tongue made contact with your swollen clit. You breathe out a sigh of relief when you feel his lips leave you for a moment as he lift his head up to look at you.

“You wanted more and that’s exactly what you’re getting, I told you be careful what you wish for.” And with that his lips were back on you, wrapping around your clit and sucking harshly. It took your breath away for a moment, the overwhelming sensitivity mixed with the pleasure had you falling limp, limbs trembling and feeling like jelly.

The overstimulation started to subside and became pure bliss, Yunho’s tongue switching between long licks along your slit and quick flicks at your clit before sucking again. He knew exactly what you liked and what made you tick but at the same time he never failed to surprise you, sex with Yunho was a new experience every time. You knew it wasn’t going to be long before another orgasm started to build, the stimulation was nonstop, the overwhelming pleasure brought tears to the corner of your eyes and moans flowed from your lips uncontrollably. Yunho was highly amused at the way you became a mess because of him, you could feel his smirk against you and the puff of warm breath as he lightly chuckled to himself every time your body twitched in response to his touch.

You didn’t get a chance to warn him how close you were this time, the orgasm hitting you full force unexpectedly making you gasp for air as every last breath was ripped from your lungs from the intensity. However, Yunho didn’t ease up on you, his quick paced licks continued over your core, once again lapping up every last bit of your essence.

Once he was satisfied he pulled away from you giving you a small moment to recover. Your eyes open to look at him but your vision was reduced to a blur as you came down from your second orgasm. It was mere seconds before his lips crashed into yours again, his tongue wandering every inch of your mouth letting you taste yourself. You moan lightly into the kiss, your shaky fingers wandering to undo the buttons of his shirt which he allowed you to do this time.

Yunho seemed to be desperate himself at this point, helping you unbutton his shirt and hastily removing it while his trousers and boxers follow closely behind landing in a heap on the bedroom floor to join your long forgotten dress and lingerie. You take a moment breaking away from the kiss to take a breath and to admire the sight you’d been longing to see for so long. Yunho fully exposed and hovering over you with that hungry look in his eye you’d seen many times before. You wanted to touch him so bad, no, you needed to. You wrap your fingers around his hard cock only being able to deliver two pumps before your hand was ripped away from him for the second time that night and pinned above your head.

“I want to touch you,” You pout looking at him with begging eyes, “I want to make you feel good too.”

“You’re the one who was begging for attention, not me, so attention is what I’m giving you.” Yunho brings your other hand above your head pinning both wrists now in one hand as he uses his free one to line himself with your entrance and fully sheathing himself in side you. The stretch stung a little but it only amplified the pleasure you were already feeling, your walls fluttering around him straight away making him groan lowly.

Not giving you a chance to adjust to the stretch, Yunho slowly started to roll his hips into yours, starting with a slow pace, mainly for himself, to keep himself composed to be able to ride this out for as long as he could. With the slow pace you could feel every vein in his cock and the way they drag along your walls, the sensation feeling like sparks of pleasure tearing through you.

The room was filled with the lewd sounds of your moans and his low groans accompanied by the sound of skin slapping skin as he gradually sped up. Your hands flexed under his grip desperately wanting to touch him but the grip he has on you make it impossible. You nudge his face with your nose catching his attention, your fucked out eyes begging him silently as you whine desperately trying to wriggle your hands out from his.

“What did I say earlier? Use your words.” Yunho growls, punctuating his command with a swift nip to your chest making you gasp in surprise.

“Please let me touch you.” You beg pathetically. “Please, please, please.”

“Since you asked so nicely.” Yunho lets go of your hands setting his own back on your hips, lifting you a little to allow his cock to reach deeper into you. Your hands flew to his shoulders the second you felt his tip graze your sweet spot, your nails digging into his skin leaving small crescent dents behind. Your mouth hung open in a silent moan. The way Yunho was now rutting into you at an ungodly speed had you constantly breathless, the pleasure every time he hit your sweet spot knocked the air from you lungs all while you tried to gasp for air at the same time. Your mind was fuzzy, all thoughts you could possibly have were non-existent the only thing present in your mind right now was Yunho and only Yunho.

“Ah, shit.” Yunho breathes out against your neck as he feels your walls start to clench around him, another orgasm of yours building again bringing him closer to his edge. He was determined to make you cum a third time before he could even think about finishing himself even if the grip your walls had on him made it difficult.

You were babbling complete nonsense at this point, you didn’t even know what you were trying to say to him, all you knew was your mouth was moving and sound was coming out but none of it was even close to resembling words, it was safe to say he’d fucked you dumb. Yunho slipped a hand from your hip to press his thumb to your clit, rubbing quick circles over the bud once again. You unconsciously arched into his touch, your slick body flush against his as he continued to work you closer to your high.

“Yu...C...Close.” You finally managed to say before your mind goes back to being putty.

“Cum for me Darling, I know you can do it.” His lips find your pulse point, kissing and nipping at the sensitive skin pushing you even closer to your third orgasm which was seconds away from ripping through you. All it took was one last well placed thrust to have you screaming out his name, your shaking legs wrapping around his hips tightly as your whole body trembled under him.

Yunho’s pace became desperate, his thrusts speeding up even more, if that was even possible. The way your walls clenched around him like a vice had him on the edge.

“Too...Much...I can’t.” You cry out, the overstimulation now getting to be a bit too much for you to handle much longer.

“Just...A bit...Longer.” Yunho groaned out, punctuating every word with a harsh thrust that made your body tremble even more. The sweat was rolling down his temples, his hips stuttering as his high got closer and closer and his breathing heavy fanning his hot breath across your neck. Mere moments later he was burying his face him your neck, his hips stilling, his cock plunged deep inside you and his body twitching slightly as he came, shaky moans leaving him only to be muffled by your neck.

It took Yunho a minute or two to come down from his high before he pulled away from you and flopped down on the bed close to your side. There was a long silence between you as you both pant trying to get your breath back and recover from your post orgasm bliss.

“Y/n.” Yunho said quietly breaking the silence still a little breathless. You hum in response turning your head to look at him, his brows raised a bit in worry as he looked at you.

“I’m sorry for how I’ve been the last few days,” He starts, bringing his hand up to your waist stroking your skin lightly.

“Work has just been really busy and honestly, pretty shit. I get home every night and I’m so exhausted to the point I want to pass out as soon as I walk through the door.” Your hand finds his, squeezing it lightly as you look at him with a small smile.

“It’s okay, I always thought you were tired, it was just my stupid brain overthinking the blunt texts.” His eyes fall away from yours. He felt awful for making you feel that way, he didn’t even realise.

“I won’t do it again, I promise you that. You’re on my mind all day and the thought of you is what gets be through the tough days, so please never think I don’t love you or I don’t want to talk to you, I...” You silence his rambling with a sweet kiss which you could feel him melt into as his lips moved lazily against yours. You pull away to look at him, to take in every small feature, until you heard a small whine.

“Did I tell you to stop?” He complained puckering his lips again begging for more kisses. You quietly giggle at him before leaning back in giving him what he wants before pulling away again, cupping his face in your hands.

“All is forgiven and forgotten okay.” You smile at him as he nods back. “How about we get some sleep, I think you’ll need it after the last few days.” He nods again pulling the covers over the two of you before burying his face into the crook of your neck as he held you close to him.

Tag list: @kpopcrossworlds @kpopjust4u @whatudowhennooneseesyou @8tinytings @jenotation @grim-adventures58 @owjohny @ker1 @hellomingi @queenwiinks @tinkerbell460 @haylstoney

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warmaidensrevenge · 4 months

Text

It's not a never

Pairing: Eddie x friend!fem plus size reader

A/N: Hi! So I lied. This is gonna be a three part series. I was getting a little carried away with everything I wanted to put in this fic. So that pushed it out to one more part. Tonight's part is basically filler. Just a heads up this is a slow burn. So if you don't like that kind of fic, this one is not for you. Anyways, thanks for reading. As always love ya. Byyyyeeeee

I do not give permission for my work to be posted anywhere else. Please respect all creators. Also, all pictures and songs are from a Google search and found on Spotify. A credit to original posters and artists. Thank you for your work.

Word count: 3,230

Warnings: 18+ no minors please. Language, angst, pinning, slow burn, slight fluff and not proof read.

Summary: A trip to be remembered and a confession that leaves Eddie puzzled.

Part 2

Bags were packed and loaded. Snacks and drinks were bought. A Ziploc bag full with coins for tolls and a map were in Eddie's glove box. And hours of music were picked. All that was left was to wake up at the ass crack of dawn.

This senior ditch day was going to be epic. Months and months of saving and scrimping was all going to be worth it. 3 days of total and complete freedom. The road trip of a lifetime. One last hurrah. Together.

Only this was gonna be tough. Being in close quarters with you for 3 whole days. How was he gonna deal?

Lately he was doing pretty good at keeping his feelings at bay… well that wasn't true. You had left for a week after the senior outing to visit the college you got into.

He missed you more than ever. But over those few days, he reflected back on everything. Sure how he now felt about you came unexpectedly. Still, he never wanted to be with anyone more. Especially since he realized you were perfect for each other.

However if he decided to make a move, there was no certainty that you would be up for it. Also, what would it do to the friendship? You guys had been friends way too long. It would be awkward.

So he chose to push all that he felt away and enjoy this last trip with his friends.

…

It was 4 am on Friday and everyone was ready to hit the road. You had just hopped in the passenger seat with a huge thermos of coffee.

“ Sorry. Thy birth giver wanted to pray for safe travels and a safe return.”

Eddie smiled. “ Welp, hopefully one of the pagan gods heard her.”

You turned around and offered up some coffee and donuts to everyone. When you turned back, you pulled out the map.

“ Okay Eddie. Please for the love of all that is holy. Please don't kill us.”

He chuckled. “ Ye have little faith kid.”

You rolled your eyes and took a bite of a donut and pointed forward. “ Let's do this.”

Everyone whooped and hollard. “New York! Here we come!”

3 hours later

“Oh crap! Munson please!” Jeff whimpered.

Gareth backed away a little. “ Man oh man. I told you not to have that second cup of coffee.”

Eddie shook his head while you were laughing your butt off.

“ Calm down.” He said. “ The next gas station in 3 miles out.”

“ I-I don't think I- I can hold it!” Jeff stammered.

“ YOU BETTER!” Grant yelled.

You turned around. “ Guy, guys guys!” It's gonna be fine. Jeffrey. 2 ½ minutes. You can do this. Just squeeze.”

You looked back at Eddie and just grinned away. All he could think about was how nice your eyes looked.

As soon as he pulled into the parking lot, Jeff kicked open the back door and ran into the store.

Once Eddie turned off the engine everyone sat there quietly for a few seconds before laughing like crazy.

When it died down you guys got off to move your legs around.

Eddie went to fill up while the other guys went to see about some real breakfast.

He had just put in the gas nozzle and turned to find you doing toe touches.

He shouldn't have done it, but he did. He checked you out. Loving how your leggings hugged your round bottom. How beautifully wide your hips were.

When you stood back up you walked towards him.

“ Eddie? Can you pop my back?”

He nodded and took a step closer to you. “ Turn around and cross your arms around your chest.”

Once you did as you were instructed, he stepped behind you and wrapped his arms around you. He then took a deep inhale in and caught a whiff of your shampoo. He instantly got goose flesh.

Stop it! He told himself.

After lifting you up for a second, he quickly put you back down. Your bottom brushed his lower half in the process.

Fuck!

His hands fell down to your hips. He mentally had to tell himself to not pull you to him.

“ W-was that okay?” He nervously asked.

You turned around and nodded. Bodies only inches apart.

“ So much better. Thank you.”

He stared at your lips as you spoke. Were they always so full? They definitely looked incredibly soft.

“ G-good.” He stuttered as he kept looking at your mouth and thinking.

“Eddie? You okay? Do I have something in my teeth?”

“ Hmm?” He met your gaze. “ Yeah. No. Yeah. You're good. I just ummm…sorry I was just trying to decide if I should take a leak.”

“ Alright dude." You held up your hand. " Too much info. Go, I'll finish pumping.”

With that said he practically ran away. Rushing into the first stall that was empty. While sighing deeply he cursed himself. He really wanted to kiss you.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a god awful stench.

“ UGH! Jeff what the hell man?! Ever heard of a courtesy flush?”

“ S-sorry man.”

…

Eddie smiled when he saw the buildings in the distance. He looked at you and your eyes were so big.

“ Guys look! We're almost there.” You said excitedly.

Gareth moved between you and him. “ Awwwww yeah baby. Just think, in a couple of weeks we're moving here.”

Eddie caught a sad look on your face. He knew how bad you wanted to go to Columbia. To be close to them while they followed their dreams to be rockstars. But things didn't work out. Instead, you were going to a college on the west coast.

It was a good school. Everyone knew that. It had a great biology and geology department. Something you were excited about. Still, you were scared because you didn't know anyone there. Everyone you knew and loved would be on the other side of the country.

That's why Eddie understood the sad face. He remembered conversations he had with you about it. He remembered wiping away your tears as you told him about your rejection from Columbia. And though he was the one to talk you into getting some California sun, he now realized he didn't want you to go either.

He tapped your knee and started writing.

‘ okay?’

You peered out the front windshield and slightly shook your head. Then you put your hand on his and squeezed it gently. Letting him know you would be fine.

He knew you would be. You were awesome and you would make friends easily. It's just now he didn't know if he would be okay without you.

…

You put your finger against your lips.“ Shhhh! Guys I know you're freaking out, but I need you to trust me.”

Everyone was following you down these concrete hallways for a good 5 minutes now. After checking into the hotel and getting food, they had all found themselves sneaking into a building.

Jeff was the first to doubt you. But as soon as a security officer came close to catching you guys, everyone tried to convince you to turn back.

Eddie looked into your eyes and nodded. “ Okay.” He whispered. “ If we go to jail, it better be worth it.”

You held out your hand for him. “ It will be. I promise.”

Your hand was everything he thought it would be. Soft, warm and fit perfectly in his. He swore he would follow you anywhere if it meant that he could hold your hand.

Once you guys were finally in the spot, you told them to stay put. When you let go of his hand, he now felt like a part of him was missing.

You were only gone for a second. But in those few moments they had all realized where they snuck into.

Eddie was speechless. There were absolutely no words that could describe how he felt.

A few spot lights turned on. Pointing directly in the middle of a huge stage.

You returned on top of it. “ So?”

“ Shit!” They all said in unison.

You gave them a huge smile. “ I know right? Obviously you guys can't perform or anything like that. But I wanted the first time you step foot in here, that it's with your biggest support. Cuz I know one day I'm going to be standing right there… screaming my head off.”

They looked at the spot where you pointed. It was right in front of the platform.

You locked eyes with him.“ So get up here and take it in.”

The guys looked at each other then ran to get up too. Once up there you asked for help getting down. You then watched them laugh and wrestle playfully.

“ Alright freaks!” You announced. “ Imagine this. Every seat is full. And the floor is packed with bodies. All waiting for you.”

They all stared at you after moving to their respective place. As if they're standing by their instruments.

“ The crowd is chanting. Corroded Coffin. Corroded Coffin….Then the lights go out. The ones that are sitting jump up and everyone screams in anticipation. But then... it goes silent…”

Eddie pictured everything. It was all him and the guys ever wanted.

“ Then they hear you.” You point at Gareth. “ Then you.” You looked at Jeff. “ Then of course you bud.” You nodded towards Grant. “ And finally the strum of a guitar along with oooooohhhhs and awwwws from you.”

Eddie finally had your eyes on him. And he knew right then and there that he was in love with you. It wasn't just a silly crush anymore. It was the real thing. The can't eat, can't sleep, the winning touchdown, the home run, the one in a lifetime love.

He loved you because you loved them. You believed in them. And the way you laid out the scene with so much conviction, it had him convinced that they were gonna make it too.

You smiled at him and continued. “ And while you blow off the roof of this place, the crowd sings and sways with you."

Later that night everyone settled into the shared room. Gareth and Jeff in one bed, Eddie and Grant on the sofa bed. And of course being the only female of the group they gave you your own bed.

Eddie has just come out of the shower to find everyone asleep. Except you. You weren't even in the room.

He looked at Grant who took up the whole bed and he sighed. Looked like he was gonna sleep on the floor.

He waited a minute to see if you would come back but after about 5 minutes, he went to look for you.

You weren't far though. He found you sitting on the steps reading something.

“ Hey kid. Whatcha doin?”

You gave him a quick little smile before looking back at your book. “ Uhhhh nothing really. Just checking out courses.”

He sat next to you and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. Before he could light one you plucked it from his mouth.

“ No you promised. No smoking on this trip.”

He gave you a thin lip before taking back the smoke and returning it to the carton.

“ You really should quit. I don't want to see you end up with an oxygen tank.”

He put the pack back in his pocket. “ One day. I promise.”

You flipped a page. “ I'll keep you to that.”

You guys sat quiet. Listen to the bustle of the city. Eddie was trying to gather the courage to tell you how he felt. But he was scared. What if he took a leap of faith and it turned ugly? What if you did like him the way he liked you and things didn't work out? Or what if his confession lead to you guys not being friends anymore?

Doubt filled his thoughts. But then a bit of hope shined on him. What if it did work out? What if you guys made it past the long distance thing and were truly happy together? What if this love was meant to be?

“ Eddie?”

His inner rambling came to a halt. “ Y-yeah?”

You closed your book and started fidgeting with the corners. “ You know you're my best friend right?”

He softly cleared his throat. “ Yeah.”

“ And we always tell each other everything.”

He nodded. “ Yeah.”

You sighed a little. “ So you know that I have family out here….well my uncle actually works as a security guard at the garden. He worked tonight…he knew we were coming and he did me a solid…we wouldn't have gotten in trouble if we got caught.”

For a second there his heart sank. He thought you were gonna say that you liked him too. But then he smiled and wrapped his arms around you.

“ I'm really gonna miss you.” He said softly.

You hug his waist. “ I think I'll miss you more.”

The hug lasted a minute or so, but it was the best damn hug he had ever had. And when you tried pulled away he hugged you tighter. Making you giggle.

When he finally loosen his grip, you stared deeply into his eyes. The way you sat there, it was like your eyes were trying to tell him something your mouth couldn't. It was almost as if you were asking him to kiss you.

He was gonna go for it. He was gonna take that leap. However the second he leaned in you yawned. Pulling completely away from him so you wouldn't do it in his face.

“ Wow I'm beat. We should get some sleep. Big day in Time's Square tomorrow."

He frowned at the fleeding moment that seemed to be fate.

“ Yeah you're probably right.” He conceded to it. “ You think you could lend me a pillow and that blanket you brought?”

You looked at him and raised a brow. Silently asking why?

“ Gonna crash on the floor. Grant's a bed hog.”

You laughed lightly and yawned again. “ No. You can sleep with me.”

His breath hitched in his throat while asking a shaky. “ W-what?”

You grinned and stood up, holding out your hand. “ Like when we were kids. If you're worried that I'll get handsy then we can make a pillow barrier.”

He chuckled. “ Maybe I like handsy.”

He regretted it as soon as it came out.

The silence that followed his comment nearly made him shit a brick. You stood there with an almost visible question mark above your head.

Shit! He thought. Shouldn't have said that.

You then shook your head and laughed. “ Stop being weird and take my hand.”

He practically wiped his brow and said whew before grabbing your hand. Allowing you to lead him back.

He laid there for a while thinking about all that happened. He couldn't believe he was gonna kiss you before telling you how he felt. That wasn't the guy he was. He always made sure he got consent. And with you it would be no different. All he had to do was get some real alone time with you so he can finally say something.

When we get home. He said to himself.

He heard you sigh and felt you move a bit. Then he felt your arm sliding across his stomach. Without thinking he lifted his arm and gently pulled you closer. Slipping his arm under your head.

Both of you sank further into the bed. He smiled and his last thought before falling asleep was how much he loved you.

…

The next day and a half was the best in his life. Exploring the city, eating the best pizza and getting some information about playing at clubs when they moved there. It was fantastic.

Now it was time to head home and finish up the school year.

The drive seemed longer this time. More quiet. And he knew why. In exactly 2 weeks things were going to be different. Everyone was going to graduate and their adult lives were going to start. For a long time he couldn't wait to get the hell out of Hawkins. So did his friends. But now that it was happening, it was so hard to see the next chapter. Well with this little monster of love inside him.

When it was time to switch off. Jeff and Grant traded places with you and him.

You guys crawled in the back with the sleeping Gareth and tried to catch some z's.

You leaned your head on his shoulder and started to hum a familiar tune. He put his hand on your knee and started tapping to the beat. He caught a small smile from you.

“ Hey Jeff? Could you drop me off first when we get into town?” you asked.

“No problem.”

You went back to humming and Eddie was trying to figure out what exactly he was gonna say. Before he knew it he was sound asleep with you.

Until he heard the vans break squeak to a stop.

He opened his eyes and saw they were in front of your house. You had just opened the door and hopped out.

Though he wanted this to be a private moment, it was now or never.

He sat up and followed you. “ I need a minute man.” He said to Jeff. “ Hold up kid. I'll help you.”

You tried to refuse his help in carrying your duffle bag, but he could see you were too tired to try.

You stoped on at your doorstep and reached for your bag. “ Thanks Eddie.”

He handed you the bag and took a deep breath. Just as you turned to open the door he said your name.

“ Yeah?”

His eyes fell to the ground as he rubbed the back of his neck. “ Uhhhh nevermind. I'll tell you later.”

You cleared your throat gently and took a step towards him. “ I hate when you do that.”

His gaze shot up to yours. “ D-do what?”

You put your free hand on your hip. “ When you look like you have something important to say then just brush it off…Just tell me because I'm gonna be up all night wondering what you wanted to say.”

He looked away and stood quiet for a few seconds. “ I-I’ve been acting different lately.”

“ I know.”

He met your eyes again. “ Yeah?”

You didn't say anything, but he knew that you did.

“ So I-” he cut off. Suddenly his nerves were getting the best of him. “ I don't- ummm shit…I- well the reason…damn it! I cant- I don't know-”

You grabbed his hand and lightly squeezed it. Letting him know that it was okay. To calm down and take a breath.

He took a deep inhale and slowly let it out. “ I think possibly, maybe I’ve fallen for you.”

Your expression after that gave him a sinking feeling. You didn't feel the same.

Your frown said it all.

“ I'm sorry. I-I just needed to say something.”

You nodded but surprisingly you didn't let go of his hand. You were actually staring at his hand in yours.

“Eddie…I want to talk more about this. But I can't even think straight and my knees are about to give in.”

That wasn't what he was hoping for.

“Right! Umm yeah. Sorry, just forget I said anything.” He said trying to walk away.

But you held his hand firmly. Preventing him from taking a step further. “ No. Don't do that.”

He looked back at you and you had your eyes closed.

“ Eddie, this is important. If it wasn't then you wouldn't have said anything at all…This deserves a real conversation that I can't give you right now. So please don't leave thinking that I don't feel the same way."

He was in disbelief. Did he hear that right?

You gave his hand one last squeeze before letting go and going inside.

He stood there staring at the door. Did he dream that? You like him too?

Gareth rolled down the window. “ Munson, let's go. I wanna go home!”

He sighed and smiled to himself. " Y-yeah. Okay."

…

@salenorona23 @browneyes528 @ohmeg @eddiesguitarskills @crookedcrone

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tightjeansjavi · 1 year

Text

Burning in Hopeless Dream

Boston QZ : Part 7 ‘illicit affairs’

A/N : this was such a fun chapter to write! A break from the angst, (for now) this also turned out to be WAY longer than I originally planned so y’all are getting fed, you’re welcome ☻

Summary: flirting tips with Joel Miller 101. Step one, wake your ass up at the crack of dawn, be smug about it. Step two, be a gentleman and present a thermos of shit QZ coffee to you. Step 3, teach you how to shoot. Step 4, do not allow the enemy to have the upper hand.

~word count : 4.3k~ (you heard that right)

Warnings: age gap (m/c is 28) flirty! asshole! Joel. Pining, teasing, lots of swearing, tension, banter, mentions of guns and knives. (+18) minors dni !

Songs for this chapter:

“illicit affairs” by Taylor Swift

“You Know I’m No Good” by Amy Winehouse

“Kiss With A Fist” by Florence + The Machine

_________________

November 2020 : 5 miles outside the Boston QZ

It was November now. The ground wasn’t quite frozen yet, but there was a chill in the air every morning. You could no longer hear the birds singing outside the window. Your body was slowly accustomed to the lack of vitamin D it was getting, just like how it did every year around this time. Knowing that the cold months of winter were on the horizon, only had you grow more restless. Your routine felt like a death march. Wake up, drink shit coffee. Shovel shit or dump bodies. Return home, drink, sleep and repeat. You couldn’t remember the last time you actually got a decent night's sleep. Your body was constantly exhausted. Your muscles were screaming at you but your brain was constantly running, like one of those stupid energizer bunny commercials from the past. You hated that stupid bunny.

It was early one morning. 4:00 A.M probably, but no one actually kept track of the time anymore. Your restless slumber was disturbed by your bedroom door slowly opening. You kept your knife tucked under your pillow constantly. The sound of your door creaking open was enough for you to grasp your knife to your chest before you shot up from under the coarse covers. You were absolutely ready to fuck up whoever was coming into your space.

A sense of relief mixed with annoyance washed over your features when you saw it was just Joel. His brooding height leaned against your doorframe was enough to make you roll your eyes. Did this man ever not look intimidating?

“Jesus fuck, Joel. You couldn’t have knocked? Given me some form of a warning?” You whispered while tucking your knife back under your pillow.

His expression was amused and even in the dark, you could tell this mother fucker was smirking.

“Sorry about that doll, you’re just a little too easy to sneak up on. You had me for a second there thinkin that you were gonna stick me. Would have been an awful fuckin start to my mornin.” He rasped, his voice was still thick with sleep and his hair was a fluffy mess on his head. Not that you were paying attention to those details. Damn him.

“Yeah, and for a split second I was thinking of sticking you. That’s why we knock. So you don’t end up with a knife buried in your chest, asshole.” You muttered the last part out as you swung your legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood up.

“Alright, smart ass. Next time I'll remember to knock.” He was still leaning against the door frame, arms crossed against his chest.

“Yeah, yeah sure you will. I’ll believe it when I see it.” You grabbed your hoodie from the floor and threw it on before attempting to fix the mess that was your bed head. Using a worn hair tie on your wrist, you pulled it into a ponytail.

“What kinda psycho is up at this early hour anyway?” You asked. Looking over at him as you pulled your hair back.

“The kinda psycho that I apparently am. It ain’t even that early.”

You scoffed then. “Pretty fuckin early to me. Now my real question is, what are you doing in my room at this hour?”

He shrugged then, clearing his throat as he spoke. “Well, couldn’t really sleep. Thought about how I promised you that I’d teach ya how to properly shoot. Figured there's no time like the present.”

“Huh. So that was your first thought that came to mind when you couldn’t sleep?”

“Guess so. Anyway, ‘nough of the chit chat. Get your shoes and coat and grab the gun I gave you.” His tone was not a suggestion. It was a demand and frankly, it was too early to be dealing with his bullshit.

“Sir yes sir.” You mocked his tone then, giving him a sarcastic solute.

“You're hilarious doll, really. Drop the smart act. We don’t have time for that shit today.” He turned on his heel then, leaving your open doorway and walked down the hall.

Your immediate reaction was to flip him off, naturally. Grumbling to yourself you grabbed your backpack, your gun and your knife and threw on your boots. The last thing you grabbed was your thick coat. You could already feel the cold air nipping at your skin.

Joel was waiting for you outside the apartment door. He had a travel thermos for you, filled with coffee. The familiar smell hit your senses immediately and you appreciated the small gesture. Closing the door behind you, you grabbed the thermos from him before taking a sip, letting the warm liquid seep into you. The QZ coffee was shit but it got the job done.

“Thanks. Wouldn’t survive the morning without this stuff.”

He looked at you for a moment then before he took a sip of his own.

“Oh trust me, I know. You’d be intolerable without this shit.”

You gave him a light punch to the shoulder then, it was a playful one.

“Yeah and you’re still a grumpy asshole with or without it.” You brushed past him then, quietly heading down the stairs. You could hear him mutter under his breath about your comment and you grinned to yourself as his footsteps followed yours.

Once you were both outside the apartment, Joel instinctively walked ahead of you. Always feeling like he needed to protect you. It was in his nature. You took the back alleys together, ducking in dark corners as you moved silently. There would only be a handful of Fedra soldiers out at this hour, but it still wasn’t worth the risk of getting caught.

________

The sun was just beginning to peek in the horizon as you neared the hole in the perimeter fence. Your coffee had gone cold at this point. Joel had stood over you, pulling back the torn fence so you could slip through first. He waited, looking around for any signs of movement and when he deemed it was safe, he slipped through the fence without another glance.

The silence between you was comfortable as you walked towards the nearby woods. It was a 5 mile walk to the deepest part of the woods. No one would find either of you there and in a sense, it was peaceful. You had shared a bit of jerky during the walk. It wasn’t much for breakfast but it would have to do. You’d kill for some proper eggs and bacon. Maybe in another universe, you thought.

Joel had wrapped up what was left of the jerky and stuffed it back into his coat pocket. You were surrounded by tall evergreens on every side. They were lightly dusted with freshly fallen snow. The scenery was beautiful, and eerie at the same time.

“You sure no one's gonna find us out here?”

“Nope. Been comin out here for years with no problems. You’ve got nothin to worry about, doll. Trust me.”

Letting out a sigh then you set your bag down on a nearby stump along with your now empty thermos.

“Alright, fine. I trust you but if a clicker comes out of those trees..”

He chuckled then, shaking his head slightly as he finished off what was left of his coffee.

“We’re in the middle of the fuckin woods. Most we’ll see out here is a few deer. No clickers. You’re safe.” His reassurance that you were in fact safe out here was enough for you to un tense your shoulders slightly. You’d always be on alert though. You didn’t have much of a choice; not in this world.

He continued then, setting his bag down next to yours.

“You brought the gun, right?”

“You think I'd come all this way with you, just to not bring the gun with me?” You smirked slightly, unzipping your bag and pulled out the revolver.

“What did I say about ditchin that fuckin smart mouth of yours huh?” His eyebrow was raised and his jaw was clenched slightly as he looked at you.

“Oh shit man, I’m terribly sorry. You see, my smart fuckin mouth is kinda a part of me. It’s permanent. Meaning, it’s not going anywhere.”

“No fuckin shit, sherlock. I know what permanent means.”

It was your turn to smirk now. It was easy to fall into banter with him and you secretly, but not-so secretly enjoyed it.

“Mhm. I was just checkin.”

He let out a huff then. You were insufferable sometimes but he liked the fact that you could keep up with him. In fact, he enjoyed these moments with you. It made him feel all the more human. You were that constant breath of fresh air for him. Better than any liquor, or opioid he could get his hands on.

“Alright. Enough of that. You remember the grip I showed you the last time?” He asked.

“Sure do. You were pretty serious about it, if I remember correctly.”

“Good. Now show me so that I know that you ain’t bluffing.” He had his arms crossed over his chest again, waiting for you to confirm that you weren’t faking it.

You held the gun outwards with both hands. Your grip was firm but from his angle, you looked a bit stiff. “See? I’m a good listener after all.”

“Relax your arms. You’re fuckin stiff and when that kicks-back its gonna go right into your face. What did I say about–”

You cut him off then. “Thumb over my thumb, left hand squeezes down on the right.” You looked over at him then, your eyebrow raised almost as if you were challenging him.

“You gonna do the teachin here or am I?” He walked over to you then, coming up alongside you before he reached out and grabbed your arms, the fast movement caused you to stiffen more.

His lips were at the shell of your ear now and his hands were gentle. “Relax.” He whispered. “Just relax, Gwen. You’re stiffer than a fuckin board right now.”

You felt a shiver run down your spine from his lips nearly touching the thin skin on your ear. For a moment, the close proximity of his body to yours had your head spinning. ‘Focus, Gwen.’ you told yourself in your head. ‘Get your fuckin shit together.’ You relaxed your shoulders slightly, allowing him to push your arms down so that there was a slight bend. His hands were on yours then, rough skin on soft. He adjusted your grip slightly then before he moved his hands off of yours. Just when you thought you were out of the woods, you felt his hands on your waist and despite the biting cold, your skin was on fire from his touch.

“Straighten your back a bit. Yeah, just like that. Good girl.” You could feel his smirk against your ear. This motherfucker knew exactly what he was doing.

You straightened your posture then and waited for his hands to move from your sides but they didn’t.

“Are you fuckin tryin to distract me right now Miller?”

“Nope. I don’t have to try and do that. You just allow me to get in your head.”

You took a deep breath then, cocking your neck to the side slightly as you bit down on your growing frustration. Did he really have to be this close to you?

“Shut up.”

He moved your legs a few steps to the right with his knees and the movement caught you by surprise. You felt like fucking bambi on ice with how easy he was able to maneuver you. It sent brief flashbacks from how he effortlessly threw you on your bed not that long ago. ‘Focus Gwen.’

Joel knew exactly what he was doing. Toying with you was easy and although he knew he was crossing into some dangerous territory, he couldn’t help it. He was drawn to you like a moth to a flame. He liked that he had this effect on you, up until his own brain was screaming at him to focus and get his own shit together.

He moved his hands from your waist then, letting his fingertips drag against the outer layer of your coat before he took a step back, allowing you to feel like you could breathe again.

“Now, you see that tree over there? There's a bare spot right in the middle of it. Think you’re good enough to hit it?”

Your eyes shifted to the tree he was focused on, zoning in on your target.

“Yeah, sure. Easy peasy.”

“Alright, rookie. Need you to take a deep breath in. Squeeze the trigger, not all the way. Breathe out and release.”

You listened to his words then. Taking a deep breath in, you lightly applied pressure to the trigger. Not enough to set it off. When you released your breath, you pressed down all the way and listened to the deafening crack of the bullet being released. You were feeling cocky and expected to hit your target on the first try. Instead, the bullet had whizzed past the target and into some nearby evergreens. missed.

You were silently simmering in your humility and Joel was going to take full opportunity to pick on you for it.

“What was that you said just now? Somethin easy peasy?”

Your jaw clenched then as you bit down on your vile words.

“Alright, big shot. Why don’t you show me how it’s properly done then?” You handed the revolver off to him then, standing off to the side.

“Alright, but you’re just askin for humiliation on yourself doll.”

“Just shut the fuck up and hit the fucking tree, Joel.”

“Feisty. Shoulda gotten you more coffee.” He mused before gripping the gun, just like he showed you. His movements were far more natural than yours. It was all muscle memory at this point for him. A second later and another crack. Joel’s bullet landed right in the middle of the target, sending shards of bark flying into the untouched snow.

He turned to you then, an undeniable smirk on his face as he handed you the gun back, leaning in slightly as he spoke.

“Easy Peasy.” his tone was cocky and it sent your blood boiling.

You were left speechless.

For the next hour, Joel had you practice hitting the target. He didn’t care that you were wasting precious ammo. If you were going to go on smuggling runs with him and Tess, you were going to need to use a weapon outside of your knife. The last thing he wanted was for you to get injured just because you weren’t comfortable with firearms.

“Alright, doll. One more time and then we’ll move on. You’re almost there just need to think about not being so stiff and breathe, for fuck sakes. The enemy is gonna lay one on you before you even have the chance to pull the trigger.”

He was sitting on the stump then, chewing on another piece of jerky as he watched you.

You were determined to hit this fucking tree. You had to prove to yourself that you could do this. All you wanted was to get in on the action. Fuck up some infected and feel like you actually held a purpose in Joel’s life. You listened to every word he said. Remembering to loosen up and breathe. Eye on the target, ‘breathe.’

You took a deep breath, pressing down on the trigger lightly and on the exhale, you released it. Listening to the crack of the bullet as you watched it soar through the air, smacking into the chipped away bark. You had finally hit your target. A sense of pride and relief washed over you in that moment as you turned towards Joel.

“Atta girl.” His lips were upturned slightly as he looked at you.

You gave him a little playful bow then, your boots crunching in the snow as you walked over to the stump he was sitting on and plopped down beside him, nearly pushing his broad form in the snow.

Joel gave you a disapproving look, his eyes lowered as he grumbled. “You really can be fuckin intolerable when you wanna be, doll.”

“I know.” There was a sense of smugness in your voice. It just naturally came out when it was just you and Joel. “Anyway, you kept your promise to teach me how to shoot and now I will do the honors in teaching you how to properly wield a knife.”

“You think for a second I don’t know how to use a knife?” His eyebrow was raised in your direction.

“Oh I don’t doubt that you can use one. The real question is, how good are you really?”

“Guess we’re about to find out.” He offered you the last bit of jerky before he slowly stood up, pulling his combat knife out of his bag, flipping it a couple times in his hand.

You had a feeling that in the next few minutes, you would be forced to eat your words.

Joel loved to see you in your natural element. Right off the bat he observed that you were far more confident with a blade in your grasp. Your posture significantly changed, hell, your entire demeanor had gone and done a complete 180, right before his very eyes. He wanted to see what you were made of. Were you as lethal as you made yourself out to be? How many people had you killed to survive? He wondered.

Joel was far too focused on you to even hear your instructions. He was off in a completely fucking different universe and it was all your fault. You had taken notice when he didn’t respond right away and you rolled your eyes, feeling slightly disrespected. To get his attention, you wasted no time to hurl your blade at the targeted tree. The tip of the blade was embedded in the same spot where Joel’s bullet had previously struck true. The sound of your blade hitting the bark, knocked him out of his trance and had him blinking a few times. Cursing under his breath but you couldn’t make out his words.

“Are you even fuckin listening to a word I just said man?” Your tone was sharp and full of annoyance. Shaking your head you walked over to the tree, the snow crunching beneath your boots and you grasped your blade, yanking it from the dry bark and walked back over to him.

“Zoned out for a minute there.”

“Wow, you don’t fuckin say. Pay attention, Joel. I’m not gonna repeat myself twice.”

His fingers flexed over his own knife. You really did have quite the mouth on you and for someone so petite, your words packed a solid punch. “Easy now, Doll.”

You gave him a look then. Your eyes boring into his for a moment and you both waited to see who would break the tension. You were challenging one another, silently. Who was the weaker one and who would hold their ground. Joel found your stare on him to be just the right amount of intimidating and he found himself casting his eyes away from yours, clearing his throat quietly.

You had won this round, for now.

“As I was saying..” You continued with your instructions and this time, he made damn well sure to listen. He found himself glancing at your lips as they moved. He couldn’t help himself, really. You were truly an enigma in his eyes. A mystery wrapped up with the biggest fucking attitude he had ever encountered.

You showed him the proper position. Where, and how he should stand. You adjusted his grip, made a comment about his posture being wrong. You were right there, invading his senses. Just the brush of your fingers across his covered arm was enough to have him sweating. You damn well knew what you were doing, you had to.

He watched you carefully then as if he was the prey and you were the predator. Oh, how the tables had turned.

“Breathe out nice and slow when you release it. Don’t fight against it either. The blade is a part of you, Joel.” Your tone was too soft for his liking, your breath could be felt against his cold cheek and he gritted his teeth together, his jaw clenching.

“Yeah alright, think I got it from here, doll.”

You smirked then knowing that you had gotten under his skin just the slightest. You rattled him. Taking a step back, you crossed your arms over your chest, giving him a slight nod.

Joel focused back on his target, zoning in on it and like the mother fucker he was, he threw his knife like he had done this 1000 times as well. Joel knew what he was doing but having you think you were teaching him, was the highlight of his day. The tip of his blade struck the chipped away bark with a thud and he looked over at you, smugly.

“You mother fucker.”

“Easy peasy.” He quipped back.

“I can’t believe you right now. What is there that you can’t fucking do?”

“Hmm.” He thought for a moment wanting you to believe he was bluffing. “Can’t think of anythin. Guess I’m just that good, huh?”

“You’re un-fucking believeable Miller.”

“Oh, I know. I absolutely am.”

_______

Joel had decided to teach you a few combat moves. He wanted to get back at you for rattling him and this was the perfect opportunity. He didn’t think about how you were far quicker than him. You blocked his punches easily and you hit back twice as hard. Now it was easy for him to believe that you were lethal, without a doubt. You could tell he was beginning to tire by his staggered breaths, his knees were for sure going to give out soon, his punches at you were becoming un-calculated and sloppy.

Bingo.

Joel felt his legs getting kicked out underneath him before he had the chance to catch himself. His back hit the snow with a soft thud. He hadn’t even had the chance to pull himself up before you were on top of him, pinning him down with your weight. The tip of your blade was held dangerously close to the artery in his neck and his wrists were pinned above his head. How the hell did he end up here? He had no clue.

You leaned down towards him then, hair falling around your face and you had that wild look in your eye. Something about you in that moment was so feral. So lethal. He could feel the blood pounding in his ears from the close proximity. You had this man absolutely fucking stunned, and at your mercy.

“Do you yield?” There was a playful edge to your tone. You were enjoying this, getting back at him for all the times he got under your skin.

Joel let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. He looked up at you, taking notice of the flush in your cheeks, from the cold most likely but maybe, also from him. He took notice of how close your blade was to his throat. Your other hand holding down his wrists and your thighs pressing down on his hips.

He didn’t respond. He instead took charge of the situation again, having no trouble freeing his wrists from your hold and pushing his weight against you. Your knife was yanked from your grip in a flash and tossed into the snow. He had you pinned beneath him now. His body was looming over yours, his breath heavy and he had your wrists pinned on either side of your head. Your legs were trapped between his and you couldn’t even move if you tried.

He leaned down then, his lips brushing the shell of your ear as he spoke. “You hesitated, doll. Now you’re dead. You can never let the enemy have the upper hand.”

Joel had you at his mercy now and he watched as your chest rose and fell. Your breath came out in sharp puffs. “You’re a fucking dick Miller. Fuck you.”

He chuckled then enjoying the fact that despite you and him both knowing that this little game was over, you were still resilient, still feisty and absolutely too stubborn to admit defeat.

“That mouth of yours is gonna get you killed one day Gwen.”

You scoffed. Twisting your wrists in his firm grasp to see if there was any chance of freeing them but he had you good.

“It’s gonna do a hell of a lot more than just get me killed, Miller.”

He was silent then, staring down at you like you were a caged animal, and he was the spectator. You both seemed to be waiting for the other to speak. To do anything. He thought about kissing you. Your lips were so close he could nearly taste them. An illicit affair in the snow, now that would be something.

The weight of his body on yours was no longer present. Your wrists were freed and you finally felt like you could breathe again as you quickly sat up, reaching for your knife and tucked it back into the holster around your hips. Joel had outstretched his hand for you and you grabbed it as he hauled you up from the snow.

You were both silent as you grabbed your bag and slung it over your shoulder. Time had passed and the sky was beginning to grow dark. You had been out there for hours. On the way back to the QZ, you both had stolen glances. The tension was thick but neither party tried to cut through it. Some words were better left unspoken. You both had felt it though. The gravitational pull towards one another. After today, it was undeniably there.

Neither you, nor Joel had won this round.

CHAPTER 8:

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