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waitimcomingtoo · 3 years

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In Case You Don’t Live Forever

~sixth chapter rewritten~

Pairing: Peter Parker x Venom!reader

Synopsis: you are Peters greatest love and Spider-Man’s greatest enemy

Series Masterlist

Two months later, you sat outside The Daily Bugle and impatiently bounced your leg. While waiting to see if your boss liked your first draft of the Cleatus Kassidy article, you reflected on your past two months in New York.

It was now June. You and Venom had fallen into a routine. You’d work on the Cletus article by day and go patrolling at night. Of course, being Venom wasn’t a nightly occurrence. You’d only go out eating once or twice a week. Still, you managed to have 11 run ins with Spider-Man.

You and Peter had become significantly closer in that past two months as well. You’d help him with his homework, though you secretly thought he was smarter than you, and he helped me with your story. Some nights, he’d visit you on your fire escape and watch the sun go down. You had no idea how he got there, but you didn’t care.

You’d send him science puns while he was at school and he’d bring you food and keep you company when You had writers block. Your favorite was the long talks on the roof. You would sit there for hours and tell each other everything. You knew all his secrets and he knew yours.

Well, not all.

But the best part of all was that every now and then, you’d catch the other staring. Then, the other would stare back until someone, usually Peter, started to lean in. Every time you thought you were finally going to take the next step, something would interrupt you. Whether it was May knocking or Ned barging in or Peters phone ringing. That was another thing about Peter. His damn phone was always ringing and then he’d have to dash off somewhere, leaving you with a random excuse or something about an internship. Sometimes, you’d wish he’d just throw his phone aside and kiss you already.

“Great work so far, L/n.” Your boss tore you away from your thoughts. “I knew you’d be right for the job.”

“Thank you, Mr. Jameson.” You stammered as you stood up. “I really appreciate you giving me this job. I was kinda blackballed back in San Francisco.”

“I know.” He shrugged. “But you ask the hard hitting questions that people want to hear. Once this article is out, I want you to write one on Venom.”

“Venom?” You gulped at her name.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “You know that scary black monster that’s been fighting Spiderman? I’m thinking an exposé on that menace webhead and his latest enemy, and I think you’d be perfect for the job.”

 “I would love to.” You said quickly. “I’ll start researching right away.”

With that, you turned on your heel and left the building before Venom caused a scene.

“Monster?” Venom roared once you got in your car. “Scary?”

“I know.” You whined. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was gonna call you that.”

“His whole job is reading about the most dangerous criminals in New York. If he thinks we’re scary, what’s Peter gonna think?” Venom asked. You laughed in dismissal until you thought about what he said.

What would Peter think? What if you told Peter who you really were and he ran away? He was sweet and understanding, but how understanding could he possibly be when you tell him you can turn into a flesh eating monster?

That’s when you realized you were scared. You were scared of letting Peter in and him letting himself right out. You were scared of repeating the mistakes you made with Andy. No, not scared.

Petrified.

What if Peter didn’t like what he saw? What if he realized you were too messy to be with? Or had too much baggage? Peter deserved a nice girl. One with a normal family and friends. One without depression. One without a flesh eating symbiote attached to their immune system.

“What’s wrong baby?” Venom asked with concern. She cuddled around your neck and nuzzled into your cheek.

“I can never be with Peter.” You whispered, mostly to yourself. Hot tears of frustration filled your eyes so you looked up to keep them from falling. Admitting it felt like a fatal blow to the stomach. Venom tied your hair up with one of her arms and wiped the tears from your face.

“Why do you say that?”

You thought about it for a moment before answering. You didn’t want to tell Venom that you were feeling insecure. She freaked out on you whenever you said something negative about yourself. You didn’t wanna another 100 slide PowerPoint titled “why Y/N L/N is the baddest bitch in the galaxy”. Especially since forty of those slides were just pictures of your butt. You appreciated Venom wanting to help but you were feeling the kind of insecure that a pep talk couldn’t fix. You needed to figure it out on your own. So instead, you told her a different fear you had.

“Because. Look at us. We’re the only thing keeping each other alive.” You reasoned. “What if we get separated and die? I can’t become one of those people in Peters life who loved him and then left him. His mom, his dad, his Uncle Ben. I don’t want to die and leave Peter behind. He’s been through enough. He’d be so much better off without me.”

“We’re not gonna die. You protect me and I protect you. Nothing will hurt us as long as we have each other.” Venom assured you.

“I can’t protect you like you protect me.” You said softly. “I’m just a human. What if something happens to me and you die because of it?”

“Nothing will happen to you, Y/N. I promise. I won’t let it.” Venom swore. You looked at her and gave her a sad smile.

“I won’t let anything happen to you either.” You said, but you didn’t promise it. You knew you couldn’t promise it.

“And you can be with Peter.” Venom insisted. “On Klyntar, we mate for life. And we think you’ve found your mate in Peter.”

“What does that mean?” You wondered.

“It means we’ve become attached to him and will never be happy with anyone else.” Venom said. You let out a shaky breath as that wasn’t what you wanted to hear. You needed a reason to shut your feelings for Peter down.

“Like soulmates?” You asked.

“Exactly like soulmates.” Venom answered.

“Well what happens on Klyntar if someone is your soulmate but you’re not theirs?”

“Then we go into a cave and mourn until we die alone of heartbreak.” Venom said simply.

“That sounds about right.” You laughed sadly as you took a second to think.

“I’m gonna call that guy back.” You said suddenly.

“What guy?” She asked.

“They guy who asked me out at the coffee shop this morning.” You reminded her.

“The one with the stupid hair? Why would you call him?” Venom asked angrily.

“What was wrong with his hair?” You laughed.

“It was blonde. We like brunette.” Venom said with a devilish grin.

“His hair was fine.” You rolled your eyes. “And I’m gonna call him to say yes to the date.”

“Why would we do that when we like Peter?” Venom whined.

“Because if Peter doesn’t like us, I don’t want to die of heartbreak alone in a cave.” You admitted.

“He does love you.” Venom protested.

“We don’t know that.” You shook your head. “It’s just one date. I need to get back out there anyway. I haven’t gone on a date Andy and I broke up.”

“Fine.” Venom grumbled. “But this is a terrible idea and I’m going to complain the whole time and sing the Les Mis soundtrack in your head.” This was one of those moments where she felt more like your toddler than your symbiote.

You gave the guy a call before driving back to your apartment. As fate would have it, you ran into Peter in the hallway on your way to your room.

“Hey Y/n!” Peter greeted you. “You want to come over later and help me with spanish? I’ll amo you mucho.”

You wanted so badly to say yes but you had to stick to the plan to squash your feelings for Peter.

“Aw, I’m sorry Pete. I wish I could but I have a date tonight.” You frowned, instantly regretting it when you saw the look on his face.

Peter’s heart sank to the floor as he emotions went from feeling devastated to feeling white hot anger in a matter of seconds

“A date?” He sputtered. “With who?”

“Some boy I met at the coffee shop.” You said weakly, knowing you were hurting him.

“Oh.” He said dully.

“Some boy.” He thought angrily. “Some freaking dirty ass sissy coffee boy asked my girl out.”

Peter felt like hunting the man down and smacking the shit out of him. Or at the very least, webbing him to a wall leaving him there until he missed the date.

“What’s his name?” Peter asked suddenly, wanting to put a name to his new mortal enemy.

“Matt.” You nodded slowly.

“Freaking Matt.” Peter thought. “Freaking dirty ass bitch ass Matt. Was Matt Spider-Man? No. Could Matt treat you as well as I could? Probably. But did he like you as much? No. Did he have inside jokes with you? No. Could he make you laugh your beautiful laugh just by doing a Captain America impression? No. He wasn’t good enough for you. He couldn’t do the things I could do. He was trash. He was a trashy dirty ass rat boy.”

“Interesting.” Peter said, keeping his thoughts to himself.

“I’ll text you when it’s over and maybe I can help you then.” You offered. That sound okay, guapo?”

Peter nodded sadly, not even acknowledging that you called him handsome. Actually, he probably had no idea that you did. He was smart, but only in English.

“That’s fine.” He nodded glumly. “I’ll see you later.”

You watched Peter trudge into his apartment and felt a pain in your heart. He seemed so upset all the sudden. It couldn’t be from your date, could it? It’s not like you told him you got engaged or something. It was one little date. And it’s not like Peter even made a move. He had no reason to be upset. You brushed it off and went into your apartment to get ready.

Just as Venom predicted, the date went horribly wrong. You drove back to the apartment in silence afterwards, leaving Matt to clean himself off back at the restaurant.

“Why did that happen?” You asked her after a long drive in silence. You were mortified from the events of the night but you needed to know why they happened.

“Because he wasn’t your soulmate.” Venom said simply.

“We defiled that boy.”

“It happens.” Venom stated.

“It shouldn’t.” You said, shocked at how nonchalantly she was being.

“But it does.”

You rode the rest of the way in silence, shooting Peter a text before asleep on your couch. You woke up a few hours later in a cold sweat and in tears. You didn’t know it, but Peter was listening to your breathing from his apartment. He had picked up the small cries of his name in your sleep with his superhearing and stayed up to see if you were okay.

You weren’t, by the way. You had had a nightmare that shook you deeply and left you shaking. It was about Peter, but not in a good way. In this dream, he laid injured on the ground after a fight. You were separated from Venom and bleeding out near Peter. You couldn’t do anything to save him. You couldn’t scream for help. And worse, you couldn’t protect him. It caused you great agony to not be able to reach him.

Without giving it another thought, you got off your couch and made your way to the door. You needed to see Peter and tell him how you felt.

You didn’t care about your insecurities anymore. You didn’t care about all the things keeping you apart. You only cared about him, and that was enough. He needed to know that and you couldn’t wait another second.

You swung open your front door, only to find Peter Parker outside it in pink Hello Kitty pajama bottoms and a tight white t-shirt. His hand was raised, like he was about to knock.

“Hey.” you breathed. His hair was tousled and sticking up in random places. He looked heavenly.

“Hi.” He said shyly.

“I was just about to go to your door. I had a bad dream.” You told him. You were anxious to skip the semantics and cut right to the chase.

The chase being, “I love you and I’m yours if you’ll have me.”

“Yeah, I heard. That’s why I’m here.” Peter explained. That’s not what he wanted to say. What he wanted to say was, “I’m always here if you need me. I’d go to the ends of the earth for you. I love you. It’ll be okay.”

Peter looked at you funny for a moment, like he was seeing something beneath the surface.

“She looks so beautiful.” He thought. Makeup free, hair a little messy, and nothing but an oversized sweatshirt to cover you. Peter recognized the sweatshirt as his own, one you had swiped from his laundry basket because you had been freezing while watching Alien in his room. He felt so honored to know that you slept in it. Peter wondered how many times he could fall in love with you in a short span of time. In the past few seconds, he’d fallen about 15 times. Once for every breath you took. And you were breathing quite heavily.

“You heard?” You asked, wondering how he

had possible heard from his apartment.

“My hearing is excellent.” He said quickly. “Are you alright?”

“Please be alright.” He thought. “I’d stop anything that tried to hurt you. I’ll protect you from the storm. Don’t shut me out. Don’t turn me away. Let me love you.”

“Um…” You trailed off and looked behind you at your empty apartment. The darkness looked anything but inviting. You couldn’t go back in there just yet.

“No?” It came out as more of a question.

“No? Do you want to talk about it-“ Peter was cut off when you rushed into his arm and hugged him tightly. He seemed taken aback, seeing as you nearly knocked the wind out of him. But as soon as he found his footing, he wrapped his strong arms around you and held you close. You relaxed in Peters embrace and let out a sigh.

“I had a nightmare.” You croaked. “You died and I couldn’t save you.”

“I know. It’s okay. You’re awake now. I’m here.” Peter said soothingly.

“I’ve been here the whole time.” He thought. “I will never abandon you. You are safe in my arms. Nothing can hurt you now. I won’t let it.”

You pulled away a little and looked at his face, seeing how tired it was.

“Would you stay with me?” You asked timidly. You didn’t want him to go. Not now, not ever.

“Always.” Peter answered with a smile. “As if I could ever leave you.”

Your lips lit up in a smile as your eyes fell to his lips. They lingered there for too long, or maybe just long enough. Peter took the hint and slipped his hand behind your neck and began to pull you closer. As your lips were about to touch, your door slammed, causing you to jump out of each other’s embrace.

“Shit balls.” You said immediately, letting out an annoyed sigh.

“What?” Peter asked, giggling a little at your choice of profanity.

“I just locked myself out.” You realized as you jiggled through door handle. Peter laughed louder this time and put a hand on your shoulder.

“Come on. You’re sleeping over.” He said, leading you back to his apartment with his hand on the small of his back.

You entered Peters room for the millionth time, but it felt the first time. Sure, you’d become good friends in the time you’ve lived in the building, but bedrooms were intimate places. The context of you being in Peters bedroom after going to him for comfort changes how you saw the place. After all, bedrooms were windows into the soul. Oh wait, that’s eyes. Still, the room was different. You didn’t feel like you were entering it. You felt like you were returning.

You looked around with a content smile on your face. He still had his academic decathlon posters on his wall, along with a few Avengers posters. Peter was pretty neat, but he was still a teenage boy. Socks and sweaters were strewn across the room. You saw him kicking a pair of boxers under his desk out of the corner of you eye. His room was so cute. It was so…Peter. You noticed a first aid kit on his desk next to his chemistry textbook and wondered what on earth he could be using it for.

“I’ve always liked your room.” You complimented as you touched a decathlon trophy on his dresser.

“Oh thank God.” Peter sighed in relief. “I thought you’d take one look at my nerdy ambiance and run.”

“Star Wars bedsheets?” You asked when you noticed the Death Star poking out under his duvet. You definitely hadn’t seen those before and found them endearing. Peters ears reddened and he fixed his duvet to cover them up.

“Those aren’t mine.” He said quickly.

“Are they Mays? As in May the force be with you?” You played along and he gave you a defeated smile.

“That was the worst thing anyone has ever said. Ever.” Peter joked. You laughed and he gave you a shy smile.

“Fine. They’re my bedsheets. Star Wars is cool, okay?” Peter defended. You took a seat on his bed and shrugged.

“You don’t have to explain anything to me Peter. I just didn’t know you were a loser, is all.”You said simply. Peter sat down on the bed next to you and rolled his eyes.

“Very funny. You’re the funniest person I know.” He said sarcastically. You nudged him with your elbow and he and hit you with a Yoda printed pillow.

“Mm. Good with the force you are.” You commented. Peter groaned loudly and told you to shut up.

“Enough playing around. How was your date?” Peter asked as he turned to face you. You could hear the pain in his voice and regretted ever telling him about the date.

“Oh, you know.” You shrugged. “Terrible.”

You weren’t going to let him off the hook that easy. If Peter really did like you and want to be with you, he needed to say it. He couldn’t just grumble and wallow in self pity when you were with another boy. You wanted to test him to see if he’d ever actually admit his feelings, but a part of you was still scared there were no feelings to admit to.

“Really?” He said excitedly. He cleared his throat to cover it up and grunted. “I mean, really?” He asked calmly.

“Yeah it was awful. I definitely won’t be seeing him again.” You sighed sadly, but you weren’t actually sad. You were just putting on a show for Peter. Peter bit the inside of his cheek to stop the smile from emerging.

“That’s terrible.” Peter lied. “What went wrong?”

His acting was equally as bad as your own. He had a shit eating grin on his face, pretending to be sad when he was clearly over the moon.

“It was going fine all night until the kiss.” You sighed dramatically, looking longingly out the window. You might as well have thrown yourself onto the balcony and cried out for Romeo. Peter, however, was buying every second of it.

“You guys kissed?” He asked, his voice heavy with disappointment. He looked miserable. All you wanted to do was throw your arms around his neck and tell him he was the only one for you. Instead, you kept your feelings to yourself and nodded slowly.

“Almost. He leaned in and…” instead of finishing your sentence, you just shrugged. You could tell Peter was on the edge of his seat so you dragged it as long as you could.

“And?” Peter practically begged. You let out another long, dramatic sigh as Peter took a slow sip of his water bottle.

“And I threw up on him.” You said simply. Peter spat out the water in his mouth and burst out laughing, doing his best to cover it up. You gave him a fake angry look but ended up laughing as well.

“What?” Peter laughed.

“He was such a tool.” You whined. “He talked down to me the entire night and then had the audacity to try and kiss me. I don’t know what happened but all the sudden he was leaning in and I was throwing up. He deserved it though. He treated me like was an idiot. I’m almost glad I threw up on him.”

Peters was overjoyed. He was about to say something when we heard a straggled cry of your name.

You and Peter rushed to his peephole and saw a familiar blonde haired boy standing in the hallway.

There he was, Matt, outside your apartment door with his phone on full volume playing “Hungry Eyes” from Dirty Dancing.

“What the actual hell?” You wondered out loud. “I better get rid of him.”

“Y/nnnnnn. I’m sorry I was a jerk.” Matt slurred. “Please talk to me. I told the doorman we were cousins. Then I told the elevator guy that I was your husband. You may need to move now. Y/nnnn.”

“You definitely can’t go out there.” Peter shook his head. “He could have a knife.”

“Or worse.” You whispered, making Peter looked at you fearfully. “He could have the same loser bedsheets you do.”

Peter scrunched his nose at you and picked up you swiftly to threw you onto the couch.

“Since when are you so strong?” You laughed in shock. Peter shrugged and held out a hand.

“Let’s go to bed.” He said. You raised an eyebrow and he quickly added, “In a non-sexual, platonic way.”

He was always so cautious of offending you or making you uncomfortable. You appreciated how much of a gentleman he was and knew Aunt May had implemented those qualities in him.

“You can take the bed.” He offered. “I’ll sleep on the couch. Let me know if you need anything.”

You nodded and climbed into his bed, patting the the space next to you.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” You told him. “Get in.”

Peter looked at you with wide eyes, looking very unsure of himself as he toyed with the hem of his shirt.

He was torn. He wanted to get into the bed, but he also knew you were vulnerable right now and he didn’t want to take advantage of you. He didn’t want to do anything you’d end up regretting in the morning.

“Get in, in a non-sexual, platonic way.” You added. Peter relaxed but stayed standing. You pretended to splash Peter and twirled your hand around the bedsheets as if they were water.

“Come on in Parker. The waters warm.” You said in a low voice.

“I am…repulsed.” Peter deadpanned. In reality, he was dying to get in the bed. He wasn’t gonna try anything, he just wanted to feel you close. He wanted to comfort you and take the pain of the night away. Finally, he got into the bed and pulled the covers up. He shut off his lamp and we fell into comfortable silence.

“Good night, Peter.” You whispered, turning your back to him and cuddling into his pillow.

“Night, Y/n.” He whispered back. You felt his eyes on the back of your neck still. He didn’t want to close them and fall asleep. He wanted to stay in this moment as long as he could.

You soon felt hesitant arms wrap around your waist. Peter was very unsure of himself and kept his hands loosely on your hips, barely touching. You turned your neck around and looked at him quizzically.

“What the hell are you doing?” You demanded. His hands flew off your waist and his eyes widened with fear. He looked so apologetic, you thought he might cry.

“Do you not know how to cuddle?” You asked before he could blurt out an apology. You grabbed his arms and pulled them tightly around your body. You held his hands in your own, flush against your chest. Peter felt really tense at first and a bit stiff, but he soon relaxed and nestled into your hair.

“You smell really good.” He muttered. You laughed softly against his body, prompting Peter to hold you even tighter.

“I’ve wanted this for so long, Y/N.” He whispered. He said it so quietly, you figured he thought you had fallen asleep. “Sweet dreams.”

You woke up the next morning in Peter Parker’s arms. Subsequently, you wanted to wake up every morning for the rest of your life in Peter Parker’s arms. You were a mess of tangled limbs and hair but you found yourself firmly in his embrace, inhaling his cologne.

Peters eyes fluttered open suddenly and you were nose to nose.

“Hi.” You said softly, a playful smile resting on your lips. He was so pretty in the morning. He didn’t even have to try.

“Hey.” He chuckled. “This is new.”

“It is new. Is it okay?” You asked him, not wanting to overstep his boundaries.

“Is waking up next to the actual sun okay?” He teased. “Uh yea, Y/n. It’s okay. You can sleep over anytime you like if it means more mornings like this.”

Of course he said that. He held all your strings and knew just how to tug them.

“Did you really not enjoy that date?” He whispered, but in his head thought, “Do you want to be with anyone else?”

You didn’t know why he was whispering, but the look in his eyes told you he was dead serious.

“Not in the slightest.” You answered honestly. What you wanted to say was, “Because it wasn’t with you.”, but you didn’t.

“Would you…would you want to go out with me sometime?” He asked shyly. “I promise I won’t throw up on you.”

He said the second part as if it was the only way you’d say yes to the date, which made you laugh.

“Peter Parker, I have waited exactly 64 days for you to ask me that question and you just had to ruin it by promising you won’t throw up on me?” You playfully scolded as Peters eyes lit up.

“Is that a yes?” He asked excitedly.

“It’s a yes.” You nodded, holding his nearest hand. “It’s always been a yes.”

“Can I-“ He began.

“Don’t ask.” You whispered. “Just do it.”

Peter leaned in slowly and you did the same. His lips had just ghosted yours when Aunt May knocked on the door. He bolted out of bed as you sat up.

“Breakfast is ready. Did you clean your room?” Aunt May called from the other side of the door.

“Yes.” Peter called back. You looked around. No he didn’t

“No you didn’t.” She said knowingly. She didn’t even have to see his room to know it wasn’t clean.

“I’ll clean it after.” He groaned.

“I’m coming in.” She said suddenly, making you and Peter look at each other in fear.

“Don’t! I’m naked.” He screamed.

“Fine. But it better be clean after breakfast. And put some clothes on. You should not be naked at 7 am.” Aunt May said. You heard her footsteps walking away and knew it was safe to speak. You got out of Peters bed as he got up to lock the door, his back still to you as he did it.

“Alright.” He sighed. “That should buy us some ti-“

The second he turned around, he was met with your lips on his. You had your hands on the sides of his face and your head tilted to the left. You felt Peters eyes flutter shut as his eyelashes tickled your cheeks. He was frozen at first, but slowly wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you closer. You melted into him and he melted right back into you. The kiss was short and sweet, but absolutely perfect.

When you pulled away, Peter gave you the softest eyes ever. A grateful smile was on his lips.

“I am so over these interrupted moments.” You laughed softly as you shook your head. Peters eyes twinkled in agreement. The sun was coming through the window and made his brown eyes look like pots of honey. You could stare at them forever.

And then he kissed you again, with confidence this time. He wasn’t ready for the last one since you caught him off guard. You let your fingers tangle in the messy curls at the back of his neck, something you thought you’d only get to dream of doing. Peter groaned slightly into your mouth as you tugged on his hair, indicating that he liked it. He put his hand under your neck and slipped his toungue in your mouth. Who knew Peter Parker knew how to kiss? He tasted like morning breath, spearmint chapstick, and something you could only identify as being exclusively Peter. When you pulled apart, he looked up at the sky and sighed.

“If I wake up and this is all a dream I’m going to fight you.” He said menacingly.

“Did you just threaten God?” You laughed.

“For you? Anthing. I’ll fight anyone for your honor. Our Lord and Savior can catch these hands can square up.” He promised.

“You’ve gone to far.” You joked. “We need to break up.”

“Don’t even joke. I’ve waited too long for this.” Peter said as he wrapped his arms around you.

“I’m only teasing. I’ve waited my whole life for you Parker. I’m never letting you go.” You told him. He burst out in a smile and kissed you swiftly, then promptly got down on one knee.

“Will you please be mine, darling? Officially?” He pleaded softly. There was so much hope in his eyes so you pretended to think about it.

“Sorry.” You shrugged. “I’m pretty busy with Matt.”

Peter stood up and gripped your hips, pulling you closer while you let out a small gasp.

“I never want to hear his name again. He had the privilege of taking my girl on a date and treated her poorly?” He raised an eyebrow. “He’s a deadman if I ever see him around here. Now, I need you to tell me you’re my girlfriend before my heart explodes. Tell me you’re mine. I won’t believe it until you say it. ”

You nodded yes as you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed his lips.

“Peter Parker, I always have, and always will be, yours.”

#peter parker x reader #peter parker x y/n #peter parker x you #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker imagine #peter parker x venom!reader #venom!reader #tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #iron man #tom holland fluff #tom holland fanfiction

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idy-ll-ique · 3 years

Text

Carnivals.

Pairing: Andy Barber x F!Reader

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: mentions of domestic abuse.

Requested: nope

Summary: Andy and Y/N meet for the first time at a carnival... or maybe it's the second time.

Author's Note: Hiya peeps! This is a Defending Jacob AU where Andy has one more kid, a 5-year-old boy called Liam. enjoy!

---

Andy stared at his son with a disappointed look on his face as the tiny 5-year-old threw a tantrum. "Are you done?" he deadpanned, which caused his son to cry harder. Taking out his wallet, Andy showed it to his son, again, saying, "Look, I'm outta cash right now! We spent it all on other snacks and games! I can't buy you the lollipop, bub." His son wouldn't hear it.

Andy was out at a carnival with his 5 year old son, Liam. Who was currently wailing at the top of his lungs since Andy was not buying him the very big lollipop they were currently staring at. After everything that happened with Jacob, Andy and his ex-wife Laurie had... fallen apart.

They decided that a divorce was the only best option so here he was now, single and had full custody of Liam. Laurie had chosen Jacob. "Liam, stop crying, come on..." Andy insisted with a soft sigh, kneeling next to his kid. "Dada! I want the lolly!" Liam sobbed, curling up against his father.

"I told you already, we spent all our money. If I go to get some more, it'll be too late. Just forget the candy, Liam, we have sweets at home," he tried. "No!" Andy pinched the bridge of his nose. "Excuse me." His head snapped up at the feminine voice and his eyes met Y/E/C. The woman had a soft smile on her face, and she was holding the hand of her own daughter.

The daughter was older than Liam, maybe 10-11 years old. "Hi there," he said with a smile of his own, standing up with Liam in his arms. He had momentarily stopped crying, also staring at the lady and her daughter. Andy really thought he had seen her somewhere, but couldn't put a finger on it. Where have I seen her?

"Can I ask you something, sweetie?" the lady addressed his son. Liam nodded. "Do you want that?" She pointed to the lollipop and Liam's eyes twinkled as he nodded once again, this time with excitement. "What a coincidence! My daughter wants one too, how about I buy one for both of you?" Andy's eyes went wide.

"You really don't have to, ma'am," he refused but she shook her head, a winsome smile that had Andy's heart melting gracing her lips. "I don't have to. I want to. Please. Your son wants it really bad, doesn't he?" Andy chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "He does, been throwing a tantrum for the past 20 minutes."

Y/N immediately bought two of the big lollipops, handing one to Liam and the other to her daughter. "Camila, come on baby, introduce yourself," Y/N smiled. The daughter gave Andy and Liam a winning smile. "Hi! I'm Camila Y/L/N, nice to meet you!" Andy smiled back at her.

"Hi bub, I'm Andy Barber and this is my son, Liam." Liam wiggled in his father's arms and he put him down. "Let's go check out the merry-go-round!" Liam squealed as he took Camila's hand, leading her away from both the parents. "He's so cute!" Camila called out cheekily and Andy laughed. "Don't stray far, both of you!" Y/N shouted after them.

"Okay, ma!"

Once both kids were gone, Andy and Y/N moved to a nearby bench. "Do you remember me, Mr Barber?" she asked him all of a sudden and he froze. Shit shit shit, where have I seen her before? I knew it! "I, um, I don't seem to..." he stammered but Y/N shook her head, giving him a soft smile. "It's fine, I didn't expect you to. We met a long time ago."

"Where, may I ask?"

"Well, um, I was one of your clients, actually. You were my lawyer when I got a divorce from my ex-husband." Memories flashed in his head as he remembered her. "Y/N Y/L/N! Yes! Now I remember, it's very good to see you again!" Both of them laughed a bit. "It's been a nice few years."

"Camila has grown a lot, last time I saw her she was a baby," Andy smiled but it quickly faded as he thought of her ex-husband. He was a cruel man; abused his wife, took her for granted. Y/N was only 21 or 22 then, which made her around 30 now. Andy had seen her wounds a few times; she once had a swollen eye. "Mr Barber?" He snapped out of his thoughts.

"Right, um, sorry," he cleared his throat and looked away, running a hand through his hair again. "You went very quiet all of a sudden, all okay?" Y/N frowned. "Just thinking about that ex of yours. He hasn't reached out to you in any way, has he? Because if he has, that motherfucking asshole—" Y/N cut him off by laughing.

"He hasn't, don't worry. Camila and I are doing very well." He glanced at her. "No new boyfriend?" Y/N bit her lip shyly and shook her head. "Not really. It's a bit difficult to date when you're a divorcée and have a ten year old daughter. No one wants the package," she huffed. Andy took his time observing her. Gorgeous.

She visibly looked different. Her style had changed, her hair had grown... far from the young lady he met around a decade ago. She looked beautiful then, but ethereal now. Her smile was still the same, as were her kind eyes that made him warm inside even after all these years. Sure, back then, he treated her simply like a client, a friend maybe.

But now?

Something felt different.

When she smiled at him, a shiver ran down his spine. "So, how are Jacob and Laurie? Are they doing well?" Y/N asked him and he involuntarily tensed. Truth was, it had been a year since he last saw them. He had cut off all ties with them, starting a new life— just him and Liam. "I, uh... I don't know," he muttered truthfully.

"You don't...?" Y/N blinked at him. "Laurie and I, we... we got a divorce too, after everything that happened with Jacob." Y/N had heard of that, how the lawyer's own son got accused of murder. He ended up not guilty, but the damage had been done. "I'm so sorry, Mr Barber," she whispered apologetically and he shook his head. "Not your fault. And call me Andy, please."

She gave him another smile. "Andy." And butterflies flitted around in his stomach as his name fell from her lips. He liked the sound of that. "So, what was the deal with Liam? Were you not getting him the lolly on purpose or...?" He laughed and shook his head. "No no, I was ready to get him that, I just ran outta money. Spent it all on other snacks and the rides."

Y/N laughed along. "Kids, am I right?" Both of them fondly shook their heads and turned to where Camila and Liam were playing alone on the merry-go-round. The carnival was about to close, so not many people were left. Y/N stole a glance at Andy. When she had first met him, she had immediately taken a liking to him.

But it wasn't like she could do anything about it; he had a wife and a child— Jacob was only 6 years old then. Now, though... "Are you seeing anyone?" she blurted out and Andy turned to her, visibly surprised at the question. Mortified, Y/N turned away from as she bit her lip again. "Sorry, uhm, ignore me, I just, I—"

"No, I'm not seeing anyone," he answered and she looked at him. He had a soft smile on his face. "Dada! Dada, can we go home?!" Liam and Camila soon made their way over to them. "I'm also tired, ma," Camila yawned and plopped down on Y/N's lap. She chuckled and kissed her on the side of her head. "Let's go home."

"Dada, will I meet Camila again?" Liam pouted at his father. Andy and Y/N looked at each other, a deep blush gracing his cheeks as Y/N looked away from him with pursed lips and a small, embarrassed smile. "If Y/N wants," he answered finally. "I'd like that very much, Andy." Camila and Liam cheered. "Yay! Can she come over to our house?"

"Sure thing, bud. Come on, say goodbye now," Andy stood up with Liam in his arms. Camila hopped off Y/N's lap and held her mother's hand, waving at Liam. "Bye Y/N, by Cami," Liam murmured sleepily, already clinging to his father as he buried his face in his neck. "Bye, sweetheart," Y/N laughed, exchanging numbers with Andy.

"I'll text you later, yeah?"

"Sure thing, Andy."

---

"Cami!"

"Liam!"

Y/N and Andy grinned as the two kids ran towards each other, hugging each other tightly. "Let's go to my room!" Liam insisted and the two took off, running up the stairs. Y/N, who was still standing outside the front door, shook her head. "Fast friends, aren't they?" Andy called her in and she stepped into the house, taking off her overcoat. Andy took it from her. "Yep."

Y/N also took off her shoes and kept them near the door as she walked in. "You have a nice house," she complimented and he blushed again. He had thoroughly cleaned it out in the morning just because he knew Y/N and Camila were going to visit in the afternoon. "Thank you so much. Can I get you anything? Some water?"

"That would be amazing, thank you."

Soon, the two settled down on the couchs, a glass of water in Y/N's hand. "So, are you still at your old job?" Conversation flowed easily between them as they sat there, occasional squeals and giggles coming from Liam's room upstairs. "It's great how you're looking after Liam and managing being a DA at the same time."

Andy chuckled bashfully. "It gets lonely sometimes, you know? Liam asks for his mother sometimes. I know it's been a few years, he was a baby then, doesn't even remember her properly but that doesn't stop him. I have no idea what to say to him," he admitted. "Same case with Camila," Y/N grimaced.

"Sucks, doesn't it? Kids need both parents," Andy breathed out. "Sure does. My own parents got one when I was 16. I desperately hoped my marriage wouldn't end up like that but... well, it did." Andy frowned at her. "And don't you dare blame yourself for it. It wasn't you. You are the most perfect person ever, it was your stupid ex who didn't deserve you and treated you like shit."

Y/N smiled softly at his words. "I am the most perfect person ever, huh?" she teased and Andy realized what he had blurted out. But he didn't back down. "You are. You always have been. Kind, polite, caring, intelligent... a great mother, by the way... you are awesome. I may not have noticed it then but now I have."

"Can I tell you something?"

"Sure thing, sweetheart." Y/N gave him another shy smile. "I've always thought you were handsome. Also intelligent, wise... just overall amazing, ya know? But then, I meant it in the form of respect, a fleeting crush. Now, though..." Andy's gaze darkened as he watched Y/N, who looked away from him while biting her lip.

He shifted closer to her. "Now what, Y/N? How do you mean it now?" he whispered, tilting her head in his direction. Y/N shakily let out a breath and Andy smirked, catching her lips in a searing kiss. "Now I mean it in a completely different way," she whispered when they pulled away to breathe. "Glad to hear it, darling," he smirked.

"What about you, Mr Barber?"

"I like you," he blurted out, "Really, I do. Maybe you can stay for dinner tonight?" Y/N gave him a huge smile. "I'd love to stay for dinner, Andy!" He grinned at her and both of them turned to the TV. Andy leaned against the couch, Y/N snuggling into his side as he switched the TV on, settling on a Disney movie playing on one channel.

He put an arm around her shoulders, her head resting on his chest. Just as they relaxed, two people came tumbling down the stairs. "We thought we heard Coco!" Camila squealed before freezing at the position Andy and Y/N were sitting in. Y/N threw her daughter a nervous smile, which soon turned into a horrified expression as the younger Y/L/N's eyes twinkled with mischief.

"I'm sure they're about to change the channel, Li, why don't we go back upstairs?" Liam pouted at Camila, seemingly unaffected by Andy and Y/N. The two adults glanced at each other, eyes wide. "But I wanna watch Coco," Liam whined. Camila whispered something in his ear.

Liam then looked over at Andy and Y/N, a disgusted look on his face. "Ew! You two are gross!" he blurted out before running back up the stairs. "What did you tell him, little miss?" Andy huffed out a laugh. "Just that you two have been kissing," Camila smirked, "Enjoy your date!"

She went back upstairs as well. Y/N and Andy continued staring at each other before promptly bursting into a fit of giggles. "Ah, kids," Y/N wheezed, wiping away a few tears of mirth. Andy pressed a quick kiss to her temple and they settled down in front of the television again.

---

Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months and months into years.

Time flew by, only strengthening Andy and Y/N's relationship.

"Y/N! Honey!" Y/N's head shot up at the sound of whimpers and her husband's shouts as she walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. Andy was carrying a crying Liam into the house, a cut visible on his knee and a few scratches on his arm. Camila soon followed in with Liam's bicycle.

"He fell," Andy sighed as he placed the 11 year old boy on the couch. "Aw, honey, hang on, I'll bring the first aid kit. Andy, can you take care of the food for me?" He readily agreed and went to the kitchen, a 16 year old Camila in tow as Y/N fetched the first aid kit. "Can I tell you something?" Liam muttered as she cleaned his wound.

"Anything," she smiled at him. "You're the best mom ever. I know you're not my biological mom but... but I... I met her once and I have decided that— that I like you better. Th-Thank you for being there and marrying dad. He's the happiest he's ever been, all because of you." Y/N teared up at his words.

"Liam, oh my God," she whispered and the boy pulled her in for a hug. "I love you," he whispered and Y/N cried harder. "I love you too, I love you so much," she sniffled, smiling as Liam wiped her tears off. "Dinner is sort— Y/N? Why are you crying sweetheart?" She felt a hand on her shoulder and pulled away from Liam.

"Nothing," she sighed, giving Andy a soft smile. He blinked and looked at Liam, who was desperately trying to convince all of them that his tears were because of his wounds. "Okay," Andy drawled, "Well, dinner is ready. Why don't we all eat? You'll feel better afterwards." A pause. "We can even have ice-cream."

At the mention of ice-cream Liam sat up straight, eyes twinkling. "You promise, dad?" Andy nodded. Liam cheered and got up, waddling towards the dining table where Camila already sat, busy texting on her phone. Andy and Y/N shared a laugh as Liam flicked her on the forehead, getting a slap on the back in return.

Once both the kids were busy, Andy turned to Y/N. "Why were you crying, sweetie? You know I hate to see you cry," he murmured. Y/N sighed and rested her forehead on his chest as his arms went around her waist. "Liam told me I was the best mom ever," she breathed, "And how happy he was to have me in yours and his life."

Andy rubbed her back, a huge smile blooming on his face. "He was right. I am one lucky man, you know? To have someone as gorgeous and wonderful as you. Still can't believe you said yes when I proposed," he teased, laughing when Y/N lightly slapped his bicep.

"It didn't work out well for both of us the first time, did it?" Y/N hummed. "No, not really. But now I'm not letting this family go," Andy spoke firmly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Y/N smiled and he instinctively reached down to kiss her lips, his hands sliding down to her butt. "How about another addition to the family, Mrs Barber?"

Y/N squealed. "Andy! The kids are in the next room!" Andy grinned. "Come on—"

"Mom! Dad! Are you done canoodling?! We're hungry!"

"Oh my— we're coming, just two minutes!"

Andy laughed loudly as Y/N hurriedly stepped out of his arms, face flushed as she entered the kitchen. He then crossed his arms and stood there for a second more; life gave him a second chance and he was, for sure, not going to mess it up this time.

---

A/N: I just realized Laurie might have come off as a bit of a... bad character in this one and for that I apologize, I'm sure she's very nice in the series. Thanks for reading, leave a like if you enjoyed!

#andy barber x reader #andy barber x you #andy barber x y/n #andy barber x female reader #andrew barber #andy barber fluff #defending jacob #chris evans x reader #chris evans x you #chris evans x y/n #chris evans x female reader #chris evans characters #disney #mcu #marvel #avengers #fanfic #writing #writeblr

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quietmyfearswith · 3 years

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bratty little ; preferences

warnings — GASLIGHTING, DDLG, swearing, mentions of punishment, spanking, choking, vibrator, threats of abandoning someone, swear words, allusions to smut

characters — dark!andy barber, dark!steve rogers, dark!ransom drysdale, dark!bucky barnes, dark!lance tucker, dark!clark kent, dark!syverson, dark!august walker

a/n — THIS IS A DARK FIC WITH DARK THEMES WITH DDLG DYNAMICS,, do not interact if youre not 18+,, i know the visual for bucky’s preference is for like when you go potty but imagine it on a dining chair okay?? ok.. lmk what you think!

masterlist

“Dada!” Y/N shrieked out loud from where she was seated on the living room floor while she played with her toys, the sounds coming from the television were quieter in comparison to the wail she let out. When her screaming failed to get a reaction from the lawyer — Andy knew that he gave her everything she needed so there was no possible thing that she could possibly need at the moment — whose eyes were only focused on either his laptop screen or on the paperworks for the case he was assigned to. She then held her stuffie in her hand then threw it at the busy man; upon seeing the stuffed animal land on his workspace he turned to her with a deep frown on his face, “Petal, don’t throw your stuffies at me; unless you want me to throw them away in the garbage?” She was about to speak but when he raised an eyebrow at her, “Are you that ungrateful for everything that dada gives you?” With that, she then brought her attention back to the show.

“That’s what I thought,” Andy mumbled as his eyes focused once again on scanning the computer. But his focus was short-lived as another stuffie hit his forehead — and that was the final straw. Pushing himself off from the table he walked over to where his usually obedient girl was and kneeled down to level with her, “I said to behave, petal — and I asked nicely right?” Seeing the veins become even more prominent on his neck turned her on and it was even made apparent when she shyly looked down on the floor as she told him, “I just wanted you to pay attention to me, dada.” Her statement had him amused as smirked at her while filthy thoughts ran around his head, “Well you not only got my attention,” She flashed a hopeful grin at him before it was replaced with a horrified look when he added, “You have a punishment waiting for you.”

“Daddy! I told you to come play with me,” She whined as she stomped her foot and crossed her arms. Fastening the screw on his bike, August could only huff in annoyance as he heard his little one whine, “And I told you to wait a while, little one. Didn’t daddy teach you to be patient?” This just angered Y/N even more — she was excited that he was home following a month-long mission wherein he was sent somewhere in Europe and wanted nothing more than to make up for lost time. While the Hammer did want to spend time with her, he just wanted to fix something in his bike since he has been putting that off for a while now. “If you don’t want to play with me, I’m gonna go play with myself!” She huffed out as she strutted out of the garage and into the inside of their home. Confused with her statement, he didn’t know if she meant that in a little way or in a big girl way; either way it had him fed up with her attitude. Dropping the tools on the floor as it made a loud noise, he then washed his hands with the sink before making his way inside to search for her.

“Where are you, little one?” He called out; and almost instantly she replied to him, “In the playroom!” Leave it to her to still be extremely needy for his presence despite being a rascal. Entering the bedroom that was transformed as her playroom, he kneeled behind her as his lips grazed the shell of her ear while one hand trailed over the front of her neck, “Did little one not learn her lesson?” Feeling his breath tickle her skin made her halt her movements as she was playing with the tea set he had gifted her when he returned from Paris after a two-month deployment. “I just wanted daddy to spend time with me,” She nervously gulped down, “Missed you too much.” He knew she had good intentions, but that didn’t excuse her behaviour; and he made it clear by tightening his grip on her neck by pushing his fingers down on the sides of her neck as he whispered, “I missed you too but you don’t see me getting all whiny now do you?” The iron grip he had on her neck allowed minimal movement as she shook her head no as she got even more ansty at that thought of what might follow. “Here I was ready to reward you — I've been watching the camera footage of you and noticed how you obeyed all of daddy’s rules.”

“Tătic, I wanna go out in the park!” Y/N whined as Bucky was hauling her over his left shoulder, into their shared living quarters. Using his metal hand, he swatted her bum softly as he scolded her, “Don’t you think you’ve had enough playtime today? It’s about time you spent some time with your daddy, sweetie.” When placing her back on her feet, she turned around to head for the door; the super soldier’s strength allowed him to prevent her sprinting figure from leaving him. “I’m gonna give you one last time to behave and stop wanting to go to the park, sweetheart,” He sternly scolded her, but she only persisted harder as her smaller hands hit against his chest as she wailed out, “Wanna go to the park! Wanna go out and play, tătic!” Continuously repeating those two sentences, Bucky has had enough of her whining state as he carried her once more and placed her on the dining chair she dreaded the most.

“Wanna be a fucking brat?” He muttered under his breath as he strapped the belt just right under her breasts before joining the lock on her thighs — effectively restricting her movement and there was no way for her to break free from it since there was a padlock to both belts, “Then I’ll treat you like a fucking brat.” Y/N was now full on sobbing as she sat on the chair and looked at the Avenger with a pout, “Just wanna play more with Peter and Wanda and Steve!” She managed to get out in between hiccups; Bucky levelled his face with her with a mocking pout of his own, “Is that what you want, sweetheart?” She nodded her head desperately as trashed around the restraints, wanting to rip it off of her. “But little sweeties like you don’t get to decide for themselves. That’s why you have your tătic, remember?” Deep down inside her, she knew he was right; so she remained silent as tears continued to race down her cheeks. Bucky used his flesh hand to wipe her face off as he kissed her forehead lovingly, “And I think it’s about time you ate some snacks hm? How about some of those cookies we baked?”

“Doll? You called for me?” Steve peered his head from the door of her playroom; he was currently going over the file Sam sent over to him when his little doll shrieked out loud for him, and he rushed over to the next door as he thought that something bad had happened to her. Low and behold there she was smiling widely as she was sitting on the floor while playing with her train and car set, “Hi, sir.” Puzzled with her behaviour he knelt down to level with her as he pressed the back of his palms to her forehead and neck — checking her temperature as he asked, “Are you alright, doll? Are you sick? Why did you call me?” Sheepishly grinning at him, she shrugged her shoulders, “Nothing, sir. Just wanted to see how you were.” Thinking that she was concerned with his well-being, he cooed as he kissed her forehead, “‘M doing good, doll. Just need to work for a bit before we spend some time together okay?”

“Yes, sir,” She saluted, making Steve laugh as he exited the room and headed back to his office. A few minutes into reading the file, he once again heard her yell out for him, “Sir! Come over here!” He went back to her playroom, “What’s wrong, doll?” He didn’t see anything wrong or out of place since the last time he was in here — she was still sitting on the floor as she was playing with her toys. Peering up at him as she batted her lashes, “Missed you, sir.” The former Avenger had to sigh out loud before answering her, “You know I have to work right? I need to finish my work before being with you?” This upset her as she threw the toys she was playing with on the floor as she crossed her arms, “I don’t want you to work! I wanna be with my sir!” It was adorable to see her in such a needy state for him; but that didn’t excuse her for disrupting his work and for flinging her toys on the floor. Walking over to where she was, he carried her with him to his office, “Okay doll, you get to sit on sir’s lap as he works — does that sound good?” Nodding her head up and down against his broad chest, she squealed excitedly and hugged his torso; her cheerful reaction however, was short-lived as she quickly whined out in complaint when he said, “Though I will have to punish you for disturbing me and for throwing your toys, doll. You get no cummies for a week and some spanks later, okay?”

“Can we go now, Captain?” Y/N asked as she batted eyelashes sweetly at her boyfriend as she had her arm hooked tenderly around his muscular one. Leaning over to whisper in her ear, his beard tickled her skin a bit as he answered, “You know we can’t just go yet, baby girl.” It had only been a half hour after he had been given a medal for his service during his time in the army and now they were currently eating their meal as Sy chatted with one of his former superiors. Since she didn’t know anyone else, she let her eyes wander around the venue as she currently wasn’t conversing with anyone. Wanting to relieve her dry throat, she drank a bit of the water and noticed how Sy’s superior excused himself to go to the bathroom; wanting to take advantage, she then traced the newly added medal on his uniform, “So shiny, Captain.” Her small, fascinated voice caught his attention and he kissed her forehead, “Like it, baby girl?” In an instant, her mood changed as she bluntly confessed, “Not really; just wanna go home now. That’s what I like! Wanna play with my shiny toys,” She whined, referring to the iPad he ordered her to leave at home since she wasn’t allowed to use it for this event.

“If you continue to act like this then I might just ban you from using your shiny toy for a month,” Sy exhaled angrily as he gripped her thigh through her dress tightly, leaving his handprint on her skin. Shocked with his sudden display of aggressiveness — especially since they were in public — she nodded but still managed to whimper, “Don’t wanna be here anymore, Cap’n. Wanna go home now.” Seeing how restless she was being, he decided to play around with it as smirked at her after setting the vibrator that was nested in her pussy to at the highest setting, “Well if you stay still for the rest of the hour, we’re gonna go home and I’m gonna reward you for your great behaviour.” Looking down on her phone, she gasped out loud when she read the time as 9:01 pm and whimpered as she realized the long hour ahead of her.

“Time for bed, little angel!” Lance declared after dressing his baby up in her onesie. Despite having just taken a bath, she sprinted off from the bathroom and onto her playroom; the gymnast was surprised when his girl left him alone while he had his back turned away from her as he was keeping the lotion and brush he had used on her. “What the? Angel, where are you?” Walking out of their shared bedroom, he opened the door to her playroom and yet she wasn’t there. Hearing the soft chatter coming from the television, he then went to the living room where he spotted her best girl watching her favorite cartoon. “Didn’t I tell you it was time to go to bed, angel?”

“Don’t wanna go to bed, papa,” Y/N calmly said as she snuggled into the couch even more. Taking a seat beside her, he placed her in his lap; she was instantly squirming away from his lap for she knew that he was gonna put a stop to her watching. “Wanna watch, papa! Don't’ wanna sleep!” Lance swiftly smacked her bum, hoping to calm her down, but it just made her wiggle away even more from the gold medallist. “Not going to sleep, papa,” She sassed as she pouted while her eyes were glued to the screen. Feeling his patience wear thin due to how she was being , he grabbed her by the cheeks, making her look down on his fierce, angered features, “This isn’t my angel whom I’m talking to. I think this is someone else’s little brat,” He observed as his thumb ran across her lips, “Might have to ask around for who owns this little brat so they can go back to their respectful caregiver.” Terrified at the thought of being away from him, Y/N launched herself to curl on Lance’s lap as she wrapped her arms around his neck, “I’m your good angel, papa! I promise! I’m gonna go for bedtime now,” She was spitting out the words in a rush. Smirking, he turned the television off as he carried his angel to their shared bedroom; kissing her forehead, he rubbed her back to calm down her sobbing figure, “There’s my angel! I knew she would never leave me alone.”

“Princess, what’s wrong?” Ransom had been waiting for her to come out of the bathroom since they were headed to Harlan’s for dinner with his family. Hearing no coherent response from her, he went inside and saw how she was sitting in her vanity, wearing the dress he told her to wear, “You look ready to me, princess. Let’s go.” She turned to face him and instead of giddily standing up and latching her arm with his, she just sat there and told him, “I’m not going with king.” Smirking since the spoiled Drysdale thought that she was bluffing, he sarcastically asked, “And why is that?” With a pointed look and firm tone she answered, “‘Cause I don’t want to! Wanna be a princess in here!” Upon realizing how her little persona was clouding her mind, Ransom wanted to ease her worries. Kneeling in front of her, he grabbed both her hands, kissed the back of both palms as he looked her straight in the eyes and promised her, “You still can be my little princess when we’re having the dinner; you don’t have to be a big girl when we’re over there.”

“But won’t they think I’m weird?” His statement just caused her to stress even more despite being in her comfort space. “Don’t wanna go at all, king. Just staying here, and in this pretty dress.” This just irked Ransom even more as he thought he was giving her solutions to her dilemmas, but clearly it just didn’t solve anything at all. She continued to whine about how his family would think even poorly of her when he decided he just had enough; he grabbed both her arms and guided her to her feet, dragging her to his car. Catching his drift, she panicked a bit, “I don’t have any shoes on, king!” Opening the passenger door, he shoved her to sit down, buckling her seatbelt as he spoke, “Well too bad, princess. Maybe if you weren’t too whiny you would have shoes on your cute feet.” As he began to drive to his grandfather’s mansion, she was letting out huffs of annoyance and threatened her, “If you keep pouting and whining you won’t get any new clothes for a month,” And that shut her up real quick as she remained silent for the rest of the drive.

“Okay honey, here you go,” Clark sing-songed as he presented you with a plate of pancakes with strawberries around it to mimic hair whereas the chocolate placed on the flapjack was formed into a smiley face, “Bon appétit, honey.” It was her favorite breakfast, and yet it didn’t lighten up her mood or even get her to smile; with a pout, she crossed her arms after pushing the plate away from her. “Use your words, honey,” He reminded in a stern yet gentle tone. Despite his warning, she wasn’t threatened or scared as she continued to wordlessly pout and push the plate even further away from her unti; the plate hit the hero’s forearm that was on the counter. Exhaling angrily, he warned her one last time, “Unless you want a punishment I suggest you tell me what’s wrong.”

“Mad at bubba,” She finally spoke out quickly as she finally looked at him with a fierce look on her face; but it didn’t faze Clark for he thought that it was a really adorable look and it reminded him of an angry baby bear. “Why are you mad at me, honey?” She debated internally whether or not she should tell him about it before ultimately deciding to continue being bratty and leave him unanswered. The Kryptonian scoffed as he watched her saunter over to the couch and turn on the television; with purposeful strides, he walked on over to where she was, he sat beside her as he yanked her arm to get her to look at him while he stared at her with dark eyes and spoke huskily, “Cut that attitude out honey or I will have to spank you until you forget about why you were being such a fucking brat.” It wasn’t just his threat that had her trembling in fear but it was also the way he held onto her rigidly, letting her know that he wasn’t in the mood to play games with her. After nervously nodding her head, Clark calmed down a bit as he cleared his throat, “Good, now tell me why are you acting this way, honey.”

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nevermindirah · 3 years

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Dorothy Freeman facts

By facts I of course mean headcanons, because Nile's mom doesn't get a first name in canon (or even confirmation that her last name is Freeman). All we know about her is the picture on Nile's phone lock screen (which is Kiki Layne's real-life mom and brother!) and a few lines that Nile tells Andy about her. I’ve been collecting my Dorothy headcanons for a while now to eventually make a post, and @mprosperossprite‘s excellent post giving non-Americans context for what it means that Nile is from the South Side of Chicago prompted me to go ahead and share this. Disclaimer that I’m white and I will absolutely make corrections if it’s pointed out that I’ve caused harm with any of this.

So here have some fun facts about the version of Mama Freeman who lives in my head rent-free:

Her family and growing up:

she was born in the mid-'60s and named after Dorothy Dandridge

I can’t decide whether she was born in Chicago or moved there later on (maybe with Nile’s dad?) and when in the waves of the Great Migration her family left the South

she came of age in the "post"-Civil Rights movement and went to college in the mid-80s when a lot of what are now the foundational classics of Black feminism were being written

she was a young adult when Anita Hill risked so much to report that a Supreme Court nominee had sexually harassed her, and as a result she HATES Joe Biden

Marriage and babies:

she met Nile's father — I can’t decide how they met and I have two competing headcanons for his name, either Gideon for the hefty Biblical masculinity vibes (Giddy for short among family, that man loved to laugh) or Carl, which started out as a shitty Carl’s Jr burger chain joke that turns out to be perfect (it means free man!), and @knoepfchen used it in the sequel to if you do take a thief where Carl is alive!! — and Dorothy was a little skeptical of his near-religious devotion to the military but he was really hot and really devoted to her and they made it work

she's a little pissed that she was right but it's unbearable if she thinks about it too often

it's going to be a long, long time before she can look back on pictures of Baby Nile stomping around the house in her dad's combat boots (this is a Gina Prince Bythewood headcanon, whyyyyyyyy can I not find a link to where she said this)

she named their second baby Indus, Indy for short (this is nearly as established fanon in Book of Nile circles as how much Booker loves eating pussy, and Indy Freeman as a young adult is portrayed by either Aldis Hodge or John Boyega I don’t make the rules)

Work:

Dorothy did some office jobs but nothing really grabbed her, and she was probably gonna have to move for her husband's career, so she decided on teaching — high school humanities

she’s been active in CTU (one of the strongest teacher’s unions in the US) her whole career and one year she was on the bargaining committee and her babies know damn well never to trust a boss, not even one who says all the right things — if she ever finds out the way Nile said "like Quynh?" when Andy promised to protect her, she will lose her mind with pride

(Nile was 18 and freshly graduated from high school in 2012 when CTU went on strike for the first time in a generation and she brought her mom snacks on the picket line)

one of her very favorite things is getting her students to laugh despite themselves at her "oh my GOD you're so EMBARRASSING" old-people jokes

she's one of those teachers who can get 30+ teenagers to go dead silent with judicious application of body language

she's known to occasionally go easy on grading subjective things like essays when she knows students are having a particularly rough time at home, but the second she gets the feeling they're taking advantage and not trying their best that shit is over and they better mind their Ps & Qs

she's the kind of person who says old-people shit like that

she gives her students assignments like "help 5 neighbors register to vote" and "write a compare/contrast table about the candidates in this local election" and "research 5 different ways you could get grant money to do X" and other practical civic-minded shit

standardized testing is her supervillain origin story, just kidding it’s Rahm Emanuel, why the fuck did Obama trust that asshole

After her husband died:

she would have lost her goddamn mind if it weren't for her church friends after her husband died, people from the church raised money so they could make ends meet while his pension paperwork was taking forever, church friends watched Indy so Nile could go out for the soccer team, etc etc

she sold her and her late husband's house and moved to a 3-bedroom co-op unit when Nile started high school, it's more affordable and it meant she didn't have to worry about household repairs in the same way, she can use a wrench if she needs to but she doesn't have time and it just makes her grief flare up (co-op housing has a long history in Chicago and other US cities (like Washington DC where I live) as a way for Black people to access decent, affordable housing in the face of entrenched discrimination)

the move meant putting a longer commute between her and church, but she didn't even bother looking for a church closer to their new home, she loaded the kids into the car on the weekends, parking is hell in their new neighborhood but it's worth giving up a hard-won parking spot to not have to wait so long for the L on Sunday mornings

Indy lived with her through college and he was gearing up to get his own place when Nile died, Dorothy was planning to move into a one-bedroom in the co-op building because she doesn't need so much space anymore, Indy took a day off from his new job (not so new anymore, her baby's so grown!) to help her sort things to donate when those dress-uniform Marines came to their door

part of her wishes she could've been home more and not had to rely on Nile so much for help with Indy, but he's turned out such a kind young man, and he's a much better cook than his sister is (was, oh God — no wait, is! she’s alive! what do you mean you’ve been alive all this time??)

some of the girls from church are encouraging her to check out this social dancing thing, nobody's pressuring her to date but there's definitely been some ribbing, and with Indy out of the house... maybe? probably not, but maybe

Her feelings and beliefs and likes and dislikes:

she's an absolute badass and also she's a soft human woman with lots of feelings

she's very, very traditional in some ways, and part of her mixed feelings about Nile following in her dad's footsteps is gender stuff, she's proud of her daughter and would never stand in the way of what Nile wants to do with her life, and if Nile came home and told her she's a lesbian she would never reject her, but if Nile came home and told her she's bisexual maybe she can just try focusing on men? “I love you sweetheart and I want you to be happy I just know how hard it is already for us in this world” type shit

she has been on team natural hair basically her entire life and one of the worst fights she and Nile ever had was over Nile wanting to straighten her hair as a pre-teen

Indy takes more after her and Nile takes more after their dad, she's so proud of both of them, but Dorothy's activism was mostly wearing her natural hair to work and daring bosses to give her shit, Indy's out there marching in the streets like her parents had and she WORRIES

she teases Indy for going to so many protests like he's using it as an excuse to meet girls, but she WORRIES

when she turns 60, she gets box braids with streaks of dark purple, subtle enough that it's still work-appropriate but it makes her smile, she may be old now but damnit she’s still pretty!

she loves Grey's Anatomy and Star Trek and she watched Bridgerton all in one day

she has a dirty-old-lady celebrity crush on Chris Hemsworth

if she's ever masturbated thinking about Donna Summer, well, that's nobody's business but her own (do non-Americans know about the queen of disco??)

If you want to read fic featuring Dorothy:

I won't have to leave alone, 1000 words, Nile has a nightmare and decides to go tell her family she's immortal

I See Your Eyes Seek a Distant Shore, 65k, Nile adjusts to immortality and does a lot of soul searching about what it means to "do what we think is right", Booker goes to grad school for trauma studies, the working title of this fic was Booker Reads Edward Said and Gloria Anzaldúa and Goes Down on Nile and the final product has an annotated bibliography in the author's notes if you’re into that kind of thing, a lot of my Dorothy Freeman headcanons were born of my process writing this

Gather round the table, we'll give you a treat, 2279 words, college AU, Nile brings her Jewish boyfriend home for Christmas

a contribution I made to Shitty Old Guard Deaths: (Booker, USA, 2025, cause of death: a mother’s righteous wrath)

#nile freeman #nile's family #dorothy freeman #tog headcanons #tog meta #mine #long post

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 4 years

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One Night🌙6

Warnings: noncon sexual acts (to be warned later in series), nocturnal playtime, unwanted touching.

This is dark!Andy Barber and explicit. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: One night changes your entire life.

for @kittykatlow‘s 200 Follower Celebration

Note: I’m working on more drabbles and Eye of the Storm! But for now, enjoy some Andy.

Hope you enjoy it. Thank you. Love you guys!

Please leave some feedback, like and reblog <3

Your appointment went as well as it could have. The doctor ran bloodwork and several other tests as Andy nodded knowingly as if to say ‘I told you so’, which he also did aloud several times after. The drive home was a reiteration of what you should, and more enthusiastically, what you shouldn’t do.

It was really starting to feel like he believed you were an actual child. Your own father had never talked to you in such a way. You couldn’t say the same for your mother but even she could reel it in long enough that you didn’t feel like a complete moron. Andy just seemed to latch onto every mistake you made and sink his teeth in until he tasted blood.

And like the teenager he treated you as, when you got back to his house, you stormed up to the guest room and slammed the door. You fell onto the bed and screamed into the pillow. Oh yeah, that long lost adolescent rage returned. Then it all drained from every inch of you and you rolled over to stare at the ceiling.

You could hear Andy below. You listened to him moving around, the decisive click of his polished leather shoes. He climbed the stairs and you heard him stop outside your door. He sighed and retreated to his own room. Your day off an you’d spend it like this; raging at your new warden.

The knock on your door made you flinch.

“Hey,” Andy’s voice sounded decisively through the door. “I’m going into the office for the rest of the day. I’ll be in around six.” He paused and the handle jiggled but didn’t turn. “You know where everything is.”

You didn’t answer him. You waited until he left, the footsteps on the staircase, the front door, the soft rollover of his car engine. You sat up and pulled out your phone. A single voicemail; your parents’ number.

“Hey, kiddo,” Your dad’s voice rose from the speaker. “Your mom wants to know when you’re getting the rest of your stuff.” A slight pause and a cough. “You know I don’t care and you take your time but if she asks, I told ya to come get it… Love you.” The line buzzed. “And your mom loves you too but she’s just as stubborn as you, you know? Well, anyway, uh, bye.” Another glaring silence. “Oh, and it’s still my house. I’ll be happy to see ya, kiddo.”

You saved the message and dropped your phone to bounce on the mattress. You put your head in your hands as you tried to resist the overhwelming swell of sadness that overcame you. You didn’t care about your stuff and you couldn’t bring it here. You wouldn’t. Sell it, toss it, you didn’t care.

You sat up and dropped your hands to the bed in defeat. You were such a fuck up.

🌙

You avoided Andy for a few days. You found excuses to stay in your room when you weren’t working and even spent a good deal of time in the backyard, weeding the overgrown garden. It didn’t matter. Autumn was close and most of the plants were dead. It must have been her job, or maybe a cherished hobby.

Aside from Andy’s prickly nature, she made it harder. That stranger; Laurie. You were an imposter in her place; usurping her as she laid in a hospital entirely unaware. You only knew what the press put out. He never said much about it. Did you really expect him to? All he ever spoke about was you, the baby, and everything you did wrong.

After a rather long day at work, made longer by your suddenly returned appetite and the smell of cinnamon and coffee, you returned to the house and found yourself back in the yard. You sat at the patio table and scrolled through your phone.

Felicia wanted to meet up the next night. You hadn’t told her yet. If she took you for drinks, as she always did, she’d figure it out pretty quickly. Well, why were you hiding it? You wouldn’t be able to for much longer. You already felt a little bigger, wider at least. Would it be so bad to tell? To not be alone?

You swiped away her text and bit your thumbnail. You’d think about it and send your answer before you went to bed.

The screen door clattered and you sat up straight. You looked up as Andy emerged and strode across the deck. He had a beer in hand and placed it on the glass table as he neared the other side of the table. His tie was gone, his top button undone, and his sleeves were rolled to his elbows.

“Here you are,” He said as he pulled out a chair and sat. “How was work?”

You shrugged and turned over your phone. “It was work,” You sat back and crossed your arms. “Do I ask you? Is that the right thing to do?”

He chuckled and popped the cap of the beer and took a swig. “Well, it was an exciting day. Had a defendant attack the judge. Didn’t get very close but a they took him out,” He turned the bottle on the table. “He got me good on his way out, even if he missed my face.”

You let your arms fall to rest over your stomach. You didn’t know what to say. Did he want pity? Surely you couldn’t relate to his courthouse crusades.

“Well, that sounds… scary.” You offered.

“It happens. Not a lot but you can never predict people,” He took another gulp of beer. “What are you doing out here? It’s gonna rain soon.”

“Yeah?” You looked up at the grey clouds. “I never minded the rain much.”

He was quiet as he picked at the label of his bottle. His toe tapped and he pushed his shoulders back.

“Your mother came to see me,” He said gently. “Said something about tossing your stuff out on the lawn.”

“Shit,” You winced. “She shouldn’t have--”

“You haven’t talked to her?”

“And say what, exactly? She made her feelings about me pretty clear.” You played with the case of your phone as you turned it over. “My dad called me but… I don’t care about all that shit.”

“We can go get it. It’s not--”

You laughed and shook your head. “Why? You’re so eager to erase my former life, why would you care?” You threw your hand up and planted your elbow on the table. “It’s just books. A few stuffed animals. I never really could afford much of value. The poor pauper girl.”

“I never--”

You stood and slid your phone into your pocket. You still wore the plain black shirt and matching pants from work. Your fly was half undone to relieved the pressure and your shirt had caught in your waistband. You pulled the hem down and pushed in your chair.

“I’m hungry. I’m going to get changed and make something to eat.” You said.

You left him there and went inside. After slipping into some leggings and a loose tee, you swept into the kitchen and surveyed your options. Some linguine with chicken and spinach. That didn’t sound too bad.

You pulled out a chicken breast and the cutting board. You put the water on boil and heated the frying pan. You started to chop up the chicken into chunks as you heard the back door. Andy appeared and set his bottle down across from you as he stood on the other side of the island. It gave a hollow clink; empty, already.

“So, what are you making?” He leaned on the marble.

“Pasta,” You answered curtly. “You have any hot peppers? Hot sauce?” You opened the fridge. “I wouldn’t mind something spicy.”

“Check the door,” He said. “You must be past the nausea. You know, I always heard the cravings were the worst part. I never really considered pickles anything to drool over but---”

“Stop, please,” You interjected as you turned back with a jar of banana peppers. You could dice them up and mix them into the sauce. “It’s miserable. All of it.”

He sighed and stood straight. He rounded the counter and opened the cupboard. He added oil to the pan and it crackled. He put it back and turned to grab the spinach and rinsed it in the colander. He set it on the counter and turned back to watch you slice the chicken.

“You gonna keep this up?” He asked.

“What?” You set the knife down and dumped the chicken into the pan and washed your hands..

“You gotta try to meet me halfway,” He turned.

“Meet you halfway? Andy, christ,” You spat as you stirred the chicken and seared it. “How much more can I give you?”

“Bit of courtesy, maybe,” He said. “I’m trying here but you won’t even--”

“There you go again, speaking to me like a child. I am not a child. Let’s start there,” You pointed at him with the spatula. “You should know that.”

He considered you, his blue eyes drifted then returned to you. He gave a small smile. “I definitely know you’re not a child.”

“I’m serious.”

He nodded and exhaled. “Alright, I’ll try to ease off.”

You squinted at him. “I really wanna believe you will.”

He scoffed and brushed past you. He went to the fridge and grabbed another beer. He flipped the cap off and leaned against the door.

“I’m a lawyer. I can’t help it.” He shrugged. “But for the sake… of the baby, I’ll take my foot off the pedal. A little.”

“Cool,” You set the spatula down. “So you won’t mind if I go out tomorrow night. My friend Felicia wants to have dinner.”

“Dinner?” He repeated. You raised a brow. “Yeah, fine. That sounds like fun.”

“Great,” You smiled and grabbed the linguine noodles. “And you know, you’ll get a night to yourself. Win-win.”

🌙

You texted Felicia after dinner and for the first time in a while, you felt excited about something. So excited you found it hard to settle down. A bigger problem because you had an opening shift the next morning and you were already constantly exhausted.

You laid in bed and tossed and turned. You stared at the ceiling, then rolled over and stared at the window, then tried laying on your stomach until your leg fell asleep. It was at least an hour of endless turmoil, trying to force yourself to doze, before you just resigned to blinking into the dark.

You listened to the gentle spatter of rain. As always, Andy was right. It was really annoying. You sighed and peeked out the window as the rivulets streamed down the glass. The moonlight shone through the droplets in silver orbs. You turned onto your side and counted them, hoping it would coax you to sleep.

Then you heard it. At first, you were certain it was nothing. The wind, maybe. But it continued, steady, slowly mounting. The heavy breaths coated with sultry groans. You froze and craned your head to look over your shoulder as you listened. You’d left your bathroom door open without thinking and could hear a little too much through the one at the other end.

You dropped your head back to the pillow as the voice continued; deep and drawn out. It wasn’t hard to guess what was going on; what the only other person in the house was doing. Andy was only human after all. Well, you’d fucked him almost on sight. You were no saint. Yet it felt so wrong, hearing him like that. Worse that as you closed your eyes, you could only imagine him in the other room with his hand…

You pulled the duvet over your ear and pressed your head to the pillow. You felt a tickle between your thighs and squeezed them together. Ignore it, just listen to the rain. But his voice only got louder and louder until it finally peaked in a sharp grunt. Your lips parted and you shuddered. He was done, thank god.

It was silent for a few minutes, all but the gentle patter of rain. Then the bed groaned through the wall and soft footsteps. You were tense as you listened, moreso as you heard him near the other side of the bathroom door.

Shit, he had to clean himself up and…

The door opened and you heard his feet on the tile. He let out a growled and cranked the sink on. Your door was still wide open. It sounded as if he was right beside you as the water flowed and his breathing evened out. He turned off the faucet but lingered in the bathroom.

Then he stood in the door to your room. You could feel him there, looking at you. You were thankful your back was to him. Slowly, he crept closer and you felt him looming over you, just at the side of your bed. Your nerves were on fire, every hair on your body was on end.

The blanket moved just a little as he tugged at it. You made yourself stay still as he paused, waiting for you to react. He let out a long breath and yanked harder to dislodge the duvet from under you. You squeezed your eyes shut, terrified. You should say something, do something, tell him to fuck off!

He bared your leg and the cool air raised goosebumps along your skin. Your shorts offered little coverage and had ridden up your ass. He let the blanket rest on the other side of your leg and his fingertips grazed your calf and thigh. He touched your ass and pressed more firmly against it.

Then suddenly he recoiled. You heard him swallow and he pulled the blanket back over you. He turned and retreated into the bathroom, your door clicking closed behind him, the second which led into his own room. The silence was pierced by his muffled voice.

“Shit.”

#andy barber #dark andy barber #dark!andy barber #andy barber x reader #dark!andy barber x reader #dark andy barber x reader #fic #series #defending jacob #dark fic #dark!fic #one night

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bleh-bleh-blehs · 3 years

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Paps and Cafes [T.H x Reader]

A/N- so hey I am back with my shitty fics. This is low-key based on my friend’s life and thanks to her for letting me write it down (only she knows what is the truth and what’s not). Anyways feel free to ignore:)

Summary- Is there any difference between being stressed at home than being stress at a cafe? Yes there is. You can put a show for others but in your case a certain someone came in for your aid.

Warning- None

Word Count- 1.6k

Life was not easy. Not as easy as you thought it would be. No one prepared you for the taxes, rent and bills. And literally no one told you how hard doing a job can be. Your salary was nothing compared to the hard work you did; the stress you took.

You had no fun at all. Either you were too tired to go out and have a night out with your friends or you did extra office work for a bonus. Just like now. You are sitting in an outdoor cafe doing your office’s work when you could have been enjoying this weekend by relaxing.

Why were you here?

Because you thought that it would be a good idea. You thought that it would refresh your mind, better than stupid small aparment. But guess what it wasn’t.

You were still stressed. The people around were either on a date or were with their friends or family. Practically radiating good vibes. You tried not to stare at them but the task in our hand almost made you cry.

Reaching out for the file beside the plate of donut; accidentally knocking the plate over. But you were too overwhelmed to care. Tightly clutching the file, tears of frustration evident in your eyes. It was getting too much now.

“Come on Tess. We don't eat food off the floor. I am really sorry for your donut. Do you want me to buy you a new one?” the person asked.

Looking up you saw a man wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap with hoodie on. You simply nodded your head in a no, wiping some tears away. “It’s okay. I don’t mind at all.” you gave a weak smile. Honestly you have lost your appetite. You just eat because it is necessary.

“Can I ask if it was a chocolate donut? The man asked.

“No, it was a plain one.” the man took the seat in front of you, taking off his glasses. “I know that this is none of my business but are you okay?”

“Would you believe me if i said that I am.”

“No. I just know that you are stressed because look at your table. All this stuff is giving me a headache so…. I think you should just wrap it up to clear your mind. And I don't wanna hear any excuse. okay? ” he didn’t press the matter further. He definitely doesn’t know what is going on in your life. All he knows is that he isn’t gonna leave you like this.

You wanted to argue but it is not like anyone is this friendly to you on a daily basis. And a little walk wouldn’t harm.

“You know what you should quit that job. I mean you don’t deserve being treated like that” tom said as he took the last bite of his ice cream. You still couldn’t believe that Tom Holland,the famous and successful actor, the heartthrob of almost all of the girls was talking to you.

He listened to you rant about your almost pathetic life and even bought you your favourite ice cream.

You were of course shocked when you realised who he was despite him telling that he is a normal person like everyone else. He also squeezed your hand to reassure you that this is not a dream; that he is actually here.

Both of you talked about your lives, likes and dislikes, hobbies. Only the basic stuff. You told him about your low salary job, your evil boss and your not so friendly coworkers. Your love life which was near to extinction. And about your parents who desperately wanted you to get settled.

“It’s not that easy Tom. I am looking for another job but I don’t know when I will find one. At least this job pays enough for food and shelter.” you told him or more like convinced yourself.

Silence fell between you both until Tessa whimpered. She was obviously tired from the long walk and it was getting cold and windy as the sun started to set. “I guess this is where we part.” you said softly. Praying that this moment never ends. But of course that was not gonna happen.

“Yeah.” he gave you a soft smile. And you were sure that you were giving the heart eyes. Making a fool of yourself as usual.

“Oww!”

“What? What happened?”

“I got something in my eye.” you were hopelessly trying to get whatever the hell was in your eye out. “Wait a moment. Let me see.” Tom’s large hands cup your face while you get a hold on his arms out of instinct.

“Ow! Ow! Ow!” it felt weird as his finger touched your eyeball. “Stop moving. You are making this harder than it already is!” you stopped fidgeting instantly.

“There you go.” Tom backed away from you as you tried to blink away the uneasy feeling. “Let’s walk you home shall we?” Tom said as he picked very tired Tessa from the ground and carried her as if she was a toddler.

“You don’t have to.” he just smiled. “I want to.” never in million years you thought that a top notch actor will walk you to your apartment.

“I am sorry if I am intruding but I can’t believe you are not dating somebody and you just gave up on your friends. Is your job really worth it?” he asked with genuine curiosity.

“I am single by my choice not because of my job. My last relationship didn’t end well. She cheated on me and my “friends” took her side except my coworker Andy. I have got trust issues since then.” you explained him.

“I am so sorry” he felt guilty to make you remember your relationship again.

“Don’t be. I did go on a date once; the guy gave me a judgy look as soon as I told him that I am a bisexual. I mean do nice people just stop existing or what?” you huffed in annoyance.

Meanwhile Tom was trying to process everything in his brain. He was actually starting to like you and was worried that you won’t feel the same way for him since you were into girls. But he heard word ‘bisexual’ his worries vanished. There is nothing stopping him from taking you on a date.

Tom was smiling to himself until he heard the shutter of the camera went off. That could be only one thing.

Paparazzi

Tom spotted two people not so far from them. Tessa tried to wiggle out of Tom’s arms but he didn’t let her. “Y/N hold my arm and keep up with my pace. The paps are here.” you immediately started to look up for them.

“No Y/N don’t look for them!” Tom whisper yelled.

The two of you walked as fast as you could. Taking the subway to go to your house. You and Tom stood close to each other, completely aware that someone recognised Tom and snuck some pictures of you both.

Tessa whimpered again and again; the poor baby was too uncomfortable. You scratched her head to soothe her as she laid her head on Tom’s shoulder. While Tom was giving you heart eyes.

You sighed in relief as you reached your apartment. The whole day has been a roller coaster ride for you. Tom and Tessa followed you behind you. Tessa quickly jumped on your couch, closing her eyes, trying to get some rest.

“Do you want something to eat or drink?” you asked Tom. “No I am fine.” Tom said as he took a seat beside Tessa.

“I didn’t really get to enjoy that cafe though.” Tom wondered out loud. “Don’t worry, there many more cafes in the neighbourhood. You can visit them sometime.” You were walking around your apartment, trying to clean it as much as you could. It’s not like you are visited by a celebrity daily.

“I don’t know, maybe you can show me around sometime?” you freezed at your spot. Was Tom Holland asking you on a date. You were freaking out. You are just imagining things right?

“Do you agree with me, darling?” he smirked. How dare him to say that! “It’s alright if you don’t. I mean I totally understand if you don’t want to. I am so sorry because of the paps. I didn’t know that they would find us. I am so sorry Y/N.” he started to ramble. Becoming that adorable sweet bean instantly.

“Oh my god Tom it’s alright. Not the Paparazzi part but I am grateful that Tessa ate my donut and that relieved my stress. I really needed someone like you. I don’t know what we can do about paps, they will just give more stress. But I felt better when you were with me.” Tom gave you that million dollar smile that everybody dies on.

“I wanna kiss you so bad right now.” he confessed.

“What’s stopping you then.”

“No, not before I take you on an actual date.” he grinded. “Which cafe do you want to show me first, Donut?”

“Donut?” you asked him while trying to control your laugh. “Yes donut. What’s so wrong with donut. It’s my nickname for you.” your smile became more wide than before.

“Then what do you want me to call you? Ice cream?”

“Yes?” he gave you a puzzled look. Not sure if he wanted to be called ‘ice cream’. And a thought came to your mind. “You don’t have any problem with me being bisexual?” you asked him. “Why would I? I mean it's not my place to judge or have a problem with it, now is it?” you smiled at his answer, already falling hard for this man.

page divider by @fancyxparker

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#tom holland x reader #tom holland #tom holland fluff #tom holland imagine #peter parker x reader #peter parker

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written-on-the-trees · 4 years

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Machine Gun Kelly Fan Fiction - I'm A Demon In The Night, She's An Angel Dressed In White

Prompt: Angel/Demon

Word-count: 1600 words

Warnings: none

Description: Angels and demons like Andi and Colson don't always get along...and when they do, that doesn't mean Colson doesn't still love teasing his angel. At least until another demon turns up, and Colson's suddenly reminded not all of his kind take kindly to having angels around.

‘I'm a demon in the night, she's an angel with the white…’

Colson smirked as Andromeda blushed when she heard the lyrics. Like him, she knew they weren’t the original words he’d written, and he was pretty sure that - like him - she still heard what he’d first written.

Even if she didn’t immediately think them, she certainly saw him mouth them at her across the tour bus when the refrain came round a second time, and her cheeks only got pinker.

‘I’m a demon in the night, she’s an angel dressed in white, told her keep on all the lights, you can show me what you like…’

She was so fun to tease, Colson never got bored of doing it.

At first, it had been an attempt to get her to fuck off. Those lyrics weren’t just lyrics; Colson actually was a demon, and Andromeda actually was an angel. Specifically, she was the angel assigned to him to make sure he didn’t wreak havoc on earth.

Well, any more havoc than any of his human peers.

He wouldn’t lie, at first it had chaffed to have an angel around him almost constantly. Like all demons, the presence of a being to inherently good was uncomfortable. Andromeda was a young angel, and he was a young demon: neither of them had really known how to reign their auras in, and it had been a steep learning curve for both of them. After a few years, it no longer hurt either of them to be around each other, even when they were at their least contained, and Colson actually kind of liked the angel. Especially since she’d stopped being so stilted and allowed him to call her Andi.

She was still a little boring, but in a fun way. Instead of getting rid of her, now Colson involved her in all his shit because she was a welcome bit of calm in the chaos. He never would’ve thought he wanted any calm in his life, but when it was Andi, he really liked it.

That didn’t stop him from teasing her, though.

It was the best fun he could have with her considering she had no interest in him without his clothes on (or in fucking him with their clothes on, which he wouldn’t deny…he’d be into), other than the weirdly sincere moments they had when they were on their own that he didn’t like to think about because…reasons. It didn’t really matter; all that mattered was Andi was fun to be around, especially at parties where he just knew she was channelling all her discomfort into planning what good deed she was going to trick him to into doing tomorrow.

Of course, when that slight unease turned into real distress, Colson stopped teasing and got out of his seat, crossing the space between them with every intention of getting her to tell him what he needed to fix for her - only to have it made painfully obvious by the sight of two newcomers to the bus party.

An unknown demon? The fuck does he think he is, coming into my space uninvited?

Colson felt his power strain against the wraps he had it under, the instinctive response burning through the nice buzz he’d had going to leave him clear-headed and focused on the intruder.

The other demon didn’t seem bothered by the fact that he’d stepped into another demon’s territory…in fact, he looked ready for a fight, and it didn’t seem like his Heaven-appointed chaperone was going to be much use in stopping him. There was nothing the angel who accompanied the strange demon; he looked drained and weak, with none of the vitality Andi had to her…and if the way the other demon looked at her, Colson was guessing that the worn-down look was the result of a very deliberate effort on the demon’s part. It was clear the other demon had a certain way of dealing with angels in his vicinity.

Colson didn’t hesitate, he pulled Andi under arm and loosened the hold he’d had on his aura.

No-one was going to threaten his angel. Especially not some stranger who thought it was acceptable to walk into Colson’s domain and think about acting against his angel without so much as looking at Colson for permission.

He wouldn’t get permission either way; but not checking with Colson, the demon who owned this space, was insulting - and more than worthy of the silent threat that was Colson allowing his aura, his power, to seep into the air around them. It wasn’t much: just a warning, really, but the other demon looked so offended it was as if Colson had outright slapped him. He bore in his teeth in what, to a human, should’ve looked like a smile, but was very much a threat when it was done in conjunction with him unleashing his own aura.

All of a sudden, the full humans on the bus suddenly started looking uncomfortable, and a lot of them started to make excuses to leave or go to the back of the bus. Soon it was just Colson, Slim, Rook, and Andi, and this stranger and his angelic companion.

“Who the fuck d’you think you are, asshole?” Slim asked, the Nephilim getting up in the other demon’s face without hesitation, his own power filling the space.

More than used to each other, Colson’s power didn’t falter in the presence of Slim’s - or Rook’s when the fallen angel added his aura to the mix - but the other demon’s did…as did that of the angel accompanying him.

Colson almost - almost - felt bad about it, but he could feel the tension that was running under Andi’s skin, and knew without a doubt that it wasn’t a result of him, Slim, or Rook. This stranger was fucking with his Andi…so Colson felt no remorse in anything that resulted in this cunt getting what he deserved.

It was sentiment that was only strengthened when the Demon openly leered at Andi: “Heard there was going to be some fun at this party.”

“Not your kind of fun.” Colson growled: “Keep your eyes off of our girl, dipshit.”

Clearly lacking all good sense - as if Colson hadn’t already known that - the other demon just laughed: “Y’all claiming that strait-laced bitch? Damn, you lot are soft. No matter, though…I’m happy enough to go through all y’all to get her.”

Rook was pulling Andi back even as Colson was stepping up to the stranger, ready to put his ass in the ground, when a wave of cool power washed over them like a wave…and was a lot less kind to the stranger.

For all his bravado sneering at Colson, he was forced to look up at Andi from his knees - which was exactly where she’d put him. Because while angelic power felt like a cool breeze to Colson these days, it was clear the newcomer hadn’t allowed his angelic watcher to have any power in a while, and so Andi’s aura would burn him like the coldest ice. Ice that no demonic fire would melt.

Andi was used to demonic auras by now…more than that, when he and Rook allowed it, she could take strength from them the same as any fellow angel’s.

Colson got the sense Rook was just as happily lending her power as he was doing.

Of course, Andi didn’t bother to address the demon directly, the sneer she raked over him was enough to get her feelings across - and, oh, Colson remembered that sneer - before she turned to face the other angel: “You have been remiss in your duty. Fix it.”

The tired looking angel filled out suddenly - no doubt bolstered by the power Andi was giving him: “I apologise, sister, I shall escort him back to Hell immediately.”

“See that you do.” Andi treated him to his own sneer, before banishing them with a wave of her hand.

Even though Colson knew she didn’t have the strength to send them much further than the parking lot outside…he still fucking loved when she used her power.

It was so fucking hot.

So hot he just had to tell her about it: “Andi, baby girl, you are so goddamn hot - ”

“You blaspheme again, and I’ll wash your mouth out with soap.” Andi threatened Colson, but all he did was grin;

“Yeah, you get mean with me, baby girl; you know I like it.”

Andi pulled a shocked face: “Colson! Don’t get turned on by people threatening you; you’re better than that!”

“No, he’s really not.” Slim shook his head: “At least not when it comes to you, feathers.”

“Slim!” Colson exclaimed, not enjoying his own turn at being shocked.

“What?” Rook asked, looking confused: “It’s not like Andi doesn’t know that you’re half in-love with her, is it?”

“What?” Andi shouted.

Slim laughed: “Apparently she was just as oblivious as he was…”

Colson knew he had two choices here…tell Andi he was absolutely not half in-love with her and have her fucking angelic abilities pick up on the lie, or take out his sudden frustration at his helpless situation on Slim and Rook…

It was a pretty obvious choice, really.

“You absolute motherfuckers - !”

“Colson!”

“I didn’t even blaspheme that time - ” Colson protested, only to be cut off by Andi’s hands cupping his cheeks and pulling him down for a kiss. A kiss he unashamedly took over, one hand on her cheek and the other on the centre of her back, pressing her close.

After that, he didn’t have much attention to spare on Slim or Rook.

He’d deal with them later…

…Maybe.

#The Trees Writes #The Trees' October 2020 Writing Challenge #Machine Gun Kelly imagine #MGK imagine #Colson Baker imagine #Machine Gun Kelly fanfic #MGK fanfic #Colson Baker fanfic #Machine Gun Kelly fanfiction #MGK fanfiction #Colson Baker fanfiction

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inheritorofmemories-archive · 3 years

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Andromaquynh Tomb Raider AU

I keep seeing those Indiana Joe fics and Mummy au post for joe/nicky and they are all very nice and cool but you know which galaxy brain idea no one has explored yet? Tomb raider AU for andy/quynh. Luckily I have nothing but time on my hands so strap in.

I re-watched the first tomb raider the other day (yes, the 2001 movie. Yes it’s 20 years old.) and the Croft universe can actually fit pretty well with Andy and Quynh with some tweaks and changes. I’ll preface this post by saying that raiding tombs and any ancient place really is not ethical At All and stealing artifacts shouldn’t happen in any way and the black market for cultural goods is an enormous spider web with ramification all over the world that is actually incredibly nefast to pretty much everything from sciences to culture to human societies and economy (look it up, it’s way bigger than just a stolen vase sold in a small market) so I’ll refer to this AU as Tomb Raider but know that what I really mean is Andy and Quynh protecting ancient sites and relics from companies and museums and the likes.

Go under the cut to read the rest of my detailed idea of what it would look like.

As much as I like the sci-fi and magic elements of the series, I really think a more grounded feel for this AU would fit them better. So no gods or illuminates or magic relics, sorry. Instead, I see this as them being adventurers who decide to put their skillset to good use and protect sites and places and objects and cultures from capitalism, stealing, overexploitation, appropriation and destruction.

Andy is Lara Croft obviously. She’s the daughter of an archeologist who mysteriously died during an excursion and fueled her will to go in the same field as her parent. Because we like complex characters in this house, I want Andy to start by actually raiding and selling from ancient sites at the beginning of her career because she's young and never learned better before she comes up close to the direct consequences of that particular market and she decides she wants no part of it. It allows for an exploration of real-world issues but it also gives her a deeper backstory and a proactive choice in being the character she is because I’m a sucker for the idea that you are not born good but you chose to be. After that, she'll keep the exploring part of her job but instead of stealing relics she’ll find lost places and give the coordinates to scientists. Daytime she uses the fonds of her family to support initiatives to protect places and restore art and goods to their rightful owners, the rest of the time she goes on cool adventures all over the world to get her hands dirty when legal means cannot get it done.

This is where Quynh comes into the picture. She’s one of Andy’s associates but not really they're in love and married. In the series, Croft has numerous allies that help her out either by giving tips or identifying objects, etc... I can totally see Andy going to Quynh for information about a particular site or object and them sticking together for the rest of the adventure and not leaving each other. Or, even funnier, Quynh has her own little business of going in the field to get things done, they run into each other and then keep running together. I really want Quynh to be a marine biologist and environment activist that also has a background in law because I think she deserves the right to legally bankrupt assholes, as a treat. Andy is exploring an underwater temple when she runs into Quynh doing plant analysis right there, they realize the site and the entire ecosystem is endangered by X industrial complex throwing their waste in the water and they bring it down while flirting and then it takes a year of adventures together and Andy who keeps finding excuses to go seek Quynh's counsel before they get together. And then, power couple who by daytime do activist work and advocate for the protection of sites and the environment and who by night dress in black and go sabotage factories, steal info to leak as whistleblowers and give various object and art back to their owners.

As a side plot that (kinda) follows canon, one of their mission goes wrong and Quynh doesn't get out with them, she's missing and they cannot find any trace of her for months/a few years and they think she's dead until Lykon locates her and they find out she's in prison somewhere. They go break her out and there's angst because Quynh believes she was forgotten by them until they talk it out and also deal with the trauma by going to therapy and bringing down the corporation that had Quynh thrown in jail. Power of love and bombs baby. After that they are much more careful but they keep doing it because they believe in the good of their work.

Also, a thing you don’t see really in the movies but is very present in the game series, about half the story if not two-thirds is spent on resolving enigmas and mysteries, not action. Sure Croft knows how to shoot and is a good fighter but the most important part is her brain and knowledge and associate in various fields (and that she seeks the help of, she's not a mary sue she has limits and has people who assist her). She thinks more than she fights and I really want to see that on Andy and Quynh, them thoroughly researching a subject, planing their op, getting info on people, going to recover intel and tools and associates and also using legal means to get things done and only going to the illegal method in last resort, and even then I want to see stealth mission with no big fight like Sudan in the movie rather than going in with a boom. Basically, show how important their brains are to the overall plot.

I also really want to add Lykon to the mix because their dynamic seems really cool from what we've seen in the movie and also from fanon and he deserves nice things okay. So he’s the tech genius that comes in the team a few years later when they're well established but technology starts to evolve and they're not the best at navigating it but Lykon is, he's the best at electrical systems and robots, internet and all the new tech. He'll help them break into places and do recon op. And then they become this tight-knit family of multiple doctorates and scientists and activists that also have a side business no one knows about (except the world knows there are people protecting the environment and cultural goods from destruction and their nickname in news press totally is The Old Guards okay).

And to end it beautifully, Andy Quynh and Lykon are a badass team for 20 years until Lykon decides to have a family so he cannot keep getting in danger and he retires to teach (happy AU, no death) and Andy and Quynh at 40 and some years old stumbles upon Nile who is starting in the field of archeology and art history and they’ll work together, thus passing the torch down to the newest generation. And you can even have a crossover with Indiana Joe and Nicky doing their things in their corner and they met on one mission, Booker can be a forger they hire from time to time to get false papers, all of them can meet and work together to fight Big Bad Guy Merrick, the possibilities are endless really once you get into the Archeological Actions Cinematic Universe (which is a genre on its own apparently).

Maybe one day I'll get to write this who knows, but I really needed to get the idea out of my head so this post shall be enough for the time being. Feel free to write or draw something from this, there's never too much Andy/Quynh content. And also, add to this post! These are just my thoughts and ideas but I would love to hear more if you have them, consider this an open discussion board about this very specific AU that has been living in my head since late summer.

#andromaquynh #andy x quynh #immortal wives #andromache the scythian #quynh #lykon #tog #the old guard #tog au #the old guard au #andy & quynh & lykon #em speaks

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love-geeky-fangirl · 3 years

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Ranking every Teen Drama I have ever watched

(Updated)

The Secret Life of the American Teenager

+ young Shailene Woodley and Molly Ringwald I guess

- everything else. Even Shailene Woodley's and Molly Ringwald's performances weren't that great because the writing is just oh so bad. The background music is bland and repetative and it sounds like out of some teenager's YouTube chanel. The plotlines are ridiculous and convoluted, which isn't neccessarily such a bad thing, because it is a teen drama show after all, the problem is the show seems to take itself too seriously. Other entries on this list also have ridiculously convoluted plotlines, but I'm ranking them highed because they don't take themselves too seriously and don't claim to be realistic like this show does. Seriously, from the title it suggests like this was going to be a real, uncensored look into high school but it's the furthest thing from it. Not to mention how problematic it is- God forbid someone suggests that a 14-year-old pregnant girl gets an abortion or gives the baby up for adoption without being seen as a terrible and despicable person.

Otp: Marc Molina x a job somewhere far, far away from these kids

Notps: every single pairing on this show

Best moment: literally none

Weirdest moment: "I'm such a whore!" "Well, you're my whore." What were the writers thinking??? Was this supposed to be romantic??

We Children From Zoo Station

+the aesthetic, the casting of Christiane, Detlef and Axel

-this was such a letdown. Honestly I was so hyped for it after seeing the trailer since I've read the book and didn't particularly like the movie- I feel like it's hard to fit all of Christiane's story into 90 minutes. That's why I was so excited about this show. Christiane's story covers so much, so it's easier to make it into a TV show when you don't want to ommit anything and butcher the story. But they somehow managed to do it anyway. They changed so much for no reason and completely erased Christiane's childhood trauma, which was important in the book. Now, I know you can say that it's just a loose adaptation, so it doesn't have to follow the book word for word. But I feel like if you already decided to tell her- a real person's story- you should at least do it authentically. Imo they shouldn't have tried to make the setting vague. It worked with Sex Education because the story of Sex Education is timeless. However, Christiane's story is not timeless. It's a true story set in the 1970s. If they were making a new show from scratch, I would have liked it. But this is an already existing story and they’re supposed to be just retelling it. My last issue is a nit pick but I wish the actresses playing Stella and Babsi were reversed. It just would've fit better.

Otps: all those kids x sobriety

Notp: Christiane x Detlef

Best moment: Christiane's first time in Sound was pretty true to the book

Weirdest moment: when Detlef became a gigolo because he needed money for his dog. Who tf thought of that?

Pretty Little Liars

+ makeup, style, the theme song, the drama and mystery that always kept me guessing, the cliffhangers at the end of each episode that made it so addictive, Emily's coming out story, Hanna and Spencer had some good lines

- the mishandling of some serious issues (namely eating disorders), romantization of student-teacher relationship, the timeline not making much sense, these writers seem to put more thought into the characters' outfits than the storylines

Otps: Emily x Maya, Hanna x Caleb

Notp: Ezria

Best moment: Hanna and Caleb in the shower (the sexual tension was cuttable with a knife)

Weirdest moments: Aria asking Ezra out in the middle of a make-up test (it was supposed to be cute but it was just cringy), Spencer trying to block A's text messages on a laptop, in the middle of a park (what? Spencer, you were supposed to be the smart one!)

One Tree Hill

+ Brooke, the theme song, Chad Michael Murray

- the casual drinking and driving (I mean seriously these kids play a drinking game at a party and then casually hop into a car and drive home??), too much basketball and cheerleading (that's not a bad thing per se but I just don't really care about neither of these things), it just seems too stereotypical and kinda bland?? I couldn't really get into it

Otp: Naley

Notp: Peyton x Nathan

Best moment: Naley by the dock

Weirdest moment: "I guess I'm just a riddle, wrapped in a mystery inside a bitch." It's not really a bad moment but a cringy line. I guess the writers though they were being clever but it just sounded bad.

Dawson's Creek

+ the clothes, the 90s aesthetic, the 90s soundtrack, many movie references, Pacey is a sweetheart, Jen is a feminist icon, dealing with mental health issues through Andie (it's rare to see in shows as old as this)

- the slutshaming of Jen really hasn't aged well, the storyline of Pacey being statury raped by his much older teacher was mishandled (it was either treated as scandalous, cool or in Andie’s case somehow shameful), same goes for Jen’s backstory- it was mentioned she was raped at 12 by an older man and then never brought up again, Dawson is the most unlikable protagonist ever and his friendship/relationship with Joey is codependent and possessive, the dialogue is sometimes pretentious and unrealistic, the timeline doesn't really add up- I can never tell what time of the year it's supposed to be, because it looks like it's always fall for some reason. And how did they sophomore year have two homecomings?

Otps: Pacey x Andie, Pacey x Joey (yes, both at the same time)

Notp: Dawson x Joey

Best moments: Jen helping Joey when that jerk was spreading rumours about her and then Jen and Joey locking Abby in the closet together (I love it when they stick together instead of tearing each other down), Pacey and Joey bickering

Weirdest moments: when Joey was upset because Dawson didn’t want to tell her how often he “walks his dog”, when Jen was about to have a treesome at a party and Dawson walked into the room and carried her out despite her kicking and screaming

Glee

+ funny, Sue Sylvester's iconic, great covers and a way to find new songs, the performances are aesthetically pleasing, lgbtq+ representation, tackling of serious issues, coming out story, a father who’s accepting of his son’s sexuality right away despite not really understanding it (it’s so rare to see, that’s why it’s so refreshing), the plotlines are ridiculous but at least the show doesn't take itself too seriously

-as I already said the 1st season was great but after that it just seemed like the writers made up a checklist of hard issues they should tackle and tried to tackle every single one of them while covering every single song and it just fell flat. Prime example- Quinn ending up in a wheelchair getting into a car crash to warn us from drinking and driving, singing I’m Still Standing and then suddenly being able to walk normally after. a few episodes Rachel and Finn got almost all songs, while other characters were criminally underrated and underused (Tina, Quinn, Mercedes). The teachers are questionable to put it mildly. Cringy moments- Finn singing You're Having My Baby to Quinn in front of her parents when it wasn't even his baby! Also no one except of Kurt looks like they could be in high school. And why are these cheerleaders wearing their uniforms 24/7??

Otps: Brittana, Sam x Quinn, Tina x Artie (unpopular opinion, I know), Mr Schue x unemployment

Notp: Quinn x Finn

Best moments: Quinn giving birth to Bohemian Rhapsody

Weirdest moment: Rachel's gross and painfully awkward crush on Mr Schue, Mr Schue joining the Glee club on the stage for a performance of Toxic and girls in the audience cat calling him (Ewww)

Euphoria

+ Zendaya's and Jacob Elordi's performances, tackling of serious issues such as drug addiction and overdose, anxiety and depression, abusive relationships and abortion in a better manner than most (if not all) teen dramas, the aesthetics, makeup and wardrobe, the musical number in the finale, the special episodes giving us insight into the characters' psychology, toxic relationships not being romanticized (which is sadly rare), teenagers sounding like actual real life teens (no "I reject reality" crap)

- lack of comic relief (why so serious all the time), sexualization of teen characters (I know this is something many teen dramas are guilty of but it's the most evident here), too much nudity (I know some of you are going to come at me with: "But it's realistic!" So what? It is realitic that teenagers get naked when they go into shower but does it mean we have to see it?? It seems to me like this show is trying too hard to be "boundary pushing" at times and ends up being scandalous just for the sake of being scandalous), these characters just aren't believable as high school juniors to me (they sound like high schoolers but they certainly don’t act, look or dress that way). There's no reason this show couldn't have been set in college.

Otps: Rue x sobriety, Nate x prison

Notps: Nate x Maddy, Cassie x McKay

Best moments: "You did this to me!" and the musical number in the season 1 finale

Weirdest moment: the fact that Maddy lost her virginity at 14 to a 40-year-old man being mentioned so casually because apparently she was "totally in control". Excuse me what??

Skins

+ style and makeup- each character has a signature trademark (Sid and his beanie, Effy's eyeliner, Cassie's soft eyeshadow), their British accents, I'm pretty sure this is the only teen drama that follows multiple classes, teenage characters being played by actual teen actors, the characters looking like average people you meet in high school and not as if they just walked off the runway, dealing with serious issues such as drug abuse, eating disorder, parental abandonment etc (yes, some people claim the show romanticized it, but I disagree. It's not the show that romanticized it- it's the fans. The show tried to portray the dangers of drugs as well as possible. Think about it- every time characters used drugs it ended in a disaster. In the pilot they thought that Cassie overdosed and ended up crashing a car while rushing into the hospital. In later season Effy hit her friend in the head with a rock because she was having a bad trip. That's not romanticizing drugs.), Effy is iconic and honestly the first episode was enough to get me hooked

- every single teacher being a creep and having a thing for a student at some point, the show can get too dark and unncessarily dramatic at times. Did that many people have to die? Did Chris's death really have to be this graphic? Timeline doesn't really add up- are 8 episodes supposed to cover the whole year? It would've made more sense if there were more episodes in a season.

Otps: Chris x Jal, Emily x Naomi

Notps: Sid x Michelle

Best moment: ooh baby it's a wild world

Weirdest moment: Chris's graphic death

The OC

+ more grounded in reality than many others on this list, the theme song, the love stories, Seth and Summer are funny, the friendships are believable and the whole group has great chemistry

- too many unneccessary fights, Luke is the worst, everyone is way too casual about drunk driving, these parents are WAAAY too chill (I know this can be said about many teen dramas but it's the most obvious here. How did the Roberts and the Coopers let two 16-year-old girls go to Mexico alone?? With no supervision?? What?)

Otps: Seth x Summer, Ryan x Marissa

Notp: Luke x Marissa

Best moments: the “oh no, there’s only one bed” in the Mexico episode, Seth and Summer's first kiss and that kiss at the yacht, Ryan and Marissa's first date by the pool

Weirdest moment: these parents letting their teenage kids go to Mexico alone. It's irresponsible when they're 16 but apparently they let them go there and party every year. What?

Gossip Girl

+ every episode having a clever title, the style, the makeup, the 00s soundtrack, the glamour of it all (it feels like reading a very gossipy magazine!), all the scandals, this show never pretends to portray the realitic teenage experience so it can pretty much be as far-fetched as it wants to and you can’t question it, it gives you a chance to live the fantasy of being super rich, living with a penthouse, riding a limo to school and going to parties in New York City every night

- the final reveal doesn't make any sense, just like with PLL these writers seemed to have put more thought into the outfits and makeup than into the plotlines, romantization of a toxic relationship, having every two straight characters date or hook up at some point, which just felt forced, mishandling of serious issues (Blair's eating disorder, Eric's suicide attempt and Serena and Jenny's sexual assault from the pilot being brought up when it's convenient but not really dealt with and brushed off at other times), sexualization of teen characters

Otps: Dan x Blair, Serena x Nate

Notps: Chuck x Blair

Best moments: the Thanksgiving flashbacks, Blair and Serena running around New York and taking selfies in stolen dresses, Nate and Serena’s first time (although it was better in the books) and then their kiss at the white party, the sheer scandal of "I killed someone", Dan giving Blair a plastic tiara to make her feel like a princess

Weirdest moments: Chuck's father returning from the death and then dying again, by yeeting himself off the roof

Freaks and Geeks

+ probably the most realistic teen drama there is, the characters dress the way I can see actual teens dressing, funny, but also heatbreaking at times, probably the only teen show that included an intersex character, the characters being a little stereotypical but self-aware at least, young James Franco and Jason Segel

- the bullying being a bit too much at times and it's a bit unrealistic that the teachers would do literally nothing about it, too short- I will never understand why this got cancelled

Otps: Daniel x Kim, Lindsay x Nick, Amy x Ken

Notps: Sam x Cindy

Best moments: Sam breaking down at the end of Garage Door, Daniel and Kim getting back together in the rain

Weirdest moment: Cindy doing a 180 and becoming super mean when she started dating Sam.

Gilmore Girls

+ so many movie, literary and music references, the quotable lines (what a great way to learn about new movies, books and bands! It’s so unique for a TV show to make you smarter), the witty banter, the comfort of the first few seasons (it really feels like wrapping a warm blanket around yourself while holding a hot cup of coffee, I can’t explain why, but it’s such a comfort show), the quirky small town with many unique festivals, many entertaining and snappy fights where everyone has a point, characters dealing with real world problems (seriously, how often do you see a storyline about termites? Or a teenager with zit cream on a teen drama show?), this is also one of the few shows where teenagers are shown to have rules and restrictions and curfews (finally some kids growing up with strict parents representation) and doing homework and studying and not just partying and drinking and having sex all the time and that’s so refreshing

- but while it is refreshing to see teenagers waiting to have sex and not doing it behind every corner, the show is kind of sex negative. Every single time a (female) character loses her virginity it ends in a disaster. Even when she loses it after she’s married! It doesn’t make any sense, unless the writers just really hated women. Also slutshaming (”I got the good kid!”) ewww. The money and budget doesn’t make much sense on the show either and the girls seem immune to calories. I know some people might come at me for this with: “But it’s just a show!” but I think it’s harmful to show beautiful, thin women eat nothing but tons of junkfood all the time and never excersize and then fatshame people who do excersize but aren’t fortunate enough to be blessed with amazing Gilmore genes, and then throw around tactless references to eating disorders.

Otps: Lane x Dave, Jess x Rory

Notps: Lane x Zach, Rory x Dean, Lorelai x Christopher

Best moments: Then She Appeared, Rory’s valedictorian speech, Lorelai’s graduation

Weirdest moment: Lorelai and Christopher getting married in Paris at 4am. That’s not how it works in Europe. Do Americans think every single Europian country works like Las Vegas, where you can just get married whenever you decide??

#teen dramas #these are just my opinions #so don't take it personally #u might disagree #but idrc

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appleciders · 4 years

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personally, im also deep in the station 19 muck but like you i wish i wasn't. randomly watched it because pandemic and maya bishop is just so compelling, even with all the bad writing i still love her sm. is there anything you would want to see for season 4? your hair cut fic was so good and i cant stop thinking about how much better the season would have been had it ended like that instead.

first off, sorry to both of us for being here! but i guess let’s take escapism where can get it, hey. second, thank you so much for reading the fic!! i’m super honored you liked it <33

as for what i would want for s4...whew. a lot, lmao. i’ll put in under a cut to save my poor non-s19 followers.

mostly, i want them to please slow down the pacing. let story arcs breathe and build and develop. last season was so rushed—ryan’s death and rigo’s death and pruitt’s death all crammed in, andy and sullivan having a shotgun wedding out of nowhere, maya and carina fastforwarding to i love yous with only 30 second scenes and not a real date to be seen, vic hardly getting to process ripley—i could go on. it’s cheap and messy storytelling. cut it out.

i also really want them to let relationships do the same. i want to see the friendships that were so strained last season to grow again. show me andy, maya, and vic being friends and supporting each other!! for the love of god!! (show me andy and maya being friends, period. for the whole season. the whole goddamn season. no drama between them, only supporting each other through outside drama. if i have to see another season where these ‘best friends’ are at each other’s throats half the time, i swear to god.)

show me more team-as-family! a) i eat that shit up, and b) that’s supposed to be the underlying theme and premise of the show. show them laughing and goofing off together, show them holding each other up when things get tough, show them teasing each other to hell and back while they cook together in the beanery. invest in that again.

for the romances....develop that shit. honestly, i really hope andy and sullivan either break up or really do the fucking work to fix their relationship, because as-is, it’s a hot mess. and not a hot mess i particularly care to watch. i liked them fine in season 2, but the sullivan arc in s3 (which...not to out myself as having watched chicago fire, but which is a blatant rip-off of severide’s s1 arc in cf) puts him in a place where he’s not really ready for a relationship. and with the amount of shit they put andy through, she’s not, either. i know it’s impossible on a drama, but i would really like andy to be single this season? idk, i’m tired.

maya and carina better not be all sunshine and rainbows. they need to do the work! they need to show the work! after that rushed-ass ‘forgive me’ scene (where carina was...pressured into forgiving maya like the day after she cheated on her??? and that was framed as a good thing?? make it make sense), they deserve to show them actually navigating that broken trust and rebuilding something real. and as someone who doesn’t watch grey’s, i really don’t know carina very well? 90% of her scenes were her supporting maya through her ongoing breakdown (though a totally understandable breakdown! not criticizing maya for having trauma), so i’d like to see more of a balance of support in the relationship and more development of her as an individual apart from maya. she’ll be sticking around, and that will be much more interesting if she bonds with other members of the team.

dean and vic...look, my hands-down #1 wish for season 4 is that they treat vic hughes well, with respect, with screentime, and with a good arc. she’s the absolute best. and as much as i love dean miller (hint: a lot), he needs to start guzzling his respecting vic juice if the writers are gonna try to set up anything. personally, i’d really like to see them move past it? awkward crushes between friends happen. putting myself in dean’s shoes, living with one of my best friends who i’m also secretly crushing on, watching her play with my baby...it’d be a lot too!! but that doesn’t excuse being a dick, so i’d really like to see them take some time apart, and then start their friendship back up on a foundation of honesty and communication. because they’re so good, guys.

individual character notes!!!

well. i want every person at this goddamn station to go to therapy. they won’t, but i want them to.

andy needs to go to serious grief counseling after season 3. compounded by what’s bound to be a shitstorm from the discovery that her mother is alive? please. in regards to the whole mother arc, i really don’t want it her disappearance to have been like...gang-related. i’ve seen that posited as a theory, and that’s just a whole bundle of stereotypes we don’t need to get into. i also want the mom reveal to be the main revelation that takes up the majority of her arc the first half of the season, just to have time to process it. the captain’s race took up all of season 1—you can give this twist time to marinate properly.

vic hughes, my moon, my stars! i really loved the snippets of vic’s backstory that they gave us in s3. as someone who lost a family member to early-onset alzheimer’s in november, 3x09 was...oof. a lot. i love how they committed to fleshing out her past and her backstory more and i love the emotional depth barrett doss always brings to the screen. for season 4, i’d love to see vic get to process ripley and jackson properly. (and here i repeat my forever adage for female characters lol: let them be single for a hot sec.) i want her to move in with maya, because i think that dynamic is so fun and ripe for exploration, and then i’d love to see her digging in to her issues and getting help—going back to the firefighter group, actually talking, spending time with her found family. (sidenote: would love to see her help out with some like youth community theatre classes on her days off? developing connections with kids who have gone through losses, supporting them and in turn realizing the support she needs herself...tell me vic singing with kids wouldn’t be the cutest shit). anyway, i just rly want her to get a good storyline. but i’m not a screenwriter so like...hope they come up with one!

i’ve already written much more than i’m sure you wanted, so i’m going to condense the boys into one paragraph lol. i want jack gibson to heal himself and stop sleeping with taken women! his new found family is super sweet, so i really hope he gets to keep it throughout s4. i want travis montgomery to get only good and happy things, and the same goes for warren. actually, i’d love to see warren step into his new role as team Older Person a bit more? i think that would be a really fun and heartwarming dynamic to play with all the other characters. dean i think i already touched on, but i’d love him to take a breath, apologize to vic and explain, and lean on the rest of his found family. he’s gonna be such a good dad and i’m excited to see more of that.

finally: maya. oh, maya. she needs therapy. you can’t have a character say she’s been dealing with suicidal ideation and anxiety for nearly 20 years and just...magically make it all better. she deserves to get to unpack all the shit with her dad, and all the ways that’s impacted her. on some level, i kinda wish she’d not stayed as captain—i love her scenes so much when she’s allowed to be just chilling on the same level as her team. since that’s not the case, finding a right balance of her as captain and her as friend is gonna be super important. i want her to open up to her friends and lean on them. i’d love for mason to come back, too? i think her trying to heal herself, establish herself as a team member and leader, and rebuild her relationships with her brother as well as her found family and girlfriend would be more than enough material for an arc. it won’t always go great! this stuff isn’t an easy fix! but that’s why it’d be worth writing. plus, so many members of the team have shitty relationships with their parents that even though they won’t understand what maya went through, there’s some really fertile ground for compassion and cathartic ‘fuck our dads’ ball-busting i’d love to see seeded. bonus father’s day episode where literally none of them are happy and they decide to like...go play laser tag or something.

anyway, i’m sure that’s more than you wanted!! but thank you for the q lmao apparently i had a lot to say

#station 19 #maya bishop #vic hughes #andy herrera #like...everybody else lmao #yes i have homework due in 10 minutes i haven't started!#yes i decided to think about this instead!#what of it #....whoops #Anonymous

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smolbeandrabbles · 4 years

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Good Goodbyes - Doug Peterson x Reader (Secret Men’s Business)

@mandy23b @wltz-bby @happyskywhale #MendoTagSquad

GIF CREDIT: X

Author’s Note: Oh. Come on, that’s how they left it you knew I was gonna jump all over this! This was supposed to be a short prelude to the scenario I really wanted to write... As you can see... ‘short’ is NOT what happened.

Gosh, Doug Peterson really stole my heart 😅

This might be the only time that I suggest that you listen to a playlist while you read. Because Doug’s playlist is essentially THIS fic.

Disclaimer: Gif not mine / Lyrics not mine / Secret Men’s Business Characters/plot etc not mine I know I gave her an age - I just really wanted an Older!Reader dynamic, and also that’s around the age that dancers retire, so fits the canon of the story 😊

Premise: Doug Peterson is determined to start over. He knows he needs it, even deserves it, after what went on between his wife and best friend. Armed with his writing, his work and his dreams - Doug wants nothing more than to make this fresh start a good one.

Words: 10,018

Warnings: Swearing / Sexual Connotations / Insulin Warning

__________ I thought goodbyes were never easy I should know by now, girl believe me I thought love would just leave me broke But I'm not, I can breathe, turns out you, set me free And I'm wishing, I'm wishing, I'm wishing you find all that you need And I'm hoping you find somebody who loves you more than me Yeah, it hurt me for like two weeks Don't expect tears when you see me, no This ain't a holding on as long as we Can 'cause this time there's no tears to dry This is a "Thank You, God" we got out of the mess we were in Baby just in time Who knew there was still light in my eyes? Who knew that you don't have to try And that you don't have to cry? Who knew there could be good goodbyes

I might miss you if you'd have been there or Given me proof that you actually cared but now There's no regrets, no turning back Already left you behind And I'm wishing, I'm wishing, I'm wishing you find somebody new And I won't have no trouble finding someone who loves me more than you Who knew there could be good goodbyes? Who knew there could be better times? Who knew I would feel so alive? Who knew there could be good goodbyes? ---

Yesterday I found out about you Even now just looking at you feels wrong You say that you'd take it all back, given one chance It was a moment of weakness and you said yes I should've been there, in the back of your mind I shouldn't be asking myself why You shouldn't be begging for forgiveness at my feet You should've said no, baby and you might still have me

I can't resist, before you go, tell me this Was it worth it Was he worth this

---

The car flew down the freeway towards Sydney. Sitting in the passenger seat was the box of writing that’d been there since he’d said goodbye to all his friends, and in the back his packed bags. The sun glinted on the high rises in the late afternoon – but the time didn’t bother him, he had a hotel room for tonight, and he knew a friend with an apartment he could rent until he got himself settled. Ali had tried to talk him out of leaving, but he wasn’t having it. How was he supposed to trust her ever again? And say he did, say he forgave her and attributed it to lonliness and a moment of weakness – what if she did it again? Cheat once and surely you could cheat again. And, he remined himself, it wasn’t a onetime occurrence. In fact, Michael and her cared about him so little that they were ready to have phone sex whilst he was in the goddamn house. What about the barbeque – wasn’t that openly flirtatious behaviour? He’d known then and done nothing… So he ignored her protests, and he packed up. He didn’t want to hear it, no excuse was ever going to excuse what she’d done to him; that his wife and his best friend had gone right ahead and broken his heart. He didn’t feel anything but empty now he was standing in front of her. And there was nothing more to say other than You’ll be hearing from a divorce lawyer shortly. She was devastated by that, but he wasn’t about to cry over her again. How much time had he wasted here? The one thing he did make sure to do was talk to his son. Dillon wasn’t quite old enough to understand exactly what was happening, and the main thing was making sure he knew it wasn’t his fault. Because he was going to fight for custody all the way. ‘Just let me get set up… and it’ll all be fine… it’ll all be fine.’ But for now he had to be out of that house, because God forbid he fell for her again – that he let her walk all over him. He wouldn’t let her and Michael treat him like that, nor laugh behind his back ever again. As he pulled into the city Doug Peterson allowed himself to smile, a genuine smile, for the first time in a long while. This was the start of something completely new; a place in the city, a new job, a new life… And he was determined to make it a good one. *** Several Months Later…

Divorce proceedings seemed mercifully short. Doug wasn’t sure she’d have just signed away for him – although the custody battle was a little harder. Still, Ali was really a ‘the job comes first’ type and Doug made a good case. Apparently the better case, because that was agreed too, and in his favour. So now he got to be a single parent. And that wasn’t the only good thing happening for him; Doug had made decent money before, so moving into his own place came quickly. He had a home office, and therefore got to spend as much time with Dillon as humanly possible – finally able to love every second of his life. He made a bunch of new friends quickly, and at least phoned Andy every other week. Doug even occasionally checked in with Ian. He left Michael and Woz well alone for now; unsure he could really stomach those conversations yet. Andy always asked if he’d found anyone new yet; and Doug would always laugh nervously – could he ever date again? He thought it might take a long time to build that kind of trust up once more. For now, that scene was off limits and not for him. All he wanted to do was spend quality time with his son. But the business, that was important. He was well known in the advertisement industry; sure he’d never got the big break, but the people he did know were eager to fund him and get him off the ground. From this generosity DP Advertisements was born. Luckier still, Doug had managed to bring the majority of his client base with him. So when Dillion was at school, Doug threw himself into his work – and thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of it.

Because the company was smaller it meant he got a lot of very interesting calls – the kind of jobs he’d never been able to do. Digital media and TV advertising wasn’t his only remit after all. Print, posters, billboards, website advertising – new for everybody – Doug got the opportunity to do a little of everything. He always liked meeting new prospective clients and finding out what they were looking to achieve before he said yes or no. He could just about afford to say no to anything he simply found too boring – but with his new attitude, Doug found everything pretty interesting. His newest prospect suggesting meeting in a restaurant – a lunch meeting, expensed. Suddenly he decided that it wouldn’t really matter what was pitched, because he was getting a meal for free – and at a well reputed restaurant no less. He was just a little nervous; they were well spoken, they’d seen some of his work around, liked the fact that he was a one person company (although Doug did mention his experience), and reached out to him through channels they knew at other agencies who would be able to say exactly whose work his was. Clearly they had done their research, and he had come well recommended. When the day came, Doug dressed in one of his best suits, and wore a tie, arrived early at the restaurant; maybe a little too early – but he was nervous enough to not want to be late. The restaurant was near empty; he supposed due to the exclusivity of it. Three girls sat at the bar with steaming cups – not day drinking then! - a business meeting was being conducted in a quiet corner, and two or three tables were having an early lunch. When Doug gave the name of the party he was meeting, eyes flew wide. He wasn’t sure what that meant and no words were spoken; they allowed him to sit at a table with a nice view. He set up, and recited to himself a pitch he knew off by heart – even if he didn’t exactly know what they wanted yet. But he found himself easily distracted, and before long Doug Peterson wasn’t looking at the view he should have been looking at; because he’d found one slightly better. He’d caught your eye too; it shouldn’t have surprised you, sitting with your two closest friends sipping tea, it wasn’t hard to miss the cutie dressed in a suit who’d just walked through the door. Even harder to miss when he kept stealing glances at you in the hope you wouldn’t notice; you were clearly slightly more skilled at being discreet. You could guess he was early 30s, maybe a little nervous about whatever he was here for. The folder seated next to him on the plush bench seats probably meant it was a business meeting. That didn’t necessarily mean anything, but it did mean – if you found yourself to be correct - he wasn’t meeting his girlfriend (or wife, but you hadn’t noticed a ring) for lunch before he went back to work. Eventually you let him catch you looking at him, after you’d pointed him out discreetly to your friends – who for once didn’t turn simultaneously to stare themselves – but did both give you the same look that amounted to Hot Damn. Devour Him. When his blue eyes met yours he froze – immediately looking like a little kid who’d done something wrong. But the smile you gave him was soft – and moments later you received a small smile in return that had you looking back to your drink. It’d been a while since you’d flirted with anyone. You’d had a series of bad breakups in your life and probably hadn’t really dated anyone for a long while. Flirting was easy and usually harmless, so across a quiet restaurant whilst you waited with friends, it kept things interesting. Even though he had to be younger than you were. He certainly looked younger than you; which didn’t bother you either, but you’d never been with someone younger… Still, it continued on through your waiting time, and as he got a little more confident, he suddenly looked a lot older. Darker glint in his eye, smile replaced by a smirk and the occasional lip bite that drove you a bit wild. Enough to make you turn away from him with a laugh to catch yourself for a moment; Damn. But you could flirt back just as intensely as he could, between running your tongue slowly over your lips, the occasional slow wink, skimming your fingertips around the rim of your cup, eyebrows raised with just the right tilt of your head. Doug wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing, and why it felt so easy after he’d just spent so long telling his friends, and feeling, like he wasn’t ready for this yet. But it felt so natural, and you were responding in kind. Suddenly he was thinking that maybe he should get back into the game. If it was working on you - so much so it had pulled you away from your conversation with your friends - then maybe it’d work with anyone. You checked your watch, finished your cup and hugged and kissed your girls goodbye, picking up your bag from the floor you looked across to him again, with another smile you shook your head gently and crossed the restaurant. He was very nearly ashamed to say his heart leapt in his chest as you walked, your clothing was beautifully vintage, everything matched and even your walk was graceful – like you’d stepped right out of a daydream. He anticipated you to come to him – and yet Doug had never felt disappointment like when you didn’t, making your way to the door. Was that really it? You stopped at the greeting desk and there was politely animated conversation for a minute, before you turned and looked back across the restaurant at him again. “Excuse me, sorry, F/N L/N I’ve got a 12:30 booking for two people? You can just add the bar tab to the meal – that’s fine.” “Oh! Yes, of course Ms. L/N let me just check you in…” The maitre d’ turned back to her list for a moment, “OH! It appears the other half of your party is already here-!” “Huh? Oh, really?” She indicated across the room to the man you’d just spent the past half hour (at least!) furiously flirting with. You had to compose yourself before you turned back to him. No! Was it luck, or just your luck?! ‘My friends are gonna have a FIELD day!’ You thanked her, took a breath, allowed yourself to laugh and walked across to him. His lips parted as you approached his table, and Doug wasn’t sure that he liked that your face was unreadable. You unshouldered your bag and looped it around the back of the chair opposite him – before you beamed, “You’re Doug Peterson!” He immediately stood; “Y-Yeah! Oh, yo-you’re-!” “F/N L/N. Yes-! You’re not what I expected…” He held his hand out for you to shake, “I mean I-” He wasn’t sure exactly how to take that, so opted to simply shut up, but blush dusted his cheeks, and it made him look a lot cuter than he already was. “I think you already know that’s a compliment!” Your smile was polite, but you had no intention of taking your flirting any further. Not when what you’d called him about in the first place was so important. His laugh was nervous as you both seated yourselves and polite introductory conversation continued as you chose your meals, and it didn’t take much for you to persuade him into one glass of wine. Between courses Doug slid his portfolio from beside him and onto the table. “So I mean, I guess we’re both really here for this. As nice as it is to talk to you.” His grin was charming, and he knew precisely what he was doing, half of you wondered exactly why there was no ring on his finger. Who wouldn’t have taken up that opportunity as soon as it arose? And he didn’t seem like the headstrong business type who has married to his work. You couldn’t help but bite your lip through your smile as that, running the tip of your finger around your wine glass, “Yeah. I guess all I really said I wanted was advertising.” “Print. And a lot of it, by the sounds of things.” “Mhm. It suits the audience; posters, billboards and magazine print. These kids will be doing similar to what I used to, so-” You paused, “Right, yeah, I…” you laughed and Doug’s heart threatened to leap from his chest for just a second, “I should explain. I’m opening a dance company. Possibly a school, too, in time – I’ll be both director and choreographer. I need dancers for a company, or, prospective students!” His eyebrows raised, “You’re a dancer?” You smiled gently, “I didn’t think you knew a lot about ballet. That’s probably better for you.” “Ballet?” He shook his head, “I’m sorry. I- I wish I did. But, it’s artsy, I love the form and, pictures of ballerinas and dancers; that would be striking in any advert, let alone a ballet company. Which’d make sense. You still dance?” “Retired. Just…” You giggled gently, “Doug, I’m not just a dancer – to anyone in the circles I move in I’m the dancer. And now I’m at least semi-retired I want to give back to the profession.” You placed your hand over the portfolio; “I’ve seen your work, and it’s… incredible. Visually stunning and very well written. I know that my name is going to take this places… What I need is to partner with someone who doesn’t look at my name and have their eyes light up in dollar signs.” You pulled the folder off the counter and opened it, you were right, all his work was phenomenal, the way he used space, and colour – and he ran from comedic to serious; there wasn’t anything that Doug Peterson hadn’t covered. “You could have anyone.” “I don’t want anyone.” Your eyes met his again and for a moment the statement hung with more significance than you should have given it; “I want someone whose heart and soul comes alive on the page. Someone who is as passionate about what he writes, and what he visualises, as I am about the company and dancing.” You flipped the book around for him, “No corporation who would love to have my name on their client list would produce work like this, or care about it like you do. Which is exactly why I want you to do this, if you want to.” His nod was enthusiastic, “I mean, I might need a little help with the technicalities but, God, I’d love the challenge and the opportunity, Y/N.” First, he knew he’d have to look you up. He supposed everyone in the dancing community would know your name, and Doug would have to make it look like he did to. But research was always fun – and you’d give him all the support he needed. “Good, because I’d love to be the client of someone whose work is this amazing.” You passed the portfolio back, and held up your wine glass, “To our partnership, Doug Peterson.” “Yeah,” He clinked his to yours and smiled, “let’s make it a good one!”

You continued to talk, and Doug was almost disappointed that you acted so professionally. It was almost as if all the flirting was forgotten, although there was a sparkle in your eyes still, like it was hiding. However, he still admired that professionalism and, as you got to learn a little bit more about each other, he started to formulate ideas that he already couldn’t wait to mock up and show you. Doug still couldn’t help but flirt on occasion though; he liked the way you’d smile when he did it – he liked that you were actually interested in him, not just his work. Already he knew you’d be capable of great things together, and maybe not all of them would have to do with advertising. You both said goodbye far too soon, but you had each other’s cards and numbers. As he turned back at the door with a grin and said he already had a head of ideas, and he had to run before he forgot any of them, your heart actually skipped a beat. Doug couldn’t leave you without giving a wink, and took victory in the blush that crossed your cheeks before he strolled out of the restaurant. You gave it a few moments, watching him until he was out of sight before taking a deep breath and retreating back inside. Your friends were still sitting at the bar, by now finished with their own food, and both of them staring at you with raised eyebrows; “Tell me you knew!!” “I had NO idea I swear-!” You shook your head, “Was that mad-!? That was mad, right!? Does stuff like that really happen-!” “Typical of you though-!” “Thanks!” You blew out a breath and ran your hands through your hair; “…My god.” “You’re flushed!” “Thanks! I realised…!” You sat on the edge of one of the stools, “I haven’t felt like this since-” It wasn’t a thought you wanted, but an altogether incredible realisation. “So. He’s going to be your advertiser?” “Mhm!” You nodded, “He’s going home to mock up designs for me…” “Aw, c’mon, Y/N! Look atcha! What’s his name?!” You knew then as you turned to them and smiled, exactly what you were feeling; “Doug Peterson.” ***

You’d already got the studio set up, and a few other dancers - good friends of yours - were on your staff. Your current goal was the official opening, a couple of months away – hence the advertising project. It looked like a venture that’d been worked on long before you got Doug involved, the building largely refurbished and with a modern flare that offset your vintage look. He took photographs to get a good idea of what he was working with to meld with his mock ups – which you’d already seen and approved of. It didn’t take him very long to become more aware of you, and what Doug really wanted was you on the advertisement. “Is it cliché? I’d just like some classic ballet poses. Sure, I could just hire anyone – but it’d make more sense if it was you… even if it’s not your face.” Doug wasn’t so sure you wanted your face plastered on everything when your name already was. But you agreed to do it and he hired a photographer. He was well aware that he had feelings for you that maybe he shouldn’t. You were still his client at the end of the day and Doug wanted to keep it professional – but all he could think about was the way you’d been staring at him across the restaurant, and much as he tried he could never quite get it out of his head. All he wondered was if you had the same problem. Having you turn up to a photoshoot and watching the serene grace of classic ballet positions that Doug didn’t have a clue about until about a week previously – luckily, he’d hired a photographer who knew what they were talking about – was mesmerising; and he stood in flustered silence. By the time Doug was finished he assumed he was going to make a lot of people very happy at getting the opportunity to work with you. He walked you back to your car, explaining his admiration for your work and your strength, reeling off position names that made you quite proud. He liked that you were pleased that he’d studied you; at the cute way you giggled as he admitted just how much he’d researched. You started inviting him over to discuss ideas, and the first time Doug had pulled up in your driveway he’d been in awe of your house. Oddly humble for an ex-prima ballerina, and a little out in the country. It was also as modern as your studio had been, an upside-down house with stairs to the front door; “One day you’re going to have to explain why everything about you in modern aside from the way you dress!” Doug always did like that small mysterious smile you gave him, “Maybe I like that I’m hard to figure out…” You pondered it for a moment, before fixing him with the same significant look he was always giving you, “Having said that, maybe if you stick around for long enough you’ll answer your own question.” That was enough for him and in a more relaxed, and personal, setting as you got to know each other even better – professional was nearly thrown out the window. The entire campaign became a long string of endlessly flirty emails and texts, where often times one of you would have to throw in; ‘this is about the advert… right?’ The only response you ever gave to that was ‘Of course it is… or is it? 😉’ Which drove Doug crazy in every sense of the word. Yet his favourite place to be was with you, sitting up on your back veranda (which he also had to note overlooked a stunning valley) just throwing ideas around. Often you’d sit yourself on the wooden balustrade and ramble, with him lounging back in a chair with a sketch pad, and by the end of it he’d have filled up 5 or 6 pages with sketches or notes. But he was always back in time to collect Dillon from school, and didn’t overstay his welcome either. You’d keep him around if you could, but understood what was really important, even when all he told you was that he had to go and offered no further information. You knew private meant private and let him live that life. Before long he was showing you finalized drafts, and all that was left to do was pick which ones were going to print - on opening night flyers, or be seen all through the streets of Sydney. And that day made Doug dispirited – he didn’t want this to end so soon. “It’ll be weird not working with you on this…” “Oh?” You smiled, “What, you don’t think I’m going to call you every opportunity I get to have you do more advertising? I’ll need someone when we start doing shows and events.” He took his chance, with a confident deep breath; “Maybe you should just call me anyway?” You bit your lip gently, “Alright, maybe I will.” Although there was no maybe about it, you knew you would. You knew that was all you really wanted to do. You’d got closer and closer, and you felt comfortable around each other. Enough for you to finally be yourself; heck you’d even started dressing more relaxed around him. And one thing was for sure you couldn’t get the look he’d given you - and the way he’d swallowed hard - the first time you opened the door to him in shorts and a loose shirt, out of your head. Like you’d just stepped out of some kind of fantasy. A strange fantasy maybe, but then again you knew you were dressing down for him. You had both fallen pretty hard – even from that first restaurant conversation and you were certainly still falling for Doug now. For the first time in a while, you actually wanted to take a leap of faith with a guy. And it almost scared you how much you trusted him. *** Doug expected an invitation to opening night out of courtesy for the work he’d done. He could turn up and admire it for maybe an hour and then get back home. What he didn’t expect was a personal invitation from you, with a hand written note which left no doubt as to how much you needed him there and how much his hard work meant to you. In reality it was just a lot of words trying to express how much he meant to you. You weren’t so great at eloquence. You were trying to tell him that you couldn’t lose him, without sounding a little too desperate about it. As if you thought that was a possibility; like you didn’t recognise how much he swooned over you. Perhaps you still weren’t prepared to admit you knew he was interested – and Doug was just as hesitant. He didn’t want to rush into it, and yet he craved the intimacy of a relationship again. Even though he’d been divorced only months, it wasn’t like Ali and he had been close before it happened. He wanted someone to love him, but it wasn’t just a someone; he was still very iffy about the dating scene and he wasn’t about to go have a drunken one-night stand – he wanted that person to be you. Doug didn’t want to get hurt, yet, knew you’d be worth the risk. You looked stunning, and he had to physically stop to take you in for a moment. You always looked good, even when you were just sitting in shorts and a shirt with your hair pulled up – when, if the sun was on you for long enough, little freckles would start to appear across your face. Though that was an image he was probably privileged to see, Doug thought that was when you looked best. But your personality radiated warmth and light, and all he ever wanted was you closer. It went both ways – as you glanced across to him, dressed in a sharper suit than the one he’d been wearing when you first met and the smile that crossed his face as you caught his eye, Doug Peterson very nearly took your breath away. You excused yourself from the conversation you were having and crossed the room to him; knowing right then that you had to make this man yours – and you had to be his. Both of you blushed your way through the introductory conversation and you couldn’t help but turn to the room full of people admiring his work, because of course he’d put together designs and posters for some of your studio ideas too. And they were also on display, alongside photographs of the building’s transition; and some well-known images of your more famous roles. “Look at this-! It’s all you! And they all love it!” You couldn’t have looked happier, “I mean, I, I hope you’re proud of it.” “Yeah.” He agreed, feeding off your enthusiasm, “How many people can say they’ve had an opportunity like this? It’s…” Doug paused for a moment, “…Some of my best. Even I know that.” Then he turned back to you, “Thank you for the opportunity.” You shook your head, thinking it crazy that the designer should be thanking his client; “Thank you for making my crazy ideas a reality.” “Don’t mention it, it’s my job.” “Yeah but,” You turned back to the room, “you went above and beyond for me, I can never thank you enough.” He laughed, “At this rate, all you’re gonna do is thank me-!” “You’re right!” You joined his laugher, “But don’t expect me to stop on that account!” You spent your evening walking around the event with him, even when he thought excusing himself might give you time to breathe, to be the centrepiece you were meant to be. But you touched his arm gently to bring him back; “No, Doug, please… stay with me? I- I’d very much like it if you stayed with me tonight.” So he did, as you introduced him around, even when you were doing press you kept him near (except when he wandered to get drinks – and on a couple of occasions was accosted by those that wanted him to take on their advertising campaigns!), and made sure he got the credit whenever anyone gave you kudos for his work. How he’d simply take the compliment and give one to you in turn, and for a moment all you could do was look at each other and recognise the pink dusting your cheeks. Eventually Doug took a leap, even if it could have been of liquid confidence considering the champagne being served, and during one of these compliment sessions he reached out and took your hand. You didn’t pull away from him, you didn’t even flinch, instinctively lacing your fingers with his. That’s how you stayed for the rest of the night, with your smile even sweeter than it was before. And Doug got to stand beside you and watch his effect on you; hyperfixating on how it felt to have your fingers entwined with his – smiling so much his face hurt? You best believe it. After everything wound down, and Doug started to watch check (only because he thought the babysitters bill was going to be astronomical by now), you began to reflect on not just the evening, but the past few months. You got the feeling that you were going to be one of those couples that didn’t even have to say you were together – that you just would be, by mutual agreement. You collected your things and he held out his hand for yours again as you left, this time you held him tighter – desperate to savour every moment you got to be touched by him. “Some night, huh?” “Amazing. Now I guess the real work begins for me…” You chuckled, “I couldn’t have done it without the hard graft from you. I’m just glad it’s all been worth it.” “You can say that again.” Doug breathed it, eyes raised to the night sky and the stars glinting there, knowing that he hardly meant the campaign at all. You turned to him, to watch the way the stars reflected perfectly in his eyes and your heart swelled for a moment; how in the hell were you here? How did you just happen across this man? Nothing in your entire life had worked out this perfectly – so why him, and why now? And why in God’s name were you asking so many questions-!? He turned to you and the way you were looking at him, and slowed his walking pace; thinking it was about time he took that second leap. For some reason you were thinking too hard and didn’t even see it coming, as he leant in. You got so caught up that your question of what are you doing? also went unvoiced before his lips were on yours. And you wouldn’t deny him that either. Keeping your hand in his, you wrapped your other arm around his neck to practically beg him to keep kissing you. That gave Doug enough confidence to wind his arm around your waist to pull you closer. Neither of you wanted to stop, and yet it continued to get late and he knew that he really had to go. Breaking the kiss gently he kept close to you, and as your eyes met again you knew you were right. Together. No words necessary. *** It was late evening when your phone alerted you to a text message; ‘You home?’ You weren’t sure where else Doug expected you to be, so you told him you were. ‘Wanna come down to Js?’ J’s was a bar in downtown Sydney. Your eyes flicked to the time again, you could probably get down there in 30 minutes. ‘Sure, give me 30, are you okay?’ ‘I just don’t wanna drink alone.’ That was fair enough, but you could read him well enough to know there was something much more to it than that. When you arrived, Doug was clearly already a few glasses into a heavy night, and you just ordered whatever he was drinking – which turned out to be some pretty strong whisky. You waited for him to come to you with whatever it was, because you knew the real reason you were here wasn’t drinking. Doug took a deep breath; “Look I… I’ve just been thinking…” Thinking and drinking had never been a good combination, but right now it was your turn to listen to him, and only speak when your advice was wanted. You nodded in encouragement, and he took another sip. “I just- When we hang out we’re always out. You know, either in town like this, or at your place, or around where you live, but I…” he paused, “I think you probably deserve to know why, I just-” You lay your hand on his arm and rubbed affectionate circles, unsure why he’d think it mattered to you. Maybe he lived with friends, or he rented a one room place downtown, maybe he was embarrassed about such things – he knew how much you cared about him, right? Doug knew that you’d never judge a person on anything other than their own merit; or perhaps you just hadn’t made that clear. You were starting to want to kick yourself if that was ever the impression you’d given this sweet man. “Doug, whatever you tell me it’s going to be okay; I promise.” “Is it?” Though he seemed to be questioning himself more than you, “I mean you hear about things happening like this with single mums, but-” for a second you were caught a little off guard, because it seemed so out of left field for him to say. Suddenly you realised where he was going with this; Doug was in fact the single parent. “I mean, I live with my young son. So, I… I’m a single father just trying to figure this out. I- I mean I didn’t think I’d find someone as special as you so soon, and I-” He hesitated again. Stumbling over his words he threw back the glass, and you were glad the bar was dingy because you were positive that you were glowing as bright as a neon light now, “I just can’t bear the thought of losing you.” You shook your head slowly, “You can stop worrying about that right now.” You squeezed his arm gently, “I won’t leave over something like that, Doug, not ever. Sure, there’s a lot that comes with it but… God, I promise you. I’m sorry you ever had to come down here and worry about something like that!” He was staring at you almost in awe, like there was no way you could be saying this to him. And you wondered what that was, the alcohol? But something had driven him here to think it in the first place – and you found yourself with more questions you wished you could ask, but didn’t want to get too deep with: Who hurt you? Instead you opted for something to follow up what he’d already said; “Do you mind me asking what happened to her?” Doug had used the word single after all, and it was pretty recent you could pick up on that; “And, what’s his name?” “Dillon.” You smiled, that was a sweet name and you made sure to say that too, making Doug laugh. “As for Ali… Well… She cheated on me with my best friend. So, we got divorced.” You were stunned into silence for another moment, that Doug would just out and say it, but the look on his face and bluntness in his voice told you he wasn’t playing. Perhaps the whisky had a part in that; “…What… the… oh my god I’m so sorry-!” “I have sole custody of him and she’s got visitation rights, and that’s the way it goes.” You shook your head, finding yourself inexplicably mad – that explained that lack of ring you’d been curious about, though; “Okay this… this could be seriously crossing the line here – but what a freakin’ bitch! And oh my god, what an asshole – Doug, honey, you can do so much better…” you leant on the bar, wishing that you could find something better to say, “I mean you have me now. And thank god. Geez, babe, that sucks.” He stared at the bar for a second, and then propped his head up, hand on his brow – and suddenly Doug Peterson was pouring out months of history to you. How him and Ali didn’t even seem to be working anymore, but of course he wanted to hold on for his son, he wanted to believe there was still love there because he sure as hell still loved her at the time. And heck, maybe he should have known. But how he’d only ever been suspicious at the barbeque that one time and it all came to a head one weekend, when he caught them having phone sex, of all things. It was a hard thing to hear anyone say, let alone him. How he kept using the word ‘maybe’. Maybe I wasn’t around enough, maybe I was too focused on work, maybe I didn’t love her enough, maybe I didn’t try hard enough... You hated that it was so conditional and uncertain. “Baby,” You touched him reassuringly again, “if you have to use the word ‘maybe’ then she never told you, which means there wasn’t any communication. She didn’t even try to help you understand, she just went and did it. It is in no way your fault, or anything you ever did wrong. It was clearly more than once and he could have told her no! There’s no moment of weakness - it was continuous. Baby, you got out of there quick and I’m proud of you for having the strength to do that.” You found yourself not only hating two people you’d never met, but wanting to drive to wherever the hell they were and give them a piece of your mind. But there was so much else he was really telling you, and you had to stop him before he got to deep. In case he started saying things he’d end up regretting; before he was ready to say them. Instead you took him in your arms and pulled him closer; “Doug it doesn’t matter to me – who you are, or what’s going on, or why. Baby… I just know that I love you. For the first time in so long I actually… love someone.” You stoked a hand through his hair, kissing it, “And I promise, I’m going to love you better than she ever did.” You couldn’t help your small gasp, the joy in your heart as his arms wrapped around you, “I’m just so sorry this ever happened to you. Because no one deserves this.” “Maybe I do.” “Don’t you dare.” That only made you hold him tighter, “Whatever you’ve done does not warrant the betrayal of your wife and your best friend. You have your company now, and your life, and me, and more importantly than that, your son…” You continued to card your hand through his hair; “Which, really, warrants the only other question I have left.” “Which is?” He looked up at you curiously, and you grinned, “When do I get to meet Dillon?” *** He gave it a few weeks to settle; both the new information and for Doug to solicit with his son that he was seeing someone new. Of course, he’d told Dillon of your existence – especially seen as he liked to show his son what he was working on - but Doug wanted him to be alright with the idea of the two of you together before he brought you over. All it prompted from his son was questions, and Doug realised as he spoke about you, just how much he enjoyed talking about you – and the way even just thinking about you made him feel. Suddenly it wasn’t too early at all – it was all just perfect timing. He was meant to find something better, and he finally had. So when you did arrive on his doorstep right on time for dinner, dressed in pretty vintage as ever, all Doug Peterson did was fall in love all over again. “You look good.” “Aw!” You accepted his kiss, “Well, I could tell you I didn’t buy this outfit just to meet your son but… I’d probably be a liar…” You studied him for a minute, soft dark purple shirt and smart pants with his sleeves rolled up; Doug had brushed up nicely. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” “Ah! Well you know, good first impressions and all that.” He led the way through to the kitchen, “Right this way…” admittedly you were impressed with the house too, it was comfortable, and you instantly felt at home. “…Don’t trip over the child.” You were about to ask exactly what he meant; only lying in front of the oven was a 7 (though as he would say later “nearly eight!!”) year old kid. Doug raised an eyebrow at you, “Apparently it helps cookies bake faster, and who am I to argue with that logic.” “Cookies?” You were a little amused “Yeah. We, well, he wanted to make you cookies, so we made you cookies.” “Aw.” “Only we lost track of time trying to decide what dinner was gonna be, so they’re still baking. Hey, Dillon, I know you want them perfect but you should really meet the lady they’re for, huh?” At this Dillon leapt from the floor and turned to you, face immediately lighting up, “Y/N!” “Hey, Dillon!” You crouched slightly as he ran to you for a hug; “I’m sorry they aren’t done! Dad said we had time-” “Would be my fault.” Doug scoffed folding his arms. “-So we don’t have time to ice them.” “Oh, that’s okay.” You smiled, “It’s very sweet of you to make them for me – thank you!” You nodded back to the oven, “Go on, you go make sure they’re perfect.” He returned your smile sweetly, “Thank you!” and resumed his position on the kitchen floor. Doug shook his head, “Have you ever heard of putting icing on chocolate chip cookies, though?” You laughed, “First time for everything-!” “God help us. Now, wine?” “I would love a glass, thank you.” Whilst the cookies were left to cool, the three of you sat down to dinner – apparently the two of them were very into cooking. “It’s the new hobby – if we aren’t outside playing soccer, its in the kitchen cooking.” - which meant they’d made the meal together - “Well, I’m not irresponsible!” Doug explained, “He did the easy bits, you know.” That only made you laugh, as if you thought he would be an irresponsible parent at all. Also, Dillon seemed a little disgruntled at being discredited by his dad. But he liked telling you about all his favourite things, which only made Doug beam at how much interest you took; So who is your favourite team?... OH! Yeah, no, they’re doing pretty good this year!... What’s your favourite school subject?… Oh man, that sounds hard I don’t think I could do that… But Dillon was also interested in you; “Dad said you were a dancer.” “I retired, yeah. I mean I’ll probably still do a little here and there, but my prima-ballerina days are over.” “He showed me pictures; it looks very difficult.” “It takes a lot of practice, that’s for sure, a little like your soccer does. Same kinda strength involved but in a different way.” “But I thought retirement was for old people?” Doug gave him a look, “Dillon.” “No – It’s okay! 35 is ‘old’ for a dancer, you know? We do a lot of practicing and rehearsals, and then sometimes it’s two shows a day! Then there’s touring… It takes a lot out of your body.” Dillon’s eyes flicked between you and Doug; “So you’re the boss here.” “What-!?” Doug folded his arms and narrowed his eyes slightly at the logic (or lack there of). “She’s the oldest, that makes her the boss.” Seemed logical. You looked to Doug, and winked “HA! I’m the boss.” But this sweet family banter continued on through dinner, and dessert – although apparently the cookies were for an undisclosed time of later - and honestly you didn’t think you’d ever had such a good time on a date ever. Here you were getting two cuties for the price of one date, whether they knew that or not. They were so alike it was highly amusing for you to watch them joke with each other or bicker; all it left you realising was you’d lucked on an incredible thing. You weren’t sure you knew many people who had dated someone with kids. And although you’d never planned on ending up in such a situation yourself, you thought that those who never had were missing out. It got later and later, and to the point where you thought you should really be heading off; “No, no, it’s okay, you don’t have to go. We have a spare room – and I’m a little worried about how much you’ve drunk and I could never. Stay, it’s fine, you can stay over!” “Oh no, I should go home.” You’d been paying attention to your drink intake and you knew you’d be fine, although it was sweet of him to offer. But Doug took your hand, his eyes very nearly pleading with you; “Please stay, for us.” “We want you to stay, Y/N, pleeeeeeeeease?” You looked across the table to Dillon, surprised to hear his voice; killed instantly by the fact that they were both giving you the same look. “How… how am I supposed to deal with both of you-!?” That didn’t make things any easier, and you couldn’t help but break, with a smile; “Okay, okay… I’m going to stay.” “AH!” Doug turned and they high-fived each other; “We got her, bud!” And you meant it. You were going stay, and you were going to be his, and only his. You were never going to let either of them get hurt again – and that you were going to promise. *** “So, do you want to watch something. Cuz, I figure the cookies aren’t gonna wanna be eaten alone, you know we need a movie or something.” You laughed, leaning on your hand, “That sounds like a good suggestion, Mr.Peterson.” Doug’s smile was bashful, but he turned to Dillon, “You go and pick one, mate!” Immediately the little boy scrambled from his seat and ran off into another room. “We have a wall of movies; I think you’ll like it.” “Oh really?” You had to admit he’d piqued your interest. “Yeah. He’ll only pick the same one I’ve been forced to watch 300 times this week – don’t worry, I won’t give you spoilers…” He tipped back on his chair and, making sure that Dillon wasn’t coming back any time soon, Doug took your hand, running his thumb affectionately over the back of it, “Hey, you’re doing really well. I know he like’s asking a lot of questions but, thank you for interacting with him like this it… means a lot.” “Are you kidding?” You were beaming, “Dillon’s adorable!” You tilted your head, “A little like his dad.” “Oh, okay,” Doug chuckled, but you could already see the blush rising in his cheeks, “you stop!” You felt yourself smirk a little, “Maybe you should kiss me to make sure I do.” Doug’s blue eyes turned suddenly playful; “Heck, I’m just gonna kiss you anyway.” And so he leant across, brushing his lips to yours, and tasted just as sweet as he was. Your kiss was only slightly interrupted by the sound of Dillon running back into the room and you broke apart to turn to him; “THIS is my favourite!” He held it out for you to see, and the look on Doug’s face told you that this was indeed the movie he’d seen 300 times. “That’s cool with me!” “Awesome.” Doug pushed out his chair and stood, “Dillon go set it up, I’ll clear up.” “Don’t forget the cookies!” “I won’t forget your cookies…” Then he nodded to the couch, “Go on, you go relax.” “I want to help.” “Nuh uh, you’re the guest, sit down-!” “Alright…” You held up your hands, which only made him cackle and turn back to his son, “See! She’s the boss my ass-!” You couldn’t help shaking your head after him, and allowing your eyes to flick down his body as he walked away, folding your arms; “You better be careful with that cute ass-!” Doug halted almost immediately and spun back to you, a little blushy and his mouth open; it was clear that his protest was ‘there’s a child present!!!’ but that he also knew full well he had started it. And to his credit, you didn’t see him complaining with your flirt. Once he’d cleared away Doug joined you on the couch. Winding his arm around you as you cuddled into him, and placed the cookies on the coffee table before offering you one. “They’re Dillon’s special recipe, so, all compliments to the chef.” You bit into one and couldn’t help the groan of appreciation, the consistency was just right for your taste – and so, compliments did indeed go to the chef. Dillon beamed at your praise, before he took a couple for himself and lay down on the floor again – Doug rolled his eyes. “Well, I thought getting him to sit to the table properly for ya was too good to be true.” That only made you giggle, “Aw, let him be a kid!” “You won’t say that later when he’s climbing all over you, I can tell ya!” That wasn’t necessarily true, but eventually Dillon did get bored of lying on the floor and pulled himself up onto the couch to sit between the two of you, opting to shuffle his body into the perfect position so that you could still cuddle. You and Doug shared the same ‘Oh! Okay!’ look of significance, before Doug pulled him onto his lap properly, “C’mere!” and in that position you all stayed for the remainder of the film. But Dillon did reach for your hand, and for a moment your breath caught – if there was one thing you didn’t expect from tonight, it was for Doug’s kid to just love you. For a moment you welled up and Doug definitely caught that, pulling you closer before kissing your hair – the significance was just as great for him after all. Doug couldn’t have wished for a better start to his new life. As the credits rolled Doug tapped his son; “Alright you, it’s way past your bedtime!” “No!” “No?! I’ll show you no! Come on-! Bed, now. You’re lucky you’ve been allowed to stay up this long! Be good and say goodnight.” Doug slipped himself off the couch, allowing Dillon to hug you tight; “But dad, I’ll miss her---!” Doug placed his hands on his hips and tried his best not to look exasperated; “Mate, c’mon, you’ll see her again in the morning.” “Ohhh…” Dillon pouted before hugging you again, “Goodnight, Y/N…” “Goodnight Dillon, thank you for dinner, and the incredible cookies!” He beamed once more, “Thank you! You may have the rest, dad’s not allowed any.” Doug sighed, before picking him up, “She’s dating me mate, I’m sure I can wrangle at least one more out of her! Now come on-!” By this time Dillon was giggling, “See you in the morning, Y/N!” “I said that!” “Just making sure she heard ya!” Doug grinned, which only made you smile, and joke with him “Oh thank god, this one might last long enough for me to see him again!” “Shut up! Don’t you be cheeky! I get enough from him-!” But he laughed and leant down to kiss you once more. *** Once Dillon was tucked up in bed, Doug rejoined you on the couch for another few glasses of wine, cradling your body close to his as every so often he would kiss your face and your hair. He was happy and relieved that you and his son got along, as you were amazed that Dillon liked you as much as he did; overjoyed in fact. Really tonight couldn’t have gone much better; and as you sat together talking, late evening ticked into early morning and you both agreed that you should probably get some sleep before the sun rose. As he also warned you that Dillon would be dragging you out of bed for breakfast as soon as he was able. He handed you a bundle of towels and blankets and some toiletries; “Spare room is down there… it has an en suite so you should be fine. Is there anything else you need?” “uhm, if I could borrow a shirt, or…” A cocky smirk crossed his face; “I mean, I didn’t think I’d get to see you in my clothes this early in the relationship, but…” You smacked his arm, “Stop!” “I’ll get you one, go get ready.” “If you’re trying to prove that I’m not the boss…” You gave him an accusatory look He held his hands up, “Oh I wouldn’t dream of it, my ass has been threatened enough!” You nodded as you walked up the corridor, and called back – “At least you know what’s good for ya… damn, you do have a nice ass though!” He didn’t say anything, but the silence told you everything, and Doug Peterson was a nice shade of red as he watched you disappear into the room. When you’d finished getting ready you opened the door to a soft dark grey shirt left on the end of the bed, which you slipped into, folding all your clothes neatly and placing them on the chair you decided to go wandering in search of a goodnight kiss, and say thank you of course, they really didn’t have to ask you to stay. His bedroom door was open when you arrived at, and you knocked politely “Oh! Hey! You alright?” Your immediate answer was probably no, considering he was shirtless – and your body’s reaction to that made you feel like you were about 20 years younger. “Yeah, I was just going to come and say goodnight.” By now Doug’s eyes were tracing you; it was big on him so it didn’t exactly reveal much – but it was still you in his clothing, and just a shirt – so your legs were on show, and damn, as a dancer… He blew out an audible breath and quite forgot where his train of thought was leading. Probably to a goodnight, but it wasn’t anymore. You bit your lip, knowing you were both just staring at each other; he had a good physique, and clearly looked after himself – you already got the feeling he ate well and it wouldn’t surprise you if he worked out, especially if Dillon was into sports. But this man was looking at you, and you weren’t about to shy away from that, in fact right now that was the last thing on your mind. “What… what if I didn’t sleep in the spare room?” Doug swallowed hard and his eyes met yours. By the time that happened there was a confident smile on his face; “If it’s any consolation, I’m glad you suggested it first.” You didn’t know if you were supposed to tell him how good it felt for his arms to be around you and his body to be this close to you; the way his fingertips brushed in patterns over your arms that very nearly soothed you to sleep. Doug wasn’t sure he was supposed to tell you how happy he was to get to hold you and not have to think of anything else, the shape of your body curved into his – his bed just not being empty. But you – he got to share it with you, and even now he hoped he’d not have to share it with anyone else. He turned to lay on his back for a moment, a little overcome with a whole lot of different emotions, some of which he’d rather not let you know about; but he kept one arm under you. That could well have been a fatal mistake, because you knew exactly why he’d do something like that; and you could hear the shallow breaths he was taking. Doug was tense even if he was trying to relax. Oh…Doug… Is that how you feel, baby? But it only made you smirk, because that feeling was mutual. And all you wanted to do was tell him that; tracing your fingers over his as he lay still, you shuffled slightly, to take his hand in yours. “I feel so small when you wrap your arms around me…” It was quiet, almost like a muse that you hadn’t meant to slip out, but of course you had. You rolled your body to free his arm, shirt riding up just enough, and you guided Doug’s hand over you, gazing your skin. You turned your head and although he was staring at the ceiling you made sure to look right at him, eyes and voice equally seductive. “I never thought I would meet someone that gets me so damn hot…” He stiffened and for a minute it was like he couldn’t breathe, but he was also struggling hard to keep the biggest smirk from creeping across his face, as you lowered your voice to a sultry whisper “I want your hands on me. I want your eyes on me. I want all of you…” Doug’s fingers were below your stomach now, and you were dangerously close to getting away with this, before he turned his head – his eyes were wide and alert - but his whole face read intrigued; “Holy shit! You’ve got a mouth on ya-!” You knew exactly why he was saying that, and why his hand was no longer going to move without his say so. Doug wanted to be in control of this; but also, God YES did he want you to talk dirty to him. It was so far removed from the sweet, polite, proper, almost innocent look and tone you usually used that it just turned him on. You smirked at him, biting your lip gently as you traced your eyes from his lips to his eyes and back again; “Oh, maybe you should blame yourself… And put it to good use.” Doug chuckled, “Well get over here then.” But you had no choice in that either, as he pulled you into him. Maybe you’d be fighting over this ‘boss’ thing for a while. He did let you initiate the kiss though, running your hands through his hair as he wound his arms around you. You guessed his clothes weren’t really going to be staying on you very long. His lips traced to your jaw line and your neck as his hands eased his shirt up your body; and Doug got his first sigh out of you, which only made him want to work for more of them. And you were alright with that, because all you wanted him to do was kiss your entire body. You craved his lips back on yours and pulled him back to you – if he wanted control you were going to make him work for it. Doug growled gently in response, knowing that, but also being more than up for the challenge, as his hands came to rest on your hips. You broke the kiss for a moment, forehead to his, but your eyes and your body was already telling him everything he needed to know. But you whispered it, like a prayer that would go unanswered if you didn’t; “I really need you right now…”

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Thank you SO much for reading! 🙏🙊💜

#OKay... can I just... the GIF...? Oh... boi....#Doug Peterson #Ben Mendelsohn #Secret Mens Business #Doug Peterson x Reader #152 #Linzi Writes #Smol Bean Drabbles #Nea Edevane #Okay first off I love her. I L O V E H E R #Team 10K #He is... he really is something else #and he's gone from /I don't like this because I cant categorise him!!!/#to 10000 words-!?!#That's more than just a 180 thats C R A Z Y #Who is ready for Andy's wedding-!?#Because that's where were heading next lads-!#(And was really what this was supposed to lead into but then I just went off... so here you are!)#Top 3 Mendo. He thoroughly deserves a place in my top 5.

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