#i hope i get to see her again and give an incredibly belated thank you

[wecomrades]

A Penny For Your Heart

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x pilot!reader

Summary: a journey down your memory lane as you’re trying to figure out how to deal with the love of your life who just happened to step back into the picture after some time apart. 

Word count: 2.9k

Author’s notes: I’ve been writing fanfics for about 18 years now but this is my very first character x reader fic and I hope you like it! I wanted to do something to get out of my comfort zone and I thought TGM was the right fandom to do that, eheh. Couldn’t resist! This story follows the film’s events.

Thanks a lot @what-ever-happened for reading this in advance and bearing with me always, i love you so much! I want to dedicate this story to my lovely friend @nonstoplover as a belated present for your birthday! Ily and I'm so glad TG brought us closer to each other ♥ I hope you enjoy and that it brings a smile on your face!

The Hard Deck is incredibly loud tonight and Heaven knows how much you can’t stand that much noise, especially when you need to think. Thinking - or overthinking, in your case - is best achieved when your mind is fully clear from distractions, which is quite a hard job when you have tipsy Payback and Fanboy singing and dancing and clapping around you.

You have been sitting there for at least an hour, your elbows resting on the counter and your face not so gracefully buried in your hands, the beer in front of you begging to be finished but you can't even bring yourself to stretch your hand to it.

It's been a tiring day on all fronts, both physically and mentally. Preparing for this mission is becoming more and more challenging and draining day after day. Training is always hard, as you all spend the majority of the day in the air and, even if you're part of the crème de la crème of Top Gun pilots, as Hangman kindly reminds everyone everyday since this all started, the fact remains that the stress for this job is real: whenever you look at your friends, no matter the bag of experience you all have, there's always that sparkle of worry hidden in their eyes. 

You trust them as much as you trust your beloved F-18, but you can't help but wonder if there's really a chance of returning home after this.

Your mental fatigue, on the other hand, is called Bradley Bradshaw. 

You roll your eyes so hard you almost see the back of your head, but at the same time you can't seem able to suppress a smirk at the only thought of that name, as you eventually pay attention to your beer.

“Penny for your thoughts?” a voice breaks the turmoil in your head when Penny comes closer from across the counter.

The corner of your mouth quirks up once again, as you glance up to the woman.

“It’s actually so funny,” you start, fiddling with the glass, “I never had someone called Penny asking me just that.”

Penny laughs, shaking her head. “I never had someone reminding me I’m called like a coin, to be honest.”

You can’t help but laugh at that, as a very specific twenty-something year old memory emerges vividly in your head.

“Hey, it’s mine! I found it!” mini you shouted, pouting at the boy in front of you, who was so caught up by the coin in his hands to pay attention to you climbing on his chest to try and take the object back.

“But it’s different from the others I have! I could add it to my collection, can I keep it? Please, y/n?” Bradley mumbled, turning the coin in his hands. “What’s that figure there…? Is it an animal or something?”

“Bra-dleyyyy!” you groaned, gripping on his arm. “Give it back, or I’ll tell Papa.”

“Okay, you menace,” Bradley gave in, returning the coin to you while a look of sadness appeared on his face. You weren't used to seeing him like that, it probably happened only around the time of his father's death anniversary. You didn't like being the reason he looked so miserable, so as you got the coin back, you didn't feel the same happiness you had in finding it.

After all, it was just a coin. Your dad used to give you coins from time to time, but Bradley didn't have a dad who could do that for him.

Bradley gave you a faint smile as he sat on the sidewalk outside your house where you both spent all afternoon building paper aeroplanes and trying to fly them from your yard to the neighbours’ across the street.

“Bradley?” you asked, hesitant.

“Mh?”

Then you sat next to him, fiddling with the hem of your dress. “I’ll give you this coin but you have to promise me something.”

“Really?!” he almost jumped from happiness, making you laugh. 

“Yes, I know I’m only nine, but I’m a good friend,” you said wisely, passing him the coin, which he took with a bright smile. “You have to promise me that you’ll give it back when you’re finally ready to be my boyfriend.”

Bradley raised his eyebrow funnily. “You wanted Leonardo DiCaprio to be your boyfriend just yesterday.”

“Exactly, that was yesterday.”

“But we’re friends! We’re basically siblings, we grew up together!” Bradley seemed so confused, and that was the thing that most amused you.

You sighed, looking heavenward as if you were about to explain the ABC. “That’s the point, silly,  we’re friends and we always play together! We’re perfect for each other, Mama said that.”

Bradley seemed more confused than ever. “Your mom told you we’re perfect together?”

“Yes,” you said through gritted teeth. “She told me Leonardo DiCaprio is too old for me, to choose someone my age and I choose you.”

“I’m not sure that’s how it works…” Bradley’s frown was getting funnier by the minute, and it managed to wipe away your annoyance. “You can be such a weirdo sometimes, you know that?”

“Got it all from my Papa, I suppose,” you said proudly, suddenly standing up and starting to dance. “He says funny things sometimes that I don’t understand, like, yesterday I heard him on the phone talking to uncle Ice, and he goes like ‘Merlin told me that Wolfman got his F-somewhat fixed.’ It doesn’t make any sense, Merlin is a sorcerer, my friend Karen from school made me watch The Sword in The Stone! So no way he’s a friend of Papa, I know it’s only a cartoon.”

The laughter that escaped Bradley’s mouth was so free and pure and childish, and even though at first you didn’t understand why he was laughing so hard, you couldn’t help but join him  just a moment after. His laughter was your serenity, for in those moments you were the most alive even if you didn’t really know it at the time.

The crack of the door opening behind you interrupted that joyful moment.

“Y/n, Bradley, time for dinner,” your father appeared on the doorstep, inviting you to go back inside. “Bradley, your mum is coming to pick you up after supper, alright?”

Bradley nodded. “That’s okay, uncle Mav.”

Your father smiled at both of you, his eyes glistening with joy at seeing his daughter and his godson being so close. As a matter of fact, he always had those eyes whenever he looked at the two of you: both very happy and very sad.

You headed to the house, when you realised Bradley wasn’t following.

“What are you doing?” you asked as you turned around and saw him fiddling with his pockets.

“Securing the coin,” he shrugged. “No way I’m going to ever give it back to you, but I don’t wanna lose it.”

You rolled your eyes and tripped him, then reached your father triumphantly, intertwining your hands together and ignoring his disapproval of having Bradley stumble on your foot.

“Dad, why didn’t you tell me you’re friends with a sorcerer?”

“Earth to y/n,” you hear Penny’s voice interrupting your thoughts once again.

“I’m sorry,” you apologise, shaking your head and trying to also shake off the smile that won’t disappear from your face. “I got lost on a trip down memory lane. It happens quite a lot lately.”

“Is this memory lane’s name Rooster by any chance?” Penny leans towards you with an elbow on the counter, an eyebrow lifted up funnily.

If it was anybody else, you would have just kicked them and told them to fuck off, but this is Penny and she’s nice and probably the most sane person you know. Also, you kind of see her like your own mother sometimes - and the fact she’s one hundred percent banging your father definitely helps that thought.

“Nope,” you said, sighing. “Rooster’s the name of my mental fatigue. You can also call it either Bradley or Bradshaw.”

“I see,” Penny nods, trying to hide a smile. “Well, looks like your mental fatigue just entered the bar, so you either go rest or face it.”

With a wink, she’s out serving new customers.

Goddamn it, she’s good, you think, smiling. You better keep this one, Dad.

You finally decide to look up towards the entrance to see where Bradley is heading, discovering that he has spotted you already and is indeed heading your way. Something in your stomach sounds a lot like the roar of an F-18 engine, and you really wish it was the beer from before but obviously this is just the effect Bradley has on you now.

There was a time in your life when you would have preferred pulling 10 Gs every hour of the day rather than feeling this way for someone, but now you find that you don't mind it that much. Especially with him.

On the other hand, your nine year old self understood everything back in the day, didn’t she? Honestly, who would have thought.

"Chiquitita, tell me the truuuuth," Payback's drunk voice comes from behind you, and you turn to him and can't help but laugh at him and Fanboy pretending to serenade each other. "I'm a shoulder you can cry onnnn."

"Your best friendddd," Fanboy sings back, spreading his arms and tipping half beer over himself. "I'm the one you must rely onnnn."

“ABBA? Seriously?”

You turn your head so quickly you almost hear your neck crack. “The world is full of surprises, these days.”

Bradley sits on the chair next to you, his uniform flawless as his whole appearence. The moment you met a week ago after an awfully long time, you almost laughed in his face when you noticed the moustache. You just couldn't help it, perhaps because you would never have thought of him rocking that look, especially not after witnessing firsthand his dark phase in high school.

But the urge to laugh didn't last long when you realised how freaking hot he was with that moustache - which you find terrible on anyone else, by the way - and the hair so perfect. You barely recognised your childhood friend, that person to whom you gave that coin found on the sidewalk. 

You get lost in your messy head for the umpteenth time tonight, missing the moment Penny brought both you and Bradley another round of beer.

“Cheers!” Bradley says, taking a sip while you completely ignore your beer to just stare at him. 

All you want to say is that you’re sorry for how things went back then, sorry that you didn’t fight enough when your father hindered Bradley's career a few years back and that led you to go separate ways… Because you’ve always supported each other from soul to eyes. That’s what you were, that’s what you are, friends that belong together in this life and evermore.

But the only noise that escapes your mouth is one almost inaudible: “Cheers.”

“You know,” Bradley starts, “I get it if you’re still mad at me. It was me who left after all, I was put in a position where I couldn’t stay. But I’m sorry this affected our relationship, you’ve never stopped being my favorite person in the whole world. I just wanted you to know.”

He's looking at you with eyes that shine like pebbles washed by the ocean waves, and his smile ignites an inner fire in you you almost feel like truly burning. 

“I’m not mad, just-” you start, looking away and staring at the coaster as if it’s the most interesting thing in the room. “Just sad, kinda. We grew up together and I was so used to always having you around, and suddenly you were gone. And now you’re back again and I don’t know for how long, and I simply want things to go back as they were but I don’t know how or what to do.”

You dare to look up again to see his reaction to your words, and find him staring back at you, his mouth curled up in a wistful grin, as if he felt all those things too... Bradley nods weakly and then one amused snort comes out of his mouth.

“What?” you ask.

He shakes his head. “Nothing, I think I just have the solution to that.”

“Well?” you prompt as he keeps his silence. 

Bradley huffs out a small laugh while pulling out his wallet and, after fiddling for some time with it, he finally finds what he was looking for. 

“Open your hand,” he instructs you and you oblige with curiosity which turns into disbelief the moment a small, cold coin lands on your palm. Yes, that coin, the very one you’ve been thinking about just ten minutes ago.

“No fucking way,” is all you can say.

“Yeah, as it happens I can take care of things,” Bradley says, beaming at your incredulous face. You can’t help but turn the coin in your hand over and over again, trying to find something that makes you realise it's not really the same one, that Bradley is just fooling you. But the truth is, it’s really it. “I can still see your face back then when you found it, you felt like it’d make you rich or something. Then we discovered it was just a token.”

Surprisingly, you erupt into a loud laughter, causing some curious heads around you two to turn. It's true, though: that same evening you had found the coin, Bradley showed it to your father, praising how generous his daughter was - with an obvious tone of mockery - and Maverick broke your dreams by telling you that it was only a token.

“Oh my gosh,” you laugh, wiping some tears from the corner of your eye. “I remember.”

“And do you also happen to remember why you gave me this?” Bradley queries with both a curious and hesitant tone.

You nod. “I found it, you wanted it, I stamped my feet until you gave it back and then I gifted it to you.”

“Yes, and,” he replies, eyes narrowing a little as he emphasises the last word, “you made me promise I’d give it back to you when I was ready to be your boyfriend.”

All you want to do is sink your head in the sand and never emerge from it again, but somehow you manage to maintain a certain composure and pretend to suddenly remember, as if in reality you weren't thinking about it just a few minutes before.

“Ah, yes!” you shriek, pointing a finger at him. “Yes, and I remember clearly you said you’d never give it back to me ever again. So I’m confused now.”

“You were such a little menace at that age,” Bradley shakes in head, but he’s laughing. “It cracks me up that you had a crush on me when you were little.”

“I didn’t have a crush on you, for chrissake!” you protest. “I was only a little kid, I didn’t even know the meaning of it all. Well, if you really want to retrace all of our Hall of Shame, let me remind you that in high school you were the one who had a crush on me.”

“But you were with someone else at the time,” Bradley nods. “And then when you were ready, I was with that girl from Tennessee.”

“Yeah, and when we finally got to be reasonable and thinking that maybe we should’ve given us a chance, you left,” you can’t help but say, and you’re pretty sure it came out harsher than you meant it to be and feel guilty instantly, so you kind of try to make up to it. “And now we’re thirty-something and still a couple of fools, apparently.”

“I’m sorry about that,” he gently places a hand on yours and you feel the chills run from the point where your hands touch all along your spine. “If I could turn back time, I'd do things differently. I'd choose you a hundred times. If we won't sacrifice for love, it ain't love, right? That's the way it is.”

And what on earth are you supposed to answer to that?

Bradley just told you he loves you, who knows if he planned it or if he was just making a consideration and it came out just like that. And in that moment, with the simplicity but at the same time power of that knowledge, you can't help but think that falling in love with him was so easy that you almost didn't notice, as if it were normal... The most difficult part is probably realising it, coming to terms with that information.

“Unfortunately, as good as you are as a pilot, I don’t think you’re fast enough to fly back in time,” you try, joking. “But one thing you can do, Rooster, is ask me out if we ever get home from this mission all in one piece. And then we’ll see what happens.”

His face somewhere between amazed and joyful can't help but make you grin, and you almost feel like it gave you the power to truly step back in time to the moment you gave Bradley that famous token that's now back in your hand.

You realise that his hand is still resting on yours, so you slowly turn it so that your fingers intertwine with his. You don't care if someone is watching, you don't care if Penny has been spying on you out of the corner of her eye the whole time, you don't care if all around you there's a chaos of music and people chatting and dancing.

It's just you and Bradley in this not so new bubble of love.

#bradley rooster bradshaw #top gun #top gun 2 #top gun maverick #top gun rooster #bradley bradshaw #top gun: maverick #x reader #x female reader #rooster x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #miles teller #top gun x reader #top gun maverick x reader #bradley bradshaw fanfic #bradley bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw x y/n #rooster x y/n #rooster x you #rooster fanfic #top gun maverick fanfiction #reader insert #rooster bradshaw #rooster top gun #miles teller x reader #top gun headcanons #top gun maverick fic #top gun maverick fanfic #bradley bradshaw x oc #bradley bradshaw imagine

[dalchiid]

Hi hello how are youuuuu? I’ve been so busy but I’m finally all caught up (again), then I realized a new chapter will be up today (yay) so I’ll only speak about the elephant in the room in case the next chapter confirms any more of what I have in mind.

First of all, I can’t believe everything went down the way it did. I always knew Namjoon was a snake, but damn. I think the worst part about what he did to y/n is the fact he didn’t do it because he had some sort of grand plan in mind akin to world domination. No. He simply did it for fun. To fuck with her. Like a kid doing an experiment, and y/n was his lab rat. I’m glad Minjeong and Yoongi intervened when they did because it’s honestly crazy to think about how far Namjoon has and was willing to go with things.

Realistically speaking, Namjoon would be dumb to tell Hoseok he’s been having an affair with y/n. But the more I think about it, he literally loses nothing from telling Hoseok about y/n’s plans to escape. Affair aside, y/n confided in Namjoon about so much up until the very end and I feel like Namjoon is petty and reckless enough to use that to his advantage for another one of his games. Which makes me wonder will everything eventually come to light? I feel like Namjoon shouldn’t get away with the shit he pulled, then again any of the brothers (sans Yoongi, but especially Hoseok) finding out would be a death sentence for y/n.

Speaking of Hoseok: “he's good at pretending nothing is wrong for the sake of seeing how long you'll go on lying to him.” Oof I won’t lie. I got chills reading this part. It never occurred to me that Hoseok might be pretending not to know everything. With the way his mood changes so easily at the slightest things when it comes to y/n, I can’t imagine him allowing more substantial issues to fly under the radar. Then again, this is the guy who single-handedly kidnapped y/n while she was under the nose of her previous masters. He’s been incredibly manipulative from the start, that much we know for sure.

With that said, Thank You for giving us amazing chapters week after week & HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY I HOPE YOU’RE ALSO HAVING AN AMAZING WEEK !!!

— cloudy anon ☁️

Hi hi! Hello!

Namjoon would have definitely continued what he was doing if it weren't for Yoongi and Minjeong. Y/N would have never been brave enough to confess her feelings to him if it weren't because of them. Sadly things turned out the way they did but it's for the best because only god knows how long Namjoon would have continued messing with her otherwise.

Namjoon may or may not say something. If he knows what's good for him he won't otherwise he'll get the ass whooping of his life from his brother but he's confident that outside of that Hoseok would never detach himself from him. The brothers do love each other and all of their faults after all. But the question is will he? Will he ever tell Hoseok or anyone else what he knows about Y/N? Hm. I wonder 👀

Hoseok is good at playing aloof for his own gain but how far will he go? There's no ifs, ands, or buts that he doesn't know about the more intimate moments between Namjoon and Y/N but who's to say he doesn't know that something might be up? And he's great at manipulation. Maybe he's just waiting for Y/N to tell him herself.

And of course! I'll be here to hook you guys up for as long as I can and thank you! I hope life has been treating you well!

#ask #covetous #cloudy anon ☁️

[mugunghwc]

    a voice brought her back from the land of daydream; catching her off-guard & drawing her attention to the source of it. han joon-gi. the man that she had heard plenty about coming from her father, who spoke of him with a higher regard than someone his age. his new business partner. she couldn’t forget that face even if she wanted to—the image of his smile still engrained in her memory from the time she first met him. how sweetly did he smile at her; how dangerously charming, she thought. all of a sudden, she felt as if she couldn’t breathe around him—as if his very presence robbed the air out of her.

    “is your father around?” he asks after greeting her; her throat felt as if it was being constricted as she struggled to speak at first. her lips parted, but her voice was incredibly small. ‘he should be here soon. he told me he was stuck in traffic.’ the latter half of her response came with more force, but it was still tender, as if she had just learned how to speak. it received a nod of his head.

  ‘w-why don’t you come in? i’m sure it won’t take him long.’ she offers after realizing how crude she could’ve come across despite the staggering of her words. the last thing she wanted was to give him that impression. she would’ve welcomed him with open arms if she could.

   how something so innocent could make the temperature of her body rise all of a sudden? his ‘thank you’ enveloping her heart as if his words made out of silk; becoming tighter to the point of squeezing the blood out of it. her cheeks dusted with a rosy shade when she stepped aside & let him in. her body seemed to have frozen there, as she stood by the door until he spoke. once again, drawing her attention towards him like a moth of a flame. she was enamoured by his warmth despite everything about his appearance being cold. was she imagining it?

   “i heard your eighteen birthday was last week.” the man speaks all too casual; unaware of the inner turmoil that she experience whenever her eyes lay on him. her head perked up, staring with lips parted & only her breath caught in her throat. her head slowly nods & he smiles—that very same smile that she had given her upon first meeting. a smile that she kept thinking about even days after it all happened. it felt so genuine; nothing unlike the ones she was used to seeing in the faces of acquaintances & family friends that were just strangers with some connection to her father. there was always some ulterior motive lying beneath; something to gain from it. she was the daughter of choi gyeon-suk more than she was hana. even when all eyes were on her, she never felt seen, noticed. not the way that he made her feel: utterly exposed as if she was not a deer, but a doe in headlights unsure on whether to move, stand there or wait for her parents to come to the rescue.

    ‘y-yeah, it was. did my father mention something about it? how embarrassing...’ her voice was meek, but an attempt at carrying out small talk was made. she flustered & was compelled to look away; realizing just then how his stare both drew her in & repelled her. something so intense that could only be taken in small doses. she rubbed her elbow.

   “happy belated birthday, then.” his voice was smooth, just like butter. each syllable spoken with such cantor; with such confidence that was intimidating at best & frightening to a girl who stuck to herself. “—i didn’t bring you anything, but i will make sure to do so next time.” it was one of those things that people said & rarely ever meant it; the kind of response one would give in hopes the other person would either forget, or there wouldn’t be a next time. many tried to appease her father through her, but never did she feel as if someone meant it the way he did; like they were doing it for her, & not for any other reason.

    ‘thank you, but you don’t have to— ‘ this time, her voice rushes. speak now or forever hold your peace, but before she could get any further, he utters the words “i want to” ; making her fall silent almost immediately. her face, unbearably hot & her blush, so evident that she was sure he could see it from where he stood. both hands came to rest against her cheeks, as if trying to hide her blush—as if attempting to make her embarrassment go away, but to no avail. her eyes couldn’t possibly meet his any longer, as she was sure that in his eyes, she was only a child with no real experience with the outside world. she felt small in his presence; as if his shadow loomed over her & sucked the life out of her being. she couldn’t possibly think of what else to say other than: ‘thank you...’. her voice, just above a whisper as hands finally come to rest on either side of her body.

   he always greeted her whenever he was around. bowed in her presence, as if she was more than a mere child or the daughter of his business associate. whenever he spoke, it didn’t feel like an attempt at filling up the silence or pass time, but something genuine; asking what she likes & what she wants to do in life. however brief or menial these conversations were to him, each & every single one of them were kept in her memory as something precious—something that helped her out of this cocoon she had made for herself.

     ‘i hope to marry you some day, han joon-gi ♥.’

#.drabble / i hope someone still remembers #.long post #this seems so wholesome because hana was / can be cute #but then she becomes a bit too unhinged & obsessed lmao #anyway i wanted to write why she clings to han #keep in mind this is her perception of things & what was something special for her could've been entirely too casual for him.

[fireflykaizoku]

Heya! I know you’ve done 3 soulmate fics now, but with the sort of angsty feel with Mimi-ya’s request I was wondering if a Katakuri x reader, in regards to the age difference he had given up hope that it was even possible for him to have happiness outside of his family, would make for a good read and also possibly dangerous for reader to come face to face with Big Mom and all those siblings! Thank you x

Hii! i'm sorry i took long to finish it, but i kept watching OP and reading more about Katakuri, since it's my first time writing for him. Since i'm still on episode 850, i was afraid it'd be a bit ooc. If it is, i'm so sorry! my writing for Katakuri will improve as i finish the arc. I hope you like it anyway, it was fun to write it ❤

Your family was rich and well-known around the Grand Line. Being the only daughter, they were trying to find a husband for you, a political marriage that could be good for both families, especially yours. They had a list of potential husbands, but you didn’t bother checking it since you were too focused on your birthday party. It was a small party, just with close friends and family, but you wanted everything to be perfect.

And it was. You had so much fun around people you loved, it was hard to fall asleep after that; you were genuinely happy.

Before opening your eyes, you could already feel the sweet smell, something like candy, donuts or cake. Thinking it was maybe a belated birthday breakfast, you opened your eyes and was ready to jump out of the bed when you realized the bedroom was completely different from yours. And as soon as you looked down, you realized that body definitely wasn’t yours. The toned chest, tattoos and the scarf around your neck weren’t yours.

You could only feel happiness and relief, you were glad you already switched bodies with your soulmate. Who knew it’d be that fast? But you wanted to see more of him, so you got up and started looking for a mirror in his room. The reflection surprised you at first, not being the kind of soulmate you expected to have. He had tattoos, crimson hair, and apparently was very tall. In fact, he was huge. When you put the scarf down a little, you noticed he had scars, and you assumed that’s why he covered his mouth. He also had fangs, which you thought were extremely charming. He wasn’t ugly, in fact, he was far from that. He was very handsome. Intimidating, of course. But very handsome.

Looking around, you found a vest, and on the back, you noticed “Charlotte” written on it.

— Charlotte? — you whispered to yourself, thinking you’ve seen that name somewhere until you finally realized after a couple of minutes.

— He’s one of Big Mom’s son!

You remember when your parents were trying to find a husband for you, his name came up a couple of times. It was probably Charlotte Katakuri. You’ve never seen any pictures of him, but you knew he was a very strong and powerful man.

After a couple of minutes just looking at his figure in the mirror, admiring his traits, a knock on the door brought you back to reality.

— Katakuri-sama, it’s almost time for Big Mom’s tea party. — someone said, outside the room before leaving right away.

You heard about the famous Tea Parties, but you didn’t even know how to behave. You knew there would be so many people, powerful people, and some probably well known as well, so you couldn’t take the risk of things going wrong.

You couldn’t describe the relief you felt when you noticed a den den mushi in the corner of the room. Perfect! You’d call him, explain everything and hopefully he’d be there just in time for the party.

It took a couple of minutes, but finally someone answered. You got quiet for a moment, not knowing what to say.

— Charlotte Katakuri? — you asked, a bit nervous.

— It’s me. I assume you’re (L/N) (F/N)? — you hummed in response. — I see you’re my soulmate and we switched bodies.

— Yes, and you have a Tea Party to attend today. Do you think we can switch back before then?

— Unfortunately, no. Your island is quite far from the Whole Cake Island. Can you go instead? You’ll just have to sit without saying anything. It won’t last too long, and when it’s over you go straight to your room.

— But what if… I need to fight? I don’t know how to… — he interrupted you.

— Don’t worry, it shouldn’t have an attack. But if anything happens, look for Brûlée and explain everything. I’ll be there before the sunrise, and we’ll be able to switch back, hopefully.

He seemed so calm even in a situation like this. But following his advice, you went to the party. It was fun and there was delicious food everywhere, but you couldn’t disrespect your soulmate and remove the scarf off. Maybe when you switch back you can ask Katakuri to let you eat a few.

You started sweating whenever Big Mom or any of his kids got near you, trying to talk. So to avoid raising any suspicions, you just nodded the whole time. And whenever you heard a fuss, your soul felt like it’d leave your body, worried it’d be a confront. If you had to fight today, acting like Katakuri, you wouldn’t know what to do.

You were hungry, but too shy to ask for anything. As if someone heard your thoughts, a few small men knocked on your door, bringing donuts. Not just two or three, but many donuts. They bowed and left quickly.

After eating half of it, you fell asleep. You were very anxious since you’d meet your soulmate in a few hours, but your eyelids got heavier and you couldn’t fight the sleep anymore. You woke up a few hours later with someone gently tapping your arm. When you opened your eyes, you realized Katakuri had arrived.

You were still sleepy, and sat on the bed, rubbing your eyes until you actually felt awake. The height difference was quite a lot, and it was funny. You had to sit on the floor so the two of you would be face to face.

— Hello, Katakuri. — you felt incredibly shy now.

— Good morning. — he tried to hide the fact he was embarrassed, and was hoping you couldn’t hear how fast his heart was beating.

— This… Is it the time when we kiss?— you suggested, looking away. Would he think you were being too straightforward?

— Yes… We should… Kiss.

You pulled the scarf down slowly with your now cold hands. You closed your eyes, feeling very nervous. You kissed a few times before, but it still felt like something new. Especially now that it wasn’t just a random person, it was your soulmate.

Noticing you were waiting for him to make a move, he moved closer, sealing your lips together. Just a peck at first, until you gave him permission to deepen the kiss. Both of you were shy, and the kiss was a bit clumsy. Maybe he haven’t had many kisses too.

You didn’t have to open your eyes to realize you two had switched back, his big and strong hands holding your face was a sign that it worked. You rested your head on his hand, looking at him with eyes full of admiration and a soft smile on your lips.

— Aren’t you… Scared or disgusted? — he asked, feeling insecure now that his face was exposed to you.

— Why would I be? — you genuinely asked, smiling softly.

— Because… Of my mouth. I’m not how you probably wanted your soulmate to look like, and I don’t want you to think you have to put up with me because we’re soulmates. Now that we switched back, you can go if you want to. — his voice didn’t seem angry, as if he was demanding you to leave. It sounded sad, as if he had been through a lot.

You heart ached just to think that someone had the courage to hurt your soulmate.

Little did you know that many people treated him differently, not wanting to be around him or making fun of him because of his appearance; little did you know that while most of his siblings found their soulmates already, and he spent most of his life thinking he didn’t deserve his other half. Little did you know that he gave up on finding someone and started to deal with the fact that only his family would be able to love him.

But now, after meeting you, he threw his rational self out of the window. He felt like he could love someone; marry someone for a reason other than just a political marriage. But would you want him just like he wants you?

— We switched back, right? — you caressed his face softly. He wasn’t expecting it, no one has ever been this gentle with him before. — That means we’re in love.

— I don’t want you to be with someone like me, you’d only be in danger. — he turned his face not to see you. — You wouldn’t be able to deal with my siblings. It won’t be like playing house, and it won’t be like the marriage you might be expecting.

You got quiet, taking a deep breath. He wouldn’t push you away easily. Katakuri noticed your silence, and was expecting you to leave the room, agreeing that life with him wouldn’t be the perfect calm life you probably wanted. Instead, before he could even use his haki to have a glimpse of the future, you turned his face and pecked his lips.

— I won’t give up so easily. — you crossed your arms. — You’re my soulmate and I won’t leave you just because you think I can’t deal with a dangerous lifestyle. I want you, and if you want me too… We can make this work.

Looking at your face that was looking at him with love in your eyes, how could he say “no”? Maybe Big Mom would be willing to accept this relationship and give her blessing, and his siblings would be happy for him. He could even pretend it was all because of your family and their power at first.

His stomach started growling before he could say anything.

— I’m sorry, I only ate a few donuts while I was in your body. — you felt a little embarrassed about what you were about to ask. — But I wanted to eat some of the sweets yesterday. Do you think… — he didn’t let you finish the question.

— You can have the sweets, I’ll ask to get them delivered for breakfast. — he covered his face with the scarf again. — For now, you should sleep. We’ll have a long day meeting my family tomorrow.

#charlotte katakuri #katakuri x reader #one piece #one piece x reader #one piece scenario

[hazzasgayvodka]

Panty Thief - Harry Styles

So this is kind of a trial run for this fic, I’m inclined to make this a series but I’m not sure how the response to it will be. I have lots of ideas for more parts to this but only if it’s what the people want haha. Here is my belated Valentine’s Day gift to all you lovelies I hope you enjoy this heavy daddy kink/dom harry fic I’ve been working on for ages!

p.s. everyone say thank you Nathan for giving me lots of smut inspiration this is literally based on him sorta 

pairing: daddy!harry x oc

warning: sexual content, smut, daddy kink/dom vibes so if you’re not here for that this is not for you

word count: 5k

In which Harry is a new student at Harley’s university and he seems to just keep popping up everywhere. The tension between them is palpable and she can’t get away from him, especially when he happens to knock on her door with a pair of her favorite red lace panties she left in the laundromat dangling from his finger. 

I roll my eyes as the lady in front of me in line takes out yet another handful of coupons from her purse at the checkout counter. The cashier looks almost as annoyed as I am, but still sporting a smile despite the absolute exasperation rampant in her eyes. She takes the handful of coupons and starts scanning them begrudgingly as the woman digs around in her purse for anymore and I hardly even notice my foot tapping as my eyes instinctively roll once again. I just came to get toilet roll, ice cream, and a bottle of prosecco and the universe decides today is the day coupon Karen ends up at the checkout line five minutes before I do.

“I like your hair.” A voice speaks up behind me.

I know they must be talking to me, I don’t believe any other boring college blonde in this line warrants a compliment like that but the bright purple curls I sport tend to elicit quite the reaction from bystanders, especially the uninteresting conservatives of Publix.

“How do you uh, get it that color?”

I finally turn my head over my shoulder to face the voice, a tall guy with tousled brown hair and quite the shit eating grin on his face. He’s obviously very pleased with himself finally getting me to turn around but I can’t be bothered to entertain this excited puppy of a man with more than a word.

“Dye.”

I’ve barely even gotten the word out of my mouth before I turn back to face the cashier with an uninterested eyeroll. He scoffs behind me, clearly not giving up that easily.

“Wow,” He chuckles, “At least you’re straightforward.”

I turn back around without thinking to face him once again, “Hair dye, idiot.”

“Oh, well I could have guessed that much.”

I turn away from him again just as coupon lady finally pushes her rattling cart towards the exit doors and the cashier gestures for me to come up to the checkout. I drop my basket on the conveyor belt with a thud and she rings it up quickly, sensing my impatience and clearly wanting to get me the hell out of here as quickly as she can. I pay and grab my bags to head for the door and just before I’m home free the voice is suddenly behind me yet again.

“So, are you really not going to tell me?” He asks, catching up to me outside, “It’s going to keep me up tonight, I’m waiting with bated breath over here.”

“Tell you what exactly?” I huff, finally turning to face him.

“How you get your hair that color, of course.”

I roll my eyes, surely, he’s not keeping this bit up for the sake of hitting on me in the fucking supermarket, “Do you want something from me?”

He chuckles a bit, and I’m glad to see my utter frustration is amusing to him, “I mean,” He starts, rubbing the back of his neck, “Maybe your name would be cool.”

“No thanks.”

“Well, I’m Harry-“

I turn and walk away before he’s barely got the sentence out of his mouth. What was he even in line to buy? He wasn’t carrying any bags.

Mental note: always wear headphones to the grocery store.

 ***

“You’re late.”

I collapse in the seat next to my friend Danielle with a huff. She gives me a certain look that says something like you’ve been late the past three times too, but honestly at this point she should know to expect it.

“I’m always late,” I groan, attempting to lean back in the incredibly uncomfortable library chair, “So, why are we at the library?”

“We have a math test tomorrow, or did you forget about that?” She asks, scolding me over the top of her math book.

“Of course I remembered,” I say sarcastically, “Math is my absolute favorite subject how could I ever forget we had a test?”

She rolls her eyes, turning her book to the right page to start taking notes and I try my best to follow along, “So do you have a legitimate reason for the lateness or just regular Harley excuses?”

“Actually, I do,” I say matter-of-factly, sitting back up straight in my chair, “There was a freak at the grocery store, dude would not leave me alone.”

“What was he doing?” She asks, suddenly interested.

“Just talking? I guess? He like wanted to have a whole conversation waiting to check out.”

“So, a nice guy just struck up some conversation with you at the store and that’s a bad thing?”

“Yes,” I huff, closing the book once again, “I was just there to get groceries I didn’t need the extra human interaction.”

She opens her mouth to reply but she’s cut off as a group of guys walk in the front door of the library talking at full volume. I can feel almost every person in the room turn in the direction of the loud noise at the front and suddenly my eyes land on him. There’s no fucking way.

“Dani,” I whisper, sliding down in my seat so I can go unseen, “Dani that’s the guy, the guy from earlier.”

“What?” She whispers harshly, trying not to stare as the boys get scolded by the librarian at the front, “You mean grocery store guy?”

“Yes!” I huff, electing to sit in my chair backwards so my back is to him.

“No way Harley, it just looks like him-”

“No Dani, it’s him,” I whisper, “Tall one with the curly hair in the black hoodie.”

“That’s him?” She asks, “You had a problem with that talking to you?”

“Shh!” I huff, “God he’s going to hear you, are they still at the front?”

“They um, yeah,” She stutters, her eyes diverting to her book again, “They’re still up there, at a table now.”

“What’s wrong?” I ask, sensing the discomfort in her voice and turning around myself.

My eyes immediately lock onto his and I look away quickly, shielding my face from him with my hand and turning back towards Danielle.

“He’s staring right at you.” She says, trying not to be too obvious.

“Yep.”

“Are you gonna go over there?”

“Why would I do that exactly?” I ask, my eyebrow raised in disbelief.

“Because a hot boy is staring you down across the fucking library!” She whispers harshly, reaching over to smack me in the arm.

“More like a fucking psychopa-”

“Hey there,” I hear his voice cut in and my whole body cringes in on itself without my volition, “Fancy meeting you here.”

I turn around in my chair, forcing myself to face him while my whole face heats and I’m sure I’m the color of a rather ripe tomato. Something about the way he says hey there in that fucking accent makes my entire body tense up.

“Hey there,” I mimic, “Long time no see.”

I feel Danielle’s eyes on me as the words come out of my mouth, her gaze flickering between the two of us and watching the horrifically awkward exchange play out in front of her.

He laughs, electing to lean on the table, “What are you doing after this?”

“She’s doing absolutely nothing.” Danielle answers for me and I kick her under the table, making her wince.

“Glad to hear it,” He grins, his eyes zeroing in on me once again.

“I’m very busy actually,” I cut in, closing my textbook and throwing it in my bag, “We both are, but um, I’ll see you around.”

Danielle is looking at me with eyes the size of dinner plates as she frantically packs up her stuff, shoving it in her bag to follow suit. I stand up from my chair, slinging my bag over my shoulder and he rounds the table to stand right in front of me, the only thing between me and the front door.

“Can I at least get your name?” He asks, his voice incredibly deep clearly for only me to hear.

“Harley,” I quip, side stepping around him, “See you later uh, Harold is it?”

He gives me a very particular look as I walk away from him, taking steps backward and relishing in the smirk on his face. He knows what I’m doing. I feel Dani’s hand grab my arm and I finally turn around to face the door, walking through it, but even as I’m outside and carrying my feet down the steps I feel his eyes on me, drilling into the back of my head.

“The hell was that?” Danielle asks, “He was so cute and you just, you just blow it like that?”

“Harmless flirting.”

“You call that flirting?”

“Oh Dani,” I sigh, taking out a cigarette and lighting it between my lips, “I call that winning.”

 ***

I’m woken up with a start when I hear the loud roar of music start from Dani’s room. She always blasts music in the morning while getting ready for class. I look over my shoulder to check the time, at least she waited until 10 to start with the noise. My head is pounding ever so slightly, and I realize why when my eyes land on the empty bottle of pink Moscato on my bedside table.

I drag myself out of bed and into the tiny common space between our two rooms, “Good morning sleeping beauty,” Danielle teases, “I noticed the bottle of wine went missing from the fridge.”

“That’s bizarre,” I joke, “Must be a wine thief in the dorms. I’ll get on that mystery right away.”

She shakes her head at me, rolling her eyes as I grab my basket of laundry from my room. I slide on a pair of slippers electing to go put it in the wash, so I hopefully have a single clean pair of jeans for class tonight. I call to Dani letting her know I’ll be right back and as soon as I open the door to the hall I’m staring at him.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” I groan.

He stops dead in his tracks, taking a glance over his shoulder to see me standing in my doorway. He’s dressed in only a towel, holding it closed while it hangs low on his hips. His hair is wet, clearly making his way back to his room from the showers and his chest and arms are rippling with muscles under his damp skin.

God those arms could crush me like a grape.

“Morning neighbor,” He grins, clearly getting a kick out of this, “Someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?”

“You’re in this building?”

“You bet, room 7C down the hall.”

“Well, neighbor, for future reference, most people in this building take their clothes to the shower with them.”

“You Americans,” He chuckles, starting to walk away from my doorway, “So prude, have a nice day Harley.”

He disappears down the hall and then behind his door and my mind gets to work on picturing what he looks like without the towel. You can nearly feel the tension between us in the air, it was palpable. I could even feel his eyes on me, looking me up and down and lingering on my lips. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to clear my head as I take a deep breath and start on my way to the laundry room downstairs.

I put a load in the wash, briefly tuning into the dramatic soap playing on the tiny TV hung on the wall. I decide to head back to my now empty room since Danielle left for class and end up wasting most of my day away on a bad Netflix original movie, only pausing half way through to go move my clothes to the dryer.

I order a pizza for dinner before my night class and go back downstairs to grab my laundry out of the dryer. Just as I’m opening the dryer and emptying my clothes back into my basket I get a text that the pizza guy is downstairs waiting for me.

“Shit, shit, shit.” I huff under my breath, quickly shoving all my clothes in my basket and slamming the dryer shut behind me.

I rush back to my dorm, chucking the basket of clean clothes inside before heading to the stairwell and nearly sprinting down them to get to the ground floor. I meet the rather impatient pizza guy downstairs before bringing the food back up to my room. I’ve just barely finished the first slice half way through a Criminal Minds episode when there’s a knock at the door. I groan, dragging myself from the couch and tossing the blanket off.

I open the door, rolling my eyes, “Dani, you have got to start remembering your key when you-” I’m cut off as I come face to face with him rather than Dani, “Oh, um, hi?”

“Hi,” He repeats, now dressed in a pair of grey joggers and a plain black t-shirt, “I believe you dropped something in the laundry room earlier.”

He reveals his arm from behind his back, holding out his hand with my bright red lacy thong dangling from his pointer finger. I can feel my entire face heat to match the shade of my panties, but I won’t let him get the satisfaction. I go to snatch them from his hand, but he stops me, gripping them in his fist instead and using them as leverage to pull me a bit closer to him.

“Probably want to be a bit more careful where you leave your panties lying around, darling,” He smirks, “Unless you want to leave them on my bedroom floor of course.”

It’s the final straw, those few words spoken in his deliciously deep voice absolutely dripping with that amazing accented tone, on top of the way he’s dressed, every muscle visible beneath the fabric of his t-shirt. I don’t know what I’m doing until I’m pulling him to me by my own grip on the lacy underwear between us, my mouth meeting his and his teeth instantly biting my bottom lip between them.

“Yours or mine?” He breathes out, pulling away from me just long enough to get the words out.

“Where’s your roommate?” I ask breathlessly.

“Vacation,” He says, “Till Wednesday.”

“Yours,” I laugh, pressing my lips back to his, “Definitely yours.”

He walks me backwards down the hall to his dorm room, shoving me up against the wall as he unlocks the door, his lips working down my neck. As soon as the door is open he walks me through it, bending down to grab the backs of my thighs and hoisting me into the air. He kicks the door closed with his foot and I laugh against his mouth as he carries me past his bedroom doorway, slamming that behind us as well.

He lays me out on the bed, nearly tossing me right on top of the mattress, my lacy red underwear still gripped in his hand.

“Any chance you got something this cute under there?” He chuckles, holding them up in both hands to really show them off.

“Why don’t you come find out?” I tease.

He rolls his eyes, finally kneeling onto the edge of the bed and crawling over to me. He starts to lean over me, but I shove his shoulder, forcing him to lay against the mattress before swinging my leg over him. I can feel him underneath me immediately and it makes my legs clench together on either side of him.

“Hi,” I breathe, planting my hands on his chest and meeting his eyes.

“Hi,” He repeats back to me, that bright smile of his making my stomach flip, “You gonna come down here or...?”

“Oh, shut up,” I laugh finally leaning down and connecting our lips once again.

His lips are ridiculously soft against mine while the feeling of his muscles under his t-shirt are quite the opposite. He reaches up to cup my face with both hands, trying to somehow pull me closer as if we aren’t close enough as it is. I can’t figure out exactly where I want to put my hands; his shoulders, his biceps, god, in that amazing curly hair.

My hips start to move against him without my volition and he groans into my mouth, a deliciously deep reverberation that makes me grind my hips into him even more. He grunts against my lips, finally pulling away and resting his forehead against mine instead, breathing heavily.

“You alright there tiger?” I tease him, threading my fingers through his hair, “Need a breather already?”

“Shut your mouth,” He chuckles, grabbing me around the waist and trying to flip us over so he’s on top.

He greatly underestimates the size of his twin dorm bed when he does so, both of us rolling off the edge and tumbling to the shag carpeted floor beneath us. I expect the mood to be ruined, for him to get up and usher me right out the door because how awkward is this, right? I’m beyond surprised when he starts laughing, both of us splayed flat on our backs and heaves out a sigh as he rolls over to face me again.

“That was pretty smooth of me, eh?” He jokes, “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

I shake my head, chuckling too, “No I’m okay, just gonna have a massive bruise on my ass most likely.”

He laughs again, finally pulling himself to his feet and offering me a hand to help me up. I’m not sure what I expect past that, maybe a hug to send me on my way now that the atmosphere has completely changed but that tension is still between us, the same tension that’s been building since the moment he said a single word in the supermarket.

The second I’m back on my feet he shoves me onto the bed and I can’t even begin to hide the shock in my features. He’s back on top of me in seconds, his lips pressed to mine and I’m sure the surprised whimper that leaves my mouth fuels his ego to the gods.

“You alright there tiger?” He mocks, and I resist the urge to reach up and slap him.

“Careful.” I quip, pulling away from him to meet his eyes.

“Careful?” He asks, quirking up his eyebrow at me, “I’m sorry are you telling me what to do sweetheart?”

I gulp, the smooth but stern voice he’s using making my thighs quiver. He seems to notice, his eyes darting down between us and a small chuckle escaping his lips. He looks back up at me, his eyes dark and brooding, before they flicker to my hands at my sides. He grabs my left wrist roughly, holding it above my head against the mattress before doing the same to my right arm as well. I’m nearly squirming underneath him, my entire body steaming to the touch as his eyes bore into mine.

“Something wrong, love?” He asks, the condescending tone to his voice making my whole body shake.

“Course not,” I pant, my breath coming out heavier than I anticipated, “Just fuckin peachy over here.”

He chuckles a bit, his grip on my wrists growing tighter, “You’re not very patient, you know that?”

I’m not sure what it is that’s making me writhe the way I am; perhaps it’s the countless months I’ve gone without sex since my last messy breakup, or maybe it’s the way in which this all panned out with a stranger over some fucking underwear, or fuck, maybe it’s just him and the way that cocky smirk on his face makes my insides twist.

“Patience is a virtue,” I say carefully, making sure to keep my tone even, “I’m more about vices.”

His left hand releases my wrist and I prepare myself for his hand reaching where I need him most, sucking in a breath between my teeth and letting my eyes flutter closed but it never comes. My eyes peel back open to see his hand hovering over my neck instead. He meets my eyes before his fingers finally grace the skin of my throat, applying just the slightest bit of pressure almost as if to test the waters.

I’m nearly dizzy as he does so, the temperature in this room suddenly a million degrees. He removes his hand again, the pressure around my throat leaving me and I whimper in distaste, making him chuckle again.

“Poor thing,” He chastises, my legs clenching together on either side of him, “I can’t do it all though, if only there was a way I could hold down both your wrists and choke that pretty neck.”

I watch his hand dig into the pocket of his joggers and once again pull out the thin red lacy fabric of my panties, holding them between us.

“Mind if I use these?” He asks, clearly knowing the answer but wanting to get a reaction out of me anyways.

“Yes, god,” I gulp, “Please.”

He grabs my hands, moving them completely above my head before wrapping the panties around them a few times, tying them together. He tugs on them a bit to make sure they’re pretty secure before looking back down at me, his eyes completely blown out in lust, his pupil swallowing his surrounding iris.

His lips are back on mine in seconds, his now free hands roaming my body before one hand rests on my neck, gripping the sides and applying a bit more pressure than the last time. I whimper into this mouth and curse myself for doing so as soon as my eyes flutter open to see that cocky smirk on his face once again.

“Eager, sweetheart?” He teases, and my hand reaches up to smack him before I remember I’m bound in a pair of my own underwear, “Ah, ah, be a good girl and stay still.”

Hearing the words good girl come out of his mouth makes my entire body squirm and he grins again, that lopsided condescending grin and I know he’s getting off on this, making me writhe underneath him. He leans down to kiss my stomach, hiking my shirt up as he goes before working his way down and tugging my pants down my legs. I hold my breath in anticipation but when I look down the bed to meet his eyes he simply kisses the inside of my thighs, ghosting his mouth over the thin fabric of my panties.

“Fucking please,” I beg, my breath coming out in heaves, “Is this some kind of joke to you?”

“Please what, princess?” He asks, my legs threatening to squeeze his head between them, “Tell me what you want, hm?”

“You cocky bastard,” I huff, my mind getting fuzzier by the second the closer he gets to my center, “You know what I want.”

He stops abruptly, sitting back up from his small assault on my inner thighs, “What did you say, love? Care to repeat that? Couldn’t quite here you down here.”

There’s an edge to his voice, like glass, it cuts right through me and makes my thighs quiver, “N-no,” I stutter, “Didn’t say anything.”

“That’s what I thought,” He grins, leaning back down between my legs, “Now be a good girl and tell me what you want me to do to you.”

I suck in a breath sharply, but I won’t let him know how his words affect me, “Oh daddy,” I mock, rolling my eyes, “Need you so bad.”

He grabs me by the ankles, flipping me onto my stomach and sends an echoing smack to my ass, the stinging sensation that radiates afterwards making my toes curl. He flips me back onto my back, his dangerously dark eyes meeting mine as he spreads my legs apart once again, holding my thighs down against the mattress.

“Want to try that again, princess?”

“Fuck,” I gasp, the edge to his voice making the whispered swear fall from my mouth involuntarily, “Um, yes.”

“Yes what?” He growls, leaning down to hold my jaw in his hand, his eyes drilling into mine waiting for a response.

“Yes daddy.”

“Now you’re getting it, good girl,” He grins, his hand that was gripping my jaw moving to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear, “Now open up,” I oblige, slowly opening my mouth and he pushes his middle and ring finger past my lips. It catches me a bit off guard, but he only nods his head, “Get them nice and wet for me love, don’t want to hurt you.”

He pulls them from my mouth, a small string of saliva connecting them to my lips. He chuckles a bit, clearly getting a kick out of how worked up I am for him before finally pushing my panties to the side and pressing his fingers into me. I instantly turn my head to the side, muffling the moan that escapes my mouth into my pillow. As soon as he realizes what I’m doing he grabs me by the hair, holding my head straight.

“None of that,” He says sternly, “Wanna hear your pretty sounds, babygirl.”

I’m dangerously close to the edge just from the words pouring from his mouth in that accented tone that makes my entire body shiver. That condescending smirk finds its way back to his lips and I know that he can tell I’m close, just teetering on the edge already.

“Needy little thing, are we?” He teases, “Already gonna cum and daddy’s barely touched you yet.”

His words are almost just enough to push me over the edge, but I hold off as much as I can, straining away from his touch as much as I can with my hands bound above my head and his weight on top of me. I feel the particular twist in my stomach, that burning sensation in the very pit of my abdomen just as my eyes squeeze shut and my vision goes white. His fingers work me through it, his mouth finally hovering over where I need him most, sucking my sensitive bud into his mouth and making me shake.

I feel his fingers withdraw from me and suddenly he’s pushing them past my lips once again, but this time I taste myself on them, swirling my tongue around each one to suck them clean. I meet his eyes as he pulls them from my mouth and my hips involuntarily buck up to meet the bulge prominent in his pants.

“Still needy, are we?” He chuckles.

“Please shut up and take your pants off already.” I beg, my hips bucking up to meet him again.

“You see I would but,” He starts, sitting back on his heels, “It seems I don’t have a condom, would you happen to have one?”

“Would I, no, you have got to be fucking kidding me,” I stutter breathlessly, my blood starting to boil in disbelief, “What kind of guy doesn’t keep a pack of rubbers around you idiot?”

“Careful,” He warns, his voice dropping into that deep calculated tone that makes me shiver, “And perhaps a guy that just moved in this week and hasn’t necessarily had buying rubbers on the mind,” He says, “That is until he met a spunky purple haired girl in the supermarket.”

His words make my stomach do a few somersaults, but I don’t let it extinguish the pissed off fire burning in my stomach knowing that I won’t be getting the relief I desperately need right now.

“You’re serious?” I ask, “You don’t have any?”

“Serious, darling,” He chuckles, “But instead of moping about it, you’re going to take what I give you and say thank you daddy when I’m done, understand?”

I nod my head vigorously, despite wanting to do the exact opposite. What kind of hold does that goddamn accent have on me?

“Good,” He smiles, clearly pleased with my response, “And maybe if you’re a good girl next time daddy will remember to hit the store.”

“Next time?” I ask, not filtering the shock from my voice.

He laughs a bit, reaching up to finally untie my hands, “Yes, next time, did you want this to just be a one-time thing, princess?”

I can’t form the words I want to say as I sit up a bit, rubbing my wrists only slightly from the rough fabric of the lace wrapped around them, “I um, I don’t-”

“That’s what I thought,” He smirks, standing from the bed and holding out a hand to me, “Now come on, didn’t you get pizza?”

I smile, taking his hand and starting to stand to my feet, my legs a bit wobbly and I’m thankful for the stability of his arm to lean on.

“Do you have anything to uh,” I start, cringing when I feel the wetness in between my thighs, “Clean up with?”

“Nope,” He says cheerfully, “You keep that pretty mess I made between those thighs, babygirl.”

My knees nearly buckle, and I’m cursing him for his lack of condoms and the ache between my legs as I pull my pants back on, following him to the door to the hall. He stops abruptly just inside the doorway, turning back to meet my eyes.

“What’s my name?” He asks cheekily.

“Harry,” I say confidently, “Why? Are you worried I forgot already?”

He grabs my ass in his hand tightly, squeezing the skin, his voice calculated, “I said, what’s my name?”

I gulp, leaning into his grip on me a bit more as my knees wobble, “Daddy.”

He releases his grip on my ass, giving it a quick smack, “’Atta girl, let’s get some pizza in you so you’re ready for round two,” He grins, throwing his arm around my shoulder and tucking me into his side as we walk down the hall to my room instead, “Maybe after we can hit the store, I seemed to have forgotten to pick something up last time I went.”

#harry styles #harry #harry styles smut #one direction #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles blurb #harry styles writing #one direction smut #harry smut #harry styles oneshot #daddy!harry #dom!harry #sub!y/n

[bounce-a-coin-off-your-witcher]

Trick or Treat

The next A Very Bouncey Halloween installment and a belated birthday gift to my darling @veritasrose. Thank you so much for the last year of friendship, I look forward to celebrating with you again. <3 you are much loved.

tw: curses, Geralt is an idiot, competent Jaskier

---

Light flashes through the room and momentarily blinds Jaskier, who stumbles back against Geralt. He mumbles an apology to the ever-sturdy Witcher as he waits for his vision to return and when he blinks clearly for the first time after a few long moments, the bard feels utterly and totally confused by the scene unfolding before him.

The Duke’s grandest ballroom, which had been bustling with excitable party guests only moments ago, is now flooded with ghouls, ghosts, vampires, and monsters of all sorts. A woman with swan’s wings is huddled in one corner, squawking angrily at anyone who tries to draw near. A minotaur stumbles through the center of the dance floor, lowing in frustration as he tries to control his bulky limbs. Two werewolves wrestle for dominance atop the furthest banquet table to their left. As Jaskier takes it all in, he feels Geralt’s hands wrap suddenly around his bicep; the Witcher is clinging to Jaskier fiercely, leaning his not insignificant weight against the bard’s side as his eyes grow round and watery.

“What’s happening?” Geralt finally asks. His tone of voice seems breathy and high, filled with a terror - almost totally foreign to Jaskier’s ears. Geralt fears nothing and yet… “Let’s get away from this dreadful place, please!”

“Aren’t you going to try and solve this problem?” Jaskier asks, glancing at his companion. He gestures at the various monsters roaming freely past the buffet table. “You’re likely the nearest Witcher, after all.”

“I’m no Witcher,” Geralt declares. He splays a hand over the very center of his blue velvet doublet (a nearly perfect imitation of the way Jaskier reacts to a perceived offense). “I am a Count. Witchers are dirty things, not meant for such a public life as my own.”

“For fuck’s sake, Geralt, now is not the time for a prank of this nature,” Jaskier huffs. “Something is clearly going on here. We need to help these people!”

“I know something is wrong,” Geralt sniffles - fucking sniffles - and squeezes the bard’s upper arm even more tightly. The sound of Geralt crying shakes Jaskier into understanding, even as Geralt begs: “But I don’t know how to help! Please get me out of here, Milord, I’m scared.”

Milord? Jaskier mouths to himself, even as he wraps one comforting arm around Geralt’s waist and ushers him away from the growing chaos at the center of the ballroom. Jaskier hurries them down one suspiciously empty hallway after another until he reaches the small suite that he had accepted as payment for his performance at the party. Jaskier ushers Geralt inside and locks the heavy oak door behind them.

“My Lord Geralt,” he gets the not-quite-Witcher’s attention. “Do you mind taking a seat by the fire for now? I’ll be right with you as soon as the room is secure, and then we can figure out what’s going on and what to do from here.”

“Yes, Milord,” Geralt nods. He hurries to comply with Jaskier’s request, to the bard’s continuing shock and awe, and stays still and quiet as Jaskier removes his doublet and rolls up his sleeves. Using the strength he’s spent twelve years at Geralt’s side developing, Jaskier shoves a bookcase, a dresser, and an unfortunately designed roll-top desk in front of the locked doors for added protection.

Moving behind Geralt with practiced efficiency, Jaskier also closes, shutters, and locks every window in the room, pulling the curtains closed to keep any light from spilling out and alerting stray creatures of their presence.

When he’s finished locking down all of their room’s possible entrances and breathing hard from exertion, Jaskier tugs the Witcher’s xenovox from his bag and flips it open, waiting with bated breath until Yennefer’s irritated voice snaps: “What do you want, Geralt?”

“Who is that?!” Geralt cries from his place near the fire. He has a white-knuckle grip on the overstuffed armchair he’s perched in and his clothing is mussed; Jaskier motions for him to be quiet and Geralt bites his lip, worrying the soft pink skin between his unusually dull canines.

“Was that Geralt?” Yennefer asks. "Did Jaskier summon me?"

“Yes and yes,” Jaskier replies. “I think he’s been cursed or enchanted or something. I was hired to play at the Duke of Rinde’s All Hallow’s Eve celebration and Geralt accompanied me - even dressed up for the occasion - but something happened at the party and now he’s acting strangely. I don’t know what to do.”

"What's happening?" Yennefer prods.

"Geralt is acting rather out of sorts. He’s speaking strangely, he wanted to flee the party rather than investigate the source of the changes-”

“What changes?”

“Everyone sort of… Well, a good portion of the party guests suddenly transformed into their costumes,” Jaskier explains, his speech stunted by his disbelief. “I know it sounds incredible, and it was! One moment we were all enjoying the music and the next… there was a minotaur and a mermaid and a faun… Geralt went nearly mute and started clinging to my arm like some sort of aristocratic maiden!”

“Oh shit,” Yen groans.

“Who is that?” Geralt repeats. Jaskier continues to ignore his companion. He knows that the moment he turns his attention to caring for Geralt, he won’t be able to tear it away again, and he needs to finish this conversation with Yennefer first.

“Why are you swearing?” he asks the sorceress. “What is it?”

“Geralt asked me for advice about this stupid ball a few days ago, while you were busy making arrangements with the Duke. He wanted to impress you with his All Hallow’s Eve costume and prove that he could be just as fancy and well-mannered as all the other men of your status.”

“Why in the world would Geralt want to dress up and act like a nobleman? It makes no sense! He detests small talk, he hates vanity, and he finds most men of my station to be cowardly and overly delicate - myself included! I just- I don’t quite understand why he’d go through all of this just to impress me. Or why he thinks this kind of thing would be impressive in the first place.”

“Jaskier, please tell me that you aren’t as stupid as our mutually beloved Witcher…”

Jaskier considers for a moment, pondering the things that he does to impress Geralt: gathering wood, learning to cook with game meat, preparing the Witcher’s potion ingredients while he's out on hunts, organizing their packs when they're spiking camp, brushing Roach’s mane… Realization dawns suddenly and all at once. He has a moment of pure understanding, a moment much beloved by every poet, bard, and playwright across the Continent: “Oh.”

Yennefer gives a tired laugh. “Yeah.”

“So he’s stuck as… a noble?”

“I suppose,” she sighs. “I’ll portal you to my location and we can figure things out in peace. Get your things together, I’ll open it up in precisely five minutes.”

“What’s happening!?” Geralt demands. Jaskier pulls the Witcher/Count to his feet and bows shallowly.

“I am Jaskier Pankratz, Viscount de Lettenhove. I will be your protector and chaperone for the foreseeable future, Your Lordship,” Jaskier bows shallowly. “I’m going to gather our things together and then we are going to meet up with a very lovely sorceress, Yennefer of Vengerberg.”

“Is she a friend of yours?”

Jaskier barely manages to hide his surprise at Geralt’s utter lack of recognition. His memories of Yennefer have also been taken, then.

“She’s a mutual friend.”

“Are you my friend?”

“I would like to think so,” Jaskier smiles. Geralt remains oblivious to the bard’s heartache, even as he curls himself against Jaskier. He tucks his face against Jaskier’s shoulder and sobs quietly. The bard runs his hands comfortingly up and down Geralt’s spine for a long, soothing moment. The smooth, royal-blue velvet tickles his fingertips. “Shh, dear heart. I’ve got you. Everything will be alright, I swear.”

“I trust you,” Geralt whispers.

Just as Jaskier is about to reply, Yennefer’s portal snaps open in the center of the room. Jaskier hands Geralt a set of bags and hauls his own over his shoulder. “Time to go, Your Lordship. Just take one little step…”

---

“Do you know who I am?” Yennefer asks. Geralt shakes his head before burying his face in the back of Jaskier’s shoulder-blade.

“I’m so frightened, Milord.”

Frightened? Milord? Yennefer mouths. Jaskier shrugs nearly imperceptibly and makes a panicked gesture in the Witcher’s general direction.

“I don’t know what to do either!”

“Well, start from the beginning. Tell me what happened at the party before all of… this.”

Jaskier recounts every detail he can remember in the most straightforward way possible, momentarily renouncing his poetic skills in favor of efficiency - for Geralt’s sake, of course, not Yennefer’s. When he's finished he asks: “And you said he did all of this to impress me?”

“Yes.”

“But why?” Jaskier repeats his earlier question. Yennefer understands that his meaning is different; Jaskier understands that Geralt is interested in him romantically, but the bard can't seem to get it through his head that Geralt has deemed him worthy. Although, knowing the Witcher, he isn't even sure how to go about doing such a thing in the first place.

"I just... I don’t quite believe you," he adds.

“He loves you,” Yennefer reiterates. "And now he’s stuck like this until the effects of the spell wear off, so I suggest you take his precious Lordship to one of my spare rooms and make yourselves comfortable. I’ll see you both for breakfast, providing the magic is null and void by then.”

“And if it isn’t?”

“I hope you enjoy small talk, you bardic bastard.”

Yennefer smirks and disappears from the room in a whirl of black and white silk, the scents of lilac and gooseberry curling through the air in her wake.

Geralt clings to Jaskier’s bicep again as the exhausted bard stands, keeping his larger body pressed against the human’s side as if Jaskier is the one who wields the Witcher’s swords. “So I’m under a spell?”

“Yes, darling.”

“At least I have you here to protect me, Jaskier. You’re so brave and strong; my hero!”

“It’s usually the other way around, dear heart, but I appreciate the sentiment. Now, how about we find a comfortable place to bed down for the night, Milord?”

"Alright."

Jaskier moves Geralt's hand so that it's curled around the inside of his elbow, the proper etiquette for a platonic escort, and leads him quickly down the long hallways of Yennefer's sprawling manor house. He chooses the blue-themed bedroom at the back of the East Wing, far from the sorceress' own suite of rooms.

He has to help Geralt change out of his lordly costume, the Witcher-turned-Count fumbling uselessly at the laces and buttons as if he'd never seen a fastening before in his life. Geralt whispers shyly as Jaskier pulls a nightshirt over his head: "Thank you again, Milord Jaskier. I feel as if I can't help but continue indebting myself to you."

"Think nothing of it, dear heart," Jaskier smiles, ignoring the pang in his chest. "I am happy to help you."

Jaskier tucks Geralt into bed before changing into his own nightclothes, tossing his things back into their travel bags as he swaps outfits. He feels Geralt tense up when he sits on the edge of the bed and his eyebrows narrow in concern.

"Are you alright, Geralt?"

"Are you going to share a bed with me?"

"Would you rather I didn't?" Jaskier answers with a question of his own.

"I... I wouldn't mind it if we shared."

Jaskier wishes he had Witcher sight, so he could catch a glimpse of the blush no doubt attempting to stain the Witcher's face. Despite the mutagens, Geralt's face still went pale pink when he encountered a strong emotion. It was adorable. And incredibly rare.

As soon as he pulls the covers over his chest, Geralt glues himself to Jaskier's side, snuggling close. "Feels safer," he says in lieu of explanation.

"Goodnight, dear heart."

"Goodnight."

---

"Fuck," Geralt groans, sitting up in bed. Jaskier sits up beside him, wiping the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Good morning, Milord," he teases.

"Shut up," Geralt groans. Jaskier does get to see him blush this time, and the bard revels in it; he would trade all the gold in the world to see Geralt flush like this. "I can't believe I cried on you!"

"It was rather adorable, actually."

"Hmm."

"Still..." Jaskier reaches out, tentative, and cups Geralt's cheek with his palm. He turns the Witcher's face and locks their gazes together, blue meeting gold. "Still, I think I prefer you as you are. My big, strong Witcher who cares so much about defending the little guy. Willing to step in and help wherever and whenever he can."

Geralt's eyes get a little glassy and he leans forward, pausing and letting Jaskier make the final decision. The bard meets him halfway, pressing his lips against Geralt's without any sense of urgency at all. It's warm and sweet, time fading away as they let their feelings pour through this one simple gesture. When they pull apart again, Geralt gives a surprised, lopsided smile. "Oh."

#geraskier #geraskier fluff #a very bouncey halloween #geraskier first kiss #geraskier and buffy #btvs au #geraskier fluff and silliness #curses #cursed geralt #nobleman geralt #yennefer was there #bamf jaskier #competent jaskier

[crimsonxblaze]

snooze in

hitsuhina week 2021: @hitsuhina-week (belated) gift exchange 

rating: k for: @canariie author’s note: hello! i’m so sorry this is so late, but i hope you enjoy this domestic fluff piece! i haven’t written hitsuhina in years but i still adore them as much as ever, so i hope this is as in character as possible. 

The rays of the bright morning sun kiss his sleeping figure, urging him to return to consciousness. A soft groan escapes his lips as he forces his eyes to open, slightly disoriented by the sudden waking. He blinks a few times, his vision soon clearing as he stares up at the ceiling. It doesn’t take long for him to finally comprehend his surroundings. 

He can hear the soft snores of her next to him, alongside the incredible warmth snuggled against his side. His arm feels a little sore after supporting most of her weight, but he doesn’t dare move. Instead, he twists his head only slightly to look down at her, coming face to face with a mop of dark brown tresses. 

It appears she’s only shifted closer to him during the night, remaining glued to his side as he feels one of her legs stretched on top of him. He doesn’t really mind though; having Momo wrapped up in his arms is his favourite place to be.

But as he glances at the clock hanging on the wall facing their bed, he knows he cannot stay here much longer. There is far too much paperwork he still has to complete thanks to Matsumoto’s regular indolence, and Ise has sent each division notices about overdue documents needing to be completed. 

Toshiro lets out a soft grumble in irritation at the thought. 

He really doesn’t want to leave Momo here alone in bed when it’s supposed to be their day off. He knows she’ll understand his reasons for departing so soon, she always does. But for once, he’d like to neglect his duties if it meant he could have a few more minutes with her. 

A quick glance at the clock again tells him that his time is up, and there’s no room for further delay. Perhaps if he finished this fast enough, he could return to Momo’s warm arms. 

With that thought in mind, Toshiro gathers up the resolve to leave the cocoon of warmth he’d been engulfed in. He glances around for a way to move without waking her, only to find that she’s snuggled even closer into his side. 

Toshiro smiles to himself a bit. 

Five years ago, he wouldn’t have imagined she’d be such a clingy sleeper. They may have slept in the same room as children while living with their grandma, but that was different. Obaa-san had always opted to sleep in the middle as she let them cuddle against her. 

Since then, they’d never shared the same sleeping quarters until Momo had asked to move in with him. That first night had been admittedly quite awkward. Toshiro hadn’t wanted to overstep boundaries by accidentally taking over her side of the bed (he’d been told by obaa-san before that he was a bit of a blanket hog), so he had placed a pillow in between them while Momo was getting ready.

He could remember her reaction to it very clearly, her expression shifting from shock to disappointment, to slight hurt, and he hadn’t known how to remedy it. 

“Toshiro-kun?” she’d asked, unmoving from the door as she stared at the set up of their bed.

“Yeah? What’s wrong, Momo?” he asked, a bit hesitant. 

She turned to look at him, biting her lip. 

“Are we sleeping with that pillow in the middle tonight?”

He scratched the back of his neck, taken aback by her disappointed reaction. He’d thought that she was aware of his blanket problem, or maybe a bit uncomfortable with sharing the bed so soon since they hadn’t for a long while now. But apparently not.

“I thought it would be more convenient for you, but I can remove it.”

She frowned, “Convenient? Why?”

“Are you not uncomfortable with sharing the bed already?”

“I was the one who asked to move in with you, Toshiro-kun. I wouldn’t have asked if I were uncomfortable with sleeping with you,” she explained, the hurt dissipating into understanding. 

“Both ways,” she muttered under her breath, so softly that anyone else with untrained hearing wouldn’t have heard. But he had, and the tips of his ears turned red at the thought. They hadn’t reached that stage yet, but he could foresee it happening in the near future. 

“I’m sorry for misunderstanding, Momo,” he apologised sincerely, “I should have asked you first.”

She smiled at him, shaking her head as she moved over to the bed. Momo lifted the pillow dividing the bed and placed it above hers, climbing into the bed. 

“It’s alright, Toshiro-kun. But now that’s out of the way, I can do this.”

He didn’t know what he’d been expecting but certainly not Momo boldly wrapping her arms around him to cuddle as she tangled their legs together. Toshiro had noticed that since the beginning of their relationship, maybe a little while before that, she’d grown somewhat bolder. It was a refreshing development, seeing the usually so polite and shy Momo grow more confident in herself again. 

This confidence included taking a lot of initiative in their relationship, much to his surprise. He was usually the more direct one of the two, but Momo had switched their positions and swept him off his feet. He wasn’t complaining though. 

Toshiro would never admit it out loud, but Matsumoto had been right. If Momo hadn’t made the first move, he wouldn’t have made one to begin with. He hadn’t wanted to burden her with his feelings, not since she was still recovering from Aizen’s betrayal. All he’d wanted was to ensure she was safe and happy, even if it wasn’t with him. 

Yet as luck would have it, she’d found both with him.

And he would spend his long years of living ensuring that she always would.

When he woke up the next morning, he’d found Momo still snuggled in his arms, as though she hadn’t moved the entire night. It was then that he began to realise that he’d been an idiot for thinking she would be uncomfortable. All this time, she’d wanted the same thing as he: to fall asleep and wake up in each other’s arms. 

It’s unfortunate that this morning however, Momo would be subjected to an empty bed as he’s forced to attend to work duties early on. That is, if he’s even able to wriggle out of her hold. 

One of her arms spread across his chest has tightened around him, leaving him unable to slide out without prying her hands off him. Instead, he decides to work on freeing his legs first. Perhaps that will cause her to roll over just a little. 

With much effort, Toshiro begins his escape. Fortunately for him, Momo isn’t applying as much pressure with her leg as she had been, allowing him to slide one of his legs away. He awkwardly tries to slide his other leg away, his right foot already brushing the edges of the wooden floor. 

He’s only managed to free both his legs from under her when the hand across his chest grips onto his shirt, giving him pause. Toshiro looks down to see her tugging him back, the leg sprawled over him moving beneath the sheets to find his freed legs. Her eyes are still closed but she seems intent on keeping him in bed. 

“Where are you going, Shiro-chan?” he hears her sleepily ask, her voice croaky from hours of misuse. She grips tighter on his shirt, trying to pull him closer to her. 

“I have to finish off some paperwork, Momo,” he tells her gently, although without resisting her effort to pull him back. After all, how can he resist her?

Momo still doesn’t open her eyes, instead shaking her head. She shifts closer to him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. The scent of peaches wafts strongly against his nose, a scent he’s strongly acquainted with home. 

The more she acts like this, the more his resolve to step out of bed dwindles. 

“Rangiku-san can do it,” she mumbles, her warm breath fanning against his neck.

He hums softly, bending his head down to press a soft kiss against the top of her head. 

“It’s because of her that I have to do it myself.”

Momo buries her face against him even more, shaking her head. She swiftly locks her legs around him, catching him off guard with her iron grip. It’s not often that he experiences her being so possessive, but he quite enjoys the experience. 

“Stay with me, Shiro-chan,” she says, squeezing his side. 

“Momo, I-”

“Please?” 

He can just imagine the pout she’s sporting without even seeing her face, and immediately his resolve disappears. It’s not as though he’d been putting up much of a fight anyway. Ise and the paperwork can wait, there are more important matters for him to attend to.

With that in mind, he surrenders completely to Momo’s warmth. 

Toshiro pushes himself back into the bed, shifting to get comfortable again. He turns a little on his side, allowing himself to scoop her into his arms as he holds her tight against him. Now that he’s much taller, Momo feels so petite in his arms. 

Momo squeezes him as he rests his chin on top of her, sighing. He closes his eyes. 

Matsumoto can take care of the work just as she should’ve. This is where he’s supposed to be.

His whole body relaxes. Toshiro’s breath simultaneously evens out with Momo’s and the pair soon surrender to the welcome embrace of a morning slumber. 

//

As though it’s déjà vu, the sun's rays shine brightly against her eyelids. It pulls her from the depths of her peaceful sleep, forcing her back into reality. With great effort, she flicks an eye open, wincing at the bright light before she opens the other. She blinks furiously, trying to readjust to her surroundings.

Her body feels awfully heavy, both from hours of oversleeping and the strong arm wrapped tightly around her waist. Momo looks down to see Toshiro’s arm clutching her waist, and she smiles to herself. 

Normally neither are too touchy in public, but once they’re alone and away from prying eyes, she can become particularly clingy. But she’s not the only one. Over the years they’ve spent together as lovers, she’s come to learn that her Toshiro really enjoys placing her arm around her waist. 

He’s also especially fond of spooning her in bed, with him as the big spoon as he keeps her enveloped in his arms. They hadn’t exactly spooned last night, but she can just tell that neither had separated from each other’s side despite the sheer size of their bed. 

Momo’s gaze shifts from his arm to look right at his face, her smile growing fonder. His peaceful look is something she’s only privy to, especially when he’s known to always glare or look somewhat grumpy to his subordinates. But during sleep is when he finds true peace, allowing himself to be fully vulnerable under her watchful eye. 

She knows that she could probably stare at his face all day if she could, but he’s particularly sensitive to her gazes. Sometimes she’ll just be staring at him from afar, and suddenly his eyes will snap to hers with a brow raised. 

Though interestingly enough, he hasn’t seemed to notice her staring yet. Surely he should be awake by now?

“Are you enjoying yourself, Momo?”

His husky voice, ridden with hours of sleep, startles her that she almost jumps in surprise. He hasn’t opened his eyes yet, but she can see the faintest curl of the sides of his lips. 

She pouts, lightly pushing his shoulder. “How long have you been awake?”

He opens a turquoise eye to look at her. 

“Long enough.”

Momo reaches forward to gently caress the side of his face, watching as he nuzzles his cheek against her palm. 

“I did though.”

“Hmm?”

“I enjoyed looking at your sleeping face, Shiro-chan,” she admits, her gaze never leaving him. 

He raises a brow, cheeks beginning to flush a little pink. 

“You did?”

Momo nods, smiling at him. “You’re very relaxed and peaceful when you sleep.” She lightly traces the dip between his eyebrows. “There are also no wrinkles,” she teases.

“I don’t have wrinkles.”

She raises a brow, her eyes twinkling in mischief. “Are you sure you don’t? You do tend to frown a lot.”

“You can blame Matsumoto for that.”

At the mention of Rangiku’s name, Momo’s eyes widen. She can vaguely recall having woken up earlier this morning actually, but she remembers Rangiku’s name being spoken clearly.

She tears her gaze away to look at their wall clock, a soft gasp escaping her lips.

Toshiro moves slightly to sit up, looking at her. “What’s wrong, Momo?”

She looks at him, her eyes still wide. Oh no. It’s already two o’clock, far later than either of them have ever slept before. Not to mention that she’d seen the notice Ise had given his division on Friday about the overdue paperwork that needed to be completed and submitted by three o’clock on Sunday. 

It was highly unlikely that Rangiku had done it herself, leaving Toshiro in charge of the matter. But he had been here with her this whole time, sleeping.

Momo bites her lower lip in guilt. 

“It’s already two…”

He raises a brow, nodding slowly. “It is.”

“Toshiro-kun, don’t you remember? You had those stacks of paperwork you needed to submit by three today. I’m not too sure Nanao-san will be too happy about the delay.”

Toshiro doesn’t reply immediately, opting to gaze at her silently for a few moments. It slightly bothers her, the way his expression doesn’t change as he stares, and how he hasn’t said anything yet. Is she the only one who sees the issue here?

Then suddenly, he shakes his head as he lets out a soft chuckle. 

Momo blinks, confused.

“Toshiro-kun?”

“Did you really think I didn’t remember?”

She frowns. “I know you wouldn’t, but I don’t understand why you’re still here then if that’s the case.”

He reaches out to lightly ruffle her already messy morning hair, catching her off guard. Why is he acting so nonchalant about this?

“That’s because of you.”

“Me?”

He nods. “Yes, you.”

Momo scrunches her nose, pointing to herself. “I don’t understand how I could be the reason when I’ve been asleep this whole time.”

“No, you woke up earlier when I did.”

“I did?”

Toshiro nods, “I tried to get up to do that paperwork but then someone refused to let me go.”

She blinks at the revelation, frowning.

“I don’t remember that.”

“I don’t expect you to.” 

He shrugs, sitting up more to rest his back against the headrest.

“But you did pull me back to bed and told me to stay with you. You also said that Matsumoto would do the paperwork.”

Ah, that must be why she remembers Rangiku’s name. She’d uttered it out loud earlier this morning, as a protest against Toshiro leaving her side according to him. 

The truth makes her blush in slight embarrassment. She knows she can be clingy, but never to this extent. Momo only hopes that he hadn’t minded it. It’s her fault now that Toshiro couldn’t do his work. 

But before she can look down and allow herself to take all the blame, Toshiro’s hand comes to gently tilt her chin up to look at him. She blinks, staring into his eyes in confusion, but his eyes are warm.

He rubs her cheek with his thumb. “Don’t blame yourself, Momo.”

“But I-”

He shakes his head before she can fully protest.

“I wasn’t putting up much of a fight either. I didn’t exactly want to spend my Sunday morning doing paperwork Matsumoto should’ve done when I could be staying in bed with you, so I’m glad you asked me to stay.”

Toshiro leans forward to press a soft kiss against her forehead, Momo closing her eyes at the contact. His lips are warm to the touch, far less chapped than anyone would initially expect. They’re soft and supple and feel especially good against her own. 

“I don’t think Rangiku-san’s finished it. She probably forgot.”

He cracks a smile as he pulls away, nodding in agreement. “I don’t expect her to have remembered it either. But it doesn’t matter. The paperwork is Matsumoto’s responsibility first and foremost, not mine.”

She scrunches her nose when she realises his train of thought, lightly swatting his shoulder. 

“Shiro-chan, that’s rude.”

“But it’s true, isn’t it? It’s been decades but she still hasn’t changed.”

Momo can’t find room to argue when it’s true. As a lieutenant, completion of a majority of the division’s paperwork fell under their job description, not the captain’s. While lots of captains and lieutenants tried to divide the work between them, oftentimes the captain became too distracted with other responsibilities that the burden fell on their vice’s shoulders instead. 

Luckily for her, Shinji was pretty good at multitasking. He often tried to lessen the load on Momo by doing as much as he could, which she was grateful for. On the other hand, Rangiku had never been known to enjoy paperwork or administrational duties like she had. Rather, she had a particular tendency to drink large amounts of sake when she could, leaving her unable to complete her duties. 

As a result, Toshiro had often been burdened by doing everything himself. Momo tried to pop by and help him a couple of times, but he was stubbornly against her help. He’d argued that she did enough paperwork on her own already, he wasn’t about to let her do some more. 

Even still, she could see how much it drained him sometimes. Rangiku had been getting better at doing it over the years, but she still had her habits. 

“Mm, I suppose so,” she admits quietly, sitting up next to him to rest her head on his shoulder. 

“So a day for sleeping in with you shouldn’t be a problem. Kyoraku won’t mind.”

She nods in agreement. Kyoraku was a lot less strict than Yamamoto had been, while Nanao had become his stricter right hand. 

“I think we should do this again.”

“Do what again?”

Momo smiles at him, “Sleep in again. We’ve never woken up this late before.”

Toshiro muses to himself quietly, before letting out a soft hum. They are both quite early birds, though Momo liked to sleep in a little more whenever she had her days off. 

“Alright then.”

She grins, wrapping her arms around one of his. “How about we also stay in bed the whole day today?”

“The whole day?”

“You don’t have anything planned today do you?” She raises a brow at him, only to be met by a shake of the head. 

“Not that I recall, no.”

“Good,” Momo smiles. “Then yes, we can stay in bed the whole day today. It’s called a Lazy Sunday, Shiro-chan.”

“What about food? Don’t we need to eat?”

“I can ask someone to get us food. Are you hungry right now?”

Toshiro shakes his head, “Not at the moment. But I think you are.”

At that, her stomach begins to let out a low growl, yearning for food to quench its hunger. Momo’s hands immediately fly to cover her stomach in embarrassment, her cheeks burning up.

He only looks at her with a slight smirk, to which she pouts as she swats him away. 

“I may be a little hungry.”

“That doesn’t sound like a little.”

She huffs, “Okay maybe not. But I’ll go ask someone to get us food first.”

Before Momo can call out however, he places a hand over hers. She looks at him with a brow raised. 

“How about we go get something to eat together, and go back to bed when we’re done?”

Truthfully she doesn’t want to leave the bed at all, but the longer she sits here, the louder her stomach cries. It continues to prod her for food and she doesn’t want to reach the point where her stomach starts to ache from hunger.

Momo sighs in reluctance. “I guess we’ll have to.”

Toshiro eyes her in amusement. “We’ll come straight back here after, Momo. Don’t worry.”

He begins to open the covers, slipping out of the bed in one fluid movement. Toshiro extends a hand out to help her get up, grasping her hand tightly to keep her steady. 

“And then we can have our Lazy Sunday?”

He nods, kissing her temple. “And then we can have our Lazy Sunday.”

Momo grins to herself, squeezing his hand tight. Today is looking to be a really good day. 

#hitsuhina #hitsuhina week #bleach #toshiro hitsugaya #momo hinamori #hitsugaya x hinamori #hitsuhinaweek2021 #otp: watermelons and peaches #fandom: bleach #my writing #ahhh so sorry for the lateness #but hope you enjoy it!

[marjansmarwani]

I’m far away, but I am right there 

1.6k || ao3

While TK is fighting the wildfire Carlos does his best not to worry. Mostly, he fails. Fortunately for him, he has someone on his side too. ---- Missing moment (I'd like to think) from 2x03

A slightly belated gift for the wonderful @lonestarbabe! I originally was working on something completely different, but I wanted to give you something with some Mya. I hope you enjoy it 💕

Beta’d by @officereyes and title courtesy of @firefighterstrand 

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

The weeks-long battle against the San Angelo fire continues at this hour, with officials now saying the blaze has consumed more than 180,000 acres with less than 5% containment. 

They had the news on again. 

Carlos did his best to ignore it, willing himself to focus solely on his paperwork and nothing else. 

Response teams are exhausted, most of them having been in this fight for days now in dangerous and inhospitable conditions, grabbing what little rest they can, here on the front lines of this inferno. 

But it was hard when all his brain wanted to do was worry about TK. His boyfriend was 200 miles from home on the front lines of the worst wildfire in Texas history, and tidbits of information like that were not helpful in lessening his worry.

At first he told himself it would be fine, it would just be a day or two before they’d have the fires under control. But as one day stretched into several and then became a week, it became harder with each passing breath to not focus solely on this fear. He wondered if this is how his past boyfriends had felt about his job. Secretly he doubted it; not because of the lack of risks, but because of their lack of investment. But if they had ever felt even an inkling of this, he was sorry he had put them through that. 

Distantly someone made a smartass comment about the coverage and Carlos clenched his jaw in an effort to not bite their head off. He was writing with just a little bit more force than usual when the chair beside his desk was suddenly filled as his partner plopped down next to him, eyebrows raised: “you look like a walking tension headache.” 

“With observation skills like that it’s a wonder you haven’t made detective yet.” 

Mya raised an eyebrow at his tone and his words, “and so pleasant too.” 

Carlos put down his pen and sighed, running a hand down his face before turning to face her, “I’m sorry, I’m just a little…”

“Tense? Worried? Acting like a dick?” Mya provided helpfully. 

“Yes, yes, and I’m sorry,” Carlos replied, glancing over his shoulder at the news footage still running, “I just hate thinking about it. I hate that he’s facing that,” he gestured to news currently showing what seemed to be just acres of flames and a permanently smoke-filled sky, “and there’s nothing I can do about it.” 

Mya’s expression softened as she leaned closer, “I hate to break it to you Carlos, but you’re human. Those feelings come with the territory. Especially when you’re in love.” 

That caught Carlos’s attention. He had returned to his paperwork, but now he faltered in his writing, pen pausing on the form he was filling out, freezing before he slowly looked up to meet his partner’s knowing and marginally smug expression. He shook his head, “I’m not...I never said…” 

Now Mya scoffed, “Please. Like it’s not painfully obvious to everyone but the two of you.” 

She looked at him expectantly, but Carlos was quiet after her words and her knowing grin shifted into a frown, “That’s not a bad thing, Carlos. You two love each other. In most universes, we call that a good thing.”

Carlos was quiet again before he turned to look at her, “yeah, I know.”

She waited but he didn’t elaborate. “And?” she prompted, “I feel like there’s a but.” 

“But,” he agreed, “I just never really thought about it before, you know?” 

She still looked puzzled but when he glanced at the news again, something seemed to click in her mind: “You’ve never said it to him.” 

Carlos peeled his eyes away from the new footage to meet hers once again, “No,” he agreed quietly, “I haven’t.”    

“And now you’re doing your pessimist thing and wondering if maybe you won’t have the chance now.” 

“I am not a pessimist,” Carlos objected hotly before deflating, “but yes. I mean, Mya, he’s on the front lines of the worst wildfire in Texas history. And he’s an incredible danger magnet. I’m just…” 

“Worried,” Mya finished, and Carlos nodded. “Got any advice for that?” he asked in what he hoped was a joking tone, but judging by her expression, he failed. 

“Trust him.” 

He looked at her sharply and she shrugged, “What? You two are the type of couple I use to remind myself love does exist and it’s not all a con by the wedding industry. I don’t really think the universe will pull you two apart just yet. TK is good at what he does, don’t forget that.” 

“I know he is, but…” 

Mya scowled at him and picked up one of the paperclips on his desk to flick at him. He swatted it away and gave her a look of indignation, “what was that for?” 

“For being a pessimist again. Stop it. There’s no use dwelling on the worst. Have a little faith, Carlos.” 

“I never thought I’d see the day when you’d be the one telling me off for being a pessimist.”

“Neither did I, but here we are. I don’t like it either, so you better get out of this funk ASAP.” 

Carlos rolled his eyes but was distracted by the sound of his phone vibrating on his desk. Mya followed his gaze to it as he picked it up, “Is that him?” 

He shook his head as he read the message, frown deepening, “no, it’s his mom.” 

“You’re texting his mom? And you’re having doubts about your feelings for him?” 

“I never said I was having doubts about my feelings,” Carlos countered, “and it’s practical. He doesn’t get a lot of time to make calls so we keep each other updated when one of us hears from him.” 

“What does he have to say? Are they wrapping up?” 

“No,” Carlos said grimly, setting down his phone, “his dad is missing in action.” 

“What?”

“Apparently he was doing an aerial search and his helicopter went down, inside the active burn zone.”

“Shit.”

The two partners sat in silence for a few moments before Carlos finally asked the question echoing in his mind, “what are the chances TK doesn’t end up going after him, even though he was told to stand down?” 

“Little to none.” 

Carlos sighed, leaning forward and pinching the bridge of his nose, “that’s what I thought.” 

“Hey,” Mya said bracingly, leaning forward, “don’t forget what we just said. Your boy’s smart and good at what he does. And he has something pretty special to come home to. He’s not going to do anything stupid. Well, nothing really stupid,” she amended when Carlos gave her a skeptical look, “he’s going to be fine, and back before you know it.” 

“I hope you’re right,” Carlos replied quietly, “you have no idea how much I hope you’re right.” 

Mya gave him a sad smile, leaning across his desk to place a comforting hand on his arm, “Lucky for you, I usually am.”

Despite everything, he smiled, “Yeah,” he agreed, “you usually are.” 

“I am so glad to know you have finally admitted my brilliance,” she quipped with a grin, “but that also means you should believe me when I say that it’s going to be fine. You just need to believe in him, and trust him.”

Carlos was quiet again for a few moments before he responded, voice thick with emotion, “I do,” he told her, “I do believe in him and trust him. More than anyone else.” 

“Then all that’s left for you to do is wait, and be ready to be there for him when he gets home.” 

Carlos turned his head, glancing at the news coverage again. It still looked like hell on earth, and he still hated the thought of TK anywhere near it, but Mya was right. About so many things. He did love TK, and he intended to tell him. But that would have to wait for when he came home, and Carlos would be ready for him. For whatever he needed. 

“Thank you,” he told Mya, “really.” 

Mya smiled at him: a sweet and sincere thing. She rose from the chair beside his desk, squeezing his arm as she moved away, “Anything for you two. I’m rooting for you, you know. Can’t have my favorite couple falling apart on my watch.” 

“Are you shipping us?”

“Who isn’t?” 

With that, she turned to leave and Carlos called after her, “Just wait until you find that someone. I am never going to give you a moment of peace so you’ll know exactly how it feels.” 

“That is a risk I am willing to take,” Mya called over her shoulder. 

Carlos rolled his eyes at her, still smiling at her antics until his gaze caught the phone in his hand once again and he could feel the fear rise up again. He knew Mya was right, TK was good at what he did. That didn’t quell the fear; the enormous weight of knowing someone you loved was in need of help that you couldn’t provide. It made him feel helpless, and Carlos Reyes did not like feeling helpless. 

Mya was right about something else too, he thought as he put his phone down and forced his focus back to the task at hand. His boyfriend would come back home. And when he did, he would need someone to lean on. Carlos fully intended to be that something, but until then he just needed to trust TK. 

In so many ways trust and love were the same thing; so as long as he loved him, he could trust him too.  

#911 lone star #911 lone star fic #911ls #carlos reyes #my writing #userkimmy #userac #userjilly #tuserpaige

[bitters-enthusiast]

birthday fic but belated

@timmys-and-scribbles i love you and i am sorry in advance if this is long and cheesy but

1. that’s julian and

2. that’s just showbiz babey

happy belated birthday bestie i hope you enjoy

“No, you don’t understand! Please, I’ll-- I’ll beg on my knees if I have to!”

Julian could be seen, and probably heard, from a block away pleading a poor man operating a gondola on the canal, and it didn’t look much like the man was giving in to him either. 

The man shook his head, planting his hands on his hips. “You-- you don’t have to get on your knees. But I still can’t do it, I’m sorry. It’s too short notice.”

The sob that came from the redhead next was anything but subtle, and he shoved his face in his hands. “Please. Please, sir, everyone else has cancelled on me. Don’t you want to be the minority?? Wouldn’t that be a more interesting story for you?? Please, I’ll pay double, I just need this ride tonight. It doesn’t have to be all night, even just an hour if I could--”

The gondola rower rolled his eyes. The dramatics were a bit much, but Julian had good selling points. “Fine! Fine, if it means you’ll leave me alone and I can get back to work, I’ll do it for double.” 

Julian almost screamed in excitement, and grabbed the man by his shoulders. He gave him a little shake, beaming a smile from ear to ear. “Thank you! Thank you, you’ve saved me. Thank you. I’ll see you in a few hours!”

--

After having shaken this man nearly to death, Julian decided it was time to start grocery shopping. If he was going to plan the perfect dinner for his perfect partner in crime, he wanted to have the perfect ingredients. After all, a pirate couldn’t ask someone to court him if he didn’t at least offer food and drink. . . right? 

He didn’t want to stress about it. This day was already a long time coming, but every time he thought he’d worked up the courage, he found it all lost again when Julianne teased him, or plotted with him another sneaky escapade. This woman definitely, without realizing, always kept him on his toes. And he wanted to return the favor, at least for tonight. Besides, a fun date never hurt anybody, even if he didn’t wind up asking her to be his girlfriend. 

The doctor spent about an hour or so shopping around for a dinner worth remembering. It took some time thinking of recipes he knew from the top of his head, but he settled on something fond from his childhood. Something Mazelinka almost always made, and almost everyone always liked it: soup. You couldn’t go wrong with a perfect soup dish paired with bread. Plus, looking for fresh ingredients and bartering with the merchants kept his mind off of the pent up anxiety he was feeling about everything. At least a dinner he was making by himself couldn’t be cancelled last minute. 

He’d finally settled on everything he needed, and was beginning to head back to the ship. He was carelessly swinging his bags back and forth, whistling a merry little tune to keep him in high spirits. 

The high spirits lasted all of five minutes to keep his mind off his worries.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Julianne, speaking to a familiar baker about eating some lunch. She was ordering some food when she caught him out of the corner of her eye, and excitedly called him over. 

Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no.

She wouldn’t notice the bags, right? Of course she’d notice the bags. But he could just pass it off as stuff for the crew! Or maybe he could just pretend as if he didn’t see her--

Of course he couldn’t do that. 

Awkwardly, he put his arms behind his back, the bags hanging over them. He gave a strange smile and headed toward Juli, giving a head nod of acknowledgement. 

“Heyyyyyyyy... how are, uh-- whatcha up to?”

The woman raised a brow, a smile on her lips as she had just finished joking with the baker. “I’m........ ordering food. Why are you being weird?”

Uh oh.

Julian gave a dismissive ‘psh”, his face turning into an expression of confusion. “I’m not being weird. You’re weird for asking that, Juli. Anyway, what’s on the menu? What’s, uh, what’s for lunch?”

Julianne immediately knew something was up, but she wouldn’t press him about it until later. For now, she’d give him a bit of a hard time about it to see if he’d spill. “Food. Looks like,” she leaned over a bit, just a small part of his groceries in view, “you also have food on the menu.”

He leaned the opposite way, trying to make the bags less noticeable from her angle. “Oh. Oh! These, right. Yeah, Cap sent me out for errands today. You know those men, uh, always hungry! Yeah, can’t go forever without snacking, even if there’s only four of them on ship!”

A small laugh came from Juli. Yeah, she’d have to find out later. “Right. Well, I have to go eat before I go back to my own errands. Would you like to join?”

Why’d she have to be so sweet?? It made him all the more nervous, and he wasn’t being a very convincing actor at the moment. “Oh, I wish I could, darling! But Cap has been on my ass this morning about staying on task! We all know how, um, fleeting time is! I’ve gotta go, don’t worry about me, I’ll see you later on board, right?”

Her eyebrow still raised, she adjusted her own bag and nodded. “Ri--”

“Okay! Perfect! Amazing, and even perfect, you could say. Oh. Wait, I said perfect twice. Anyway, farewell! See you tonight.”

Juli watched as Julian walked away backward, still trying to hide his groceries. As he finally got further away, he tried turning away quickly to take off running, but accidentally bumped into a busy woman passing by. He apologized promptly and profusely, making sure she was at least okay before taking off again. 

Yeah, he was up to something.

--

It finally had gotten darker outside, the sun setting as Julian strode back toward the boat. After a few hours, he had prepared dinner, finalized the gondola plans, and had even set up an nice surprise afterward to make sure everything was picture perfect. As if he hadn’t used the word ‘perfect’ to describe what he was going for all day. With his hands in his pockets, he’d finally settled down on his way back toward the ship, fairly confident in how the night would go.. at least for now. 

As he got closer to his familiar home of sorts, excited to meet Julianne and to get the night started after all this planning he’d done, Julian stops aboard the ramp of the ship, watching as Juli was mid-conversation with his crewmate and co-captain, Gerard.

Damn it. Here we go.

Forcing a smile, he stepped closer to hear their conversation.

A hearty laugh came from the crewmate, one that sounded incredibly devious to Julian’s desperate ears. “He really lied to your face like that, Miss Juli? Ah, you know I’d never treat you that way~”

Shut up. Shut up, Gerry. Not tonight.

Julianne would have been seen to smirk, rolling her eyes. “It’s not that he lied maliciously. I’ll still get him back for lying. But I know he’s doing something behind my back. I’m just confused as to what it is.”

Gerard leaned back against the rail of the ship, giving a nonchalant shrug. “Still. You know, it’s taken him far too long to commit to you. Maybe it’s time you give the ol’ captain a try. I,” a puff of his chest, and he placed his hand upon his heart, “wouldn’t have made you wait this long for me to meet up after lying to you, maiden.”

It was taking everything in Julian to not barge into their conversation immediately. The confidence he’d built on the way back was slowly diminishing, but he’d wait a few more seconds to see where this conversation went. 

“Co-captain, Gerard.” Julianne shook her head in amusement, also taking a seat on a nearby barrel. Might as well make herself comfortable as she waited. “How would Zora feel if she heard you giving yourself all the credit?”

“Hopefully very, very awfully.” Gerard chuckled as he ran his fingers through his hair. “But my point remains. See how he still isn’t here? That just proves my--”

If Julian wasn’t known for dramatic entrances, then the sky wasn’t known to be blue. As if on cue, interrupting Gerard as he tried to make his “point” was easy as pie for Julian, and he climbed aboard with the biggest, most confident grin he could muster to save face. “Julianne, my love!” He greeted as if she were the biggest and most important guest he could ever serve, stepping between the two to swoop her into a hug. “I’m terribly sorry it took me so long to get back! I got caught in a scuffle between two men arguing, and you know I can’t resist a good fight.” The last lines were said between almost-gritted teeth, and Julianne pulled away from his hug reluctantly.

Like her expression was before at the marketplace, she had her eyebrow raised in suspicion. “Is that so? They didn’t happen to also be the ones to eat your snacks, were they?”

Gerard chuckled from behind, making himself comfortable both physically and in conversation. “I’d say Ilyushka has a bit of a hole to dig himself out of here, hmm?”

Begrudgingly, Julian turned to look at Gerard with the same forced smile. 

“Don’t you have a hole to dig yourself into, co-captain? Go find some buried treasure.”

A laugh from the man, as well as a clever reply, “Ah, but why would I go search for one when there’s one perfectly right before my eyes?” He flashed a smile in Julianne’s direction, and then gave an innocent, seemingly curious head tilt to Julian. “Oh, unless you couldn’t see that for yourself. It seems that eyepatch gets in the way of you looking past yourself and seeing what’s in front of you.”

The smirk began to fall from the redhead’s face, and he tried not to ball up a fist onto his friend right about now. In the end, he knew Gerry was teasing, but it didn’t make the blow less hard on his ego.

Julianne wasn’t naive to the tension; she started to make off-topic conversation. “I think Gerard is talking about the wine that Zora brought back after making a deal with the bartender down the street. Something about bringing back some of that Salty Bitters stuff from Vesuvia that you like so much. He wanted to advertise something new.”  

“Right. The wine is the treasure I was talking about.” A final chuckle from Gerard and he stood, clapping a hand against Julian’s shoulder. “Save me some dessert, Ilya. You know where my room is. Send her my way.”

“Bye, Gerry. Have a good night.” Julian pulled away slightly, looking his friend up and down.

Gerard gave a hum of triumph, and pulled his hand away. On his way toward the steps downstairs, he gave a final “You know I will.” in reply.

Once he was finally out of view, Julian deemed it safe to turn back to Juli for conversation. “I am.... so, so sorry, Juli. I know you’ve been waiting for a while.”

“I know you heard the conversation with Gerard.” She replied, placing her hands upon his shoulders. “I’ve been here for a whole of ten minutes. You know how he is. Dramatic.”

He gave a soft scoff in return, rolling his eyes. “More than I am sometimes.”

With a laugh, Julianne pulled her hands away, but not before giving him a gentle pat to the face. “Not quite.” Getting up from the seat she’d made herself, she patted down the dirt that’d gotten on her dress from doing so. “Anyway, are you finally done acting weird, or are you going to keep me on my toes.”

“Well.......” Julian gave a shrug, “Hopefully the latter. But not in a bad way, I swear. I do.”

The woman only gave him a pointed glare in response. In defense, he gently took hold of her hand, and began to lead her off the ship.

“Here. Just follow me.”

--

The doctor had finally gotten Juli all to himself. After all the shenanigans of the day, he could finally wind down and listen to her talk about her day. Her errands, odd customers, the odds and ends of magic that he enjoyed listening to her go on and on about. It was what gave him some sense of normalcy among the absurdity that he endured on the regular. The gondola ride had gone smoothly, and he had definitely given the rower far more than he was worth. If not just for the theatrics and the experience, he hoped that Juli enjoyed it. Maybe she’d grown suspicious of him throughout the day, but he wanted to make it up to her.

They talked about a woman who’d called Julianne in to help cleanse her home, not knowing the “cleanse” wasn’t anything spiritual -- it was because the woman had attempted far too many cleaning spells and caused an overgrowth in weeds in her garden and magic cobwebs in her corners. Julianne had to explain that “cleansing” a house didn’t actually mean to clean it.

How cute. How cute, how cute. 

An hour or so had gone by, and after their ride, they both thanked the rower tremendously. They’d even gotten a complimentary bottle of wine and a basket of fruit -- or maybe the rower was being kind since Julian had paid him so handsomely. 

Then, he took Julianne back toward the shore. 

He had taken hold of her hand and not let go, leading her down the beach close to the docks their ship had stopped on. He was sure she probably thought something odd was going to happen by the end of the night, but he wanted to make sure she enjoyed her time nonetheless. 

As they walked, he made soft conversation.

“You know, the ocean is a view I could never get sick of. It’s so beautiful. And when the moonlight hits it just right--” he gave a chef’s kiss of sorts with his free hand.

“I guess that’s a good thing, considering you’re on a ship the majority of your time.” Juli teased, giving him a gentle nudge. “But I think so too. It’s very captivating. Calming, even.”

“Like you, hmm?” Turning his gaze from the ocean to Juli, he gave a wink. 

With a fond roll of her eyes, she laughed a little. “You’re still being weird.”

“What? No. This is just regular ol’ Ilya.”

“Yeah. Weird.”

He grinned in turn, a grin full of absolute adoration. It was getting easier to rebuild that confidence from earlier. 

They continued their playful banter, all the way up until hey reached a hidden little cove, a tucked away cave of sorts, with a light shining from within. They were far away enough now that the lamps in town seemed like blur now, and Julian preferred it that way for what he had been planning. 

Julianne stopped, looking up at her partner with a confused expression. “What’s this?”

He let go of her hand, make sure he didn’t seem as if he were coming off maliciously. They had met, after all, under the guise that he was a murderer on the run. Julian offered one of his grins, the sweet kind, the kind that made you want to follow him into the unknown on an adventure you wouldn’t want to return from. 

“Just dinner. You trust me, right? You don’t still think I’m a weirdo?”

“Well. I definitely do.” 

A laugh came from Julian, and he just shook his head. He continued forward into the cave, giving her a nod to follow. 

She did, and as they entered, a small table Julian had stolen off the ship was sitting in the middle of the cave, lit candles surrounding it in the sand below to keep light inside. On the table sat dinner: two bowls covered to stay warm, bread on either side of them, a great big glass of wine in the center of the table, and two glasses for one each. 

With a great big swoop of his arm, he gestured toward the set up with a smile.

“Well, here’s the thing I was acting strange about. I just wanted... to set up something nice for the both of us.”

After her jaw had dropped at the initial shock, Juli turned to the man with a growing smile, and she genuinely looked impressed. “I’m surprised you could keep a secret this long.” Although she teased, she found his dinner setup rather charming. Nothing short of the extravagance he made for himself since the day she met him. 

He continued forward once more, pulling one of the chairs out for her to sit. Once she was seated, he also took a seat, and began to pour them each a glass of wine to drink. 

“Also, I stole this wine. This is the one Zora brought back, and Gerard is probably looking for now. Serves him right trying to steal my thunder.”

The woman laughs, reaching for her glass once it’s filled. “They’re going to kill you.”

He shrugged yet again, his signature smirk puling at his lips. “Worth it, if not just for the thrill of the escape.”

As Julian reached to uncover the bowls, a warm, earthy and flavorful aroma takes over the cave, and he explains his escapade to gather ingredients. Making the food proved to be a pain, having to bribe the ship’s cook to let him take over the kitchen to prepare their food, and to help him set everything up while he was out on the gondola ride with Julianne. He talked about how he now owed the cook kitchen duty for a week, and had to scrub the inside of the old hearth to make up for it. But it was worth it for him, to see how much she enjoyed his childhood favorite food. All the more memories to create, even if it was just soup.

Throughout dinner, it seemed as though Julian had about finished off the bottle of wine by himself. He was getting a little tipsy, and a bit more nervous toward the end of them eating. If only he had more liquid courage to help him out.

Julianne noticed how awkward he’d begun to get as dinner went on. When they finally cleared their bowls, he started going on about the importance of the correct shoes in acting. Something was up. 

She reached for his hands, which were getting ready to pour the last few drops of alcohol into his glass.

“Ilya, tell me what’s the matter.” Her voice was soft compared to his big, velvety tone. He couldn’t help himself, not in this state of mind.

“I- no, nothing’s the matter! I’m just saying, how can you frolic about in a tunic and boots? Sure they look great for the aesthetic and for the costume, but you need the smaller and more rounded shoes to move around the stage more fleetly.”

“You’re talking about shoes, Julian, after we just had a nice dinner in a fancy set up in a remote cave.” She laughed a little at the situation, and gave his hands a little squeeze. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

She was right. And he knew that she was. He hadn’t spent all day preparing for this moment to talk about how quick your movements need to be on stage. He had put all of this off long enough. Hell, for months. He was surprised she’d even stuck around that long, unless she thought this was all totally platonic. 

“Yeah. Yes. Yes, there-- there is something I have on my mind.” He let out a slow sigh, mentally preparing himself for his little speech. He knew that she would listen to every word, even if he slurred and stuttered his way through it. Her touch gave him a bit of sobering up, and in turn, he moved his hands to grab hers instead, leaning in closer to her presence.

“I.. hm. I’ve known you for quite a while now. And, for some reason, it feels like I’ve known you far longer than the several months we’ve been adventuring together. I don’t even know if that’s what you’d call it-- never mind. Regardless, darling, it feels like I’ve known you longer than a lifetime. Like I’ve known you since a life too distant to remember. And you... Julianne, you just seem so familiar. You met me thinking that I was a murderer. A fugitive. And even then, even after you thought I was using you, you stuck. You stuck with me. Up until then, I struggled so hard to find something like home. You gave me a chance, and I can tell you haven’t regretted it thus far. I just... don’t ever want to have to just remember you again. I want you to stick around. You’re perfect to be around. My perfect adventuring find. My... my perfect partner. We’ve never made any official call for what this is, and... I know this is all so ridiculous and grandiose and seems like some sort of proposal. In... in a way, it is. I just--” he lets his head fall, and he takes a pause, before he looked back up into Julianne’s face. “Please, little dove, would you give a pirate a chance and just call yourself mine already?”

...

Julianne, flustered, and unsure of how to respond in the immediate moment, searched Julian’s eyes for his genuine feelings. It was a long search -- after all, he’d just poured his onto the table, practically. This wasn’t at all a surprise, they had in fact been in some rut of infatuation without ever having admitted it to one another. It was always just implied. But here they were now, Julian basking in all of his monologuing glory...

Before she could respond, he was quick to make a joke, giving her hands a squeeze as she did his before he had come clean. “Plus, now I’m less likely to get in trouble for starting a fight with Gerard, seeing as how we’d be an official couple rather than just flirting, fleeting friends.”

Julianne shook her head, letting it fall as she let out a laugh. “You... are quite simply the most unbearable person I’ve ever met. In the best way possible.” Looking back up, he simply gave a friendly and teasing shrug in response, and she leaned in to seal the space between them with a kiss.

It wasn’t long before it grew passionate, one full of longing and hope from both of them. It would be hard for Julian to pull away, had he not been wait for a response. Before he let the kiss get carried away, he pulled back, a hand pressed to Juli’s face. 

“So?”

She looked him in the eyes, lifted a hand toward his face, and promptly gave him a flick to the nose.

“Ow!?” His brow furrowed, “What was that for??”

“For lying to my face earlier. I just needed you to know I didn’t forget.”

A huffy laugh came from the redhead as he reached to rub at his nose, now stinging slightly in pain. “Alright. Noted.”

She offered a final, soft smile, reaching to gently swipe her thumb over his nose in comfort. The woman then reached in for a soft peck. “I’ll be your girlfriend, Ilya. Or rather, your co-captain.” 

Julian beamed taking her face into both of his hands. “Oh, I’m so glad. As co-captain, can your first duty be to teach me an adjective other than ‘perfect’? I’m a doctor, not a novelist.”

“Sure. But only if you teach me one rather than ‘weird’,” Juli offered in reply.

“Good, good. But uh, can we wait until after dessert?”

“Didn’t Gerard ask you to save him some?”

“Oh, no. Gerry can starve. I’m sneaking dessert back into my room.”

[xbaepsae]

the ebb and flow | part seven

“The son of Poseidon stares at you with an intensity you’ve never seen before. It seems to burn hotter across your skin than the fire is right now.”

[demigod!jeongguk x demigod!reader]

genre: percy jackson!au, mythology!au, demigod!au, enemies to lovers!au

word count: 1.7k

rating: pg-13

warnings: language, the usual character tension

a/n: merry belated christmas (to those who celebrate)! and happy (almost) new years! stay safe and healthy everyone. hope 2021 is a better one for all of us. xoxo

→ series masterlist!

the fifth summer – in which you fall (quite literally)

At the end of your first week of cleaning the stables with Jeongguk, you manage another capture the flag win. Nothing brought you more joy than seeing the look of absolute anguish on Park Jimin’s face when you ripped his red flag from right between his hands.

“Better luck next week, Park,” you teased as your cabin raised you up on their shoulders. “Guess we all can’t be winners.”

Your cabin celebrated with its allies at the campfire that night—singing and dancing to your heart's delight. Normally, you’re not one to dance much; the act is entirely too embarrassing to do in front of so many people. However, maybe it’s the stress from the week or the high from the win, but you feel the need to shake all your worries away.

And dancing proves to be a great stress reliever.

To the beat of drums and lyre playing, you sway your body beside your friends. Haru takes your hands in her own and spins you around, to which you can’t help but laugh. The two of you must look ridiculous right now. She spins you around in another 360 and you close your eyes, taking in the heat from the fire. When you open your eyes, you meet the cool gaze of someone you didn’t expect to still be here.

Across the campfire, Jeon Jeongguk stands by himself. You didn’t expect him to be here because his cabin was on the losing team. You thought that maybe he would be sulking in his cabin like Jimin probably is right now. Instead, his eyes seem glued to you. The son of Poseidon stares at you with an intensity you’ve never seen before. It seems to burn hotter across your skin than the fire is right now.

Even though he is yards away, you feel incredibly exposed at this moment. His round eyes are illuminated by the fire, and they seem to pierce you like he can see right into your soul or something. After another second, you force yourself to look away—the tension is just too much to take right now.

“Are you okay?” Haru’s voice breaks your thoughts.

Looking up, you notice concern clouding her eyes; however, there is also a gleam of interest there—probably wondering what made you stop dancing.

“I’m fine,” you tell her. “Just dizzy, I guess.”

Haru doesn’t seem to buy it, but she doesn’t pester you about it again. “Well, too bad—I want to keep dancing with my best friend!”

The next morning, you make your way towards the stables feeling more exhausted than usual; body still slightly aching from last night’s festivities. When you arrive, Jeongguk is already there leaning against the gated entrance. Probably hearing your footsteps draw closer, he looks up; however, you don’t meet his gaze. Instead, you pretend the rising sun has captured your attention.

Fishing the key out of your back pocket, you unlock the gates and greet the Pegasi already vying for your attention. And much like the other days, you both work in silence again; you even go out of your way to avoid passing by him or having to make small talk. During your other hours here, the silence was at least kind of bearable. However, today, for some reason, something feels different and you don’t like it one bit.

As the hours pass by, the silence seems to eat you alive. It’s all that you can hear. Or maybe it’s just your heart racing and blood rushing past your ears. Whatever it is, you’re about to reach your breaking point.

“Are you joining your cabin later?”

You nearly drop your broom at the sound of Jeongguk’s voice echoing through the thick silence. Styx, he scared you. “What’s happening later?”

Even though he’s on the other side of the stables, you can feel him take a step closer. “You know, the canoe races. The one that’s always held during the summer around this time.”

In all honesty, you’d forgotten all about the canoe races. And this isn’t like the recreational, free time canoeing you can do. No—this race is one that all the cabins participate in. It’s just as intense and competitive as it sounds. You’ve never participated before, so it must’ve slipped your mind. But unlike you, Jeongguk has always participated—you know, being the son of the sea god and everything.

“I usually don’t, so probably not,” you say.

“It’s your last summer, right?” he suddenly asks.

You turn around at the question. “Why, yes. As a matter of fact, it is. I’m planning to attend college in New Rome.���

Which means, you don’t know when you’ll ever be back at Camp Half-Blood since New Rome is equally as safe for demigods. The thought makes you feel bittersweet since Long Island is your home. You’d always thought you’d be here, probably continuing to offer your services to the camp. However, there’s an opportunity to expand your life on the other side of the country; you’d be foolish not to go.

“So, you should participate then,” Jeongguk breaks your thoughts.

“I think we already settled on who would participate. Besides, there’s always more cabin canoe races throughout summer,” you add as a rebuttal. “Maybe then.”

“What a shame,” he hums. “I really wanted to beat you this time around.”

Jeongguk’s mention of obtaining a win begins to turn the gears of your rivalry in your head. You should’ve known he would do something like this; the son of Poseidon just loves to egg you on. And sadly, you always seem to give in.

“We’ll see about that.”

***

“I’m going to participate in the canoe race.”

Namjoon looks at you like you’ve lost your mind. “What? I thought we already decided on who would participate.”

“I know, but I want to do it. You know, I’ve never participated before,” you tell him. “I should try this year.”

“You’ve never participated because you—”

You cut him off. “I have to beat Jeon Jeongguk at his own game. I will not settle for anything less.”

Namjoon rolls his eyes. “You and that damn rivalry. I know you hate the guy, but I don’t think this is worth it.”

“Jeon is a thorn at my side; beating him during the canoe race is my chance to gain some leverage on him,” you say, ignoring what your half-brother just said.

“Whatever,” he sighs. “Just don’t say I didn’t try to talk you out of it.”

***

The breeze from the Long Island Sound whips your hair. You put it in a braid earlier to keep it at bay, but your baby hairs don’t seem like they want to cooperate today.

“I’m so excited, y/n,” Harrison, a second-year in your cabin, practically vibrates with serotonin beside you. “Thanks for allowing me to join.”

“Of course,” you offer him a smile. At least, you hope it’s a smile.

A part of you wishes that you listened to what Namjoon said earlier. Because at the end of the day, he’s one of the few people that know you well and maybe he’s right; maybe trying to beat Jeongguk today isn’t worth it.

“Are you okay?” Haru is suddenly in front of you. “Namjoon told me to come and talk to you, and try to talk you out of this because—”

“I’m fine, Haru,” you lie through your teeth, forcing a smile. “I’ll be okay.”

Your best friend raises a brow at you. “You know, I’ve gotten pretty good and figuring when you’re lying to me. I know you always feel this intense need to beat Jeongguk at everything…though, I do wonder now if you’re starting to feel something else towards him…”

“Haru,” you warn.

She laughs a little. “Only joking.”

“I promise, I’m okay; don’t worry about me. This race will be quick anyway.”

“Whatever you say, y/n.”

Once everyone else arrives and the canoes are pushed into the water, you settle behind four others from your cabin. Harrison is seated in front of you, that beaming smile still stretched across his lips. “This is so exciting.”

The gentle rocking of the canoe does nothing to ease your nerves. If anything, it actually makes you feel sicker than you already are. “Let’s win this, for Athena!”

For Athena, your half-siblings mimic as they reach for their oars. Next to your canoe is none other than Poseidon’s cabin—whoever’s idea that was is definitely going to get a mouthful from you later—which means you-know-who is already staring at you.

“See you from the other side of the finish line,” Jeongguk taunts with a smirk. You try to return the same attitude tenfold.

“Don’t even think about any of your dirty tricks, Jeon.”

He scoffs. “Poseidon always plays fair.”

“Sure,” you roll your eyes. “We’re in a huge body of water—nothing could possibly go in your favor.”

You don’t know if he catches your sarcasm, and you don’t have time to. Because before you can even think about it, the race begins at the blow of a whistle.

Sure enough, like you already predicted, Poseidon’s cabin gets the immediate lead. But you don’t let it faze you; this actually motivates you to work harder—commanding your cabin to row faster.

However, what you fail to realize is that what originally seemed like a beautiful day on the lake is suddenly shifting in the blink of an eye. Because you’re all concentrated on reaching the finish line, you don’t see the sudden storm clouds looming in on the horizon. The wind picks up and water begins to rise, rocking the canoes dangerously.

You grab onto the sides of the canoe for support, but it’s no match against the current. The gods must be angry. And when a wave crashes against the canoe, you lose your balance and plummet headfirst into the water.

Through the muffled sound of water rippling past your ears, you can hear echoed screams. But they seem terribly far away as you struggle to break the surface. Your hands grasp for air, but the tows of the current feel like a weight on your ankles as you begin to sink deeper into the water.

Worst of all, you can’t swim.

#armiesnet #btsbookclub #btswriterscollective #jungkook x reader #jungkook x y/n #jungkook fic #jeongguk fic #bts #bangtan #jungkook #bts fic #kpop fic #bts scenarios #kpop scenarios #bts percy jackson #percy jackson au #mythology au #demigod au #drabble series #the ebb and flow #xbaepsae

[pixie88]

Making Amends

Chapter 18 - Always the Bridesmaid.

A/N: I’m going to try and start editing and publishing 2 chapters a week (Next will be out Thursday as we are away this weekend for my LO’s birthday) as I have 6 drafts in ATB and 3 drafts in Addicted to You (Series 2 of ATB) Obviously if you wish to stop reading after series 1 I completely understand just let me know if you like to be untagged. Now offence taken. I hope you like it.

Read previous chapters HERE!

Warnings: Fluff & Little Angst.

Word Count: 2608

Pairings: Laila x Harry

Enjoy!

Laila just sat and listened to Zeppy for over an hour "Do you want my honest opinion?" Laila stokes her hair, she nods "I think you need to put yourself first, not your Mum, Dad or even Jade....You! If that means cutting Vicky out of your life then so be it"

She sits up "But Mum...Jade says you should forgive people's mistakes!" Laila hands her a tissue from her dresser "But you can only give someone so many chance. I get she is your Mum, but sometimes we give family more chances than we do anyone else and they expect it" Zeppy sighs knowing Laila is right.

There's a light knock on the bedroom door, Nate pokes his head in "Everything OK?" he asks, Zeppy smiles then looks at Laila "Yeah, Auntie Leia gave me some advice" Laila gets up "Why do you tell your Dad about it? I'm going to head home. If you need me just give me a call" Zeppy nods as Nate walks further into the bedroom "Thanks!" Nate smiles at her.

She says her goodbyes and makes her way home.

~*~*~*~

A few days later Laila is at work, she has clients back to back. Daniel just sends each one through, she's cleaning her hair clippers when the next client comes over and takes a seat. "Hey, I'll be with you in a minute," she throws over her shoulder not even looking at her client "OK, take all the time you need" he says in a cheery tone.

She knew that voice, they hadn't spoken since the incident in his flat, she turned "Rem? What are you doing here?" he offers her a regretful smile, "I know I had an appointment tomorrow after you finished work, but I didn't think you would turn up, so I rang up the salon booked myself in for today. Plus, I wanted to apologies for how I acted the other day, I was out of line...way out of line! I hope you'll accept my apology and if you feel the need to you can take it out on my hair I will happily accept if it means you will forgive me!"

Laila laughs at him as she throws the gown over him and wrapping her arms around him "Look, I understand you were upset, so there's nothing to forgive!" he smiles up at her in the mirror "Thank god!! I've hated not having you to speak to...You know its hard to get advice when the person you always go to for advice is the one you need advice for! Alec put me in my place soon after you left!"

She laughs, "Rem!! I don't want to know what you get up to!" she jokes making him chuckle. She feels like a weight has been lifted, she has her best friend back. She curious to know what he's going to do about Melissa, but she's too scared to ask because she doesn't want to upset him. "I can see your mind ticking over, I've known you too long to know when your thinking about something"

"Rem...." he smiles, but rolls his eyes, "You want to know what I'm going to do about my mot..I mean Melissa!" he raises a brow at her "I'll meet her, but just once to see what she wants and that's it! Can I ask you something?" she nods at him "Do you think she's serious?" she lets out a breath "She said her friend suddenly died and it made her realise, if that was her...her kids wouldn't be at her funeral. I think she wants just wants a chance. She seemed upset she didn't know you had gotten married. It's weird after I left yours the other day I went to Nate's and while I was there I was trying to convince Zeppy to stop giving Vicky anymore chances"

"Oh? What's happened with Vicky?" Laila shook her head "What's always up with her!"

"Oh, poor Zeppy! Why won't Vicky learn?! She won't stick around if she's on the gear again!" Laila starts trimming his hair "I know, but they say addiction is an illness" Rem's shook her head "We can only hope Zeppy has taken your advice and it makes Vicky realise what she could lose" Laila nod "Hmm..can only hope"

Later that evening.

Laila is putting the finishing touches to her makeup when her buzzer rings. She knew it was Harry, so she buzzes him up and leaves the front door open and runs back to the bedroom to finish up. "Gorgeous?" he calls out "In the bedroom" she calls back.

He pokes his head through the doorway "Are you ready?" he smiles at her "I think so. Do I look OK?" she is wearing a khaki cut off sleeved shirt dress which wasn't long enough to wear without bottoms, so she picked a pair of black trousers and gold and black wedge sandals. "You look perfect," she was nervous he could tell especially considering the last time she had seen Colin and Rose she had called him a miserable old git.

They had made a mends after that, but she still felt incredibly nervous, but this belated birthday meal was Colin's idea. She looks over herself in the mirror one last time, Harry steps behind her, his arm wrapping around her waist and kisses her bare shoulder "No need to be nervous! He knows not to say anything out of line again, but if he does believe me...I won't stand for it" she smiles at his reflection in the mirror before turning in his arms.

"Oh, guess who came into the salon today?!" he knew who by her smile, but he wanted to tease her "Antony Joshua?" she laughs, "No! Rem!" she's beaming "I take it you two have made up then?"

"Yep, all made up!" he kisses the top of her head "Thank god for that," he chuckles "Ready to go?" he asks her "I think so!" he takes her hand and they make their way to the restaurant in Harry's car.

When they get to the restaurant Colin and Rose are already there as they approach the table Laila takes a deep breath "Laila, Harry" Rose gets up from her seat hugging them both "Hi Rose.." "Mum, little too tight!" Harry jokes as she lets go and they all take their seat "Dad" Harry nods at Colin "Colin, Hi!" she smiles "You alright?" he asks them both. "Yeah, thanks, you?" Laila asks her nerves are still going a hundred miles per hour.

"Great! Thanks! How was your birthday? Oh, and Happy belated Birthday!" he says. Laila's thrown he is completely different from the last time they saw him "Happy birthday!" Rose says as she passes over an envelope "Thanks, yeah it was great thanks! Better than I could've imagined" she's cut off by Rose "What did Harry get you?"

Laila's hand automatically goes to her locket, Rose leans over to take a closer look, "Can I open it?" she asks "Yeah, of course" Rose flips it open and coos at the picture "Aww, that is an adorable photo of you both!" Colin leans over to have a look "It's a good one" he comments.

They both sit down "Open your card!" Rose tells her. Opening the envelope and folded up bit of paper falls out, inside it reads:

To Lovely Laila,

Happy Birthday!

We hope you had a great day!

Love Rose & Colin x

P.S. We didn't know what to get you, so we thought this might be nice for you both to enjoy. x

Opening the folded paper its a photo of an old cottage, she looks up at Rose and Colin confused, Harry, take the paper from her to take a closer look, "What's this?" Harry asks his parents "So we didn't know what to get you, so we thought maybe you to might like a free week away in our little cottage in the Cotswold's. Obviously you two can chose any week you want just let us know a few weeks ahead! Harry, don't go telling your brothers or sister!"

"Why?" he chuckles "Because they will all want a week there and I don't trust they won't trash the place" Colin shook his head "I promise we won't trash the place and thank you that's so thoughtful!" the waiter comes over to take their drinks order, Harry leans in close enough so only she can hear "Can't say the same about the bed" he whispers making her blush.

After the starter Rose and Colin are telling them all about their time away in Rome "You have to take Laila there one day!" Rose tells her son. "It's beautiful! Laila, I keep meaning to ask do you cut men's hair?" Colin surprisingly asks her "Yeah, I do"

"She's my hairdresser now" Harry winks at her "Great, do you think you could fit me in?" Colin looks over to her "Erm..yeah, sure when are you free?" She's not sure if this is a joke or not but Colin has done a 360 since the last time. "Weekends probably work out better for me"

She smiles "I work every other Saturday in the salon, but I can come to you if it's easier?" She asks him nervously "3 weeks from now work? At our house?" Laila pulls out her phone that's Saturday is her weekend off "Perfect, any time preference?"

He checks his phone "Shall we say 11 AM then we'll do lunch?" Laila can't quite believe he's asking her to do his hair "Yeah, that would be great!" she's still taken aback by it. Maybe this is him trying to build bridges? She thought.

"Laila?" she hears someone call out from behind him as she looks up, it's Lou, she smiles and gets up to greet her "Lou, how are you?" she asks as she hugs her. Laila's happy that they're at this point.. 6 months ago, Laila could never imagine even looking in Lou's direction, let alone hugging her "Sorry, Louise, this is Rose and Colin, Rose and Colin this is Louise and obviously you've met Harry, they're his parents"

"Oh how lovely to meet you!" Louise smiles "And you!" Rose says as Colin just smiles at her "Laila, you wouldn't mind coming over to our table and saying hello to Steve would you? He'd love to see you!"

"Oh..erm OK!" she looks at Harry "I'll be 2 minutes!" he winks back at her. She felt a bit nervous she hadn't seen Steve in years because she thought it was best to stay away after everything happened considering she might have just let it slip to him out of anger, but now was different she understood why Lou did what she did it. Which was all thanks to Harry, in some ways she had changed for the better because of him, he had made her more forgiving.

Now, instead of blaming her, she gratefully Josh's last day's weren't his worst days. She had seen how cancer can change someone with her Grandad Carelli, he went from running every day with his granddaughter to being to weak too lift a fork.

As they approach the table Steve looks up noticing Laila his face lights up "Laila! Oh wow! It's so good to see you!!" he beams at her.

She smiles back at him.

Back at their table.

Colin looks to where Laila is "Who is this Louise to Laila?" Rose looks over to Harry. He knew what he could and couldn't say, "She's Laila's ex fiancé's Mum" Colin looks shocked "And she's gone over to see him?!" Harry could see his Dad disapproval "No! Steve is his Dad" Rose doesn't know what to say "You're OK with her being friendly with her ex's parents?" Colin almost hisses.

"Yes, I am! Because quite frankly, being jealous of a ghost is a bit ridiculous!" Harry could see the confusion on their face "Laila, ex fiancé died of cancer," he knew he couldn't say anymore than that "Oh god! That poor girl!" Rose is shocked, Colin is speechless "Now can you see why I'm more than happy for her to be friendly with her ex's parents? Even if he was a living ex I would be fine with it because I trust Laila!"

"I can see why...she is a lovely girl" Harry has never heard his Dad say anything like that about any of his girlfriends, but he just put that down to Laila being able to win anyone over because that was the kinda girl she is.

At Lou and Steve's table.

"You know we all missed you after the funeral. You just kinda disappeared" Steve's words make her drown in guilt "Hey! It was hard for all of us Steve, you have to remember she lost someone she was going to marry. We were probably a constant reminder of what she had lost" Louise tries to make excuses for Laila. She's thankful for this "I guess Lou is right! Sorry Laila!"

"You have nothing to be sorry for Steve....honestly, it's like Lou said and to be honest, I needed to grieve by myself," she smiles at him "How are you nowadays?"

"I'm good actually....I'm here with my boy....my boyfriend and his parents," she hated telling him this, but she was already keeping something from him plus surely he didn't expect her never to find anyone after Josh. "Aww, that's sweet! How long have you 2 been together?" he seemed happy for her which was a relief to her "I asked him to be my boyfriend over 2 months ago now" Steve howls "Why doesn't that surprise me! Josh always said if you wanted something you would go out and get it"

She laughs, "He is the first relationship I've had since Josh to be fair!" Lou coos "Does he make you happy?" Lou asks her "You know what he makes me incredibly happy actually," she looks over to Harry, his eyes catch hers and he throws her a wink making her blush. "I'm happy for you! You deserve to be happy...that's all Josh would have wanted for you!" Lou offers her a soft smile.

"Speaking of my boyfriend, I better get back to him! It was lovely seeing you both," she says as she gets up both Steve and Lou hug her.

She makes her way back to Harry and his parents, "Here she is!" Harry smiles and wraps an arm over her shoulder as she sits. The rest of the meal is relaxed and easy.

After they say their goodbyes to his parents, they make their way back to Laila's flat.

When they arrive the front door has been kicked in, worried someone might still be inside Harry tells Laila to call the police and he heads inside. Laila grabs his arm "Harry..."

"Laila, I'll be fine! I just want to check they're not still in there," he pushes the door open and makes his way inside.. he first checks the kitchen, when he hears someone behind him. He spins round, it's Laila holding her handbag like she's about to whack someone "Laila! Go and wait outside!" he whispers "What? and leave you to get attacked? No! Plus I have my bag! Never underestimate a women's handbag!"

"Fine! Just stay close!" he knew there was no point in arguing with her, so he continues to check all the rooms. Each have been ransacked, when they got to the living room on the wall in red spray paint were Cut her out of your life..

Continue reading this story here - Chapter 19.

@ridgy--didge​ @lem-20​ @secretaryunpaid​ @irisofpurple​ @khoicesbyk​ @txemrn​ @tea-me-kah​ @gloriousalmondvoiddreamer​ @casualpostqueen​ @beautifuluknownvoid​

#atb #always the bridesmaid #harry x laila #pixie #@pixie 88 original #Original Work #original writing #original character #original story

[thewritewolf]

Breaking the Ice

Summary: The gang's plan to spend a week in an Alpine lodge hits a snag when, unbeknownst to Alya and Nino, Marinette and Adrien find out each other's identities. Now it's up to Alya, the power of love, and a freak snowstorm to push past the awkwardness and break the ice.

Hello and welcome to this very special birthday fic that has been three months or so in the making! Sadly Over's birthday came right at the height of me being swamped with the monthly prompts. But I got there eventually! Happy (very) belated birthday, @overworkedunderwhelmed!

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

The kilometers rolled past, putting them farther and farther away from their homes in Paris. Despite the promise of a cozy cabin in the Alpine woods waiting for them in the not-so-distant future, the mood in the car wasn’t the full and bubbling excitement that Alya had hoped for.

Most of the conversation had been driven by her and Nino, whether it be jamming out to his mix tapes or just talking about recent events. Not that there was much conversation going on right now - a four hour long car ride was enough to take it out of anyone. But for the entire car ride Alya was grinding her teeth at Adrien and Marinette’s seemingly stubborn refusal to talk to each other.

It had been almost a month since everything changed, their last weeks before they graduated from lycee and were set out into the great wide world. For the last year they’d been planning this - going out to Nino’s uncle’s cabin and spending a week hanging out. Just like old times, in case life conspired to keep them apart. After all, while they had resolved to stay in touch and meet regularly, who could really say for sure when they were all going to different universities?

Marinette had even gotten over her insecurity and babbling around Adrien! They had become great friends over the years, but then… something happened and they were back to square one. Except now it was even worse because not only was Marinette a mess, so was Adrien! They could barely make eye contact before looking away, blushing like school kids. Which they technically weren’t any more!

It was disgustingly cute, but also incredibly frustrating. Alya had thought that she had put all of this stuff behind her years ago, even if she was always hoping they’d still end up getting together.

Smiling mirthlessly, Alya stared ahead as the cabin rolled into view. It had been a while since she’d meddled in Marinette’s love life, but it seemed that if they were going back to their old ways, so should she. A plan began to come together…

Hopefully the weather would cooperate.

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

Nino watched the girls head inside with the bare essentials, leaving him and Adrien out here to get the rest while they got everything turned on. He turned around in his seat to look at Adrien as he stretched in the back.

“So, how are you feelin’ from that long ride, bro?”

“Not too hot. And not just because of the time in the car,” Adrien said with a shiver. “I knew it was going to be cold, but still.”

Nino snorted. “Well, maybe getting up off your rich kid butt and helping me out here will warm you up.”

“If you say so, my oh so worldly best bro.” The two of them chuckled as Adrien got out of the car.

While they were only staying there for a week, they packed plenty so that they wouldn’t need to make any unnecessary trips to the nearby town. It was good in theory but it did mean that it took multiple trips to get all the suitcases and bags and coolers.

Plenty of time to chat up his best bud.

“So what’s up with you, dude?” Nino picked up a suitcase for each hand. “Decided on what you’re going to university for yet?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Adrien said, rolling his eyes. “Father still wants me to go into business.”

“Yeah but I didn’t ask what daddio wanted, did I?”

Adrien sighed. “I’m not entirely sure. I like the idea of becoming a teacher.”

“You’ve tots got the patience for it.” Nino grinned. “You’re almost as chill a dude as I am.”

“As long as someone doesn’t try to mess with your playlists or take over the radio.”

“Driver alone gets that kinda power dude,” Nino said, a solemn air to his words. “You can’t just let anyone go messin’ with that stuff.”

“Uh huh.” Adrien smirked and hefted a cooler by himself. The dude was stronger than he looked. Maybe all that modeling came with some perks besides the obvious? “My other plan is maybe just…” Adrien seemed a little embarrassed. “...starting a flower shop.”

“...A flower shop?”

“Or something like that! Just a little business of my own that has nothing to do with fashion. Where people can’t say that I was only put there because of my father’s connections or whatever.”

“Flowers, huh?” Nino tapped at his chin, smiling. “Lemme guess - does this have something to do with a certain pigtailed friend of ours?”

“I- That’s not- No!”

“How are you two doing anyway, bro? Me and Al have been supes curious about what went down between you two.”

“What about that movie script you were working on?” Adrien said. “You were pretty far along the last time we talked about it. Did you work out the last few kinks yet?”

Nino could recognize such an obvious change of topic when he saw one, but he didn’t have the single-minded drive of his girlfriend and let it slide without comment. Besides, he could use Adrien’s help in talking out some of the more difficult parts of the movie’s plot.

An hour later, just as they’d finished bringing in their stuff and Nino got a good sense of how he wanted his story to go, he looked up at the sky and frowned when he saw the dark clouds and the flurry of snowflakes already coming down.

Nino closed the garage with the car in it and was thankful that they had already brought in plenty of firewood along with the suitcases. It looked like tonight was going to get chilly.

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

The four of them had already arrived fairly late into the day, so by the time they had gotten settled in, the sun was beginning to sink over the horizon. The light was made even dimmer by the snowstorm raging outside, its chill only barely pushed back by the roaring fireplace that they were huddled around.

There were two loveseats in the cabin and when Alya and Nino had taken one, that naturally left the other for him and Marinette. Each pair wrapped up in blankets to keep the cold out and to keep the shared warmth in.

Of course, they had more than fire to keep themselves warm, Adrien thought as he nonchalantly glanced to his side, toward the woman that was always at his side. Even if he hadn’t known just how true that was until a month ago. Was it good fortune that had made this partner and love interest one of his closest friends outside the mask? Or was it terrible luck, since they had barely managed to spare two sentences for each other ever since they found out?

Adrien was almost sure that there was a conversation going on, but for the life of him he couldn’t hear it over his pounding heart. Sitting there still as a statue, he was hoping that no one would notice his current state of distress, praying that he could make it through this week in one piece.

His prayers were immediately not answered since Marinette was slowly but inevitably closing the distance between them. Was it because of the cold? Or was there something else at play here? Either way, his lack of a response - or, at least, him not stopping her - seemed to give her courage as she got ever closer.

Which would be enough for his poor heart to handle on its own if it weren’t for the fact that once she was about as close as she could get without sitting on his lap, the back of her hand brushed against the back of his. It was enough to make his heart skip a beat. He redoubled his efforts to pay attention to the conversation just as it seemed to be ending.

Nino yawned and stretched, raising his arms above the warm confines of his blanket as he did so.

“Well, dudes, looks like I’m gonna pack it in for tonight. All that driving really took it outta me.”

“I’ll probably head to bed too,” Alya said. “The faster I’m under a warm set of sheets, the better.”

“Right. So we’ll be heading to our room now.”

Adrien had a sinking feeling with how they said that and he realized that there was one critical question he had never gotten around to asking during all the time that they had been planning this trip:

“Where is my room?”

“Oh, don’t worry, you and M will have the room just down the hall from us!” ALya said with a grin, her head poking around the corner just before disappearing behind it. “Nighty night!” She shouted once she was out of view.

Adrien’s mouth went dry and he stared at the roaring fireplace for a long moment before turning to look at Marinette, who seemed equally scandalized. With an apologetic shrug and a half grin, he stood up on shaky legs and made his way toward their apparently shared room.

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

Marinette wasn’t sure how much time had passed, since they had awkwardly crawled into bed and rolled over onto their sides, facing away from each other. The room was quiet except for the muffled sounds of the fire in the other room and the howling winds of the snowstorm outside. Darkness had long since crept in, leaving the room a mess of dark shapes and shadows that moved ever so slightly thanks to the faint, flickering light of the fire coming out from below the bottom of their door. Even with her eyes adjusted to the dark, she couldn’t see much beyond a few inches in front of her face.

The quiet left her plenty of time to think. Did she move too fast by getting so close to him in front of the fire? She was still a little mad at Alya for trying to force things along like always. She and Adrien were just… going through something right now. They’d get there in their own time!

...Then again, it had already been a month without any progress. Maybe Alya had handed her a golden opportunity. Was he even still awake? Marinette was the stage of tired where she could feel the exhaustion but knew she would never be able to sleep. Least of all with Adrien right there.

With nothing else to do, she decided to take a chance and roll over. It seemed that the years of fighting alongside one another had put them in sync since he rolled over at exactly the same time. They suddenly found themselves face to face, so close that she could feel his warm breath on her.

“Hey,” she said, sounding lame to her own ears.

“Hey, he said back.

Marinette bit her lip and tried to find the right words to say. Her thoughts were all mixed up and she struggled to make the first move.

“I love you,” Adrien blurted out. His cheeks blushed so fiercely she could almost believe they were glowing. It certainly helped her see him in a new light.

Her eyes soften and she smiles. She scoots closer to him.

“I love you too.”

Slowly and hesitantly, fearful that the spell might be broken and this would all prove just a dream, she leaned forward the final few centimeters between them and pressed her lips to his.

Outside, the storm raged on. But inside, cuddled close together through the night, they stayed warm.

#Miraculous Ladybug #Adrien Agreste #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Adrienette #Nino Lahiffe #Alya Cesaire #DJ Wifi #ml fanfiction #my writing #Breaking the Ice

[fullmetalscullyy]

Emma, my dear, If you're looking for ideas how about Chris walking in on Roy and Riza 😈 or just ruining a moment. Poor Roy would never live it down If you feel up to though, another idea (and non Royai) but Elicia and Uncle Roy and a picnic. Just some ideas from my overworked brain

thank you aoife ;;__;; here’s some royai for you and i hope you can find some rest soon <3 another with roy and elicia will come soon!

rated: t | words: 1567

The Madame had insisted on Roy moving back in with her after the Promised Day after he’d lost his vision. His family were overbearing with their worry and concern, but there wasn’t much else Roy could do about it. He told himself to be patient. He’d overthrown the military hierarchy and staged a coup. He could handle his sisters hovering over him at every possible moment.

It helped with some things, mainly moving around the house. He’d stubbed his toe on more doorframes than he could count before Vanessa shoved a cane into his hands. She wouldn’t take no for an answer, and he could feel her glare as she waited for him to accept the help the white cane would provide. With a grumble, he’d accepted.

After Doctor Marcoh had healed Havoc, they waited a few weeks to ensure there were no complications after using the stone. After it all went well, it was Roy’s turn. He batted his eyes open after experiencing a sharp pain. His vision was grey to begin with, however it was still a change from the endless, inky blank he’d seen for weeks before it. Doctor Marcoh told him to blink a few more times, to try clear his vision, and slowly, the one person he’d missed setting his eyes upon the most came into view.

Hawkeye was staring at him worriedly, her expression expectant but anxious. It had taken a few minutes for his vision to return completely, so it was understandable she was concerned that it may not happen.

“Relax, Lieutenant,” he’d chuckled, his expression softening with a smile.

She’d let out a quick breath, giving him a nod, but couldn’t stop her own relief from spreading across her face.

With the return of his eyesight, came a party. Against his wishes, of course. As his sisters suggested it, Roy had rolled his eyes, but quickly winced as they still felt slightly sensitive. So, on Saturday night, his aunt’s new bar was filled with his team and the majority of those who assisted in winning the coup. A belated celebration for all they’d accomplished.

“Are you all right, Sir?” Hawkeye asked as she approached, a slightly concerned look on her face.

His breath caught in his throat as he turned to answer her. He’d been caught off guard by her already tonight, but now, it had happened again. He was a weak man, though, when it came to Riza Hawkeye.

His Lieutenant was decked out in a flattering dress that danced around her calves as she moved. It was the lightest shade of pink, bordering on being completely white. The only thing that gave it away was the pure white of her shoes. The neckline was modest, but it exposed her throat and the elegant column of her neck. Roy swallowed as he stared at it, snapping his eyes up to hers in order to distract himself.

“Fine, Lieutenant,” he replied.

She nodded, pushing no further. He was leaning against the bar, observing the room for a quiet moment to himself, but he didn’t mind that she’d approached him. In fact, he welcomed it wholly. Ever since being unable to see her for weeks, he was desperate for her to be by his side at every opportunity.

Granting his wish, Hawkeye leaned against the bar next to him.

“How are your eyes?” she asked casually, taking a sip of her champagne. He turned to look at her, but his words were halted once more. As she swallowed, the scar on her next moved with her throat. It was fully exposed, hiding from no one.

Roy swallowed. “They get a little sore when I’m in the light for too long, but they’re getting better.”

“Do you have medication for them?” she asked, concerned. Hawkeye turned to look at him as she spoke, focussing her full attention upon him.

He bobbed his head. “Yeah, I’m going to go and put some eye drops in soon.” He laughed to himself. “It can be fiddly, but I manage,” he shrugged.

“Would you like some assistance?” she asked.

He opened his mouth to protest but stopped himself. He could use a break from the party and the constant congratulations, but still wanted Hawkeye by his side. “If you wouldn’t mind?” he asked sheepishly. “I’m still a little clumsy with them.” He held up his scarred palms. “My dexterity isn’t quite what it used to be.”

“Of course, Sir,” she replied. He caught the sad look on her face, but it was brief. He imagined it was the same way he felt upon seeing the scar on her neck.

He led the way to his bedroom, holding the door open for her and then retrieved his medicine. Between them both, they managed to administer it, but then were left, staring at each other in silence in the middle of his bedroom.

Roy watched as her lips parted, either in anticipation or because she was about to speak, but no words left her. In his bedroom, the sound from the party downstairs was muted, a distant hum of noise, but apart from that, it was silent. As he pitched forward, Roy heard the floorboards creak underneath his feet.

The two of them came together. Roy’s hands were lost in her hair. They tangled in the golden tresses, tugging strands haphazardly from the clip that pinned it up. He cupped her cheek, his scarred palm resting against her soft skin like it belonged completely. Hawkeye’s hands gripped his shirt at his waist tightly, pulling it slightly from the waistband of his trousers, but not in the way he wanted her to. Their lips met, and Roy was lost to his desire.

He’d wanted to kiss her for weeks. Life was far too short for him now to not spend it with Hawkeye in the way he wanted to. In this moment of weakness, he gave himself that. As their lips moved together, Roy’s tongue ventured out, brushing along her bottom lip. The whimper that left her mouth was music to his ears.

Walking Hawkeye backwards, they stopped when her back hit the wall beside his door. The hand he’d placed on her waist to steady her as they moved hit the wall beside her ear, steadying him. He felt like he might lose it completely, so that hand saved him in more ways than one.

Roy growled against her, pressing his body slowly against hers, forcing his knee in between her legs, tugging on the skirt of her tantalising and beautiful dress –

“Roy Boy?” Chris called. She knocked, then entered his bedroom, coming to an abrupt stop.

Roy’s head whipped around, but his mind was still kissing Hawkeye passionately. It took him a second to realise what had happened, and what he was seeing, then his face turned bright red.

Chris just burst out laughing.

“Chris,” he barked.

She continued to laugh. “Sorry to interrupt,” she winked. Actually winked. “I’ll leave you both to it.”

“Chris!” he protested, wishing she’d go away and stop talking.

Christmas chuckled to herself. “You’re a grown man, Roy Boy. Relax.” She left the room, closing the door behind her.

Roy groaned, leaning the top of his head against the wall behind Riza. His mouth came to rest upon the flesh that joined her shoulder to her neck, noting that it was incredibly soft and warm underneath his lips. A hand was brought up to the back of his head, Hawkeye’s fingers slipping in between the strands of her hair as she laughed quietly to herself.

“Sorry,” he mumbled against her skin. His body shuddered as her hand slipped down so her thumb could stroke the nape of his neck as a comfort.

“Don’t apologise,” she reassured him, her tone light. It was almost breathless, and he wished they had the guaranteed privacy in order to continue where they’d left off, but the next interruption may be one of his sisters. Roy would never hear the end of it if that happened.

Disappointment filled him, killing the mood they’d built. “We should…” He didn’t even want to finish the sentence.

“Probably go back downstairs,” Hawkeye finished for him.

Lifting his head, he met her gaze and saw the love they shared for one another reflecting back at him. “I don’t want to,” he murmured. His head dipped, pressing a light kiss to her lips. She responded eagerly, then lifted a hand to press it against his cheek.

“I know,” she whispered. From her tone, Roy knew she didn’t want to either. “Ready?”

“No,” he pouted, making her laugh.

Hawkeye patted his cheek then stepped forwards, making Roy push off from the wall. He followed her back downstairs like a lost puppy.

When they re-joined the party, Hawkeye slipped back into mingling with the guests easily, while he moved to the bar to sulk for a while.

“That was quick,” Chris commented, coming to a stop in front of him as she stood behind the bar. Her eyes danced with amusement, matching the smirk on her face.

“Shut up,” Roy muttered darkly.

Chris just laughed, picking up a glass so she could pour him a beer. “Ever heard of putting a sock on the door before?” she asked.

Roy groaned, but took his beer and walked away, the tips of his ears red with embarrassment as his aunt continued to laugh behind him.

#royai #royai fic #royai fanfic #ask #waddiwasiwitch #emma writes #fic request #writing prompts

[that-curly-haired-lesbian]

I didn’t have a specific prompt. I’ve actually sent in some before. But if you really want to add to the list - how about Taylor trying to plan her first vegan/vegetarian ( I’m pretty sure karlie eats some meat and cheese but she seems to prefer that way of eating) and stressing and trying to make it perfect but also trying to hide from Karlie how much she’s stressing to make sure there’s good options for her and the rest of their guests.

This is roughly a million years late for the holiday (or may as well be) and full of (vegan) cheese, but I hope you enjoy anyway! This is probably also riddled with mistakes because I’m too lazy to edit…Thank you to anon for this prompt and any others they’ve sent me! More prompt fills are coming soon!

This is set around thanksgiving 2014, so they’ve been dating for roughly a year. Oh and DC Comics owns Posion Ivy

Tw for, like extremely mild allusions to anxiety…?

Happy belated thanksgiving to anyone who celebrates!! 🥰🥰

—

“Are you okay?” Karlie’s voice floats towards her from what she would guess is the approximate direction of the door. It’s so dark in the room that it’s honestly a little disorienting and Taylor can’t remember her girlfriend even having gotten out of the bed.

“Yeah, of course I’m okay, why wouldn’t I be?” She answers a little too loudly and hopes Karlie doesn’t catch on to the slight stress in her tone.

“I’m sorry if I woke you up,” Karlie says softly, “I was trying to be quiet but-“

“Don’t worry, you didn’t.” Taylor assures her before going back to the frenetic scrolling she’s been doing for the past few hours.

Is that too spicy? Does she like spicy food? How do I not know this?

The mattress dips a little as Karlie lies back down. “Wait,” she says and though Taylor can’t really see her she can almost hear her eyebrows furrowing in concern, “have you been on your phone ever since we went to bed? What are you doing on there, reading scandalous fanfiction?” She giggles at her own joke and the sound actually calms Taylor down a bit, fills her stomach with warm familiarity.

“You’re such a nerd!” She teases as she switches to another of the countless tabs currently open on her phone.

“I am?” Karlie questions the words dripping with mock-offense, you’re the one who’s been recommending me Poison Ivy fics since the week we meet!”

“I don’t see how that is relevant to this conversation?” Taylor mumbles, before trying to focus her attention on the very involved recipe in front of her.

“Okay, but seriously, are you writing something?”

Do I have to make this butter?

“Tay?”

What is even going on in this one? Cauliflower fried chicken, how the hell is chicken vegan?

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this focused on anything in my life and that’s saying something! You’re not googling yourself again, are you? You know what Tree said about that and you should really get some sleep!”

How many different brands of vegan cheeses are there?

“Hellooo, space cadet, you with me?” That’s when Taylor finally registers that her girlfriend is still talking and she opens her mouth to respond but doesn’t get a chance before Karlie has snatched the phone from her.

“Hey!!”

“Are you actually reading something dirty?”

Taylor finds herself reaching for the phone, but Karlie is already looking down and with the light from the screen illuminating her face Taylor can actually see her eyebrows knit together this time.

“Aww baby, you’re looking up thanksgiving stuff? It’s not for another three weeks.”

“I know,” Taylor says sheepishly, thankful for the dark as her face reddens, “I just like being… prepared!”

“Taylor, you’re an amazing cook, whatever you decide to make will be incredible!” Karlie scrolls a little and looks back up, her eyes filled with something that melts Taylor’s heart in her chest and when she speaks the singer realizes it’s gratitude or maybe surprise. “These are all vegan stuff!”

“Uh-hmm,” Taylor confirms reluctantly.

“Am I the reason you’re up at half past three in the morning stressing over this?” Karlie reaches out to run a comforting hand through Taylor’s hair. “I don’t want you to worry about that, you know I’ll eat whatever you offer me, I’m not picky and I want the rest of your family to enjoy the food too!”

“I know, but mom is bringing most of their stuff anyway and I know you prefer to have options…” She pauses briefly as she realizes she’s speaking a little too quickly, takes a breath. “It’s just, I don’t have that much experience with vegan holiday stuff and I don’t wanna mess anything up!”

“You’re not going to and if you do you do, it’s not the end of the world!” Her words sound so comforting Taylor wants to believe them, but she’s already in too deep in this anxiety spiral to really take anything in.

“This is our first thanksgiving together, Karls,” She insists, trying not to sound as defeated as she feels. “I just want things to be…”

“Perfect?” Karlie finishes and the blonde gives her a small nod, making sure the hand that’s now resting on Taylor’s cheek can feel the movement in the dark.

Karlie processes what she’s saying for a second before responding. “It will be perfect as long as we’re spending the day together. I don’t want you to stress yourself out, if you insist on giving me vegan options, I’ll help make them, okay?”

“But I promised I’d cook everything mom isn’t bringing and that includes your stuff!”

“Hey, this is supposed to be our first thanksgiving together so let’s actually spend it together without one of us agonizing the day away in the kitchen. If you’ll let me I’d love to help, I have lots of great recipes!”

Taylor can’t help, but smile now, “Okay,” she agrees, “we’ll do it together!”

Karlie presses a soft kiss to Taylor’s shoulder. “Together,” she mumbles into the warm skin, “together we can do anything!” Taylor isn’t sure if it’s the comfort of Karlie’s lips on her or the anxiety finally letting up and being replaced by exhaustion, but this time she believes it.

They are going to spend the first of many holidays together and together they’re unstoppable.

#anxiety tw #swearing tw #gaylor swift #kaylor #kaylor fanfiction #tedde writes fics #asks

[krreader]

seven sins | chapter two.

pairing: bts x reader (jung hoseok x reader) fandom: bts warnings: non idol!au ; historical!au ; princes!bts ; concubine!reader ; sex ; hair pulling ; language ; dirty talk ; impregnation!kink ; public sex ; spanking genre: smut  word count: 2.8k+ previous: 1

summary: even in times such as yours, you still led a privileged life with nothing to ask for. that is until first your father, then your mother passed away and you were left to care for your two younger sisters. the position for royal physician seemed to be open and with your father having been a respected general, you thought you might be able to get it and provide coin and respect for your family. little did you know that your visit to the palace would put a completely different offer on the table.

a/n: you thought this story would have an introduction like my other stories? SURPRISE BITCH, we’re going to jump right in lol.

“Wait.. WHAT?!” your friend stared at you in shock, “What do you mean Royal Noble Consort? How.. how did you..-”

“Don't be so loud about it,” you pressed a hand over her mouth, “It's.. all very complicated.”

“Then start from the beginning.”

You did. You told her about how you had snuck into the palace to convince the king of making you physician for the sake of his old friend and your belated father, but instead came face to face with the seven princes who took a liking to you and the king agreeing to making you their.. personal concubine.

“But.. you're not what they think you are!”

“I know, trust me, I know. But then I started thinking, right? I thought that if I already worked at the palace, I might be able to get a chance to speak with the king alone and tell him who I am. I just need a moment alone with him. And besides, the position as Royal Noble Consort gets me a lot of coin, so for the time being, I'll be able to provide for my sisters until I get the position as a physician.”

“And who's going to take care of them? You're going to be living at the palace, I assume?”

“That's.. where you come in.”

She furrowed her eyebrows, then shook her head furiously, “Oh no. Absolutely not.”

“Listen to me Jun, you are the only person I can trust with this. The only person I know that has never let me down and that I know will always be there for me and my family. I just need you to keep an eye on them. I'll go and see them as much as I can, but when I can't, I need you to make sure they're alright.”

“And what do I get out of this?”

You knew that she didn't actually want anything. Because while everyone else seemed to have left you after your parents had died, she was the only one who had never wanted anything from you other than your friendship in return.

“What do you want?” you asked nevertheless.

She considered it for a moment, then her shoulders slumped, “Alright, fine. I don't want anything. But.. this is still stupid, (Y/N). You're not a concubine!”

“I know I'm not, but I've.. done this before,” you whispered, not wanting anyone else to know about it, “It won't hurt me.”

“It might not hurt you, but you do realize what the role of Royal Noble Consort is, right?”

You hesitated for a moment, then you leaned back. But after a few moments, you leaned back forward. Quickly this time. So quick that your friend jumped a little, “No, wait, I got it. There is this herb that prevents me from becoming pregnant. I heard it.. a while ago, I need to read through my notes again, I think I wrote it down. I take that, then there won't be an issue.”

“Maybe. But the role is to get pregnant. Especially the role of a Royal Noble Consort. If you don't show any results after a while, people will either get suspicious, or you will be thrown out and then you can never show your face at the palace again.”

“Guess I just have to be quick in convincing the king of my skills, then.”

Your friend was worried about you. Visibly and understandably so. You'd be too if the roles were reversed, but you were confident in your plan.

This would get you to where you needed to be. Where you wanted to be.

You could do this.

“When.. will you be back?” your sister asked with a trembling lip.

“As soon as I can,” you gently brushed over her cheek, “I am not abandoning you, I promise.”

“You're acting like mother when she left us,” the older one said.

“I am not mother, I am me. And you two both know that I've always taken care of you, ever since you were born, sometimes even more than mother did. So trust me when I say that I will be back.”

“Can't we come with you?” the youngest cuddled into your chest.

“It's.. no place for children. And besides, it's a lot nicer here. You have your friends and Auntie Jun will come around every day to make sure you have eaten. I'll be leaving you,” you looked at your other sister, “In charge of getting food. I'm leaving a lot of coin here, I trust that you are old enough and responsible enough to handle this.”

She gulped down hard but then nodded, “Yes, sister.”

“Good. Now cheer up, the both of you. When I'm back, we will never have to worry about anything again in life,” you pulled your other sister into your arms and hugged both of them as tightly as you could, “Everything will be fine.. I promise you,” you whispered.

The youngest one was the first to wipe away her tears and sit down in the corner with her doll, but the older one looked you dead in the eye with a glance that would make you think she was able to kill you if she wanted to.

“I trust you.”

“And I trust you. You take care of her,” you whispered, “Let nothing happen to her. And when anybody tries to come in..-”

“I know, (Y/N),” she stood up a little straighter, “Nobody will hurt us.”

“That's right,” you smiled and kissed her forehead, “I'll see you soon.”

You left the house with just one bag that day, smiling at Jun who stood in front of your house.

“Are you absolutely sure about this, (Y/N)?”

“I am,” you grabbed her hand, “Please, Jun, keep an..-”

“Enough. You know I won't let them starve. I will make sure they're alright until you're back. Really, back.”

“Thank you,” you hugged her too, so close that she coughed a little, “Thank you,” you whispered once again.

For a moment it seemed like you were hesitating, but then you forced yourself to let go of your best friend and walk towards the palace without looking back.

This is for them, you told yourself. I can do anything for them.

You were familiar enough with court so that you were able to act natural there. Nobody suspected you to actually not belong here, because you had been here enough as a child to know what to do and what not to do. What to say and what to keep to yourself. When to put your chin up and when to keep your head down.

The first thing you did when you arrived at the palace was go to your quarters. The higher concubines had their own little space, you even your own room, but only because the princes might want to visit you at any time and would want a little privacy in what you’d be then doing.

It was much more than you deserved and a part of you felt very ashamed that you accepted all of this, because unlike other girls here, you've not worked in this department, so you hadn't actually earned this position, as horrible as ‘earning’ the position sounded when the position was literally sex.

But you had to remember your goal.. this was only temporarily. And then, once you got the position as a physician, you could give the room to someone who actually deserved and truly wanted it.

“You're the new one, aren't you?” a girl around your age entered your room a little shyly.

“I am,” you smiled, “I'm (Y/N).”

“Nice to meet you.. I'm Eun,” she closed the door behind her and looked at you with a little hesitation, “Is it alright if we're.. not formal with each other?”

“Oh, please,” you chuckled. “It'd be nice to have a friend here.”

“Yes,” she grinned, “I don't have any.. the.. other girls aren't that keen on making friends. So I'm so glad to have you here now. My friend,” she giggled.

A cute one, that one.

“Oh? Why are they not trying to find friends? We're all in the same boat aren't we?”

“They all want to be.. the one.”

“But.. isn't that a given that concubines aren't special?” you laughed.

“I guess some of them think they can change their designated prince,” she fidgeted with her fingers and looked down, but then quickly back up, “Who is yours, by the way?”

“My what?” you looked up from unpacking your things.

“Your prince, silly.”

“Well..- uhm,” you cleared your voice, then said: “All of them, actually.”

Good thing that she wasn't one of them. If you told any of these girls she just told you about that you were here for all seven of them, they'd probably kill you on the spot, but Eun, as surprised as she was, laughed, “Well, congratulations, then. How did you manage that?”

“Oh, it's a very long story.”

“Well.. I'm sure you and I will spend a lot of time here together, so I can't wait for you to tell me.”

You had come here with a goal, but you had also been afraid that you'd feel incredibly lonely here. You had never really been away from home for long, so this all felt very odd.

But now you could be a little more at ease, knowing that you wouldn’t have to eat alone every single day and that you’d have someone to talk to about some things..

..so that was nice.

The door got opened again, one of the guards standing in your room all of a sudden.

“Prince Hoseok wants to see you,” and with that he was back out of the door, waiting on you to.. get ready, probably.

“That's your cue, I suppose,” Eun smiled, “I'll leave you to it. Have fun. I heard Prince Hoseok is a fantastic lover.”

You wanted to ask her who her prince was, but she was already back out the door.

You almost wanted to leave, but then you remembered something.. something very important. “One moment, please!” you quickly rushed back to your bag and grabbed the satchel of herbs that you had brought with you, taking as much as you had written down in your notebook was necessary for you not to get pregnant.. or at least so you hoped.

This was something your grandmother had once told you about.

“You take this when you want to have fun but not bring a baby into this world, alright?” she had shoved it into your hand.

“But grandmother.. I don’t even know how babies are made.”

“Just write it down, (Y/N). You will thank me for this one day.”

And that you just did. Truly.

Maybe Prince Hoseok just wanted to say hello – which you doubted – but you wanted to be prepared.

This wasn't about getting pregnant, unlike with other girls here.

You looked into the mirror one last time, brushing back your hair and suddenly feeling.. nervous? Why? Well, one, you haven't slept with someone in a while. The last guy you had seen was a soldier working for your father but.. he had passed away too. You had been quite heartbroken for a while, but it's been some time already.

And two, you were probably about to do it with a prince.

And well, that thought alone could be quite intimidating.

“Alright,” you joined the guard who led you.. to the.. main palace? You thought you'd go to the quarters of the princes, why were you..- “Uhm, excuse me, why are we going there?”

“Prince Hoseok's instructions,” and that's that. You got nothing more out of him than that sentence that gave you no answer whatsoever.

Perfect.

You were led into the throne room, but the guard only waited until you were inside, then he closed the door behind him.

The palace was open, there were some parts with no windows and you could see guards walking up and down the palace in front of it, but none of them seemed to dare to look inside.

Not that they could see anything, it was incredibly dark in here, you could barely see what was in front of you. There was only a few candles lit here and there.

You carefully walked a few steps, letting out a shaky, “Hello?” but then jumped when you could hear his voice.

“My brothers and I played for who gets to see you first,” he was sitting.. on a throne. And you doubted that was his throne. Wasn't this kind of.. forbidden? Was this allowed? Should you.. no, that would probably not be a good idea, “I won.”

“I'm.. glad to hear that, your majesty,” you bowed a little, but when you looked back up, you couldn't help but gulp at how he sat there.

One foot was casually lying on his left leg, his elbow prepped up on the throne and his fist against his cheek. And even though it was dark, the look in his eyes was darker.

It was clear what he wanted.. and even though you hated to admit this, because you did not come here for this at all.. you.. didn't hate the idea either. How could you? How could you hate it when there was a man sitting in front of you that looked like that?

Hoseok slowly got up, then walked down the few stairs that were needed to get to the throne until he was standing right beside you.

Like.. literally. Right beside you.

“You're not like the other ones here, you know? That's why all of us wanted you,” his nose was almost touching yours, but apart from that, nothing else did, “The other girls all prepare for this position for so long. They train what to say.. what to do.. what gives us the most pleasure,” he whispered that last part into your ear, making you close your eyes for a moment, “But you're raw.. like you've never done any of this. Tell me.. have you ever been with a man?”

“Yes, your majesty,” you replied honestly.

“Good.. because I don't think I can go soft on you,” and finally he had enough of this game.

He wrapped one arm around your waist and pulled you close, his lips crashing against yours and you accepting it all without hesitation.

It was almost embarrassing, if you think about it. You did not actually come here to enjoy this, but here you were, the first prince and you were already dripping despite him only kissing you so far.

Hoseok knew what he was doing. He was a good kisser and immediately made you moan within the first few seconds of his tongue inside your mouth. His teeth kept biting down on your lip, his other hand coming up to your cheek to hold your face.

“I can't wait to be inside of you,” he whispered against your lips and turned you around.

Yes, well.. neither could you.

A bed would have been more comfortable, but this gave you a thrill that you've never experienced before. And, something that you didn't know, neither had Hoseok. He had been so bored with his other concubines, he wanted a change. And what better change than to sleep with someone new in a room such as this one? That held so much power?

Because that's what this was about.

Power.

And you could tell.

You could tell from the way he pushed up the skirts of your dress, you could tell from the way his hand came down hard on your ass cheek and from the way his dick entered you without hesitation after he had pulled down your breeches.

“You are so wet,” Hoseok let out a laugh, his head falling back, “You truly aren't like the others at all.. none of them are ever so excited..-” he grabbed your hair and pulled you back until your ear was right next to his mouth, “To be fucked by me.”

And he really made it no mystery whether or not he was enjoying this.

Yes, the position was a little awkward because of the stairs, you were sure that your knees would get scratched up, but in that moment, the pain was actually something that you liked.

Hoseok was fucking you without mercy, he did not slow down once, he kept pounding into you from behind and his moans.. they were so loud.

You tried to keep quiet for the sake of where you were doing this, but apparently Hoseok wanted everyone to hear. He wanted them to know what he was doing in here, in front of his father's throne.

How he was fucking one of his girls.

It was so disrespectful and if his father found you like this, you didn’t know what he’d do - definitely not give you the position you wanted - but in that moment all you could think about was how good he felt inside of you, stretching you out and reaching spots inside of you that made you want to cry out.

“You're trying to be quiet, huh?” he saw how you bit down on your lip, chuckled and then spanked you again, “Don't. I want them to hear you scream.”

“Your majesty, I..-”

“Hoseok. It's Hoseok.”

And just when he said that, he pushed inside of you so deeply that you suddenly saw stars and out of reflex, you screamed just that.

Hoseok.

And that was exactly what he wanted. The more and the louder you screamed his name, the harder he fucked you.

He tried not to cum too soon, because quite frankly, this is the most enjoyment he had gotten out of sex in a very long time and he wanted to make it last for as long as possible, but with your walls clenching around him, there was nothing he could do.

His grip around your hip tightened, his thrusts became harder, but also less controlled.

He bit down on his lower lip, giving it one, two, three more thrusts, until he spilled himself inside of you with one last, loud moan.

Your arms couldn't keep your upper body up any longer, you let your forehead rest against the cold stairs, your breathing still heavy as he was softening inside of you.

“Stay like this for a while, beautiful,” he immediately pulled out when he had calmed down, patting your red ass cheek, “With any luck, you will have my child.”

Doubt that, but it's not like you could move anyways.

He got up and left and you almost would have been offended that he cared so little, but that's what others were for apparently. Two women rushed inside as soon as he was out and knelt down next to you, “Are you alright?”

“I'm.. fine,” you quickly pulled down your skirt, your cheeks heating up from them seeing you like this. “Please don't be embarrassed. We're here for you, for making sure you are well and safe.”

You had to say.. they really took care of their concubines here. That was nice to see.

Or maybe it was just the fact that one of you ladies would carry a future prince inside of you.

That one is more likely.. for others, at least.

#bts imagine #bts x reader #bts #bangtan #bangtan boys #kpop #kpop imagines #bangtan sonyeondan #reader #mine #bangtan x reader #bangtan boys x reader #jung hoseok x reader #jung hoseok imagine #hoseok imagine #hoseok x reader #j-hope x reader #j-hope imagine #jung hoseok #j-hope

[catboymingi]

reconciliation - in this life and the next chap. 5

navi/masterlist

story masterlist

pairing: mingi x reader

genre: angst; soulmates & reincarnation au

word count: 4.1k

warnings: dealing with loss & hurt; language

hurt is never a requirement for improvement, but sometimes it is the spark that sets off the improvement long needed

maybe you'd feel bad about completely cutting all contact with not only mingi but also yunho, but you didn’t have the energy to. you’d collected all your things, gone back to your old phone number, and when you’d seen how often your parents had tried to call you and the dozens, hundreds of messages they’d sent begging you to let them know if you were okay and that they were sorry and that they knew they’d messed up and that they just really didn’t want to lose you again, would do anything they could to get used to the new situation, would start therapy with you, whatever it took, your decision was made. you’d go back home, a place neither of the boys knew, a place where maybe you’d be able to feel okay again. though you knew you wouldn’t, knew that the hurt, the betrayal you felt because of mingi’s words wouldn’t leave, not soon and maybe never. but you weren’t going to deal with him. you were, for the first time, trying to forget rather than remember.

at least he hadn’t kissed you, because while he was probably supposed to seeing how he was your soulmate or whatever you were glad that that hadn’t happened, were glad that it hadn’t been that… serious, emotionally, that it had been one-sided in that regard, because you felt like if he’d kissed you back it would be much harder for you, would hurt much more. but he hadn’t, of course he hadn’t. you hadn’t been who he wanted. and you never would be, something you reminded yourself of and something that strengthened your decision to leave. something that confirmed that you never wanted to see him again.

when you came back home your parents almost couldn’t believe it. it had been weeks without any sign of you, and while they hadn’t given up hope entirely they’d been close to. but now here you were, looking vastly different but it was still you, and it seemed like they had in fact realised that this was the you they’d get, that the daughter they’d known was gone, that they’d have to get to know you from the start again.

things were hard in the beginning, they were, there was a lot of anger and hurt and unresolved issues that you’d had to work through. but they had grown, you had grown, and you actually talked.

“i don’t think that you noticed that it like… it wasn’t subtle that you didn’t like me. i knew that i wasn’t who you wanted, i could tell so clearly, you didn’t like the me that you got. i could tell that you wanted me to remember, all the time, it felt like i wasn’t worth anything if i couldn’t. and i just didn’t want to have to deal with that, i didn’t want to have to see that you hated me on the daily. it didn’t matter if i was gone, you didn’t want me anyway”, you revealed during your third day back home, during another emotional talk where you spilled how you felt. and first then did they realise just how you’d felt, that you hadn’t run away to hurt them but because you were hurting. that they hadn’t been the only ones, but that you’d hidden it because you’d felt like it wouldn’t make a difference to them whether or not you were okay. they hadn’t realised that you would’ve needed them, not just the other way round.

“we’re so sorry, we are”, and both your mother and you were crying, your fathers eyes shining suspiciously, as well, “can i hug you?”

she’d never asked this before you’d left, doing it when she wanted to and then, when she noticed that it made you tense and uncomfortable every time, stopped trying. but now you’d told her that it just overwhelmed you to be touched randomly, that you just needed to be asked, that you needed some kind of… not a warning, because it wasn’t something bad, but a notice. that you needed to know that you had the option to say no.

“please hug me”, crying and shaking and wanting nothing more than to be held and rocked back and forth like a baby, and she did, pressing you tight to her chest. things were hard, things hurt, but you were glad to have the comfort of a mother’s embrace when you’d had to give up on the comfort of a friend’s embrace. when you’d had to give up on having a friend. you were glad that you weren’t alone.

your father joined in on the hug, glad to have his daughter back, because he’d finally realised that that was who you were - you were his daughter, even if you couldn’t remember. you were a family, after so many months of struggling and hurt you finally were a family again. a family that cried a lot, a family that argued, a family that had a lot to work through, but you were a family.

maybe, if you were lucky, you’d be okay again.

//

mingi had been a mess since you left. yunho had thought he’d seen him broken, but what he’d seen was nothing compared to his friend now. it was almost scary, the change in behaviour - for a few days he was completely apathetic, numb, didn’t react to life, didn’t even go to work (though he had called in sick, urged by yunho who didn’t want him to lose his job), but then suddenly he was the opposite, going to his apartment, cleaning up, throwing the trash away that had been there ever since she died, making changes even though he’d refused to do so for so many months now. the blond didn’t know what to make of it, and it was incredibly worrisome. it was impossible to tell whether or not the brunette was doing it to punish himself or if he was doing it because he’d realised that keeping the apartment in a state of fossilisation ever since her death wasn’t going to get her back. maybe he was just desperate to do something.

they were both still trying to message you, but you didn’t ever receive them. if mingi hadn’t obviously been beating himself up over his behaviour, if mingi hadn’t realised that the way he’d acted had been anything but okay, maybe his friend would be angrier at him than he was. maybe it would have ruined their friendship, actually, because no matter how much one was hurting that didn’t mean that it was okay to hurt others, yunho was convinced. but the other regretted his behaviour and wanted to make things okay, so their friendship survived, though it had become a little cooler for a while. they were working on it, though, they too were doing relationship repair.

it was odd, seeing the brunette be so outwardly energetic when the blond knew that he didn’t actually mean it. it seemed like he was either trying to distract himself or, which he hoped, trying to get back on track, trying to fix his life. yunho just hoped it would last.

//

a few weeks after returning home you’d built a life for yourself, no matter how scary it was for your parents. you’d moved into an own little apartment closer to uni, you’d been accepted for the neuropsychology degree through a belated entry exam that was excused with you having been physically unable to take it when everyone else did but that you knew was at least partly related to money changing its owner, and your parents supported you. you still visited them, and they knew where you were now, so they were able to accept that you no longer lived with them. while your relationship with them had improved a lot their house still made you feel odd, it still didn’t feel like your home, and they knew that, so instead of trying to force you to stay they helped you get a place that could feel like home to you. you felt in control of your own fate, and it made you happy. but there was one thing that was still on your mind near constantly, and you told your parents to not be worried if they wouldn’t be able to reach you for a little while because you had to get your phone fixed, a lie that you only told because you didn’t want to have to explain that you were going back to your secret number to see just how bad things were, because, despite it all, you missed the two men that had given you shelter when you’d needed it and because you wanted to see if they missed you too, if they were still thinking about you.

then, you did it. you put in the old (or new?) sim card, and restarted your phone, anxiously waiting to see what would happen. how many messages you’d have. if you’d have any messages at all. if mingi was angry, if yunho was angry, if they hated you. despite what had happened you were still hoping they’d like you. despite what had happened you were still hoping mingi might maybe actually care.

when your phone exploded with messages as soon as it had restarted you couldn’t get yourself to read the messages you most wanted to read. you couldn’t get yourself to check mingi’s chat, so you checked yunho’s instead. he, at least, was obviously worrying, telling you that he was sorry for what had happened and that he should have kept his friend from fucking up like that, that he was so incredibly sorry, that he hoped you were okay, and that, even if you never wanted to talk to either of them okay, he’d be so grateful if you could at least tell him, if you ever saw this, that you were alive, that you were okay. that he hoped you’d talk to him again, even if not to mingi, that he was angry at his friend because his behaviour was completely awful. and maybe it was because he seemed to be so sorry even though he hadn’t done anything, or maybe it was because you missed these men and while you couldn’t deal with mingi maybe you could deal with him, but you messaged him.

[y/n]: i’m fine. don’t worry about me

his reply came almost immediately, a “thank fuck”, and then, a little later, as if he was hesitating, another message.

[yunho]: i missed you

yunho and you hadn’t been that close when you left, but it still made you strangely happy to hear that he’d cared about your absence. you’d missed him, too.

[y/n]: is mingi there rn or can i call?

[yunho]: he’s at work

so you called, glad to hear the familiar voice.

“y/n? it’s really you, right?”, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“yeah, it is. sorry for ignoring you, it’s not like you’d done anything, i just… couldn’t.”

although you didn’t elaborate what you couldn’t the man knew. couldn’t deal with anything related to mingi.

“no, i get it. i’m just glad you’re okay.” he really was, it wasn’t like he could be angry at you for needing time.

“how are you holding up, yunho?”, saying his name so he’d know it was not about mingi, that you still didn’t want to hear about him.

“i’m okay, i think. a lot on my mind, but that’s kind of a given. how about you?”

“if i tell you, will you promise not to tell mingi? or, if i give you my new number. will you promise that he won’t have any way to contact me, that you won’t tell him?”

“of course. not tell him your number though, or not tell him we’re talking at all? he worries, though i still get why you don’t want to see him, i won’t make you, i won’t tell him anything you don’t want me to.”

you thought for a moment, unsure, but you weren’t like him. you didn’t want him to feel bad just because you had the power to keep him feeling bad. and knowing that you were talking to yunho wouldn’t give him the option to talk to you, even if he tried, unless there was a way to get your number without yunho’s knowledge. that was something you had to make sure couldn’t happen first.

“you can tell him i’m fine, but i don’t know, would he be able to snoop my number from your phone?”

“i have face id.”

“then it’s fine. but don’t tell him anything else, promise.”

“of course not. promise.”

“i just hope you know that if he contacts me in any way, if i find out you gave him a way to do that, i’m blocking both of you, for real this time, i’m getting a new number and you’ll never hear from me again. i don’t want... i can’t deal with him.”

“i get it. he won’t find out anything from me. i promise, really.”

thinking for another moment, you decided that it was okay. you’d missed having friends, and he seemed like someone you could trust, so you’d just take the risk. you’d told him what would happen if he messed up.

“okay, i’ll call you again soon. from my other number. the one where you can actually reach me.”

“text me, i think mingi is coming back soon.”

“okay, will do. thank you, yunho.” you were thanking him both for the warning and for being there, for still wanting to talk to you. for seeming to still want to be your friend.

//

when mingi got home it looked like he’d caught yunho doing something, because the taller male seemed surprised that he was suddenly there.

“hey”, the brunette greeted, curious about what was going on but waiting to see if yunho would tell him.

“y/n messaged.”

oh. that explained the look on his friend’s face. especially since he already seemed to know that you hadn’t messaged him, something he couldn’t blame you for but something he still wished was different.

“is she okay?”

“yeah. starting over. she’s fine.”

that was what you’d told yunho, that you were fine, even though it was clear that what  happened still affected you. but it wasn’t his place to tell the other man that you still seemed to be heartbroken by his careless, selfish words. it wasn’t his place to tell anything more.

“i guess she still doesn’t want to talk to me.”

shaking his head, the blond asked: “does it surprise you? after what happened? i’m glad she’s fine with talking to me. don’t mess this up.”

“i miss her.”

and he knew his friend missed you. he knew. so maybe that was why his kind of cold, stern behaviour softened just a little.

“i know, but she doesn’t want to see you. she’s made it clear, if you find a way to contact her because of me she’s blocking us both, she won’t talk to either of us. this way at least you’ll know she’s okay.”

it was a poor attempt at comfort, at reassurance, but it was the best he could do. of course it hurt, but he couldn’t possibly ask of you to give in to his friend’s pleas - that you hadn’t even witnessed yourself - just because mingi wanted you to, ignoring your own wants and needs.

“i know. i just wish i hadn’t said that. i wish i hadn’t fucked up.”

he wasn’t alone in that. that was probably the biggest thing he had in common with you right now, the wish that he’d never said what he’d said, the wish that he’d never tried to use you to forget his pain. it had only caused both of you all the more pain, and while it was his own fault you deserved much better than that. you really did.

“i know.”

yunho wished he could tell mingi that maybe one day you’d forgive him, or at least talk to him again, but he didn’t know, and he didn’t want to get his hopes up. so he just told him that he knew, because he did. there was nothing more to say. especially not when the blond’s phone buzzed again and a pained expression appeared on mingi’s face.

he’d been trying to get back on track, half ignoring his pain, half using it as a fuel to get out of the valley he’d been in since her death and that he’d not even really left when he got closer to you, hoping that he’d one day be able to show you that he was better now, that he wasn’t going to hurt you again. that the feelings he had were for you, not a desperate attempt to get her back, the memories he’d made with her. that he liked you, genuinely, and that he was willing to restart, if he had to. he just wished this realisation had come sooner, before he’d possibly ruined the one chance he had. because now he was better, he was on his way to being okay, but it didn’t matter to you anymore. at least one thing he’d learned, though - his motivation for doing things might start out being someone else, but he couldn’t let himself reverse all the progress he’d made just because things didn’t turn out how he wished. he couldn’t fall back into the depression he’d fought so hard to get out of just because you weren’t there to see that he was doing better. he couldn’t let your attention, or lack thereof, determine his well-being. though it was hard, it was hard to not just give up. and, weirdly enough, his motivation for not falling back into the deep pit he’d found himself in for months was knowing that you’d probably think he was pathetic if he did that just because you weren’t there, that you’d probably see it as a poor attempt to get you back rather than him wanting to change who he was for himself and for those around him that would continue to be hurt by his behaviour.

“reply to her. i’ll go take a shower.” because while he would be okay, it still hurt. still would for a while, no doubt.

//

you’d found that talking to yunho was nice, that it hurt much less than expected. he tried to not bring mingi up, something you were grateful for, instead asking about your life and if you were excited to start university and all those things. you were glad to have a friend, glad to have someone that wasn’t your family to talk to, someone that already knew the entire tragic backstory (or as much of it as you remembered), so you didn’t have to explain it all to him - the thing you dreaded most about starting your education. you were excited to get to know new people, but having to explain why you got to take a late entrance exam, why you were treated differently, was not something you were looking forward to.

now, however, you tried to focus on the friend you already had. yunho talked a lot with you, about his work, about your life, about how you were doing. he asked about your family and seemed genuinely glad to hear that the relationship had improved a lot, joking that you could always find refuge at his place if possible. it was then that you found out that mingi had half moved out by now, still staying at his friend’s place quite some but slowly easing himself into moving back into his own apartment. that was all you knew about the brunette, besides some casual comments about yunho planning to watch a movie with him that day or similar. he never told you anything big, he acted like mingi wasn’t a mutual acquaintance - he didn’t avoid talking about him at all costs, but neither did he tell you what mingi was up to. it just didn’t matter to you, or so you pretended, and the blond was willing to play along.

after about a week of contact with yunho and no attempt at contact from mingi you decided you could meet up with him, though you asked him to first tell mingi when he came back so that his friend wouldn’t get the idea to follow him. of course he agreed, because he was considerate and caring, because he didn’t want you to hurt and it was obvious that seeing mingi right now would hurt.

you agreed on going to a park, because a café would feel somewhat like a date and you just wanted to hang out casually, you wanted to walk around because you were quite certain that you’d have a lot of pent up nervous energy and walking would help with that, at least.

and now you were waiting for the next day, when you’d see yunho again.

//

mingi wasn’t stupid. even though he acted in incredibly stupid ways sometimes he knew that yunho was texting you a lot, that he was getting along great with you, and though he really shouldn’t feel this way because it’d been him who’d messed up, who’d ruined the potential chance he’d had with you, he felt somewhat… jealous. he was jealous that his best friend got to spend time with the girl he had actually fallen for, though it had taken him too long to realise and though the thought still made his heart hurt because it felt like betrayal to her, and that he wasn’t even allowed to know how you were doing, what you were up to. you were obviously holding up okay, because yunho never seemed too worried when he was texting you, and sometimes mingi would hope you’d call while he was there so he could at least get to hear your voice through the thin walls of yunho’s apartment if he put you on speaker, or hear his friend’s end of the conversation if he didn’t. he missed you, and he hated that he had no one but himself to blame for the fact that he couldn’t talk to you.

and when yunho told him he’d be busy that day with appointments mingi knew he wasn’t actually busy with appointments, because if he were he wouldn’t constantly be texting. he felt pathetic for it, but he was still jealous, and he wanted to see you. he wanted nothing more than to see your face, even if he wasn’t going to talk to you. and, though he knew he really shouldn’t do it, the thought of following yunho - or rather, checking for his location because his friend never turned the location setting off and mingi had more than once told him that it was easy for creepy stalkers to know just what he was doing without needing to put any effort into it; now he was going to be the creepy stalker, oh how the tables had turned - just wouldn’t leave his mind. he tried to ignore it, he really did, because he didn’t want to be creepy, he didn’t want to act even worse than he already had, but he also wanted to see your face. he didn’t have any reminder of you, not even a picture, and he was scared that he was going to forget what you looked like. and, even though it by far wasn’t his main motivation anymore, the soulmate thing was still at the back of his head, telling him that fate had intended for the two of you to be together and that he had to fight for you. and it was because of that that he thought that it couldn’t hurt if he just went to the park, too, just looked at you for a moment and left again. you’d never have to know. or so he thought.

but he’d forgotten about his height, about his build that had improved - he was near impossible to miss even when he wasn’t doing anything. and fate wouldn’t just let him be near you and not make you get a weird, familiar feeling, a feeling of being watched. so, naturally, when he had just sneaked the first glance at you and was fighting with himself over whether or not he should leave right now - logic told him yes, but his heart that was longing to talk to you told him no -, you turned around, eyes wide when you recognised just who was staring at you.

“what the fuck are you doing here?”

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