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sciencebecameouraddiction · 2 months

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title: dancing in the rain

author: sciencebecameouraddiction

fandom: hazbin hotel

rating: PG

genre: slight, baby angst/ major fluff

pairing: Alastor x Reader

summary: all hell had was acid rain, and all you wanted was the rainstorms you knew on earth.

Rain hardly ever was an occurrence in Hell. And when it was, it was acid rain. You sighed, looking out the window and watched the green acid pouring down on everything, missing desperately the rain storms that you had on earth. Being the youngest at the hotel, you remembered more clearly the burn of the sun on your skin, the cool breeze on a fall day and even the mix of the humidity in the air that felt like it would choke you but the reprieve as a rainstorm came and fell from the heavens.

“What has you so melancholy, my dear?” A voice asked behind you, shockingly quiet all things considered, toning down the announcer quality in his voice.

“Hey Alastor, just thinking is all.” You replied and smiled at him, not wanting to explain that the acid rain made you sad.

“Now, whatever it is that you’re thinking about is casting a dark shadow over your usually lovely face. So, tell me, what’s wrong? What kind of hotelier might I be if I didn’t ensure that all the patrons here were happy?” He said, the announcer tone coming back into his voice, which made you wince. Knowing that meant he knew you were lying so he was going to put on a show if you were. You sigh.

“It’s the rain.” You explain.

“The what now?” He asks, all effects gone from his voice except shock and a bit of confusion.

“The rain. I miss the rain. Not this rain. The rain on earth. The smell of the earth after a good rain storm, the way that especially in the summer when it was so hot, the rain was a cool reprieve. It always felt like…” You trailed off.

“Forgiveness?” Alastor finished, looking outside the hotel now too. You blink and look up at him.

“Yes. Are you sure you don’t read minds?” You chuckle, resting your head on your hand. You suddenly feel his microphone tap your head. You look up at him as holds his arm out to you.

“Come with me.” He says, not giving you time to feel confused. As when you take his arm you shadow travel with him to the other side of the hotel appearing at the door of his room.

“This is your room.” You say, confused now.

“Ever observant. A skill many would kill for I’m sure.” He smiles at you, but the sarcasm is evident as he holds open the door for you and you step into his room.

“Just a certified Sherlock Holmes.” You roll your eyes, taking his sarcasm.

“I never had the chance to read those books.” He mused for a moment, as he shut his door and walked around you heading to the forest area. You stayed near the door.

“I have the collection if you’d like to borrow it and read them.” You explain. “They are annotated though, so you’ll have to put up with my notes.” You explain.

“That would be lovely, dear.” Alastor says stepping on the grass and you watch as he takes off his coat and hangs it on a coat rack that appeared suddenly. He turns to you. “Aren’t you coming?”

“I-I guess?” You say, more like a question. You jog over to him and start walking next to him. “Are you killing me in your forest because I complained about acid rain?”

“Oh, no. Not you at least.” Alastor chuckles. “I want to show you something.” You look up at him skeptically.

“Hey Alastor, can you take smaller steps?” You ask having to jog to keep up with him. He looks down and hums seeing how you were almost running next to him.

“Good to know that if I had to catch you I could do so without breaking a sweat.” He says, as he walks slower and taking smaller steps, allowing you to actually walk, instead of run.

“Har har.” You say deadpanned and roll your eyes. You walk into a clearing that has a cabin in the middle. The whole forest felt like it was shrouded in the twilight of fall when lightening bugs gently floated around and the sky was a perpetual shade of blue, purple and pink. You finally looked up and around, seeing the trees, the bugs, the animals, the sky. Tears formed in your eyes. “Alastor, this is beautiful. It looks just like-“ You stop, your throat constricting as emotion overtakes you. You feel Alastor’s clawed hand rest on your shoulder.

“Just like earth?” He finishes, speaking softer than you had ever heard. You nod and look at him, watching him take everything in and then looking down at you.

“Come, let me show you something else.” He says, walking away and heading to the cabin. You walk in and suddenly feel at home. The decor is a little dated and you feel transported to the 1920’s, but it’s all homey. There’s a kitchen, a living room, a lounge and a hall way leading to what you assumed to be a bed room. You walk through the living room, taking it in but trying not to pry at the photos Alastor had in frames along the mantel of the fire place, you see at the back door there is almost like a deck, with a more modern porch swing.

“The porch swing is a nice addition.” You mention, smiling a bit at the modern accessory in what felt like a time capsule.

Alastor chuckles as he sets his microphone down and rolls up the sleeves of his shirt. He joins you next to the window. “You haven’t seen the best part.” He murmurs, unusually quiet and reserved. You don’t mention the change in demeanor though, wanting to savor the quiet and this almost more authentic view of the Radio Demon.

“What’s the best-“ You stop when you hear it. The start of a pitter patter of rain on the roof, that builds and when you look outside, it’s raining. “Is that?” You blink a few times.

“It is. Safe for you to touch as well. You won’t get hurt.” He smiles a genuine looking smile as he goes over to the record player and starts playing music. Your hand touches the door, feeling the coolness of the water slide down the glass pane. You can’t stop yourself as Alastor fiddles with the record player, you open the door, quickly closing it so no rain would get in the cabin and rush outside off the deck. Twirling in the grass as the rain poured down soaking you.

“What are you doing?” Alastor yelled from the door, watching you like you had gone mad.

“Dancing in the rain!” You yelled back, a smile feeling permanent on your face.

“You’ll catch a cold, get back inside!” He says, looking up at the sky and then back at you.

“No! Come join me! It’s amazing! This is exactly what I remember.” You say holding you hand out to Alastor. His smile looks more like a grimace as he takes you in looking like a wet dog. He looks back inside and waves his hand at something and you see towels appear and the record player is louder so you can hear it outside. He takes off his shoes and socks and places them neatly at the door but far enough away that when you come in, water or mud won’t get on them.

He walks out getting drenched almost immediately as you run up to him and grab his hand and pull him on the grass. You take both his hands and start trying to spin around in a circle with him, as you see his eyebrow raise. You stop and look at him, a little disappointed when he doesn’t spin with you and you start to let go of his hand, until his hand tightens and pulls you to him.

“We can dance in the rain, but we will be actually be dancing.” He says as he proceeds to guide you through a dance that was popular when Alastor was alive, morphing into an odd mash up of a swing dance and you dancing like you were at a rave. You both settled down and were now just slow dancing as the song had turned a bit slower. You watched as Alastor’s eyes were closed as his face angled up to the sky. You made a spit second decision, and rested your head on his chest, really it was like the start of his abdomen but it was as tall as you could reach. You didn’t see his head snap down to you and watch as you seemingly relaxed in his arms, drunk off the warmth he gave and the cool from the rain still coming down. His hand moved up, and grabbed your chin, encouraging you to look at him. As you did, you saw his eyes widen and his cheeks turn bright red.

“What’s wrong?” You ask quietly.

“I’ve never… done anything like this before.” He says quietly, and it breaks the fogginess you felt before.

“You don’t have to be scared. It’s just me.” You say, as if it’s the most simple thing in the world.

“Just you? Darling, just you is enough to have me go to war.” Alastor murmurs and then his eyes widen again, shocked. You realize that he is just blurting things out and there is no filter. You smile.

“Well, I’m honored that the Radio Demon would want to be in my corner.” You say as your hand reaches up to touch his cheek, stopping just a few centimeters away, allowing him to close the gap if he wanted to. He leans into your touch shaking his head.

“Not the Radio Demon, dear. Just Alastor.” He says, looking at you with a vulnerability you had never seen before. Your eyes widen and you smile.

“Even better.”

#hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel imagine #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel fluff #hazbin hotel alastor #alastor altruist #alastor/reader #hazbin hotel alastor x reader #alastor x reader #hazbin hotel fanfiction #hazbin hotel fanfic #alastor fanfiction

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wqnwoos · 6 months

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“oh my god, i’ve literally been looking for you everywhere!”

your sentence wouldn’t come as a surprise to minghao if he actually knew who you were. but one look at you, beaming at him under the dim bar lights, tells him everything: he’s never seen you in his life.

and somehow, you seem to be convinced that the two of you are best of friends. you’re sliding onto the empty bar stool next to him — not too close, not enough to make him uncomfortable, but close enough to make it seem like you guys are here together. and you’re not. because he came with jun and dino and soonyoung, who are currently in the midst of the crowded dance floor.

slowly, after one long look — just to be sure — minghao speaks. “i’m sorry,” he says, finally. “do i know you?”

you don’t even answer the question, you just start laughing: clearly, you’re absolutely wasted. “don’t be silly,” you giggle, and it’s kind of the best sound minghao’s ever heard, but that really isn’t his priority right now.

you wave the bartender over before he can stop you. “hiiii,” you sing, to the slightly bemused dude behind the counter. “can i get — ”

“water,” minghao chips in quickly, casting a concerned eye over your swaying body. “get them some water, please.”

it doesn’t take long, and yet in the short space of time, your energy completely fades. one second you’re bobbing your head to the thumping bass; the next second, your eyes are drooping, and you look moments away from slumping over the counter in exhaustion.

“are you good?” minghao says, sudden alarm seeping into his voice; he does not want to be responsible for someone passing out, and so he twists open the water bottle, handing it to you and watching dubiously as you gulp it down.

“did you know,” you announce, once you’ve finished, “that cows have best friends?”

(minghao doesn’t know what he was expecting, but it really wasn’t that.)

still, he can’t help the amusement that exudes from his voice. “oh, yeah?”

“yes!” you say, with sudden, renewed enthusiasm. “someone told me they feel sad when their best friends aren’t around, too. isn’t that just cool?”

“sure,” he humours you, partly because your excitement about this is kind of sweet, and partly because he’s glancing around the bar to see if anyone’s looking for you. “hey, did you come here alone?”

you wave a vague hand to your right. “i think karina and jaehyun are over there. somewhere.”

your indifference is both entertaining and a little concerning. “okay, can i call one of them for you?”

you pout — you actually pout. “i haven’t told you about the seahorses yet!”

and minghao doesn’t know whether to laugh or not, because this is one of the strangest predicaments he’s ever been put in, but there’s something about you — he can’t put his finger on it. he just knows that you look gorgeous, even drunk under shitty lighting, and something that feels suspiciously like butterflies churns in his stomach when he looks at you.

but you still seem a little drunk, and so minghao orders you another water, opening the bottle for you again. he watched as you drink it down, idly wondering whether the sparkles in your eyes are from the alcohol, or if they’re always there. (he thinks he’d like to find out.)

you let him call karina then, and when she picks up (“oh my god, finally, ___, where have you been?”) minghao finally learns your name. he repeats it over and over inside his head; he’s going to remember this one.

“i guess you’re a little more sober,” he notices, a few moments after hanging up with your friend — he can tell, by the clarity dawning in those pretty eyes, and the embarrassed smile that takes over your face.

you drop your face into your hands, as though you’re recalling what you’ve said. “oh my god,” you groan into your palms, “i am — i am so sorry.”

he really can’t help the laugh that spills from his lips. even your embarrassment is endearing. “you’re fine,” he assures, trying to restrain his smile. “i had a great time, actually.”

your face is still twisted into a mortified grimace, and your words trip over each other, garbled in your flustered state. “i — i mean, thank you, but i really — oh my god.”

“i was thinking,” minghao says, waving your phone — it’s still in his hand. “you could tell me about those seahorses. over coffee, maybe.”

you look at him with wonder in your eyes — “i mean. are you sure?”

“i’m sure,” he replies, the smallest of smirks pulling at his lips, “if you are.”

you say yes, and minghao thinks he hasn’t smiled this wide for a while. and just as he’s finishing typing his number into your phone, a girl he can only assume is karina appears.

there are hurried goodbyes, and a quick promise from you to text him — which you clinch by linking your pinky with his, and that only seals it for him. it’s early, and maybe the few sips of alcohol have gone to his head, but he thinks something special is going to happen.

and when he hears your hushed, humiliated whisper as you leave (“rina, i told him about the cows.”), he thinks the something special has already happened, and it’s hit him out of nowhere. like a tornado. or a hurricane, or a comet, or you.

an / requested by anon and the prompt was SOOO cute i giggled reading it but i feel like i fucked it up writing it 😭 i rewrote it three times and it still doesn’t feel right GAHH

perm taglist: @n4mj00nvq @eoieopda @som1ig @glowunderthemoon @wondering-out-loud @graybaeismytae @hannyoontify @sahazzy @dokyeomin @icyminghao @smilehui @nicholasluvbot @lvlystars @immabecreepin @hanniehaee @kokoiinuts @astrozuya @doublasting @yepimthatonequirkyteenager @qaramu @weird-bookworm @phenomenalgirl9

#minghao scenarios #minghao fluff #minghao comfort #seventeen fluff #seventeen imagines #seventeen fic #seventeen x reader #seventeen fanfic #minghao imagines #minghao x reader #minghao x you #minghao drabbles #minghao seventeen #minghao au

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nolita-fairytale · 1 year

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make my heart surrender (carmy berzatto x fem!reader) | chapter two: wednesday

pairing: carmen berzatto x fem!reader

warnings: lots of swearing, lots of angst in this one, use of she/her pronouns, allusions to sex, eventual smut, smoking (plz remember smoking is injurious to your health, ppl), avoidance tactics, mentions of al-anon, no use of y/n, second person pov, mentions of death/mikey's suicide

word count: 3.3k

summary: while you get to know the kitchen staff of the bear a little better, you and carmy finally acknowledge the elephant in the room.

a/n: the song 'about you' by the 1975 makes me think of these two and is where the title comes from. also, i totally made up the pete has an airbnb thing but i just feel like he'd be in real estate or something with his little patagonia vests lol. anyways, happy valentine's day babes & enjoy!

read: part one | masterlist

Wednesday

“Okay, this is some next level shit,” Marcus concludes, in between chews as he tries the brioche donuts you let rise overnight. “It’s got everything I like about the yeast donut but the flavor is so much more pronounced.”

“Carmy said you knew how to throw down but.”

Sydney nods, taking another bite of hers, and you watch as Fak holds the donut up to his ear, letting out a wild, “Wow.”

“Oh fuck,” Sydney practically groans, the salty-sweet flavors of the caramel hitting her taste buds.

Last night, pre-dinner shift, you were introduced to the colorful cast of characters that filled up this kitchen. There was Richie, Carmy’s not-biological-cousin cousin, and Tina, who’d been working in this kitchen since before any of you were born. And Neil the handyman, who somehow actively chose to go back his last name, Fak, which puzzled you. Then there was Ebrahim, who seemed to serve as the meat prep cook and the onsite first-aid guy. And Sydney, the brilliant sous who’d worked in fine dining kitchens till she came here, eager to learn from Carmy.

It was a far cry from the kitchens you and Carmy used to work in but this kitchen there were similarities… things every kitchen has. Everyone has their own little quirks, preferences, styles….

They’re just a little more, well, allowed to be themselves and while overwhelming, you find it refreshing as well.

Fak smells the donut next, followed by another ‘wow,’ and your eyes widen as Fak begins licking just the icing.

“Wow,” Fak repeats, carrying on his more-than-peculiar behavior.

“Is he-?” you start, sharing a look with Sydney next.

…alright? Is this normal? Is he okay?

“Yeah, sometimes we just let him–,” Sydney tries to explain, but she’s not quite sure how to explain Neil Fak to anyone outside of their ecosystem.

“Okay.”

“Anyways, so this is just a personal preference and perhaps a symptom of too much time spent in fine dining, but I like to fuck around with weird flavors,” you continue to explain, in reference to the salty miso caramel creme pat you’ve filled the donut with.

“I’m not much for too sweet-of-sweets,” you announce, earning a laugh from Marcus and Sydney. “... which yes, is a very odd thing to say for a pastry chef. So I like to find combinations that cut the sweetness of anything and give the taste buds another experience at the same time.”

“Which isn’t the direction you have to take your pastries, chef.”

Marcus shakes his head, “No, this is… super cool. And I like it a lot.”

“I apologize in advance if I sound like a total loser,” Sydney starts, placing her donut down on the paper towel. “But when I was at the CIA, I actually had your lemongrass creme brulee.

“With the black sesame ice cream?”

“And the sesame crumble.”

“Oh my god!” you exclaim. What a blast from the past. “Yeah, I had to fight hard to get some of those ingredients on the menu. You know. Before everyone thought it was cool to do shit like that.”

Sydney smiles in agreement, going back for more of her donut.

“So what’re we workin’ on next, chef?” Marcus asks. He has his notebook out and has a few renderings drawn up with ideas he had last night.

“Well now that we’ve built a great brioche together, I’d love to keep practicing your piping technique and-,” you begin, stopping mid sentence as Carmy joins the three of you.

“Mornin’, chef! Hey, try this,” Marcus greets, ecstatic about the results of just a day of working with you, as he hands Carmy a donut.

He takes it, immediately taking a bite. You can practically see the gears turning in his head as he processes and dissects every single flavor note he experiences. You’re all quiet as you wait for his response.

And honestly, you’re still pretty pissed off about him leaving you hanging the day before. After you and Marcus finished up your prep, you had made your way back to your airbnb – the one he set you up in when he asked you to come here.

You had tried your best not to feel like a total loser as you hoped he'd reach out with an explanation. No call, no text, no nothing, wondering why he asked you to come in the first place.

Carmy takes his time savoring his first bite.

“I almost forgot how good you are at this,” he compliments, his tone neutral as if it’s just a fact.

“Thank you, chef,” is all you say back to him. You clear your throat, avoiding his gaze, and continuing to go over today’s bake with Marcus.

You don’t mean to ignore Carmy, but you’re not sure how to act around him either. One minute he’s ignoring you, and the next he’s making you breakfast. And then he’s standing you up, leaving in the hands of his brash cousin? Maybe, you think to yourself, it’s best to keep things professional between the two of you.

You work with Marcus till an hour or so into the lunch shift. You both agreed to start your days early, since you’re only here for a week, so that you could cram as much knowledge in as possible.

Marcus asks if he can take point on flavor pairings for tomorrow’s donuts, and you agree, before parting ways till later this evening. You’ve got to come back later today from one more late night prep.

You haven’t spoken much to Carmy at all since he came in. As much as you’ve tried to focus all of your attention on working with Marcus, Carmy has a commanding presence as he expedites. He’s got something most chefs don’t – true leadership – and it seems like his skills have only improved since he left New York. You gather up your things, preparing to take the subway home for a midday nap, heading out the back door.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t know you were… out here,” you gasp. You're surprised to find Carmy sitting behind the shop, sitting a few stacked crates and smoking a cigarette.

Well, that part isn’t surprising – the smoking part. You contemplate taking a seat next to him and asking him for one, but you’re really trying to cut back these days.

“It’s-, you’re good,” he says, taking another drag. He exhales smoke and the eery feeling of deja vu overtakes you.

Instead of leaving, and continuing this game of avoidance, you stand your ground.

“Are you avoiding me?” you finally muster up the courage to ask. You try your best not to sound as angry with him as you are, to no avail, as more words begin tumbling out of your mouth. “Because, if I recall correctly, Carmy, you asked me to come out here.”

Carmy waits a beat, avoiding your gaze, and it only infuriates you further. You watch as he takes another hit off of the cigarette as you continue, your rage boiling up within you.

“I don’t get it!” you exclaim, shaking your head in pure disbelief. You’re trying your best not to shout. “You ask me to come out here, and make it as easy as possible for me to be here by putting me up in this airbnb, you make me breakfast, and then… what? It’s like-, it’s like I don’t exist?”

He doesn’t answer.

“It’s always been like this with you. One step forward and five steps back.”

You wait before saying the next thing.

You’re not trying to be mean, but you’re hurt, and this whole experience has all been so confusing.

“I guess I was fucking idiot to believe that you-, that you wanted me out here or something.”

“That’s not true,” Carmy denies, finally breaking his silence. Finally looking at you, even if just for a moment. His eyes return to the concrete pavement below him as he says, “I just-.”

You don’t want to scare him away now that he’s finally talking to you, but you also want answers. And there’s an elephant in the room that maybe, if you both just acknowledged it, could go away. He puts his cigarette out on the cement beneath his feat, tossing it away onto the concrete.

You lower your voice before speaking again.

“Are you… do you still feel weird about what happened between us?” you ask cautiously, eager to fix whatever the hell it is between the two of you. “Because I didn’t think we’d have to talk about it since, well-, I just thought we said we’d just forget it. I mean, I’m not-, I don’t-, I just don’t want things to be this weird between us, Carm."

In some ways, you don’t blame him. You had seen him at his absolute lowest: the day Mikey died. You wonder if he felt too ashamed of how vulnerable he had been. You wondered if he still felt weird about what had happened next….

You had argued with him that day – practically demanded that he not go in for dinner service that night. You knew he had wanted a distraction, but after the phone call, after learning what Mikey had done, you knew he was wrecked – even if he wouldn’t admit it. That level of denial couldn’t be healthy, but he'd snapped at you and you didn't think there was much you could do about it. It didn’t take long for him to blow up at a line cook mid-shift, and you had quickly ushered him into the walk-in.

“Hey! You can’t do this shit. Not here. These people look up to you!” you had chastised him. “Listen, I’m going to give you five minutes to fuckin’ lose it in here, and then you’ve gotta pull it together and finish dinner service, okay?”

Carmy had grabbed at his chest, and you knew he was having one of his breathing episodes.

“Carmy, are you o-?"

He’d held out his hand, as if to stop you from coming any closer, so reluctantly, you’d left him to it, closing the door behind you. The sound of empty storage containers being thrown across the walk-in filled your ears, reinforcing your exact reasons why you hadn't thought it was a good idea for him to come in that night.

That night, you had made sure he got home okay, and he’d practically begged you to stay with him. It hadn’t been the first time you’d slept in the same bed, and you knew he was at his lowest point, in need of company. It hadn’t been until he started crying – sobbing really – that he finally broke.

“Carm,” you had whispered, unsure if he wanted you to acknowledge it or not.

“Carmy.”

He had turned to you so tenderly, practically folding himself into your body. You had never seen him like that as he’d buried his face into your chest, his body shaking against yours.

“I’m so sorry, Carm. I’m so sorry,” you had whispered, over and over again. You stroked his hair, wanting nothing more than to ease the pain of your best friend, but you knew there wasn’t much you could do. You’d let him cry, continuing to run your fingers along his scalp and through his delicate curls, desperate to give him any kind of comfort your could.

When he finally looked up, all he could think to do was to kiss you. You had been taken aback -- caught off guard as you'd pulled away from him.

“Carmy, stop it. You’re not-, you’re not okay right now,” you had said, pushing him away.

At that moment, his eyes were swollen, his face red, and he looked like you had just kicked his puppy. He had leaned his head against your chest again with a sigh, letting out another sob, and you’d felt that he’d put you in an impossible position.

You’d have been lying if you said you hadn’t wanted it – hadn’t thought about it before – but Carmy had never given you any inkling that he was even interested in dating anyone. You had been perfectly fine being ‘just friends’ with him despite the whispers between the kitchen staff when no one thought you were listening. And now? You knew he wouldn’t be in the right headspace. It wouldn't be fair to either of you.

“I’m sorry, Carm,” you’d apologized softly. “I just feel like-, well I’d feel like I'd be taking advantage. I don’t think we should.”

His silence had only made you more nervous, beginning to over explain yourself.

“It’s not that I don’t want to. I-, I do. I just… I don’t want you to regret it because… because you’re upset right now and cause you more-.”

“Please,” was all he'd said, breaking his silence and looking up at you with those sad, swollen blue eyes. He leans in to kiss you once more.

“Please.”

In between kisses you’d managed to ask, “Are you- are you sure? Is this really what you-?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve wanted this for so long. Just-, please,” he whispered, murmuring your name into the soft kisses he had left on your skin. “Just wanna feel good.”

“Just wanna feel good.”

It was then that you’d realized what absolute fucking idiots the two of you had been for the past few years by ignoring this thing between the two of you.

The truth was that you were fully, wholly, and stupidly in love with each other.

“Yes,” you’d repeated, finally giving into him.

Even though it should’ve been a beginning, it felt like an end, but for one night, you’d indulged the both of you.

“I know,” he says, his voice pulling you back into the present. His eyes are fixated on the pieces of gravel that sat between his feet. Even though you both agreed to it, he hadn’t forgotten about what happened between the two of you and he’s not sure if he should tell you that too.

But that’s not what’s wrong. It’s not why he’s avoiding you. Or maybe it’s part of it. He hadn’t expected seeing you to be this hard. That it would bring it all back – wanting you – so much so that those incredibly big feelings had sent him running to a meeting.

He just needed a place to be unapologetically fucked up.

He’s not sure what he thought would happen – like you’d just fall into the same old rhythm of your friendship without a care in the world.

He’d called Sydney yesterday and he could barely breathe. Sydney had told him to take the night off – that it wouldn’t help to come back to the kitchen that night – and that he had a whole week of you to prepare for. To figure this shit out.

“I um,” he starts. He’s not sure why it’s so hard to get these words out; why it feels so difficult to tell you. “I’ve kinda been going to these al-anon meetings…ever since, well you know… since I got home.”

“Oh.”

Well that wasn’t what you were expecting him to say. You’re not sure what you were expecting him to say. That he hates you? That he couldn’t stand being in the same kitchen with you and yesterday brought it all back? That it was a mistake reaching out to you?

You sit down on the curb, next to Carmy, leaving plenty of space between the two of you.

“My sister nagged me to go. Thought it was bullshit but… I don’t know why I kept going back. I still go three times a week.”

You stare at the ground, not sure what to say next. All that comes out is:

“Well I feel like an asshole.”

He scoffs, moreso to himself, “No, you’re not. I-, I’m sorry. I should’ve-.”

You can tell he’s frustrated as he huffs, “I don’t know why this is so hard for me to tell you.”

You sigh, scooting a hair closer to your old friend.

“I don’t know either, Carm. I-, we used to tell each other everything.”

“I know.”

You catch his gaze, your eyes meeting with his, and it feels like you can’t breathe for a moment.

“I should’ve called. Should’ve kept in touch. Guess I just feel like-, I don’t know,” Carmy admits, regretfully. “I know I’ve been….”

“Uh huh. You’ve been….” you trail off.

“But I do. Want you here.”

And that’s the problem, he thinks to himself.

“I know I’ve been a dick. I shouldn't have-.”

You take a breath, processing all of it.

“Can we… not have this conversation again?” you ask, taking a lighter tone this time. “I mean, we sorta had a very similar conversation to this yesterday… and now today… like… are you gonna stop being such a fuckin’ weirdo or what?”

He lets out a small laugh, “Yeah. Yeah I-, I’m gonna stop, well, you know.”

You chuckle in response, continuing to tease him, “Good because… you know usually when your friend comes to town you hang out a little, catch up, say hey hello how are you? I mean, maybe I’m totally out of pocket for this, but sometimes, you know… they even hug. Yeah, Carm, like, normal people.”

“Oh fuck you,” he mutters, jokingly.

It’s quiet between the two of you, but for the first time in the last 48 hours, it's not weird. It’s a familiar quiet intimacy – something that reminds you of the before times.

Before Mikey died.

Before you hooked up.

“Hey, Carm?”

“Yeah?”

“I want to be here too,” you reassure in response to what he said earlier, bumping your shoulder up against his, playfully, earning the slightest smile from him.

“How’s the place?”

“Surprisingly, very nice,” you answer, a mischievous tone in your voice like you know it’s going to start something.

“What? You think I’d put you up in a shit place?” Carmy asks, feigning offense.

“I’ve been in your New York apartment, Berzatto. Which is mostly why we spent most of our days off at mine,” you continue.

He laughs dryly in response.

“My brother-in-law manages a few airbnbs so… it’s the least I could do for… you know… you comin’ out here,” he explains.

“Well thanks. It’s-, it’s great.”

“I gotta get out of here early, and pick up the kid. Have a goodnight, sweetheart,” Richie says to you, about to head out of the restaurant.

“Richie, what the fuck did I fuckin’ tell you about saying shit like that!” Carmen shouts back at his cousin, with an eye roll.

“So sorry,” Richie says sarcastically, emphasizing your name after. “Gotta woke-ify everything in front of Carmen. Just a little baby.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Carmy yells across the kitchen, moving quickly through the closing shift chores.

“Yeah, yeah,” Richie brushes off Carmy’s comment with an eye roll.

“See you fucks tomorrow.”

“This look good, chef?” Marcus asks you, motioning for you to come over and take a look at the mixer.

You reach down into the mixer, checking the dough for texture.

“Yeah, looks good. Go ahead and grab a few sheet pans so we can shape these and we’ll cover ‘em so they can proof overnight,” you order, Marcus nodding in response.

“Thank you, chef.”

As Marcus disappears, in search of a few sheet pans, Carmy’s wiping down one of the prep stations.

“Hey, you,” you say, a smile on your face as soon as you see him.

After your talk this afternoon, things feel lighter. He feels lighter.

“Hey,” he says, finishing up with his cleaning duty before making his way over to you. Carmy checks to see that Marcus hasn’t come back yet, and you notice.

“Great dinner service, huh?” you congratulate.

“We’re gettin’ there,” he replies. “Smoothest it’s been so far. Since the reopen.”

Ah yes. The reopen. You’re still waiting to hear that story.

“I was thinkin’, maybe we could do that catch up thing? Over a drink?” Carmy proposes, changing the subject, and you think to yourself that it’s the most confident you’ve ever seen him.

“I-,” you start, as Marcus makes his way back towards the pastry area. “We’ve got one more late night prep tonight. Maybe tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” he smiles, spotting Marcus as well. “Tomorrow’s good.”

“Goodnight, Carmy.”

“Goodnight.”

read: part three

#Spotify #carmen berzatto x reader #carmen berzatto x you #carmy berzatto #carmy x oc #the bear hulu #the bear fx #jeremy allen white #make my heart surrender

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ferrstappen · 1 year

Text

LONG LIVE l Esteban Ocon

(a/n): omg the first installment of the Taylor Swift Collection. I'll admit this one was a bit of a stretch but I just had this idea and needed to get it out! I hope you enjoy it and would love to have your feedback <3

disclaimer: in this au, the reader plays the role Zendaya plays in the franchise.

summary: Esteban Ocon (aka the biggest Spiderman fan, according to himself) tried to bribe his girlfriend, gave her the silent treatment, he called her out during race weekends, but Marvel was just too good keeping their secrets. (actress!reader).

i) I said “remember this moment” in the back of my mind.

July 2018

When Esteban told his friend Lance that after months of liking every post and Instagram story of the actress playing Michelle Jones on the new Spider Man movies, he slid on her DMs in hopes she would answer, Lance laughed.

No, he didn’t laugh, he cackled.

It was July 2017, the first Spider-Man movie in the hands of Marvel Studios had just dropped and was a complete success, and of course Esteban had his team request a copy to the studios so he could host a viewing on his home theatre.

He had avoided spoilers and even movie trailers in order to be surprised, most of his friends teased him about it, but he couldn’t careless, even dedicating that entire night to follow and stalk every cast member on Instagram.

That’s when he noticed the gorgeous actress who played MJ, mysterious and intelligent on screen, and that’s when everything started for him.

He googled her age, visited her Wikipedia page to see her accolades and projects, he even checked her dating history and the rumors surrounding her relationship with Tom Holland, the actor who played Spider-Man.

His life went on, months went by where he silently liked her posts, just as another fan of the series and sequels of his favorite superhero, then he was focusing on the 2018 F1 Season, even as things turned ugly with not only having to worry about performing, but also with trying to keep his seat.

Maybe his Instagram algorithm knew him a little too well when a Marvel fanpage showed on his timeline, announcing filming for the second movie of the Spider-Man sequel was taking place in London and Italy, and between the stress of training, press breathing on his shoulder about his future in Formula 1, he decided to take a risk.

Which takes him to his Canadian friend laughing at him.

He made his way towards the Williams trailer where Lance was getting ready, not really caring that chances were he was going to take his seat at Racing Point, they were friends. That’s why Lance felt so comfortable staring at his friend in disbelief as he couldn’t stop the giggles that just kept coming.

“Esteban, why would you subject yourself to being ignored? She’s from Hollywood, there’s no way she even knows who you are.” Lance tried to reason with his French friend, but Esteban shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter, I know she’s probably not going to see it, but I have nothing to lose. It doesn’t even count as humiliation because we’ll probably never going to meet each other.”

Lance squinted his eyes at his friend. “You can’t have that attitude, dude!”

“But you just laughed on my face!” Esteban argued.

“Yes, because it’s my job as your friend, but at the same time I have to hype you up, you know?” Lance told him, but Esteban suspected he was just being too Canadian. “What did you tell her?”

Esteban sighed and scratched the back of his neck: “If she wanted to attend the British GP since they’re filming there.”

Lance let out a sound of approval. “You know? I think it could work out. Maybe you should find ways to drop how much of a fan of Spider-Man you are during press, you know? Just find a way, and then people will start ‘Oh, this Formula 1 driver is so adorable, he’s such a fanboy’.” The Canadian suggested.

“How did you even think of that?” Esteban asked, but was interrupted by his iPhone going off, his engineer asking him where he was.

He didn’t get to talk with Lance again, just throwing himself on the hotel bed while his eyes were already closing due to stress and jetlag. Forcing himself off the bed to take a shower and then going to bed, checking his phone for one last time.

His verified account worked in a weird way he still wasn’t able to fully grasp, only notifying him when other verified accounts messaged him or followed him.

And that’s what happened.

Hey Esteban! I’m so sorry it’s taken so long to answer but ive been a bit busy.

Attending Silverstone would actually be such a great time, is the invite still up?

In case it is, this is my agent’s email so your people can give him the details ;)

The French read and reread the message at least ten times, not knowing if his mind was playing tricks with him, but when he read this notification, he gasped and dialed Lance.

“LANCE!”

@(YNLN) started following you.

ii) I was screaming “long live that look on your face”

(Y/N) thinks that Esteban exaggerated how much of a Spider-Man fan he was. They were officially dating now, so she figured it would eventually play down.

God, was she wrong…

With the 2018 season finally over and Esteban not having a seat for 2019, he leaned heavily on her, even if he knew he was going to be under the wing of Mercedes for the time being, it wasn’t easy.

She saw he was kind of down and with more free time than usual, plus they were still living the sweet first months of their relationship, so she surprised him with a guest pass and paper bracelet to allow him in the premises and set, leaving in on the table of her apartment while waiting for him to arrive for their movie date.

“Bebé, what is this?” He asked once he stepped inside your apartment, an envelope with his name written and an official Marvel stamp on it. He didn’t know what it was, but a grin was already starting to form.

“Hello, Este. How are you? Did you miss me? Because I really missed you.” The actress placed her arms around his waist, shaking as his body trembled with a laugh before he leaned down to leave a caste kiss on her lips.

“Of course I missed you, MJ.” He said and she playfully laughed at his nickname. “So, what is this?” He picked up the envelope.

“It has your name on it, doesn’t it?”

Esteban carefully moved from the embrace of his girlfriend and opened his gift, not even trying to hide the gasp that escaped his lips once he realized what was inside, carefully reading the letter inviting him to set, signed by Kevin Feige and Jon Watts, the director.

“No, bebé… Is this for real?” He said with his accent getting thicker with excitement.

“I think so.” She smiled before he kissed her, literally sweeping her off her feet.

He knew he’d have to keep a low profile, the public not knowing yet about their relationship, the only one he had confided in was Lance, and now people in Mercedes knew, so it wouldn’t be long before the cat was out of the bag, but he was waiting for his girlfriend to feel comfortable to break the little comfy bubble they’d created.

They were in Venice when a black Mercedes picked them up at 4 AM, but he didn’t care. The street was closed and cameras were being placed, people walking all around as if it wasn’t the middle of the night and freezing.

He knew it was cheesy, but the set lit up when she walked in. People greeted her all around, dozens of people and she stopped for each one of them, asking for their families and how was the hotel they were staying at. And the fact that he got to walk hand in hand with her, carefully carrying one of her bags, he was on cloud nine.

But it got better.

A British accent called (Y/N)’s name as they were approaching the luxury trailers parked not so far away from the set installed on the Italian streets. Of course Esteban recognized the accent, holding his girlfriend’s hand a little tighter.

“Tom, this is Esteban, the guy you’ve been hearing so much about.” She said with a playful roll of her eyes, earning a chuckle from the brit as he extended his hand.

“Pleasure to meet you, mate. I saw you during the Austin circuit, it looked sick!”

“I’m a big fan of your work, you’re the best Spider-Man,” Esteban said and his girlfriend just started to realize that maybe it wasn’t a play, he really was a huge fan. “And you’re always welcome on the paddock, just let me know.” Esteban said and Tom thanked him before being called to his trailer, telling the couple that they should go with the rest of the cast and other friends to have dinner.

“So… You’ve been talking a lot about me?” Esteban asked (Y/N), playfully raising his eyebrows and leaving a kiss on her hair.

ACTION!

Esteban eyes followed as Peter Parker walked around the wrecked set, everything was wet and upside down, and he was in awe as he noticed (Y/N) making her way into the scene, questioning her friend if he was fine.

Even if he couldn’t fully comprehend the dialogues or what was happening, his eyes were fixated on her, as she gave his co-star the same caring and sweet eyes that she gave him in real life, and he felt like the luckiest man on earth.

The day was so great that they ignored the few tabloids that picked up the Instagram post of the Holland siblings, the happy couple, and other members of the cast when they went to dinner to a nice small restaurant.

“Are Spider-Man star and F1’s star Esteban Ocon dating? We have the details from inside sources!”

iii) When they gave us our trophies, and we held them up for our town.

Hungaroring, 2021

Every reporter went crazy when they saw (Y/N) driving a Land Rover with Esteban Ocon as her co-pilot, smiles on their faces as they pretended to ignore the hundreds of flashes capturing their faces through the tinted windows.

They’d been dating for almost two years, but still hadn’t confirmed anything. Of course people knew; everyone involved in F1 and Marvel knew they were official since 2019, and of course their fans were aware they were together after seeing pictures of them together all the time, but no one has managed to capture even the slightest form of PDA between them, which made people still think they were friends… Very close friends.

But there was something about this weekend that made them act more carefree, holding hands when they got out of the car, not caring if paparazzi got low-quality, grainy photos of the showing the tiniest bit of affection.

The actress pecked his lips before he went to his driver’s room to get ready, engineers rapidly approaching him to talk a few things over.

Time flew by and soon she was giving him one last hug and good luck kiss before he got in the car.

“You know, this is pretty dangerous…” Esteban dramatically said, earning a grin from his girlfriend.

“Estie, no.”

“But… I’m your boyfriend. You can trust me!”

“It’s a secret, only a couple more months to go and you’ll watch it. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it more not knowing what’s gonna happen… Plus, I know you’re going to tell Lance whatever I tell you.”

“Is the multiverse theory true?” She was tempted to tell him something, but she always chose against it, having signed too many NDAs.

Just as she was going to answer, Esteban was called to get in the car before the race.

“I love you, Este. Drive safely, okay?” (Y/N) got on her tiptoes and kissed him softly, like it was just the two of them.

“Je t’aime beaucoup, bebé.”

She became accustomed to the roaring of motors, the smell of gasoline and the rush of a pit stop, but that didn’t mean the worried butterflies on her stomach calmed down, she still bit her nails while listening to his radio and watching him overtake his rivals. His parents were the same, eyes not moving from the screen.

But today, it was a different kind of anxiety. She was on the edge of her seat, the fresh coat of nail polish chipped as everyone in the garage started realizing that they were going to win. The first for the team and for Esteban.

She couldn’t stay seated during the last four laps, completely aware that F1 cameras were paying more attention to the Alpine garage, wanting to get the best reactions, and obviously she was there, but she couldn’t care less.

It became real during the last lap, mechanics and engineers running to greet their driver on their maiden win.

Esteban parked the car and got out, jumping right into the awaiting arms of everyone involved, his face was one of pure disbelief, his eyes glassy with unshed tears and shaky hands.

She was holding your phone as his mom and dad went to hug him and congratulate him, wanting to immortalize the moment after so many years and sacrifices. Of course she loved his parents, but she wanted the moment to be over to hug him and congratulate him.

And that’s what happened when he noticed her. He noticed that he didn’t really know how to approach her, knowing cameras were filming their every movement and being broadcasted.

That’s why she took the matters in her own hands. Her hand went to cup his face, his arms found their home on her waist as he lifted her and kissed her. It wasn’t a pretty kiss, they were trying to pour every feeling, knowing words wouldn’t do it justice.

“Babe, I’m so proud of you, congratulations. Shit, I don’t even know what to say!” They laughed and went for another short kiss, people around them cheering.

“You know what a great prize would be?” He asked her, gently placing her back on the ground.

“Not a chance, Estie.”

(YNLN) just posted.

(YNLN): GP winner/king of my heart/love of my life @estebanocon

iv) Long live the walls we crashed through, how the kingdom lights shined just for me and you.

Sadly, Esteban wasn’t afraid to admit he pleaded his girlfriend to show him the new Spider-Man script. He tried to bribe her with silly gifts, gave her the silent treatment. His last resort was to call her out during race weekends.

“Esteban, we are living the last races of the 2021 season and you seem alone, did you girlfriend leave you for Peter Parker yet?” The interviewer asked him laughing, making Esteban smile.

“Yes, she is in the middle of her press tour for the latest movie.”

“I don’t remember many movies creating this level of hype and mystery, do you have any inside details?”

“Don’t even get me started,” Esteban answered, his accent getting thicker. “I don’t know anything, she has kept everything a secret. I’ve pleaded, I even spoke with her co-stars and they told me (Y/N) warned them to not tell me anything! Not even after I offered full-access paddock passes!” Esteban was shooting his last shot to get any information, even if it meant exposing his girlfriend.

“Interesting, Marvel is that good keeping secrets, huh? We hope to see you on the red carpet. Good luck on the race! Esteban Ocon, everybody!”

“You are shameless!” That was the first thing Esteban heard after he picked up the FaceTime call from his girlfriend.

“Oh, you saw it?” He asked her nonchalantly, like it wasn’t a big deal.

“You just have to hang on a couple of weeks and you’ll see it. Babe, I have to be back with the interviews soon, but I was told you can bring a plus one to the premier.”

“Am I not your plus one?” Esteban asked confused.

“Nah, people like you too much now. We can walk the red carpet together, though!”

Esteban smiled at the sight of her perfectly dressed girlfriend. “No, it’s your moment, wouldn’t want to steal it with my perfect height and handsome looks.” He joked, earning a loud laugh from her, his favorite sound.

She was right, time flew by. Now Esteban was admiring as people worked on her dress and makeup. Someone was fixing his hair for one last time before they left the fancy hotel room.

Paparazzi were already lining up outside the hotel, waiting for them. They smiled before the valet got the car. She gave him a weird look, seeing a sports car, very similar to his Alpine car, with no one inside.

“You didn’t think I was going to let someone else drive you, right?” He offered his arm and opened the door for her, helping her with the dress and leaving a kiss on her hand before walking towards the pilot seat.

She couldn’t stop smiling, resting her hand on Esteban’s thigh during the short ride as he expertly drove, eyes not leaving the road to interlace their fingers.

“Chérie… You have one last chance.”

“Esteban!” She stared at him in disbelief.

“Can’t blame a fan for trying.”

Esteban would never tell her, but it was completely worth it in the end. His eyes couldn’t leave the screen for a second, too enthralled by the story being played in front of him, not even noticing the nervous eyes of his girlfriend, she wanted him to enjoy it because, as she found out during the time loving him, he was not exaggerating how much of a fan he was.

She noticed how he didn’t even try to hide the tears and the gasps during the movie, he probably didn’t notice how his grip on her hand got tighter every time a twist happened. Tears were falling freely as he watched his girlfriend on screen, playing what he thought was the saddest scene on modern cinema.

He was the first one on his feet to start the stand-up ovation in the movie theatre. He didn’t care about anything when the lights were turned on, his only worry being softly kissing her lips while people around them were still cheering.

“Shit, I still can’t believe he pulled it off…”

That was Lance, shaking his head and taking a picture with his iPhone to show it at their wedding, knowing that Esteban and (YN) were endgame, even if he made fun of Esteban.

#esteban ocon imagine #esteban ocon x reader #esteban ocon one shot #esteban ocon au #esteban ocon fanfic #f1 x you #f1 fic #f1 x reader #f1 fanfic

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incorrectmahabharatquotes · 3 months

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History denial (yes we were definitely colonized by the Muslim invaders who broke and looted our temples and forcefully converted and massacred many of our people, taking our temples back is a decolonization movement as pointed out by that other anon). Then Kashmir is an integral part of India denial... how can you even say that.

I'm myself a Hindu and a queer, and reading your views came as an unpleasant surprise. Please go do some reading, and educate yourself about how reclaiming temples isn't about hating other communities. Muslims and other minorities can and have been living in peace with Hindus for centuries. What the invaders did was wrong, and acknowledging that doesn't make Hindus Muslim haters.

You answered that other anon with no reasoning, just that whatever happened, happened before your time. All vibes no research or learning.

Unfollowing. I can make Mahabharat quotes myself.

Tipu Sultan famously destroyed temples as well as donated heavily to temples.

You tell me what to think of that.

Temples have been the site of politics since time immemorial. They were the storehouses of public engagement. And that's why they were attacked. And if we draw this logic to today: Religion is in itself politics. You cannot seperate your celebration of the Ram temple from what it really signifies: The destruction of what is presumed to be a mark of colonization.

Agreed, Muslim rulers did demolish temples. But you take one look at the bulldozer politics of today and tell me: Who is being held accountable here? Are the poor Pasmanda and lower caste muslims, who barely have enough space for themselves to live the descendants of Mahmud of Ghazni? Did they inherit the wealth of whatever was looted from the Somnath temple?

Also tell me one thing: why did the Supreme court not conclude on whether there was a temple structure under the mosque, and still give the go signal? Why was the government assigned priest murdered for stating that the Ram Mandir was purely political? Why were there many 'Ram Janmabhoomi' sites before the Babri Masjid issue? And this is not ancient history, dear anon, this was hardly a generation back.

All I ask of you is to engage critically with the world around you. Yes, celebrate Ram within your house, Mod S and I will not break into your house and laugh at you. But take one look around you as to how your celebrations are actually built on others' misery.

Oh, and by the way: if we as a nation were really decolonising.......why are massive corporations kicking Adivasis of their lands in Aarey, Hasdeo (where our dear Adani is trying to 'develop' coal mines), Gadchiroli, and many many many many places where displacement happens through casteist Panchayat meetings which are held under the supervision of the State (which are not done in the presence of the people actually affected by such projects).

In my head it means one thing: The Ram Mandir is only a carrot waved in front of us to distract us from the real State Violence that goes on. And personally, I think that's a very disrespectful way of using a god. Its actually.....saddening.

Thank you for protecting your peace and unfollowing us, though! I wish you farewell on your internet journey

-Mod G

---------

Hello, Anon-Who-Is Unfollowing-And-Have-Decided-to-Announce-Your-Departure-Because-You-Wanted-Our-Attention,

Well, you have my attention. But it seems like I don't have yours because you have somehow managed to only read one paragraph selectively and completely gloss over everything else.

If you had read what I said clearly, you would have clearly seen the part where I said that the political majority CANNOT claim reclamation because YOU ARE NOT OPPRESSED. YOU HAVE ALL THE POWER. Do you understand this? Or has any hint of nuance completely managed to escape you? YOU, AS A SELF-PROFESSED HINDU, ARE NOT BEING OPPRESSED FOR YOUR HINDU IDENTITY IN THIS COUNTRY. YOU IN NO WAY ARE EVEN A LITTLE BIT HARMED BY A TEMPLE BEING DESTROYED CENTURIES AGO.

You want to talk about decolonisation? Let's talk about how the term "Hindu" that you're so proud of is actually a very recent term and is actually only a thing because the European colonisers just wanted an easy religious box to put us all in. If you're really so gung-ho about decolonisation, please decolonize yourself fully and throw away this term too. While we're at it, let's also examine why your decolonisation efforts are so selective?

"I'm myself a Hindu and a queer". I notice you conveniently skipped over the "dalit" part of my identity that actually might have led to a massive difference in lived experience in this country. I also talked about reparation to the "lower" castes. You skipped that too.

What the invaders did was wrong, and what you're doing is wrong too. Their wrongs don't mean that you are automatically right.

I gave you all my reasoning, told you everything. You skimmed through them and paid attention to the only part that you wanted to focus on.

Thank you for unfollowing, I hope you have a good day.

-Mod S

#mod replies #ask reply #asks #mod: g #mod: s

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eleanorfenyx · 4 months

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I have finished Mysterious Lotus Casebook, and here are some of my thoughts! (Obviously not spoiler free)

The cases are absolutely batshit insane and I loved it every single time they were like 'we totally collected this evidence that incriminates a secret suspect, just believe us and also don't question when the fuck we had the time to do this or when we figured out that we needed to look for it'. 10/10 no notes, that's a hilarious way to have a genius detective. Show us nothing, tell us everything, YES king.

That being said, I could have done with a lot less standing around having the supporting cast repeat whatever Li Lianhua and Fang Duobing announce, maybe in an attempt to make sure their genius is clear for the audience? I get it, but at the same time it felt a little too hand-holdy for me, especially in scenes where LLH and FDB had already discussed their findings between themselves before presenting them to the concerned bystanders. I can read between the lines (or else understand what has just been explicitly stated) without having every conclusion filtered through a slightly different sentence structure to make sure I got it.

Di Feisheng amnesia arc my fuckin beloved

Di Feisheng destroying his 'father' and freeing everyone in Di manor in a vicious act of catharsis that tied nicely into the main Nanyin bug-mind-control-thing narrative my beloved

Di Feisheng my beloved

The amount of times I was like...genuinely surprised he and Li Lianhua didn't kiss is both embarrassing (because I do in fact understand censorship and what I sign up for with these dramas and yet and yet) and numerous enough that I could...possibly...theoretically..write a 5+1 fic of every time I want them to kiss about it. No one hold me to that but it's something I think I'd like to do.

Re: the above point: because what the FUCK was that ending?!!! EXCUSE ME?! I gotta FIX THAT SHIT.

There will come a day when the strength of my hope for an unambiguously happy ending in a queer(-coded? is the source originally bl or is this its own thing?) wuxia drama is rewarded....but it is not this day. I must fix this myself.

Jiao Liqiao's laugh is one of the most annoying things I've ever heard. I was reaaaaally hoping someone would just up and stab her during one of her little evil laughing fits. At one point I was shouting "KILL HER, KILL HER" at my screen because I could NOT take anymore of her (unfortunately, I did in fact have to take more of her).

I still think her insistence on being obsessed with DFS is hysterical when he is so VISIBLY only interested in LLH. Explicitly STATES that his only life purpose is to fuck fight LLH again. Babygirl (derogatory) he is so fucking gay let's get you a nice knife to the gut instead, okay?

I thought the whole Shan Gudao plot was interesting, going from looking desperately for his body -> putting him to rest -> hunting for his murderer -> finding out he's alive/the mastermind behind everything going wrong (which I was proud of myself for realizing before the reveal, I'm normally bad at that) -> thwarting him with sass and superior martial arts at every possible turn -> killing him stone fuckin dead with beginner level skills because he's so up his own hole he can't see that's what's happening - was really fun!

He also has a SUPER annoying laugh he can fuck off

OH OH OH MARTIAL ARTS SKILL OF TRANS YOUR GENDER?! I MARRIED HER SO HER AFFAIRS ARE MY BUSINESS NOT YOURS??? ASKING YOUR WIFE FOR HER FORGIVENESS AND UNDERSTANDING AS YOU LAY DYING AND SHE GIVES IT TO YOU?????? OKAYYYYYYY

The twist at the end that LLH is the one with royal blood was so funny to me. Like it's a good twist and I love that Shan Gudao was just quite literally always a fuckin try-hard loser in ways he didn't even know, but also it was SO funny. Granny coming in clutch at the last fuckin minute with secret knowledge she just literally never shared.

LLH is such a smooth motherfucker. Shame about his insistence on dying when quite literally everyone (bar the people who suck) is begging this man to just live. Just LIVE DAMN IT!!!!! I really liked it when FDB begs him to just consider his own life as important for ONCE and remember that people care about him because YES his self-sacrificing and committment to Chilling Out Farmer Style was not the mercy he thought it was!

LIVE AND GROW OLD WITH DI FEISHENG YOU DAMN IDIOT (the likelihood of me resisting the urge to write at least the one fic for them is zero to none)

Unironically love spitting up blood as a plot device and this show is no different. The Drama. The Panache. The desperation of everyone around you because you have BLOOD coming out of your MOUTH and you are FAINTING. Poison acting up? Spit blood. Someone bitch slap you with their magical palm ability? Spit blood. Get stressed? Spit blood. Get stabbed? Spit blood. It's always good!

Okay I think that might be all I've got for now, if I think of anything else I'll add them in a reblog. I thoroughly enjoyed it, would definitely recommend!

#mysterious lotus casebook #my thoughts #for whatever they're worth #it was nice too because unlike say Word of Honor I didn't mind the overarching plot about the jianghu #and the magical cures/objects that everyone is racing/fighting each other to get to first #WOH was just plain boring outside of the interpersonal relationships in my opinion #but in this there were only a few times I really just did not care about the latest fetch quest and wanted to get back to the relationships

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crystalsnow95z · 15 days

Note

your allergy fics are so good! would you be able to write one with jungkook? any caretaker, with jungkook coming into contact with something he's terribly allergic to but he wants to enjoy (like a bouquet of flowers or a cute kitten idk) and it sets him off sneezing a ton, with a super itchy nose. thank you!

I have plenty of mostly finished projects, but I can't bring myself to post them, so I keep working on new ones, and after months, I finally made one I like!

"Jaykay...Jungkook-ah.. wake up.. we're landing.." Hoseok shakes the mankae when his gentle approach doesn't work. "Jaykay your face is so puffy.." Hoseok smiles fondly, grabbing Jungkook's face and smooshing his face in between his fingers.

Jungkook moans in complaint, his eyes fluttering open to look at Hoseok. "Hyung..what time is it?" he grabs Hoseok's wrist to get him to stop attacking his cheeks, rubbing at his eyes. "It's morning still?"

"It is..Good morning Junggukkie." Hoseok smiles, feeling pride in successfully getting him to start moving. "It's because of the time difference. Remember?"

Jungkook studies his surroundings perplexed before his eyes widen with recognition when the sleep that fogged his memory dissipates, replaced with excitement. "Oh! I know! We're filming a music video!I'm so excited! We're going to be filming by a real waterfall and going to a garden with hundreds of different flowers and we're going to work with birds!" The memory of the meeting floods over him.

"We're going to get amazing photos. I wonder if we'll get to see a real toucan." Taehyung adds in his own excitement, leaning forward to talk to Jungkook.

"Toucan? Do you really think we can see a real one? I've seen videos of them and they don't look real." Hoseok adds in.

"Everyone, please return to your seats and buckle up." The boys hear the announcement, gathering up their things.

"Namjoon-ah do you have everything?" Yoongi asks, placing his tablet into his bag.

"Of course. You gifted me a holder for my passport after that incident in japan.." Namjoon pulls out the passport that was tucked into his shirt.

"That's because we almost couldn't perform.. you're lucky that man found it in the bathroom for you.. What about your headphones?"

Namjoon opens his airpod case, ears reddening when he sees there's only one inside, feeling around his seat until he finds it. "You knew i lost one didn't you hyung.."

"It fell out when you were sleeping." Yoongi smiles, then gasps in surprise when the turbulence hits, clutching onto the armrest, his stomach churning uncomfortably.

"You okay Yoongi?" Jin asks, taking out his headphones when he feels Yoongi's hand brush against his arm.

"I'm okay, my stomach just fluttered.." Yoongi swallows the saliva that filled his mouth, taking a deep breath. "It'll pass.."

"We're almost on the ground, and we'll have a few hours to rest." Jin reassures the daegu rapper, taking his hand.

"Thanks hyungie.." Yoongi speaks softly, squeezing Jin's hand.

"You don't have to thank me. Just take it easy until the shoot okay?" Jin gently runs his thumb across Yoongi's knuckles.

"We landed!" Jungkook says excitedly, unbuckling himself, but Hoseok puts his hand on Jungkook's thigh.

"Let's wait a bit to get off Kook-ah." Hoseok orders gently side eyeing Yoongi, who still hadn't regained the color in his cheeks.

"Yes hyung..." Jungkook settles back in, eyes sparkling. It doesn't matter if I have to wait. I'll be able to film with the birds and see the waterfall and take pretty photos for army.

"Is everyone finished changing?" Namjoon asks, looking over his team, frowning when he notices Jungkook's darker outfit in comparison to everyone else's vibrant colors."Jungkook, that's the wrong outfit..that's for the garden shoot.."

"Aish..I'm sorry Hyung.." Jungkook quickly starts stripping to switch outfits. "Everything looks so pretty from the carride and the hotel view..I got excited.." he casts his eyes down guiltily. I'm not some teenager anymore.. I need to concentrate and not make such rookie mistakes.. I should've noticed I didn't match..

"It's okay, just pay attention from now on, alright? We need to focus on filming. We only have so much daylight with outside shoots." Namjoon rubs Jungkook's back, helping him get changed to make it quicker.

"I'll pay attention from now on.." Jungkook promises shyly looking away from Namjoon. After switching to match the others in the mankae line, the seven boys leave the dressing room, Jungkook fighting the urge to run towards the sound of the waterfall.

Hoseok and Jimin links arms with Jungkook, keeping him at pace with the others. "Calm down Jaykay you don't want to risk getting hurt on this uneven ground before we even get there." Hoseok scolds him gently, leading him around a tree root.

"I'll be careful, sorry hyung.." Jungkook watches his feet carefully stepping over branches and stones that made it on the path. Taehyung and Namjoon walk ahead of them, taking photos of the scenery in front of them. "Why can't I run free with Rapmonie hyung and Taehyungie-hyungie?"

"What? You don't want to walk with me?" Jimin pouts, letting go of Jungkook. "Fine, go play with them."

"I didn't mean it like that Jimin-shii.. I just wanted to go ahead too.." Jungkook relinks his arm with Jimin pulling him and Hoseok to walk ahead with the others.

"Look Hyung! That tree.. it's filled with birds." Jungkook points our, his voice scaring the birds into fleeing in several directions.

"Kook-ah you scared them away." Namjoon frowns, watching them go with disappointment.

"I'm sor..ah..ah.." Jungkook puts his hand over his nose with an itch forms, breath hitching. "Ah..heygifh!"

"[Bless you]" Jimin speaks in English. "You okay? Not catching a cold are you? You did sleep the whole plane ride.."

"No, no I'm okay..my nose just had a bad itch.."Jungkook sniffles, wiping his nose with the side of his hand. "A feather must've tickled my nose or something..I haven't felt sick today."

"I can see the waterfall!" Jin announces, everyone looking forward, trying to spot it through the trees.

"Oh wow, it's bigger than I thought it would be.." Yoongi's eyes widen when he sees it, the boys rushing to get closer.

Jungkook bends down to take a photo of a cluster of flowers,trying to ignore the itch that annoyed the tip of his nose.

"Don't get too close to the water, Jungkook-ah. You need to stay dry for the shoot."

"I won't hyung..I'm just looking at the flowers.." Jungkook's breath hitches when another sneeze builds up, but he gently rubs it away. I can't be getting sick now.. we're spending four days in a tropical paradise.

"Did you get water in your nose Gukkie?" Taehyung asks when he approaches Jungkook, the younger jumping when he sees Taehyung next to him.

"Aish, Hyung you scared me.. I didn't hear you coming over the water. I don't know what's wrong with me, but .ah..agh..heh'ticgish!" Jungkook quickly covers his face, Taehyung grabbing the back of his shirt to keep him balanced. "Ugh. Thanks Taehyungie-hyung. I was fine earlier..I don't know why I'm sneezing all of a sudden.."

"Maybe it's all the flowers.. maybe you should take some medicine just in case.." Taehyung suggests, pulling Jungkook away from them.

"But I want to get some good shots for Army to see." Jungkook whines, but makes no attempt to pull away.

"We have to work now. We can take photos together later, and I can take photos for you if you can't get close." Taehyung promises leading him back to the others. "Is there any way we can get allergy medicine for Jungkook? His nose is getting red and stuffy.."

"I'm sorry, but we would have to go back to the resort for that.. I'll send someone to go get some. Do you think you can film until then Jungkook-sii?" The manager asks.

"Yes, I'll be okay. It's not that bad. It's just an annoyance.. I can still film.." Jungkook replies politely.

A female staff member digs in her purse, handing him a small packet of tissues. "Here Jungkook. Blowing your nose might help."

"Thanks Noona.." he bows, turning away from the others to try to clear his nose of the clear goo. "That's much better.."

As soon as the seven members get their makeup redone and the director gives them their directions, the boys get right to work going through the scenes and choreography.

"Jimin-ah..you weren't looking in the same direction as the others and you led on the wrong foot.." Hoseok scolds him when they were reviewing the clips, noticing Jimin was looking at Jungkook who couldn't stop sniffling, fighting off the urge to sneeze.

"I'm sorry.. can we do it one more time? I'll get it right this time." Jimin bows in apology to his members, looking at Jungkook when he does it. Jungkookie looks uncomfortable..I need to get it right the first time so he can get some time to rest.

Jungkook tries to hold back another sneeze when he sees Jimin's worried gaze staring back at him, but Jimin could see his nose twitching as the itch builds up.

"Noona will be back soon.." Jimin gently uses his thumb to wipe the tear that formed in Jungkook's tear duct. "You don't have to be tough for us, okay?"

"I'm not crying..my eyes are just watering because of my allergies.." Jungkook sniffles. "I'm okay..it's just irrita..ah..itdgitch! Heh'itchu!"

"Bless you.." Hoseok frowns, hugging Jungkook from behind. "My poor baby.."

"Jungkook-sii I got..you the medicine." The staff member who ran to the resort calls to him, out of breath from running back.

Taehyung rushes over to get the medicine from her, popping the blister pack to get the round pink pill for Jungkook, bringing it back to him. "Here Jungkookie, I got it."

"Thanks Hyung." Jungkook swallows the pill Taehyung gives him, Jimin getting him water to help it go down quicker. "Let's do the shoot again."

"You don't want time for it to kick in?” Jin asks, fretting over the youngest.

Jungkook shakes his head."No, I already got us behind schedule with all the touch ups.. I can do it.."

Jungkook and Taehyung rush ahead of the other members despite the older members calling to them,unable to hear them over the sound of the birds.

"Oh wow.. it's so pretty!" Jungkook's pupils take over his irises, his eyes becoming to round black discs, taking in the special guests for their music video. "Oh wow..This one's purple..I never seen a purple bird before!'

"This is [purple honeycreeper.] This one rescue. I thought he would be perfect for you ." The bird handler smiles when he sees the boys look surprised at his Korean skills.

"[Purple honeycreeper..]" Jungkook repeats the name in English. "[What's bird name?]"

"[Ah, right introductions...] I'm Gary and this bird here is Viola."

"Can I touch?" Jungkook asks, ignoring his body's warning. The medicine helped him yesterday, but at the moment he felt just as bad as he did the first day they were filming.

"Hold out finger." Gary tells him, showing Taehyung what to do by getting Viola to go on his finger. "[Step up Viola.]" He gives the command, letting her climb onto his finger.

The other members catch up, taking in the sights of the colorful birds surrounding them.

Jungkook holds his to Viola, gasping when he feels the bird use its beak to balance herself while she climbs onto his finger. "Look Hyung..i'm holding a bird!" Jungkook sniffles, turning to the man. "Can i pet?"

"As long as you only touch her head and neck." Gary gently ordered.

"You can't touch a bird anywhere else or it will think you want to mate." Yoongi tells Jungkook.

Jungkook turns to the handler, who blushes."Ah, that's true. It.. excites them if you touch its wings or chest too much.."

Jungkook nods, gently touching Viola's head, gently ruffling the feathers. Oh no.. not now..

Jungkook quickly places his hand on Taehyung's shoulder, hoping the bird would have a safe escape from the sneezes he could feel coming despite his efforts to hold them back. "Heh'heh..heygifh! Heh'itchu! Higtcvhsgh!"

Viola screeches, flapping her wings in fear jumping off of Jungkook's hand and jumping onto Taehyung's head, trying to get farther from the sound that startled her.

The other birds go into panic at the sound of viola, Hoseok clinging to Namjoon when they take flight.

Jungkook covers his face,trying to muffle the sound, but when the birds take flight the feeling only worsens. "Hehtichih!"

"[Woah, Woah. It's okay Viola.. it's okay..]" Taehyung tries to speak English for the frightened bird, Gary trying to calm his other pets down.

"Somethings wrong you need to get away.." Jin starts leading Jungkook away from the chaos, his heart racing in fear.

I can't breathe..I need to calm down..

Jungkook staggered away from the others, Jin keeping a tight grip on the mankae"Woah Jungkook I got you.."

"Heh..hehitxgh! Heh'itchu! Hey'itchi!" Jungkook let out another flurry of sneezes, holding Jin tightly. It wasn't the flowers..

"Here Jungkookie, look at me.." Jin gently leads his chin up, taking a nasal spray from the bag he was given as an accessory. "I got this just in case.."

"Thanks hyung.." Jungkook sniffles, taking it from Jin. "Heh'itchii! Hey'itchi!" He sneezes as soon as he puts it near his nose only amplifying the itch that plagued his sinuses.

"Here let hyung do it." Jin gently grabs Jungkook's chin, tilting his head upwards. "Try to sit still for me. I'll make it quick..okay?"

Jungkook nods, holding his breath to try to avoid sneezing on Jin as he swiftly sprays the medicine into one nostril than the other.

"Hei' etfhitch! Heh'itchu!" Jungkook's eyes water as he sneezes. "I'm sorry Hyung.."

"It's okay baby.. I know you aren't feeling well." Jin rubs the back of Jungkook's neck. "I think your allergic to birds Jungkookie.."

"I was around birds before..I was fine.." Jungkook sniffles, rubbing at his nose to try to ease the itch that threatened to cause more sneezes to erupt from him.

"You can develop new allergies Kook-ah.. I know how excited you were to play with them, but outside of filming I think you should avoid them." Jin tells him solemnly.

Yoongi goes up to them with a small packet of tissues,giving it to Jungkook. "They got the birds under control, but they want to give them time to fully calm down."

"That's good. I was worried I ruined the...heh..heh.." Jungkook felt the sneeze building, but it was only a false start. "Ruined the music shoot.." he finishes, his voice coming out as a nasally whisper, trying to clear his nose to see if that would ease the discomfort that was making him miserable.

"It's not your fault, Jungkookie. We could always make changes. What's important is that you don't suffer for the shoot. Even if you push through it, army will be able to see how much you're suffering." Yoongi puts his arm around Jungkook, pulling him close.

"I'll go get the others so we can see what our next move is. We'll figure this out together, okay Kookie?" Jin leaves to the filming site.

"Hyung I really wanted to play with the birds.." Jungkook sighs, knowing that all the members would agree with Jin.

"I know. Life sucks.. now you and Jiminie can suffer together." Yoongi teases him lightly, getting a small smile out of Jungkook.

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otomefiend · 9 months

Text

Alfons Sylvatica

Story Event: I want to steal you

Chapter 3 Premium

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

NSFW. Enter at your own risk cause it's getting Alfons-kind-of-steamy. That double-take comment wasn't an exaggeration. You know he's going to misbehave. Enjoy!

~~Part 1~~

Alfons: "Since Liam is not around, I don't want to waste this rare opportunity to do all sorts of shameless, dirty things to you."

Alfons: "Now that our mission is complete, let's extend our date. It's going to be a fun, fun night, am I right?"

Continuing to smile mischievously, Alfons took me to an unexpected place.

~~~

(The Scala...?)

This was the theatre Liam was affiliated with.

(Why are we here, of all places...)

Alfons: "Look, there's a poster of Liam."

Alfons: "Stage production of `Midsummer Night's Dream` with Liam being a stand-in for Puck."

Kate: "Oh, that's right."

On the poster, Liam looked more confident and had a broad smile.

Lady with curly hair: "I can't believe Liam is performing tonight. We're so lucky!"

Freckled lady: "Our love is going to reach him, I'm sure. Ah, he's so attractive..."

Alfons: "He's indeed the leading actor of the Scala. He could easily take over the whole country, based on his popularity alone."

The image of Liam as a ruler of Britain briefly crossed my mind, but the idea was so implausible that I couldn't help but laugh.

Kate: "It's nice to come here, but we don't even have tickets to the play..."

Alfons: "That's not a problem. I believe William is the patron of this theatre."

Alfons: "Just mention his name and you'll soon have a Royal Box or two, I'm sure."

Kate: "Hey..., wait a moment."

~~Part 2~~

Alfons shook his raven black hair and went to get the tickets.

His actions had always been surprising, and their meaning was difficult to grasp.

That's why I couldn't stop thinking about his words, wanting to know his true intentions.

(Actually... I might be glad I followed him here)

For me, a visit to the theatre, a place I loved, was a reward,

It would likely ease the sound of gunshots in my ears and the pools of blood in my memory, even if just a little.

Alfons: "I have two tickets, Kate. You're Count Rex."

He waved the tickets in his hand, staring at my face.

Alfons: "You're fond of the stage performances, yes?"

Kate: "That's... You're right..."

Alfons: "Then let's enjoy it. Come, dear Robin."

~~~

We were shown to the Royal Box, something I had never been fortunate enough to experience before.

While I was admiring the luxurious environment, the announcement that the play was about to begin carried through the theatre.

Before long, a spotlight flashed on the stage --.

(Oh...it's Liam)

Liam appeared as the fairy Puck, flying, jumping, and wreaking havoc on stage.

The audience was mesmerised by his performance and the venue was filled with cheer.

Normally, I would forget about everything else in my daily life and become completely engrossed in the show,

....but lingering anxiety and fear were holding me back from enjoying it fully.

The more I tried to forget, to concentrate on the stage, the more I became entangled in the dark sensation.

(...I'm so frustrated. Liam is giving his all)

(I really want to enjoy the wonderful performance that everyone at the Scala is putting on)

It hurt to have a shadow cast over the things I loved.

Feeling sorry for myself, I looked down,

-- only to see Alfons' hand intertwine with mine at the same time.

(Huh...?)

~~Part 3~~

His leather-gloved fingers intertwined with mine.

As I instinctively turned to look at Alfons, who was sitting next to me, he whispered softly.

Alfons: "...it doesn't make sense if you take your eyes off the stage. You should look straight ahead, don't you think?"

(Well, of course that's true but...)

I leaned over to Alfons and whispered so as not to disturb the people nearby watching the show.

Kate: "....Alfons, why are you holding my hand?"

Alfons: "I told you before, didn't I? `There's nothing more enjoyable than a love affair that has been snatched away from someone else`."

Alfons: "-- as it happens, this seems like a perfect place to make a move."

Kate: "... perfect place?"

Alfons: "This is your favourite stage; Liam, whom you trust, is performing in front of you. So whatever I do..."

He lifted my hand and kissed the tips of my fingers.

Alfons: "You have no choice but to be quiet, don't you?"

Kate: "Hey, this is a theater. Don't mess with me......nn.."

The lips that had left my fingertips now touched my ear.

His wet tongue ran over its rim, followed by his hot breath... and then."

Kate: "...a-ah"

The soft, coaxing bite made me jump in my chair.

Alfons: "Shhh. I told you to look ahead. Besides, Liam will notice, won't he?

Kate: "....ngh."

~~Part 4~~

Prompted by his words, the moment I turned my gaze to the stage, I could feel his fingers slip between my legs,

His nails traced over my skin, leaving a stinging trail behind.

Taking pleasure in my response, the tips of his fingers teased my sensitive parts in a circular motion...

(...ngh, no, not here...)

Alfons: "...do you feel it? It's okay if it makes you feel better."

Alfons: "...forget everything and just enjoy yourself."

His fingers tightly squeezed my bud through my underwear.

I was desperate to keep my voice down so that people around me wouldn't notice.

Again and again, I was drowning in so much sweet pleasure that I forgot where I was --.

~~~

The play ended to a loud applause,

As soon as I got up from my seat, I rushed to Alfons feeling indignant.

Kate: "Ugh, Alfons!"

Alfons: "What's the matter? Are you so overwhelmed with emotions after a wonderful performance that you want to scream?"

Alfons: "In that case, I'll scream with you. It sounds like fun."

Kate: "... that's not it!"

Alfons: "Then you must be eager to express your gratitude to Liam?"

Kate: "...ugh, why did you do that?"

Kate: "In the theatre, and in front of Liam..."

Alfons: "Ah, that's what you meant."

Alfons: "It seemed you couldn't concentrate on tonight's show, so I thought you'd appreciate my effort to entertain you."

(I couldn't concentrate on the play...)

(...I tried not to show it on my face)

I felt miserable, unable to enjoy the performance as I was dragged down by my own dark emotions.

At that moment, I was desperately trying not to be noticed by anyone.

(However, if Alfons... had noticed)

~~Part 5~~

I felt miserable, unable to enjoy the performance as I was dragged down by my own dark emotions.

At that moment, I was desperately trying not to be noticed by anyone.

(However, if Alfons... had noticed)

Was the earlier behaviour an attempt to keep me from feeling down?

I wavered between thinking that it couldn't be true and feeling that it might be --

Kate: "... thank you."

Alfons: "..."

(Why am I thanking him...)

Alfons: "Haha! My dear, you truly are a pervert, aren't you?"

Alfons: "I took you to a decrepit building and then played with you in a busy theatre, and you're thanking me?"

Kate: "---! Please, don't be so eager to make fun of me."

(You're always so random and halfhearted, so phantom-like, hiding your true intentions, and yet...)

*flashback starts*

Alfons: "That man needs to forget the reality."

Alfons: "You're starting to realise that, aren't you?"

*flashback ends*

(I'm sure he's not insensitive to the subtleties of people's hearts)

When I wanted to protect the dream of an old man who lived alone with the ghost of his dead wife,

I sensed that Alfons shared my feelings.

Kate: "There was a reason for dragging me around and messing with me, wasn't there?"

Alfons: "Why do people think everything must have a lofty reason?"

Alfons: "It doesn't matter what the reason is. I just fill my life with pleasure and excitement because it's convenient."

Kate: "...."

Alfons: "What's with that wistful look on your face?"

Alfons: "Could it be that you've lost your heart to me?"

Kate: "That's..."

(Why can't I just deny it right away?)

Alfons: "Ah, Liam is already making his way here."

Alfons: "There, he found you. He seems happy to see you."

When I struggled to find the words to reach reach him, Alfons smiled at me like a demon teasing a mortal.

Alfons: "Then I'll leave you be."

Alfons: "If you feel like doing something fun behind Liam's back, please let me know."

(Ah...)

Alfons' silhouette faded into the darkness and disappeared from view like a phantom.

As if catching the lingering scent of illusion, my eyes kept chasing him.

Epilogue

#why is this so sexy ❤️‍🔥#ikemen villains #ikevil #alfons sylvatica #ikevil alfons #ikevil story event #fan translation

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ravenclawhierra · 1 year

Note

The reader is very playful and likes to cause mischief like pulling pranks and teasing.

The reader (female) takes Sebastian's wand and runs off with it, wanting him to chase her. They end up in the Undercroft and Sebastian has to borrow Ominis's wand as they duel (without hurting one another) so Sebastian can get his wand back.

Just a Joke!

Sebastian Sallow x Reader

Tags: Reader being goofy, angy Sebastian, Ominis just trying his best

Word Count: 1,3k

A/N: Thank you for the request! I tried my best. <3

Boriiiing. The day was boring. Morning, breakfast, studying, class. Since the start of the day, everything was boring. You wanted to have some fun. What a shame you didn't have potions class today, you definitely would've joined Garreth in making explosions instead of potions, but at least you aren't in the risk of detention. So all you could do was wait until you got an idea on how to make this day better.

Now was time for Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Maybe you would have some duelling lessons? You sure had hoped you would. Professor Hecat entered the room and greeted you all.

"Good day students," She waved her wand in the air, "Today we'll be revising."

You put your head into your hands and groaned quietly. Damn it. Today was just not your day, you were not going to have fun at all, huh? Usually you would have done something fun by now but it's like you have gotten some case of bad luck.

"Some of you have forgotten how to use expelliarmus," oh? "So, would 2 students like to duel? One could, perhaps show the others on how to cast expelliarmus properly."

"I volunteer!" You raised your hand happily, it was not much but it was something.

"Me too." You saw Sebastian pick up his hand as well. Fun! You knew you'd be able to make fun of him now.

"Perform well and I'll let you all go for today, I've some business to attend to after class." The entire class was full of delighted yells. "Quiet now! I won't be letting you go if you're so loud." Small awes were let out by the class but this was perfect.

A chance for you to do something fun for today. Both you and Sebastian climbed the table and decided to go all out for once, it was time for you to show off.

"Expelliarmus!" He wasted no time in throwing his first spell.

“Protego!” You defended yourself first and decided to first play some. “Accio!” He didn’t defend himself quick enough and he was brought to you, floating. You grinned.

“Expelliarmus!” His wand fell onto the table and you crouched down to grab it, successful.

“Alright, at least some of you remembered, you can go now.” Professor Hecat announced and everyone quickly grabbed their books and went outside, free for the day. At least from classes.

You helped Sebastian get up and were about to hand him his wand back before you got an idea. Of course! How didn’t you think of it sooner? His hand was about to grab the wand before your hand quickly moved away from him, leaving him with a straight face.

“Alright, yes you beat me, now hand it back.” He clearly wasn’t in the mood to fight for it but you were going to tease him just for a bit. It wasn’t going to hurt either of you. Except maybe Sebastian was gonna hurt you… Ha! With no wand you would have nothing to worry about. You slowly skipped away from him, humming a small tune.

“Not today, big boy,” You giggled at him before you saw him preparing himself to run at you, so you went ahead and ran first, afraid of him catching you, but also excited to see how this would go. You carefully ran through the hallway and down the stairs, occasionally catching glimpses of Sebastain, checking if he was closer than he was before, and well, he was.

“That won’t work with me, Sebby!” You mocked, but only playfully. You were not going full speed, making this all the more fun for yourself, so you went ahead and passed next to the staircases where the entrance for the Undercroft was, having just enough time to go in before Sebastian could catch up to you. The door had shut in front of his face and he now had to wait his turn, and he was NOT messing around.

You looked around and saw Ominis just minding his business there, reading his braille.

“Hi Ominis!” You greeted. Immediately he sighed in exasperation, just wanting peace and quiet. He couldn’t get that in his dormitory, his classes and now in the Undercroft. Could his day get any worse? Poor Ominis.

“Hello.” You were about to ask him what he was reading before you heard a yell. Oh right! Sebastian was still after you and you still had his wand. You looked back at him and grinned.

“Wait!” You kind of raised your voice, “I’ll give it back, just calm down, okay?”

He seemed to have calmed down immediately. You grabbed his wand from your pocket and were waiting for him to grab it. He reached his hand out and was about to grab it before you, again, pulled back.

“(Y/n)! Give it back!” He was mad now, whoops. He became quicker and you decided it would be best to dash off right now.

“Arresto momentum!” You quickly cast a spell on him before hearing a loud groan. It was Ominis.

“Could you guys take this elsewhere? I can’t get peace anywhere in this castle.” What’s up with him? You sighed and mumbled a quiet ‘fine’ under your breath and went ahead to the exit. “HEY!” You wished your hearing was better, because - well, while you were going towards the door, Sebastian had gotten back to his not-slowed self, and had a quick argument with Ominis.

“Give me your wand.” His voice was very quiet, so Ominis took it as a sigh to be quiet as well. “No, I’m not giving you my wand.” He fumed. “I need it for like, 1 minute, just give me your wand!” Sebastian practically begged. “I NEED my wand to go around you idi-” Sebastian had taken his wand from him and was about to give you a piece of his mind. “HEY!” Again, poor Ominis.

“Yes?” You asked. “We have unfinished business here,” Sebastian said, pointing his- Well, Ominis’ wand at you. “Wait, wait, wait, that’s cheating!” C’mon, it was getting fun.

“Sebastian, give me my wand back, please,” Ominous just grabbed at the air. Oh that was just so not cool. “(Y/n), give me my wand back and I’ll give Ominis HIS wand back.” He’s playing dirty, but that’s what you usually do so you know how to settle this.

“Okay, fine, but you’ll have to fight me for it.”

“Seriously guys, I want my wand back.”

“Deal.”

You and Sebastian positioned yourself in the middle of the Undercroft, bowed at each other and started the duel. You cast first.

“Accio!”

“Protego!”

♡ - ♡ ~ ♡ - ♡ ~ ♡ - ♡ ~ ♡ - ♡ ~ ♡ - ♡ ~ ♡ - ♡

The fight lasted for some time. But it ended with Sebastain successfully casting an expelliarmus on you. He got his wand back fair and square. (He had your wand and wouldn’t return it to you before you returned his back.) Ominis was just confused the entire time and wanted his wand back, which he did get after Sebastain got his. However, that did not end well for you and Sebastian, because he just froze both of you. Since then, you and Sebastian have been stuck in the Undercroft.

“Can you move your hands now or just your head?” You asked, clearly wanting to get out of this mess.

“Just. My. Head.” Sebastian was still mad, “This wouldn’t have happened if you just gave me my wand back.” You smiled at him. He was adorable when mad.

“It was just a joke.” You couldn't wait until you could mess with him again. After all, this was a daily occurrence for you both, and you just loved teasing him. You knew he wasn’t really mad. He had just wished you two were frozen next to each other. Oh, silly you.

“Next time, don’t take Ominis’ wand from him.”

“I WILL be free from this before you and I won’t set you free, just so you know.” He sighed, “But maybe I’ll warm you up.”

You sure had hoped that would mean cuddles and not his casting infringo on you…

#hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy sebastian #sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow x mc #hogwarts legacy sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow hogwarts legacy #sebastain sallow x you #sebastian sallow fanfic #sebastian sallow fanfiction #hogwarts legacy fanfic #hogwarts legacy fanfiction #hogwarts legacy x reader

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lollytea · 1 year

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Huntlow ft Gus au where they roleplay Cosmic frontier and being O'bailey helps Hunter feel more confident to flirt with Willow? Kinda like in Community when Annie, Troy and Abed roleplay Inspector Spacetime and Abed totally changes when getting into character

OKAY OKAY OKAY But after all this Collector shit is over and everything settles down. Hunter and Gus LARPing in their Cosmic Frontier cosplays and Gus casts an illusion curtain so Camila's basement really does feel like the inside of a futuristic spaceship. They even get Camila on board to join them. (Remember how excited she was to LARP in Yesterday's Lie?? She's never done anything like this before but she would be so into it!!)

Anyway. You KNOW how Gus and Hunter are. Obviously Gus is a born performer and very committed to theatrics but also there's Hunter who is intensely hyperfixated on Cosmic Frontier and not only connects to O'Bailey but also sees him as a fictional role model of sorts. He's cool and smart and kind and confident and basically everything Hunter aspires to be. So O'Bailey is basically Hunter's main blorbo. He WOULD be the type to keep a notebook full of O'Bailey characters analysis. He understands this fictional man inside and out. Everything from his big grand life aspirations and inner turmoil to his little character tics and personal details.

So when he and Gus get into the zone? Oh Hunter would take it so deathly seriously. Gus would too so they're perfect LARPing partners.

I think it definitely fits with Hunter's tendency to lose himself in the roles that he plays, like how his personality altered when he was wearing the Golden Guard uniform. Except, in this case, Hunter's face is on full display and rather than O'Bailey being a character Hunter can hide behind like the GG was, it's more like Hunter is just having fun playing pretend, while using O'Bailey as a bit of an outlet for him to experiment with the person he wants to be. Role-playing as this character he really likes helps with his confidence significantly as with the bonus of being unmasked, it's easier for him to tap into it as Hunter.

Eventually. Eventually.

Because when they first start playing pretend, Hunter believes that he's playing an entirely different person than himself. But he has so much fun with it!!!

Anyway Gus and Hunter get very into their roles, acting out extremely tense and emotionally gripping scenes. Camila is also very enthusiastic, though she has a tendency to break character every once in a while by devolving into squeals because this is just SO cool!!! Why did she and Manny never do this??

Anyway Willow almost always shows up to watch. For the plot. She sits there and she watches Hunter go full cool hero protagonist mode for the plot. She's very interested in....whatever the fuck is going on. There's an asteroid about to hit the ship she thinks. She doesn't know what an asteroid is but she assumes this is a bad thing.

It's Camila that kickstarts the chaos. She notices the scene is waning in regards to cool shit to say and decides to spice things up. As O'Bailey and Avery are engaged in a tense dialogue, she shuffles over to where Willow is sitting and takes her by the hands to hoist her up.

"How about you join us, Mija? :)"

"Oh!" Says Willow, blinking out of the stupor that overcame her when Hunter started a dramatic monologue about the safety of everyone in the galaxy. "Okay...?"

She had never done something like this before. But now that Camila is leading her over to the boys, she thinks to herself...hm. yeah...Yeah!! Yeah, this could be fun!!!

"Captain Avery." Camila says sharply, snapping her posture straight. "Botanist Kumiko O'Bailey has been sent to inspect our vegetation crop and report back to the Nebula Federation."

Gus and Hunter turn to look at them and Willow feels the push to engage.

"Uhh. YES!" She announces, adopting a powerful air as she places her fists on her hips and tips her chin up high. "It's me! Kumiko!! And I'm here to...uh. To do what Camila just said."

"Quando."

"What Quando just said."

"Also...." Camila continues. "She mentioned wanting to see her husband."

"My what now?" Willow blurts out under her breath.

Oh. Right. Kumiko. Kumiko O'Bailey. She had heard that name once or twice. She knows at least a chunk of the lore. Hunter talks about it often.

So. So she's currently playing the role of...

"Kumiko!" Hunter exclaims and rushes to her side. And then suddenly there's hands and they're long and narrow and warm and they are cradling her hands. And though Willow has held Hunter's hands plenty of times, it was always initiated by her. It's his sudden bout of forwardness that stuns her speechless.

Where is this coming from?

"Um..." Willow finds herself mumbling idiotically.

"You weren't answering any of my communications." Hunter says, looking deeply invested in the colour of Willow's eyes. "I was worried..."

Hunter has not acknowledged that this is something he would have been far too shy to do with Willow Park under any other circumstances. Because he is currently Chief Engineer O'Bailey and he is extremely committed to portraying this role faithfully. And if there's one thing he knows about O'Bailey, it's that he loves Kumiko with abandon.

"Aw, well, you know how it is," Willow grins, still a little breathless. She tries to tear her eyes away from their interlaced fingers, a slight blush seeping across her cheeks.

"The communication....thingie...was busted. So I just figured I'd hop on a spaceship and come find ya."

Under the assumption that she's nailing this role, Willow decides to get a little rambunctious with it. She tilts her head to the side, tweaking her smile into something overtly flirty. "I missed you <3" She says in a honey sweet tone that she has used on him on numerous occasions. It usually renders Hunter completely unsure of what to do with himself. It's adorable.

But not this time.

Hunter, completely unruffled, responds with a warm endeared smile that sends Willow's pulse coursing. "I missed you too." He says softly.

And then. One of those accursed hands of his. It settles into a gentle caress against her face.

Willow's eyes are just about about bulging out of their sockets.

"But wooow," Hunter croons, stroking the pad of his thumb across her cheekbone. (Her skin is hot and he is gonna notice, which is only making it hotter.) That's when the flirtatious touch to his own smile cracks through. "You traveled all those lightyears? For me?"

Willow does not have a fucking clue what a lightyear is. But she likes the sound of the word when he says it like that.

"You betcha, babe!" Willow responds enthusiastically, trying to regain some handle on this scenario. "You know I'd travel a million lightyears just to see you."

She flirts. Her. Willow.

Hunter unexpectedly taking the lead here is throwing her off. She's floundering.

Is this what she does to him all the time?

Hunter's smile spreads and he takes a step closer.

Willow would have taken an instinctive step back but she is currently frozen to the spot.

Hunter's eyes are very brown.

"Well..." He says musingly. "You've seen me. Will that be everything, Mrs O'Bailey?"

Willow is certain her heart forgot its main functions before promptly bursting into a frenzy.

How has his palm not scalded against her cheek.

Willow is about to say something. Potential responses swirl around in her head.

She isn't quite sure what is about to happen. All she's processing is that Hunter is standing very close and she has some ideas of what she would like to happen right now and she's pretty sure if she just--

"Oooooh. Go Hunter!" Somebody suddenly whoops and Willow gets to see the O'Bailey persona shatter like glass before her very eyes.

Luz has descended the stairs with not an ounce of context of what is going on. All she sees is Hunter cupping Willow's cheek and moving closer and closer.

Camila is observing with a broad beam, while Gus leans against a nearby wall, a little bored.

With that, Hunter is yanked back to the reality of the situation. He's not in space, he's in a basement. He's not Chief Engineer O'Bailey, he's Hunter. And she is not his wife Kumiko. She is Willow Park.

He might have been about to kiss Willow Park.

Heat floods his face and he breaks into a splutter of rapid-fire apologies. The words are spit out so frantically, they begin to tangle together.

And as charmed as Willow tends to be with flustered Hunter, she is quite disappointed that whatever that was is over.

Meanwhile Hunter is dangerously close to the realization that flirting with Willow Park is something as impossible as he originally thought.

#huntlow #if you send me fun little huntlow asks you too might receive some stupid shit like this

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viking-raider · 2 months

Text

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT > PART THREE

Summary-> Alexa and Henry leave their villa to explore the beauty of Costa Rica, with an unblinking eye trailing behind them.

Pairing-> Henry Cavill/OFC (Alexa)

Word Count-> 5.7k

Parts-> I II

Warnings-> PG: Arranged Marriage, Language, Banter, Anxiety

Inspiration-> Nick and Vanessa Lachey’s Love is Blind on Netflix.

Author’s Note-> I hope you enjoy! Line divider by @FIREFLY-GRAPHICS!

-> If you would like to get notifications for my writing! Just follow my Tag List blog, @VIKING-RAIDER-TAGLIST as well as my @VIKING-RAIDER-LIBRARY and turn on the notifications for it! It’s that easy!’ Ao3-> Dragon_Dweller

– The Hike –

Alexa pulled her loose cotton, deep arm-hole tank top over her bikini, while Henry packed a day bag for them to take on their hike.

“Right, we're all packed.” He smiled, coming to stand in the bathroom doorway. “Figured we could stop in town for some lunch items, and if we need anything else before we head to the start of the trail.” He informed her, watching her tug on a pair of short, board shorts with a print pattern on each hip, over her bikini bottoms.

“I love the sound of that. We can also browse the local life.” Alexa smiled, a tingle in her stomach knowing Henry was distracted by seeing so much of her body.

“That sounds like a great idea.”

“Great.” She nodded, patting him on the chest as she breezed by him, into the bedroom; mentally reminding herself not to look at the camera that was there filming the whole thing.

With their little hiking bag packed and a rental car for them waiting in the drive, Henry and Alexa loaded up. Jesse followed them from a car in the back, having mounted a couple cameras in ideal places on the rental car to film them.

“Wow, this place is so gorgeous.” Henry commented, looking out the window as he drove them into town.

“Just wait until we hit the trails.” Alexa smiled, lounging back in the passenger seat. “It's a whole other world. It feels like you've been lost in some 18th Century adventure book; deep in the forest as you look for the coveted and cured gold of an ancient God, that the natives warn you not to go near.”

Henry looked over at her, smirking. “Bookworm?” He chuckled, teasingly.

“The word is, Bibliophile.” She corrected him, with feigned offense. “Thank you very much.”

“Oh, my apologies, Bibliophile.” He laughed, amused. “But, I can see it, this place does give you an enchanted feeling.” He sighed, as the town of Tamarindo came into view.

Tamarindo bustled with life, an assortment of shops, brightly colored and close together, showed their wares in windows, balconies and sidewalks. Signs announcing what each shop and pop-up cart was selling to whomever stopped by to look, from fellow tourists to locals.

Henry found a place to park and got out with Alexa, the both of them casting their eyes around, taking everything in and trying to pinpoint the place, or places, that would help them achieve their goal for a picnic on their hike.

“Something smells amazing.” Alexa commented, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes.

“Could be anything.” Henry chuckled, noting the several street vendors and restaurants.

“I need it.” Alexa said softly, her blue eyes slightly out of focus.

Henry looked down at her, cocking a brow at the almost manic look she had on her face. “Do you?” He asked, a soft smirk tugging up one corner of his lip.

“Yes.” She nodded, looking up at him with an eye twitch.

“You little gremlin.” Henry laughed, his whole body vibrating with its mirth.

“You best get used to it, Bowser.” She giggled back, before skipping forward in search of what she smelled.

Henry watched her skip off, his head cocked to the side as she paused at a stall with trinkets displayed on it, giving the woman running it a sweet smile as she did. He felt the embers of passion for her heat up even more, forming a teeny flame that Henry couldn't deny was the start of him really falling for her. Recalling himself, as Alexa looked back to see where he was, Henry moved to join her, nodding to the vendor.

“Hola, cómo estás?” She greeted him with a sweet smile.

“Hola, estoy bien.” Henry echoed with the limited amount of the language he knew, making her chuckle at his accented Spanish.

“These are so beautiful.” Alexa cooed, examining a black skirt with bright and colorful, intricate patterns along the bottom hem and inside. She looked up at the woman, holding up the hem for her to see. “You?” She asked, hoping the other woman understood what she was implying with her minimal knowledge of Spanish.

The woman smiled wide, understanding, and nodded with clear pride. “Sí.”

“How much?” She asked, brows raised.

“Treinta colón.” She answered, signing three and zero with her fingers in emphasis.

Nodding, Alexa dug into the little bag she had resting on her hip, retrieving the colónes that Riah had supplied her and Henry before leaving the house, supplying the woman the right amount of money for the skirt she had handmade herself. Taking the curled notes from Alexa's hand, she stashed them away in a locked box somewhere behind her stall, before motioning to Alexa to pick one of the skirts. Alexa peeked through them, admiring her craft and amazing needlework with the fabric. None of it lacked color and all of the patterns were unique in their own right, fascinating and awing her.

“What do you think?” Alexa asked, looking up at Henry for his opinion between the two skirts she was conflicted on.

“Hm.” He hummed, looking between them with a cocked brow. “They're both very beautiful.” He commented, reaching out to touch the cotton fabric. “Personally,” He said, finally. “I like this one. It's super colorful and seems like it would be...light and free. It makes me think of you.”

Alexa blushed, biting the inside of her lip at his comment, as she looked up at him, before looking down at the skirt he was referencing. It was red with a kaleidoscope of circular patterns, and blue top and bottom hems. Smiling, she picked that one out of the bunch, motioning to the woman that she had made her choice, and she nodded her understanding. Alexa and Henry moved on, observing the other stalls that lined the street and peeked in the windows of the shops, before they finally found the local grocery store and popped inside.

Grabbing one of little metal baskets, Henry and Alexa browsed the modest aisles, plucking up a couple things that caught their eye for their picnic. Something else grabbed Henry's attention as they reached the back of the store.

“Hey, I'll just be one second.” He said, resting his hand on the small of her back. “I'll meet you at the register.”

“Okay.” Alexa nodded, holding his gaze for a moment, before continuing on, grabbing a couple more things off the shelf, before she headed to pay for everything, tossing a glance over her shoulder to look for Henry, but only found Jesse following her instead.

But Henry appeared as she bagged their items, offering her an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I just wanted to check something out.” He told her, grabbing a few items and helping her put them in the plastic bag. “I'm looking forward to this hike with you.” He admitted, taking the bag and heading out with her. “Part of me wishes this was happening around the time the Durrell Challenge occurs.”

“When does that happen?” Alexa asked, curiously.

“It happened in May.” He told her, holding an arm out to stop her from crossing, as a car appeared up the street. “So, we missed it.”

“There's always next time.” She replied, watching the car go by. “Not like we won't be together.”

Henry looked down at her, struck. “That's more than true.” He answered softly, crossing and following her along the street, observing the shops as they made their way back to their vehicle. “So, wife, where is our trail?” He asked, reaching into the back, for the pack he had their stuff in and tucked their lunch inside.

“Right here.” Alexa answered, leaning over the center console to show Henry the map of the trail head. “It's part of the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano National Park.”

“Looks beautiful.” He commented, getting the address for the trail head and situating his phone on the dash mount. “So, our first day as husband and wife!” He grinned, navigating the road that ran parallel to the coast on one side.

“Yeah.” Alexa giggled, taking a photo of the gorgeous white sand and glittering, azure water. “How's it feeling?” She asked, shifting her camera's view to snap a shot of Henry, catching him off guard.

“It feels good.” Henry replied, giving her a shy and boy-ish expression. “It was a bit strange waking up to another person, and not either alone or to Kal snoring in my face.”

A laugh bubbled out of Alexa, her body scrunching up. “No, you just had me snoring in your face this morning.”

“Well worth the morning breath!” Henry chuckled back, teasing, watching the coast fall away the more inland they got.

“I don't have morning breath!” Alexa gasped, shoving him in the shoulder.

“Are you sure about that?” He smirked impishly, cocking a side brow over at her.

Alexa gasped again in outrage, mouth ajar. “Uh! How dare you accuse me of such things! I'll glue the toilet lid down from now on!”

“That's fine.” Henry replied, his smirking shifting into something even more devilish. “I have great aim.”

Alexa's cheeks colored, understanding his suggestion. “Naughty!” She cooed, batting her eyes at him, before glancing quickly over at the recording camera on the dash.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Shoot!” Alexa nodded, twisting sideways to look at him.

“Do you have any nicknames you do or don't like going by?” Henry inquired, rubbing his palms over the steering wheel. “I don't mind being called Hen, Henners or Hank, but I loathe being called Harry.”

“Who calls you that!” She asked, outraged at the notion of someone calling him by that name, eyes twitching.

“I had a teacher at boarding school that did and sometimes, one of my uncles would.” He explained, shaking his head. “No matter how many times I told them I hated it and asked them not to.”

“I don't blame you! You don't have a Harry aura about you. Hen, yes. Hank yeah. But-” She took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. “Good grief. As for me, most of the people in my social circle call me, Alex or Lexi, which I'm totally cool with. There are people that call me, Lex, which I'm not really here nor there about. However, I don't like being called, Allie, it makes me think of alleyways, or one of my roadies desperately tried to make a thing of calling me, Lexus.”

She met Henry's eye. “I'm not a car.”

Henry snorted, laughing softly. “A car, you are not.” He agreed, smiling. “So, Alex, Lex or Lexi are cool to call you.”

“Yep.” Alexa nodded, liking the sound of her name rolling off his tongue, as she noticed the sign announcing the turn off for the National park just around the bend. “Almost there!” She declared, rather excited to go exploring and hiking on the trails with Henry. “This place is so beautiful.” She commented, as they got out of the car, the warmth of the beach was replaced by the cool, but humid, air of the forest around them.

“Yeah, it is.” Henry agreed, clipping their bag secure across his chest.

But not as beautiful as you. He thought, fleetingly.

“Are you going to be able to hike this, carrying that camera?” Henry asked Jesse, who was getting his own gear set up. “According to that park sign, the trail is seven kilometers in length. One way.” He informed the cameraman, concerned for his well-being as much as he was Alexa and his own.

“I'll be fine, bud.” Jesse replied, shouldering a bag that rattled with various filming equipment and a couple of things he brought for the hike, water bottle, food, bug spray and so on. “I've done wildlife documentaries in Antarctica. I'm sure a four mile hike around the volcano will be cake.”

“Making sure.” Henry said, before turning to Alexa, who was patiently waiting at the trailhead. “You ready, short-stuff?” He asked with a smile.

Alexa snorted and rolled her eyes. “More ready than you are, Bones.” She answered, then held up a trail guide pamphlet. “I scanned the QR code they have on the back, but just in case our mobile service goes nutty, I thought we'd bring the booklet with us too.”

“Sound idea, love.” He nodded, gave the trail ahead a look over.

She leaned in close to Henry, before whispering loudly. “If there's any spiders, I'm leaving Jesse to get eaten first.”

“I heard that!” Jesse barked behind them.

Alexa flashed him a sweet smile, then took the first step onto the trail. One small step on our hike, one giant step into the rest of our life. She thought, continuing with the assurance that Henry was right behind her.

“A bridge!” Henry announced as he rounded a bend in the trail, coming upon a rope bridge, just wide enough for one person to cross at a time, single file. “You think it's sturdy?”

“It looks like it.” Alexa answered, looking around Henry's arm. “I'm sure they wouldn't have it accessible if it was dangerous. Unless they have a thing for making their visitors feel like they're having an Indiana Jones experience.” She commented, half-jokingly.

“Fair enough, you go ahead first.” He said, stepping sideways on the trail.

“Oh, how gentlemanly of you, to let me plummet to the river below first.” Alexa quipped, moving by him, only to have Henry catch her wrist, his expression stony.

“Don't say that.” He snapped, his eyes glassy with horror.

Alexa's stomach churned at his expression, leaving her speechless for a moment, before she caught Jesse moving closer to them out of the corner of her eye and she scrambled to pull herself together again. “I was just kidding, Henry. I'm sorry.” She squeaked, gulping thickly as she pried his fingers from around her wrist and stepped onto the bridge.

That was so stupid! Why did I say that to him! She berated herself. Riah's going to juice her panties when she finds out. With how good it'll look, when the show airs. Stupid me creating an angst-y fuss, like some teenage drama.

The bridge wobbled a little bit as the three of them moved across the weathered slates at a steady pace, Alexa gripping the rope sides and daring to take a glance over the side, before quietly squeaking at the steep distance to the valley bottom and shooting her eyes forward, not looking down again. Henry's own eyes were on the back of Alexa's head, the whole time they crossed, taking slow, deep breaths and pretending the bridge wasn't as high off the ground as it actually was. In an attempt to control his fear of heights.

“Right, so!” Alexa sighed, after their feet touched solid ground again. “According to the app, the hot spring is this way and it's just before the waterfall.” She said, tracing the red line on the screen of her phone with her fingertip. “Do you want to see the waterfall first or do you want to hit the spring?” She asked, looking up at Henry, who craned his head over her shoulder to see the map, his hand gently resting on her side.

“Hm.” He hummed, eyeing the outlined trail, before looking up ahead of them. “Why don't we hit the waterfall first and have lunch there, so we can have a nice dip in the spring before we leave?” He suggested, looking back to Alexa. “That way we can have a nice rest period.”

“Sounds like a good plan.” Alexa nodded, pocketing the device and hooking her arm with his. “It's so gorgeous here.” She said, looking at the tall canopies above their heads, her ears picking up the sounds of the forest surrounding them. The call of birds, frogs croaking deep in their throats and insects buzzing in the humid air, with the occasional howl of a monkey deep and far off the beaten trail.

“It really is.” Henry agreed, drawing in a deep breath of the fresh, fragrant and cool air.

They pointed out sights to each other, plants and animals. Alexa became excited at one point, thinking she saw a little squirrel monkey, before it vanished in the trees. They snapped a couple of photos over the hour and a half it took them to go from the head of the trail to the rushing waterfall at the end.

“Oh my—Odin.” Alexa gasped softly, standing on a large, flat river rock as she gazed up at the fifty foot waterfall, the spraying mist at the top glittering in the sunlight, casting a rainbow-like halo at its drop off point. “I've never seen anything quite so magical.” She mumbled to herself, following the water into a basin of crystal clear water, surrounded by rough cliff walls covered in creeping vines and moss, slick algae and small trees that somehow managed to take root and grow out of cracks.

There were a couple of people around the edge of the pool, resting on rocks or clear, flat spots of the ground, with several others swimming in the water itself. Both Alexa and Henry looked at each other, then tossed at glance at Jesse, who hadn't stopped filming once, knowing they would attract attention the moment they got close. So, they moved around to the far side of the waterfall, where there were no people and found a decent spot to sit down and relax.

Henry set his pack down in front of him, unhooking his water bottle from the loop on the strap, while Alexa sipped at her own water, staring out over the pool with a whimsical and thoughtful expression.

“What are you thinking about?” He asked, before taking a big gulp of his icy water.

“Hm?” Alexa hummed back, blinking and turning her attention to him.

Henry chuckled at her. “What are you thinking about?” He repeated himself, unzipping the main compartment of the bag.

“I'm wondering how cool that water must be.” She confessed, her face giving away her interest in going for a dip.

“Hmm.” He purred back, narrowing his eyes at the water and considering the sweat running down his back, causing his tank top to stick to his skin as well as his curls to his forehead. “That's a good question.” He replied, closing the backpack and reaching for the back of his tank, pulling it off over his head and dropping it on the bag, before standing.

“Let's go find out.”

Alexa grinned, taking off her top and stood to wiggle out of her shorts, kicking them over to their bag as Henry's arm hooked around her waist. “Henry!” She cried out with laughter, breaking out into a massive grin as he carried her over to the water.

“You can go in with your insulin stuff, right?” He asked, as the water reached his calves.

“Yeah.” She assured him, squirming and wrapping her arms around his neck. “All water-proof.”

“Perfect.” Henry smirked devilishly, shifting his hands to Alexa's hips, hoisted her up and launched her into the deep end of the water.

Alexa gasped as she splashed into the water, disappearing under for a moment, before she pushed off the bottom and broke the surface again. “That's unfair!” She huffed, splashing Henry in the face as he moved towards her.

“Absolutely.” He nodded, carding his fingers through his dripping hair, pushing his curls off his forehead.

The two of them looked up at a cry that echoed down to them, finding a group of guys that had climbed to the top of the cliff by the waterfall, screaming their heads off and throwing their arms up, showing off to their group that had stayed down below, and who were returning their rowdiness. Alexa chuckled and looked at Henry, hooking an arm around his neck to support herself in the water and be close to him.

“Those guys are wild.” Henry commented, watching one of them take a running jump off the edge, feeling his stomach lurch as the guy plummeted and splashed into the water, heart clenching for a moment, waiting for him to resurface safely.

“And probably drunk.” Alexa giggled, gently pressing her lips to Henry's collarbone, as she held herself against his chiseled torso, feeling his palms squeeze and massage her hips. “If you try tossing me again, I will bite you.” She whispered against his skin.

Henry glanced down at her, cocking a brow with interest. “Is that a promise or a threat?” He asked, his own lips brushing the top of her head. “Cause, I'll gladly find out.” He said, a chuckle rumbling deep in his chest.

Fuck, I hope I'm not being too forward with her.

“Oh, you like that kind of thing?” Alexa teased him, smirking. “Superman likes getting nibbled on?”

His body reacted to her flirting, his throat bobbing as he swallowed thickly, and his blue eyes laser focused on her face. “I just might.” He purred, voice deepening as he leaned his head in close.

“Mmm.” Alexa hummed back at him, a sparkle in her eye while meeting him, feeling her heart skip a beat, knowing he was going to kiss her again. But she caught sight of Jesse wading into the shallows of the pool, camera poised on his shoulder and a soft smirk on his face, clearly understanding the moment. “You know what?” Alexa gasped, pulling away from Henry and treading in the water to keep herself up.

“I want to jump off too.” She told him, an impish smirk crossing her lips.

“Oh?” Henry frowned, confused by the mood change and sudden disconnect from her. “Is that safe?”

Alexa chuckled, splashing him. “They did it!” She called over her shoulder, swimming away to get out of the water and head up the small trail that led up to the top of the cliff.

She's crazy. Henry thought, debating if he should follow her up, to make sure she didn't get hurt on the way to the top and perhaps try and stop her or to just watch her jump from his spot in the water. She'll be fine. He tried to reassure himself, keeping his eyes fixed on the spot the group of men had been, when they jumped.

His heart calmed down slightly, seeing her pale head pop up among the lush greenery at the top of the waterfall, gazing down into the water below and waving at him with a huge smile. Henry smiled and waved back, hoping he didn't look too horrified for her well-being. Alexa surveyed the landscape from her vantage point and wished she had brought her phone up to snap a couple of photos, before jumping.

Taking a deep breath and taking a couple steps back, before taking a running leap off the edge, plummeting feet first into the water. Henry swam over, meeting her halfway back to where they had been.

“That was wild!” She giggled at him. “You should try it.”

“I don't know.” Henry chuckled, looking up at the spot. “It's pretty high.”

“I'll go with you!” Alexa said, trying to embolden him. “We could jump together!”

Henry bit his lip, then shook his head, flicking droplets of water from the ends of his curls. “Nope.” He declined, pressing his lips together. “No can do, darling.”

“Aww.” She cooed, before clicking her tongue at him. “All right. Fair enough, Sötnos.” She smiled, her eyes gentle and understanding.

“Sötnos?” Henry echoed, causing Alexa to giggle at his pronunciation of the word.

“Swat-noss.” She pronounced the word for him, slowly. “Sötnos.”

“What does it mean?” He asked, shaking his head as he tried to wrap his mind around it.

Alexa giggled, resting her hands on his shoulders. “It means a couple things.” She smirked, amused at the pet name, as she pressed herself against him, making him feel their size difference as they floated in the water. “Sweetheart. Sweet cheeks.” She explained to him, chuckling. “But the direct translation is, sweet nose.”

“You think I got a sweet nose?” Henry teased, leaning in to rub noses with her, making Alexa giggle even more. “I like it.” He told her, pulling back to look her in the eyes. “Would you teach me more?”

“Ja, of course.” She nodded, touched and excited that he wanted to learn more of her language and background. “You're going to need it, min mannen.”

“Great.” He smiled, before noticing the slight shake in her hands. “Are you all right?” He asked, taking one of them in his, pressing it between his palm and chest to seep some warmth into it. “Are you cold?” He inquired, the water was cool, but not chilly.

“No.” Alexa replied, shaking her head. “I'm just getting the shakes from my sugar starting to dip a little bit. I need to get out and eat.” She explained to him, her brow pinching as it hit her all at once.

“Let's go then.” Henry urged, wrapping an arm around her waist and guided them out of the water, back to where their pack and clothing was. “Here's water, I'll get our lunch out.” He said, opening her water bottle for her, before opening their backpack and started pulling out all the food.

Sipping her water, Alexa caught sight of something, as it fell out of the pack in Henry's rush to get their lunch ready, and reached for it. Picking up a short, plastic wrapped tube, the words printed on it were all in Spanish, but she had seen this type of container enough times in her life to know what it was.

“Did you buy glucose tablets?” She asked, looking up at Henry with a crease between her brows, holding them up for him to see.

Henry paused and looked at the tablets, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “Ye-ah.” He answered, slowly gulping. “I-” He floundered to vocalize why his brain had told him it was a good idea to head towards the chemist aisle he'd seen at the store in town, to buy the capsule of ten, Raspberry flavored, glucose tablets.

What if you needed them, while we're on our hike or on the drive back to our Villa? He thought, still struggling to voice his fear that her blood sugar would drop to an unsafe level. What if they were the only thing that kept you from-- Henry forcefully shook the last thought out of his head, refusing to manifest it.

“I just—I just thought-” He took a deep, hard breath and looked back down at his task. “I don't know what I thought.” He mumbled under his breath. “It was stupid.”

Alexa's face fell at his words, closing her fist around the tablets, wanting to say something to him about how thoughtful it really was, but couldn't find the words. “What do we have for lunch!” She said instead, changing the subject for both of them.

Henry set out their wrapped sandwiches, along with the little containers of fresh fruit, slices of mango, watermelon and oranges, as well as a small cluster of grapes. They sipped their water and nibbled on their food, Alexa gazing around the forest that surrounded them, fascinated by the towering and knotted trees among the lush green plants, the sound of the waterfall behind them was so soothing and peaceful. She sighed softly, reaching out for another piece of fruit, her hand coming into contact with Henry's, as he did the same.

Their eyes met and Alexa felt Henry's fingers caress and trace her hand, like the touch from a ghost. It made her skin tingle and the breath in her throat caught. She didn't understand. They'd known each other for less than forty-eight hours and when Henry touched her, it was like nothing she'd felt before. Not with the boyfriend she'd been with for five years or a couple of attempted dates she'd been on since breaking up with said ex-boyfriend.

What is it about him? She thought, turning her palm up to his touch, her shoulders shuddering faintly as he stroked his fingertips over the heel of her palm to her fingertips. Why does his touch light my nerve-endings on fire and send sparks into my mind? What magic is he casting over me? Alexa reflected, swimming in the azure ocean of his eyes and trying to reach the tawny island at the top.

Henry in-turn was lost in her gaze, a gentle smile twitching and curling up one corner of his lip as he drove ever deeper into the arctic landscape he found there, mapping out the small flakes of minty-green that was close to her pupils. He was besotted with her, and it only dragged him down deeper as the seconds ticked past them. Henry had no answer to it either. Though, he was sometimes prone to falling in love quickly, and that sudden realization stabbed him in the stomach, like a red-hot knife.

Am I falling too quickly? Is this just a sudden flame, that'll burn out in a week or by the time our honeymoon is over?

His fingers faltered against her skin and Alexa noticed, a wrinkle forming between her brows as she watched the bright light in Henry's eyes fade and his expression panic, pulling his hand away from her.

“I'm sorry.” He whispered, waving to the food they'd intersected at. “Go ahead.” He said, patiently waiting for her to take what she was reaching for, before grabbing his.

“Henry--” Alexa started, wanting to know if she'd done something wrong.

“Do you still want to go to the hot spring?” He asked over her, clearing his throat, knowing how rude of him it was, but couldn't bear her asking him what she intended to. “I know we went swimming here.” He said, waving to the waterfall behind them.

Alexa licked her lips and glanced at the rushing water for a second. “I would still at least like to see it.” She replied, biting her lip. “If that's all right with you?” She added, looking at him with a conflicted expression.

“That's more than all right.” He answered, popping a grape into his mouth. “I'd like to see it as well.” He confessed, offering her a half-hearted smile, hoping to bring some peace back into their outing.

“Cool.” She rasped, picking up her shorts and stood up, pulling them over her damp bikini bottoms, not bothering with her tank top, and instead stuffed it into their bag. “I'm ready, when you are.” She told him, looking at her Dexcom app, making sure her levels were in an appropriate range.

“I'm ready.” Henry replied, packing what was left of their food away and stood with her, shouldering the bag and glancing at her phone. “Is that a good level?” He asked, looking at her.

“It's a hundred and fifty, now that I've eaten.” Alexa explained, turning the screen towards him. “So, that's a pretty decent range. Especially for me.” She said, before pointing to a number beside it. “It was a hundred and ten, before I ate, which is middle to low-ish side, before a meal. But, I'm perfectly fine now. So we can head to the hot spring and likely make it back to the Villa, before I need to eat again.” She told him, closing the app and pulling up the map to the hot spring from where they were.

“So, we need to get back on the trail we arrived here on, for a short while, until we reach that fork and turn left.” She showed him their route and Henry nodded, motioning for her to lead the way.

Alexa glanced behind her to Jesse, who frowned at her, clearly annoyed she kept staring into the camera lens, before moving forward. Henry took a deep breath, glancing above them as he reached out to hook his arm around Alexa's shoulders, pulling her a little into his side as they retraced their steps over the trail.

They reached the turn, branching out in the three different directions and headed towards the hot spring, and the closer they came to it, the more they could hear the rush of the thermal waters.

Coming through a thicket of trees and brush into the clearing, they discovered the steaming, volcanic-formed pool. Not quite so populated as the pool at the foot of the waterfall, but was still dotted with people. Some stood waist deep in the warm waters, while others sat on the rocks that surrounded it, their feet dipped in, admiring the multiple, little volcanic rock waterfalls that supplied the water for the spring.

“This place is so gorgeous.” Alexa commented, as she and Henry found a spot to sit and slip their feet into the heavenly warm water, with a soft moan.

“It truly is.” Henry agreed, slowly gliding his feet through the water and watching it gurgle down one of the falls.

Alexa gasped suddenly, grasping Henry by the arm and grew animated. “Henry!” She insisted, blue eyes round with wonder and surprise as she pointed into the tree tops across the spring, just as a sound filled the steamy air, like a high-pitched, song-bird-like call. “It's a Toucan.” She grinned at him, giddy for spotting the yellow-throated toucan.

“Oh wow, it is!” Henry nodded, narrowing his eyes at the small, long billed bird of paradise.

“When I was little, I wanted one as a pet, after seeing George of the Jungle with Brendan Fraser, cause Tookie-Tookie was my favorite.” She confessed, taking her phone out to snap a photo of it. “Other than Shep the elephant.”

Henry smirked at her, touched that she shared that teeny bit of information and memory with him, and was amused by it. “Is that so?” He asked, his eyes going back to the little black and yellow bird as it took flight off its branch.

“Yeah, I love animals.” Alexa nodded, a little deflated that the toucan flew off, before looking at the photos she'd taken of it. “I had considered becoming a Zoologist before becoming a musician.” She confessed, pressing her shoulder against his and lifting her phone again, its front camera open and showing her and Henry. “We haven't taken a single photo together.” She answered the startled and confused expression she saw on Henry's face through her phone.

“I'd like at least one photo with my husband, during our honeymoon.” She smirked at him. “If he'd indulge me?”

“Why would I not?” He cooed, his expression softening and posed with her to take the photo.

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