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omgrachwrites · 3 years

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Our Souls Crave This Magic- Chapter One

Pairing: Prince Caspian x Reader

Summary: All you want is a quiet year of university as you and your best friend, Edmund move to New York City. Though, that all changes when you meet the spoiled trust fund brat, Caspian. College au.

Warnings: fluff, slow burn romance, swearing

Words: 2619

Disclaimer: Everyone in this fic is 18+ and this gif doesn’t belong to me!

A/N: Here we are, first part of my college au! It was a little weird to be writing a Narnia college au, I’d never thought of writing one before! Hope you guys enjoy this and please let me know what you think and let me know if you would like to be tagged! I love you all! xxx

next part masterlist

Chapter One - Once Upon a Time in New York City

The air in New York was hot and muggy, even with the roof of your rental car being down there wasn’t much of a breeze and you were beginning to feel irritable and the smog in the air was heavy. The traffic over here was slow, somehow even slower than it was in London but you knew that it was a small price to pay for your freedom.

When your best friend, Edmund received a chance to study overseas in New York for his final year of college he took the chance straight away and he had pretty much begged you to go with him. You had never known Edmund to beg for anything so you knew that this was serious. You didn’t want to lose your best friend so you agreed to go with him, as did his little sister, Lucy but you didn’t mind, it was her first year at college.

From the back seat you could hear Lucy gasping in awe as she glanced up at the impossibly tall skyscrapers that were beginning to make you feel a little sick, “I love this city already, thanks for letting me come with you guys!”

Ed grimaced as he leaned forwards to turn your rock music down which earned him a scathing glare, “it’s not like we had much of a choice,” he muttered.

You rolled your eyes at Ed before smiling at Lucy in the mirror, “ignore him, Lu. I’m glad that you’re here.”

“Thanks Y/N,” she grinned at you before pulling a tongue at her brother, “I can’t wait to see the loft,” she sighed happily.

Neither of you wanted to stay in some shitty dorm room on campus so ever since you were accepted into NYU, you had begun saving money from your bar job and your student loan. Between the three of you the most you could afford was a loft apartment in Brooklyn. You spotted the moving van a couple of doors down from the loft and got ready to turn into a parking space on the busy street.

As you were reversing into the space, a yellow taxi blared its horn at you as it zoomed past you, “yeah, very nice, arsehole!” you yelled out of the window, knowing the driver couldn’t hear you but it made you feel better all the same.

Edmund rolled his eyes as he fixed you with an unamused look as he ran his fingers through his hair, “I’m beginning to regret asking you to come with me.”

You laughed, winking at him as you got out of the car, “you know that you love me.”

Ed laughed before he bit his lip, looking at you nervously, “you should call your mum, and tell her that you made it here in one piece. I know that you’ve been putting it off Y/N,” he sighed and pulled you into a one armed hug, “you can catch up with us in a bit.”

You sighed as you watched Ed and Lucy walk towards the moving van, he was right – most of the time he was right – you had been putting it off, and for good reason. You dialled your mum’s number as you lit up a cigarette and took a long drag of it. Just as you suspected, you were met with your mum’s voicemail. She was probably out, spending time with her new family, she was almost too happy when you told her that you were moving to New York.

“Hey mum, I’m just calling to let you know that I made it to New York, safe and sound. I didn’t want to call but Ed thought that I should, anyway call me back if you get this. Or don’t, it really doesn’t matter to me either way.”

The lie tasted bitter in your mouth but you didn’t want to dwell on it any longer so you quickly hung up the phone. You rubbed your temples as you took another drag off your cigarette, blowing out a large billow of smoke.

“Do you mind?” you heard a cough with the sound of a smooth honeyed accent. Your gaze started at his feet and you quirked an eyebrow when you saw that he was wearing expensive leather shoes. You travelled up his body with your eyes and they finally came to land on his face.

He had deep brown eyes that were almost black and he was very handsome with thick dark hair and clean stubble along his jaw, he looked just like the brooding hero in all those romance novels. You didn’t want to judge but he looked exactly like a trust fund baby, someone who got whatever they wanted on a silver platter. He coughed again as you blew out more smoke and he ran a hand through his hair, narrowing those gorgeous eyes at you.

“You can clearly see that I’m smoking here, it’s your fault for getting in my way, pretty boy,” you didn’t miss the scowl he shot you as you crushed the stub of your cigarette beneath your shoe as you turned away. You couldn’t let a stranger piss you off, no matter how good looking he was.

As you walked into the loft you were immediately taken aback by how spacious and beautiful it was, it seemed like good value for your money which was extremely rare in a big city. You decided that you were going to take the smallest room – you wanted Ed and Lucy to have the most luxurious rooms – but it seemed that you definitely got the room with the best view. New York was such a beautiful city and you were so glad that you got to live here.

As you were coming out of the room that you had claimed as your own, you noticed that the handsome stranger was in your apartment. Suspicion ran through your body as you narrowed your eyes at him, “what the fuck are you doing here?”

He opened his mouth to reply but before he could, Edmund came striding into the apartment, carrying a cardboard box, “Y/N, this is Caspian; he’s offered to help us move in.”

“How nice,” you smiled tightly, Caspian was a trust fund name, you were sure of that.

Caspian raised an eyebrow and he smirked at you, and you ignored the way that his deep brown eyes sparkled. You just wanted a quiet final year of college; you wouldn’t let a handsome young man ruin it. You had worked too hard to be here.

When Caspian walked out of the loft with Ed, Lucy smirked at you, “Caspian’s cute isn’t he?”

You laughed as you unpacked the kitchen boxes, “suppose so, for a trust fund baby.”

“What makes you think that’s he’s got a trust fund?” Lucy asked as she leaned against the kitchen counter.

“Come on Lu, his shoes cost more than our rent, it’s obvious that he’s rolling in money, and with a name like Caspian,” you let out a low whistle, “the evidence speaks for itself.”

Finally, you were all moved in – and Caspian had thankfully left, turning down Edmund’s offer to stay for a drink – it was early evening and your breath was stolen away by how pretty the sky looked. It was all pink and orange hues, and you were almost certain that you’d enjoy living here. New York seemed like such a romantic city – despite the smog – every story that was worth reading began in New York City.

Edmund grinned at you and flung an arm around your shoulders, “are you hungry? We were thinking about ordering pizza.”

You shook your head, although the notion of pizza sounded amazing, “no can do I’m afraid, I gonna go out and actually look for a job. How else are we going to be able to pay the rent?” you smiled.

Lucy raised her eyebrow at you, “Y/N, we’ve literally been here for a few hours and already you’re thinking about getting a job?”

You nodded at her as you kissed Edmund’s cheek, “you guys know how much I worry,” you laughed as you shrugged on your leather jacket, “I’ll see you guys later, and make sure to save some pizza for me.”

“I can’t make any promises,” Ed called after you, making you laugh.

You forgot just how hard it was to get a bartending job as you walked down the streets of New York, it had grown cool now and you wrapped your jacket tighter around your body. Finally, you came up outside a bar called; Aslan’s which had a golden lion on a field of red on the sign. Even from the outside it looked like a dive bar but you supposed that beggars couldn’t be choosers.

The bar stank of stale beer and cigarette smoke, and the floor was incredibly sticky. There was a pool table in the middle of the room and a juke box in one corner, playing loud music. The bar was a complete dive to be sure but you could also tell that it held a lot of character. You smiled at the sandy haired bartender; “I was wondering whether I could speak to the manager?” the bartender nodded and smiled at you as he walked into the back.

A couple of moments later, the bartender returned with an older man, the older man grinned at you as he offered you his hand, his eyes twinkling kindly, “I’m Aslan, the owner,” his voice had an Irish twang to it and you offered him a small smile. You were kind of surprised that he was the owner, he looked like a complete dad, and you had expected someone with tattoos and piercings, not a man in a cable jumper with his hand wrapped around a Spiderman mug.

“I’m Y/N; I was wondering whether I could give you my resume?”

“Certainly,” he smiled and you handed it over and his eyes scanned it before he glanced at you with a raised eyebrow, “are you a university student?” he smiled when you nodded, “have you done bar work before?”

“Yes sir,” you nodded, “I worked in a busy bar in the centre of London for a couple of years,” his eyes widened slightly and you could tell that he was impressed.

“Come in for a trial shift on Saturday so I can see what you’re made of.”

You breathed out a sigh of relief, this was better than you could have hoped for, “I’d be glad to, thank you so much, Aslan.”

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Caspian knew that pre law would be difficult but he just had no idea, after only a couple of days he was exhausted. It seemed strange but he was happy, no matter how exhausted he was. He had a deal with his parents where they agreed that he could go to a school of his choice where nobody knew him. He didn’t want people to treat him any differently.

Edmund – one of his first friends from class – grinned as he clapped Caspian on the shoulder as they made their way across campus, “that Professors kind of a hard arse, huh?” he chuckled, mirth lighting up his freckled face.

Caspian smiled in response as he ran a hand through his hair, “I think that’s the lawyer that we should all strive to be.”

Ed chuckled as he looked across the quad and pointed, “oh, hey there’s Y/N. You remember her?”

Caspian glanced up and saw the pretty girl in a Sex Pistols shirt and ripped jeans with red converse. She carried an easel over her shoulder, she didn’t strike Caspian as the artistic type, “how could I forget?”

Edmund smiled as he pulled his friend into a hug, “hey, Y/N, you remember, Caspian?”

Y/N smirked as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and she looked Caspian up and down in a way that made him feel small. He flushed and looked away from her burning gaze, “of course I remember, Cas.”

“Caspian,” he spoke through gritted teeth as he felt a wave of annoyance wash over him as she smirked.

If Ed sensed the tension he didn’t say anything, instead he flung an arm over her shoulders, “are you coming to the party tonight?”

Y/N grimaced as she shook her head as she placed a cigarette between her red painted lips, “Aslan needs me to work a shift tonight, clearly I got through the trial period successfully,” she laughed.

Caspian raised his eyebrow at her in surprise, “you work at Aslan’s?” he chuckled, “isn’t it a shit hole?” he had never gone in and he had no intention of doing so.

Y/N glared at him, if looks could kill, he’d already be six feet under, “it’s got character, I wouldn’t expect someone,” she trailed off as she looked him up and down, a scowl on her face, “like you to understand.”

Her insinuation made his blood boil, he was starting to like her less and less by the second, “what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Y/N opened her mouth to answer, most definitely with a scathing retort on her lips but Ed cut her to the chase, “I’m gonna go get a pretzel, does anyone want one?” he walked off before either of them could reply.

The tension was unbearable in the hot and heavy air, Caspian scowled at Y/N while she looked up at him as she took another drag of her cigarette, she looked completely unbothered. In fact, Caspian thought he saw amusement glitter in her eyes. Caspian coughed as the billow of smoke she blew out went right in his face. Normally he wouldn’t have cared but there was just something about Y/N that made him want to piss her off.

“Do you really have to do that here?” he grimaced.

Y/N smirked around the end of her cigarette but Caspian noticed that she turned to the side slightly so the smoke went in the opposite direction and he opened his mouth to thank her, stopping short when she replied, “last time I checked, this was a free country, Cas.”

Caspian clenched his jaw so tightly that he was afraid that he’d break his teeth but he didn’t bother correcting Y/N on his name. He wanted to ask her why she had it out for him, it had seemed that way ever since they met. Instead, what came out of her mouth was a stupid observation.

“I didn’t peg you for the artistic type,” he swallowed as she paused and looked up at him, the glimmer of a scowl on her face, “I had you down for a Psychology major or something, maybe that would explain why you’re manipulative,” his words were harsh but she didn’t even flinch as she crushed the stub of her cigarette beneath her shoe.

She looked away from him, wrapping her arms around herself, even though the day was warm. A flicker of emotion that he hadn’t seen before flickered across her face, “I used to paint with my dad, from a young age,” she looked back at him, that smirk was back on her face, “pre law, huh? That’s exactly the sort of major I’d expect from a trust fund baby.”

He let out a laugh and noticed that Ed was finally on his way back, pretzel in hand, “what makes you think that I’m a trust fund baby?” he asked, biting his lip.

Y/N raised an eyebrow, “oh sweetheart, with expensive clothes like that,” she gestured down at his outfit, making him scowl, “and such a pretty face, how could you not be?” she turned around to take a bit out of Edmund’s pretzel, laughing when Ed shouted out in dismay.

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@smiithys @elayneblack @amelie-black @generalblizzarddreamer @blackbirddaredevil23 @whiskeywinter89

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n0-eyedtaissa · 3 years

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Don’t You Forget About Me (Outer Banks OC x The pogues): Chapter Five

tagging: @hughstheforcelou @reggiemantleholdmyhand-tle@cactiem& @kazinejghafa.

(the updated fic masterlist can be found here)

Part Two: One Year Later

key event: first introductions

Clementine had never moved before, so she didn’t know how much work it was. Alternatively, she didn’t realize how bad moving sucked. Her and her father eat all of their meals at the cardboard box coffee table, staring at the blank white wall where the tv would go once it got there. There was nothing on the walls yet and the few pieces of furniture that they had with them sat sadly in the middle of the living room until they figured out their permanent places throughout the house. Gat would be there tomorrow with the big moving truck with the rest of everybody’s belongings and Clementine couldn’t help but laugh about how this was the first time in her life that she’d ever been looking forward to seeing Liam Gatwin. She stopped hanging up the clothes in her closet, unfolding the handful of shirts and sweaters that she poached from Kimber’s room. The lingering smell of the jasmine oil her sister always wore was a bittersweet reminder of how far away from home Clementine truly felt.

It was late afternoon and the sun was setting, reflecting burnt orange shadows on the hardwood floor and baking the white walls. Clementine squints and puts her sunglasses on despite the fact that she was barefoot and in her pajamas. She slides down the dining room wall and sits down, closing her eyes to take in the sunlight and feeling like a small, cozy cat. She feels the shockwaves from her dad’s footsteps as he makes his way down the uncarpeted hallway, stopping short of the dining room where she was sitting crisscross applesauce on the floor. Lyle laughs as he watches his daughter bask in the sun, a wave of fondness rushing over him as he takes a moment to appreciate her cooperation with moving, trying to be more aware of just how hard it had been for her. His knees crack as he bends down to sit on the floor next to Clementine and he exhales loudly, feeling some of his tension alleviate. Clementine scoots closer to her dad and pulls out one of her earbuds to offer to him. He accepts graciously and the two of them sit next to each other in comfortable silence in their new home.

“You think we’re gonna be all right here?” Lyle asks out into the open room.

Clementine has to think about the question for a moment so the two of them sit quietly. She could make a list of everything that’s wrong in the world, everything that she could be angry about (and God, there was a lot), but Clementine was tired of that. She was tired of being sad and jaded and just wanted to relax now. She takes a breath and reminds herself to think of the good things. She had her dad and the two of them were closer than ever. That was definitely a good thing. It was good that they had a new house, and that her dad got a new job doing something he loved and that would pay him better for his efforts. Selfishly Clementine couldn’t help but appreciate the fact that she would be able to reinvent herself in the Outer Banks, no longer having to be the girl with the missing sister. She scolds herself for being relieved. Her heart hurts when she thinks of Kimber and she’s not immune to the gut wrenching curiosity that comes with not knowing what happened to someone. Would she ever know what happened after that last conversation with her sister, what happened to Kimber in between getting into Gat’s truck and wherever she ended up?

Clementine shakes the thought from her head, knowing that her dad was still patiently waiting for some sort of answer. She has to clear the tightness in her throat so she coughs, takes a long, deep breath and says,“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see”. There’s a beat of silence before the two of them both start laughing, the boisterous sounds echoing around the empty room and warming up the house.

~~~

That next morning Clementine is woken up by her dad playing music loudly over the speaker system he insisted in installing first thing when they moved in. It was the loud guitar riff from the beginning of ACDC’s ‘Back in Black’. Classic Rock meant Lyle was excited, and Clementine didn’t know if it was because the moving truck was coming today, or if it was because Gat was the one who was driving it. Gat had been an honorary part of the family for years so everyone with eyes was aware of just how deeply Lyle thought of him as a sort of surrogate son; Clementine thought it was obnoxious but Kimber always thought it was endearing, shooing away Clementine’s pessimism with something like “When you have a boyfriend, Clem, you’ll see,”. After the past year of being around Liam Gatwin, Clementine hoped that if she ever ended up with a guy like him, someone would try to knock some sense into her. Yes, Liam Gatwin was a vital piece of the crew on the Vita Caprice, but he was cocky. And he was mean-spirited, always poking at Kimber just enough for her to snap before retreating and claiming he was just playing around. Clementine didn’t like him and he knew that.

She rolls out of bed and plants her feet on the cold hardwood floor, goosebumps erupting over her bare legs as she leans over to rifle through half-unpacked boxes in order to find something to wear for the day. Clementine gets dressed for the day, clipping on her overalls and tying on her hightop sneakers before gathering her belongings up into her backpack and figuring out where her skateboard ended up being thrown in the shuffle. She grabs her stolen gas station sunglasses and puts them on despite being inside.

“Going somewhere, Cool Guy?” Lyle asks Clementine as she rounds her way into the kitchen.

“Thought I’d take in the local flora, you know, really appreciate our beautiful new home” Clementine rolls her eyes with a laugh, grabbing a bruised banana from the bowl on the counter. She tries to jump up on the counter but it’s too tall and she’s not, so she lands back on the ground with the dissatisfied smack of her sneakers against the hardwood. Lyle holds back a laugh and Clementine looks up at him sharply, only making him want to laugh more. “Don’t you start” Clementine warns her dad.

“I’m not starting!” Lyle laughs, wiping toast crumbs off of the kitchen counter. “Hey uh, Liam’s supposed to be getting in around 6. I was thinking we pull out the barbecue and cook up something nice for him, how’s that sound?”

“I’ll pass.” Clementine mumbles through a mouthful of banana.

“And where do you plan on going otherwise?” Lyle raises one of his bushy eyebrows at her, clearly amused.

Clementine shrugs, tossing her banana peel in the garbage can before tucking her skateboard under her shoulder. “I’ll figure that part out on the way.” She walks out of the kitchen and towards the front door without waiting for so much as a response from her father.

The minute she steps outside Clementine is affronted by a wave of hot, sticky air. She thought the Florida heat was bad? It wasn’t much better in the Outer Banks. The heat hung low and made the air feel heavy, like Clementine had to work twice as hard to move through it as she walked up the dirt driveway and the small hill towards the main road up the Cut. The ground is too rough and rocky for her to be able to ride her skateboard without worry so she struggles to carry it comfortably, the grip tape scratching at her arms. Clementine takes a second to stop and look around, familiarizing herself with the area that was now her home. Immediately she liked how green it was, how much nature was consistently around her. She took a detour to walk along the rocky shore of the marsh, picking up smooth rocks and dropping them in the front pocket of her overalls. Clementine decides to take the long way (which is what she called it when she got lost), but finally makes her way towards the small central town hub.

As she walks past the rows of small shops, Clementine can’t help but think it strange that everyone waved at her as she walked by — it was like they could tell that she was out of place. Or maybe it was that the town was so small they could recognize new faces if and when they came around. Or maybe they were just nice people, unlike the people back home in Florida. Clementine wanders towards the open-air farmers market, looking at the tables filled with fresh fruit, homemade jams and pies, beeswax candles and chapsticks. As much as Clementine wanted to support the local economy, she didn’t have the pocket money for the artisanal offerings of the farmer’s market so she ducks inside Heyward’s Seafood, a small grocery store and fish emporium. Clementine walks down the few aisles, looking at today’s fresh catch as it cooled on thick ice and crunches up her nose at the briny, fishy smell. There’s only a small array of snacks and other treats to choose from so Clementine grabs herself a glass bottle of lemonade and some sunflower seeds before making her way to the cash register.

“You know, we don’t get a lot of new faces around here” The man behind the counter says as he punches buttons on the register. If he wasn’t smiling Clementine would have thought it sounded sinister. But he had a quality about him that immediately put Clem at ease, he seemed personable, knowledgeable, like the kind of person you’d want to befriend on this island.

“Me and my dad just moved here a few days ago, he works over on the Vita Caprice” Clementine smiles politely, handing over her sweaty five dollar bill.

“Ah, what’s his name, ah, Adams?” The man asks with a knowing smirk and Clementine nods at him. “I’ve known all the men he’ll be working with for years, he’ll be in good hands” He promises. It seemed like he was someone who was in the know about what happened around Kildere, which Clementine couldn’t help but be intrigued by.

“Well, that’s always reassuring!” Clementine puts her change in the tip jar on the counter. “I’m Clementine. Clementine Adams” She offers her hand for the older man to shake.

“You got a good handshake, Miss Clementine! Nice to meet ya, dear, they call me Heyward.”

Clementine’s eyes go wide at the realization that this was his store. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Heyward” She smiles at him again as she gathers her snacks and heads back towards the swinging door.

“Welcome to the island, Miss Clementine”

~~~

Deciding to wander some more, Clementine loops her way through the narrow streets, trying to find new places to visit and try now that she's officially a citizen of Kildere County. She passes an ice cream shop she promises she’ll check out someday soon, and a surf shop she hoped sold skateboarding gear but sadly didn’t. She skates up and down the streets of new home, weaving around the small crowds of people who all seemed to know each other by name. She wonders what it was like to live in the same small town your whole life, going to school with the same people from kindergarten all the way until the end of high school, how families in the Outer Banks probably went back for generations upon generations. Clementine can’t help but wonder about Florida, if there was anything that changed since she left. She thinks about her old childhood home, now abandoned and empty, a ghost of everything that once was normal to her. She wondered if a family had moved in, or when one would. Who would move into her bedroom? Would they like the way that the mid-morning light came through the window? Did they notice that the third stair creaked just a little louder than the others, that the front door stuck when it got too hot outside? Would they paint over the height chart that was scrawled onto the door jamb by the kitchen? Maybe they would be able to feel that something happened there, something still unresolved. They’d board up Kimber’s old room so that nothing bad could happen to their children, to make sure the depression or the restlessness couldn’t slip through the air vents or through the cracks in the floor boards, so that no one else can sneak out through the window, never to be seen again.

Clementine was always wondering about her sister. Kimber was always floating at the back of her mind, waiting around every corner when Clementine wasn’t looking. She might have been missing, but Kimber wasn’t forgotten. No matter what Clementine said, no matter what Gat did, no matter what Lyle wished, none of them could move past the hole that Kimber left in all of their lives. It had been a year and everyone said that it was time to start moving on but Clementine disagrees. To move on meant to forget Kimber and everything that she was…and no one wanted to do that. In Clementine’s mind, Kimber was just one bedroom over, or reading a book at the breakfast table, or tucked into the corner seat of the couch watching reruns on the history channel with dad. Kimber wasn’t missing she was away at college, she finally got out of Florida. In some of Clementine’s more imaginative scenarios, Kimber was studying abroad in Europe, drinking cafe au laits in lush patio gardens and reading books by people who were long gone. Or she was on a beach somewhere, South America maybe; Or backpacking across somewhere foreign and beautiful. In all of Clementine’s scenarios her sister is alive and well and Kimber was always on her way home. But that’s all they were, made-up scenarios.

~~~

Deciding to be over with her little pity party, Clementine decides to look up from her shoes and notices the busy restaurant in front of her, immediately intrigued by the ‘help wanted’ sign that was taped in the window. The Wreck, Clementine didn’t know it yet but it was another Outer Banks staple. It was always busy, always filled with people from both Figure 8 and from the Cut. There were always tables to wait on, tips to pick up, and a line of people waiting to be seated. Noticing the expensive cars in the parking lot, Clementine thinks that this might be fate. She didn’t have any friends yet in the Outer Banks, but she could get a job and save up her money for when it mattered. A job would be good for her, she’d stay busy, out of the house and out of trouble, so Clementine opens the door to the restaurant and walks inside.

“Welcome in, sit anywhere” The dark-haired waitress says, not bothering to look up at Clementine as she moves from table to table with her busboy tote. The two of them looked to be about the same age and Clementine wondered if she would see the girl around school when it started up that fall, if she’d also be a junior.

She clears her throat, not interested in sitting down, getting a menu handed to her, or hearing about the lunch special that day. “No, uh, I actually came to see about the help wanted sign that you guys put up?”

The young waitress turns back to Clementine and looks at her quizzically, Clementine can’t figure out if this is because the girl can recognize that she’s new in town, or if she’s just surprised that someone new wanted to work at the restaurant. The girl looks up from the stack of dirty dishes, wiping her arm on the bandana wrapped around her head that was keeping her long, curly hair out of her face. “You’ll have to talk to the Boss” She gestures to a stressed out looking man who was working in the kitchen, handing freshly prepared dishes of food to waiters to dole out to their respective tables. Clementine takes one look at him and it’s clear that the “Boss” was this girl’s father, the resemblance between the two of them was undeniable. Something about that made Clementine like this place a little bit more, that there were dads and daughters working side by side just like at her house.

“Thank you” Clementine mumbles. “Oh, uh, I’m Clementine by the way. Just moved here…”

“Kiara” The girl, who now has a name, smiles at Clementine “Don’t worry, it only sucks here sometimes”

Clementine laughs, appreciating Kiara’s honesty. “I’ll have to keep that in mind” She says and Kiara politely excuses herself to get back to waiting tables. Clem walks up to the small kitchen window in the restaurant, trying to wait for a moment to catch the owner’s attention.

“Can I help you?” Someone asks from behind Clementine and she whips around. It’s an older woman, a mother’s age; older but young enough to still look pretty, just more tired. Anna, her name tag said, owner. Clementine can infer that this is Kiara’s mom by the way that the girl looks at the woman. There’s something about the way that Kiara rolls her eyes when she’s told to get back to bussing tables, though there’s still a whisper of a defiant smile on the corner of her lips.

“I noticed that you guys had a help wanted sign in the window and I wanted to see if I could apply for the job.” Clementine gives Anna a tight-lipped smile as she tries to stand up a little straighter, to make herself seem more adult and not a sweaty teenager carrying a beat-up skateboard.

Anna gives Clementine a secret once-over, her eyebrow arching up in question when she turns to ask “Well do you have any experience?”

“Oh yeah, tons” Clementine answers. “Back in Florida my sister and I used to work at this steakhouse, Rusty’s.” Clementine had worked there one summer, so it was only really a half-lie.

Anna looked pleasantly surprised. Just as she goes to open her mouth and say something, she’s cut off by the welcome bell and a big group of people walking into the restaurant in their varying shades of pastel shorts. She exhales a big breath and turns to Clementine with a sheepish look on her face. “How soon can you start?”

“Right now?” Clementine asks, not sure if that was what her new boss was alluding to.

“Perfect” Anna exhales.

She unties the apron from around her waist and thrusts it into Clementine’s hands, handing off her pen and pad of paper. Anna pastes on her fake smile as she goes to greet the group, scooping up an armful of menus. “Welcome in everyone, welcome, welcome! Let’s get you seated over here!” Anna puts on her perfectly crafted customer service voice as she corrals the group towards a long table. “This is our new trainee, uh…” Anna has to pause, realizing that she never asked Clementine her name.

“Clementine” She smiles at the table full of people, “What can I get you all to drink this afternoon?”

~~~

Clementine actually likes working, though she’d never admit that to her dad or anyone else. She liked being able to put herself on autopilot, to focus so hard on so many things at once that her eyed glazed over and she ran on pure instinct alone. A pitcher of sweet tea for the table, a round of waters, would you like to hear about today’s lunch special? Table five wants an order of ceviche for everyone, the kid at able three wants an extra packet of oyster crackers to put into his bowl of clam chowder. Clementine scrawls down orders in her small, slanted writing and hands them over to Mr. C, Mike Carrera, her other Boss. Clementine shadows Miss Anna all day, helps Kiara clear off tables and wipe them clean. She stays there for hours, impressed with herself and how she was able to walk her way right onto a job. When the lunch rush ends and the bulk of the customers had managed to roll out, Miss Anna walks up to Clementine and hands her a bundle of crumpled up dollar bills; tip money for her efforts.

“Thank you girls for your help this afternoon” Anna says, addressing Clementine and Kiara. “You two head out for the evening. Clementine, you’ll be in tomorrow for an actual training session, right?”

“Yes, ma’am” Clementine nods.

“Bye mom!” Kiara says, already turning on the heels of her high tops and getting ready to walk out the back door. She stops short and turns to Clementine. “Aren't you coming?”

“Oh!” Clementine is surprised that Kiara was talking to her. “Definitely” She responds quickly, picking up her skateboard and her backpack and following her outside.

Kiara leads the way outside and neither of them say a word until they make their way out of earshot from the customers sitting on the patio. The two girls walk towards the parking lot with the gravel crunching under their feet, sounding deafeningly loud in the mutual silence. They stop short at a beat-up looking SUV with a wicked dent in both the front and back bumper. Clementine thinks the juxtaposition between the expensive car and the dents is sort of funny, but she doesn’t want to say anything and piss off Kiara — who had been rather nice without particularly needing to be. Kiara opened the back hatch of her car and invited Clementine to sit in the laid-down back seat.

“I can’t believe my mom just threw you to the wolves like that,” Kiara laughs, “That feels illegal as shit”

“I’m just impressed that I actually managed to keep up” Clementine reveals. “At one point it literally felt like my brain turned off and I was operating like this little capitalist robot” She wiggles her fingers and Kiara laughs at her, knowing the feeling.

“At this rate, you’ll be employee of the month in no time” She tells Clementine matter of factly.

“Ouch, I didn’t mean to knock you out of your spot” Clementine jokes, hoping that since Kiara was playing around with her a little bit she would be able to play back.

“I never even stood a chance…” Kiara laughs.

“Sometimes not even nepotism can save you” Clementine shrugs and the two of them look at each other and start laughing.

“So how long ago did you move?” Kiara asks Clementine as she crosses her legs and makes herself comfortable in the trunk area of the car. She pulls out her sunglasses case and picks a joint out of it, offering it silently to Clementine and trying to see if she would take it.

Clem realized that Kiara was trying to gauge her and her interests to figure out that she was into and if she was cool enough to hang around. She retrieves the lighter that she always kept on her and sparks up the joint before answering “Three days ago”

Kiara blows out a big breath of smoke. “Fresh meat” She chuckles, handing the joint over to Clementine.

“I guess so” Clem laughs. “What about you, how long have you lived here?”

“My whole life” Kiara answers. Clementine can tell that she’s not a fan, though. There would always be something about hometowns; they restricted you. They were a lethal mix of claustrophobic and nostalgic, with memories all ready to peek their heads around unsuspecting corners. Looking around Outer Banks, Clementine wasn’t yet able to distinguish the good from the bad but she knew that in time she would.

“That bad, huh?”

Kiara shakes her head. “Only sometimes”

The two pass along the joint until it burns down to a small roach, making small talk. Kiara was from here, born and raised. Big house on Figure 8, which Clementine found out was the name for the rich neighborhoods built up with white marble McMansions. Her parents were Mike and Anna Carrera, owners of the Wreck, both alive and well and grossly happy in their marriage. No siblings, though Kiara said she used to beg for a little brother or sister all the time when she was younger because the house was too big for just the three of them. She’s a socialist who swears up and down that she hates rich people (despite being one). She’s a pescatarian and a virgo, she likes surfing, swimming, and political activism. Kiara realizes that she’s been talking about herself for quite a while now and she laughs it off nervously. “Sorry, the weed’s catching up to me…” The two of them laugh and then it was Clementine’s turn to share:

She was Clementine Adams, seventeen, born and raised not that far outside of Miami. Her dad was Lyle Adams, he worked as a commercial fisherman on the Vita Caprice. Her mom was gone, her sister wasn’t with them right now. She doesn’t say the word missing, just that Kimber didn’t move with the rest of them. Clementine hopes that Kiara doesn’t read too much into it. She tells her that she’s a cancer, though she doesn’t agree with how emotional her horoscope makes her out to be. She likes soccer, skating, reading books and riding bikes with her sister. She tells Kiara that she doesn’t know anyone in OBX yet and that was why she decided to get a summer job to make some money while killing time. This part, of course, was a morsel of information that Clementine threw out there in hopes that Kiara would ask to hang out again or something (though she’d never be the first person to initiate the conversation).

The sun had started to lower in the sky and the two of them were still talking. It was nice to have someone new to talk to, no one who’s opinion of you was already tainted by things that they’d heard about you from someone else. Neither of them seem to realize it but it was like they had this innate need to talk to one another, to purge some of the energy that was bubbling up inside each of them and threatening to boil over. Clementine and Kiara sit side by side with their legs swinging over the trunk of Kiara’s big, dented up car. They trade stories, small ones, bullshit moments that didn’t really mean much in the long run but were memorable enough to share with someone. There were lots of faceless names thrown around: John B, Sarah, JJ, Pope, Kimber, Gat, but it didn’t really matter who these people were, just that they mattered enough to be mentioned by Kiara and Clementine, even if only in passing.

“So can you ride this thing?” Kiara asks, spinning one of Clementine’s skateboard wheels with her hand and watching as it rolled, fast and smooth, before stopping.

“Only sometimes” Clementine laughs, calling back to Kiara’s comment from earlier. She points out a handful of scraped and bruises on her knees and lower legs that prove her point. “What about you, ever ridden one?”

“If you count a surfboard, then yeah” Kiara laughs.

“I don’t count that, no” Clementine grabs her board and tosses it on the ground with a clatter. “Like at all actually” She laughs and gets up from her spot next to Kiara and puts one foot on the old, beat-up skateboard, pushing off and rolling around the back parking lot area of the Wreck. Clementine shows off a little, popping an ollie or two, getting all four wheels of the board off of the ground and actually landing them.

“Okay so how do you do it then?” Kiara asks, her curiosity getting the better of her as she stands up, going to stop Clementine’s skateboard with her foot.

Clementine looks up eagerly. “You want to learn?” She’d been skating for a handful of years now, since she was going into her freshman year of high school and she decided that she was too cool for a beach cruiser. She remembered how many summer afternoons she spent in the driveway with Kimber and Gat (back then when he was Just Gat, a friend of the family and not Kimber’s boyfriend), falling and getting back up, laughing and getting laughed at. But she got the hang of it and gained a little confidence and soon her skateboard became her main method of transportation.

Kiara jumps up. “Why the hell not!”

Clementine beams at her, hoping that this was some sort of inclination that the two girls could end up being friends, not just coworkers who spent the lunch rush together pulling their eyes as they handed out hot plates to hungry tables. She holds the skateboard steady with her feet so Kiara can get on it, offering her hand to hold onto as Kiara finds her balance. She’s a little wobbly at first, clutching onto Clementine’s hand with a shaky smile. “Spread your feet like you would on your surfboard” Clementine instructs, pushing Kiara’s feet further apart so that her front and back foot were in line with the bolts on the skateboard. “Bend your knees”

“Like this?” Kiara bends her knees, immediately feeling the burning in her thighs. She makes an uncomfortable face and Clementine laughs.

“If your legs aren’t on fire, you’re not doing it right” Clementine laughs, grabbing Kiara’s shoulder and giving her a light little push so she started rolling across the parking lot.

Kiara lets out a little yelp. “Oh shit, I’m doing it!” She throws out her arms to keep her balance and Clementine runs across the lot, trying to catch Kiara in case she fell.

Clementine tries to kick any big rocks and pebbles out of the way of the skateboard wheels so that there was nothing to potentially trip her up. Back towards the restaurant Miss Anna peeks her head out of the back door and watches as Clementine and Kiara run across the parking lot riding along on the beat-up skateboard.

“Kiara! Are you corrupting my new employee already?” Miss Anna scolds, her hands on her hips as she stands out on the back stairs. Part of her feels conflicted, it was good for Kiara to make new friends but she didn’t know Clementine, so she didn’t know what kind of kid she was, if she was anything like the usual company her daughter kept. But she wonders if this was a good thing, a new friend for Kiara, maybe someone who would help her break the rebellious streak she’d been on. It was nice to see her daughter smile though, Anna could admit to herself. It had been quite some time since she had seen Kiara do anything but scowl, too mad at the world and everyone in the Outer Banks.

Kiara stops smiling just as quickly as she started, taking a shaky step off of Clementine’s skateboard as she planted her foot on the ground to stop herself. “We were just messing around” She scoffs, freezing up like Clementine had seen a handful of her friends do around their mothers. There seemed to be something about the way a mother could judge you so deeply and fully in the least amount of words. With a gesture, or a look; the sharp uptick of an eyebrow or the rude quirk at the corner of her lips. Kiara deflates and rolls the skateboard back to Clementine.

Clementine has an idea, though. She pulls her phone out of her pocket and see’s that it’s going to be 6:30 soon, so Gat should be there with the moving truck by now and her dad said that he was planning on barbecuing to celebrate his arrival and the beginning of the move-in process. She knows that it’s presumptuous to think that her and Kiara are anything more than co-workers, but she wanted to make a friend that day because she deserved to have someone to hang out with and confide in. Given the way that the two of them had been faring, why couldn’t it be Kiara?

She clears her throat and just asks the question: “Do you wanna come to my house for dinner? The moving truck just got here and my dad was supposed to barbecue, could be good. If you’re not busy, I mean” Clementine tacks that part onto the end of her sentence, giving Kiara a caveat in case she had somewhere better to be.

Kiara looks over Clementine’s shoulder, back towards her mom and the restaurant. She doesn’t answer right away and that made Clementine think that Kiara was surely going to turn down the invitation. But she doesn’t. “Sure, I could eat” Kiara shrugs off her mom’s comments and her shitty attitude and Clementine watches her light up a little easier.

The girls load up into Kiara’s expensive (but dented) car and take off. Kiara has no problem getting around the island, she knew the place like the back of her hand. She liked to brag about her sense of direction and how if she’d been somewhere once, nine times out of ten she could remember how to get there again. Kiara maneuvers her car easily through back streets and residential areas to avoid the traffic and the stoplights and soon they’re pulling up in the gravel outside the Adams household and parking next to the half-empty moving truck. Clementine gets out of the car first and Kiara follows cautiously behind her, not a fan of venturing into uncharted territory. There’s stacks of boxes on the front porch, with some propping open the screen door so Lyle and Gat can have a clear path as they bring in the bigger furniture — the entertainment center, the dresser, the kitchen hutch — all those kinds of things that you apparently needed “man power” for. The love seat is sitting on the lawn, little divots being dug into the grass from where the wooden legs sunk deep into the storm-saturated earth. Clementine gestures to the couch and Kiara follows her over to it, where both of them sit down and groan as they drop down into the plush cushions.

“Well, look who finally decided to join us!” Lyle calls out to Clementine as he hops off of the front porch step and crunches his way across the dried grass. He’s surprised to see a tangle of long dark hair next to Clementine as she splays out on the love seat, though he tries not to make a big deal out of it. “Who’s your friend, Tiny?” He asks, using the childhood nickname the Clementine was never fond of. Back in Florida he was always trying to encourage Clementine to go out and make more friends, or to invite the girls from the soccer team over for a barbecue or a sleepover. He wanted her to have more friends and be more social, wanted her to rely less on her sister. Clementine was always shy but after Kimber disappeared it was like what little light was left behind his daughters eyes went out completely.

“This is Kiara” Clementine gives her dad an awkward, closed-mouth smile. She stiffens up at Lyle’s use of the word friend since she’s not sure if that’s what her and Kiara were. “Her parents own The Wreck” Clementine adds.

“How nice, we’ll have to go and try it sometime, won’t we, Clem?” Lyle smiles at the two girls as he goes to pick up another packed cardboard box.

“Yeah well, I have to be there again tomorrow any ways, so…” She shrugs, thinking of getting an actual work training session from Miss Anna and not just being thrown to the wolves during the lunch rush again. Lyle raises his bushy eyebrow at his daughter in hopes that she’ll further explain, so Clementine continues, “I got a job there. That’s where I was today”

Lyle drops the big cardboard box, the contents inside rattling as they hit the ground. He’s clearly shocked by the idea that Clementine left the house to go on a walk and explore, only to come home with both a new friend and a new job. “A job? Wow, look at you, Tiny. I can hardly believe it!” He laughs. Clementine can feel her face go red and she looks over at Kiara, who’s toying with her phone to avoid overstepping into this weird, familial moment.

“It’s not a big deal or anything,” Clementine shrugs. “Hey dad is there food ready?”

“Yup, everything’s in the kitchen, you girls go on and help yourselves.” Lyle groans as he reaches for the box again, his back screaming at him to take it easy. “Make yourselves useful, though, and take a box with you when you go”

Clementine rolls her eyes as she goes to pick up a box labeled C’s Room. Kiara goes to pick up a box like Lyle suggested and Clementine panics. “Oh no, no, you don’t have to do that!” She insists but Kiara shrugs her shoulder and send her a quizzical look.

“I got it” She says casually, picking up the box like it’s no big deal.

Kiara follows Clementine up the porch and into the half-assembled house, dodging her way around randomly placed furniture, stacks of boxes, and other big plastic storage tubs. Clementine leads her down the long hallway and into what was becoming her bedroom. The girls drop the boxes in the corner, next to the other stacks of boxes, next to Clementine’s mattress that was on the floor. Kiara looks around the room, taking in what little was there and trying to figure out more about Clementine from the things around her that she could see. There’s a fish tank fully set up in the corner of the bedroom, where Clementine’s four fish are swimming along happily. Kiara walks up to the tank and touches the glass, watching as the fish follows her finger.

“You can feed them if you want” Clementine laughs, pointing to the little container of fish food off to the side of the tank.

Kiara accepts and drops a pinch of the funky smelling flakes into the water, watching the fish corral as they flapped their mouths open and closed. There’s a beat of silence as the girls watched the handful of fish, but Kiara eventually pipes up and says, “Your dad seems pretty cool”.

“He is, yeah” Clementine agrees, not caring if that was something that made her seem uncool. Her dad was trying really hard to be there and be present for Clementine, something that didn’t go unrecognized or unappreciated.

“Is it just you guys here?”

Clementine nods, knowing that this conversation would come up eventually. “Yep” She swallow hard and takes a second to figure out just how much detail she’s willing to divulge to Kiara after only a few hours of knowing her. “It’s just me, my dad, and Gat here right now.”

“Is that your brother?” Kiara asks again, and the mere idea of being related to Liam Gatwin was enough to make Clementine want to gag.

“God no,” She shakes her head, her short hair falling into her eyes. “He works on the Caprice with my dad, unfortunately the two of them are sort of a package deal. Gat and my sister dated for a really long time”

Kiara nods her head as she follows along. “So is she here? Your sister, I mean…” As an only child Kiara always thought the prospect of having an older sibling (or any sibling at all) would make life better. Especially a sister; Kiara thought having an older sister would be great, there was always someone there to keep you company, always someone there to show you cool new things.

“She’s not here right now, no” Clementine says simply. Because in Clementine’s mind, Kimber was never that far away, and she was always coming back.

Kiara seems to be satisfied with the answer to her question so the two girls go back to making small talk before heading to the kitchen to snag a bite to eat. There’s a plate piled high with chargrilled hamburgers and hot dogs ready to be fixed up to everyone’s liking, and a big family size bag of chips on the counter nearby with the bag left open crumbs spilling out. Men, Clementine thinks, swiping away the crumbs and getting a plate for herself and Kiara. Before Clementine hands off the chipped ceramic plate to Kiara, she remembers something that she said earlier that day:

“Aren’t you a pescatarian?” Clementine questions, suddenly nervous that she’d made some sort of grave mistake by inviting Kiara over to eat.

Kiara waves a noncommittal hand before grabbing the plate and loading it up. “Only when it’s convenient…”

A set of footsteps ring out from behind the two girls and Clementine turns around to see Liam Gatwin trudging towards the kitchen from the laundry room, where the side door led outside to where his trailer sat parked atop cinder blocks in the side yard.

“Nice of you to finally bless us with your presence, Clem” Gat rolls his eyes and scoots past Clementine, hip-checking her out of his way as he grabs a beer from the refrigerator. Clementine scoffs at him and hip-checks him back, because two can play that game, and she grabs herself and Kiara each a beer out of the soggy cardboard carton. Kiara starts to laugh but covers it up with a cough, suddenly becoming very interested in the food on her plate, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone.

“Rake it in while you can” Clementine deadpans, handing over the beer to Kiara while knowing that Gat wouldn’t tell on them. That was one of the rules that Kimber taught Gat if they were going to date while he worked for their dad. Rule #1: Whatever happens, we don’t tell dad. Gat mutters something rude under his breath and trudges back the way he came, leaving Clementine and Kiara in peace. Clementine hopes to god that it’s not awkward, that she didn’t make things weird by inviting Kiara back to her house and introducing her to her embarrassing dad and her sister’s jerky boyfriend. Just as she’s about to say something, to interject and ask if there was something she wanted to do or if she had someplace better to be, Kiara’s phone vibrates on the table.

She picks it up and reads the message, smiling, before turning to Clementine to ask “Do you wanna go to a party with me?” Before Clementine can really process the question, she feels herself nodding because yes, she does want to go to this party with Kiara. Clementine had already taken her fair share of risks today, what harm could one more do? It was going to be different now, here in the Outer Banks. Clementine was making sure of it.

#fic: don't you forget about me #dyfam #outer banks fic #outer banks oc #obx oc: clementine adams #kiara carrera x oc

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intu-witch-tion · 3 years

Note

(Resend) Prompt : You/reader bump into Pedro Pascal bump into one another in NYC (coffee shop, bar, club, etc. during the day/night, your choice) and then... whatever! It could be something a simple as he asks you out or a steamy one night stand!

No Funny Business (Pedro Pascal x Female Reader)

Word Count: 5.9K (well, shit. My bad, I guess.)

Warnings: alcohol consumption, gambling, fluff, teasing, smut, P in Va-G sans condom (be safe, friendos.)

Notes: I took this idea and morphed it into something else I have been thinking on. Essentially I wanted to capture a full date night with Pedro. With a happy ending, if you catch my drift. 😂 😘

7:21pm

“There’s a party tonight. And we’re going.” Your roommate spouted as she walked in the door. You had just moved to California in an effort to start over and one of your long-time friends, Sarah, had offered for you to stay with her until you got on your feet. She worked as a camera technician on big movie sets in Hollywood so it was no shock that she knew about all the who’s who parties in the area. However, it had only been a few weeks since you arrived and developing a social life was honestly the last thing on your mind as you looked at all the boxes that needed unpacking.

“Did you hear me?” Her insistent voice rang out from the kitchen as her keys flung onto the counter. You grinned and shook your head, chuckling under your breath. She was a wild one and kept you on your toes. Moving to LA wouldn’t have been a complete adventure without her. She stood in the doorway of your room and looked down at you sitting on the floor, surrounded by cardboard boxes. She threw you an intent stare, head cocked to the side as she awaited your response.

“A party? It’s a Wednesday night.” You whined softly, trying to shirk your way out of going and knowing full well the effort would be futile.

“It’s LA, baby!” Sarah exclaimed, raising her arms in the air with a jovial heel kick causing you both to bubble with laughter. You clambered off the floor, using the boxes to balance, pulling a wad of balled up masking tape off your hip. You sighed, feeling a bit defeated and knowing you didn’t have a choice in the matter. Sarah pinched her lips in a shit-eating grinning, realizing her own victory.

“Let’s find you something to weeeear!” She bubbled, grabbing your arm and dragging you into her bedroom.

9:34pm

“What kind of party is this anyways?” You inquired as Sarah parked the car on a hilly street. Grandiose houses lined either side of the road. You had driven nearly an hour to get here.

“It’s just a small house party. Some film editor’s best friend or…something. I don’t know. I just saw a random flyer on my boss’ desk and figured—‘when in Rome!’ ” Sarah shrugged, her tone nonchalant.

Your head turned to her quickly, eyes wide and blinking at her in disbelief. “You mean--we aren’t invited?!” Your voice squeaked through the neighborhood, the echo bouncing off the walls of the houses and back to your ears. Sarah grabbed your arms, shushing you. “Dude, chill. It’s an LA party. And it’s totally casual. Just. Be cool.”

Your lip curled in discomfort, an involuntary eye twitch causing your face to contort. Sarah laughed at your expression and waved you off, pulling you up the steep driveway and to the door of the house. You expected her to knock but instead, Sarah just grabbed the door handle and waltzed right in like she owned the place. You grimaced, clutching the small purse at your side as if it could transport you somewhere else.

The house was modern and relatively sterile, with dim lighting and the hum of music in the background, loud enough but not drowning. Sarah hurried you along, pulling you into a large room with massive windows scaling up to the ceiling. It was filled with people, some gathered at a bar in the corner and others sitting placidly, sharing a drink and conversation. Sarah waved at a gentleman across the room and she turned to you with a sheepish grin. “Hey, that’s that guy I was telling you about.” You rolled your eyes with a soft smile, now understanding the real reason why we were here. You knew you would likely be finding your own way home this evening. “Go ahead.” You giggle. Sarah looks at you a bit worried, not wanting to leave you alone but hyper-focused on meeting her crush at the back of the room. “I’m a big girl. I’ll be fine. Go!” She hugged you quickly and wasted no time pushing her way through the throngs of people.

You needed a drink. You found a bucket of beer on ice and quickly grabbed one, popping the top off and taking a generous swig. Your eyes swept the ambient room and noticed there were actually a few celebrities present. Aiden Gillen, who you recognized from Game of Thrones, leaning against a chair while chatting with an intimate group. And was that---Cole Sprouse? Random. And Paul Giamatti? What these people had in common, you would never know. The Hollywood crowd was an enigma.

You took another sip of your beer and made your way into the next room where you heard a loud rise of voices and a bunch of clapping. Your brow furrowed, curiosity over the uproar drawing you closer. You see a poker table surrounded by people laughing and carrying on. Poker could be fun. You took a seat and see the table is about to start a fresh game. “Room for one more?” You call out and everyone looks over at you with a welcoming smile. “Welcome to the table!” The dealer beckons. “Our current undefeated champ is off getting a drink so we will begin momentarily.” You nod and take another sip of your drink, reaching into your purse to grab some cash to add to the betting pool.

A few people start clapping and as you look up from your wallet, you see a man sit down across the table. And your heart sinks down into the pit of your stomach. Pedro Pascal. Your mouth goes dry and it’s all you can do to keep from looking like a deer in headlights. “Pedro’s back! Let’s do this!” The dealer calls, his voice high-spirited. You try to remember how to breathe and instead you clear your throat awkwardly, followed by an embarrassing sort of cough (?!). Everyone looks over at you, Pedro included, and you wave like an idiot. “Yeah, no—sorry. I’m good. I’m ready.” Mortifying. Greeeat. You wince at your own lack of decorum and proceed to watch the dealer cut the deck.

Finishing your beer swiftly, you hope the liquid courage gives you the strength you need to remember how to read numbers to get through this game. You pick up your cards. You’re relieved to see you’ve been dealt a good hand. You lift your eyes up and give the other players a methodical glance, stopping on Pedro’s pensive face longer than you should have. He must have felt you looking at him because his eyes lift from his cards in a quick motion and your face burns like a wildfire as you turn your attention back to your cards. Fuck.

The game proceeds with Pedro calling the initial bet, followed by one player folding while the other checks to avoid the bet. When it rolls around to your turn, you are confident. “Call.” You state plainly, locking eyes with Pedro across the table. He raises an eyebrow as you match his bet. The game continues this way until it is just the two of you left playing. You sit with 7 cards in your hand, eying them sharply. Pedro slinks into his seat a bit, looking a bit too relaxed. He’s bluffing. You speculate. You hold a straight flush. There’s only one hand that could beat that. You were ready to take your chances.

“Raise.” You chime, eyes never leaving your cards. He stares at you for a moment, gazing at the pile of cash on the table. There is a pregnant pause, and everyone is watching in earnest, so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Pedro finally sits up in his seat and grins with a nod, laying his cards down on the table. “Fold.” He says, a hint of defeat hidden beneath his playful countenance. A satisfied smirk creeps over your lips and you lay your cards out, revealing your hand. Everyone claps and Pedro flips his cards to show his weak Three of a Kind and you can hardly keep from laughing. “Another round.” Pedro insists and you shake your head. “I think not. I’d better cash-in while I’m ahead.” You say with a wink, swiping your hand across the green felt table and grabbing your winnings. Everyone is chattering on as you walk away from the table. Did you really just kick Pedro’s ass in Poker? You stuff the cash into your purse and scan the room. You see Sarah and her friend loitering in a corner, extremely close to one another and you know this wouldn’t be the time to brag about your poker victory, much less your Pedro encounter.

Your curious mind gets the better of you and you look back at the poker table which is now shockingly vacant. Everyone must have determined that was enough for the night and dispersed after you snatched all the cash and bailed. Whoops. You turn your attention to the bar, thinking now would be a good time for another drink and there he was, laughing with a small group of nameless strangers. You grab a couple of beers from the bucket which is now filled with mostly ice water.

Slinking up behind him, you lean against the bar, barely brushing your shoulder against his. He feels the pressure of someone close to him and instinctually gives a quick glance over his shoulder. But as he goes to look away, he double-takes when he realizes it’s you. You’re suddenly met with a handsome grin and a low chuckle. “Have you come to gloat?” He teases, abandoning his other conversation and squaring his shoulders to face you. You laugh and hand him a beer, wriggling your nose up in an apologetic gesture. “I figured the least I could do was bring you a beer.” He accepts it with a nod, looking down at the bottle as he plucks off the cap. “Yeah, since you took all the cash in my wallet, that does seem like a pretty fair trade.” Your jaw drops in faux-shock at his snarky remark. You try your best not to laugh. “Oh man. I guess I should have brought you some ice too.” You reply, and his brow furrows as he contemplates your meaning while bringing the beer up to his lips. You take the opportunity to seal the punch line. “Ohhhh. For the sick burn you’re experiencing, I mean.” He doubles over and brings his fist to his mouth as he struggles to swallow his beer through a sudden tear of laughter. “Wow. That was bad.” He adds once he’s able to regain his composure.

You both chuckle and you extend your hand out for a greeting. “I’m Y/N.” He smiles and takes your hand, shaking it politely. “Pedro Pascal.” There is a momentary silence and you don’t know what to say. Do you tell him how great he is? How much you love his films and that you admire his work? That felt so…weak. So instead, you manage, “Nice to meet you,” and you pull the bottle to your lips to sip your beer again as a filler to the dead space between you. He gives you a puzzled look for a moment and you almost feel as though you did something wrong, until.

“Hey, there’s an open sofa over there. Let’s go sit.” He suggests, making his way over without waiting for you to agree. You follow him and sit down on the grey velvet loveseat, which ironically seemed a lot bigger from across the room. The two of you are sitting closer than you had planned. Pedro doesn’t seem to mind it, draping his arm over the back of the couch and behind your head. He places his beer between his legs as he crosses one over the other. He’s so relaxed and it’s a marvel to you how at ease he is. And then you realize something…so are you? Shouldn’t you be bursting at the seams, gushing for this man you have drooled over for so long? But as you looked at him, sitting on the couch next to you, you feel entirely poised and comfortable.

12:36 am

The two of you were swept up for what felt like forever talking about all manner of things, laughing and teasing one another to the point where you felt nothing like strangers who had only met hours ago. You had lost track of time. And Sarah—who had apparently left over an hour ago having spotted you and Pedro on the couch chatting it up like old pals. She didn’t want to interrupt and sent you a text, which she knew you would check later.

“Hey bich. I’m going home with Greg. Looks like you’ve got a ride figured out. I expect ALL THE TEA tomorrow. 😈 Luv ya!”

Your beer bottles had been empty for a while as you give it a shake for good measure, watching a few lonely drops sloshing around the bottom. Pedro chuckles and looks around the room. Everyone had mostly filtered out, apart from a few. You look at him and give a sheepish smile and he goes to open his mouth to say something and stops himself. You tilt your head a little and squint in his direction. “…what?” You inquire. He sits up, placing his empty beer bottle on the coffee table in front of him. “No, nothing. It’s weird.” His voice tapers. You lean off the back of the couch, bringing yourself closer to him. “Let’s hear it. I like weird.” He turns to you and bites his lip slightly with a smirk. “Come home with me.” He blurts. Your eyes nearly burst from their sockets. He said what now?! He laughs and places his hand on your knee and all the sirens in your head start wailing, your arms going numb. “No funny business, I swear. But I am having a good time with you. Besides, all the beer here is luke-warm at best.” You remain silent, considering his proposal. You weren’t the type to just go home with someone you have only known for 4 hours—Pedro Pascal or otherwise. Was he the type to invite randos to his house?

As if reading your mind, he starts again. “Look, I don’t just randomly bring people home with me. Please don’t get that idea.” His voice goes soft and a bit distant. “I just don’t want our night to end yet.” You look into his rich, brown eyes and you inhale deeply, pondering over your options. You could call a cab and just go home. But a cab ride this time of night and nearly an hour away---you could see all your poker winnings blowing out the window.

“I have a guest room.” He adds gratuitously. And you turn to him and laugh. “Oh? Does THE Pedro Pascal have a guest room?” You taunt him, holding your hands up to your mouth. “Now you’re just rubbing your lavish lifestyle in my face.” Your words dripping with sarcasm. He laughs heartily. “Oh, so you DO know who I am?” You look at him in surprise. “Of course I do! Why would you think I didn’t?” He shrugged, running his index finger along the stubble on his chin. “Most people I meet rave about my movies or my,” he adds air quotes to the word, “work.” You smirk, pursing your lips tight like a drawstring bag. “I took your poker money AND I didn’t visibly fawn over you. It’s been a hard night for Pedro, hasn’t it?” You say in a boo-boo voice, pinching his cheek. He laughs and swats at you.

Your laughter tapers and you look at him with a soft smile. “No funny business.” You confirm and he grins from ear to ear. “You got it. Let’s get out of here then.”

1:04am

He opens the white Mercedes door and you climb into the car. It is a sporty sedan but not ostentatious. He gets in and push-starts the ignition. You put on your seatbelt as he does and he looks over at you, a cable in his hand. You look at him inquisitively. “Pedro’s Car Rules. Whoever is in the passenger seat must hook up their music. So that I may adequately judge you.” You laugh and shy away from the cable. “Judge me? Seriously?” He wags the cable in your face. “We don’t move until you plug in your phone.” He shrugs and takes his other hand off the wheel. You groan and snatch the cable from him, your fingers grazing over his as you do, sending an electric shock through you.

You plug your phone in, fumbling past your sudden nervousness. “Ok, let me find something.” Pedro immediately stops you. “Nope. Shuffle.” Your jaw drops and you cut eyes at him playfully. He tilts his head towards you and raises his eyebrow and you know you must acquiesce. You nod and say nothing, shaking your head as you push the shuffle button and hit play. Please, for the love of fuck don’t be something ridic---.

My Shot – Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

You face-palm and let out an audible groan. Pedro starts laughing and cranks the volume. “Excelleeent.” You listen to the entire song and by the end of it, you are both singing along, laughing when you mess up a lyric.

Mi Gente – J Balvin, Willy Williams

Pedro turns to you with an amused look of surprise. You raise your hands in the air and giggle. “It’s a jam. Don’t hate.”

Take on Me – a-ha

The moment this song drops you both immediately start hitting the air-keys, harmonizing and dancing beneath your seatbelts.

Kiss – Prince

Pedro exclaims. “Ahhh! Yes!” You both carry on over your love for Prince and the rest of the car ride consists of an exchange of stories on how the artist was such a powerful influence on your lives, not paying much attention to anything else that plays over the stereo system.

1:47am

He pulls up to a house at the end of a rather unassuming suburban street. It was clean and contemporary, with neatly kempt flower beds filled with beige river rocks and cacti with pink and orange flowers, their blossoms closed until dawn. It was not a small house, but it was also not what you would expect a celebrity of Pedro’s status to call home. It wasn’t a large pseudo-mansion with pillars and stately windows. Instead, it was inauspiciously beautiful.

You open the car door and walk along the driveway up to the front door, which was a beautiful knotty oak with an ochre stained finished. The golden hue of the door made for a lovely contrast against the white stucco house and black framed windows. Pedro opened the door, inviting you to step in first. You awkwardly cross the threshold into a hallway that feeds directly into a living room. Large windows open up to an outdoor veranda and what looks to be a hot tub, but you can’t quite make it out in the dark.

You hadn’t noticed that Pedro had stepped into the kitchen and returned with two beers. “Shall I give you the tour, m’lady?” He jokes, handing you the bottle with a smile. You grin, giving a small bow. “Yes please!” He shows you around the living room, kitchen, and a few other extra-curricular spaces—the gym, the game room--until you find that you have circled back to the heart of the house where you began. He points to a hallway. “And over here are the bedrooms. I didn’t want to sound like a braggart before, but...” He leans in, his whisper grazing the nape of your neck. Your eyes close and your mouth falls agape as you feel his breath against the shell of your ear. “I actually have four guest rooms.” You take in a sputtering breath and try to laugh at his attempt at a joke, which was completely lost on you the moment his lips brushed over your ear.

Did he do that on purpose? He makes his way down the hallway, showing you each of the bedrooms. And then he stops at the last one. “You’ll sleep in here.” You nod, trying to understand what was wrong with the other three. “And where is your room?” The moment you ask it, you wish you could suck the words back into your mouth. He takes a sip from his beer and smiles against the bottle’s opening. “Right over here.” Directly across from “your” room, were double doors that led to his own bedroom. Now you understood why he picked that room for you. No funny business. Right.

You step into his bedroom and you are immediately hit with the smell of him. Notes of amber and sandalwood with a hint of a wood-burning fire. You nearly melted. His room was orderly but not stuffy. The bed was made but the covers wrinkled, almost like he haphazardly went through the motions without much thought to the final result. A small seating area sat in front of a large bay window with long, chiffon curtains. It was cozy. You turn to look at him with a smile, and his eyes have been settled on you for some time. The energy humming between the two of you made a drastic shift. You bit your lip as your eyes traced over him. His shoulders, his biceps, his large, veiny hands. The way he stood with both feet planted on the floor as if he were preparing for the earth to unexpectedly move beneath him.

“Pedro…” You said his name and you didn’t really know why. You had nothing of import to say. But the way his name tasted on your tongue... You gulped. He stepped closer to you, his motions slow as he took the bottle from your hand and placed them both on a table by the door. He turned to face you, his hands running down your arms and you locked your knees to keep from swooning like an 18th century courtier. His gaze was darting all over your face, sweeping over your eyes and down to your lips and back up again. “I know I said no funny business…” He murmured, his voice deep and tender.

He ran his fingers along your neck, combing them through a few strands of your hair before bringing his fingertips up to your jaw line. He lifted your chin so your eyes met his and in that moment, you came undone. It was as though someone shoved a box of lit matches down your throat and they burned in your chest. You hastily grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him into you, your lips colliding with a heated force. His hands began to feverishly climb over your back, your tongue running a soft line over the delicious part of his lips where he quickly granted you access. His tongue invaded your mouth in earnest, and you moaned softly, the sound humming into his head and sending him reeling. He picked you up, your kiss never breaking, and laid you down on his bed. Your hands cupped his cheeks before racing through his russet hair.

The kiss broke for a moment and you lay beneath him, your heavy breathing matching his own. His chocolate eyes glittered as they scanned down your body, his hand landing on your stomach. You twitch as he slips it beneath your shirt, lifting it up to expose the black lacy bra you wore underneath. He hummed under his breath, dropping over you enough until you felt the soft cotton of his grey shirt graze your mid-section. His hand searched along the waistline of your pants and back up again and you whimpered. He tilted his head up to look at you. “I can stop.” He stated thoughtfully.

You shook your head feverishly. He had barely touched you, yet he could see the apparent agony on your face as you slowly unraveled beneath him. “Use your words, Y/N.” He whispered low in your ear before kissing your earlobe ever so softly, pulling away with the most delicate plipping sound. “Please don’t stop.” You breathed desperately. He needed no other coaxing. He swiftly lifted the shirt from over your head and made quick work of sliding your pants down. You fumbled at the button of his jeans and he stood by the edge of the bed and kicked them off as he peeled away his shirt and tossed it onto the floor. He hovered over you as he stood by the bed and you were able to get a good look at him, wearing nothing but his boxer briefs. You could tell by the pitch of his underwear that he was more than ready. And yet, he just stood there, staring at you. Suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious, you start to fold your arms over your body in an effort to hide yourself. And he smirks with a shake of his head, his knees crashing onto the bed and grabbing your wrists, pinning them over your head. “Let me look at you, Y/N.” You give a half-cocked smile as he lets your wrists go. You keep them over your head obediently, granting him what he wants. “You are...” His voice trails as his hands begin to trace along your sides. “Fucking beautiful.” He finishes his sentence and you turn your face into the pillow, hiding your embarrassment.

He chuckles, turning your head back and leaning down to kiss you gently. His hands roam over your breasts, the black lacy bra still a barrier from his attentions. You reach around and unhook it with ease, and they spill out into his palms. He massages them for a moment, flicking his fingers over your taught nipples, pinching slightly. Your back arches off the bed in response. He moans as he takes each into his mouth, circling his tongue across the peaked flesh and then sucking on the velvet skin beneath.

In a motion like silk, his hand finds the wet mound between your legs and you shudder in surprise as he strokes against the fabric, a dark damp patch in your underwear the aftermath of his ministrations. “Fuck.” The word flowed from his exhale, so low you could barely hear it. It was strained and focused. His cock twitched aggressively in his underwear, burning to bury itself inside of you. He hooked his fingers over your panties, dragging them down and tossing them to the wayside. With his firm grip on your knees, he then plunged himself deep into your slick folds. You writhe violently as the feeling of his tongue sends you into a frenzy. “Pedro—” His name trips from your lips as you try to take a breath and at the sound of it, he moans into your pussy, his tongue delving deeper as if to reward you for your lustful admission.

You twist your fingers into his disheveled hair as you buck your hips against him in ardent pulses. “Ah—fuck. Don’t stop—” You plead and the moment that you say it, he pulls away with a devilish smirk. Your hands still tangled in his hair, giving him an admonishing tug as you whine for him to continue. He puckers his lips as if to say “shh”, but no sound emerges. He reaches down to the elastic band of his boxer briefs, letting them slip over his hips. His cock springs out, thick and lengthy, bobbing up and down from its own weight. He gives it a couple of hard pumps as he brings his fingers to your wet pussy and begins to lightly tease the lips, all while circling the head of his cock with his thumb, a bead of precum stringing its way onto your thigh.

You spread your legs wider, tucking your ankles underneath him and pulling him closer. “Stop teasing me.” You whimper. But your begging only spurs him on. “Mmm. Tell me what you want, sweet thing.” You moan at the use of a pet name. “You know exactly what I want.” You squelched impatiently, your hunger for him exceeding all manner of niceties. He leaned over you, groaning into your neck as the head of his cock tickles the damp lips of your entrance. He holds steady there as you jerk beneath him, desperate for him to fuck you. “Patience, baby.” He coos, sinking his mouth upon you. His lips searched over your collarbone and back up to your neck. Your breath purled against the side of his face as you closed your eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his tongue sampling every part of your body.

In the hopes of stopping his teasing, you proceed to do a little teasing of your own. You ran your tongue across his earlobe, nibbling gently with a soft moan of his name into his ear. “Pedro..” He groans softly in response, his cock still teasing you. You kiss his neck, sucking lightly and he reaches down and begins rubbing the head of his cock on your sensitive clit, dragging it up and down. “You’re so—ah, fuck— so wet.” The forced words fall from his lips as if he is fighting through pain. And without another beat, he slowly sheathes himself inside of you. You both let out a drawn-out cry at the sensation and your nails dig into his arms as he arches his back to get as deep as he can. His thrusts are slow and deliberate, closing his eyes and drowning in the depths of your wet grip on him. You pulsed and squeezed to match his rhythm and he swiftly planted his hands on your hips to still your movement. “Mmm. Take it easy on me, baby. I’ll cum in a second if you keep that up.” His voice strained as he continued to pump.

In a rapid motion, Pedro whisks you in his arms and sits on the bed, impaling you on his cock. You wrap your arms around his shoulders as you inhale deeply at the fullness of him inside of you. You rode him leisurely and he did not rush you. The tightening of your muscles moving up and down upon his shaft was enough to send him over the edge, but his eyes remained locked on you as you worked towards your euphoric goal. Your breathing began to accelerate, and he winced with pleasure as you dug your nails into his shoulders. “Cum for me, sweet thing.” Taking the lead again, he proceeded to drive his cock upwards, matching your pace, his grip tight around your ass and you felt a rush of pleasure overcome you as your wet, velvet walls constricted around his cock in violent pulses. He wanted to burst into you, but he refused to let it end so quickly.

Your orgasm faded and you slumped over his shoulder, panting as you came down from your high. He leaned you back so that you would fall softly onto the pillows. He admired you as you laid on the bed before him, your skin glistening with the aftermath of your efforts and reveling in the sensations still thrumming through you. He dropped onto his back next to you, his cock standing at attention, an indication his outward relaxation was only a courtesy to the exasperated woman beside of him.

Rolling over in a rapid movement, he slipped two fingers inside of you mechanically. You were near to purring at the unexpected feeling of his touch and you rocked against him in supplication. He demonstratively pulled you closer by your legs, letting his veiny cock graze along your stomach and dribble some pre-cum onto your flushed skin. You exhaled at the sensation of his warm, full length on your belly. In an instant, he withdrew his fingers and slotted his cock into the space they left behind. The muscles in his back bunched under your nails as he felt your body tense beneath him, straining to reach that pleasure again. His thrusting persisted with a devout purpose, willing you to cum. Your hands raced up his back and into his hair, clutching madly. “Mmm. So—fucking--good.” He praises you with each thrust. And with that, the heat of your core burst, spreading through you as you arched up hard beneath his weight, legs flying up to wrap around his waist to let him sink just a fraction deeper as your walls strangled his cock in rhythmic pulses. The rapturous screams that burst from your lips nearly synonymous with sobbing.

He pulled himself from you and your chest heaved with labored breaths. But he would not wait for your full recovery this time, his own need too strong. He spread your legs without missing a beat and before you could prepare, he slammed himself so deep inside of you that you were whining in pain-riddled pleasure. He groaned, sweat dripping from his brow. You whimpered desperately, his name dripping over your lips in a pathetic mewl. He bemoaned and withdrew almost completely, leaving only his swollen purple head inside. You took a single breath and he surged upwards as if to punctuate a point, hands dropping on either side of your head as your legs fell over his shoulders, a rough sound escaping his lips. You were struggling to catch your breath as he plunged into you time and time again, his pace gradually picking up and becoming rougher and rougher.

“F-fuuck.” He grunted under his breath and once again, you were fit to explode like a supernova. “P-Pedro!” You coaxed, savoring once more the way his name filled your mouth how he filled you now. The sound of it trilling from your lips was enough to finally send him over the edge with you. As the throes of orgasm built in you, he thrust rapidly into your writhing body, his own climax coming hard on the heels of your own, leaving him limp and replete on top of you.

You lay listless on the bed together for a good while, unable to move and entirely exhausted. Once you had caught your breath you looked over at him to find his eyes were closed, a wide smile plastered on his visage. You nudge him in the shoulder playfully. “Proud of yourself?” You jest. All he can do is nod, the grin growing wider.

Another beat of silence passes, and he rolls over, his hand lazily placed on the small of your back as he buries his nose into your hair before planting a sleepy kiss on your head. “You ok?” He hums, the timbre of his voice dusky from exhaustion.

“Better than ok. But…there is something I need to ask you.” You say, turning to face him in the bed. He looks at you quizzically, worried that something might be wrong. He raises an eyebrow in response. A serious expression crosses your countenance and he props himself up on his elbow, growing a little concerned.

“Wha--what is it?” He asks, worried.

“Do you have toothbrush I can borrow?” You ask with a grin. He wrestles you to the bed for toying with him and you both laugh.

“Yes, sweet thing.” He replies with a smile, crawling out of bed, bare assed and all, in pursuit of a toothbrush for you.

💫Fanfic requests open @intu-witch-tion💫

#pedro pascal #pedropascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal x female reader #fanfic #fanfiction

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a-supernatural-writer · 3 years

Text

Lost in the Shadow Pt.6

Previous Part Next Part

Word Count: 1431

FemOC x Poly Lost Boys

“Four mates.” Vanessa said as she pulled out a glass bottle of soda from the fridge. She popped it open with a bottle opener and sat on top of the kitchen counter.

“Four mates.” She repeated herself and took a drink, “I can’t believe it.”

For the first time that night, Vanessa took off her black shades, revealing her eyes. Her left one was a baby blue while her right was a light brown. Her heterochromia was a genetic condition that Vanessa wasn’t completely proud of. Too many times was she judged for it. She only took off her shades to those she trusted and well, sometimes it added a little “wow” factor to their performances.

Danielle smiled at her as she removed mugs from one of the many cardboard boxes that were scattered around their new home. She placed the mugs in the cabinet, “Believe it. You know, it’s not unheard of Ness.”

Vanessa set down her bottle and took out her fourth cigarette of the night which Danielle gave her a look for. Vanessa shrugged innocently, “What? It helps me de-stress. And I know it’s not unheard of, it’s just rare! It’s not normal.”

Luis poked his head into the kitchen when he heard Vanessa, “Normal? We’re dhampirs. Even to regular vampires we aren’t normal.”

He walked into the kitchen with another cardboard box that was labeled ‘dishes’ and set it down at their large dinner table. He was no longer wearing his shawl, leaving his chest bare except for the few necklaces that dangled around his neck. Seeing Luis’s bare chest didn’t faze either of the girls.

Luis walked over to Vanessa, leaning back against the counter next to her and taking a sip of her drink as she smoked, “But think of it this way. You’ve been forever young since the 1600’s and finally, you found your mates. For over two hundred years you had a coven, but you didn’t have love.”

Vanessa scoffed, “What? You guys don’t love me?” She teased, nudging Luis. Danielle chuckled, smacking Vanessa’s arm lightly.

Luis nudged her back with a chuckle, “You know what I mean. Romantic love. It’s high time that you have it. And plus, they’re hot so…” He trailed off, laughing as both Vanessa and Danielle whacked him.

“You’re not wrong there.” Vanessa reluctantly agreed with him. They were very attractive. Each in their own special way.

“I think it was good you invited them.” Danielle said as she floats up from the ground, placing mugs on the highest shelf. “Get to know them better.”

Vanessa hummed in agreement, tapping the ashes off in the sink beside her, “No doubt they’ll distract me tomorrow… in more ways than one.”

Danielle raised a brow, “Would you want them to?”

The whited haired woman blew out smoke, “I wouldn’t complain but the shop is important. We put a good portion of our money into it and we wanted this for a long time. It would have to take some serious convincing to tear me away tomorrow night.”

At her words, Danielle and Luis caught each other's eye and looked back at Vanessa who was snuffing out her cigarette in a random ashtray they placed around the house. She hopped off the counter, “I’m gonna head up. Unpack some shit and get to bed. See you at dawn.”

Danielle and Luis bid her goodnight and watched as she walked up the stairs. They waited until they heard her bedroom door close so she wouldn’t hear their conversation. When they heard the door close, Sarah and Timothy entered the kitchen, “We’re all thinking the same thing, right?” Timothy asked.

Danielle floated back down to the ground and nodded, “They’re her mates, she’s gonna need to spend time with them before we reveal ourselves.”

Sarah sat down at the table, “So we just make sure she takes a break when they come by and get her out for a bit.”

Luis took the rest of Vanessa’s drink, cradling it to his chest, “Let’s hope it works.”

Upstairs, oblivious to the conversation, Vanessa changed out of her clothing from the day, settling into her king bed with a white long sleeves button-up dress. In a way it looked like an oversized mens dress shirt.

Vanessa stared up at her ceiling in the darkness, sighing. She didn’t even touch her boxes like she said she would. All she wanted to do was sleep, calm down and start fresh tomorrow.

She rolled onto her side, hugging her pillow close to her. Tomorrow would be a new day, and she had hours to prepare herself before the night came. She smiled a little into her pillow. A bit of excitement blooming in her chest. Four mates… who would’ve thought?

Meanwhile, in the cave of a sunken hotel, David, Dwayne, Paul and Marko were having their own celebration. Hoots and hollers echoed through the cave, their laughter bouncing off of the walls and traveling down the maze of tunnels.

Star watched on from her spot in the main cave while Laddie was playing with whatever stuffed toys he had laying around. Star has never seen them so happy before. Even David wore a grin so big that it almost terrified her to know the reason for it.

The brunette female slipped behind her makeshift curtains that separated the cave from her area, giving her the privacy she needed. She didn’t want to know what the cause of their celebration was, so she distracted herself and played with Laddie.

“Vanessa.” Marko said aloud while running around the cave, following Dwayne. Marko thought it was a pretty name, it suited his mate very well.

“Vanessa.” Paul said it as well. Smoke from his joint flowing out of his mouth when he said the name. He could practically still feel her touch and it made him burst at the seams. He grinned, sitting on the fountain as he continued thinking about it.

Dwayne smiled, riding his skateboard and lightly pressed his hand to his chest. His skin still tingled from when Vanessa backed up into him. He skated past Paul, stealing away his joint which earned a “Hey!” from Paul. Dwayne just laughed, taking a hit.

David soon sat down in his wheelchair, leaning back with a grin, watching the boys enjoy themselves. He looked down at his hand; the hand that Vanessa kissed and traced his fingers over the spot.

She was cheeky, that was for sure. She didn’t easily give into David’s advances and gave him a challenge. A challenge that he was positive he was going to win.

Vanessa’s invitation repeated in his head over and over. Her and her friends were going to be in Santa Carla for a long time because of their shop and it gave them plenty of time to win her over.

“How long do you think we’ll have to wait?” Marko asked aloud, mostly to David as he hung from a stuck out piece of the ceiling above. Paul even stopped chasing Dwayne around to hear what David had to say.

“A few days, maybe a week. We’ll have to turn her friends too.” David said. It was obvious that they were close. All five of them moved together away from their home to open a store together. Vanessa wasn’t going to agree unless her friends joined too.

Paul jumped onto the fountain, somehow getting his joint back from Dwayne, “They seem cool.” He simply stated. The whole group were interesting characters and it would certainly add some more excitement into their lives.

His statement struck up a whole new conversation. Having their mate move into their home was no problem. It was just one more person. But having four more live with them as well would be a bit of a challenge. In a way, they welcomed the idea, but at the same time, how would they hide it from their sire?

“We don’t tell him.” David said, lighting his cigarette.

“David.” Dwayne warned. They couldn’t just not tell him about the group. Keeping something that big from him would more than likely end badly.

David looked over at Dwayne and sighed, blowing out some smoke. Dwayne was right. “We’ll let him know when Vanessa’s fully turned, but we don’t tell him about the others… at least for awhile.”

“But what if-” Marko tried to speak up, thinking the worst.

“He won’t do anything to her.” David interrupted him, knowing exactly what he was thinking. “You don’t mess with a vampires mate. No matter what.”

At least, that’s what David hoped.

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queerbutstillhere-writes · 4 years

Text

Day 7 - Roommates/there was only one bed/creators choice

"Okay! This is the last box from the truck!"

"What is it?"

"I dunno, it's Bart's, and I can't read their handwriting."

Tim walked over, looking at the cardboard box in Kon's hands, tilting his head to read the label.

"Oh, it's like clothes and blankets," he said, pointing towards the stairs.

"Okay, where is Bart anyway?"

"They went to get dinner," Cassie responded, looking over from where she was rearranging the living room, with occasional input from Tim, who was setting up the wifi router, because that was the most important thing.

"Of course they did."

Kon carried the box into the bedroom, setting it down against the wall and then walking back out, over to Tim.

"What do you need, babe?"

"Uh, I don't know. Ask Cassie," Tim responded, barely looking up.

"How about you go start assembling the table, lord knows we'll need that first."

"Yes ma'am."

Kon followed orders and walked into the kitchen, finding the kitchen table that had been disassembled when it was delivered. He found the toolbag and sat down, starting to piece it together.

The four of them, Tim, Kon, Bart, and Cassie had all decided to move in together, and after much debating, they ended up settling in San Francisco, because they were close to base, and Kon and Tim were both going to a college there. The apartment they got, mostly thanks to Tim, was huge, two floors, three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Now you may be thinking, three bedrooms isn't really enough for four people! And you're correct, however, three of those four were hopelessly in love and were all snuggle bugs, so all they needed was a big bed and they were set. Cassie was not involved in this relationship, but still loved her dumb best friends, and was more then happy to move in with them when the invitation was offered.

"Hey! I'm back with food!"

A burst of red light zipped through the kitchen and take and bake pizza boxes were left on the counter in its wake.

"Bart!" An alarmed shout echoed from Tim, followed by a dull thud.

"Bart!" Cassie's was more of an amused complaint.

Then the red streak was back, plopping itself down in Kon's lap.

"Hi!"

"Hello angel," Conner replied, amusedly, he set down his tools and wrapped his arms around Bart, hugging them tightly.

"Watcha working on?"

"The table. Cassie wanted to be able to actually eat like civilized people."

"Does she even know us?"

Conner laughed, kissing Bart's cheek.

"Why don't you start unpacking the dishes?"

"Okay!"

Bart jumped off, and ran away to snag a box. They started unpacking them at what seemed like a hazardous speed, but Kon knew they were being careful. He just returned to attaching the base of the table, making sure it was tight before standing and setting it up, placing the chairs around it and then gathering his tools.

"Aww, hey, guys come here!" Cassie called.

When Kon and Bart entered the living room, she was in one of Tim's boxes, pulling out pictures and other decorations.

"Look at how tiny we were!" She exclaimed, holding up a couple pictures.

The first few were of them when they had just started Young Justice, just the four of them. Bart, still absolutely tiny, was even smaller, they looked like an actual child next to Kon in all the photos.

"And look at this one!"

She held up a photo of Tim and Bruce, both in formal wear, Tim with his hair recently cut short for the first time, and properly fitted in his first suit.

"Oh my God."

Kon snatched it, staring at tiny Tim. "Babe! Look at you!"

"Kon," Tim whined, grabbing at it.

Bart snatched it and zipped across the room.

"Look at the tiny closeted baby," Bart cooed, grinning with glee.

"Oh like you were any better!"

"And besides, he had literally just came out?" Kon said with a laugh, walking towards the box to look at more photos.

"Yeah as trans! Not as gay though."

Tim lunged and snatched it. "If you two are done in the kitchen, why don't you go start unpacking your clothes and stuff."

"Okay!" Bart zipped over and jumped up on Kon's back. "Let's go!"

Kon laughed, carrying Bart upstairs. They got through all of one box of Kon's clothes before Bart kept pulling them on and causing Kon to simultaneously get annoyed and laugh. About the time Bart had four or five of his shirts and hoodies on, Kon grabbed them and pinned them to the bare mattress, kissing them and then pulling off a shirt, kissing them again, and then pulling off one more, doing this until he reached Bart's original shirt.

"You're forgetting one," Bart said with an impish grin.

"No."

They both looked up to Tim who was standing in the doorway, shaking his head.

"I knew you guys wouldn't get any actual work done."

"I think he's jealous," Bart whispered, grinning still.

"I'm not- no. Can we just actually unpack?" Tim asked, sentences a little clipped, less amused then he usually was by their shenanigans.

"Baby, are you stressed?" Kon asked, not moving from his position, holding Bart down.

"A little okay?"

"Okay."

So they obeyed orders and started nicely unpacking, hanging up clothes or putting them in the dresser, while Tim went about making the bed, getting the sheets all smooth and nice and arranging the obscene amount of pillows. By the time they had gotten mostly done with Bart's stuff, they had gotten bored and zipped downstairs to annoy Cassie.

"You guys have too many clothes," Tim said with a huff, looking at the mostly full dressers.

"You say as if my clothing is not going to be stolen by both of you. Besides, most your clothes hang up."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Come here, Tim, take a breather."

Kon reached out, grabbing Tim and pulling him with his TTK, until he could physically grab his wrist and pull him down onto his lap.

"It'll be okay. We don't have to unpack everything now, yeah? All your books and stuff can stay in their boxes for the day, we can do those tomorrow."

"I just don't like things feeling incomplete," Tim sighed out, glancing away.

"It'll be fine. It'll give you something to do when you're struggling with insomnia," Kon promised, kissing him, a hand sliding up under his shirt, fingers brushing over layers of scars hidden there, two particular scars far more important than others.

Tim sighed and pulled away, plopping his head down on Kon's shoulder.

"I'm tired."

"I know."

Conner gently rubbed his back, resting their heads together.

"What else absolutely needs done?" Conner asked.

"The bathroom, and I need to get my clothes out so they don't wrinkle even more."

"Okay. I'll go do the bathroom, you do your clothes and then we should eat."

Tim nodded in agreement. He pulled away, kissed Conner lightly and then sliding off his lap, turning and starting to pull clothes out of boxes, and hanging or folding them as appropriate. Kon made his way into their bathroom, finding the one box of supplies for it and starting to unpack it, putting all the appropriate supplies in their places. They all had their various bathroom routine type things that were in little travel type bags, that he just set on the counter and left alone for now.

He got done before Tim, so he went to the kitchen and turned on the oven.

"Watcha doing?"

Kon jumped and looked over at Bart who appeared next to him.

"Starting dinner."

"Oh! Good I'm hungry."

"Bart, you're always hungry," Cassie said, walking in.

"I knowwwww," they whined, dramatically throwing themself at Kon, who laughed and easily caught them.

"I vote after dinner we go get some groceries," she said, looking at their barren fridge.

"Why don't you take Tim with you?" Kon suggested. "He's getting pretty stressed. Bart and me will stay here and finish unpacking the kitchen."

"Is he okay?"

"I think so, I dunno, I didn't press him too much."

Cassie nodded. "I'm gonna go unpack my things, don't destroy anything while I'm gone."

"Okay."

"We won't!"

Bart squirmed until they could slide out of Kon's arms. "I'm gonna go set up the PlayStation."

So Kon was left alone in the kitchen. He waited for the oven to heat up and then put the pizza's in. Tim came down at some point, unsurprisingly wearing Kon's previously discarded hoodie. He went and curled up with Bart on their huge sofa, Kon smiled at them softly, standing in the doorway and watching as Bart played The Outer World's, their head against Tim's chest, whose arms were wrapped around them.

"Watch your left," Tim murmured softly, nose pressed into Bart's hair.

"I see it," came the equally soft response.

Bart only ever seemed to slow down like this when Tim needed them like this. Kon knew bursts of energy would be coming later, but for now he'd enjoy this sweet moment.

Dinner was eaten with an episode of Queer Eye playing, and then Cassie managed to convince Tim to go shopping with her. As promised, Bart and Kon cleaned up from dinner and then finished putting away all the kitchen supplies. They then took the enormous amount of cardboard moving boxes to the nearest recycling station. When they got back to the apartment, they curled up on the sofa to wait for the other two to get back, turning on some evening crime show just for kicks.

Later that evening, after groceries got put away, and everyone had taken showers and gotten ready for bed, Kon found himself with the task of catching Bart, who had in fact, as predicted, gone spastic. Tim was already in bed, granted he was just working, but at least he was in bed. Kon tried to catch Bart, who kept phasing past him, for almost five minutes before he finally just immobilized them with his TTK and then scooped the limp speedster up, carrying them upstairs to their room. Cassie was in there, talking to Tim. Or more of talking at Tim.

"Konnnn," Bart whined, yet wasn't trying to struggle, Kon knew this because he was no longer having to restrain his datefriend.

"It's time to go to bed," Kon told them, gently laying them next to Tim.

"Only if Timmy comes to bed with us," Bart whined, flopping over against Tim.

"Bart, you know that's not fair to him," Kon said softly.

Bart just pouted up at Tim, getting in the way of his work until he had to look at the ginger. He just chuckled.

"I'll try."

"Yay!"

Cassie gently shoulder bumped Kon as she passed.

"Night guys! Don't get too wild!" She called with a giggle, waving over her shoulder.

"Night Cassie!" They all called together, watching her leave and shut the door.

Tim closed his laptop as Bart snuggled under the covers next to him, and Kon pulled off his hoodie, waiting for them both to be ready before flicking off the lights and getting in next to Bart. There was no hesitation to squish Bart in the middle of their cuddling.

"Night, Bart, night Tim," Kon murmured softly, giving them each a kiss.

"Night Kon," they both murmured back, more tired then either realized.

Kon just chuckled, throwing an arm across Bart until his hand was resting on Tim's waist. He heard Bart's breathing soften as they drifted off to sleep, but Tim stayed tightly curled around Bart for a while, indicating that he was still awake. Kon didn't try talking to him, knowing that this happened a lot and eventually he'd drift off or get up and go find work to do in another room. Kon did eventually drift off to sleep, but his dreams were full of nightmares and he kept waking up.

Unsurprisingly, one of the times when he woke up, he found Tim missing, but he didn't go searching, just moved to pull Bart closer to him again. The speedster immediately snuggled back into him, not disturbed at all by the shift in position. And Kon just slipped back into sleep as easily as he had woken from it.

The next morning he found that Tim had replaced Bart, snuggled up against him, face on Kon's bare chest. One arm was over his stomach, his leg over Kon's. It didn't seem very comfortable but Tim was sleeping peacefully, his cheek squished up by Kon's pec.

Kon chuckled to himself and carefully, using his TTK, moved Tim so he was laying on the mattress instead of his own body. He slipped out of the bed, leaving Tim with a kiss on the head, and then he headed out after grabbing his phone.

Downstairs, Cassie was already making breakfast. She glanced up at him and rolled her eyes.

"Kon, am I going to have to deal with you coming down shirtless every morning?"

"Maybe?" Kon grinned at her. "Where's Bart?"

"Out for a run, I think."

Kon hummed, pouring himself some coffee, then walking past Cassie and stealing a piece of bacon.

"Hey! Asshole!"

Conner just laughed and stuck his tongue out at her. She shook her head.

"How was the first night in the new bed?"

"Oh it was fine, I guess? Nightmares."

She hummed sympathetically and glanced over at him.

"Did they others-?"

"I think Bart was out of it, but Tim was gone a lot."

"Checks out, I woke up at one point and saw some lights on out here, so he was probably working."

"Was anything else put up? He might have been unpacking," Kon asked with a chuckle.

"Didn't notice, just came right in here."

Kon and Cassie chatted for a bit while she made breakfast, just about random things while Kon checked all his phone notifications.

After a bit, Bart returned from their run, hot and sweaty and carrying fresh donuts. They just kissed Kon on the cheek, hip bumped Cassie and disappeared upstairs to take a shower. And when they returned, Tim was stumbling after them, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Hey! Good morning, handsome," Kon called, reaching out to tug Tim to him, pulling him close and pressing his head against Tim's chest.

Tim just rubbed his eyes and leaned into him, reaching a free hand up to run it through Kon's hair. He mumbled something that vaguely sounded like good morning, and Kon just chuckled.

"Bart, baby?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you get him some coffee?"

Bart quickly fetched Tim his lightly sweetened coffee in his favorite Nightwing mug, and Tim kissed the top of Kon's head before moving to sit at the table by himself, rubbing his eyes. Bart and Cassie quickly plated breakfast for everyone and they all started eating together for maybe the last time in a while. Cassie would be starting working here soon, Kon and Tim's college started in the next three weeks, and Bart was still trying to decide what they'd be doing. But eventually, adult life would catch up with them, and they'd be no better then their mentors.

So they took it nice and slow and enjoyed their breakfast together.

The rest of their day was slow and easy and was mostly just more unpacking. They met the other Teen Titans at the base for dinner, and spent all evening with them.

And the next morning, when Kon woke up to the sound of sirens, Bart and Tim were on the other side the bed, tangled together, peacefully sleeping through the wailing. Kon just smiled and got up, quietly changing and then slipping out so he could jump off their balcony, going to save the day, as Superboy always would.

@core-disaster-week-2020 originally written for @hyperactive-lectiophile

#timkonbart week #core disaster week #timkonbart #core disaster #tim drake #conner kent #bart allen #trans tim #nonbinary bart allen #trans tim drake #roommates #there was only one bed #prompt week #queerbutstillhere writes

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jingabitch · 4 years

Text

Armed to the Fangs ch.5

Summary: You grew up in the Hunter’s Guild, understanding that it is your sacred duty as a hunter to protect humanity from the vampires that lurk in the dark, draining the life from anyone unlucky enough to be caught. While making the rounds one night, you encounter Taehyung, a fabled born vampire - not that you know that when he tries to entice you into a dark alley. Next thing you know, you’re kidnapped and taken to their home, where you realise that all of them somehow crave your blood and seem to know more about your past than you do. Finding out about where you came from might be the key to setting humanity free.

Pairing: eventual ot7 x reader; some jimin x reader and namjoon x reader here

Warnings: some description of violence, angst, pining, maybe eventual smut (haven’t decided) but not for a looooong time, slow burn (really the slowest of burns), injeolmi being adorable asf as always, joon loves his plants

Word count: 3.7k

A/N: this is coming a little earlier than I had planned but also I was tired of sitting on it, so here you go! Big thank you to my betas @re-sugance and @jminacious for reading this beforehand and making sure it was okay <3

Series index

You stayed cooped up in your room with only Injeolmi for company for the next few weeks. When it became clear that you were not going to leave your quarters to even look for food, the boys arranged to take turns bringing you meals, like they had when you were a captive. To you, though, there was no difference between then and now, except for how luxurious your surroundings were.

Injeolmi, of course, was ecstatic about this turn of events. He’d never gotten so much attention in his short life before, and having you around for constant cuddles and playtime was the best thing his furry little self could imagine.

When you woke up on this particular morning, you hadn’t expected anything to be different. You’d eaten the meals they provided – which were still delicious, and you figured at some point you might as well try to find the chef to compliment him – you were stuck here indefinitely eating the meals he’d prepared for you, after all. You texted back and forth with Jennie and some other hunters you were friends with for a while, since they were just getting in from their rounds, but then they went to sleep and you had nothing to do.

At around noon, you heard a knock on the door and figuring it was probably your lunch, you opened it.

What you found on the other side made you blink in surprise. The littlest vampire, Jimin, was standing in your doorway, but instead of a tray of food, he instead held a giant box that almost dwarfed his frame.

“Uhhh…” you hesitated, unsure of what to say or do.

“Hi!” he chirped cheerfully, giving you a massive grin. His eye smile was contagious, and you found yourself smiling back at him hesitantly. “I got your cat a scratch tower!” he continued, bouncing the box in his hold a little. “Can I come in and put it down?”

Unable to turn him away, you ended up just standing aside to let him into your apartment. He entered, put the box down in the middle of the living room, then stood up, his hands on his hips. You stood by the door, wondering if he was going to leave now, but when a moment passed and he still hadn’t moved, you sighed and shut it. “Would you like to help me set it up?” you offered half-heartedly. It wasn’t really a question, because you could tell that was exactly why he’d bought it, and he was clearly not leaving without doing that.

He grinned at you excitedly as he accepted though, and you rolled your eyes, although perhaps with a little less heat than one could have hoped. Injeolmi was your baby, after all. He really knew what he was doing, approaching you with a gift for your cat.

“All right, I’ll go get something to open the box with,” you told him, starting to turn away.

“No need,” he piped up. “I brought a penknife,” he explained when you turned back to look at him inquisitively, pulling it out of his back pocket.

“Of course you did,” you murmured, but came to sit beside him anyway as he knelt to cut open the tape holding the two flaps of the box together. Injeolmi was no doubt still hidden in your bedroom, wary of a stranger invading his space.

“So how old is he?” Jimin asked as he moved the flaps out of the way and pushed them down so they would stay that way.

“Two years,” you answered perfunctorily as you pulled out the instruction sheet sitting on top of a bunch of cardboard and foam packaging. Sneaking a glance at him, you saw his expression as he tried desperately to think of a way to continue the conversation, and feeling a little sorry for him (although you had no clue why, since he was a vampire who probably just wanted you to lower your guard before he ate you) you added, “I found him on the streets during one of my patrols.”

“O-oh,” Jimin was surprised to hear you continuing the conversation, but recovered quickly. “That must have been quite a story.”

Thinking about the night you’d found Injeolmi never failed to cheer you up. “It was,” you said, reading the instructions. You didn’t notice the small, contented smile that had stolen over your face, but Jimin did when he looked over after hearing the change in your tone. You were breathtakingly beautiful when you smiled, and he wanted to see it again and again.

“I’d love to hear it,” he said, instead of telling you how he felt, determinedly focusing on unpacking the parts to the scratch tower he’d bought so that you wouldn’t see the flush that had taken over his face.

Because Injeolmi had been a secret back at the Guild, chances to talk about your baby had been few and far between, so you leapt at the opportunity to now. “He belonged to a man who had recently turned,” you started. “I chased him all the way back to his house and found that he had drained his entire family.” That part was always difficult to talk about, because no matter how many times you saw the drained, pale, limp corpses, they never failed to make bile rise up your throat. Worse yet, in that particular home, there had been pictures scattered all over the place of a happy, loving family. The father – who was now a mindless, starving, murderous vampire – had, in the pictures, worn such a jovial smile and the love that he’d had for his wife and children shone through his eyes.

All of that love, love you’d never experienced for yourself but wanted so badly, gone because he’d been bitten. You swallowed hard and continued your story. “Injeolmi was still a kitten then, I think they must have just gotten him, he was so little. After I put the vampire out of his misery, I heard Injeolmi crying.”

The story so far was turning out to be quite dark, and Jimin almost regretted asking.

“I found him hidden under the couch. He was so little back then, I could still hold him in my hands. I had to raid their belongings to find the cat food and all of that – he looked so skinny and hungry, like he hadn’t eaten anything for days. Then I just waited with him until the vet opened and I could get him checked out.

“Then, you know, I snuck him into the Guild and that’s how he became my baby,” you concluded. The both of you had continued unpacking while you were telling the story, so now you were staring at all the pieces and the nails laid out together on the floor. From the picture on the instruction sheet, you had a feeling that he’d gotten a way larger and more elaborate one than one cat really needed so he could spend a longer time in here talking to you.

Somehow, this scheme touched your heart.

The conversation flowed easily – you could tell that he really was trying to avoid talking about anything that might set you off or draw attention to his vampiric nature – and by the time the cat tower had been constructed, taking up almost a whole wall in your living room, you’d loosened up around him a great deal. He regaled you with funny stories about his brothers, including a particularly bizarre one involving Taehyung, Jungkook and Seokjin (apparently the oldest one) during the latter’s birthday that had you wheezing on the floor.

To thank him for buying the cat tower for Injeolmi, you lured the cat out of your bedroom, where he was sulking, with some of his favourite treats. You only had to tear open the sachet of Churu before he was sprinting out of the bedroom to you.

Snickering at how predictable your cat was, you handed Jimin the packet to let him feed Injeolmi. He looked at you with huge eyes, as if disbelieving that you’d actually be so kind, and you raised a brow at him. Injeolmi, for his part, was impatiently trying to get at the snack in your hand.

Finally, Jimin took it from your hand and held it out for the cat, squeezing lightly so the paste would come out on top. Injeolmi happily lapped up the tuna-flavoured snack, placing one paw on Jimin’s hand to hold it closer to him, and Jimin looked like he was falling in love.

When the Churu was all gone, you weren’t sure who was more disappointed, Jimin or the cat, and you rolled your eyes lightly as the vampire looked at you pleadingly while Injeolmi sat back, licking his lips clean. “No,” you told Jimin. “He can’t have more than one.”

With a sigh, Jimin got up and threw the empty packet in the bin. “Thank you for letting me play with him,” he said as he started making his way to the door. You got up and followed him.

“No problem,” you replied, and were surprised to find that you truly meant it. “Thank you for the cat tower.”

He smiled at you so widely his eyes seemed to disappear. “It was my pleasure,” he told you. “And…” he added right before you were about to shut the door. You opened it back up and leaned against the door frame, raising a brow at him. “If you ever want to take Injeolmi on an adventure, we have really nice gardens on the property. It’s cold outside right now, I’m sure he’ll like it. Norwegian forest cats like the cold.”

You bit your lip to keep from smiling. “I’ll think about it,” you said noncommittally, but from the way he grinned at you as you closed the door, he knew just as well as you did that it was a done deal.

Jimin left your room and skipped right over to Taehyung’s. It was the middle of the day, which meant most of them were sleeping – save, of course, Jin, who made it a point to prepare your meals for you. It was really cute, even if it meant he wasn’t getting enough sleep and was grouchy all night when they were actually up and about. No one really minded, though. Jin really did love to cook, and it had been so long since he’d gotten the opportunity to, since vampires didn’t eat food.

Slipping into the cool darkness of his brother’s room, Jimin made his way unerringly to the bed where Taehyung was warmly ensconced. With his enhanced night vision, he didn’t need much light to tell where he was going, after all. He threw himself down onto the mattress, right on top of his brother, who grunted in surprise.

“Jimin-ah… what the fuck are you doing?” he groaned in his sleep-raspy voice, pushing weakly at his brother’s body. Since he was barely awake, he couldn’t muster up the strength to get him off, and gave up after a second, sinking back into the mattress and starting to go back to sleep.

Jimin, who wasn’t having any of that today, wriggled around on top of Taehyung so that he couldn’t fall back asleep. “Taehyungie,” he whined, unbearably excited and needing someone to squeal to about all the progress he’d made with you. And your cat! That fluffy, spoilt baby had his whole heart now.

When it looked like Taehyung was determined to continue ignoring him, Jimin decided that more drastic measures had been taken, and stuck the hand that Injeolmi had touched under his brother’s nose.

A second later, Taehyung’s eyes had fully opened. Alert now, his gaze snapped to Jimin’s, who was now smirking at him smugly. “Is that…” he trailed off.

“Yup.”

“You – what – how?”

“You snooze, you lose,” Jimin informed his brother. Abruptly infuriated, Taehyung pushed himself up from the bed so hard that Jimin, who was still lying on top of him, fell to the mattress with a yelp. As the two started roughhousing, they didn’t notice Jungkook, who was in the room next to Taehyung, slipping in.

“Guys, it’s the middle of the day,” he whined, yawning.

The two other vampires broke apart slightly guiltily. “Sorry, Kookie,” Taehyung apologized.

Rubbing his eyes, Jungkook came over and lay down between his brothers. “What were you guys fighting about anyway?”

Instead of responding verbally, Jimin repeated his earlier action, waving his hand under his brother’s nose.

“Wow,” Jungkook responded, awed. “Is that Y/n’s cat?” he asked, almost wriggling in his excitement.

“Mhm,” Jimin confirmed.

“You got to play with him?” Jungkook questioned, wide-eyed.

Jimin just looked pleased with himself.

“How?” Jungkook repeated his hyung’s earlier question, but with so much enthusiasm that Jimin couldn’t help but spill the beans. How could he deny the maknae anything when he looked at him with stars in his eyes like that, almost as if he couldn’t believe how brilliant his brother was?

“I bought the largest, most ridiculously elaborate cat tower I could find online and assembled it together with her,” he divulged, grinning triumphantly as he explained his masterplan.

Both his brothers gasped, and he could hear the cogs turning in their heads. “No, you can’t also get cat towers,” he deadpanned, knowing that if he didn’t, they would do exactly the same thing.

“Why not?” Taehyung sulked.

“Because she has one cat and his cat tower already takes up one entire wall of her living room,” Jimin explained, snickering. “Find your own thing,” he snapped.

“You’re such a mean brother,” Taehyung whined.

Jimin shrugged. “You had a head start, bro,” he pointed out. “You were the one who found her.” He could barely keep a straight face as he pointed it out, waiting for the inevitable explosion.

“She hates me because of that!” Taehyung fairly yelled, frowning even harder now.

“Well, you tried to drain her,” Jungkook pointed out reasonably. “You can’t possibly expect her to be rolling out the red carpet for you.”

Taehyung flipped over onto his stomach and screamed into his pillow in frustration, flailing a little. “You come into my room, wake me up in the middle of the day -” he muttered angrily.

Ignoring his continued ranting, Jimin grinned at Jungkook. “Do you want to hear about Y/n and her cat?” he offered the maknae.

Predictably, Taehyung fell silent. Irritated as he might be with his brothers, he did want to listen. Jimin, knowing that he had the undivided attention of the other two vampires in the room, launched into a spectacular and almost certainly exaggerated tale of his time with you today, while his audience lapped up every word.

He left out the part about the gardens outside, because he knew that if he didn’t, all of them would be camped out in the gardens until you decided to show up, which would be extremely strange and probably scare you back into your room for good. Sometimes, his brothers were really too much.

As it turned out, he didn’t need to wait long at all. The next morning, after rising at six am (what? A lifetime habit of waking up before the sun rose for training, or going to bed in the early morning after a night of patrolling, made it difficult to keep to a normal sleep schedule), you pulled your coat and boots on over your pajamas and got ready to go out.

“Come here, baby,” you called Injeolmi, opening the door. He’d never been allowed to leave your room back at the Guild since pets were ‘a sign of weakness’, according to Master Bang, but now that you were here, you could do whatever you wanted. And what you wanted was to give your Norwegian forest cat a taste of what winter air was like. You were sure he’d love it; you’d spent many hours looking at videos of his brethren enjoying the cold air and snow.

He just cocked his head at you, slightly confused. “Come on,” you repeated, kneeling. He ran to you automatically, and you gathered him up in your arms, before leaving your room and shutting the door after you.

“You’re a chubby little chonk, aren’t you, baby boy?” you told him as you wandered down the hallway. He didn’t respond, but looked up at you, and you took that as confirmation that he was, in fact, paying attention to you, and continued talking to him as you tried to figure out how to get to the gardens. Maybe you should have asked Jimin for help, but that ship had sailed now, and it couldn’t be that hard to find an exit to this freaking mansion.

Finding a small spiral staircase at the end of the hallway, you made your way down, pleasantly surprised to find yourself in what appeared to be servants’ quarters. “There has to be some sort of exit here, right?” you mumbled to yourself, readjusting your grip on Injeolmi.

Finally, after some lost wandering (and serious consideration to breaking a window or something just to get out of the building) you found some sliding glass doors that opened to the gardens. The moment you pushed it open, Injeolmi chattered happily at the new sensation of the cold air rushing through his fur, and you smiled at him bemusedly as you bent over to put him on the ground.

Excited now, he ran off to explore some bushes, and you followed at a more sedate pace, keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn’t hurt himself. The sun was starting to rise now, since you’d taken so long to find your way out of the maze-like halls of the mansion, and you had to admit that the garden really was pretty, bathed in the pink and orange glow of the sunrise.

Based on what you knew about vampires, they were incredibly sensitive to even the faintest sunlight, so you expected to be alone this morning. It was why you hadn’t bothered arming yourself before you left your room, something you regretted immensely when you rounded a corner and saw the tall vampire crouched before a giant rose bush.

Namjoon could hear you the moment you opened the sliding doors, of course, but didn’t want to confront you or make you feel uncomfortable by announcing his presence prematurely, so he’d continued his gardening. Plus, of course, he was used to having this time to be alone with his precious plants, and he figured if you didn’t cross paths with him today… well, there’d be other opportunities.

As he looked over at you, however, he wondered if that had been a miscalculation. You looked at him like you’d seen a ghost, your eyes almost bugging out of your head as you gaped at him. Really, not the most attractive expression, but he still thought you were immensely adorable, and in different circumstances he might have come over to kiss your cheek.

“Good morning,” he greeted, standing up and brushing soil off his pants.

“Yes, good morning,” you murmured in response, collecting yourself, though you were still frowning. He ached to smooth that crease in your brow.

You were abruptly feeling very vulnerable standing in front of a vampire without any of your weapons, so you fiddled with the sleeve of your puffy jacket, your gaze sliding over to where Injeolmi was still sniffing curiously at some bushes. Really, you thought, his lack of reaction to the vampire standing in front of him was very out of character, considering how wary he’d been of Jimin yesterday.

The silence stretched out awkwardly, until Namjoon finally couldn’t take it anymore and asked, “What brings you out here this early?”

You shrugged. “I wanted to let Injeolmi explore,” you explained, your eyes drifting back over to your cat, who was having the time of his little life, really.

“Right…” Namjoon responded, not really knowing how to carry on the conversation.

“Jimin told me about the gardens yesterday,” you explained, unexpectedly throwing him a bone.

“Yeah?” he asked, looking pleased. The gardens were his pride and joy – he’d need to thank Jimin later for sending him this unexpected gift.

“Yeah, he wasn’t exaggerating, too. The gardens are really pretty,” you said, looking around.

Namjoon’s chest puffed up – he couldn’t help it. “Thank you,” he said.

Your gaze shot back to his. “You did all this?” you asked, gesturing at the garden in general.

He nodded proudly, looking around. It really was spectacular, he thought, looking at the various plants, bushes and trees he’d cultivated and pruned. Different parts of the garden had different themes – this was a rose garden, like they had in Victorian movies in the West, and in another corner there was a Japanese-inspired Zen garden, and in yet another part, a small replica of the gardens at the Forbidden City in China and so on.

He took you on a tour of the gardens, showing you as much as he could before the sun grew too strong and he had to retire. You were suitably impressed by his work, something that made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. You collected your cat, who’d decided to take a nap on a patch of grass, and he walked you back to your room since you confessed that you were likely to get lost again attempting to return.

“Namjoon-ssi?” you said as you walked side by side quietly.

“Hmm?”

“I think it’s really impressive that you managed to cultivate such a massive and diverse garden,” you complimented him.

He flushed, ducking his head at the praise. “It was nothing. I’ve had a very long time to do it,” he brushed aside your compliment, looking embarrassed.

“Still,” you persisted. “It really is something.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” he said, the term of endearment rolling off his tongue as smoothly as water.

You blinked at him, wondering if you’d heard him correctly. Then again, he was a lot older than you, right? Maybe it was just one of those things, you shrugged off.

“Have a good rest,” you bade him goodbye at your door. He nodded and smiled as you returned to your room to wash Injeolmi’s paws, waiting for you to shut the door behind you before he leapt around in excitement, punching the air with his fist.

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cakesunflower · 4 years

Note

okay i’m obsessed with this idea/game thingy, I love your beautiful mind sm summ, anywho idea here no need convincing me and moving in together? hmm maybe I just live for domestic cal (and selfishly I am living in a sea of boxes and half packed belongings atm lol) ♥️

alright this was meant to be fluffy but like......that obviously didn’t work out njkandgf

---

There were boxes everywhere, in every room. Just looking at them overwhelmed Elodie with a tightness in her chest, eyeing them as she tried to push down the panic. They were all labeled, thankfully, and were placed in the appropriate room they were meant to be unpacked. But there were just so many. She didn’t even realize she and Calum had so many things until their lives were more or less packed up into cardboard containers, waiting to be opened.

She had decided to tackle the kitchen first, while Calum had disappeared into the room that would be his little art studio to make sure all of his precious supplies were all in one piece, undamaged from the move. As Elodie opened another box, after having put away the glasses, bowls, and some electronic appliances, to see their plates packed neatly, she let out a sigh. For a moment, she regretted not taking up their friends’ offer in helping them unpack. But she and Calum were determined to do it on their own, to make this new apartment their home by themselves. She agreed with the sentiment but, God, her arms were already beginning to get sore.

Despite herself, she decided to take a break before emptying the box of plates. So she wandered into the living room, the room bright thanks to the large windows allowing for the natural sunlight to stream in, and collapsed onto the couch that was fortunately already there. Elodie laid down, right arm thrown over to cover her eyes while her left hung off the couch haphazardly, releasing a long sigh that nearly echoed in the empty of their apartment. Their big furniture was already around; the couch, tables, chairs, television, bed. Calum had yet to set up the TV and the stereo plus gaming systems they had, but at least they had Wi-Fi. Elodie wasn’t complaining. This was all a part of the excitement of moving into their new home.

Their new home. God. How exciting was that? She and Calum were no longer trading nights on one another’s beds. They were finally in a place of their own, where they shared one bed, a bathroom, a kitchen—the rent. Nothing had thrilled her more than when she and Calum decided to live together, and instead of her moving out of her and Dominique’s shared apartment into Calum’s, they decided to find a brand-new place that was perfect for them both.

They found one that wasn’t too far from the tattoo shop, had a beautiful view of the city they lived in, and amenities like a pool and gym that they would take full advantage of. It was perfectly sized for the two of them, with high ceilings and large windows and an open plan they both loved. And it was theirs.

“Taking a break already?”

Elodie lifted her arm from her eyes, gazing up to see Calum smirking down at her. His eyebrows were raised, arms crossed and Elodie allowed her gaze to shamelessly drink in the sight of his bulging, tattooed biceps, as well as the tattoos on his collarbones, all for her viewing pleasure thanks to the tank top he so graciously decided to wear. His smirk widened when he noticed her staring, and although Elodie’s cheeks flushed, she wasn’t embarrassed. Not anymore. “Maybe,” she hummed, raising her arms above her to stretch. One of her elbows popped and she let out a short chuckle. “You left me to do all the heavy lifting in the kitchen.”

Calum shot her a look, though the amusement was dancing in his dark eyes. He grasped her hands, pulling her up in a seated position, and he leaned down to keep his gaze leveled with hers as he said, “If you wanted help, you should’ve said so.”

Elodie pouted, fingers interlacing with Calum’s. “What I want is for tiny little elves to unpack for us so we can test out the new bed.” Calum’s eyes widened at her words, and she felt a swell of pride knowing that even now, she still managed to catch him off guard. It wasn’t often, but when it was, his reactions were the best. When his lips parted, Elodie feigned a sigh before shrugging. “But I guess that’ll have to wait. We’ve got a kitchen to unpack.”

She stood up and pushed past him, feeling a giddy giggle fight its way up as she felt his gaze burning into her back as she walked into the kitchen. Elodie innocently hummed to herself as she kept herself busy, all too aware of her boyfriend slowly following behind her. The box was already placed on the counter underneath the cabinet the plates were to go in, and Elodie used the three-step stool to give herself more height to easily place the plates on the shelf, only really needing the bottom step to boost herself.

Just when she grabbed three more to put up, intimately familiar hands grasped her hips and Elodie tightened her grip on the plates, pressing them to her chest. Calum pulled her close, and because he was significantly taller than her, even while she was on the step, he brushed his lips against her ear, easily enticing the butterflies in her stomach. “I think the plates can wait,” he murmured, his voice a low rasp that sent a shiver down Elodie’s spine.

She fought her lips from turning into a smile. She may have been tired from unpacking, but she’d never be tired of Calum. Still, she had grown into the fun habit of teasing him—which never really lasted long. “We’ve got to finish at least one room, Cal.”

“I finished my studio,” Calum told her, fingers digging into her hips, lips trailing along her cheek, leaving a fire in their wake. “The bedroom can be next.”

Elodie knew she’d lost the battle the second she mentioned the bed earlier, biting her grinning lower lip as she carefully put the plates away. As soon as they were out of her grasp, Calum turned her around and Elodie let out a startled laugh before it was silenced by his lips on hers. She really did mean to unpack the kitchen fully, but an important part of moving into a new home was to christen it, wasn’t it?

lost scenes fic game

#wildflowergrae #no need convincing me #lost scenes #calum hood #5sos #5 seconds of summer #calum hood blurb #calum hood blurbs #calum hood imagine #calum hood imagines #5sos blurb #5sos blurbs #5sos imagine #5sos imagines

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katemarley · 3 years

Text

Priority One

Fandom: Mó Dào Zǔ Shī /Chén Qíng Lìng/The Untamed Pairing: XiYao Characters: Niè Huáisāng, Jīn Guāngyáo, Lán Xīchén, Niè Míngjué Rating: T

Summary: Whenever the vice president of the student union has a task for the union’s secretary, it becomes his top priority. The president’s younger brother notices.

Also available on AO3 (see the link in my profile).

Note: The student rep system in this story turned out vaguely British, I suppose… Anyway, MDZS is set in a fantasy world, so why not keep this Modern AU in sort of a fantasy setting, too?

“Oh, hello, Huaisang-xiong. Break between lectures?” Meng Yao entered the room with a cardboard box on his hip and his characteristically dimpled smile on his face. The trousers and waistcoat he wore were cheap but elegant, Nie Huaisang noticed with a practised eye as he looked up from his place on the sofa.

Huaisang was painting a fan for the theatre group. There was never enough time to unpack art supplies and get something done in between university work and performances, but his big brother was the president of the student union. That allowed him to use the union’s office rooms, leave his art supplies on the table next to the sofa and work in between lectures.

“Yep. Making a prop for our next performance.” He turned the fan in his hand, showing the ferns and flowers he had drawn. Meng Yao put the box on his desk and stepped closer to admire the decorations in more detail.

“Beautiful!” he exclaimed. His dimples became even deeper. “Seeing this, I’m sure all the props you have made will be extraordinary once again!” Huaisang acknowledged the flattery with a smile. Meng Yao’s words didn’t mean much. They were often casually flattering.

Returning to his desk, Meng Yao started to unpack the contents of the cardboard box.

“Forgive me if I don’t stay here to chat,” he said, “but I’ve only got an hour in between lectures, too. I needed to pick up these posters from the university print shop and will try to put up as many as I can now.” He took one of the posters from the box and unfolded it so Huaisang could see what was on it.

“Oh, it’s the next performance of Lan Xichen’s ensemble!” Huaisang exclaimed. What he didn’t say was Now I know why you’re so eager to sacrifice your off-work hours to some student union-related task again. He was in the union’s offices often enough to be familiar with Meng Yao’s schedule, and squeezing in an hour of extra work in between lectures was not his normal way of handling things. Meng Yao’s usual planning was too meticulous for last-minute troubleshooting to even become necessary.

“The printing process took a little longer than estimated.” Meng Yao rolled his eyes. “I already filed a complaint with the administration, but it’s likely nothing will come of it. Anyway...” The polite smile was back on his face, dimples included. “I’m off now. Will you be here this afternoon, too?” During your regular work hours, Huaisang added in his head.

“I guess so,” he said out loud. “This isn’t the only prop I need to make.” He waved Meng Yao goodbye with the painted fan. “See you later then!”

“You put up all the posters already?” Lan Xichen exclaimed incredulously. “How—” He paused and a frown appeared on his handsome face. “Wait. A-Yao! You didn’t skip lunch in the canteen for this, did you?”

“Don’t worry, Vice President,” said Meng Yao with a smile that was just that tiny bit wider when he looked at Lan Xichen. “I had lunch.”

Huaisang looked up from the forest he was painting on canvas. He knew he was the only one in the room, apart from Meng Yao, who had seen the box of cheap noodles in the bin. His brother was sitting behind his desk, too focused on his work to notice such things, and Lan Xichen was too honest to realise that his question about “lunch in the canteen” and Meng Yao’s answer didn’t necessarily match. Meng Yao, Huaisang had noticed, was a master in the art of not exactly telling the truth while simultaneously avoiding an outright lie.

“Still,” Lan Xichen insisted, “you shouldn’t have done this all on your own. Putting up posters is so much easier with a second person and I wouldn’t have minded helping you. After all, these were the posters for my ensemble.”

That, Huaisang thought, is exactly why he did this for you. Don’t you see how he’s looking at you? That soft glow in his eyes?

But Lan Xichen, the ever chivalrous, seemed to be oblivious to acts of chivalry done for him. And that, Huaisang pondered, even though it had been him who had started this by being pointedly kind to Meng Yao where others were not.

It had gone around that Meng Yao was the illegitimate son of the university president, Jin Guangshan, as soon as he had started his first year. Huaisang had only heard it from his brother, but there seemed to have been some nasty attempts at bullying Meng Yao, mostly by those of the rich folks who tended to look down on scholarship boys anyway. These attempts had all failed spectacularly, however, after Lan Xichen had made a point of sitting next to Meng Yao during lunch … and after Nie Mingjue had yelled at the bullies, telling them he’d break every single bone in their bodies if they didn’t stop. (That, Huaisang was sure, was also the reason why no one had ever attempted to bully him. His brother could be quite scary if he towered over you and yelled.)

From that moment on, Meng Yao had been part of the in-group. Some people were still talking badly about him, but never within earshot of his protectors, the two most popular students at the university. And when Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen had run for the student council, the ever well-organized and hard-working Meng Yao had managed their election campaign. When they had won, it had only been natural for him to apply for the position of student union secretary – and get chosen not out of familiarity or favour, but because he was actually the applicant with the most credentials.

Meng Yao treated both Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen with the utmost respect bordering on devotion, but with Lan Xichen, there were certain … differences.

Unlike his younger brother Lan Wangji, who was Huaisang’s age and seemed to hate any sort of physical contact, Lan Xichen would occasionally put his hand on Nie Mingjue or Meng Yao’s arm when he was looking over their shoulder at a computer screen. It was almost imperceptible, but whenever he did that with Meng Yao, Meng Yao would lean into the touch.

The moment when Huaisang had become convinced Meng Yao had a thing for Lan Xichen had come when he had seen them practice the guqin together. Lan Xichen had put his hand over Meng Yao’s to show him some finger movement, and the flush on Meng Yao’s face had been unmistakable… Had Lan Xichen looked up in that moment, he would have seen it, too. But he had only had eyes for the instrument.

While Huaisang had been pondering over his observations, the conversation between Lan Xichen and Meng Yao had moved on.

“…need to consider how to arrange the seating this time,” Meng Yao pointed out. “There are some new staff members – I sent them an invitation already, but since I’m not in the arts department, I don’t know their exact hierarchy and who gets along with whom.”

“Don’t worry, A-Yao!” Lan Xichen gave him a reassuring pat on the back – and again, Meng Yao leaned into the touch. “We can look over the seating arrangement for the invited guests later this afternoon.” Lan Xichen took his phone to check his schedule. “Well, early evening. There’s a meeting I have to attend at five, but after that, I’m free. It shouldn’t be more than an hour.”

“That would be perfect,” Meng Yao said with another dimpled smile. “I’m just going to wait for you in the office then. There’s still plenty of work to do anyway.

“Speaking of meetings,” Nie Mingjue made his presence known for the first time during their conversation. “Xichen-xiong, shouldn’t you be on your way to the master class now?”

“Oh dear…” Lan Xichen glanced at his phone again. “Thank you, Mingjue-xiong. You’re quite right.” He grabbed the bag with his xiao in it and rushed out of the office.

“As for you…” Nie Mingjue stood and strode to Meng Yao. “You shouldn’t say ‘yes’ to each and every task someone gives you,” he scolded. “The number of your overtime hours is already higher than what we can pay you. Take a day off, Meng-xiong.”

“Thank you, President,” Meng Yao said with a polite bow. “I will follow your advice. However, please allow me to help Vice President as promised.”

“You already confirmed the appointment.” Nie Mingjue nodded. “That means you must keep it.” Then he glared at Meng Yao. “Still, stop taking on so many chores. You don’t have to prove to us that you’re capable. We know that.” Saying this, he gave Meng Yao a friendly pat on the shoulder that almost brought him to his knees. Huaisang winced in sympathy. He knew how that pat felt.

Huaisang kept Meng Yao company as he waited for Lan Xichen’s meeting to be over. It hadn’t been a conscious decision – it was just that it took very long to thread the beads for a tiara on the metal frame he had made for this purpose.

“Huaisang-xiong, don’t you think it’s enough for today?” Meng Yao asked after Huaisang had yawned for the second time. “I think you should go home and rest. You’ve made a lot of props on one single day.”

Look who’s talking, thought Huaisang, but when he yawned for the third time, he admitted to himself that Meng Yao was right.

“Fine,” he said, almost yawning once again. “I’ll leave everything as it is, alright? Let me just collect the spare beads and put them back in the box, and then I’ll be off.” He gestured at the beads he had taken out of their box because he had expected to use them up within the next couple of minutes.

“Sounds good to me.” Meng Yao nodded. “Meanwhile I’m going to check if Vice President’s meeting is still going on. It’s past six already. Have a nice evening if we don’t see each other anymore today!”

“You, too!” Huaisang waved again, this time without a fan in his hand.

When Meng Yao had left the room, Huaisang picked up the beads he had put on the table, throwing them back in the box. And then it happened. He might have been too inattentive or too tired – in any case, the box tipped and most of its contents spilled across the room.

Oh no, not that!

Huaisang accepted his fate with an acquiescent sigh and kneeled down on the floor, picking up the spilled beads and putting them back in the box.

It took a while for him to clean the linoleum floor as best as he could – Meng Yao didn’t return in the meantime – but just as he thought he had finally found all the beads, he noticed one of them half hidden under the sofa. He pushed the sofa from the wall, collected the beads underneath, and pushed it back.

Then he realised that there might be even more beads under the roll cages beneath all three desks in the room. He checked them quickly – but then he noticed a bead that had found its way behind the partition that sectioned off the large printer and a small desk with a cutting machine, a punch, a stapler and scissors on it.

With a sigh, he took the bead box and checked under the small table. Sure enough, he found two beads and spotted another that had rolled in the gap between the floor and a part of the printer that didn’t carry its weight.

Huaisang was fishing for the stray bead when the door opened. He lifted his head to tell Meng Yao about his mishap – and immediately ducked. Then he had to look up again or, he thought, he would forever doubt what he was seeing with his own eyes.

Meng Yao had pulled Lan Xichen inside and was now pushing him against the door, kissing him with what Huaisang could only describe as hunger. He was standing on tiptoe, fingers digging in Lan Xichen’s shirt both to pull him close and to make him stoop enough for Meng Yao to reach up to him.

Lan Xichen’s eyes were closed and he responded to the fierce kiss with an expression of reverent abandon. One of his hands was wrapped around Meng Yao’s shoulders, keeping him close; the other still held the bag with his xiao.

After a while, Meng Yao broke the kiss. Huaisang ducked again, mind whirring. He had thought Meng Yao’s yearning was unrequited – or unfulfilled, at the least – but this…

“My apologies,” he heard Meng Yao whisper. “I … just couldn’t wait any longer. Being close to you without being able to touch you is torture.”

Lan Xichen gave a quiet laugh. Then there was another lapse in the conversation.

Huaisang peered over the partition – and ducked his head once more. Now Lan Xichen was kissing Meng Yao. He had put his xiao on the nearest desk – Meng Yao’s, as it happened – and was holding Meng Yao’s chin in his fingers. From this angle, Huaisang couldn’t see Lan Xichen’s face, but he had never seen Meng Yao with such an open and vulnerable expression.

Huaisang clenched his fists, staring at the floor with burning cheeks. He had to find a face-saving way to get out of this situation. Nothing of this was meant for him to see. Especially this expression … Meng Yao would kill him if he knew Huaisang had seen it.

“Now, A-Yao,” Lan Xichen said in a teasing tone, “we’ve still got work to do, don’t we?”

“As if I could ever forget!” Meng Yao replied with false indignation. Lan Xichen laughed.

When there was another silence, Huaisang dared to take another look over the partition.

They were sitting on the sofa now, far too close to leave any room for doubt about their relationship. Lan Xichen had wrapped an arm around Meng Yao’s shoulders, who leaned into him, a tablet in his hands.

Meng Yao’s tablet.

Huaisang remembered his surprise when Meng Yao had come to the office with that tablet the day after his birthday. His brother had told him he and Lan Xichen had gifted Meng Yao the economics textbooks he needed for his finals that year, so the appearance of the tablet had been mysterious… Until now, that was. If the tablet was a special present for Lan Xichen’s boyfriend, it all made sense.

The following conversation was incomprehensible to Huaisang because he didn’t see the tablet screen. There were murmured sentences like “How about seating them here?” – “No, I think over there would be better.” – “Then what do we do with… Ah, yes, good idea!” and “No, no, better place another person in between…” Huaisang inferred that Meng Yao had a digital seating chart on his tablet and probably a list of the invited guests as well. He made a mental note to ask Meng Yao about it for the theatre performance … if he made it out of the office without embarrassing himself.

“…and that’s it!” he heard Meng Yao exclaim in pleasant surprise. “That’s really it, isn’t it?”

“It’s the best we can do,” Lan Xichen replied. “We’re finally done, so…” There was a hint of uncertainty in his tone. “Will you come to mine tonight? Stay with me?”

“We shouldn’t do this too often…” Meng Yao said uncomfortably. There was a short pause. “Yes – yes, I will. And believe me, I want to – I’d love to stay with you forever! It’s just that…” He paused again.

“I know,” Lan Xichen said in the gentlest tone. “You want to gain the recognition of your father and everyone around you all by yourself, and I admire you for that attitude. Still…” His tone changed again, turning emphatic and almost pleading. “Please let me help you at least a little bit. Let us help you – Mingjue-xiong and me.”

“You’re already helping so much,” Meng Yao replied. His tone was gentle and fragile as glass. “But you must understand … If people knew about you and me, they would accuse me of sleeping my way up to the top of the social ladder. They say that about my mother, too. I don’t want…” His voice cracked. “I couldn’t bear it if they talked about you as if I was only using you. Them talking badly about me – I can take that. But not about you. Never about you.”

“Oh, A-Yao…” There was a rustle of fabric, and Huaisang didn’t need to be a genius to figure out that Lan Xichen was taking Meng Yao in his arms. “I still think we should tell the Nie brothers about us,” Lan Xichen said. “They won’t spill our secret.”

Huaisang’s heart started to pound in his chest at the mention of his own name.

“I,” said Meng Yao in a muffled voice. “I don’t want to burden them with the knowledge. I’m already selfish as it is, because…” There was another pause. Then Meng Yao whispered: “Because I want you for myself. The sensible thing would have been to keep my distance from you, but I can’t. I can’t…” His voice cracked.

“And that is a good thing,” Lan Xichen said earnestly, “because I couldn’t keep my distance from you either.” He paused. When he spoke again, his voice was raw and vulnerable. “Now let me be selfish, A-Yao: I want you. I’ve wanted you since I first laid eyes upon you, carrying on as if it was nothing even though everyone was saying such bad things about you. I would be an unhappy man if you hadn’t reciprocated my feelings.”

Huaisang inwardly rolled his eyes. He hadn’t known Lan Xichen could be this soppy.

When there was another pause, Huaisang didn’t check what was going on. He was glad about his decision when he heard someone moan – he forbade himself to think about who it was – and was about to put his fingers in his ears when he heard Lan Xichen laugh.

“If we continue like this,” he said, “we’re not going to make it to my flat today.”

“That would be a pity,” Meng Yao said in an equally amused tone. “Your bed is far more comfortable than the sofa.”

“Then take my hand!” Lan Xichen laughed again. “Let’s go home!”

“Let’s go,” Meng Yao repeated. There was a timbre to his voice, a slight waver. “Home,” he continued eventually.

At last, Huaisang heard the door open and close again. He didn’t move.

He was … shocked. Yes, that was the right word for it. Meng Yao’s love for Lan Xichen … it was so obvious because Lan Xichen was the only person he treated differently. Lan Xichen’s love for Meng Yao, however … it was literally hidden in plain sight, Huaisang decided. It didn’t attract anyone’s attention because Lan Xichen was kind to everyone. That was what had fooled him. But now he knew, and he was bursting with that knowledge.

Please rethink your decision, Meng Yao, he pleaded inwardly. I don’t think I can keep that secret from my brother for long.

#xiyao #lan xichen #jin guangyao #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #nie huaisang #nie mingjue #mdzs #cql #mdzs fanfiction #cql fanfiction #fanfiction #my fanfiction #katemarley

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queerbutstillhere · 4 years

Note

Prompt: core disaster attempting to unpack as they move into their new apartment but keep getting distracted and sidetracked.

(We discussed this! And i finally wrote it! Another TimKonBart, and their emotional support best friend who has the only brain cell most the time!)

"Okay! This is the last box from the truck!"

"What is it?"

"I dunno, it's Bart's, and I can't read his handwriting."

Tim walked over, looking at the cardboard box in Kon's hands, tilting his head to read the label.

"Oh, it's like clothes and blankets," he said, pointing towards the stairs.

"Okay, where is Bart anyway?"

"He went to get dinner," Cassie responded, looking over from where she was rearranging the living room, with occasional input from Tim, who was setting up the wifi router, because that was the most important thing.

"Of course he did."

Kon carried the box into the bedroom, setting it down against the wall and then walking back out, over to Tim.

"What do you need, babe?"

"Uh, I don't know. Ask Cassie," Tim responded, barely looking up.

"How about you go start assembling the table, lord knows we'll need that first."

"Yes ma'am."

Kon followed orders and walked into the kitchen, finding the kitchen table that had been disassembled when it was delivered. He found the toolbag and sat down, starting to piece it together.

"Hey! I'm back with food!"

A burst of red light zipped through the kitchen and take and bake pizza boxes were left on the counter in its wake.

"Bart!" An alarmed shout echoed from Tim, followed by a dull thud.

"Bart!" Cassie's was more of an amused complaint.

Then the red streak was back, plopping itself down in Kon's lap.

"Hi!"

"Hello angel," Conner replied, amusedly, he set down his tools and wrapped his arms around Bart, hugging him tightly.

"Watcha working on?"

"The table. Cassie wanted to be able to actually eat liked civilized people."

"Does she even know us?"

Conner laughed, kissing Bart's cheek.

"Why don't you start unpacking the dishes?"

"Okay!"

Bart jumped off, and ran away to snag a box. He started unpacking them at what seemed like a hazardous speed, but Kon knew he was being careful. He just returned to attaching the base of the table, making sure it was tight before standing and setting it up, placing the chairs around it and then gathering his tools.

"Aww, hey, guys come here!" Cassie called.

When Kon and Bart entered the living room, she was in one of Tim's boxes, pulling out pictures and other decorations.

"Look at how tiny we were!" She exclaimed, holding up a couple pictures.

The first few were of them when they had just started Young Justice, just the four of them. Bart, still absolutely tiny, was even smaller, he looked like an actual child next to Kon in all the photos.

"And look at this one!"

She held up a photo of Tim and Bruce.

"Oh my God."

Kon snatched it, staring at tiny Tim. "Babe! Look at you!"

"Kon," Tim whined, grabbing at it.

Bart snatched it and zipped across the room.

"Look at the tiny closeted baby," Bart cooed, grinning with glee.

"Oh like you were any better!"

Tim lunged and snatched it. "If you two are done in the kitchen, why don't you go start unpacking your clothes and stuff."

"Okay!" Bart zipped over and jumped up on Kon's back. "Let's go!"

Kon laughed, carrying Bart upstairs. They got through all of one box of Kon's clothes before Bart kept pulling them on and causing Kon to simultaneously get annoyed and laugh. About the time Bart had four or five of his shirts and hoodies on, Kon grabbed him and pinned him to the bare mattress, kissing him and then pulling off a shirt, kissing him again, and then pulling off one more, doing this until he reached Bart's shirt.

"You're forgetting one," Bart said with an impish grin.

"No."

They both looked up to Tim who was standing in the doorway, shaking his head.

"I knew you guys wouldn't get any actual work done."

"I think he's jealous," Bart whispered, grinning still.

"I'm not- no. Can we just actually unpack?"

"Baby, are you stressed?" Kon asked, not moving from his position, holding Bart down.

"A little okay?"

"Okay."

So they obeyed orders and started nicely unpacking, hanging up clothes or putting them in the dresser, while Tim went about making the bed, getting the sheets all smooth and nice and arranging the obsence amount of pillows. By the time they had gotten mostly done with Bart's stuff, he got bored and zipped downstairs to annoy Cassie.

"You guys have too many clothes," Tim said with a huff, looking at the mostly full dressers.

"You say as if my clothing is not going to be stolen by both of you. Besides, most your clothes hang up."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Come here, Tim, take a breather."

Kon reached out, grabbing Tim and pulling him with his TTK, until he could physically grab his wrist and pull him down onto his lap.

"It'll be okay. We don't have to unpack everything now, yeah? All your books and stuff can stay in their boxes for the day, we can do those tomorrow."

"I just don't like things feeling incomplete."

"It'll be fine. It'll give you something to do when you're struggling with insomnia."

Tim sighed, plopping his head down on Kon's shoulder.

"I'm tired."

"I know."

Conner gently rubbed his back, resting their heads together.

"What else absolutely needs done?" Conner asked.

"The bathroom, and I need to get my clothes out so they don't wrinkle."

"Okay. I'll go do the bathroom, you do your clothes and then we should eat."

Tim nodded in agreement. He pulled away, kissed Conner lightly and then sliding off his lap, turning and starting to pull clothes out of boxes, and hanging or folding them as appropriate. Kon made his way into their bathroom, finding the one box of supplies for it and starting to unpack it, putting all the appropriate supplied in their places. They all had their various bathroom routine type things that were in little travel type bags, that he just set on the counter and left alone for now.

He got done before Tim, so he went to the kitchen and turned on the oven.

"Watcha doing?"

Kon jumped and looked over at Bart who appeared next to him.

"Starting dinner."

"Oh! Good I'm hungry."

"Bart, you're always hungry," Cassie said, walking in.

"I knowwwww," he whined, dramatically throwing himself at Kon, who laughed and easily caught him.

"I vote after dinner we go get some groceries," she said, looking at their barren fridge.

"Why don't you take Tim with you?" Kon suggested. "He's getting pretty stressed. Bart and me will stay here and finish unpacking the kitchen."

"Is he okay?"

"I think so, I dunno, I didn't press him too much."

Cassie nodded. "I'm gonna go unpack my things, don't destroy anything while I'm gone."

"Okay."

"We won't!"

Bart squirmed until he could slide out of Kon's arms. "I'm gonna go set up the PlayStation."

So Kon was left alone in the kitchen. He waited for the oven to heat up and then put the pizza's in. Tim came down at some point, unsurprisingly wearing Kon's previously discarded hoodie. He went and curled up with Bart on their huge sofa, Kon smiled at them softly, standing in the doorway and watching as Bart played The Outer World's, his head against Tim's chest, who's arms were wrapped around him.

"Watch your left," Tim murmured softly, nose pressed into Bart's hair.

"I see it," came the equally soft response.

Bart only ever seemed to slow down like this when Tim needed him. Kon new bursts of energy would be coming later, but for now he'd enjoy this sweet moment.

Later that evening, after groceries got put away, and everyone taken showers and gotten ready for bed, Kon found himself with the task of catching Bart, who had in fact, as predicted, gone spastic. Tim was already in bed, granted he was just working, but at least he was in bed. Kon tried to catch Bart, who kept phasing past him, for almost five minutes before he finally just immobilized him with his TTK and then scooped the limp speedster up, carrying him upstairs to their room. Cassie was in there, talking to Tim. Or more of talking at Tim.

"Konnnn," Bart whined, yet wasn't trying to struggle, Kon knew this because he was no longer trying to restrain his boyfriend.

"It's time to go to bed," Kon told him, gently laying him next to Tim.

"Only if Timmy comes to bed with us," Bart whined, flopping over against Tim.

"Bart, you know that's not fair to him," Kon said softly.

Bart just pouted up at Tim, getting in the way of his work until he had to look at the ginger. He just chuckled.

"I'll try."

"Yay!"

Cassie gently shoulder bumped Kon as she passed.

"Night guys! Don't get too wild!" She called with a giggle, waving over her shoulder.

"Night Cassie!" They all called together, watching her leave and shut the door.

"Night, Bart, night Tim," Kon murmured softly, giving them each a kiss.

"Night Kon," they both murmured back, more tired then either realized.

Kon just chuckled, throwing an arm across Bart until his hand was resting on Tim's waist. And that's how they fell asleep, and would fall asleep nearly every night.

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rmg91 · 4 years

Text

The Woes and Antics of Living Together-23 (END)

LAST CHAPTER! AAAAAHHHHHH!!!! I'll see you all at the ending notes for now though, enjoy the epilogue!

Previous Chapter; AO3/FF.net

@writerofberk-Epilogue! Thank you again soooo much for all your wonderful reviews and for reading!

~*~*~*~*~*~

Early morning sun crept into a box filled apartment, illuminating the stacks of labeled cardboard and furniture sitting in the living room. In the kitchen, stood a young woman with bright pink hair pulled into a messy bun as she leaned against the counter and sipped coffee from a unicorn mug. Poppy let out a happy sigh as she surveyed the new apartment, unable to believe it had been just a little over two years since she and Branch had started living together. And in a few more months it would be their two year anniversary of dating! Sure it hadn't always been easy, they still continued to argue, sometimes about silly things, Branch still got grumpy and unsocialable and Poppy sometimes forgot she needed to step back and not push for things. However, that just made all the rest of their relationship all the sweeter. Like when Branch randomly surprises her with a romantic dinner or she decides she wants to cuddle on the couch instead of going to a party. Things were amazing and now they had a new apartment to have new adventures in. Giggling softly, Poppy continued to glance around, excited for when everything would be unpacked and the image in her head would be brought to life. Shelves full of pictures and nick-knacks, a new set up for the TV, movies and games with lots of new space to fill with more memories! She giggled softly before placing down her mug and grabbing her camera.

Turning it on, she adjusted Branch's shirt and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before pressing record, “Hey there, My Cupcakes!” She grinned widely, “Well, we're here at the new apartment! Though we still have like...all the unpacking to do.” She giggled as she looked over all the boxes awaiting to be emptied, “But I figured I'd give you all the new apartment tour before that. Like a little before and after thing.” She giggled again before moving toward the front door.

“So, here's the new entryway,” It was fair sized, nothing terribly special with a small, green cabinet already sitting beside the dark wood door. A small decorative bowl sat on top already with keys laying inside, “I'm thinking about making or finding a wall hanging to greet us when we come in. Next is the new kitchen!” Poppy spun around and showed the kitchen as a whole. Larger than their previous kitchenette, it had dark brown cabinets and white counter-tops, a small island in the center with the stove and fridge against the wall and the sink nestled into the island. The table Poppy had was sat against the dividing wall, a few boxes sitting on top. The dividing wall was large with a 'window' in the center to see out into the living room. “Let's see...we're thinking about adding a little extra cabinet here,” She gestured to beside the table, “To keep either extra dishes or act as an extra pantry. Also might get some new shelves and display my mugs cause Branch says I have sooo many of them.” She rolled her eyes behind the camera. She did not in her opinion have that many but she had agreed that displaying the ones she wasn't using would be fun.

Another lighthearted giggle and Poppy scurried around the corner to show off the new living room, “So, just take a second to imagine a big, entertainment center, here,” She gestured to the wall the TV was currently sitting up against, “With all the game consoles underneath. Branch will probably insist we start putting that together today... Next!” She spun around to show off the other large, empty wall, other than a plain white door, “The new display wall will be here. Lots of new room to have more pictures~! I'll show you guys what's in there in a second,” She pointed to the door before making her way to the sliding glass door, “But first, take a look at this!”

She opened the door to the small, intimate balcony to capture the sight of the rising sun over the small colorful town. She sighed contently before speaking, “There's nothing quite like the sunrise over your hometown, is there?” She honestly still couldn't believe they were back in Trollington. Poppy turned the camera around and spoke into it, “Now, don't get me wrong. I'm gonna miss Bergenville and going to university there and being able to see Bridget and Gristle more often but...Branch got such a great opportunity here, we had to come home!” Reed had offered him a management position at the newest location of Clever Camping and after talking it over with her, Branch had agreed. “Plus, I'll admit...It'll be really nice to be able to see my dad more often.” And Fuzzbert too of course. She had thought briefly about talking to Branch on bringing Fuzzbert to live with them but she hadn't wanted her dad to get lonely. “And! I've actually gotten a really good job offer too!” She giggled, “Yup! You all are looking at Trollington's newest party planner~ I'll be working adjacent to Sky Toronto and I'll give you all the full story in my next vlog. Now-” She went back inside and after closing the sliding door, opened up the wooden one next to it.

“Here is my new craft room!” Inside what was clearly a smaller bedroom was most, if not all of Poppy's craft supplies, all awaiting to be arranged and sorted how she'd want. A small window sat on one wall, where a desk painted with flowers and stickers sat. “I'm still deciding how I want everything but I'm thinking scrapbook stuff here and paint stuff over here.” She pointed as she spoke, mapping it out mentally and thinking she might need a few new containers. “Maybe a nice big display shelf right in the middle for some of my best work! Still deciding. Let's see....”

Poppy wandered out the room and bee lined for the hallway, dodging boxes here and there, “The new bathroom. Not too much to see but I am excited for that big tub and all the bubble baths.” She giggled before quietly approaching the last door, “And now for the bedroom~” Opening the door, she crept inside and showed off three walls, featuring the closet, her and Branch's dressers, her vanity and another large window with some curtains haphazardly thrown up to block the sun. “Not too much to see, except of course...” She turned around the focus on the last wall where the bed had been placed and the sleeping man in it.

Branch was asleep on his stomach, face buried in a pillow with the sheets wrapped around his waist, leaving his bare back in all it's tawny glory for all to see. He breathed rhythmically and Poppy couldn't help giggling as she said, “I get to wake up to that every morning~”

Suddenly Branch shifted and mumbled into his pillow, “-Ou bet'er not be filmin'...” Before shoving his head under said pillow.

“Oops, gotta go! See you all later~” She giggled as she pressed her hand to the lens and turned off the camera. After placing the device down, she happily crawled back into bed beside her grumpy boyfriend, “Aww, don't be such a troll. You know I love showing you off.”

Branch grumbled something unintelligible before surprising Poppy by wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. She squealed and laughed as Branch buried his face in her shoulder, holding her close. She let out a happy hum as she began to run her fingers through his hair, he'd need a new dye job soon, as he breathed a content sigh and nuzzled against her. They laid like that, in a comfortable silence, happily in each others embrace for a few minutes before Branch broke the silence.

“How and why are you up so early?” He had thought between both the moving and the couple of housewarming shots they had last night, Poppy would have wanted to sleep in.

“Mmm...Guess my responsible boyfriend has corrupted me to getting up early.” She said cheekily, “Also I had to use the bathroom. Then I just decided the coffee maker need to be plugged in.”

Branch hummed, making no move to remove himself from around her, he just wanted to stay right here for a little while longer, “Let's just stay here. I'm not looking forward to unpacking all your stuff.”

“Hey!” Poppy laughed, “You have a good amount of stuff too!” She playfully poked his head, “So no whining about the unpacking. And the sooner we unpack, the sooner we can have a little apartment warming party!”

He groaned and tried to bury his face deeper into her shoulder, whining, “Nooo. No party.” He did not care how childish he had just sounded, Poppy was clearly rubbing off on him, he just wanted to enjoy having his adorable girlfriend all to himself in their new apartment for a little while longer.

“Branch!” Poppy giggled, knowing he didn't quiet mean that, “You promised!”

He heaved a sigh before finally pushing himself up and hovering over her, “Yeah, yeah, I know.” While it was still true he still didn't enjoy large, loud parties, he truly didn't mind small get togethers with their friends now and again. As long at they didn't get too out of control. He smirked down at her, “Didn't mean I couldn't try.”

She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck, “I know~” She then pulled him for a deep, long kiss. “Mmm...Good morning~” She hummed when they parted.

“Morning,” He said back softly, nuzzling his nose against hers, “Love you.”

Poppy giggled sweetly and smiled up at him that special look he never got tired of seeing, “Love you too~”

Branch continued to rub their noses together before dipping down and kissing her again. Poppy sighed, kissing him back and sank into the mattress, letting his weight settle on top of her. Branch tilted his head to the side, deepening the kiss as Poppy invited his tongue into her mouth. Poppy hummed as she arched into Branch, one hand in his hair and the other trailing lightly down his chest before he pulled away. Branch peppered a few extra kisses across her cheek and down her neck before nuzzling his face into his shoulder with a content sigh. Poppy happily hugged him to her, fingers toying lightly with his hair as they laid there in comfortable silence.

“Hey,” Branch said after a few quiet moments. His thoughts had gone back to something he had been thinking about recently and now that the craziness of moving was mostly over, unpacking wasn't as stressful as packing was, he thought maybe now could be a good time.

“Hmm?” Poppy responded, having started to feel the pull of dozing off. Branch's wonderful warmth and scent surrounding her was making her sleepy again.

“Let's go out tonight.” He said, shifting to look at her, “To celebrate moving in.”

Poppy cracked her eyes open with a giggle, “Really?” When Branch nodded she grinned up at him, “Okay~ But first, a little nap. I'm comfy now.” She made a point of trying to snuggle deeper into the pillows as she closed her eyes again.

Branch chuckled and resumed his previous position as he breathed a mental sigh of relief. He hoped she didn't feel the sudden spike in his heartbeat as he began to think of all the different scenarios on how tonight could go. He could very well chicken out in the end, she wouldn't know but there was something about that thought that just made Branch shudder. No, no chickening out no matter what, he'd been wanting this for almost his entire life and having Poppy forever in his life was finally in his grasp. He'd had the ring for weeks already. He was going to ask her and he just hoped beyond hope that she said yes.

She did.

THE END

~*~*~*~*~*~

TA-DAH!!! IT IS COMPLETED!

Okay, yes, it may end a little abruptly as the beta pointed out but I also didn't want to drag it out very much either. ANYWAY! LOOK! I ACTUALLY FINISHED A MULTI-CHAPTERED FIC! I can't tell you guys just how awesome this feels, I've been working on this since January!! And I couldn't have done without all your wonderful comments! (and buffer chapters, those saved my butt a couple of times lol!) Anyway, thank you all so, so, Sooooooo much for reading, enjoying, commenting, faving this fic, it makes my heart happy to know you all enjoyed it as much as I did! Was there a few things I wish I'd done differently? A few but not much c:

So now that this is done, I am going back to writing oneshots for the foreseeable future cause I do not have it in me to any more multi-chaptered fics for a while lol! I'll probably eventually post some bonus scene's somewhere but until then I bid you all adieu~

#Dreamworks Trolls #Branch #Poppy #Broppy #fanfiction #Human AU #Modern AU #Roommate AU #Fluff

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jacobseedvaas35 · 5 years

Text

Befriended

(Chapter 1: Transferred)

Word Count: 1294

@chobit92

A year ago, Hope County was a dangerous place to live. A war had broken out between a religious cult and the residence of Hope County. Innocent and guilty people lost their lives during the war. It all had begun because of one Deputy. She was someone that the cult wanted on their side but she fought against them and destroyed things for the cult. Unfortunately the war claimed her life as well and once she died, the war ended.

Today, that religious cult no longer existed and all the cult leaders were now good people. Though, some of the Eden Gate believers still hung around and at times, they still did cause a lot of trouble. But that was not the main reason for Sheriff Whitehorse to request a new Deputy from Missoula. He needed a new Female Deputy and very brave one too. That’s where Isabella Jones comes in.

The Sheriff in Missoula, informed Isabella that she was getting transferred to Hope County. Of course she wasn’t too pleased about it but unfortunately, things like this happen in the Law Enforcement career. At the same time, Isabella saw this as a good opportunity to start a new chapter in her life, after the horrible break up she had with her ex-fiancé. It was an extremely abusive relationship but once Isabella became a Deputy, her fiancé called it off and ran away from her. He knew putting a hand on a police officer would get him in a lot of trouble, so he preferred to disappear.

Isabella arrived at the cabin that she was going to live in. She was amazed at how big and beautiful it was. The best part was the beautiful view of the mountains in the background of her double story cabin. “Well I’ll be damned” she said to herself. She looked around to see what else was around her cabin and came across another cabin, this one was a single story. “Awesome. I’ll have to say hello to my neighbour, once I’ve settled in”.

The moving truck pulled up behind her car and the two men jumped out. Isabella joined the men and started giving orders on where each box went. Soon after, she found herself inside her cabin and unpacking all her boxes. “This is going to take days. But at least I don’t have to do any cleaning. Looks like someone’s already done it for me. I bet it was the Sheriff” Isabella spoke to herself. “Music will help me get through this unpacking. I should get my stereo first”.

She walked outside to her car, grabbed her stereo and was heading back inside when she saw some guy at the next door neighbours door. “Maybe that’s my new neighbour. I should say hi”. Isabella put the stereo down and made her way over to the strange man. “Hi there” she said out loud, getting the man’s attention.

The man looked up and stood still for a while, as he examined Isabella. “Hi” he said in a rough voice and looked back down at the pile of wood in front of him.

“I’m Isabella. I just moved in next door. Do you live here?”

“Ahh, So you’re the new Deputy? That’s just great” the man said with sarcasm.

Bella looked at the man in a confusing way, before continuing on speaking. “How did you know I was a Deputy?”.

“The Sheriff was down here a couple of days ago, with his Deputies. They were cleaning out the cabin so I sorta got the hint” he replied back. “Jacob Seed’s the name”.

“Oh, nice to meet you Jacob”.

“Nice to meet you too. I guess” he said and walked away.

“I better head back and finish unpacking. See you around”

“Whatever” Jacob said out loud and just disappeared into his house, without looking at her.

“Well that’s nice. I’ve got a jerk for a neighbour. Oh well Isabella, just go home and finish your unpacking. Don’t worry about this asshole” she said to herself and headed back to her house.

It was finally evening and Isabella had just finished unpacking her bedroom box. Just as she was about to finally sit down, there was a knock on the front door. “Damn” she said and walked to the door. When she opened it, Sheriff Whitehorse, Deputy Hudson and Deputy Pratt we’re standing with pizza’s in their hands.

“Welcome to Hope County” Deputy Hudson said. “We got you some pizza’s because we knew you’d be so tired to cook”.

“You guys are life savers. Please come in” Isabella said and stood aside, letting the three of them inside. “I just finished unpacking and was thinking about ordering dinner”.

“Well I am glad we came at the right time. Allow me to introduce my two Deputies. This is Hudson and this is Pratt. They’ll be the people you’ll work alongside. Of course we have more workers but we are the three main officers in Hope County” the Sheriff explained. “We will talk work later. First, let’s eat”.

Isabella was glad the sheriff had said that. She felt like she was almost about to pass out from hunger. “Thank you all for coming and bringing pizza. What a lovely gesture”.

“You’re welcome Rook” Deputy Pratt said and all of them began eating their dinner.

After a great night of talking, telling stories and jokes, The Sheriff And Deputies decided it was time to go home. After all Deputy Isabella needed her rest. She only has two days to rest before starting her first shift at Hope County Jail.

“Thanks for coming guys. Tonight was lovely” Isabella said as she followed them out to their car. Isabella and the Sheriff stopped next to the car, talking a bit before they both heard noise coming from the neighbours house. They both looked over and saw Jacob.

“Have you had a chance to meet your new neighbour?” Sheriff Whitehorse asked.

“Yeah but he is a jerk. We spoke for a few minutes before he turned around and left. Didn’t even say bye or anything” Isabella explained.

“Don’t take any offence of it Rook. Jacob’s had a rough past” Sheriff Whitehorse said. “Actually, if you’ve got time tomorrow, I’d like to come down and have a chat with you”.

“Of course I’ll be. What’s the topic?”

“Jacob Seed but we will talk about it tomorrow. See you then Rookie”

“See you Sheriff”.

Isabella turned around and walked back to her front door but stopped when Jacob walked out from his house. “Goodnight” Bella yelled out.

Jacob looked at her and without saying a word, made his way to Isabella. He stopped a few inches away from her, which was enough for Bella to make out his facial features. “Team meeting?” Jacob asked.

“Huh?” Bella sounded confused.

“Your Sheriff And Deputies were here”

“Oh yeah. Sorry. Umm yeah, they bought over some pizza knowing I would be hungry from all the unpacking” Isabella answered back. “Are you hungry? I’ve got quite a bit of pizza leftover”.

“Pizza? Pfft. Nothing but cardboard”

“Cardboard? Pizza is delicious. Have you ever tried it?”

“No and don’t plan too. Give me a juicy steak or any type of meat, and I’ll be happy”

“Well now I know”.

Jacob examined Isabella a little and realised that she was just trying to be friendly. She didn’t seem like someone who would hurt others. “I better get back inside. I’ve got things to do”.

“Yeah, I’m going to jump into the shower, then get some sleep. Goodnight Jacob”

“Yeah night” Jacob said and walked back to his cabin.

Isabella walked back inside and closed the door. “Ahh I am so done with today” she said and headed upstairs to have a shower.

#jacob seed #far cry 5 #jacob seed x female deputy #befriended #smutty story #ginger mountain man #i love one (1) mountain man #mountain daddy #fc 5

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marshmallow-phd · 6 years

Text

Sculpted Raven

Part of The Untamed - EXO Wolf Universe

Genre: Supernatural, Wolf Au

Pairing: Chanyeol x Reader

Summary: It had been just you and your brother for the longest time and that’s how you liked it. Politics and lies had drove you away from your home five years ago and that has since left a bitter taste in your mouth. While exploring the latest town you’d settled in, you met Chanyeol. He was everything you didn’t want: goofy, happy-go-lucky… a wolf. Mate pull or not, you were going to try everything you could avoid him while keeping the secret from your brother. But how long would you be able to fight? Will Chanyeol be able to pull you back into the world you swore you would never enter again?

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I 11 I 12 I 13 I 14 I Final

Flopping down on the finally cleared off couch, you let out a hefty sigh. When your brother first suggested moving to this town, you were skeptical. A college town that was surrounded by woods. You were sure that he would get discovered, accidentally changing around a party of students or some other avoidable event. But he insisted on this place and since you swore to stay by his side… well, you didn’t really have a choice.

Unpacking was certainly the worst part of moving. The fact that you were the kind of person that once you started you couldn’t really stop just made it worse. However, you were finally done after doing nothing else since breakfast thanks to zero help from your big bro.

Speaking of the devil, Lon came waltzing in the front door, whistling to himself.

“Well, now this place looks like home!” he cheered.

You glared at him. “Yeah, no thanks to you.”

He blew you off, heading into the kitchen and going straight for the freshly stocked fridge. Opening the door and letting the cold air out, he just stood there, studying the shelves like he was practicing for the Bar Exam.

Pushing yourself up off the couch, you came up behind him, already in tune with whatever he was thinking. “I’m not cooking you dinner, too.”

He whined, “But your food is so good. And you know how I am in the kitchen.”

“Yeah… useless.” Sometimes, you really had to make yourself remember that he was nearly two years older than you.

Growing up, you were always looking after him. Especially since he used to be so tiny. The other boys in the pack would pick on him, bully him to no end. Well, when you all were still a part of a pack.

No. Nope. You didn’t go down that road. You no longer dealt with wolf business and that was how you liked it.

“I guess I’ll just have a sandwich then,” Lon grumbled.

You rolled your eyes. “Don’t you mean six sandwiches?”

“I take offense to that,” he scoffed.

You crossed your arms as he turned to face you, letting the fridge door close with a thud. “It was meant to be offensive, idiot.”

Lon pounced, putting you in a loose chokehold before you could get away. Stupid jerk. You fought against his hold, grunting as you tried to gain some sort of leverage. You didn’t get any.

“Say you’re sorry and I’ll let go,” Lon mocked.

What were you, five?

“Not a chance,” you grunted stubbornly. Eventually, he’d let go. Right?

“I’m stronger, sis,” he laughed. “Always have been, always will.”

Irritated, you took the low road and elbowed him in the stomach. He groaned, his hold loosening enough for you to escape.

“Cheater,” he huffed.

Grabbing your leather jacket off the back of the couch, you saluted him. “We each have our ways. I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Where are you going?” Lon jutted out his bottom lip. Ugh. You hated it when he pouted. Someday he’d learn that he wasn’t a cute puppy anymore.

“Out,” you answered simply before closing the door behind you. He was the one who chose this place, it was only justifiable that you got to explore it on your own as well.

It was well into the new semester. The air was starting to warm up as spring approached. College students were bucking down for their midterms, but that didn’t stop most of them from going out on a Friday night.

A small art festival was taking place in the downtown area so you decided to check that out. It was held in a large open area where dozens of white tents were set up in rows for the artists to display their works. Some had potter up for sale, other’s jewelry while most stuck to classic paintings and sketches.

Plenty of people were milling about, weaving in and out of the tents with treats in their hands from the food trucks parked nearby. You could easily hang around without attracting too much attention, blending in and not being noticed. Not that you actually looked like an artsy person with your worn leather jacket and ratted black jeans with massive holes in the knees. You made a note to yourself to remind your brother that your converse would need replacing soon.

A particular tent decorated in black and white and sepia photos of old ruins and worn objects caught your eye. You moseyed on over to it, squeezing around a small group of girls that were huddled around the entrance. Taking your time, you flipped through the photos that were housed in black cardboard frames to keep them from bending.

You were absolutely fascinated. More colorful pictures were hidden behind the grainy ones that originally caught your eyes. Beautiful blues and greens that made up the northern lights. Golden sand that contrasted against the almost-white blue sky. Waterfalls and hot springs. But your absolute favorites were pictures the photographer had somehow gotten inside the Chernobyl disaster area.

There were crumbled up books, decaying buildings, and even an old typewriter. The ones that really drew you in, though, were the many pianos that were falling apart. Dust and cobwebs covered the chipping wood. Many had missing keys and their rusting stings inside were exposed for the world to see. The last one you came to had fallen onto its back, the pieces still left barely holding together.

You felt a lot like those pianos. A shell of your former self. Where there used to be a once happy and carefree little girl who wore dresses and got along with other kids, now there was only a bitter woman who preferred to left alone. You were crumbling away inside with no desire to tape the pieces back together.

“See anything you like?”

Glancing up, you rolled your eyes as you pushed the stack of photos with your index finger back to their original position, leaning away from you for the next person to sort through.

A fairly tall boy with blonde hair and tanned skin was holding himself up against the table of boxes that housed the artist’s work in a manner that he probably thought was suave and cool.

“Not interested,” you deadpanned. Stuffing your hands in your pockets, you walked around him and away from the breathtaking pictures. It’s not like you had extra money to buy them anyway.

“Now that’s not very nice.” The guy had long legs and so he caught up to you in less than two strides.

“Do I look like I do nice?” you snapped. Don’t look at him. Don’t look at him.

In your peripheral, you saw him rake his eyes up and down. “I’d say you look nice. A few rough edges, maybe, but I think I could smooth them out.”

You lost it. Whirling on him, you put up your wall and riled up your tough girl act.

“Listen,” you growled. “I. Am not. Interested. So go chase a short skirt that might actually care about your pathetic attempts at flirting.”

With a set jaw, he opened his mouth to-

“Tao!”

He clamped his mouth shut tight and his eyes flashed yellow, just for a second.

Shit. You pissed off a wolf. Your brother hadn’t mentioned that there were other wolves here. He probably didn’t even know. The idiot.

Two other tall wolves stood about ten feet away. The one in front of you - Tao - whined before throwing you a glare and running off to join his pack members. The tallest one with a very authoritative aura to him grabbed Tao by his neck and started dragging him away. Tao let out a few cries of pain, but that didn’t deter his brother.

Just before you could go about your business, the second wolf caught your eye. He had a soft face outlined by light brown hair and ears that stuck out a bit. Dark, contrasting brown eyes stared at you in fascination. His eyebrows were pulled together in confusion. An uncomfortable feeling settling in your stomach, you backed up a few steps before turning around and inserting yourself into the crowd that was moving in the opposite direction of the wolf.

You decided it was time for you to head back home and you left the art festival and walked along the empty sidewalks of the business district.

To no one’s surprise, your brother was sprawled out on the couch, munching away at sandwich number who knows what. As soon as the door was shut behind you, you marched up to the couch and slapped your brother upside the head.

“Ow!” he whined through a mouth full of food. “What was that?”

“Did you even do any sort of freaking research before choosing this place?” you yelled.

Tossing the sandwich down on the coffee table, your brother sat up. “Of course I did! Do you remember what happened last time?”

Of course you did. The idiot didn’t realize that a particularly nasty pack had already settled in the area a few months back. Your brother had needed several days to heal up after that encounter while you searched desperately to find anywhere else to live that wasn’t there. The worst part was that you actually liked the area.

“Why the hell do you think I’m asking?” As much as you loved your brother, he could be a real idiot sometimes. “Did you happen to miss the wolves that already live here?”

Lon shook his head. “No, I know they’re here.”

You blinked. Several times. “Excuse me?”

“I met one of them when I was scouting the place out,” he elaborated. “I was bouncing around the different auto shops, seeing anyone had any openings. I came across a new shop that was looking for hire. The owner spotted what I was right away. He doesn’t care. It’s his pack that claims this territory, but as long as we don’t cross them, we’re fine.”

Okay with your brother’s presence or not, you were not satisfied or comforted by his explanation Or the fact that he left that important detail out. “And you didn’t think that maybe I should know about this?”

“Nope.” God, he even did the lip pop on the “p” that you hated so much. “I knew you want to find a different place and I like it here. I start at the shop tomorrow and we already signed a six month lease on the place. So chill out.”

He was absolutely correct. You would have fought tooth and nail to go somewhere else. You didn’t trust wolves. After the shit the pack pulled against your family… well, let’s just say that if your brother didn’t turn into a big hairy dog every once in a while, then you would have made sure to extinct that part of your life forever. Even so, you did a pretty good job of avoiding the supernatural.

“Fine,” you grumbled. Walking around him, you snatched up his sandwich before heading down the hall to your room.”

“Hey!” Lon called after you.

Officially claiming the sandwich as your own, you took a large bite out of the corner. “You’ve had enough!”

Honestly, you should probably get a job. It might cure this boredom you had. But your brother insisted on being the only breadwinner in the family and didn’t really agree with you finding full time work as well.

You could always take classes. The college might actually take you. You had decent grades in high school. Not honor society worthy, but still not bad. You’d taken some college courses in the past after you first graduated, but the idea of staying in a lecture hall for over an hour while some old guy yapped away like what he was saying was actually important wasn’t how you prefered to spend your time.

With no other appealing tasks, you once again set out in randomly walking around the city. Out of the seven days you’d been settled in this place, this was about the fourth time you’d spent it this way. Each time, you hit a different area, memorizing the street names and buildings located there but always avoided the college. According to your brother, most of the pack was enrolled at the university and you didn’t feel like having another run-in with any of them. Lon hadn’t really met of them either, but he wasn’t too worried. His boss apparently was of the higher ups of the pack and treated him well.

Thinking about your brother made you realize that you hadn’t gone to visit him at work yet. While you knew where the shop was located approximately and what it was called, you hadn’t physically been there yet. You decided that could cure an hour or so and you brought up the shop on your phone, following the map until you were outside the entrance.

There was a car in each of the three slots of the garage with a few mechanics milling about. You shifted back and forth on your feet while your eyes searched for your brother. You had the right shop, didn’t you?

“Can I help you?”

The really tall wolf from the night at the festival walked up to you, wiping his hands with an already dirty rag.

“Um,” you scratched the side of your neck. “I’m looking for Lon?”

A look of epiphany lit up the wolf’s eyes. “Ah. you must be the little sister.” He held out his hand. “I’m Kris.”

Hesitantly, you took his hand, shaking it politely. “(y/n).”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Kris smiled. He motioned with his head, “Follow me. Lon’s under a car right now.”

Oh. That explained why you didn’t seem him. You followed Kris to the car all the way to the end of the garage. Lon was lying on a shop roller on the floor underneath a blue convertible. Kris hit his palm against the door twice.

“Hey, Lon, you’ve got a visitor.”

Your brother pushed himself out from under the car. “(y/n)? What are you doing here?”

You shrugged. “I was bored.”

Lon grunted as he got to his feet. “Sorry, Kris.”

Kris waved it away. “Don’t worry about it. Family’s important. Besides, the owner won’t be picking up until tomorrow. No rush.” He looked at you and nodded. “It was nice to meet you.”

You gave him a slightly forced smiled. You couldn’t help it. Too many years spent being weary of other wolves. “You, too.”

Now just the two of you, Lon sighed, shaking his head at you. “Did you at least bring me lunch?”

“No,” you scoffed. “I was just walking around, figured I’d kill some time here, see what you do with your day.” You leaned against the car, stuffing your hands in your pockets.

Like the annoying brother he was, Lon pulled the beanie from your head and then tugged on your jacket. “Don’t scratch the car. I’ll have to pay for that.”

Rolling your eyes, you swiped your hat back and stuffed it in your pocket before straightening up. “Yeah, right. You could fix a small scratch in your sleep without spending a dime.”

Lon had always loved tinkering with cars ever since he was kid. He’d go on and on about cylinders and nitro gas and racer movies. A permanent smell of grease followed him everywhere. Your dad always encouraged it, buying him old clunkers that Lon would spend hours pulling apart and putting back together again. You’d usually hang out with him in the garage doing your homework or just sitting on the floor, watching him. The garage was where he was happiest and seeing your brother happy made you content.

That was always the height of your emotions: contentment. You weren’t exactly sure what “happy” was anymore. That was a feeling you hadn’t had for a very long time. Neutral was where you stayed most of the time, teetering on angry. Angry at the old pack, angry at your dad, angry at the world. Usually, you were able to stamp it down. Anger was useless when you had nowhere to direct it.

“Still,” Lon scolded, flicking your forehead, “don’t lean on the car.”

Looking around the shop, you watched as the mechanics as joked around and teased each other. Their laughs echoed off the walls and made the atmosphere an enjoyable one.

“Do you like it here?” you asked.

With a big smile, he nodded. “Yeah. I like it a lot. Kris is a good man to work for. And I don’t have to hide what I am.”

You frowned. “Are the others-”

“Nah,” he didn’t even let you finish. “Just Kris knows. But that means I don’t have to hide it from him if… something were to happen.”

You didn’t exactly want to think about what could happen if your brother was to accidentally lose his temper.

“That’s good.”

“Kris!”

Your head snapped around to the voice that had called for the shop owner.

Ugh.

It was the brown haired wolf from the festival. Tao wasn’t with him, thankfully. This time, a different sandy haired boy was with him along with a literal incarnation of a puppy. So much for no more running into them. Weren’t they supposed to be in school?

Kris looked up from the engine he was currently looking at. “Hey, guys! What’s up?”

You turned back to your brother. “I’m going to go ahead go. I’ll see you at home.”

“Okay!” Lon threw an arm over your shoulder, pulling in so he could plant a kiss on the top of your head. You shoved him away, trying to feign annoyance, but it didn’t work. You loved affection from your brother.

Now the trick was to sneak out of the garage without being noticed. You were almost in the clear, taking quick but quiet steps. The sidewalk outside was almost in your reach….

“Hey, wait!”

You didn’t wait. Your pace quickened, hoping that your obvious determination to not stop would deter his chase. Unfortunately, not.

“Hey!” The wolf grabbed your arm and brought you to a stop before spinning you around to face him.

“What?” you growled.

“I’m Chanyeol,” he blurted.

You raised an eyebrow. “So?”

As hard as it was, you tried not to focus on his face. Cute boys weren’t your type at all. Especially cute boys that didn’t understand that you obviously didn’t want to be bothered. One would think that after his friend being shot down last week, the hint would be painted on a billboard sign that you weren’t interested.

But then you really met his eyes.

Your heart was doing something funny. It was speeding up and not in the usual flight or fight way that you were used to. A smile grew on Chanyeol’s face. It was a little lopsided as it crinkled the sides of his eyes. It just made your heart jump even more.

No. Hell no.

“What’s your name?” he asked softly.

“Not a chance.”

You wretched your arm out of his grasp and took off. As fast as your feet could carry you, you raced back to your apartment, not stopping until you were safe within its walls. Collapsing against the door, you slid down to the floor, releasing a sound that was a mix of a groan and a whine the whole way.

This was so not happening to you. It wasn’t going to happen to you. Not on your watch.

Taking off your jacket, you rolled it up into a ball until your noticed your pockets were empty. Searching all around you and even risking being found to look outside your apartment, you desperately wanted to find your purple beanie. It was your favorite and it was nowhere to be found.

Great. Just freaking great.

One week here and you hated this place already. Hopefully, you dropped it back at the shop and your brother was able to pick it up. If not - you didn’t want to think about the possible alternative. From now on, you were going to have to become a recluse. And you had make sure that your brother never found out.

#exo fanfiction #exo fanfic #exo wolf au #exo wolf!au #exo werewolf au #exo werewolf!au #chanyeol x reader #Park Chanyeol #huang zitao #tao #kris wu #wu yifan #Sculpted Raven #untamed wolf universe

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peraltasames · 5 years

Text

home is just another word for you

Pairing: Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago

Desc: While moving into Amy's apartment, Jake stumbles upon the letter she wrote him while he was in Florida.

Notes: this is the first chapter of my new one-shot collection! title from ‘you’re my home’ by billy joel

Read on AO3

“Alright, this is the last box!” Jake shouts loud enough to be heard across the apartment, ripping the tape off the large cardboard box full of miscellaneous knick-knacks and items that he refused to part with. He’s positive Amy only let him keep them because she feels a little bit bad he had to give up his apartment (even though hers was the obvious choice) but the image of a Die Hard poster among her fancy china cabinets and antique furniture is just too good. Besides, they’re both excited to make it their apartment versus simply her apartment that he’s living in.

“Awesome, babe!” He hears Amy’s voice from the kitchen, where she’s unpacking his pretty limited supply of cutlery and appliances.

With the realization that he’s one box away from fully cohabiting with his favourite person in the world, Jake smiles to himself as he begins to pull random objects out of the box a little faster than he did the last few.

“Okay, magic eight ball, where should you go?” he mumbles to himself, glancing around the room at the nice, soft aesthetic Amy’s created with her choice of decor. “Yeah, maybe in a drawer for now.”

He strolls over to her desk, opening the drawer filled with documents and various writing utensils and stationery. He plops the ball in next to the stapler, his eyes barely glancing over some of the highly-organized papers and catching an envelope, mostly obscured by an insurance form, with the FBI seal in the corner.

His interest immediately piqued, he glances behind him to make sure Amy’s still in the other room and picks up the envelope, which isn’t sealed. Inside are two folded sheets of paper, the second falling to the desk as he reads the first one.

Detective Amy Santiago,

I would like to inform you that Detective Jacob Peralta is still in Witness Protection and will continue to be for an indefinite amount of time. I am unable to update you on the case, but I assure you the Bureau is doing everything we can to find Jimmy Figgis. Since it has been six months, I have decided to allow you to write a one-page letter to Jacob, which I will read to him and subsequently incinerate. Please enclose your letter in this same envelope and deliver it to the address you were given before Jacob’s departure, it will be passed on to me.

Marshal Haas

Taking in a sharp breath, he realizes what the other letter must be. Given the fact that the Nine-Nine came down to Florida to help catch Figgis only a few days after the six-month mark, she must’ve never had the chance to deliver it. His heart begins to beat faster as he reads the first line - his name, in her perfect, neat handwriting.

Dear Jake,

We both know brevity isn’t my strong suit, and since it’s impossible to fit six months into one page, I’m going to try to give you the highlights.

Charles and Genevieve adopted a four-year old, his name is Nikolaj and Charles never stops talking about him but he’s actually pretty cute. Rosa’s good, she says to tell you she nodded slightly (I assume you know what that means). Gina is...Gina. Terry and Sharon and the kids are doing well. We got a new captain today, he’s a complete idiot but at least it’s only until Holt comes back. Everyone misses you guys so much.

I’m doing okay. As okay as I can be without you, I guess. It’s really hard sometimes. It’s always hard, but some days are worse than others. I haven’t been doing much lately other than staring at the phone waiting for the call that you’re coming home. I know you’re safe there, but please don’t do anything reckless that could jeopardize that no matter how long you’re gone. I want you home so badly, but if he finds you I’m never gonna get that call. I need to get that call.

I love you so much. I love you more every single day. I worry about you constantly - please remember to drink water and eat vegetables and get some exercise. I know this must be so hard and scary for you, but hopefully it won’t be too much longer. I can’t wait for you to come back to me.

Love,

Amy

What breaks him, making him collapse into the chair beside him and sending tears down his cheeks, is not the heart-wrenching words she wrote for him months ago - it’s the faint stains on the page in the shape of teardrops.

While he was in Florida, slowly deteriorating and feeling his former self slip away along with his hope of returning home, she was sitting at this very desk crying over his absence. Missing him, worrying about him, loving him more every single day.

“You need some help finishing with the-“

He turns slightly to face the figure standing in the doorway. In pyjama shorts, a loose black tank top, and with her hair pulled back in a ponytail that’s now messy from hours of moving boxes, she’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

“Jake, what’s wrong?” She scurries over to him, frowning. “Why are you crying?”

He doesn’t realize his eyes are puffy and his cheeks are wet with tears until she’s standing right next to him, her hand cupping his face. He lifts the letter in his hand for her to see, her eyes widening as he finally looks up at her.

“Oh...”

“I never knew about this,” he chokes out, reaching out for her from where he still sits in the chair and resting his hand on her waist.

“I know,” she says, her hand moving from his face to rest on his shoulder. “We went to Florida the next day. I never delivered it.”

He nods, wiping his tears away with the sleeve of his hoodie. “Yeah, I just meant I- I didn’t know about this at all. About how hard it was for you.”

Her face, initially etched with concern, now flashes with a look of pain and loneliness at the memory of their separation. Even now, when they’re approaching the mark of him being back for as long as he was gone, he still sees this look sometimes when someone mentions Florida or WitSec in general.

“Of course it was, Jake,” she says quietly. “After I got used to being with you, not being with you wasn’t really an option anymore.”

He knows the feeling. There are too many memories clogging his brain that he wishes would fade of eating soggy burritos in the hot tub or staring at the photo of Amy in the storage unit because it was all he had.

“C’mere.”

Needing to be close to her, he tugs on her waist and turns her around so she gently falls into his lap. Her arms wind around his neck while her head finds his shoulder. He kisses her forehead for the version of himself known as Larry Sherbet, who wasn’t sure at times if he would ever be able to do that again. Larry would’ve given anything in the world to hold her like this during the hot, sleepless Florida nights.

“Thanks for coming home to me,” she murmurs, her lips pecking his collarbone.

“Thanks for waiting for me to come home,” he responds, his arms around her body clutching her a little tighter. “And thanks for being super cheesy in that letter, because I’m totally gonna bring it up all the time now.”

She slaps his arm half-heartedly, still relaxed against him. “Hey, you would’ve been cheesy too if you were allowed to write one.”

“Definitely, but we will never have proof of it,” he says, hand stroking her leg. “Unless you ask Captain Holt how many times I whined about missing you after I had downed a bottle of whiskey and he’d searched my living room for bugs and cameras again.”

He says it like a joke, but she only hugs him closer and buries her face in his neck. He supposes the thought of him drunkenly talking about how much he misses his girlfriend does seem pretty sad. It was pretty sad.

“I love you, roomie,” he murmurs.

“I love you too.” She pulls away to face him properly, leaning in for a quick kiss. “Although, we’re not officially living together until you finish unpacking that box.”

“Okay, okay, okay...or, hear me out, what if we unpack it later and have sex now?”

He looks up at her with big puppy dog eyes, employing his foolproof method of stroking her inner thigh gently with his thumb.

“Jake...I really want to get this done,” she says, but he can already hear the willpower fading in her voice.

“Does it really matter if we have sex with or without the Die Hard poster hung up?”

She bites her lip. “Well, I guess n-“

Taking that as all the approval he needs, he scoops her up and walks her over to the bed so conveniently close to them. The bed that is now their bed, in their room, in their home. He admitted to himself a long time ago, however, that home was wherever she was - specifically, in the moment that she kissed him in the back of an ambulance in Coral Palms and Brooklyn suddenly became just a place on a map.

#otp: you're not allowed to fall in love with me #b99 fic #b99 #peraltiago #peraltiago fanfiction #so my obsession w writing them has reached new heights clearly #this fic is probably gonna have like 50 chapters lmao #myfics

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365daysofsasuhina · 5 years

Text

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day One Hundred Three: A Stack of Boxes ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

It’s here. The big day. After a year and a half of dating, she’s finally agreed to take the next step.

Moving in together.

She’s assured him there’s not much to take. She has no real furniture of her own beyond a bed and a desk, which her friend Kiba is taking in a truck. The rest she’s got in boxes. Going straight from college dorms to an apartment mean neither of them have much beyond their bedrooms back home. Sasuke went first to set the place up a bit. Hinata had agreed to stay home the coming Summer to watch her little sister, an upcoming senior in highschool, as Hiashi kept working full time.

But now it’s Fall, and Hanabi’s back in class for the majority of every weekday. Hinata is officially free.

So, Sasuke pulls up to the curb the first Saturday after high school starts. Kiba’s truck is still there, loaded with the furniture Hinata’s got to take. The pair of them have already moved the boxes outside.

And...what a stack of boxes it is.

Sasuke can’t help a small drop of his jaw as they emerge from the house.

“Sasuke!”

“...what is this?”

“...my stuff?”

“Hinata, I can’t fit this in my car. You told me it would fit!”

“Well, we can put some in the cab of Kiba’s truck! And I’ll take some in my car. I think we can make it work!”

He gives her an incredulous look. “What...is all this stuff?”

“Well, some of it’s mine...and some of it’s my mother’s.”

...oh.

Hinata shrugs a bit. “...Dad says he doesn’t want it anymore, and...that I could take it. Otherwise I’m afraid he might throw it out.”

Cue the guilt. “No, he...he can’t do that. We’ll get it moved. It just...might take another trip.”

“Trust me, I’m a professional box Tetris player. You get a lot of practice with it in retail,” Hinata assures him, a clear callback to her job while in school.

“Okay...work your magic then, I suppose.”

They fill up Kiba’s truck first (which thankfully is a full cab). Sasuke will admit, he’s impressed how much she manages to get in there. Next is her car, stuffed from trunk to front seat. And last, they put just a few boxes into Sasuke’s back seat.

“...okay, remind me to never challenge you to play Tetris,” he laughs once they’re done. “Because you will most certainly kick my ass.”

Hinata just gives a small laugh.

“Well, let’s get going - don’t wanna wait until traffic decides to get bad.”

“Okay. Um...one thing first.” Before he can say anything else, she dashes back inside, Kiba going to get into his truck.

A scant minute later, she’s back.

“What was that?”

“Lit one last incense stick at my mom’s memory altar. Just to say goodbye.”

Sasuke softens. “...gonna miss this place?”

“...yes and no.”

“Yeah...I know the feeling. Onward and upward, right?”

“Right.”

The trek across town takes them twenty minutes, traffic thankfully still light in the early afternoon. Their new building is in a quieter part of town. Mostly houses, a few businesses branching out from the city. It’s a bit on the spendy side, but it was too perfect not to indulge in. And Sasuke’s already got work going with his father right out of school. Hinata’s still looking, but it likely won’t take her long. Last he heard, she had an interview with a local museum of art and anthropology to put her humanities degree to use.

Thankfully it also comes partially furnished, so they won’t be eating dinner sitting on the floor for a while.

Pulling up, they start with the furniture. They’re only on the second floor, and the place only has five floors anyway. Kiba and Sasuke do all the heavy lifting as Hinata flits around carrying spare boxes until they’re all packing cardboard. By the time they’re done, it’s early evening.

Hinata offers to buy Kiba dinner, but he insists he’s got plans. So, it’s just the pair of them, ordering a pizza from a place just down the block and sitting at the tiny kitchen table.

“...so?”

“Hm?”

“What do you think?”

She considers that, looking around. “...I think it’ll take a bit to sink in. It helps I’ve moved back and forth into dorms all through college. I’m a bit well-versed in m-moving all my stuff and changing environments. But this one’s ours.” A pause. “...well, sort of. It’s not a house, and we’re not buying. But still. It’s just the two of us!”

“Yup.” Sasuke grins. “Hopefully we can upgrade to a house in a few years. Guess just see how things go.”

“Yeah...it’d be nice to have a yard. I want to start a garden like my mother had. The yard was always so full of flowers every Spring and Summer...I miss that. Oh, and we could get pets!”

“Pets? Like, what...a cat?”

“Sure! Or a dog.”

Sasuke’s nose wrinkles.

“I know, I know...but we could take them to the park! And for walks! It’d be good exercise.”

“So would just walking.”

She just pouts at him.

“Well, it’s a little early to think about all that. For now, this is what we’ve got to work with. And a pet deposit on top of everything else isn’t what we need.”

“I know...Dad’s never let us have pets. Guess I’m just eager to be able to break out of that.”

“We will. Someday. One step at a time.”

“Yeah…” Hinata leans against him with a small sigh. “I’m sure it won’t be long before something happens and makes me wish to be back at Dad’s again.”

That earns a small snicker. “Independence has its prices, yeah. But we’ll handle them.”

For now, most things go unpacked that aren’t the basics. They’ll slowly go through boxes as they have the time. But for now, they’re both too exhausted to bother digging things out. After dinner, they watch a movie, and Sasuke catches Hinata nodding off halfway through. “C’mon now, you didn’t even do any of the heavy lifting.”

“I know, I’m just...tuckered out for some reason.”

“Time to hit the hay, then.”

For now, they keep separate rooms. Each of them are armed with twin beds, and...neither of them feel like getting that cozy. A bigger bed: one more thing to save up for. Each dressed down for sleep - Hinata in a t-shirt and shorts, Sasuke in sweats - they part in the main room, each looking hesitant.

“Well...see you in the morning.”

“Yeah...I’ll make breakfast when I get up.”

“Not if I beat you to it.”

“But I make the best pancakes!”

Sasuke leans out his bedroom door. “Prove it by getting up first, then!”

“I will!”

“All right then.”

A pause, and then they both laugh.

“Goodnight, Sasuke.”

“Night, Hinata.”

Doors shut with two clicks, and the apartment goes quiet.

At least, until morning.

Oof, finally done! Today was all sorts of busy, but at least it's not as late as I've been lately! This one's more simple: just a wee slice of life fic about moving in together. It could probably be longer, but...I'm a lil wiped after my long day ^^; So I thought I'd just keep it simple. That's all for today though. Thanks for reading! :D

#sasuhina #uchiha sasuke #hyūga hinata #best years of your life [ au ]#365daysofsasuhina

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jennycalendar · 5 years

Text

imperfections (50/?)

read it on ao3!

50 CHAPTERS, Y’ALL. and we JUST hit 100k words. this is kind of insane. not only that, but ideas are starting to solidify wrt where i want to take the second half (fdhklshdfs help) of this fic, and i’m starting to think that maybe. possibly. i might finish it this year. crazy!!!!

“This is just more boxes,” said Buffy upon entering the living room. “This is just a whole bunch of boxes, only now they’re stacked to the ceiling. This is like Box Hell.”

“Yes, well, that is usually what moving entails,” said Giles with a small smile. “Not exactly the best Christmas party—”

“Are you kidding? This is amazing! I feel like I’m back in college!” Jen slid by in socks, leggings, and the truly terrible sweater that Giles had knitted her. “Faith, you’d better finish packing your room before I pack it for you, Xander, I think I called your mom again and she said she’d drop any extra stuff off at the new place, Rupert, how many boxes of books do we still need to load onto the truck?”

“Five,” said Giles, catching Jen’s arm before she slid into a stack of boxes. “Buffy, is your mum stopping by for dinner?”

“I said I’d call her when all the boxes were cleared out,” Buffy answered obligingly. “She’s bringing a roast, is that cool?”

“We have a teenage boy and two Slayers,” said Giles dryly. “I daresay we need all the food we can get.” Buffy made a face at Giles. Solemnly, Giles made a face right back. “Faith, have you finished packing your room?” he added.

“Mostly,” said Faith evasively.

Jen made a reproving little noise, tugged herself free of Giles’s hand, and slid across the floor to collide with the couch. Giles winced. “There isn’t too much left to pack, I hope,” said Jen, tugging affectionately at the sleeve of Faith’s leather jacket.

Faith thought about her still-unpacked dresser, winced a little, and said, “Is it cool if I just throw the clothes into a cardboard box without folding them?”

“I’d prefer if you didn’t,” said Giles, at the same time Jen said, “I mean, that’s what I’ve been doing,” at which point they exchanged an alarmed look.

Deciding to take that as a yes, Faith pulled herself up off the couch, squeezed around Xander and Cordelia (who were very busy making out in the middle of a nest of boxes), and stepped into the hallway, opening the door to her near-barren bedroom.

The no-longer-broken TV had been packed already, as had the full-length mirror and most of her clothing. The dresser remained, half of its drawers open, clothing strewn haphazardly about the room and across the bed. Faith made a face at the mess, decided that she could sort most of it out at the new house, and started tossing clothing into a nearby cardboard box.

“Need some help?”

Faith jumped, then grinned. “Sure,” she said, straightening up to face Buffy. “You gonna go postal if you touch one of my bras?”

“I’m never gonna live that one down, huh?” said Buffy wryly, stooping to pick up one of Faith’s tank tops.

For a while, they packed in companionable silence. Then, her mind on all those lingering touches, Faith said casually, “So how’s your love life been going?”

Buffy made a gagging noise.

“That bad?”

“I don’t think I ever wanna date again,” said Buffy, wrinkling her nose as she folded the tank top. “At best, you end up with a broken heart, and at worst, your boyfriend goes postal and tries to kill your computer science teacher.”

“You ever consider trying girls?”

The tank top slipped out of Buffy’s hands. She didn’t notice. “Girls?” she echoed, in that same squeaky voice that had said that’s a nice bra.

“Well,” Faith shrugged, “yeah. I mean, I—” God, her palms were sweaty. “I like girls,” she said, and all but hurled one of her sweaters in the general direction of the box. It missed by a mile. “So. You know. It’s always an option.”

“Huh,” said Buffy. Faith hadn’t even known human voices could reach that pitch. “You mean you—you think girls are pretty, right? ‘Cause I figured everyone thinks that kind of thing.”

Faith looked up, amused. “There’s a fine line between thinking girls are pretty and thinking girls are pretty,” she said. “And I, uh,” she faltered, aware that she had left plausible deniability behind a long while ago, “think that second one. Girls are pretty, man.” She then busied herself with throwing the next sweater at the box (it also missed).

Buffy leaned down to pick up one of the sweaters by the box, folding it while looking somewhat nervously at Faith. “Huh,” she said. “I-I didn’t know—I mean, I never figured—”

“You cool with it?” Faith kept her voice light, tried to infuse a half-threatening challenge into the question.

Buffy smiled somewhat shyly. “You’re my friend,” she said. “I’m totally cool with it. I might need a little bit to, uh, recalibrate, I guess, but…” She trailed off. “It’s just another piece of the Faith puzzle,” she finished.

God, B was sweet. “You’re, uh,” Faith shrugged, doing her best to look nonchalant, “kinda the first person I told.”

Buffy’s eyes went wide. “You didn’t even tell Ms. Calendar?”

“Uh,” said Faith, thinking about all the significant looks Jen had directed at her every single time she’d tried to flirt with Buffy. “Not directly.”

Buffy was blushing a gentle pink that all but matched her magenta sweater. “Then, um, thanks,” she said shyly. “It means a lot to know you trust me like that.”

“Yeah, I, I do,” said Faith, feeling all warm and fluttery.

Buffy opened her mouth, and for a moment, the nervous softness in her eyes made Faith all but certain that they were gonna start getting all sappy and romantic and shit. Like, high-school-rom-com sappy, and maybe they’d even start making out in her bedroom, and Faith was already moving to shut the door when the look faded from Buffy’s face. She shut her mouth, looking significantly sadder, then said, “It’s honestly gonna be a while before I try dating anyone. Boys or—” and then her eyes moved to Faith, wary and warm all at once, “—or anyone.”

You’d have to be a fuckin’ moron not to get that message. “Sure,” said Faith, her heart pounding. “But, uh, I’m not goin’ anywhere. Just so you know.”

Buffy gave her a small, tired grin. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said.

“Stop that,” said Rupert, taking the mixing bowl from Jenny. “That’s for much later, and didn’t you read that article I gave you about the dangers of raw cookie dough?”

“Rupert, the odds of me dying by random vampire attack are far higher than the odds of me contracting salmonella,” said Jenny, making a production of licking the spatula.

“That’s unhygienic—”

“Have you finished packing?”

“Are you just trying to get me to leave the kitchen in order to eat the rest of the cookie dough?”

“Yes,” said Jenny. “I am transparent, awful, and a paragon of unhealthy behavior. Have you finished packing?”

Rupert rolled his eyes, smiling indulgently. “Yes, dear,” he said. “I have finished packing.”

Jenny looked at him, then at the large stack of books on the kitchen table, then back at him. “Well, those aren’t mine,” she began.

“Those…” Rupert trailed off, his expression clouded. “Those belong to the Council,” he said.

Jenny’s smile faded. “Oh,” she said. “So are we bringing them with us?”

“I’m honestly not sure.” Rupert’s gaze turned to the books, studying them pensively. “Tentatively, I plan to resign from the Council after Buffy’s Cruciamentum—”

“You said that wasn’t happening,” said Jenny sharply.

Rupert turned back to her, looking alarmed. “Of course it isn’t!” he said, and the genuine surprise in his voice relaxed Jenny. “If I resign before she is supposed to take her Cruciamentum, the new Watcher will simply implement it themselves. I intend to resign only after I’ve ensured that Buffy won’t have to go through such a thing.”

“Right answer,” said Jenny, and tugged on his sweater, pulling him down to give him a quick kiss on the cheek . “Okay. So the right-now question is are we packing these books, but the for-later question is are you still going to be able to utilize Council resources after your resignation, right?”

“Indeed,” said Rupert, looking back towards the books. “Generally speaking, Watchers who resign are still allowed to retain Council resources and connections, but if it’s revealed that I tampered with the Cruciamentum—”

“They’ll kick you out on the spot?”

“Precisely,” said Rupert dismally. “You see my predicament.”

“Not really,” said Jenny. Off Rupert’s look, she said, “Look, we’ve already established that the Council is staffed by idiots, right? They convinced you that your love for me was putting me in danger, they decided that Faith was too volatile to everbe a good Slayer, and they hired Gwendolyn Post. And you,” she stepped up, pressing her hands against Rupert’s chest, “are my sexy, capable Watcher boyfriend with an actually functioning brain—you know, sometimes—”

“Oh, thanks ever so—”

“Shush,” said Jenny, dropping a placating kiss to his mouth. “My point is that you’re one of the smartest guys I know, and it’s already established that I’m a fucking genius. It is well within our wheelhouse to pull the wool over the eyes of the Watchers’ Council.”

Rupert preened. “One of the smartest you know?”

“Take it with a grain of salt,” said Jenny, patting his shoulder. “I could just be blinded by love.”

“Either way, it turns out excellently for me,” said Rupert with a grin.

Jenny rolled her eyes, smiling. “Pack the boxes,” she said, giving him another kiss.

“Absolutely,” said Rupert, kissing her back.

“Put up some warning signs!” came Buffy’s voice from the hallway.

Rupert pulled away. “Buffy, this is our house,” he reminded her.

“Not anymore it’s not, remember?” Buffy countered. “You guys have that nifty little place a few blocks from school, with all the bedrooms and the big backyard and the room for the fifteen thousand books?”

“Be that as it may,” said Rupert mildly, “this is a private kitchen—”

“You didn’t close the door!”

“—and I have full liberty to kiss my lovely girlfriend whenever I see fit,” said Rupert, and then proceeded to attack a laughing Jenny’s neck with kisses.

“This is your fault,” Buffy informed Jenny, but a reluctant smile was beginning. “He was never this bad till you showed up.”

“Oh, he was intolerable when I showed up,” said Jenny between giggles, finally managing to push Rupert away. “Hey, Snobby—”

“Haven’t heard that one in a while,” said Rupert with an easy grin.

“—pack those books,” Jenny finished, and grinned back, stepping into the hallway to meet Buffy. “So how’s our winter solstice dinner looking?”

“Well, almost all the boxes are in the U-Haul,” said Buffy, “which means we only have to do the heavy lifting, and you said that was for after dinner, right?”

“Right,” Jenny agreed. “You wanna call your mom, see if she can bring over that roast? I’ll start setting up a few more folding chairs for the living room.”

“On it,” said Buffy, skipping out into the living room.

Jenny followed Buffy through the hallway, but made a sharp left into Faith’s room, which was very nearly packed up. Faith was working on stuffing an already-overstuffed cardboard box with the last of her clothing, looking extremely annoyed with the box for not closing. “You know you can use more than one box, right?” said Jenny helpfully.

“I’m committed to the process,” said Faith without looking up. “Think I can punch it into submission?”

“Hold up,” said Jenny, stepping over to the box and taking out a few tank tops. “These are small. How about you just wear five of these until we get to the new house?”

“Already getting started on the mom jokes, huh?” said Faith.

“Eat your greens, sweetie,” said Jenny, patting Faith’s shoulder.

Giles and Ms. Calendar’s long-anticipated solstice dinner took place in their mostly-barren living room, everyone either squeezed onto the small green couch or perched on an uncomfortable folding chair. The dinner itself was tasty, but the really fun part was when Giles and Ms. Calendar brought out gifts, at least in Buffy’s opinion.

“Nice!” said Xander, holding up a comic that Buffy totally didn’t recognize, and fist-bumped Ms. Calendar.

“It’s so thoughtful of you,” Willow was saying delightedly to Giles, hugging the Growing Witch’s Book of Spells to her chest. “And so cute!”

“Neat,” said Oz, examining the record.

“Oh, I’m afraid I’m regifting,” began an apologetic Giles, who was handing Ms. Calendar her present.

“No, it’s great,” said Oz, and he actually sounded closer to enthused than his usual relaxed-yet-unfazed. “Thanks, man.”

“Thanks from all of us,” Buffy chimed in. She was pretty sure Ms. Calendar had been the one to pick out her present, possibly with some help from Faith; there was no way Giles could have picked an aqua top that was so absolutely her style.

“This,” said Ms. Calendar abruptly, “is terrible.” She gave Giles a smitten grin, then showed the room the floppy-disk earrings she had just unwrapped. “He’s trying to turn me into some cheesy teacher who relies on outfit-related prop comedy,” she informed Buffy’s mom happily.

“Well, that’s…” Buffy’s mom trailed off. “Very Magic School Bus,” she said finally, which made Ms. Calendar start laughing so hard she wheezed.

“Have I been insulted?” Giles asked Buffy, looking somewhat bemused.

“You know, I’m really not sure,” said Buffy, squinting at Ms. Calendar. “I mean, she did just call your gift cheesy, but she also did it while giving you puppy-dog eyes.” For some reason, that phrase made Giles choke a little on his water and then start giggling himself. “What?”

“Oh, hey,” said Faith appreciatively, holding up the silver cross necklace Willow had given her. “Never had one of these before.”

“It’s on account of safety during patrol!” said Willow with a shy smile. “Buffy’s always talking about how worried she is when you just go rushing in—”

“Is she,” said Faith, and as she donned the cross necklace, she was looking at Buffy through her eyelashes with a pleased, flirty grin on her face. Buffy felt jumpy butterflies in her stomach as she smiled back.

#fic #imperfections #!!!!!#some heavy faith x buffy content this chapter

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