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oro-e-diamanti · 3 years

Text

Quiet Music: Scherzo (Chapter Six; Part Two)

In collaboration with @bethanysnow

Butterflies getting caught in throats with no words to help explain. Time standing still with a heart breaking. Determination and a willingness to see it through float away in sleep.

Content | Fluff, slight smut warning, tw injury (nothing major, just a wrist injury)

Pairing | fem!Reader x Damiano

Word Count | 6644

Shoutout to @damianodavide, who was a superb help on this chapter and the real life nurse behind this one ;) 😘

***

Damiano’s head was spinning. As soon as he closed his eyes, Y/n’s face appeared in front of him, eyes hooded, lips plumps from just having kissed him, and an expression that promised a need for more. It left him bothered in a way that he knew would not let him sleep until he took care of it. Trying to pretend it was her feminine hand instead of his own rather undignified touch, he reached into the waistband of his underwear immediately letting out a hiss at the contact.

He was desperate for her, but if he couldn’t have her, his imagination would have to do. Pictures flashed through his mind as he moved his hand. Her on her knees, looking up at him through long lashes. He had already gotten a taste of the way she reacted when he complimented her, watching her eyes go wide as he called her a good girl. Her being good for him. Her on her back, ready to be devoured by him in any way he pleased. Feeling his hands go into her hair pulling her face up to look at him. Her bent over whatever furniture he could find, willing to let him have his way with her. Deeply, madly, irrefutably, he wanted it all. She was truly making him lose his mind. Her body and the way she moved were infatuating. Her laugh when someone did something dumb. The look in her eyes when she teased him back. He could still feel the kiss she left on his lips. He never wanted that feeling to end. Brava ragazza mia.

He came with an embarrassingly loud groan, unable to hold back or keep quiet. For a moment, in the silence, he wondered if anyone had heard. He was well aware that his room was surrounded by those of bandmates and crew, but he couldn’t remember who it was exactly anyway, and it didn’t bother him for long, his hazy mind drifting around once again.

***

“Where is your mind at?” Y/n looked up as Victoria pulled her out of her thoughts unexpectedly. Y/n had stopped in Victoria's room after breakfast, trying to keep tabs on what everyone’s plans were on their day off. She had meant to get some work done as Victoria was busying herself getting ready, but it had ended up with her staring into the distance, laptop almost forgotten on her lap.

“Oh, sorry. I’m here, what were you saying?”

“I asked where your mind is at.” Victoria fell forward laying on the bed. Y/n knew that the blonde was starting to learn to read her like a book and she wasn’t sure if she liked it or not.

“Yeah, um, listen. What would you say to someone that may have absolutely decimated her career, by maybe accidentally kissing her boss while they were all high?” She didn’t dare look at the bassist, bracing herself for whatever negative reaction would potentially come from this.

Victoria sat up in surprise, eyes wide and the hint of a smile playing on her lips. “I’m going to need a lot more information than that.” Without giving in to Y/n’s slight protest, she removed the laptop from the assistant’s legs, closing it shut and putting it away. “Tell me everything.”

“Well, there wasn’t much to it really. We sat on the couch, you know that. And I said something stupid about how his eyes looked like chocolates, or maybe gemstones? I don’t quite remember. Anyway, then he pulled my hair out of the hair-tie. I went to kiss his cheek, but he turned his face. Fuck, it was bad. Not the kiss! He is very good at that! But I shouldn’t have done that. And then he just went ‘it's cool, it happens’. What does that even mean?!” She was talking much too quickly, getting it all out before the rational part of her brain would make her shut up. Make her remember she was talking to someone she’d only just started getting to know a week ago, who she was working for. “Then Thomas crashed and you know how that ended. Now I might be avoiding him. Just a bit.” She looked at Vic with a slight panic in her eyes, unsure if she had said too much.

Victoria, on the other hand, seemed delighted to no end, if a little shocked. “Wait, as if you kissed with all of us there and no one noticed!” She exclaimed, briefly pausing, contemplating, but shaking it off to get back to the conversation. “So… Good kiss, huh? Did you enjoy it then? Wanna do it again?” Her eyebrows raised in curiosity.

“Victoria! That is not what I am worried about here! I could lose my job. I- I could never show my face out there again if people found out. And I really enjoy this job, you know!” Her face scrunched a little bit, calming down with a sigh. “...But also, yes, he was a gentleman, and if he wanted to … kiss me again, I probably wouldn’t say no. But I also wouldn’t say yes. I work for you. This is not the time to be thinking about how much I enjoyed kissing Damiano!”

Her eyes went wide as her voice dropped to a whisper, looking down at her hands. “Ah fuck, I said that out loud.”

“Okay, let’s look at it from a rational standpoint then.” Victoria turned slightly more serious at seeing her panic. “There is no way you’ll be losing your job over this. Maybe I wouldn’t advise hopping into bed with the whole band and crew, but we always got a tight-knit relationship with people we work with anyway, you know that. None of us would rat you out to management or anything. Plus, if you liked and Damiano liked it… wouldn’t it be a shame to worry about anything else instead of going for it?”

“I don’t know if he liked it. I was busy trying not to pass out, to be honest. I avoided him this morning by going straight to your room. I actually kind of avoided everyone, I’m scared the words of what happened will just come out to anyone who asks… Kind of like they just did with you.” She let out another deep sigh, switching between looking at her nails, picking at them, and out the window. “If he ...you know ... Then maybe. I honestly don’t even know what I would do with that information. On the off chance that he did like it though. And wanted to go for it then I’d consider it.” She tried to remain as put together as possible and, well aware that she was failing miserably.

“Well, in that case, we have to find out what Damiano wants!” Victoria’s enthusiasm was back with a vengeance. “You should talk to him! Or should I talk to him? Maybe I should lock you in a room like those romcoms and threaten to not let you out again until you kiss.”

“Or you don’t do that because that is entrapment. I think I would be cool with you talking to him. But I still have to do my job. That comes first. Because as far as I am concerned,” Y/n got up and grabbed her laptop again, “it is business as usual. And last night was a fluke. Not to crush your rom-com dreams, love, but if I spoke to him I’d put my foot in my mouth faster than you can play bass.”

The smirk on Vic’s face didn’t promise anything good. “We’ll see about that, we’ll see,” she ominously muttered, before jumping up from the bed. “Now stop trying to pretend you got work to do, we’re going vintage clothes shopping.”

***

The thrift store turned out to be a small hole-in-the-wall kind of place, just off a side street - perfect for shopping in peace without getting much attention at all. Y/n hadn’t been all that keen on keeping the band company for this little adventure, but Victoria had insisted, claiming she needed a female perspective in case the boys were being stupid again. It had only taken a serious case of the puppy dog eyes to win her over, and Victoria found herself making a mental note to remember it.

The store was stuffed full of clothes, a kind of chaos that seemed to have an order that only the owner really understood. But it looked like heaven, and within seconds everyone had vanished into some corner or other, dying to find their newest favourite piece. For a moment, Victoria contemplated who she wanted to follow first, feeling the need to talk to at least two different people but also never wanting to miss out on a chance to go crazy with Thomas. Ended up deciding on Damiano. It seemed the more pressing issue. She hadn’t failed to notice how he would try to pretend that everything was normal, yet continuously evading Y/n’s eyes. She had kept her distance all the same. This wasn’t acceptable. She had to do something, Victoria decided.

She found the singer shuffling through some blouses, although much more half-heartedly than he tended to be when it came to vintage clothes. Looking out from the racks Victoria saw Y/n doing the same. She briefly considered how to go on about this - admit that Y/n had told her what had happened? Pretend she had actually seen the kiss last night? - but figured that Damiano would start talking on his own accord sooner or later. Especially if this was affecting him the way it was Y/n, and she was almost hoping it was.

“Okay, spill, what’s up with you today?”

Damiano shrugged, pulling a shirt out from the rack, and holding it against his body, waiting for Victoria's opinion. She raised a brow and put it back wordlessly.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” he responded rather vaguely.

“Damia, you’ve barely spoken at all today. Normally you can’t shut up. And you know, I’d be thankful for some peace and quiet from you, but you’re actually worrying me. So what’s going on with you?”

Damiano had a panicked look on his face as he scanned over the racks of clothes, his eyes flickering back and forth, obviously noticing Y/n shuffling through some things and slowly getting closer. Taking Vic by surprise, he dragged her into the dressing rooms.

“Okay, that’s…. Weirdly intimate, but go on,” Vic mumbled to herself as he closed the curtain behind them, still nervously looking around the small space.

“Rather talk to you in here, than her hear me out there. I may have fucked up, royally.” He crossed his arms over his chest and Victoria was sure he would be burning a hole into the wall with his vision if he possessed that power. He was avoiding looking at her and she knew it.

“Explain,” she simply demanded, sitting down on the tiny stool in the corner and looking up at Damiano. She wanted to hear it from him, hear what had happened in his version of the story, hear what was bothering him so much.

“So we were at that bar, right? Y/n was sitting next to me. I don’t know why I’m telling you this, you were there. Anyway. We were talking. I don’t know if it was the smoking or whatever else, but I looked at her and - I don’t know why I did this but I did. I pulled her hair out of her hair tie.” He leaned on the wall, his head hitting the brick behind him. He groaned but Vic assumed it didn’t have anything to do with the pain. “And… and she was so beautiful. Her hair just all around her. So soft. And at that moment, she was laughing and it sounded heavenly. And I went to look at her again and suddenly my lips were on hers…” His voice softened at the end, losing his train of thought and drifting. She had never quite seen him like this. “Then she was freaking out, and I told her some fucking stupid line like ‘it happens’. I just wanted her to calm down but… Now she must think I’d just...” He groaned, slumping a little and finally looking over at Vic. “Then she ran off to help Thomas.”

“So, what you’re saying then is that you did enjoy it? Potentially wanna do it again?” She felt transported back to the conversation she’d had with Y/n just hours earlier, posing almost the exact same question. She had never been this involved with any of her friends’ relationships to this extent, but something told her that her help was desperately needed in this case.

He raised a brow at her. “Did you not hear the part where after we kissed she then proceeded to freak out? I doubt that she even wants to see my face right now.” A heavy sigh left him and Victoria found herself laying a hand on his arm. “And of course I want to kiss her again, Vic. I close my eyes and she is there. Hell, she wakes me up every morning! I can’t escape. She is everywhere I go! I turn a corner and she is there. She's the one we go to when wanting to eat, she arranges the cars, she helps us with concerts, she’s doing everything all the time. I don’t know how much more I can take!”

***

Y/n stood in the shoe aisle holding a pair of heels in her hand, contemplating for a second, before putting them on. Turning towards Ethan, who was walking towards her now, she realised it had eliminated all height differences between them. Definitely too high, she thought to herself. Holding onto his shoulders, she clumsily took them back off.

“Hey Ethan, find anything good?” The smile on her face felt forced but she was praying he wouldn’t see it.

He proudly holds up a black, studded belt with an intricate design on it, as well as a pink suede jacket. “How about you? I think I saw some nice trousers over there that might suit you. Wanna check it out?”

Y/n scoffed. She didn’t want to let her mood out on Ethan, trying her hardest to stay diplomatic. “Love the idea, but I doubt any of the clothes in here would go over my thigh. They’d fit you guys just great though. The jacket looks good, by the way.” She tried to distract herself from - well, everything - by putting the shoes away, mindlessly letting her fingers wander over the other pairs standing there.

Ethan looked at her in contemplation for a moment, but seemed to decide against following his train of thought. “At least try on some more shoes. Here, what about these?” He excitedly grabbed a pair of high-heeled boots, very much in the style she could see any of them wearing on stage - much less the one she usually went for when working.

A little intimidated, she took the shoes, if only to humour him. Ethan was nothing but a sweetheart, this was the least she could do. She put them on only with some slight struggle. She once again reached his height, almost amused by the feeling of seeing eye-to-eye with him, but the shoes felt strange. Very far removed from the usual flats, sneakers, boots, or whatever other pair that would allow her to keep running around all day without regretting it in the evening.

“Do I look silly?”

“You look gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.” His voice had the most earnest tone to it and it was only supported by the way he studied her, looking her up and down. “Maybe walk a few steps to see if you can get used to it.”

She laughed as she proceeded to strut and partially dance some steps down the aisle to the song playing in the store. “I haven’t worn heels in so long, still got it though!”.” Her small smile grew into a grin, rather proud of herself for still being able to keep up. Going to the mirror near Ethan she looked at the shoes, then at herself in the shoes, then back at Ethan. Still, the insecurity took over for a moment. Her voice seemed small when she asked, “You think so?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you like that,” he replied, putting a hand over his heart for emphasis. “Want to go and see what the others think? I saw Thomas over there, and Vic and Dami disappeared into that corner a while ago.”

“Right, good idea.” She walked over to the dressing room looking for Damiano and Victoria, figuring they had gone to try on some things. Well, she was mainly looking for Victoria, still uncomfortable at the thought of facing the singer. She was in the middle of calling out for them when Damiano’s voice seeped through the curtain instead. She didn’t mean to listen, only to wait for him to stop so she could interrupt, but the second she realised what he was saying she wished she had never come over.

“Hell, she wakes me up every morning! I can’t escape. She is everywhere I go! I turn a corner and she is there. She's the one we go to when wanting to eat, she arranges the cars, she helps us with concerts, she’s doing everything all the time. I don’t know how much more I can take!”

She stepped back. Frozen in place. Her heart was beating out of her chest, hurting, aching, breaking just that little bit. Processing what he had said seemed to happen not at all and then suddenly all at once. She couldn’t breathe. She needed air. Anything but this suffocation. She needed to leave.

“I need some air.”

The words came out of her mouth much louder than anticipated, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care that people were looking at her now. She didn’t care that was still wearing a pair of shoes that she had definitely not paid for yet. She just needed out, out, out, and away from all this. From him.

She didn’t realise she was walking on cobblestone until she wasn’t anymore, her ankle giving way, arms desperately trying to keep her from falling as she stumbled.

***

Damiano and Victoria stopped in their tracks as they heard someone approach from outside of the dressing room. Both heads turned towards the sound, when Y/n’s voice came through, telling maybe no one in particular that she needed some air. Her voice sounded strange. Damiano was convinced he had never heard that particular tone in it. As he threw back the curtain, he saw her stumble outside, clearly hectic, and he could feel a surge of panic run through him. Something wasn't right here. He forgot all about the conversation he was having, all about Victoria, and made his way outside. Not quite running, but the worry had him out of the door quickly. His heart sank when he saw her, lying on the floor just outside of the shop, holding her arm awkwardly, some scratches already beginning to bleed a little. As she looked up at him, he could see tears pricking at her eyes.

"Fuck, are you okay? What happened? I just saw-" The look on her face - or rather, the way she turned away from him - shut him up instantly. This wasn't the time to bombard her with questions. It didn't matter anyway. Instead of bothering her further, he quickly knelt down beside her, helping her sit up in return. He was acutely aware of the way she pulled away the second he touched her skin. Like she had been burned. ´

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Sorry to ruin the shopping trip, you can go back in if you want to," she mumbled, trying to wipe some tears away but instead spreading some dirt and drying blood onto her cheek instead. Damiano wanted to touch her, clean her up, dry her tears, but the way she had pulled away a minute ago made him not want to try. The last thing he wanted to do was overwhelm her more. He watched as she pulled out her wallet, handing it to him. "Go pay for the shoes please. And stop looking at me like that, I said I’m fine."

Yet, as soon as she moved, she winced in pain, taking a deep breath before getting herself up to a standing position. He found himself holding her arm in support, but she only accepted it for as long as necessary. As he let go, she let out a small cry of pain, obviously holding her hurt wrist the wrong way.

“You’re obviously not fine,” Damiano sighed. He desperately wanted to reach out to her, but she was already in tears, turning away, and it simply didn’t seem like a sensible option. He looked around at the others as they gathered around Y/n. Only Thomas was missing, probably still blissfully unaware inside the shop and browsing for clothes. He tossed the wallet to Ethan. “Would you mind paying for her shoes real quick?” Ethan nodded, walking back into the store. Y/n was still standing between them, holding her arm close to her body in a protective gesture. Almost a similar expression to the one she had had on her face on the plane all those days ago. He wondered if something was scaring her the way the turbulence did back then.

“I am and will be fine, Damiano.” Her voice was stern. “I cry at a lot of things, this is no different. I wrap it up, put ice on it for a while and I’m golden.”

He watched as Victoria put a tentative hand on Y/n’s shoulder. She didn’t pull away from her touch, he noticed. “Y/n, that really doesn’t look like nothing. Look, it’s starting to swell up already.”

"What do you want me to do then?" She almost sounded resigned now as she looked back and forth between Damiano and Victoria. "We are in Amsterdam. I don't exactly have a GP on speed dial here. Now, where is Ethan with my wallet?"

She started walking towards the door of the shop, but Damiano defiantly held out his arm to stop her. "We are taking you to A&E."

Her face seemed to drain of all colour, and this time it was not because of the pain. "You are not taking me to a hospital."

Damiano looked at her, determination in his eyes, trying to make her understand that this was non-negotiable. Just for now, he would forget about the way she was brushing him off, the way she was evading his touch, the way she did not even want to look at him. Because right now she needed him and he would be there for her, if she wanted him to be or not.

"Yes, I am. Final decision. You would do the same for us if we got hurt. But we're responsible for you too, you're part of our crew, and right now, being responsible means getting this checked out. Besides, you're not getting your wallet back until you agree."

As soon as Ethan stepped outside again, this time with a slightly confused-looking Thomas in tow, Damiano snatched the wallet from his hands only to put it in his own jeans pocket. She was mad, obviously turning whatever was bothering her into anger, but Damiano was having none of it and he hoped the look in his eyes told her so.

"Fine! Take me to the hospital. But know that I am not happy about this."

"I don't need you to be. I just need you to come with me."

***

A quick refresher of her rudimentary Dutch verified that she was indeed looking for "spoedeisende hulp", another search on the internet confirmed that there was a hospital nearby, and before she knew it, she had been whisked into a taxi with Damiano. The others had decided to make their way back to the hotel, no point in clogging up the waiting room. Damiano promised to call with any news immediately.

Y/n wouldn't tell him, certainly not right then and there but she was happy that Damiano seemed to take the lead for once. She wouldn't have had any problems had any of the others needed medical help - but having people fuss about her? Making her the center of attention in a way she did not intend to be and having to accept help from others?... It was a completely different story. Still she appreciated the way he handled the situation, making sure she got registered with the administration straight away, listening attentively for further instructions, and leading her into the waiting area. She was also glad that it seemed to be quiet, not only because it would result in less of a wait, but also because the bustling would have made her all the more nervous.

This was out of her comfort zone. She had managed to avoid hospitals for the majority of her life, and yet here she was, because she panicked and couldn't handle her shoes. Looking down at them, she wanted to curse them. Curse the fact that they made her walk over to Damiano and Victoria in the first place, curse the fact that she had heard Damiano speak about her that way, curse the fact that they carried her out the door but not much further. She didn't even know where her actual shoes were. Hopefully, Ethan had kept his head and collected them on the way out after paying.

A few seats down, someone coughed loudly, reminding her exactly of where she was. It wasn't the worst hospital she had ever been in, that much was true, but she would rather not see one from the inside at all. She was dying for some comfort, some soothing words, a gentle touch, but as soon as Damiano made any attempt at reaching out to her she pulled back. His words were still heavily playing on her mind, the swelling of her wrist and the heat that seemed to seep from it a painful reminder. There was no way she was going to let herself fall, be reassured and consoled by him when he was so obviously sick of her presence. She wouldn't do that to either of them. Victoria with all her good intentions be damned. At least right now.

“Why are they not calling you in, it doesn’t even look like they’re doing anything,” Damiano grumbled next to her, eyes on the nurse’s station where a few of them were sitting. A few eyes were on them, something that looked like an excited discussion.

“Stop it, I’m sure they’re busy at work. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean they aren’t”, she bit back, slightly harsher than intended. He shot her a look, eyebrows raised, but she turned away, not looking to have a deeper conversation.

It left Damiano sitting in silence. Leaving both of them in the same situation, again. Y/n and him alone. Well, alone enough. Alone enough to not have anyone distract her from the uncomfortable feeling that settled over them. No Thomas being silly, no Victoria making a dumb comment, no calming presence of Ethan. Through this whole process, Y/n had basically crawled back into herself. She wished she could disappear.

She didn't know how much time had passed when they were finally called, too preoccupied with her own thoughts and the pain in her wrist. The nurse that beckoned them over had the warmest smile on her face, albeit tired eyes and it surprised Y/n how much comfort she found in the soft expression of the woman. White slacks, rolled up sleeves, pockets so full it looked like they were bursting at the seams, dark hair up in a bun. She found herself looking over at Damiano, wondering if he was aware of how gorgeous this woman was, how kind and calming her aura was, but his eyes were trained solely on her. She didn't allow herself to get lost in his gaze, quickly dropping hers and following the nurse into an examination room.

“Hi, I’m Ana, I’m going to be your nurse for today. You only speak English, am I correct?” She asked, gesturing for both of them to sit down, Y/n on the examination table and Damiano on a chair next to it. There was a slight twinge of an accent in her speech, but it was clear that she was fluent, which was a relief. Y/n didn’t even want to think about trying to get this done with the few words she knew in Dutch. She nodded, gratefully. “We’re going to go over what happened, and then I’ll do a physical examination, and the doctor will see you after as well.”

Y/n watched as the nurse fumbled with the computer, seemingly already typing things before Y/n had even said anything. “So, what exactly happened?”

“I, uh, tried on some heels and tripped on the cobblestone outside,” Y/n explained, taking a moment to glare at the offending shoes still on her feet. “Fell forwards, tried to soften the blow with my hands and now my wrist looks like this.” She held up the offending arm, gathering that the sight would speak for itself. The dried blood of the little scrapes on the palms of her hand did its best to make it look more dramatic than it felt.

“Oh, yeah that looks quite painful,” the nurse winced. “I see you’ve scraped your knee as well.”

Y/n looked down, slightly confused, only to realise her jeans had torn, revealing a beat-up knee underneath. Crap, she hadn’t even noticed, too occupied with… well, everything else. This felt like it was getting worse by the second, she never wanted to get back to a hotel room this badly. She felt like crying, but letting Damiano see her composure waver was the last thing she would allow.

“It’s nothing,” she sighed, moving her legs as if it gave her a chance of hiding her bruises.

“It’s not nothing, Y/n,” Damiano sighed next to her, before turning towards the nurse. “I think it’s more serious than she’s letting on.” In the same determined tone from before.

The nurse looked back and forth between the two of them. “It’s probably the shock of it.”

Oh yeah, the shock. Mainly that of finding out that Damiano didn’t want her around, apparently.

The nurse asked a few more questions, time of the accident, previous medical history, medication she was taking regularly, but they barely reached her. She found herself answering curtly, with Damiano filling in where he could. She wouldn’t tell him she was thankful for it. Even though the idea of him taking care of her made her emotional.

“Right, let’s get that wrist looked at then.” Y/n had feared it would be painful but as soon as the nurse started handling her? She knew it was her job to feel the joints, test her range of motion, move her arm. But unwelcome tears emerged in the corners of her eyes. She didn’t have the energy to push Damiano’s hand away, as she almost reveled in the comforting touch on her back. The small talk didn’t even begin to make for a distraction. Yet, something was nagging at the back of Y/n’s head as she watched the nurse interact with Damiano. There was a familiarity in her eyes… Did she know who he was? Surely not.

“This will need an X-Ray to make sure it’s not broken,” the nurse concluded, finally letting go of her wrist. Damiano whispered a quiet ‘You okay?’ over to her, but she couldn’t do anything but nod. “I will bandage the scrapes a bit while we wait for a doctor. So, what brings you to Amsterdam today?”

“Work,” Y/n answered, trying to keep some degree of privacy, but Damiano didn’t seem to mind butting in immediately.

“I’m in a band, we’re on tour. She’s our assistant and overall angel.” She wanted to shoot him a look, both at the unnecessary honesty and the over-the-top way he was describing her, but a touch to her banged-up knee distracted her.

A doctor popped into the room quickly verified everything the nurse had told him And before she knew it she was being led down a hallway to get an X-Ray. Damiano stayed behind in the room.

“Cute couple, the two of you,” the nurse piped up next to her.

“Um, yeah, no. Not a couple. Just a working relationship.”

“You sure about that?”

Y/n almost wanted to stop dead in her tracks, ask the nurse what on earth had given her that idea, but she also knew she was here to get examined and the last thing she wanted to do was annoy the person responsible.

“Very. He doesn’t like me like that, he’s made that crystal clear.”

“Well, he certainly doesn’t look like you in a way that suggests he doesn’t like you. If anything, I would have guessed he was head-over-heels for you.”

Y/n was stumped for a reply. Was this woman making fun of her? She didn’t look like someone who would. So why would she say these things? With a deep sigh and a heavy heart, Y/n decided she would have to talk to Damiano at some point. Have him either stand by his statement and back off, or explain what the hell he was doing. Because she was starting to lack comprehension about any of it.

She was glad the rest of the appointment seemed to fly by in a hurry, or maybe Y/n’s brain had simply gone into power-saving mode, not really taking it what as happening around her anymore. Her exhaustion was tangible. The X-Ray was done quickly enough, someone sent her back to the examination room, and before she knew it, the doctor had announced that it was, in fact, not broken. A quick wrap around her wrist, some instructions on how to care for it (that Damiano seemed to listen to more closely than she did), and she was almost out the door. She was sure she would have fallen asleep on the examination table. It was only the nurse quickly saying her goodbye and adding another comment that almost threw her off balance again.

“Bye, guys. And by the way, nice show yesterday. I promise I wasn’t the one who threw the bra.”

***

It was dark out by the time Y/n and Damiano made it back to the hotel. He had made sure to text the others, telling them to go for dinner without them, they’d be fine, and he figured she would need some rest. The hotel restaurant was quiet enough and he motioned towards it, but Y/n shook her head.

“I’ve got a few snacks in my room, but honestly, I’m not hungry at all. I just want to go to bed.”

Yet, tired as she was, it only took one pointed look for her to shut him up, so he simply nodded and led her towards the elevators.

“At least let me bring you to your room and see if you need any more help. And I can give you your wallet back.”

He could tell in the way she stiffened next to him, the way she barely reacted to his words, that she wasn’t keen on the idea, but he wouldn’t let her get away with it. He was desperate to find out what was bothering her and why she was so distant, but he couldn’t figure it out. Was the kiss still playing on her mind? Was she uncomfortable with him? It was the last thing he wanted. He needed to show her he was willing to be there for her.

Closing the door of her room behind him, a shout rang through the room.

“These fucking things, I hate them!” She was loud and angry while trying to get her shoes off, but her voice was wavering and if he watched her in just the right light he was convinced he was seeing the beginning of tears forming in her eyes.

“Shh, shh, it’s fine,” he tried to soothe, unsure if he was going about it the wrong way, but quickly bending in front of where she was sitting on the bed. She kicked her heels once more in frustration, obviously unable to get them off with her wrist still compromised.

“Don’t shush me when it’s all your fault,” she whispered and he almost stopped dead in his tracks, but he figured she hadn’t meant for him to hear. He stayed quiet, against everything in his heart telling him to find out what she was talking about. Instead, he focused on removing her shoes, gentle touches against her bare skin. Looking up at her, he realised that she was studying him, watching his every move, and he concentrated even harder on being the perfect gentleman. Yet, when he pulled the second shoe off her, he couldn’t help letting his hand rest on her calf a little longer than necessary.

“Come on, let’s get you into some pyjamas,” he decided, getting up and putting some distance between them. Too afraid of getting ahead of himself, of letting his hands wander more than appropriate places, of saying something he shouldn’t. He threw what he gathered to be her sleepwear in her general directions. “If you need any help changing because of your wrist, let me know.”

He hoped his smile was as sincere as he meant it. Either way, she didn’t give him much of a reaction, grabbing the clothes and disappearing into the bathroom. A few sharp hisses reached him through the door, but he knew better than to offer his help again.

He wasn’t sure what the acceptable place for him to sit was, but since the room didn’t offer anything but a worn-out armchair and the bed, he decided that choosing the far side of the mattress wasn’t too bad. He didn’t even realise she had left the en-suite until her voice reached him.

“We really need to talk, Damiano.” She sounded resigned and tired and he wished he could wrap her in his arms and tell her everything was alright, but it didn’t seem like the right time. As soon as she reached the side of the bed opposite him, she all but collapsed on it. She sleepily grabbed one of the many unnecessary hotel pillows they placed on the bed and nuzzled her face into it.

“There will be more than enough time for that tomorrow,” he replied, grabbing the blanket and making sure she was fully covered by it. “It’s been a long day, try to get some rest.”

She didn’t even manage to argue anymore, eyes already fluttering closed, breathing slowly becoming more steady. She was gorgeous like this. A soft calm overtaking the scene. No wall up that kept everyone else from her inner thoughts. No front that she put up in desperate attempts to remain professional. Just a softness etched into her features that highlighted her natural divine beauty.

He wanted to take her worries away. He hoped that whenever they did get to talk tomorrow, it would yield some clarity. The last thing he wanted was for her to ever feel this way. He had grown so attached to her, so obsessed with the idea of having her around, that he already feared the end of the tour. If she would give him any option to stay in her life, he would take it, whatever way it was.

Damiano barely noticed the way he was slipping down on the mattress, his fingers softly patting her head, eyelids getting heavy. The last thing on his mind was Y/n, sleeping soundly next to him and wishing for nothing but to make her happy.

***

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#maneskin fiction #damiano david imagine #damiano david x you #damiano david x reader #damiano david fiction #maneskin imagine #maneskin x you #maneskin x reader #quiet music #bethanysnow #mywriting

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littleredwing89 · 3 years

Text

CLUB TROPICANA

CEO!Roman Sionis x Reader

Summary: You soaked up the rays, feeling the stress dissipate out of your pores. You had been right about a vacation. This was just what you both needed. Sun, sea and tranquillity.

Warnings – Language. NSFW Smut. Fluff. Mild jealousy.

Word Count: 4,563

A/N: This is a one shot following the series ‘The Intern’. Pretty much picks up where they left off. I just couldn’t resist revisiting them. I hope you all enjoy. I am working to finish FAMOUS completely before posting. Apologies for the delay my loves xoxo

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The sound of the waves lapping against the shore, carrying the salty smell of the sea in the breeze made you relax instantly as you rested against the balcony railing. You pushed your oversized sunglasses back up the bridge of your nose and smiled, soaking in the early morning sun rays.

You looked out across the horizon, watching the glowing orange sun rising from the crystal blue waters. The light sparkled over the waves, making it look like tiny sapphires blinking at you. It was serene. Like nothing you’d ever seen before.

The coconut scent of your sun lotion lingered in the air and you arched your back, stretching out. You adjusted the strap of your halter neck bikini, untwisting it so it sat comfortably against your sun kissed skin.

A wolf whistle startled you, “Well, what a view”, a deep, gravelly voice rasped behind you, as the glass door slid open.

You turned to see Roman smirking cheekily at you. He clearly wasn’t talking about the gorgeous sunrise as he eyed the white bikini bottoms you were wearing. The material clinging to your curves perfectly.

“You picked a beautiful location”, you smiled, letting your eyes trail down his bare chest, a line of dark hair trailed down from his naval, disappearing into his shorts. He was bronzing nicely in the Mexican sun.

“Only the best for you darling”.

“Smooth”, you giggled and turned your head back out to the sunrise. The sky looked like an artist's palette, colours streaking across majestically.

Moving close behind you, Roman slid his hands up the backs of your thighs before running his finger under the edge of your bikini bottoms.

“You look absolutely stunning”, he whispered into the shell of your ear, his lips brushing against it. You shivered and pushed back against him, feeling his hard cock through his beach shorts.

He growled and snapped the material against your ass. Sliding his fingers around your front, he brushed over your clit. Teasing slowly. You whined loudly before biting down on the inside of your cheek. Suppressing any more noises. You were out on the balcony, anyone could hear you both. And see you.

“Rom…”, you murmured, resting your head back against his shoulder.

“Shh”, he nipped along the side of your neck, letting his tongue soothe over your skin, “You don’t want to attract any unwanted attention, do you darling?”.

His fingers slipped your bikini pants to one side, dipping them through your silky wet folds. Roman cursed under his breath and muttered, “Always so ready for me”.

“Rom…please don’t tease”, you purred and circled your hips, catching his thick cock with each movement.

“You want me to take you out here for anyone to see?”, he teased, nibbling your shoulder, thrusting his clothed cock against your ass, “Is that what you want darling?”.

“Yes”, you moaned, frustration seeping into your tone as Roman languidly rubbed over your clit, making the coil in your stomach twist slowly.

“Please Roman…don’t make me beg”.

You heard him shuffling behind you, shoving his shorts down enough to free his throbbing cock. He teased it through your sopping folds from behind and grunted, “Fuck, you’re so wet”.

“I always am for you”, you whispered airily, wanting to play him at his own game. If he was going to tease you, you’d do it back.

“Darling…”, he warned and gripped your hips, the metal loops on your bikini bottoms pressing against his calloused skin.

Your teeth sunk into your lower lip as Roman eased his length into you inch by inch. The delicious sting of him stretching you sent waves of desire up your spine.

“Oh!”, the soft moan left your lips without thinking and Roman clasped his hand over your mouth.

“We’ve got to be quiet”, he growled and drove into your pussy hard, enjoying the way your wet walls fluttered around his cock.

You licked the flesh of his palm and let him stifle your sobs of pleasure as Roman fucked you from behind, pressed up against the balcony railings.

“Fuck”, he pressed his face into your hair and inhaled deeply. The subtle smell of coconuts and pineapple filled his senses. He groaned against you, angling his hips so the head of his cock would hit your g spot.

You cried his name into his hand and wrapped your hands behind you, fisting your fingers into the back of his hair. You tugged as you felt your orgasm beginning to burst.

“Go on”, the deep timber of his voice rattled in your ear, “Cum for me darling”.

Your eyes rolled back into your head as his thick cock continued to drive into your wet heat. The orgasm ripped through you in a short, sharp burst making you sting buzz with desire.

His hand captured all of the sweet sounds he drew from you. The sounds he normally drank in. Your skin rippled with goosebumps, soaking in the early morning heat from both the sun and Roman.

Feeling the way you contracted around him, Roman groaned loudly into the skin of your neck and released his hot seed, deep into your pussy. His breath fanned down your flesh, scorching as it went. He hummed in delight and moved his hand from your lips. Roman let his palm travel down your chest, over the curve of your breasts before settling on your toned stomach.

“Nice way to start the morning”, his voice was more gravelly now. Your fingers threaded through his dark hair.

“Mmmhmm”, your mind still reeling from your climax, you couldn’t form your words properly. You pressed backwards into his solid chest and sighed happily.

----

The midday sun was blazing, surrounded by a clear, dazzling blue sky. You soaked up the rays, feeling the stress dissipate out of your pores. You had been right about a vacation. This was just what you both needed. Sun, sea and tranquillity. You sighed happily, sinking further into the double sunbed. Roman’s hand rested on your knee, drawing patterns into your flesh.

“Do you want another drink?”, you twisted your body to his, letting your knee press against his thigh.

“I’m good darling”, his gravelly voice rasped as he stretched his arms above his head, yawning softly.

“I’ll be back in a minute”, you leaned across, kissing his cheek.

“Mmhmm”, he hummed.

Leaving Roman lounging back against the soft, plush white sunbed, you strolled across the pool side towards the tiki hut style bar, thankful for the brief shade and fan above your head.

“What can I get you miss?”, the bartender gave you a warm smile, hands resting on the wooden worktop.

“Aperol Spritz please”, you swept a lock of hair behind your ear before sitting at one of the stools. The bartender turned quickly and began preparing your drink.

You tipped your head back gently, looking across the pool towards Roman. He was still sprawled out across the sun bed, his arm bent above his head. The sun oil you’d helped him apply earlier made his body glisten in the rays, his muscles even more defined. You bit your bottom lip, tugging it between your pearly teeth, sinful images flicking through your mind.

“Well, I’ll be damned…”, you heard a deep voice behind you, startling you from your train of thought, “Of all the hotels you had to walk into, you had to walk into mine”.

Well fuck.

Oliver fucking Queen.

You turned your head towards the voice, your eyes meeting him. He stood leisurely against the bar, a bright grin plastered across his face. You could hardly believe it. Seriously. Of all the people, in all the places. It had to be him. You glanced over his figure briefly, noting the pair of forest green swim shorts he was wearing. They complimented the tanned glow of his skin. His dark blond hair was messy, dropping down into his reflective, aviator shades, hiding his usual sparkling eyes. You remembered, momentarily, why you’d agreed to go on a date with him.

Until he bailed at the last minute.

“Someone’s seen Casablanca one too many times”, you rolled your eyes playfully, a smirk tugging the corner of your full lips.

Oliver moved closer slightly, the scent of his aftershave was strong as it surrounded you, along with the mix of sun cream, “Gotta make sure I'm suave for the ladies”.

You laughed, “Very suave of you to stand up dates”.

Above the top of his shades, you saw a slight crease in his eyebrows, “Are you still mad about that princess?”.

“Considering, I dodged a bullet? Not really”, you looked down at your freshly manicured nails, the deep red really was an excellent choice on the technicians behalf.

He sucked in a gulp of air loudly, putting his hand over his heart dramatically, “Ouch! You wound me”.

You poked the tip of your nail against his chest, before imitating a shooting gun with your thumb, “I only do what you deserve”.

Oliver captured your hand, bringing it up to his lips before kissing it playfully, “You know I was sorry about the whole thing princess…”.

“Oh I'm sure you were”.

“I just wish you’d given me a second chance”.

You were grateful for the heat which already had your skin flushed, hiding the blush rising to your cheeks. You tugged your hand back before occupying it with your drink the bartender had left for you.

Even though he was wearing shades, you could feel his eyes burning into you. Drinking in every inch of your bikini clad body. You suddenly felt incredibly naked under his gaze, shuffling slightly on the stool.

“Eyes up here champ”, you pointed to your face, trying to cool down the situation.

“Can you really blame me when you’re wearing that?”, he retorted, hand waving over your body as he whistled appreciatively.

You were about to reply before you noticed his entire body stiffen. The easy going manner radiating off him was replaced with something more business-like. Oliver straightened up, taking a step back from you.

You looked over your shoulder and spotted Roman striding across the pool side, his face knitted with an irritated scowl. Sunglasses propped up on the top of his head. Even in a pair of board shorts, Roman still managed to look intimidating. The second he reached you both, he immediately wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you away from Oliver.

“Is everything ok?”, you pressed your palm to his chest softly, looking up at him as he towered next to you.

“Everything's fine”, he dismissed before turning to Oliver, “Never expected to see you here, Queen”.

Oliver’s demeanour had changed drastically, he shrugged and looked around the resort, “It is one of my hotels, gotta make sure they’re running it smoothly from time to time”.

Roman’s fingers gripped into your hip, “You better get to it then, huh? Don’t want your business failing, do you?”.

Oliver looked directly at Roman before glancing down at you, huffing under his breath, “Enjoy your stay princess, if you need anything, give me a call…you still have my number”.

Surprising you and infuriating Roman more, he leaned down and kissed your cheek, dangerously close to the corner of your lips. He gave you a sly smirk before heading out of the bar towards the hotel lobby.

Roman was rigid next to you, so you snuggled closer into his side, fingertips tracing the vein on his forearm. As his posture softened slowly, he turned and pressed a rough kiss to your cheek, his stubble grazing your skin.

You giggled quietly, “You don’t need to be jealous”.

“I’m not jealous”, he growled.

“My hip's gonna bruise if you keep holding it like that”, you murmured.

He retracted his grip instantly, “Sorry darling”, his thumbs rubbed circles over the marks as he pressed his nose into your hair, the tropical scents soothing him.

“It’s ok, you can turn caveman mode off”.

Roman moved his hand to your ass, cupping the swell of it before squeezing it.

You laughed under your breath, “You know you have nothing to worry about”.

“Can't I just feel you up in public? Is that a crime now?”, he pressed a kiss to your temple, hand still resting on the curve of your ass, fingers occasionally dipping under the fabric of your bottoms.

You rolled your eyes but smiled, “You know Ollie isn’t watching us anymore, don’t you?”.

He huffed bringing you in front of him and wrapped his arms around your waist, pressing your warm body into his. He never got tired of the way your frame fitted against his. How you sank into him naturally, like you’d always meant to be his.

You slipped your arms around his neck and toyed with the hair at the back of his neck. His eyes closed as he soaked in the bliss taking over his circuitry.

“How about…”, you whispered, “We spend the afternoon back in our private villa and I’ll make us some cocktails?”.

He ghosted his lips over yours, the faint outline of a smile playing on his mouth, “That darling, sounds like a very good idea”.

Your hands travelled down the front of his body slowly, before entwining in his, pulling him back towards your villa, “Let’s go handsome”.

----

You dropped your beach bag by the side of the villa door as you both made your way into the house, before stepping across towards the mini bar.

“Sloe sazerac?”, you looked over your shoulder at him, quirking an eyebrow up.

“Perfect”, he rumbled, leaving his phone on the kitchen worktop, watching as you sashayed away.

The ice cubes clinked as they hit the bottom of the glass, the sound oddly satisfying. You hummed under your breath, grabbing the bottle of whiskey, pouring a generous helping into both chasers. You could feel his stare boring into you, scorching your insides. His presence looming as you dropped the curled lemon into the alcohol.

“You’re hovering, why don’t you go make yourself comfortable?”.

Within seconds, you felt his hands gliding over your thighs, up and down, inching higher with each stroke, “I think the drinks can wait darling…”.

“But I’m making your favourite”, you protested.

Roman stayed silent, waiting for you to finish the cocktail, running his palms over every inch of skin he could reach. You shivered at the feel of his rough hands, sucking in steadying breaths whilst you finished your drinks.

You left his drink on the bar whilst you sipped at yours, watching him intently, eyes burning with want.

“Aren't you going to drink yours?”.

His gaze, practically black, flickered before Roman grabbed the drink, pouring the deep orange liquid over your chest. You gasped at the icy cool sensation of the alcohol dripping over your body.

“What are you - oh!”.

Dipping his head down to your chest, Roman dragged his tongue over your flesh, groaning at the distinct taste of whiskey mixed with you. He discarded the glass carelessly to the side, focusing his attention only on you. His thumbs catching in the metal loops of your bikini bottoms.

You gasped and grabbed his hair as he slid down your body, his lips mapping you, the bitter lemon infused with the burn of the liquor. He settled on his knees, looking up at you with lustful eyes. Roman pushed your bikini bottoms down your long legs before tracing his tongue to your core. He blew over your clit, enjoying the way your body reacted. Goosebumps spreading like wildfire over your skin.

You fisted your hands in his hair, moaning quietly. Roman smirked, lifting you up onto the mini bar, pushing your thighs further apart. His growl was primal when he saw the slick glistening between your folds.

Letting your head fall back, you closed your eyes, whining his name softly, “Rom…”.

“I know darling, I’ve got you”, he nipped your inner thigh, soothing his hot tongue over the light sting from his bite.

“Rom…please…”.

Hearing you say his name, in that breathy little voice, made the front of his shorts tighter and his ego soar.

“That's right”, he laid a soft kiss to your clit, “You’re mine”.

“A-Always”, you stuttered out, feeling the desperation bubble in the pit of your stomach. You needed him. Craved him.

Roman growled against your core before delving into you, his tongue licking long stripes through your folds. You whined, drowning in the overwhelming desire flooding your veins. Pleasure wracked your body in sharp pulses with every flick of Roman’s skilful tongue. You sobbed his name and tightened your thighs around his head, keeping him pressed into your pussy.

He smirked against your core, groaning deeply when your fingers threaded through his hair, tugging sharply when he hit all your sensitive spots.

Whining his name, you rolled your hips, eager to have him impossibly closer. You cried out when Roman slipped two fingers into your pussy. He thrust them in easily, enjoying the slick noises from your core.

“Oh fuck! Don’t stop! Please!”, you begged, eyes clamped shut tightly.

His lips wrapped around your sensitive clit, alternating between sucking and flicking his tongue over it. He free hand bracketed your hip, holding you in place.

“Oh god!”, you screamed, fisting your hands tightly in his hair as you hit your peak. Roman growled against your pussy, lapping up your slick. His fingers slowed as he pulled back from your folds, looking up at you darkly. He loved the way you looked after you’d just orgasmed.

“Rom…”, you murmured, trailing your hands down his cheek.

He gave you a smile before kissing back up your inner thighs. Hands caressing up the outside of your thighs.

“What - oh!”, you gasped loudly and tipped your head back as Roman’s lips connected with your clit briefly.

“I think you’ve got another one for me darling”, the deep timber of his voice rattled up your spine.

Still shaking from your last orgasm, your body broke out in violent tremors as Roman focused on your clit. Both of his hands wrapped around your hips, gripping hard enough to leave finger shaped bruises.

“Fuck! Fuck! Roman!!”, you sobbed.

It was too much but not enough at the same time. You wanted to push him away but pull him closer. The intensity of it firing deep in the pit of your stomach. You shattered, his name a mangled prayer from your plush lips. You felt your body buzz from the euphoria. Panting, you heaved oxygen into your lungs, chest rising and falling heavily.

Briefly, you were unaware of your surroundings until you felt Roman standing between your spread thighs, littering kisses across your bare shoulder.

Shakily, you wrapped your arms around his neck, nails dragging up it, teasing the bottom of his hairline.

“I’m not done with you yet”, he murmured into the junction of your neck, grinding his hard, clothed cock into your pussy.

Tightening your legs around his waist, you hauled yourself up against his heated body, pressing into it, hands gripping his back, “What are you waiting for then?”.

Roman could feel the cocktail still staining your skin, giving it a slightly sticky quality along with the gleam of sweat from the humidity and your orgasm.

He gave you a wink before wrapping an arm around your lower back, lifting you off the bar completely. He grabbed your chaser glass then headed you both into the master bedroom, nibbling your lips along the way before dropping you down onto the thin cotton sheets.

You watched him place the practically empty glass on the bedside table, you frowned a little unsure what he was up to. Your thoughts halted as he knelt on the bed, his bulky form towering over you. Roman encased your body with his, his large frame covering you easily. He kissed you with a fiery passion, tongue dancing along yours.

You whimpered into his mouth, letting him swallow the sounds. His hands traced up the sides of your body, stopping when they found their prize. He grinned against your swollen lips as he tugged the bikini tie free, ripping the offending material off your body. Your breasts bounced free and Roman grunted feeling your hardening nipples scratch across his bare chest.

Tearing himself from your sinful lips, he reached up past your head and you heard the familiar clink of ice cubes. You felt the coil in your stomach twist with anticipation and desire. When Roman settled back down between your spread legs, you noticed a rapidly melting ice cube pinched between his long fingers.

“Close your eyes”, his voice was thick with lust as he openly admired your naked body.

“Yes Sir”, you whispered, letting your eyelids flutter shut.

The first touch was hot. Roman’s heated mouth peppered your collarbone with searing kisses. You moaned, letting your hands explore the muscles of his back.

He pulled back and you instantly missed the feel of his kisses. You huffed in protest and he chuckled.

The next touch had you arching off the back of the bed, gasping loudly. Bitter coolness dragged down the top of your breast, following the curve of it before circling over your nipple. Your skin erupted in shivers and you could stop the purr from your throat.

Your nipple pebbled, the ice cube numbing your skin.

“Roman!”, you mewled and writhed on the bed as he replaced the ice cube with his scorching mouth.

His teeth tugged your nipple, releasing it after a moment before flicking his tongue over it. Roman repeated the action on your other nipple, growling against your skin at your intense reactions.

You shuddered, goosebumps spreading over your preening flesh. The dire contrast between the blazing heat and the bitter ice was euphoric. Your mind felt fuzzy from the overload of stimulation. You could feel the slick dripping from your core, aching to feel his cock driving into you.

“Roman…Ah! Please!!”, you pleaded as you felt the ice trail down the valley between your breasts, along your stomach and over the dip of your naval.

Roman followed the watery path with his tongue, stopping every so often to press kisses to your body.

“Please Rom…”, you begged, your voice husky with need.

“Please what?”, his voice was smug, enjoying how he’d made you a whimpering mess with a tiny ice cube.

Frustration seeped into your bones and you opened your eyes to look at Roman.

He had to admit, the fire burning behind your eyes made his stomach twist. The debauched look curling the beautiful features on your face. You tried to glare at him as much as you could, but the overload of pleasure made it difficult.

“Tell me what you want darling”.

The ice cube had melted into the last remnant of water, letting Roman’s calloused hand caress your bare skin.

You whined, “Rom…please, I need you, I need you now”.

“Need what?”, he cooed playfully, nipping the flesh below your navel.

You moaned loudly and shivered. You hated but loved the way he teased you. Drawing out the deepest of desires from within you.

“Fuck me Roman, I need you to fuck me”.

Sliding back up your body slowly, he shuffled effortlessly out of his swim shorts, his thick cock springing free. There was a soft pap as it bounced against his abs. He fisted his shaft several times before teasing the head through your sopping folds, causing you to moan unabashedly, throwing your head back against the soft pillows.

He thrust into you easily, bottoming out instantly. He grunted into your ear, his hot breath fanning down your neck, “You feel so fuckin’ good darling”.

You purred his name and wrapped your legs around his waist tightly, locking him in place before coiling your arms around his neck.

“You always take my cock so well”, Roman growled, biting your earlobe. His hot lips travelled to the sensitive spot behind your ear, kissing and sucking to leave his marking.

You didn’t reply, words lost in your mind. If you’d tried to speak, it’d have been incoherent murmuring. Something which would’ve further fuelled his already inflated ego. All you could focus on was the feel of his pulsating cock stretching your pussy.

He continued to drive into you, harder with every thrust, groaning your name against your neck. You mewled in response, legs gripping him tighter as he angled himself deeper, hitting your sweet spot over and over.

“Rom! Oh! Oh fuck!”, you sobbed, nails digging into his shoulder blades, dragging down his back.

He smirked and picked up his pace, hammering into you wildly. Roman knew he’d have your scratch marks streaking down his back but he didn’t care one little bit. He’d happily wear them with pride for the rest of the vacation.

“Are you going to cum for me darling?”, he teased, his hand snaking between your glistening bodies to rub over your throbbing clit.

You whimpered, your velvet walls fluttering around his thick shaft. You could feel the brim of your orgasm ready to shatter.

“You want me to fill that pretty little pussy?”, Roman ground out, fucking you with a brutal pace, growling when he saw your eyes behind to roll into the back of your head.

“P-Please”, you managed to force out of your lips before you felt the euphoria bursting through your body. Your vision blurred as your climax hit you with a delirious intensity, shudders took over your body.

The way your body reacted to him pushed Roman over the edge into his own powerful end and he released his hot seed, deep into your core. He cursed loudly and grunted your name before stilling, resting the weight of his body on his elbows.

----

Soaking in the afterglow, you threaded your fingers through his sweat matted locks. A content rumble vibrated from his chest before he planted delicate kisses along your collarbone. You purred happily and leaned into his touch instinctively, enjoying the way he made you feel.

After a few more moments, he dropped onto the bed, tugging you onto his chest, pressing you tightly into him.

“We should come on vacation more often”, he rasped, curling a strand of your hair around his finger carefully.

Your hand stroked over his chest, and down his stomach tracing the dark line of hair, “I told you, you’d enjoy it - you should know by now my ideas are always right”.

“I suppose”, he teased, kissing your forehead softly.

You scoffed and rolled your eyes but Roman caught the smile tugging at the corner of your lips.

“I think next time, we should go to Switzerland”.

“Not a chance”.

“Why not?!”, you looked up at him with a scandalous look. Only seconds ago he’d agreed that this was a great idea!

“Because”, he rolled you over, trapping you underneath him, “I can’t fuck you outside there”.

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Special Thanks: @offendedfishnoises @internalsealpanic @batarella - thank you both for proof reading you beautiful hoes xoxo

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#ceo!roman sionis x you #roman sionis smut #roman sionis imagine #roman sionis x reader #roman sionis x you #black mask x reader #black mask smut #black mask x you #black mask imagine

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mischiefsemimanaged · 3 years

Text

Mornings after a mission

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x female!Reader

Warnings: nothing, could be interpreted as implied smut but it doesn't have to be

Words: 1194

a/n: This is for @omgrachwrites 1k follower celebration! I chose the prompt "Stop moving and let me braid your hair!" Check it out; this girl rules! And thanks for the love on the last post!!

Russian is google translate, so my apologies. Feel free to leave a correction if this is wrong!

милый= darling

дорогой= sweetheart

It was the morning after a mission. You had gotten back late last night, and with the debriefing and how gross you felt, you hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Nat. You had recently started dating, and while you weren't to the point of sleeping together, you usually talked to her before bed and gave her a kiss. Stretching (and wincing when you realized how sore you were), you got up in search of Nat and maybe, breakfast.

In the kitchen of the common floor, Nat was feeling guilty. The mission had been rough. You had gotten hit pretty good by a couple of agents, and she had been busy trying to get to the hard drive, so she hadn't been able to check on you. She knew you were tough; it wasn't about that. Nat wasn't used to this feeling, the way she felt about you. She had fallen head over heels for the newest avenger, this girl fresh out of the SHIELD academy, the one who bounced on the balls of her feet when shown a new weapon. You were pure, something Nat wasn't used to. So here she was, attempting to make your favorite breakfast, planning out a day with you.

You shuffled into the kitchen, yawning. You were so focused on getting coffee that you hadn't noticed your girlfriend standing at the stove. What you did notice was your coffee, made the way you liked, set in your favorite mug, already on the counter. Looking up, you grinned.

"Nat! Thank you, my saviour!" you gushed dramatically.

"You're welcome, I wasn't able to check on you last night, милый, so I'm making up for it." she replied, snorting a little at your theatrics.

"There isn't anything to make up for! I didn't come to see you either! And check up on me? I'm a big girl, I'm fine!"

"Too bad, I'm spending the day with you. We're doing the dorky couple stuff, movie, dinner, whatever you want." Nat answered, ignoring your protest at her checking up on you.

"Whatever I want? I've got some thinking to do." you considered your options.

"Whatever you want, дорогой."

"Okay, first I want you to not burn the tower down trying to make... that." you told her, scrunching your nose up at the smell of burning.

Natasha whipped around, groaning at the burnt mess she had created. Scraping away what was meant to be a nice breakfast, she was grateful for her forethought to have a backup. Slipping away to her room (the greatest hiding spot, no one went into her room), she returned quickly, proudly holding a box of donuts from that little place down the road from the tower. You smiled and took your favorite from the box, happily eating.

"Donuts! Thanks, Red!" Tony exclaimed, walking in, much too peppy for this early and going for the box.

"Nope!" Nat answered, swiping it before Tony could get it, "These are for y/n."

"Come on! This is my tower, share the donuts!" he argued, a pout forming on his face.

Grinning at the exchange, you passed Tony a donut. Though Nat groaned outwardly at the action, inside, she was beaming. This was why she loved you. You were so kind to everyone. She expected this to happen, which was why there were more donuts stashed away. She retrieved them and set them on the counter as more avengers filled the common room. After a few minutes of quiet, filled with the sounds of eating and the occasional groan, Tony suddenly spoke up.

"So why does y/n get donuts? We were all on that mission!"

"Because y/n's her girl, that's what you do." Steve answered.

"That's right! We're spending the day together doing that coupley stuff so don't you dare call me down to the lab because you accidentally blew yourself up! Call dum-E.," you told Tony.

"Ooh, Red and y/n/n are going to be gross today. Thanks for the warning." Tony snarked back. "And I certainly will not call Dum-E. I like the building intact.

Nat shook her head, a fond smile on her lips. The rest of breakfast was filled with similar exchanges. You and Tony could go head to head for hours. You were the only one on the team that could match Tony without ending up in a snit for hours afterward, a trait Natasha and the rest of the team admired.

Soon the group dispersed. With a day off, the team had the freedom to do whatever they pleased. When you and Nat were the only ones left, you both started on cleaning up. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, you started talking.

"So let's definitely watch a movie. Maybe one of those silly rom-coms, and then we can go out for lunch. That can be your choice because I am not deciding everything we do. After that, we'll change into pajamas and do absolutely nothing. Take-out for dinner in one of our rooms if we want to be alone, or we can see what the rest of the team is doing."

"Sounds good, дорогой. But for lunch let's just go for a walk until we spot something that we want. Just a nice casual day." Nat replied.

"Awesome!"

With a plan in place, you finished cleaning up the mess that the Avengers tended to leave when eating and made your way to the movie room. Snuggled up next to Nat, you put on some cheesy movie and relaxed. An hour into it, you got bored; after all, you were used to being busy. You brightened up as you got an idea.

"Tasha, can I braid your hair? My hands need to do something." you whined at her.

This was a pretty big request. Natasha was quite proud of her hair. It was always perfect, something you were quite jealous of. You expected her to say no, for her to take your hands and lay back, but Natasha Romanoff was full of surprises.

"Okay."

Natasha shifted a little so you could reach her hair. You thanked her repeatedly as you got to work making the perfect Dutch braid. Nat sat still for a few minutes, watching as the man on the screen made some declaration to a girl who was not interested. Soon though, she reached a hand behind her and stroked whatever part of you she could reach. Soon that progressed to her snuggling closer. Finally, she turned her head to try and kiss you.

"Nat stop moving and let me braid your hair!" you complained, but your laughter and smile betrayed you.

Utilizing her skills, she wiggled out of your hold without pulling her hair and grabbed you. Pulling you close, she started kissing you, anywhere she could reach. You soon did the same. The two of you were delighted, close to each other, until...

"Oh come on! When I said you guys were being gross, I meant, like being cheesy and giving me cavities. Cavities not nausea!" Tony exclaimed, interrupting your moment.

Nat stuck her middle finger at him, pulling you up off the couch and into her bedroom.

You never did finish that braid.

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha x reader #black widow x reader #avengers x reader #mcu x reader #avengers fanfiction #mcu fanfiction #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff imagine #avengers imagine #marvel x reader #marvel imagine #marvel fanfiction #abby writes

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kaysayshey · 3 years

Text

off paper || e. kirishima

This is a work inspired by a struggle that a lot of those suffering with mental illness experience, particularly those with depression and bipolar disorder; however, it can be applied to a lot of mood-altering medications that cause sexual dysfunction. While medication is a life changing and stabilizing aspect of many lives, it doesn't come without its cons. I think Kirishima would be incredibly understanding in this situation. Please keep in mind that bipolar disorder presents in many ways. There is no one-size-fits-all in mental health treatment or in its subsequent treatment. I wanted to write a bit about the side effects of SSRI medications.

Songs that I listened to while writing include:

Serendipity by BTS' Jimin

Bumper Cars by Alex and Sierra

That Kind of Love by MAX

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, NSFW (no smut, however this work contains sexual topics), mention of prescription drugs, bipolar disorder, minors DNI.

On paper, Kirishima Eijirou was perfect. An impressive sidekick working underneath Fatgum, his cheery disposition more than capable of reassuring even the most terrified of civilians. A hard-hitting, defensive quirk paired with determination unlike anything you'd ever seen. Easy-going enough to work with the difficult heroes - and by difficult, everyone meant Dynamight. Intelligent, reliable, and just the right amount of competitive.

Off paper, he was even better. Hell, the moment he'd asked you out, you'd almost done a double-take. Was he sure? Kirishima could date, well, anyone. However, you'd blurted out 'yes' before your brain had time to catch up, even more surprised at the gorgeous pink that graced the tips of his ears.

And the date went wonderfully. Were you expecting anything different? He was a magnet, and you were willing to be the refrigerator he stuck to - at least, for as long as he wanted. How he managed to remember what flavor of milk tea and boba you preferred, following it up with a quick delivery while working twelves at the agency, was beyond you. Good morning texts wishing you an easy day of your own hero work, good night texts hoping that your dreams were "sweeter than you." The moment a bouquet of roses was sent to your office, you had to admit it.

You were embarrassingly attracted to Kirishima Eijirou.

Not that he minded, no. If anything, he returned the feeling tenfold. After the first date came a string of others before finally labeling it as a relationship. Movie nights, walks through the park, chaste kisses interspersed by giggles as you both laughed at whatever came to mind. The quick meetings between your lips turned into full-on sessions that left your knees weak. Being with Kirishima was easy in a way that nothing else had been.

But let's face it. Working as a full-time hero with bipolar disorder made life, well, tough. A pharmaceutical cocktail and therapy helped, turning what was the disaster of your life into a manageable mess. Episodes were few and far between, the prickling anxiety was quelled by coping techniques and medication when necessary. The days spent in a daze of your own "self-medicating" were long gone, thank whatever higher power was out there. No, life was on the upswing for you in pretty much every aspect of the phrase.

Except for your sex life.

And no, that wasn't to say that Kirishima was doing anything wrong. To be quite honest, he was doing every just right. Kissing the places you loved most, calloused hands lingering deliciously over your skin. A voice like honey whispering in your ear, beautiful moans of how gorgeous you were, how he absolutely adored you. Saying that it left you with weak, knocking knees was an understatement. He was an emotional hurricane, sending butterflies through your stomach as he showered you with praise and carefully placed lips.

Other than a complete lack of climaxing, it was amazing.

You knew this was a possibility once you had started taking medications. A loss of libido was one thing, but being unable to finish was starting to wear on you. Before you could stop yourself, you were doing the unthinkable: faking orgasms.

After all, who wants to spend close to an hour between someone's thighs just to be met with frustrated sighs and potentially awkward conversations? No, Kirishima didn't need to spend so much time on your pleasure, not when there was a high probability that you wouldn't finish at all. As long as the moans weren't straight out of a low-budget porno overly exaggerated, you figured you'd get away with it.

Getting away with it turned out to be the least of your issues. The struggle was real. Outside of the sweetest lovemaking with Kirishima, you desperately tried every trick in the book to reach an orgasm on your own. Something. Anything. You were beginning to feel pent-up, needy. The money spent on toys was starting to reach an uncomfortably high number. Time was wasted and followed up by flopping onto the bed in frustration. No amount of lube, porn, or fantasy was helping. Once you hit the hour mark, you basically gave up.

And you were now pacing the hallways of your apartment, irrational tears pricking at the corner of your eyes. Why did it matter? Orgasming was not the end all, be all of life. But the memory of before the medications, the euphoric bliss that would force your back from the mattress, that memory reared its head more often than you cared to admit. God damn it, you just wanted to feel the shudders, the rush of pleasure surging through your body, insatiable heat quenched. And you wanted to stop lying to him. The tears rimming your lash line made their arrival known, long tracks staining your cheeks.

This is, of course, when Kirishima decides to knock on your door. After all, you had planned to have a comfortable night in, a delightful line up of rom-coms at your disposal. Movies that you now wanted to throw out the nearest window. Why, why did you have to try again? He deserved so much more than a broken partner, a partner who would never be able to match him. Someone who could crash at the slightest struggle, who broke when their insecurities were brought to life.

Another set of knocks. Time to face the music.

As you gently opened the door, the drop in Kirishima's face was visible as he took in your state. Where a bright grin had been settled now featured lips drawn into a tight, worried line. After all, you did everything in your power to keep him in the dark in regards to your mental illness. Not necessarily your smartest move, in retrospect. Hindsight, you know?

The moment the door clicked behind him, Kirishima was gathering you in his arms, a large hand gently stroking the back of your head. A kiss to your temple, his forehead pressing against your hairline. Deep breaths weren't helping you at this point. Because regardless of how frustrated you were, Kirishima was safety, the warmth of his embrace a haven for you to let out the sobs that were wracking through your body.

And as the tears fell, darkening his gray tee shirt, Kirishima ran his hands up and down your back, the comforting heat of his body providing temporary relief. After moments of crying, you pressed your head against his chest, eyes glued to the linoleum floor beneath you.

A thick finger and thumb tenderly met your chin, slowly lifting your face to meet his eyes. Those usually warm red irises were dark with worry, the pad of his thumb running circles over and over against your skin. Another reminder of just how good he was. No man had ever made you feel as desired or important as Kirishima.

"Baby, what happened?" he murmured, still caressing your face so gingerly that it brought the threat of more tears.

"It's nothing, nothing important," came your quick response, avoiding any lingering eye contact. It wasn't that important. Sexual gratification came second to emotional connection, and you had that firmly in your grasp with Eijirou. Why would you risk losing someone like that?

His eyebrow narrowed at your words, and he kept your face cradled in his hands. "Please tell me, baby. I want to help."

God, that expression of pure concern. Like you were everything to him, like your hurt was his hurt. It was in that moment you knew: you couldn't keep lying to him. Whether it meant he'd leave for someone else, someone perfectly, indescribably normal; that didn't matter. If anyone deserved a picture-perfect romance, it was Kirishima.

Eijirou, I-" Your voice broke from the nerves, unable to hold his unflinching gaze. How could someone be so earnest? He nodded, those same reassuring circles urging you to speak.

"I think you deserve someone better."

He looked like you'd honest to goodness slapped him. So many emotions flashed over his usually cheerful face that it scared you. Oh, god, this wasn't what you wanted to do, but how could you not? No one wanted someone like you. Once he knew, he'd leave. Better to push him away first and just let it end now before-

"What are you talking about? Baby. I don't want anyone else. I want you." His words came out stammered, tripping over his tongue and falling into the otherwise quiet apartment. Kirishima shook his head slowly, searching your face for some form of reassurance that this wasn't what you wanted. That you didn't want him.

"I don't know why. I just, I'm too much. You'll end up getting frustrated with me and I just, I just can't take that kind of heartbreak."

"Too much? You're never too much, what are you talking about?"

The words fell before you could stop them, faster than should be discernible to the human ear. But if there was anything Eijirou was, it was attentive.

"My medicine is driving me crazy, and I know without it I'll go over the edge again. But I want to feel normal, Eiji. I can't handle feeling like I'm not normal." And it was true. Sex was so innately human, and knowing that there was a chance that you'd never be able to gain that ultimate satisfaction was driving you mad. Was this just an overreaction from a brain exhausted from constantly fighting itself, or was this a logical, albeit emotionally charged, reaction?

"Your medicine?"

There it was. What you wanted to avoid mentioning. Sure, it wasn't fair to keep it from him. But let's be honest, you'd been expecting this to end after the first few months. And now? Now you were shaking in his arms, knowing this confession would be the end of the dreamy love you'd been experiencing.

"My medicine for uh... for my, um. I have bipolar disorder. It's why I can't work on Thursdays, too. I have to go to therapy. I know I should've told you from the beginning but I just, you know, I really, really like you, and I don't-"

One finger met your lips followed by soothing shushes from his own. As if the world's weight had been lifted from his capable shoulders, Kirishima let out a heaving sigh of relief. The arm around your waist pulled you closer, his large hand splaying comfortably against your back.

"I'm not going anywhere. I just want you to be okay. What can I do for you?"

And that left you tearfully admitting it all. Longing for the physicality that would bring you closer together, the bliss of coming undone at your partner's hands. Disgust when you listened to your friends' bragging of delicious, gratifying one-night stands. Aching heat desperate to be relieved by your man only to be left at the edge, the warmth still tingling through your body. How you felt caught halfway between "normal" and "crazy" even with the drugs. And Kirishima nodded, hanging on every word.

"I'm glad you told me," he began, slowly trailing his fingertips up and down your back. "If I had known, I would've worked ten times harder. Will you let me make you feel good, honey? Please?"

How did those few sentences send you into another fit of tears? Clutching the lightweight fabric of his shirt and apologizing for the damp stains, you nuzzled against his chest in embarrassment. But he continued his motions, adept fingers working at your tense muscles.

That night, he gave you everything you wanted and more, eager to please you in a way he never had. Eyes focused, sweet nothings spilling from his lips, tender hands and featherlight kisses. Teasing and romance and dedication over hours, something you'd never experienced before.

On paper, Kirishima was perfect. Off paper, he was even more. And he fulfilled his promise to you, "I love you" slipping from his lips when you finally reached your euphoria.

"I love you too, Eijirou."

"I'll always love you more."

#kirishima eijirou #kirishima x y/n #kirishima x reader #bnha #mha #bnha x reader #bnha x y/n #bnha x gn!reader #bnha kirishima #mha kirishima #tw bipolar #tw medication #kaysays #i'm super nervous posting this one #ngl

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scraregenrecs · 3 years

Text

Rec Roundup – February 2021 #2

Well hello, you!

Alas, February is shrinking in the rearview mirror, and while it left us yearning for another taste of its sweet tang, we must bid adieu to the month of amor, while ushering in … March.

See you for another round of fic recs on the Ides of March! But don’t let David know, we wouldn’t want another nighttime oopsie daisy.

~Side note: We’ll be doing a separate @scseason7 roundup after author reveals on the 6th, so keep an eye out for that.~

Downtime by another_hero, Alexis & Ruth, G, 1198 words

Summary: Alexis and Ruth have a slumber party at a fancy hotel.

Rec [written by doingthemost]: First of all, love the concept of Alexis and Ruth being besties. Second of all, the way their personalities play off of each other here is so much fun. I would love to be invited to this slumber party, and the nice thing about these two is that I think they'd gladly extend an invitation to everyone to join the fun.

falling in love at a coffee shop by @thankstwy, @landofsonlali, and @anniemurphys, Alexis/Twyla, G & T, 2059 words

Summary: Alexis has never been good at getting the timing right. Twyla decides that it's about time that they do.

Rec [written by doingthemost]: Full disclosure, I wrote the first fic in this series – but the other two fics are so wonderful, I couldn't let them go unrecced. I love when fics give Twyla a chance to take charge of her destiny and to step out of the sidelines and into the spotlight in a way that canon never did. And the final fic is a picture-perfect rom-com in all its trope-y glory. 🥺

from words, but not from beauty [The Good Place crossover] by synchronicities, Alexis Rose & Tahani Al-Jamil, G, 2111 words

Summary: Two wine-drunk socialites have a fight.

Rec [written by yourbuttervoicedbeau]: Everyone who has ever talked about Alexis Rose and Tahani Al-Jamil meeting is one thousand percent correct, no matter if they think it they’d be enemies or BFFs or lovers (or enemies-to-bffs-to-lovers). So I was DELIGHTED to see this fic pop up, and it’s charming from start to finish. The name-dropping! The characterisation! I would read a million more words of this, and yet at the same time the amount of words I got is PERFECT.

i can tell that we are gonna be friends by @thankstwy, David & Twyla (background Alexis/Twyla), G, 700 words

Summary: When it's time for the newly-branded Twyla's Café Tropical to reopen, Twyla asks David for a favour. AKA: Help me, David-Wan Kenobi! You're my only hope!

Rec [written by yourbuttervoicedbeau]: I am such a sucker for any fic that explores David and Twyla being friends, and I particularly love this one being set post-canon! Of course Twyla knows the way to David’s heart is by valuing his skills, and of course David wants to try.

I’ve Got This by @missgeevious, Patrick & Alexis, G, 392 words

Summary: Patrick and Alexis get pulled over.

Rec [written by yourbuttervoicedbeau]: This fic packs so many jams into such a small wordcount — I love Patrick and Alexis’ relationship, I love frustrated Patrick, and I love that I can absolutely envisage Alexis’ expression every step of the way through this. This fic is the definition of short and sweet!

I want to show you the shape I'm in by @yourbuttervoicedbeau, Alexis/Stevie, T, 1017 words

Summary: The backing track for 'Money, Money' is already pumping out of the speakers when she pokes her head around the door to see Patrick and Stevie stomping around each other like they have been in every rehearsal, while the smokeshow Alexis assumes is the choreographer takes notes on a little clipboard.

Rec [written by doingthemost]: Patrick and Stevie's dance rehearsal lives rent-free in my mind, and I suspect that I'm not alone. I love how fanfic can not only answer all the little "what if"s that pop into our heads, like "what if Alexis saw one of their rehearsals?" but expand upon it so that the answer becomes greater than what you thought it could be. There's such a natural evolution from amused curiosity to want, and the tone is so light and playful, this could have easily taken place within the canon.

perfect cup of coffee by @samwhambam, Stevie/Twyla, T, 842 words

Summary: Twyla learns that Stevie is very good at making coffee.

Rec [written by doingthemost]: I love reading about the excitement that comes with the start of a new relationship, and this quiet, gentle little fic delivers that in spades. Not only is it such a sweet reflection on their relationship, but it's also such a good character study of these two. The promise that life has to offer the two of them is so evident and heartwarming!

Recognize my role, i fucked up the timing (gonna pay dearly for years full of silence) by @turningtimeinthetardis, Alexis/Ted and Alexis/Twyla, T, 338 words

Summary: She and Alexis have something. Or they're on the verge of having something. Right?

Rec [written by samwhambam]: Short and sweet and full of angst. Just like I like my coffee in the morning. (Truly, give this a read if you want your heart to be broken in 338 words. Hurts so good.)

Swiping Regret by @treepyful, Ray & Ronnie, T, 3197 words

Summary: Ray’s adventures on Bumpkin: the aftermath of five bad dates and one good one.

Rec [written by samwhambam]: It’s a 5 + 1 of Ray DATING!! D-A-T-I-N-G and then going to his bff’s house afterwards to debrief. It’s a perfect fic. It’s the kind of fic that makes you want to go hug your own Ronnie and tell them thank you for also supporting you through your own tinder adventures. Also there’s a hinted relationship between Ray and a townie that has me wanting more.

This Stupid, Wonderful, Boring, Amazing Job by @lilythesilly, Alexis/Twyla, G, 1129 words

Summary: “I once had my own reality tv show, ‘ A Little Bit Alexis’; maybe you’ve seen it? I was also a plant on three seasons of ' The Bachelor Australia .' So I’m, like, super familiar with how confessionals work. Anyway, I came to Dunder Mifflin because I needed a quick temp job since our super shady business manager ran off with all of my family’s money, and it turns out I can literally sell anything to anyone. Even paper.” A cute lil 'The Office' AU.

Rec [written by samwhambam]: Do you love Alexis/Twyla? Do you love the office? If you answered yes to either one of those, you will love this fic. This moment between them perfectly mirrors a Jim and Pam scene and it really makes you root for them. I highly recommend.

Happy reading, friends!

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scarlet--wiccan · 3 years

Note

your ideal billy/teddy duo comic (plot, character designs, artists and writers involved etc)

One thing that I've always wanted to see is a comic about Billy and/or Teddy that was produced entirely by mlm creators. Vecchio, Robles and Gracia are all gay artists who've worked with the characters on recent titles, and I'm eager to see more from them. While none of these artists have ever shown the characters in a way that exactly suits my wants, they've each demonstrated a clear personal vision of who Billy and Teddy are that I can respect. I find that Vecchio and Robles, as illustrators, both articulate a gay sensibility in their designs and are able to represent a range of gay identities and expressions with not only dignity, but real love, which is frustratingly hard to come by. Oh, also, Kevin Wada covers, because duh.

Writers are a little bit more difficult for me. I love Anthony Oliviera and I know that he's got a lot of ideas for the characters, so I'd be delighted to see anything that he might pitch. Vecchio also does write, and his creator-owned series, Sereno, is an urban superhero story in a modern fantasy setting-- something he describes as Batman Beyond meets Sailor Moon. Based on that, I think he'd do a great job telling a story about a witch and shapeshifter from New York. I know that Sina doesn't work for Marvel anymore, but I've always wished he could've done Billy and Teddy in a sweet little rom-com miniseries, or even just a single issue special. He's particularly good at writing tender, funny, and just unapologetically gay characters who signal authentic elements of our culture and community without making them cheap or laughable. That is a quality which I find essential for Billy and Teddy, and it's part of why I want more mlm creators to work with them.

If you had asked me this question last year, I would have had an easier time pitching ideas for these characters. I'm eager to see what the future holds for them, but "rulers of an interplanetary nation" was never part of my vision for how Billy and Teddy would be spending their early twenties. I did have this idea for an ongoing series about their "college years", wherein Billy would be studying magic with Wanda and Agatha, and Teddy would work part time with Carol or Alpha Flight while attending community college or learning a trade, like piercing or tattoo artistry. The idea was that they'd often spend time apart, as they'd each be focusing on their own careers and having individual storylines, but they'd always come home to each other at the end of the day and lend each other support, in ways both mundane and super-heroic.

I used to imagine that they'd stay in that nice apartment Sunspot got them, which would act as sort of a crash pad/base of operations for a revolving cast of their friends. They could convert one of the rooms into a magical sanctum for Billy, and another into a study room or art studio for Teddy. Tommy, America, Kate, or whoever could crash on their sofa whenever they're in town or need to do a team-up. Wanda could help Billy ward the apartment so that he and America are the only ones who can portal in and out, but then Loki would find a way to get around the wards and cause trouble, and there'd be a whole dramatic reunion. The whole idea could easily be adapted as a Young Avengers ongoing if you widened the focus from the main couple and treated it as an ensemble piece with individually chunked plot-arcs, much like the original series.

Unfortunately, that idea no longer holds as much water as I'd like because, for one thing, they lost that apartment and never explained why-- it seems like it was passively retconned out in between New Avengers and Death's Head. More importantly, they now live in space, with Teddy being a busy ruler of an interstellar Alliance, and Billy his prince-consort.

I would still like to explore the idea of them pursuing separate goals and working in separate fields while never being truly apart. Empyre introduced a clever plot device wherein Billy is now able to sense Teddy's location and teleport to him instantly, no matter the distance, which, I assume, works in reverse as well. This feat of magic is made possible by their marriage, which binds them symbolically and draws on the power of their love. They can go anywhere and do anything on their own, and still be together again at a moments' notice, which is super romantic and also affords them more flexibility than most superhero couples. I would still pitch a series about Billy doing magic work on Earth while Teddy does diplomacy in space, and one can always warp to the other when they need backup fighting a bad guy. They could even switch back and forth between staying on Teddy's throne-ship, and getting cozy at Billy's little Manhattan apartment when they want to get away from it all.

I guess my final answer is that I want the two of them to be fully realized, individual characters whose love is illustrated through mutual support rather than, like, being glued to each other's hips. The things that I want to see Billy doing are very far removed from the things that I want to see Teddy doing. Superhero characters tend to lose momentum when you marry them off, and superhero couples tend to fizzle when you keep them apart, but Billy and Teddy's unique strength is that they're never truly apart, and their relationship never seems to lose steam-- they've been a pair from the start, and... they're a little obsessed with each other.

The Billy story that I most want to see right now is a full Maximoff team-up. It could go in one of two directions: A) a quest to uncover Natalya's history and finally vanquish the Emerald Warlock, in which they're waylaid by Doom and other magic villains from their past, while teaming up with their magical friends around the world-- basically a sequel to Scarlet Witch; or, B) a showdown with Krakoa and a resolution of their relationship with Erik, which, best case scenario, partially reverses the Axis retcon and proves once and for all that the Maximoffs are mutants. If we got a longer series, we could actually do both plots-- they learn something about Natalya which leads them back to Erik, and the two arcs become a larger story.

The Teddy story that I most want to see is a Guardians-esque space romp with political elements featuring Teddy, Xavin and Noh-Varr as, like, a sexy-alien-boys version of the Gullwings from Final Fantasy X. Does that make sense? I don't have a great grasp on the political landscape of Marvel Space so it's a little hard for me to come up with details, but I know that the status quo has been totally upended, so there are going to be different factions and movements springing up, and likely no shortage of villains and space monsters rearing their heads when the dust of the war has fully settled. Teddy's a monarch now, but he's also been set up as this Arthurian hero-king, so I think there's still room for him to go on adventures and fight his own battles with his magic sword and, maybe, a crew of loyal space knights.

Having said aaaallll of that, I would absolutely die for a full-on fantasy adventure story with Billy and Teddy. I mean, Teddy's a king with a magic sword and his husband is a super-powerful witch. It's gotta happen. I'd actually be into them having a rematch with Mother, who is a pretty adaptable villain, in that her abilities and motives will differ depending on how she's been summoned. I'd also really like them to have a chance to go up against Sequoia directly, and on more even grounds. Quoi is such a great enemy for them because they represent the same generation of Avengers babies, and, actually, Quoi's origins are directly tied to Billy's-- their respective parents had a double wedding together. Sequoia and Teddy's arcs in Empyre paralleled and contrasted each other beautifully, but the two characters had no meaningful interactions. I want to see thems as arch rivals, and maybe, begrudgingly.... friends? Plus, I love that they're both alien princes who live in sci-fi stories, but whose aesthetics and powers are pure fantasy-- Quoi's a dryad wizard and Teddy is King Arthur, if King Arthur was a gay anthropomorphic dragon.

Anyways, that's my Wiccan+Hulkling pitch. The first arc is Billy and Teddy facing off against Sequoia in a magic forest that he's grown on his new planet, only to find out that they've been set up by Mother.

In the second arc, the three of them grudgingly team up against Mother while hashing out their shared backstories and giving Quoi, who's literally never had peers to relate to, a chance to fully come to grips with the way he was conditioned and manipulated by his father. Instead of conjuring dead parents, Mother seems to be able to summon dead children, which makes her particularly dangerous around the Cotati, Kree and Skrull, who've just emerged from a war and have countless recent dead.

In the third arc, Mother has freed R'kll and they've set their sights on Earth. Billy heads out with America and Tommy to ask Loki for advice on defeating her, while Teddy brings Sequoia before the Avengers as his charge in order to ensure that Quoi receives provisional immunity.

Loki is able to provide insight on how Mother might have been summoned and what the parameters might be for breaking the spell that's tethering her to Earth-616. It turns out that Mother is essentially holding Anelle's soul hostage and has been appearing to R'kll in her form. Mother's hold, at this point, has spread to the entire Alliance, and Teddy will have to defeat her or else she'll use it to destroy Earth and decimate his nation in the process.

Teddy recruits Wanda to help face Mother down. (side note, I'm desperate to see more of their relationship as in-laws.) Wanda agrees to work with Sequoia but insists on calling Mantis and making them talk.

The final showdown is the three boys, plus Wanda and Mantis, against Mother, R'kll, and an army of dead alien soldiers. Mantis and Wanda are able to pull Anelle's soul from Mother's grasp, but this doesn't banish her-- Mother's true anchor was R'kll, who'd been carrying Anelle's ghost in her heart ever since the destruction of Tarnax.

R'kll believes that she's always acted in the best interest of her nation, and she thought that bringing back Teddy's mother would finally make him see her way. Anelle and Teddy have a tearful reunion, but he admits that the only mother he's really mourned was the woman who raised him.

Wanda, Mantis, and Anelle, as a trio of mothers united with their lost sons, are able to reverse and seal Mother's power, which was based on lost children. They are not able to banish her, however, until R'kll steps forward and sacrifices herself, believing now that the best she can do for her nation is to rid the Alliance of the curse she brought upon it.

R'kll and Anelle begin to dissipate, but R'kll's sacrifice has called forth the spirit of Mrs. Altman, who is finally granted some closure and dignity in death by getting a chance to see how far Teddy's come and the peace that he's built in her memory.

Lots of crying! I made this sad. I'm sorry.

#young avengers #teddy altman #hulkling #wiccan #billy kaplan #empyre #robintext

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richincolor · 3 years

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Group Discussion: Fat Chance, Charlie Vega

*As is usual with our discussions, there may be a few spoilers ahead so beware.*

We were all eager to read something fun as we were getting to the one year mark in this very challenging time. Fat Chance, Charlie Vega seemed like a promising pick - and it proved to be exactly what we were seeking. I'm thankful that author Crystal Maldonado shared Charlie with the world. To find out more about Crystal, hop over to the interview here. It was great to hear directly from her about her writing.

Publisher summary: Coming of age as a Fat brown girl in a white Connecticut suburb is hard. Harder when your whole life is on fire, though.

Charlie Vega is a lot of things. Smart. Funny. Artistic. Ambitious. Fat.

People sometimes have a problem with that last one. Especially her mom. Charlie wants a good relationship with her body, but it's hard, and her mom leaving a billion weight loss shakes on her dresser doesn't help. The world and everyone in it have ideas about what she should look like: thinner, lighter, slimmer-faced, straighter-haired. Be smaller. Be whiter. Be quieter.

But there's one person who's always in Charlie's corner: her best friend Amelia. Slim. Popular. Athletic. Totally dope. So when Charlie starts a tentative relationship with cute classmate Brian, the first worthwhile guy to notice her, everything is perfect until she learns one thing—he asked Amelia out first. So is she his second choice or what? Does he even really see her?

Because it's time people did.

A sensitive, funny, and painful coming-of-age story with a wry voice and tons of chisme, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega tackles our relationships to our parents, our bodies, our cultures, and ourselves.

Let the discussion begin...

Crystal: Fat Chance, Charlie Vega made me smile just when I needed plenty of smiles. Over the past twelve months, I’ve found myself picking up many more rom-coms than usual. Even with the difficulties that the main character might face, readers still get to hope for at least a partially happy or hopeful ending and that is what I’ve been craving. Stories that deliver some joy can sure make a day brighter and Charlie’s story, totally did that for me.

K. Imani: I so agree. I’ve been doing the same over the past year and I really needed this sweet story. Like you Charlie’s story made me smile so many times. I loved how much she grew in this story and how she had such a loving heart.

Jessica: Ditto! There were so many times I looked up from reading and realized I was actually, physically smiling. I can’t get enough of YA romance right now.

Audrey: Fat Chance, Charlie Vega had some incredibly sweet and genuinely happy moments, and I was really glad we all agreed on this one for our first book discussion this year. That’s not to say there aren’t hard parts in this book--there are some that hit incredibly close to home--but it was so very nice to settle down with a book that had promised us an uplifting ending. I plowed through it in just two days and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Crystal: I found the cover to be simply lovely. Charlie is gorgeous and looks like she’s feeling beautiful in the midst of the flowers and warm colors. And she’s wearing glasses. I’ve worn glasses for most of my life, but when I was young, I thought nobody sophisticated or beautiful wore them if they could help it. Ruse by Cindy Pon, When Dimple Met Rishi (back of cover) and Slay by Brittney Morris are really the only other YA book covers I can think of that feature a main character with glasses. Mei in American Panda references her nearsightedness, but her mother says that “no woman is attractive in glasses” so Mei doesn’t wear them. Maybe there are other books, but there certainly aren’t many so it was fun to see Charlie rocking her glasses.

K. Imani: Fellow glasses wearer here too and I loved that the cover had Charlie wearing her glasses and that throughout the book she would fiddle with her glasses. It was such a small thing, but I loved how Maldonado wrote the little habits glass wearers do that are tied to how we’re feeling, use as a distraction, etc, that our glasses are really an extension of our being.

Jessica: Fat Chance, Charlie Vega definitely was one of my favorite YA covers to come out in recent years. The colors, the character, the font! Everything about the cover was just so gorgeous.

Audrey: I adore the cover. Not just because Charlie is a fat, glasses-wearing Latina like me but also because it reminded me a lot of Charlie’s references to the body positivity and fat fashion movements. The cover could be an Instagram post--Charlie front and center, looking right at the camera, all dressed up and with a gorgeous background behind her. Ericka Lugo, the Puerto Rican illustrator who designed the cover, did a phenomenal job.

Crystal: Charlie is delightful, but her relationships are seriously complicated. She has some work to do in her relationships with her mom, food, her best friend, her crushes, and most importantly with herself. This is the messiness that makes Charlie’s story feel real. The book did make me smile, but there are some struggles here too and I appreciated that Maldonado let us see Charlie do some hard work.

K. Imani: I feel like all the messiness from Charlie’s relationships is what really connected me to her. No one is perfect 100% of the time and sometimes we get into our own heads and can sabotage ourselves with our relationships. The thing with Charlie is that she learned from it, told people how she felt and made amends. Such great personal growth that is a tough journey to go on, but one we humans do on a constant basis.

Jessica: I loved that the book didn’t shy away from the messiness and complicated aspects of Charlie’s relationships, particularly with her best friend and her mother. I especially loved how Charlie’s relationships tangibly changed and grew as the book progressed -- she called out her mother on her mother’s toxic behavior, and got to a better place with Amelia. So many complex relationships were in play, and the nuance given to each relationship was really incredible.

Audrey: I think some of the most honest parts in this book were when Charlie knew--intellectually--that there was absolutely nothing wrong with being fat, that being fat doesn’t mean unhealthy or unloveable, but she was still affected by those messages and ideas. She still bought into some of them even while acknowledging they were wrong and unfair. It was rough to see her deal with those things and how they affected her own self-esteem and her relationships with others, but it was also incredibly genuine.

Crystal: Many of the issues with relationships are tangled up in how Charlie sees her body. She’s fat and is working hard to have a good and positive relationship with her body, but this is a journey that has ups and downs especially since it seems that some people aren’t willing to accept Charlie as she is. Her own mother seems to think Charlie’s body is not beautiful at the present size and thinks losing weight is essential for Charlie’s happiness. The U.S. culture strongly equates worth with our beauty standards and many of us don’t see how damaging this can be for ourselves and others. Readers can even see this in the relationship Charlie’s mother has with her own body.

K. Imani: Charlie’s relationship with her mother bothered me so much and showed how toxic our society is towards women’s bodies that her mother didn’t even realize she was hurting her child. I’m glad that Charlie sought out the body positive movement and referenced it a number of times throughout the book so folks could see how seeing yourself represented living a fully happy life, despite your size, is life affirming. It definitely was a nice juxtaposition to the messages she was receiving from her mother. On a side note, I really enjoyed how Charlie was a secret clothes hoarder and that she had a great sense of fashion.

Jessica: I sound like a broken record now, but I’m seriously in awe of how Charlie’s relationships -- particularly with her mother -- are portrayed. It’s messy, and tough, and I absolutely cheered when Charlie really told her mother how she felt. I also loved how the story depicted Charlie’s own not-so-linear journey when it came to her self-esteem, and the role that online communities played in that. Sometimes it’s easy to think of the internet as just a place of toxicity and trolls, but the truth is that there are so many wonderful communities online.

Audrey: Charlie’s relationship with her mom was so difficult and complicated, especially with her mother having put so much effort into losing weight and being able to keep it off. At one point Charlie acknowledges that her mom probably doesn’t even realize she’s being cruel. It was such a relief when Charlie was finally able to express her feelings about her mom’s behavior and comments. It didn’t magically make things better, but Charlie was able to say what she really thought and tell her mother that she was hurting her. There were a lot of painful conversations in this book, but in the end they helped Charlie sort out her important relationships and her feelings about herself.

Crystal: I agree with Brian and Charlie that Valentine’s Day isn't always great for everyone. The heart-meltingly sweet way that Brian dealt with that made me smile. To later find out that Crystal Maldonado experienced something very similar with her husband when they were younger made it even sweeter.

K. Imani: I loved what Brian did for Charlie, and their classmates, on Valentine’s day. It was so sweet and moving and definitely endeared me to his character.

Jessica: Regarding the valentines: Gasp. I did not know that! That’s so sweet. Wow.

Audrey: That’s so sweet! I really liked reading about Brian and Charlie’s relationship. The Valentine’s Day scene was incredibly endearing, and their bookstore date was also lovely. There were several great moments between them as their romance developed. I especially appreciated that Charlie--a fat character!--got to want and enjoy things like hand holding and kissing and being attracted to someone and feeling attractive. I loved all of that.

Crystal: I think we can all agree that reading this book was a delight. We recommend it especially if you’re looking for something to give you a little joy. If you’ve read it, please share your thoughts on the blogpost or on our Twitter account. We’d love to hear from you.

#crystal maldonado #charlie vega #fat chance charlie vega #ya lit

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hiccanna-tidbits · 3 years

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Hiccanna--100 OTP Questions, Part 2

So I said I would finish this OTP question meme someday--and I decided, entirely on random impulse, that “someday” is today!!! My Hiccanna-centered account has not been producing enough Hiccanna content lately, and this simply WILL not do.

QUESTION SOURCE: https://the-moon-dust-writings.tumblr.com/post/159857601812/100-otp-questions

LINK TO PART 1: https://hiccanna-tidbits.tumblr.com/post/635744326176129024/hiccanna-100-otp-questions-meme-part-1 51. Does either of them know how to fight? I mean...canonically yeah, they both do??? Lol I mean Hiccup has his fire sword and obviously would know how to fight with the weapons he makes/invents, and Anna literally just instinctively grabs a sword to protect her buddies in Frozen 2 and I mean we all really love Sword Anna anyways and also she PUNCHES A MAN OFF OF A BOAT so long story short yes they can both fight 52. What do they do for Valentines Day? Anna rents a rom-com and pulls Hiccup down onto their couch to watch it with her, and he kinda internally groans because he figures it’ll be something super sappy and cheesy and Anna will just be squealing with delight the whole time. Legit as soon as the first scene begins, Anna begins brutally roasting the main couple. Turns out it’s a really terrible rom-com and Anna rented it solely to make fun of it. Hiccup is like “aight this definitely wasn’t what I was expecting but I’m on board” Also Hiccup gets Anna like 3 boxes of fancy chocolate because...do I really need to explain? Anna gets Hiccup a particularly aesthetic floral arrangement for their kitchen table, something she knows damn well he secretly likes but would never admit XD 53. Who swears more? Anna, for sure. This tends to surprise people, but Anna is actually a notorious pottymouth when she gets comfortable XD Hiccup has a pretty big and borderline pretentious vocabulary, and so he tends to express his frustration in more...articulate ways when things don’t go his way. Like he’d stub his toe and just say “wow, I’d literally rather saw off my other leg than have to deal with this right now” while Anna, in the same situation, would let loose every curse word known to man XD 54. Who has the better comebacks? Hiccup, absolutely. His smart-ass comments to every conceivable situation on earth go absolutely unmatched. Anna can’t help but envy how he can almost instinctually pull out a near-perfect snide remark within seconds, whilst she, at best, thinks of the ideal comeback in the shower 3 days later. 55. Who would start a fight with another parent at a bake sale? I feel like Anna would seek out the most passive-aggressive, bitchy, entitled Karen and just wait with barely-concealed anticipation for her to say something super awful so Anna can just nail her in the face right in front of all the other moms Hiccup and their kids, meanwhile, can’t help but be awed at their wife/mother’s impressive Right Hook 56. Who reads buzzfeed? Anna. Hiccup keeps being like “you know half the stuff on there is total bullshit, right?” and Anna just shrugs like “who cares? It’s entertaining!” 57. Who is the hopeless romantic? Anna, good god, ANNA. After the whole Hans debacle I imagine she’s a bit more subdued about so openly showing this part of her personality, but at heart she just can’t stop being a romantic. Once Hiccup catches wind of this, he naturally makes a point of frequently surprising her with Grand Romantic Gestures and such, which makes Anna’s entire face go bright fuckin red as she cries out “NO STOP WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS YOU’RE TOO NICE” 58. Do either of them know how to do a handstand? Nope! They’d both fall on their faces and it would be hilarious. 59. Who can rap better? I love the idea of them both being looped into a rap battle somehow and Anna just dreading it immensely because she figures they both really suck and then when it’s their turn Hiccup comes out and busts out the BEST, MOST SAVAGE RHYMES Anna has ever heard COMPLETELY ad lib and the poor girl just goes completely catatonic with shock for like 10 minutes. 60. Do either of them want to go sky diving? See initially I was gonna say Hiccup definitely would not because it would give the poor boy an anxiety attack, but then I remembered he basically skydives in canon??? And Anna strikes me as a bit of adrenaline junkie too, so fuck it--yeah, I think they’d both enjoy it. 61. What do they usually text about? They talk a lot about movies, games, books, and shows they both like, I imagine--Hiccup especially likes to overanalyze them to ridiculous extents and Anna thinks this is adorable. The rest of the time, they send each other dumb memes and talk about random animal fun facts. Anna likes to brag that her boyfriend knows more lizard trivia than anyone else on the planet, and how many lizard facts does YOUR boyfriend know? Probably little to none, you big loser. 62. Who is the dramatic one? Anna is INCREDIBLY dramatic. Although Hiccup certainly does have a “dramatic flair,” as he puts it, I still think Anna can out-dramatic him, at the end of the day XD Although perhaps admittedly not by much. 63. Is either one confrontational? Anna certainly can be. She’s usually pretty friendly, but if she ever feels like she’s being challenged, demeaned, mocked, or generally not taken seriously, she’s ready to go to WAR. She certainly not as soft as she might look! I imagine there’s situations where someone is being a dick to either Anna or someone else and Hiccup has to physically hold her back to keep her from just decking them XD 64. What is their favourite cuddle position? Probably just good old-fashioned spooning. Hiccup actually really loves being the little spoon (because Anna just makes him feel so damn safe), but he is loathe to admit it. They also have one I like to call the “Needy Cat,” where Anna just goes and completely drapes herself over Hiccup when he’s sitting on the couch. He’s usually in the middle of doing something else, and is forced to find ways to play video games/read his book/watch his show around Anna XD 65. Who are their favourite musical artist(s)? Hiccup has exactly 3 music moods--pretentious classical stuff (to listen to while working on inventions), obscure underground 90s hipster bands no one’s heard of (to play air guitar to when no one else is home), and some more well-known emo/alt rock stuff (to sing along to in the car dramatically). I can see him liking Panic! at the Disco, The Killers, Fall Out Boy, Linkin Park, that kinda stuff. Anna, meanwhile, likes the trashiest, most generic-sounding pop music and refuses to apologize for dancing to it in the car XD She is most DEFINITELY a Swiftie, no question. She also likes some “edgier” bands like Paramore and Hey Monday. She went through a hardcore Avril Lavigne phase in middle school and she still totally listens to her but is embarrassed to say it. Also I feel like Anna would be into 90s/early 2000s boy bands??? She relates to the boys’ endless pining and just flips the genders in her head so the songs are about Hiccup (before they start dating obs) XD I AM DEFINITELY NOT SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE HERE, NO SIR 66. What are their parenting styles? Anna would probably be like...kind of stern, when she needs to be, but intensely nurturing as well, if her relationship with Elsa is anything to go by. Hiccup would be a pretty laid-back, chill dad who would probably try too hard to be cool and make no end of absolutely horrible dad jokes XD They both lowkey seem like the kind of parents who would end up letting their kids get away with a lot though lmao 67. Who would be the more laid back one? Hiccup probably. I mean, he IS the pacifist/diplomat guy, besides have you MET Anna??? Girl absolutely has NO chill. 68. Who listens to more vulgar music? Anna, surprisingly! Hiccup just kinda enjoys what he enjoys and doesn’t really feel the need to “prove” anything by listening to songs that swear a lot. Anna purposely listens to vulgar music to feed her hidden rebellious side and because it makes her feel badass XD She honestly kinda hates being written off as 100% wholesome and innocent all the time and will readily pull out the “I’M NOT A SWEET LITTLE FLOWER I SANG ALONG TO THAT SONG THAT JUST SAID FUCK SEE” line whenever given even the slightest chance XD 69. Do either of them have secrets even the other doesn’t know? Kind of depends on when in both their timelines they meet. If they meet in the middle of HTTYD 1 or Frozen 1, they probably wouldn’t tell the other right away that they have a dragon and an ice-powered supersister, respectively XD I definitely think they would as they came to trust each other, though. Also I read a headcanon that Hiccup has burn scars from the Red Death incident where he lost his leg, and that’s why he wears so much armor and generally long sleeves--and I kind of love that. So maybe Hiccup would be cagey with Anna about how he lost his leg and that whole incident for a while before he finally opens up to her about it. Other than that I feel like they’d be pretty honest with one another, other than maybe trying to hide the more embarrassing parts of themselves to impress the other person XD 70. Who is their go to couple for a double date? Jackunzel, obviously! They’d probably all go to an arcade or an amusement park or something else pretty fun and high-energy. 71. Do they tip the waiter/waitress on their date? I mean yes, they’re not huge assholes????? 72. How do they work out a fight? I imagine Anna tends to get more worked up and yelley and loud, while Hiccup doesn’t raise his voice much at all but can say some damn cutting things if he wants to. Since Anna probably gets angrier, I imagine she apologizes first, whether or not the fight was actually on her or not--it’s just kinda this girl’s default to apologize for everything XD She’d probably say sorry for yelling and probably overreacting, while Hiccup would also be EXTREMELY apologetic if he realized he crossed a line with one of his jabs at her. I imagine a lot of what they fight about is Anna doing some impulsive Dumb Shit^TM and Hiccup just being like “oh god DAMMIT that’s DANGEROUS you can’t just go WORRYING me like that!!!” and Anna getting offended because she kinda views this as him being a little overprotective and not trusting her to make her own decisions. Ironically, Anna occasionally also gets mad at HICCUP for doing Impulsive Dumb Shit, so he’s not always nearly as much the Voice of Reason as he thinks XD Hiccup also sometimes gets mad at Anna for not taking better care of herself (take it from a fellow ADHDer--we tend to Wallow in Despair sometimes, or straight-up forget to do basic care things like eat lunch XD)--I have an IRL friend who reminds me a lot of Hiccup and he’s ALWAYS getting on my case about not eating enough, not drinking enough water, constantly berating myself, stuff like that. I imagine Hiccup sometimes slips into Mom Mode with Anna when she gets in a bad spot, which she appreciates after the fact but kind of annoys her at the time because she wants really badly to be independent and all that. Basically TL;DR most of Anna and Hiccup’s fights can be resolved by Anna and Hiccup agreeing to next time Use A Brain Cell before they do a thing, or Anna agreeing to take better care of herself XD 73. Who brings home an illegal pet? In literally every AU possible I like to think that Hiccup brings home some variation of illegal pet XD I mean, it’s probably just a dragon (”just a dragon” is never a string of words I imagined myself using in that order like what do you mean JUST a dragon lmao) in a standard crossover timeline, which he basically does in canon, but I do love the idea of a modern AU Hiccup showing up to their apartment with some kind of weird exotic monitor lizard from Bali and being like “I found him in an alley, he’s gonna live with us now” and Anna is like “D: Is someone gonna arrest you???” And Hiccup is like “Nah, no cops followed me home” and Anna’s like “Okay!!! :D” and then goes to PetSmart to buy a big fluffy bed for her new scaled friend XD 74. What side of the bed do each of them sleep on? I honestly don’t think either would care much, and they usually sleep in a tangled-up mess anyways so by morning you can’t really tell who started on which side XD 75. What is their favorite photo of them two together? One from before they got together: I’m just imagining a big group photo with the Entire Squad (Rapunzel, Jack, Merida, Moana, etc.), and Anna has her arms laced around Hiccup’s neck and her chin on his shoulder and a GIANT smirk on her face. Meanwhile Hiccup is laughing and trying to push her off, but his cheeks are BRIGHT fucking red and he’s trying really unsuccessfully to hide it because he’s a pale boi. Anna loves it because you can so CLEARLY see Hiccup’s blush, and she loves to tease him about how flustered he got around her. Hiccup loves it because it reminds him of what was probably the first time Anna was THAT openly cuddly with him, and how exhilarated and giddy he felt the first time he had her that close to him. 76. Who takes longer in the bathroom? Probably Hiccup, if only because I HC him as a bit of a germophobe who is a tiny bit obsessive about washing his hands sufficiently. 77. Who has more songs on their ipod? Anna, mainly because literally every time she hears a song she likes she’s like “!!!!! Gotta download it!!!!” LITERALLY EVERY TIME. And she wonders why her ipod is always running out of space XD 78. What movie did they first see together? As of the Modern AU Hiccanna one-shot I wrote ages ago, Revenge of the Ancient Dragon Masters! XD If we’re talking movies that actually exist, I imagine it would be a Marvel movie, a Star Wars movie, or some super-fancy-CGI high fantasy epic. 79. What do they like to see each other in? You mean like...which of the other’s outfits would they find the sexiest??? Aight, I’ll take a stab at this. Anna gets literally SO fuckin thirsty every time Hiccup wears his dragon rider outfit (the one from HTTYD 2), like it shows off his cute skinny body in the most perfect possible way whilst making him look like a badass and oh how Anna DREAMS of feeling him up in that! (One day, she finally gets to! XD) She’s also very into the scale armor from HTTYD 3 when she’s in...a very different kind of mood XD As for Hiccup, his favorite outfits of Anna’s are probably her coronation dress and her queen dress, mainly because he loves how she looks in green. He also really likes her travel outfit from Frozen 2, mainly because it’s sexy AND practical and damn, he’s gotta admit, that’s a nice shade of purple and she absolutely SLAYS in it XD 80. Who makes jokes during inappropriate times? Honestly both of them??? Like neither are great at picking up social cues, and Anna canonically DOES do this in Frozen! (Remember her comment about ice-selling being “a rough business to be in right now”???) I can see both of them attempting to lighten a tense mood by making an ill-timed joke, hoping to make things less uncomfortable, and they end up making everything MORE uncomfortable XD Honestly sue me, I love the idea of these two idiots bonding over how terrible they are with social cues in general 81. At what age do they discuss the possibility of children? I imagine not til like...their early 30s, if ever. Like I mentioned in the first part of the questionaire, I actually am not sure if they would even want to have kids at all, but if they DID decide to, it definitely wouldn’t be until they’re older and have settled down a bit, and have (somewhat) gotten both of their lives together. 82. What do they love about each other the most? Hiccup loves Anna’s energy and optimism, and how she’ll basically cheer him on and believe in him with all her being no matter how high the odds are stacked against him. And oh boy does he LOVE how hard she can kick ass when push comes to shove, and how goddamn overprotective she is of him. The sword skills and the general willingness to punch problematic people in the face are definitely up there as well. She’s like the perfect blend of fun and badass, and there’s never a dull moment with her for him. Anna adores Hiccup’s connection with animals and general animal skills, especially with the more less-loved and “scary” of the world’s creatures (i.e. dragons lol). She also loves and admires the shit out of his intelligence and inventiveness, and wishes she could make contraptions half as cool as what he turns out. And, of course, she loves that he’s a pretty humble dude who's actually pretty insecure about his accomplishments, and isn’t some cocky guy wanting to shove them in everyone’s face. And, of course, she loves his sarcasm and his dry sense of humor, and few people can make her laugh as hard as Hiccup can. Before she met him, she had no idea pessimism could be this entertaining XD 83. Who is the one that sees the big picture, while the other focus’s on the small details? Hiccup is very detail-oriented--he has to be, in order to make any of his contraptions work! Anna is very much focused on the big picture and gets stressed and exasperated trying to keep track of details--she figures she’ll either sort through the details as she goes, or Hiccup will help do it for her XD 84. What would they write on their partner’s social media’s for their anniversary? One of my IRL friends wrote “Happy anniversary bro, you’re pretty great” on his girlfriend’s instagram for their anniversary, and she wrote back “Happy anniversary, you’re a good buddy, I love you” and I just XD That’s the EXACT kind of weird dorky nonsense I can see Hiccup and Anna doing for their anniversary tbh 85. Who is bad at math? Anna, bless her soul, needs a calculator for literally EVERYTHING. Hiccup kinda trained himself to be decent at doing math in his head, since he often has to calculate measurements for his inventions and whatnot, but Anna is absolutely atrocious at it and generally would like overly-complicated numbers to not be anywhere near her. 86. Who googles everything? Probably Anna, mainly because she’s pretty forgetful and doesn’t trust her own memory half the time so she feels the need to verify everything on the internet XD 87. Who does stuff on impulse? Anna 100% canonically does, although Hiccup has some shades of this too more than he would ever admit, in fact, for someone claiming to be the Voice of Reason 88. How do they comfort each other when they are helpless to do anything about the situation? Hiccup’s approach is probably just to try and distract Anna and take her mind off of it, which he’ll do by either trying to make her laugh, telling her a story, or explaining one of his inventions to her (which she never gets bored with btw, because everything that boy gushes about is fascinating to her <3). Basically he figures if he entertains her enough, it’ll take her mind off of whatever is freaking her out and she won’t fixate on it as much. Anna’s approach is more to accentuate the positives in a bad situation (although like I mentioned in Part 1, not really in a condescending “count your blessings, it could be worse!” kind of way, but more in a “I hope he’ll feel better if he focuses on happy things” kind of way, if that makes any sense?) and also focus on when Hiccup DID do great and utterly kick ass and tell him he’s always better than he thinks he is. 89. What is an inside joke they have? If anything, him calling her “Tiger” as a pet name (which I think I mentioned briefly in Part 1??? Can’t remember) is this, because in my mind it developed because whenever Anna is about to do some Dumb Shit, or punch someone she really shouldn’t in the face, Hiccup has to physically hold her back like “Whoa, slow down there, Tiger!” This happens so frequently that eventually it just gets shortened to him nicknaming her “Tiger” and all their friends are kind of baffled as to why XD 90. Who makes the other smile with almost no effort at all? Hiccup barely even needs to start talking in funny accents or imitating his dad before Anna is just DYING laughing. She thinks he’s the funniest damn person on earth. He honestly gets a kick out of her impressions too--she can do some pretty amusing ones, if that deleted coronation dress-up scene from Frozen 1 is anything to go by. So the feeling is mutual!!! They’re super good at making each other smile and laugh with little to no effort!!! 91. What is their favourite holiday? I feel like Anna especially would get REALLY into Christmas/Yule, mainly because of how much Elsa can spice it up with her powers. And judging by the OFA short, Arendelle gets very hyped for the holidays in general, so it’s probably hard NOT to have a good time. Anna probably also like Mayday a lot because the dancing, the spring cheeriness, and the flower-related festivities are definitely to her taste. Hiccup just likes the energy and general vibes, and would rather sit back and relax and watch Anna dance around and have fun XD Also dun best believe they BOTH get hella into Halloween, because they’re dramatic motherfuckers who loves to dress up, and it gives Anna an excuse to buy a shitton of chocolate and eat all the leftovers XD 92. Who is the one that is calm and collected while the other is angry and destructive? Lmao Anna is definitely the “berserker” of the two of them. She DOES tend to get destructive when she’s angry, if being ready to fight a giant-ass snowman and smacking a wolf in the face with a lute is anything to go by. Hiccup is definitely the calm and collected one, and very rarely gets genuinely angry. 93. What is their favourite board game to play? Does Dungeons and Dragons count??? I can totally imagine Hiccup being hyped up over that or some other super nerdy RPG game and being so enthused to show it to Anna, who just falls even more in love with him after seeing how EXCITED he gets about it. Of course he’s super eager to teach her, and TBH Anna has a really hard time getting it at first because DAMN these rules are COMPLICATED, but after she finally gets the hang of it, she realizes she absolutely LOVES DnD and RPG games in general (I mean...have you SEEN OFA??? Girl gets just a little TOO into reminiscing about her old play-pretend toys XD) and she and Hiccup constantly geek out about it together. 94. Who accidental sets something on fire? Anna, 100% also this is an ever funnier question if applied to Hiccanna in my Fire!Anna AU 95. Who has the car ready while the other is robbing the store? Anna is waiting while Hiccup robs the store, if for no other reason than that Hiccup is much better at Stealth Mode than Anna is XD Anna’s uncoordinated ass would probably knock over like 5 shelves’ worth of merchandise before reaching what they were actually trying to rob XD 96. What artist/group did they go to for their first concert? I M A G I N E D R A G O N S lmao Look what can I say Anna likes the Imagine and Hiccup likes the Dragons 97. Who sleep talks? Hiccup. He mumbles about dragons a lot. Sometimes he jolts awake randomly and just yells out “THE DRAGONS ARE IN TROUBLE!” and Anna has to calm him down after she dutifully manages to not burst into laughter at this. Doubly funny if this takes place in a Modern AU. 98. Who is the more social one? Anna! Hiccup generally prefers to either keep to himself or hang out with animals. 99. What are their karaoke songs? For some reason I feel like anything by P!nk??? Idk why, but I can see them like rocking out and singing along to p!nk songs together and getting really into it. Also basically anything by The Killers and, at Anna’s request, The Chainsmokers (Hiccup thinks this is very basic music indeed but goes along with it for her sake XD). AND “Whatever It Takes” by Imagine Dragons. And they sing it LOUD. 100. Who would get up on stage and make a fool of themselves just to make the other laugh? Highkey both of them??? I kinda feel like Hiccup moreso though, if his little comedy routine imitating his dad in HTTYD2 is anything to go off of. He definitely wouldn’t be averse to making an idiot of himself to amuse Anna, especially since she’s so damn cute when she laughs. Anna, for her part, loves returning the favor, and is all about trying to do all sorts of Goofy Antics to amuse her boyfriend. And she’s overdramatic af, so she gets WAY too into it XD

#hiccanna #hiccup x anna #anna x hiccup #hiccup #anna #otp questions #hiccupxanna #annaxhiccup #rotbtd #rotbtfd #httyd #frozen #crossover #hiccup haddock #princess anna #queen anna

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eponymous-rose · 4 years

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I’ve also further progressed in my Vorkosigan re-read! Memory was as wonderful as I remembered (Illyan and Miles going fishing via improvised hand grenade out of boredom is always a highlight).

I love the way Bujold structures her books---I talked about that a bunch with Mirror Dance---but Memory is just brilliantly laid out. Miles is spiraling, Miles fucks up, Miles gets fired (the closest pop-culture parallel I can think of is a superhero having to permanently revert to their mundane secret identity), Miles’s friends manage to yank him out of the mire, and then... surprise bizarre out-of-sequence murder mystery! The victim’s not dead! Miles keeps finding clues out of sequence and realizing he was meant to be framed! And god, you’re so sure it’s Haroche right at the start and then you have that moment of “oh well shit of course he thinks Miles might have it in for the boss that just eviscerated his identity” and so you’re still surprised when that first instinct was right! And then he offers Miles his life as Naismith back. Even Cordelia placed a bet on Miles giving up his life as Vorkosigan. And... he doesn’t. Mirror Dance was about Mark fracturing himself to survive. Memory is about Miles dragging himself back together to live.

I love how Illyan takes the loss of his memory chip---it’s fundamentally a piece of him gone, but it’s also freedom from thirty years of being a tool of his emperor (and then of Aral), and his embracing this destruction of his identity and learning to move forward is such a great foil/foreshadowing for Miles’s revelation. Everything in this story is about moving forward, not without regrets, but moving forward. It’s so fitting that the romance story going on in the background is Alys and Illyan, two 60-somethings, falling in love (and god, I love the scene where Miles wanders in on them in the morning and thinks something like “huh that dress is more of an evening style isn’t it?” and then like ten hours later the penny drops).

And god, Miles and Elli. I love how this was done, how it’s made apparent that you can love someone, and they can love you, and you can be very good for each other in a lot of ways, but your circumstances can still be such that marriage will annihilate one or both of you. It’s nobody’s fault, but the inevitability and recognition of it means it’s not always a devastation: “He could feel the letting-go in them, with the easing of the tension and the terror, with the slowing of every pulse of their blood. Not pain, or not so much pain, but only a just sadness, a due measure of melancholy, quiet and right.” Even when they’re quite bizarre relationships, the relationships in these books are very mature and well-thought-out from a narrative point of view, and this is a wonderful example.

Just a really, really lovely book:

No wonder he was laughing. He wasn’t mourning a death. He was celebrating an escape.

“I’m not dead. I’m here.” He touched his scarred chest in wonder.

[...]

Harra Csurik had been almost right. It wasn’t your life again you found, going on. It was your life anew.

Aaaand on to Komarr! God! I love this book! The most Miles possible meet-cute for his future wife: board at the home of her family on an investigation, have combat flashbacks on a shopping trip with her, and wind up watching her husband die horrifically while chained to a rail on a planet with a toxic atmosphere, knowing if he reacts too strongly he’s likely to have a seizure that’ll dislodge his own breathing mask, killing him in the same terrible way. You know. Rom-com stuff.

Speaking of relationships portrayed well, Ekaterin and Tien’s disaster of a marriage is extremely chilling in its realism. Even as you absolutely detest Tien, you can see how Ekaterin got yanked into that orbit, and it’s all all all so tied in with the very same aspects of Barrayaran culture that we’ve seen Miles face: Tien destroys everything because of his perception of what the response would be to his illness (where Miles, for better or worse, never had the option of hiding it), and because of his shitty insecurities about Ekaterin’s fidelity (echoes of a young Aral come to mind). We’re given explanations (his brother’s literally impossible-to-live-up-to example) but are never expected to see them as excuses, which is a very fine line to walk. The end result is a believably fucked-up relationship that draws on parallels with every single time you’ve ever thought to yourself about a friend, “Oh god sweetie you can do so much better than him”.

And Ekaterin’s thoughts about being bound to this marriage are right along the lines of the most stick-in-the-mud traditional Barrayaran loyalties we’ve seen Miles exhibit, all tangled up in language about honor. And even though it very shortly (and mortally) becomes a moot point, I love that she gets the chance to decide to leave Tien in spite of that.

I also love the scene between Tien and Miles, talking about Nikki’s jumpship obsession, partly because of the obvious contrast between the two of them, but mostly because it illustrates how much of Tien’s awfulness is because he’s just... fundamentally a bitter coward with no imagination.

"Well, every boy goes through that phase, I suppose. We all outgrow it. Pick up all that mess, Nikki.”

Nikki’s eyes were downcast, but narrowed in brief resentment at this, Miles could see from his angle of view. The boy bent to scoop up the last of his miniature fleet.

“Some people grow into their dreams, instead of out of them,” Miles murmured.

“That depends on whether your dreams are reasonable,” said Vorsoisson, his lips twitching in rather bleak amusement. Ah, yes. Vorsoisson must be fully aware of the secret medical bar between Nikki and his ambition.

“No, it doesn’t.” Miles smiled slightly. “It depends on how hard you grow.”

The alternating POVs between Miles and Ekaterin are charming because we get to see Miles from an external (non-hostile) point of view and get all excited about each small revelation, and then we get to see Ekaterin both from Miles’s point of view and from the point of view of her own very active inner monologue, giving us insights we would otherwise have missed since she, as Miles says in the understatement of the century, has a tendency to underreact.

Their relationship is built up very carefully: there’s an obvious mutual interest practically from the first, but they both have reason to be cautious. There are those moments of genuine rapport early on, and then the shopping trip! It’s such a clever revelation, and so layered!

Miles was traumatized at Dagoola IV by watching Beatrice fall from the shuttle in front of him: he reached out to try to catch her, and just missed, and she died. And then we have this perfectly safe little parallel, with himself and Ekaterin falling off a water feature in a shopping district, and he manages to catch her, this time... and they both go over. It’s cute and oddly triumphant...

...and then he realizes exactly what it means. If he’d caught Beatrice, he’d have gone over with her. They’d both be dead, and that revelation hits right after he’s had a whole book to figure out just how badly he wants to live. And to Ekaterin, it’s a very quick summary of what and who Miles is: he’s the man who would not let go. BUT Ekaterin ALSO frames her leaving Tien in that context: she’s not just watching him fall, but purposefully releasing her hands. It’s so twisted and so complicated and such a weird little microcosm of their respective states of mind. And while part of it is Ekaterin giving Miles the little push he needed to properly process that trauma, fundamentally and on a larger timescale it places Miles as the “I’ve been in this hole before and I know the way out” path to Ekaterin’s healing. It’s so well done.

There’s also a hell of a parallel in the physical aspect of Miles’s seizures coming on unexpectedly in moments of great stress versus the psychological aspect of Ekaterin’s whole coping mechanism being built on trying desperately not to flinch or show strong emotion.

(And I don’t know where else to put this but special shout-out to the running gag of Vorkosigan House getting gradually overrun with cats, to the point where Miles starts, apropos of nothing and on a totally different planet, asking strangers if they’d like a kitten.)

These kids! Will they make it work? I may be only halfway through the book, but I have a funny feeling things might work out...

Also, here’s the “rescue” scene in full, because it delights me so:

The root-compacted soil of the edge sagged under her weight, and she began to slide precipitously forward. She yelped; pushing backward fragmented her support totally. One wildly back-grappling arm was caught suddenly in a viselike grip, but the rest of her body turned as the soil gave way beneath her, and she found herself dangling absurdly feet-down over the pond. Her other arm, swinging around, was caught, too, and she looked up into Vorkosigan’s face above her. He was lying prone on the slope, one hand locked around each of her wrists. His teeth were clenched and grinning, his gray eyes alight.

“Let go, you idiot!” she cried.

The look on his face was weirdly, wildly exultant. “Never,” he gasped, “again--”

His half-boots were locked around... nothing, she realized, as he began to slide inexorably over the edge after her. But his death-grip never slackened. The exalted look on his face melted to sudden horrified realization. The laws of physics took precedence over heroic intent for the next couple of seconds; dirt, pebbles, vegetation, and two Barrayaran bodies all hit the chilly water more or less simultaneously.

The water, it turned out, was a bit over a meter deep. The bottom was soft with muck. She wallowed upright onto her feet, one shoe gone who knew where, sputtering and dragging her hair from her eyes and looking around frantically for Vorkosigan. Lord Vorkosigan. The water came to her waist, it ought not to be over his head---no half-booted feet were sticking up like waving stumps anywhere---could he swim?

He popped up beside her, and blew muddy water out of his mouth, and dashed it from his eyes to clear his vision. His beautiful suit was sodden, and a water-plant dangled over one ear. He clawed it away, and located her, his hand going toward her and then stopping.

“Oh,” said Ekaterin faintly. “Drat.”

There was a meditative pause before Lord Vorkosigan spoke. “Madame Vorsoisson,” he said mildly at last, “has it ever occurred to you that you may be just a touch oversocialized?”

#vorkosigan saga #vorkosigan saga spoilers #long text post

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r00en · 4 years

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Still Good Chapter 4.

Small talk over dinner turned to a heavy topic as the great All Might gets a bit of perspective he's never seen before as he comes to terms with his feelings no matter what they might be. All Might finds out the price normal hero’s pay every day to make the world a brighter place...and he’s not sure he likes it.

All Might x Reader (OC)

Warning: Mentions of gore and blood. It only get’s worse from here folks! Oh...did you think this was gonna be a cute rom-com filled with sooches and wuv? NU! I make you WORK for that love! (Edited, added a line or two and fixed a bunch of mistakes that were glaring)

The lull of light dinner conversation mixed with the quiet muttering of the T.V behind them was soothing in a way. There was so few pauses that Toshi could let his mind focus on the topics at hand or things she pointed out on the program over his fluttering heart and twitching nerves. He wasn't so surprised that she was a decent cook. As bland as his food needed to be she picked a rather mild meat rub before cooking his chicken and even finished it off with a few minuets of baking to give it more of a texture over the rubbery feel it had when boiled. He had to admit it was a nice change of pace and tasted great. So much so that Toshi found himself hoping she would make it for him again. Bento boxes every day in a goofy All Might style bento with a little note from her would be the literal definition of heaven. He watched as she happily shoveled some meat in her mouth, catching the happy little hum of enjoyment she let out. A bit childish, not at all proper but Toshi wouldn't change her for the world. Her puffy cheeks filled with food and utterly thrilled expression over something so simple was adding to the atmosphere. Could he ask to stay the night? Make up some kind of excuse like his side hurt or it was too late for the trains. If he pretended to be in pain she might kiss his side again and his guts gave a thrilled twist as the image of her in the kitchen burst through the mental wall he was trying to keep it contained behind.

"Sore wa hendesu!!"

The loud shout from the TV knocked him out of his day dreaming causing Toshi to fumble with his rice bowl for a second. He was caught by a dumb game show host. Shooting a glare in it's direction for good measure he gave a heavy sigh and started eating the end of his meal. "These shows are so weird, I still can't keep up with them. But the talk shows are nice it helps me get a bit more of a feel for professional conversation." The little nurse was covered up to her shoulders in the kotatsu blanket, looking happy and content as she wanted for him to finish his food. This sort of set up was strange to Toshi. Often when you would invite someone to dinner it was a bit more of a occasion, treating that person like a respected guest with constant conversation and offerings of snacks and drinks. This was so casual and seemed more like something married couples would do every night. Sit around and watch T.V and eat their cheap dinners only mildly chatting. No, this was far better. "Damn it Toshi stop thinking like that! This is a common dinner gathering with a friend! This is surely how they do it in the states. Stop getting your weird hopes up"

His eye cast down to the end of his rice. He had eaten far more than he expected himself too given how nervous he felt. He hand't felt 'full' in a long time. If that was indeed what he was feeling. Full, happy and relaxed. That was until she stretched and stood up from her spot. Her work skirt getting caught from her odd position and holding just a bit too high up her milky thigh giving him a beautiful look of the creamy skin that was normally hidden from view. Blood dripped from between his teeth and he snapped his head away to sputter something she thankfully ignored this time around.

"All done? I can start to clean up if you want to finish watching. You can tell me more about that kid you're training yeah? You said he knew about my work back in the states?"

Toshi gave a sort nod, trying to stack his bowls carefully to make the work easier for her. "Yes, thank you! The food was wonderful! I had no idea you were not only a brilliant nurse and hero but you really can cook too." The flush that painted her cheeks was a wonderful reward for his mild complement and Toshi made it a point to do that more often. Constantly if possible. The way she wiggled on the spot and twisted some hair around her fingers, trying to look anywhere but at him with her flustered expression was quiet possibly the cutest thing he had ever seen! Oh he would do it again for sure. Next chance he got.

She scuttled off quickly with a muttered thank you followed by a string of excuses and reasons why she was in fact NOT a good cook at all, facts Toshi ignored as he turned the TV down to listen to her as she set about cleaning their dishes. "So this kid, Midoriya was it?"

"Oh yes right. Young Midoriya shows great promise. That young man is set to do great things..." His voice trailed off as he looked at his own clenched fist. So frail and skinny now it was so important to All Might to train that boy as quickly as possible. His time was limited and he was growing weaker day by day. The thought clawed at the back of his mind and forced a slight twitch in his jaw. Every day was one day less and soon he would have to live like this. A normal, weaker than average citizen who couldn't save people. Couldn't be the symbol he spent his whole life trying to be. Was this really all he had left in the coming days? Once Midoriya was ready and the torch was passed what would he even do with himself? A washed up old has-been hero who could hardly take care of himself. Hell he was here pressing the new nurse just because of a little pain in his side. Was this really what he had become?

A small plastic object was thrust into his view causing Toshi to perk up and snap his head towards her and what ever she was wiggling in his face. That sweet smile greeting him as it always did, her hair let down now that all the work and dinner was done but she kept on that cute little apron and he felt his heart swell from gloom to joy. Was it her quirk? Could she radiate some type of joy through close contact? How quickly she was able to rip him out of his self loathing and into a peaceful quiet. "You can't have sweets normally right? I picked up these flavors honey sticks just in case." One small stick hung between her lips as she blinked down at him. "Non-processed should be better right?"

He gave a soft nod and brushed his fingers against her's again as he took her offering. He thought he caught her little tremble at the contact but brushed it off as a chill from the sudden unexpected feeling of his colder boney fingers against her far warmer....far softer ones. She took the time to think about his needs and cater to them so diligently he was starting to feel like some unnecessary burden who selfishly pushed himself into her life, and for what? Just so he could get all warm and fuzzy seeing her smile? He must not have been hiding his own personal disdain well enough as that same soft hand he brushed seconds ago came down sharply on the top of his head. "H-hey! What-" "You keep getting this look on your face. I don't like it so cut it out." She was so blunt. That dead stare she gave telling him this was not up for debate. "A-ah...sorry I didn't notice I was making one. Didn't mean to upset you or-gah HEY!" Another swift chop and now his head was really starting to hurt.

"A quit with the apologizing alright. We're friends arn't we? If something on your mind you should say it don't sit there and sulk. That's what friends do for each other." The sudden finger thrust in his face had him lean back and staring crossed at her hand. "Besides what good am I as not only your friend but the new up and coming nurse at the great UA high if I can't even mend the spirit and heart of a fellow employee! I'll be an absolute failure! I'll never be able to show my face to grandma again she'll scold me for sure!" Her speech was so dramatic and heartfelt Toshi couldn't stop the slight twitch of his lips that broke quickly out into a smile. Sitting forward he leaned on his elbows and let his head hang. "Cut right to the point don't you kid-" He chose to ignore the delighted look on her face at the return of his nickname but only just. "And you're pretty good at picking up on others emotions, that's a good quality to have in a school nurse. Better yet one at UA. Those kids are the future hero's, they carry a lot of weight on their young shoulders and I bet a lot of them will need all the emotional help they can get as well as physical. I have no doubt you'll be a great asset to the school from this point on." He had meant it to be some kind of compliment. Trying to match her emotional speed in this conversation but the look on her face now told him he fell short. She was scowling?

After a few seconds of silence between them he moved and rubbed the back of his neck nervously "...I say something wrong? You don't-" "You're trying to deflect the conversation Toshinori...." Shit he was caught. She was far better than he gave her credit for. The sudden feel of her hand wrapped around his resting one caused him to jump and nearly fall back from the table. "Come on. Somethings bothering you. You're normally all kinds of jumpy and odd but ever since the kitchen you've been so quiet." Her eyes looked so worried but a different worried that Toshi was only ever used to seeing on her. Worry that went deeper than his scar and title. Worry for Toshinori Yagi on a personal level he hadn't felt in years. But he couldn't just open up to her like this, burden her with more than necessary or more than he already had. Almost instinctively he turned his hand so he could grip hers. Any other circumstance and his heart would be fighting it's way up his throat but he was being tactful here. A common sense misdirection. "It was something Young Midoriya said today. He knew you from your hero work back in the states. You went by Paladin back then right?" She seemed to relax a bit "He...mentioned the way you used to fight and I just can't get it out of my head. What kind of hero agency sends someone like you out on the front lines to be a punching bag for the rest of the fully capable hero's out there? Let you get hurt in their place....it didn't sit right and ever since Young Midoriya brought it up again it's been eating away at me. Knowing you were hurt so badly so often...." His hand squeezed her's tight, tighter than perhaps he should have given the small wince she gave in response but she didn't pull away. Only returned the pressure and placed her other hand over his.

"But it's the exact same thing they did to you." Toshi's head snapped up. What could that possibly mean?! He was the worlds greatest hero, no one could touch him in his prime. He wasn't some striking dummy set out on the streets to take hits he was saving people. "That sounds dumb let me explain. Here in Japan the only reason things are the way they are now is because of you. Sure all the other heros take care of minor crimes that pop up from time to time but you are the whole reason this society works the way it does. You take punches every single day in all different sorts of ways to keep people safe and thriving. No one stops to ask if you're okay, no one gives you a break or time off. For the past twenty years you have been the symbol the world needed you to be....but you were just an object of hope to cling to. A punching back for the worlds problems day in and day out but you did it with a smile. You never asked for anything in return and used your powers to help everyone else around you regardless of the sacrifices you had to make to do it." His side twitched slightly, as if affirming her words. "And you wanted to do it. Use that power in any way you could. Even now the only thing your mind is screaming is for you to help me, even if I don't really need saving. You view it as in injustice that you need to right. Our views on it may be different but I wanted to us my power to help people just like you. Every single use of it needed to go to that cause because otherwise what good is it to just let it sit there and do nothing? If I'm not helping someone with my quirk, even if that help is buying time for the right hero to do the job then what point is there to having it at all? Besides the best look on a villains face is the one they get when their punches just don't work!

Toshi...I need you to understand how normal heros really think. Sometimes I wonder what the world would be like if I was there to take that hit for you....if someone could protect you for once rather than you always having to shelter us. I don't want to only rely on the symbol of peace, I want him to rely on me now! Even if it's just making him food and listening to his problems."

She was so passionate and god damn it was she smart. Ripped that morality right out from under him. He desperately wanted to save someone who didn't need to be saved, from a path they both walked. And she wanted more than anything now to be his hero. Putting herself out there for him here and now made his heart swell.

Her hands were shaking slightly and he worried more than anything that this wasn't the whole picture but he wasn't going to push her. Not now. "While I might not have your power I needed to do this for the people I cared about. Without me so many others would have gotten hurt and many could have died. I can come back from those hits....they can't. Even if it's minor...even if it's scary how can I call myself a hero if I don't do everything I can to help?" She grinned up at him, that shining in her eyes was so hopeful and bright that he found himself starting slack jawed at her for a moment. "How else can I Go Beyond?!"

This was the moment in every sappy romance movie he had ever seen where the hero wrapped his arms around the girl and kissed her until she was out of breath. Held her like he would never let go and showered her with love and adoration. But Toshi was stuck to his seat. Only able to hold her hands and smile right back at her. "You keep on surprising me kid. But you know, I'll never stop worrying about you. It's kinda my job. Even if I'm like this I don't really know any other way to be."

The small laugh that pulled from her warmed his heart but it chilled just as quickly when she let his hands slip from hers to stand. "That's my line you dork. I'm the school nurse after all." As she passed him she let her fingers run over his wild hair and he leaned into the touch like it was second nature and watched her move into the kitchen. Damn it this wasn't good. His heart was thudding so hard he could feel it through his chest. In a few short minuets she had cemented herself as the most kind, beautiful and intelligent woman he had ever met. And cutest, he added as she stumbled out with a few more honey stick and a goofy grin chatting about something else she saw on TV to break the tension and lighten the mood. It was all white noise to him right now. She wasn't his friend. This wasn't a normal relationship with a colleague. This wasn't how he acted with Aizawa, Kayama or Yamada. Hell not even Dave. He couldn't remember a time where he just wanted to be near someone so desperately it hurt.

Time came at last, and to Toshi dismay, that he had to head home. He wanted her to make a fuss and demand he spend the night, not that his nerves would allow him to do anything but stare awkwardly at the ceiling all night long let alone make any sort of romantic move. No, he would first try and talk to her without having a heart attack. Baby steps. She did whine a bit, rolling back from under the blanket and pouting when he insisted on catching the last train home. It was rather late. "I'll see you at UA tomorrow anyway. We need to go over plans for the entrance exam next week so don't look so down alright?" He wouldn't admit he liked that she looked so bummed out. Made his heart do a little flip that she wanted to spend as much time with him as he did her. That was a good start, knowing she wasn't forcing herself to stand him.

"Yeah yeah....Grandma reminded me like six times today. I have alarms set I won't oversleep this time." They both chuckled as he slipped his shoes on and stood in the doorway. "H-hey uh...if you wanna get up a bit earlier we can grab some coffee on the way to work..."

She looked at him with those wide eyes and gave a tilt of her head "Hm? You wanna go to work together?" Toshi stepped back and waved his hands frantically "Y-yeah I mean if you wanted! Only if that's not too weird! I figured you liked coffee given all the mugs you have around the kitchen....it's fine if you want to sleep in I understand don't push yourself." Geez what a stupid idea. This was the second time he asked to see her outside of work and he felt like a total creep. "I would love that." You're nearly fifty years old Toshinori this is unacceptable behavior, you should be ashamed of yourself. Pushing a young girl like this to constantly meet up, someones gonna call the police. "Just text me when you wanna meet up and I'll reset my alarms." Then again it's just coffee....it's not like you asked her out on a date. Was this a date back in the states...not like I dated there either but maybe it is. "Hey Toshi." Way to blow it, first the kitchen now this- a rough jab to his forehead had him fall back against the apartments railing. "You gotta work on your inner turmoil. I would love to get coffee tomorrow morning. Just text me when you want to meet up okay?" He was stuck standing dumbfounded, holding his foehead all slack jawed and flustered. "Y-yeah? Yeah...alright I'll text you." He muttered watching as she grinned behind the closing door until it clicked shut. Yelling out a 'Go home Toshi!' as she sensed he was still standing like an idiot on the balcony. It took him a few more seconds to right himself and step away from her door with one more glance at the apartment that belonged to his crush. He could say that now, be honest with himself, no matter how red in the face it made him as he nearly ran down the steps as if that would distance him from the utter embarrassment.

As Toshi sat on the nearly empty train he found himself staring down at his phone. He wanted to wait at least a bit to text her not wanting to come off any more desperate than he already felt. While he killed time he tapped in her hero name in the search bar. He was surprises to find more than a fair share of hits everything from interviews to caught footage of fights. With a shaking finger he clicked on the first one listed. 'Paladin vs Iron Fist' at least her name was kinda cleaver. But what ever mild enjoyment he got from her hero name was quickly sucked out of him as he watched his poor little nurse get bashed in by a massive man possibly his own size. Not only that but he had; as his name implied fists of Iron that he had no issue using against the tiny girl.

She was quick on her feet at the very least. Dodging some of his slower telegraphed attacks, and he was sloppy and slow. A small time criminal who was used to just beating his way past opponents it seemed. Clearly not used to them getting back up. She took two heavy hits to the jaw and one uppercut that sent her flying upward leaving her open to a sudden massive barrage of punches to the stomach and chest. The force of it knocked her back into a wall that gave way with the power of it. Even he would be winded after something like that. The camera zoomed in as close as it could from their distance and Toshi was horrified to see the pool of blood slowly spreading from in impact site. Only her twitching legs visible behind and under the rubble. More blood that he was comfortable seeing coming from anyone. No one could get up from that...she must have been a mangled mess of bone. But slowly those feet moved in and some of the broken building was pushed away as she climbed out. Wiping her jaw from the small dribble of blood that still lingered. She was otherwise fine. Scraped up and winded, glowing that faint green of her quirk but otherwise no worse for ware. She was even grinning as she righted herself and gave a little stretch. "Think you can even me out big guy? Never feels right to only have one side punched you know?" As if she suddenly noticed the camera she turned and gave a thumbs up, what an All Might move. "Don't try this at home kids! You might not get up so quick!" The villain was back on her in a second shoving her body back into the rubble with a horrible crack and the sound she made turned his insides in knots.

So it did hurt....every hit she took hurt as if she were a normal human. Every broken bone, every rip or scrape she could feel it all. And this villain was beating her into the ground with no mercy! His hands were shaking, gripping his phone so tightly he saw the screen suddenly crack and snapped him from the sudden rush of boiling anger that threatened to spill over. His phone still worked just fine he noted as he stared at his grim reflection in it's damaged surface. The hero's had figured out a plan by that point and someone was pulling him off her as he switched his phone off. She did that every single day with a smile on her face. Just like All Might. And people adored her for it if the comments and commentary were anything to go by. The person filming even said they didn't feel worried as long as she was on the scene. That did nothing for that burning hate he felt in the pit of his stomach. His hand clutched over his mouth as he sat in silence for the rest of the ride.

Never again. No one would ever hurt her again.

#All Might x Reader #All Might/reader #All Might #Toshinori Yagi #Toshinori x reader #MHA #my hero acadamy

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fyeahfandomtrash · 3 years

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My 2020 K-drama Recap

Finished shows:

Do You Like Brahms: 10/10, absolutely no complaints. To see two introverts fall in love, and they’re both classically-trained musicians? This show was the ultimate nostalgia escapist trip for me. So romantic, quiet, and moving. As a formerly classically-trained musician, this has my stamp of approval, which is not the case for many works in the visual media that depict musicians.

More Than Friends: 8/10, was quite frustrating at times, but there’s much to be appreciated. The couples all had great chemistry with each other, and the friend group was refreshingly realistic (the female friendship was also to die for; literally my favorite group of girls in a K-drama). Wooyeon was a poorly written character in the end, and Lee Soo had the ultimate redemption arc for me. Gorgeous cinematography, great comedic beats, and it made some points.

Dropped shows:

Record of Youth: It’s a solid 8.5/10 until episode 8, a solid 1/10 from episode 9 to episode 14 (I didn’t watch the last two episodes). I really didn’t get it. I just don’t! Why is this script not using Park Bo-gum and Park So-dam to their full potential??? Literally what was the point of Byeon Woo-seok’s character?? Awful pacing, terrible character development (read: characters stayed the same or they regressed), and so much fluff. I literally felt like I was watching the writer try to add a bunch of BS to fulfill a word minimum for a long essay.

Dinner Mate: 6/10. Honestly thought the romance was cute, but it just got so boring. I don’t even remember when I dropped it, but I literally just didn’t care for the characters anymore. Also, the exes were so damn annoying. The meet-cute was really adorable. It just didn’t have enough gas in the tank to fulfill a 16 hour requirement.

Currently watching into the new year

Itaewon Class: currently on hiatus since I’m watching it with a friend at school, and we’re both at home during winter break, so we can’t meet up until january. I just finished episode 11, and I can see why it got so incredibly popular during its run. I loved The Count of Monte Cristo when I read in English class in high school, and IC is honestly not much different. The drama is there and it’s really intense, but the emotions are palpable, and I am loving it. Currently, it’s a 9/10 for me (could really do without all of that love triangle nonsense!)

True Beauty (currently airing): I’ve been a webtoon reader for quite some time now, so when I heard the news of the adaptation, I was a bit nervous. Casting seemed promising, and the director directed one of my favorite shows of all time (Extraordinary You), but even then, the quality of the drama rests on a good script. As of the conclusion of episode 4, I really have no complaints. I love every moment of this show, and I love how the writer is aware of the need to change things for a live-action adaptation. I am also very much simping for Hwang Inyeop’s portrayal of Seojun so uh... there’s that. Currently, a solid 9.5/10 (I have very minor qualms with some plot elements unique to the drama, but it’s certainly not one to hinder my viewing experience)

Run On (currently airing): I love how unique the characters are. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an ensemble of leads in a K-drama rom-com ever, and it’s a delight to watch. The humor is very subtle, and I love the production quality. It gives almost an indie movie vibe, in a way? The characters just feel so real, and they’re all so likable in their own way. To be fair, things can change very quickly since episode 2 only just aired, but I’m one to express optimism about a TV show and give it a couple of chances to redeem itself before I decide to cut my losses. Currently, a 8.5/10 (that can easily go up assuming they keep staying consistent with the script and the direction).

As an aside, I’m also really looking forward to Rowoon and Won Jin-ah’s new romance drama! I love a good office-set, contemporary romance that has an equal mix of comedy, good angst, and swoony romance. I have high hopes.

#kdrama recap #personal #i have very specific tastes #and i also realized that there are a bunch of other shows that came out this year that are probably much better than the ones i listed #BUT... if i didn't watch 'em #it's probably because i didn't want to

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go-events · 4 years

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GO Rom Com Spotlight: @weatheredlaw

We have a Valentine’s Day two-fer today for GO Rom Com Spotlight posts! First up, we have the marvelous @weatheredlaw (also on AO3 and Twitter) has claimed The Wedding Date to adapt for Good Omens in the Good Omens Rom Com Event.

For reference, here’s a little background about the source material!

About The Wedding Date: With the wedding of her younger sister (Amy Adams) fast approaching, Kat Ellis (Debra Messing) faces the undesirable prospect of traveling alone to London for the ceremony. While this is bad enough, Jeffrey (Jeremy Sheffield), the man who left her as they moved closer to marriage, happens to be the groom's best man. Determined to show everyone -- most of all Jeffrey -- that her romantic life is as full and thrilling as ever, Kat hires a charming male escort (Dermot Mulroney) as her date.

We spent some time chatting about how the adaptation is coming so far, as well as future plans for it! Now, get to know @weatheredlaw a little better!

* * *

goromcom: So, you know how if you open a Tumblr chat with someone you haven't chatted to before, Tumblr tells you two things they post about? I wanted to tell you that yours reports that you post "about #tv: midsomer murders and #red vs blue". Would you recommend Midsomer Murders? I've never seen any of it.

weatheredlaw: YES! I recommend Midsomer Murders to everyone. it's a DELIGHTFUL show that i could watch for HOURS and HOURS. It's available on Amazon Prime through season...10? i think? and it's all on the Acorn TV channel as well.

goromcom: Sounds interesting! I’ll have to check it out. But on to your rom com! You chose to adapt The Wedding Date as your rom com. Has this movie been a favorite of yours, or is there some other reason you chose it?

weatheredlaw: I saw The Wedding Date in theatres when I was 14 and I just absolutely loved it. I'm a huge sucker for romcoms, I watch them every chance I get, and there's a handful I've watched many MANY times, The Wedding Date being one of them. I chose it because, out of everything left, it was the story I was most familiar with, and I am such a huge sucker for a solid romcom AU. They're my bread and butter. It's something I love doing, and I know I can execute fairly well, so I'm excited about the process!

goromcom: What's your favorite moment of The Wedding Date, and are you looking forward to presenting it in your adaptation? Any loose plans for that scene that you can share?

weatheredlaw: Oh my gosh I have MANY favorite moments, but there's a scene, close to the end, where Nick asks Kat's father if he can have permission to date her, and her father leans in and says, "I thought you already were." The sort of mischievousness of Kat's father is excellent in the original, and I want to keep that using God as a stand-in for Aziraphale's mother as I've done many times in other AU's, and keep that sort of I know something is up, but go on, keep your secrets feel that Kat's father has in the original. That scene I would very much like to include.

goromcom: Other than making sure that scene makes it into your adaptation, do you plan to stick very closely to the story beats of the original story, or make bigger changes?

weatheredlaw: So the main idea of the Wedding Date is need a date for a wedding I don't super want to be alone at. Kat in the original is the ex fiance of the best man, but in this case, Aziraphale fills the role of needed a date because he's been getting out of family events by pulling the Boyfriend Card for weeks. So that bit will be different, and Crowley will be more of a professional stand-in boyfriend than an escort (I have something planned called the Boyfriend Binder that I think will make people smile). But the gist of, "I get someone to pretend to be my boyfriend and we accidentally fall in love" will remain a major part of the story.

goromcom: What's an interesting decision you've made in your planning so far--a notable casting decision, a changing of venue, or some other plan you have to paint Good Omens all over your rom com?

weatheredlaw: So I've been on this kick of Redeem Michael for a while, and I'm folding in a relationship between her and Aziraphale that will be based on her canonical deviousness, but as she's grown up and matured, she's become Aziraphale's ally at family events. A Michael/Ligur wedding is what I settled on. I'd considered Ineffable Bureaucracy, but I wound up choosing Michael/Ligur instead. The main thing about making sure a Good Omens AU still feels like Good Omens is folding those canonical events into the new story. Things like the Arrangement help make it a Good Omens story (Aziraphale makes an Arrangement with Crowley, re: the wedding); Aziraphale's discomfort around other angels (Aziraphale is uncomfortable around some members of his family). There are little things that really make Good Omens, Good Omens, and trying to include those is key to creating a good AU for the show.

goromcom: I am blatantly stealing this last question from The Good Place: The Podcast, but here goes: Tell me something "good". It can be something big or small. It can be a charity you think is doing good work, or you can talk about how great your pet is.

weatheredlaw: Something good! You know, I want to talk about my incredible sister, who has been so supportive of me lately as things in my life change, and is making big changes of her own. I feel so lucky to have someone like her, I know not everyone is close with their siblings. But she's a fierce defender of me, and always has my back, and she's genuinely one of the most good people I know. I love her. She's so smart and so driven and makes sure she uses her experience and education to always be giving back. She's amazing. Thank you for letting me brag about her.

goromcom: So there you have it, our first of two Valentine’s Day spotlights. Keep an eye out for the GO adaptation of The Wedding Date, coming soon!

#goromcom #goromcom spotlight #good omens #weatheredlaw #the wedding date

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shreddedleopard · 4 years

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How are Rivahisu faring at this difficult, unprecedented time? (maybe as key workers - the queen and a soldier of the military- they don't get to self-isolate). Jeankasa too (I ship that last one so hard now).

Oooh okay - @the-cartoon-princess I’m going to be straight up honest here, I’d feel like I’m being really presumptuous trying to write them as key workers as I don’t have that first hand experience myself, and I don’t want to take anything for granted about what people are having to tackle at the moment as KWs, so I’m going to write them being stuck home if that’s alright?

But if you’re up for it - maybe you could tackle it with your experience? 😊 I know you’re a keen Rivahisu writer too 😉

Okay, here goes ...

Rivahisu

👑 Historia is actually thoroughly delighted to get some peace and quiet and time to herself for a while, although she’s unsure what that might look like if it’s Captain Levi she’s stuck with. At least she knows she’ll be safe with Humanity’s Strongest.

⚔️ Levi, on the other hand, feels that he’s far too busy to be holed up with some royal brat for weeks on end. She better be a tidy housemate.

👑 Historia always offers to be the one to go out and get the grocery shopping, but Levi won’t hear of it. His role is to protect her, so off he goes with the list as long as his arm that she’s given him so that she can stay home.

⚔️ He knows she’ll be especially safe in said home, by the way, because he’s spent the last six hours practically sterilising the place.

👑 Historia quickly comes to learn that Levi has many more talents than just kicking ass as a soldier. She always knew he was clean, but heck - living with him during a pandemic is next level. He’s installed hand sanitizer stations in every room. At least she feels safe for many reasons now.

⚔️ Levi makes a point of getting up early to excerise and train - he can’t be getting slack just because of this lockdown, plus living with a teenager is definitely making him feel his age.

👑 Historia also makes a point of getting up early - she pretends to busy herself with making him tea for when he’s done training, but really, she spends more time ogling him in his personal workout gear. Who knew his short frame was so well put together beneath that uniform of his?

⚔️ Levi likes to spend a few hours cleaning the house each day - to his surprise, Historia insists on joining him. They actually end up spending a lot of time chatting while they work, and Levi begins to realise he looks forward to the daily cleaning for more than one reason.

👑 Historia likes to sit out and read in the afternoons while Levi trains some more in the garden. Again, she soon realises she’s spending more time ogling the Captain than she is reading. Levi wonders why she keeps re-reading the same chapter over and over.

⚔️ Levi finds himself falling in love with Historia’s cooking. He’s never really much cared about food before now, but suddenly he finds that he looks forward to the tasty, wholesome dinners Historia feeds him, and her desserts mean he even begins to develop a bit of a sweet tooth. How fucking domestic of him.

👑 Historia likes to watch rom-coms in the evening. Levi protests vehemently, but ultimately gives in because at the end of the day, she’s royalty and he can’t be bothered trying to reason with her. However, Historia soon notices him paying attention to such classics as The Notebook and Pretty Woman; even getting a little tear in his eye as the films end. When she mentions it, he blames the ‘shitty dust in the room,’ and, despite them only having cleaned it hours earlier for the fourth time that week, goes off to fetch his duster.

⚔️ Historia likes to take her walks for exercise in the early evening. Levi insists on accompanying her for safety, but soon finds himself enjoying her company as she points out the names of the flowers and trees in the local park and tells him about her favourites. He’s never had chance to stop and appreciate such beauty before.

Jeankasa

🐴 Jean cannot believe his luck. He’s getting to spend the next several weeks shut up in a house with the girl of his dreams. All he needs now is for her to actually notice him.

🌸 Mikasa wonders how she’s going to manage being unable to see Eren for several weeks - who will look out for him? Who will make sure he eats? Who will make sure he’s still breathing every morning?

🐴 Jean tells Mikasa he will go and do the grocery shopping so she can stay home. Mikasa doesn’t like that one bit. She can take care of herself. They both end up going.

🌸 Shopping is actually completed with military efficiency with both of them working together - Mikasa has her list of essentials and Jean is keen to get in and get the job done, no dawdling. Mikasa starts to realise they actually make a pretty good team.

🐴 Jean makes a point of working out in front of Mikasa on the lawn every day with his shirt off. Mikasa merely decides to join in, and Jean ends up totally embarrassed because she absolutely shows him up with her ridiculous strength.

🌸 Jean insists on cooking dinner each night. He goes to a lot of trouble to make stuff interesting and cooks everything from scratch. Mikasa starts to realise he’s actually pretty good to have around and she might have come up lucky getting stuck with him.

🐴 Mikasa lets Jean have the TV remote. She’s not bothered what they watch. Jean purposefully puts on as many rom-coms as he can, and positions himself as close as he can to Mikasa on the sofa without being obvious about it. Mikasa secretly enjoys the films, and it’s weird how she finds she’s beginning to picture herself with Jean as the leading love interest, rather than Eren.

🌸 Jean gets bored and starts looking for DIY tasks to do around the house. He’s a pretty good problem solver and fairly handy, so he sets himself to task. To his surprise, Mikasa joins in, and between them they manage to erect a new shed in the garden, build a bookcase for the living room from old pallets Jean found, and hang some pictures in the hallway. They find time to chat as they work, and Mikasa quickly realises how much she enjoys Jean’s company, and again what a well matched team they make.

Thanks for the ask! 🥰

#headcanon ask #headcanon requests #rivahisu headcanon #jeankasa headcanon #fullmetal alchemist headcanon #attack on titan headcanon

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daisylincs · 4 years

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staticquake, 16 and 66? i look forward to anything you make!!

16 = Prison AU, 66 = It's Not You, It's My Enemies

Hello, new friend, and thank you so much for the prompt!! I'm awfully flattered that you've liked my works so far - sending this one out to you with big virtual hugs 🤗

Daisy isn't sure how she ended up here, either. As shitty futures go, this one is pretty much a record.

She was supposed to be, well, basically a princess. Her mother is the leader of the Inhuman people, and her father is one of the world's most brilliant scientists.

When her mother revealed her plans to broaden her leadership to the rest of the world, Daisy didn't think it was such a bad idea. I mean, look at it logically. Jiaying was a good leader, and the world was a mess. Two plus two. It made sense.

It also made sense, a little, that the rest of the world wouldn't really like this at first. They hadn't lived all their lives in Lai Shi, after all. They didn't know Jiaying was a really good leader who just wanted the best for them.

Daisy was happy to use her powers to help her mother secure her leadership. It was the right thing to do, after all. She was helping the entire world.

But then.

But then, as more and more people resisted against their new government, Jiaying asked Daisy to make an example.

"Make an example" meaning kill the people who were fighting back.

Daisy would do a lot of things for her mother, but killing innocent people is not one of them.

In retrospect, she's kicking herself over how stupid and naive she was. Jiaying never wanted the best for anyone - she just wanted to rule. How didn't she see it?

It's too late for regrets now. She's here, in her mother's special prison for war criminals, quake-absorbing cuffs strapped to her wrists, and all she can do about it is kick herself.

She was so stupid.

And now she's stuck in prison. Yay.

There are some good things about being here, though. Case in point: the friends she meets.

Because it turns out, all those people Jiaying had locked up because they were "threats to the world we're trying to build?" Yeah. They're all actually really, really great people.

Take Fitz and Jemma, for example. He's engineering, she's biochem, and they're pretty much the cutest thing Daisy has ever seen. Seriously - the way they talk over and around each other is pretty much what makes this prison bearable.

Then there's Hunter and Bobbi, who are basically the polar opposite of Fitz and Jemma. They bicker constantly, about everything, and while they're also annoyingly in-sync, it's in knowing exactly how to push each other's buttons.

Last but definitely not least, Coulson and May, who Daisy is 99% sure are married. Or partners. Or something. Because you do not get to act that much like parents and not be involved in some way.

They're a ragtag, motley group, but Daisy surprises herself by how much they begin to feel like home.

Prison, she decides, is shit.

But it's the kind of shit that bonds people.

So she wouldn't say her life is good. Dear God no. She's still not even sure how exactly she ended up here.

But it's not bad.

So when there's a disturbance in the normal prison routine one day, Daisy can't help but be intrigued.

This isn't just the usual offloading of prisoners. It's... almost like the day she arrived here.

She and the rest of the gang gather in the courtyard to see just what, exactly, caused this big of a fuss.

And when Daisy sees the guy, she can't help but snort. "Seriously?"

This guy is about as far from threatening as you could possibly imagine - all blond hair and blue eyes and this overwhelming air of niceness that makes Daisy want to puke rainbows. He's the dictionary definition of the boy-next-door love interest in one of those cheesy rom-coms her father used to love.

All Daisy can think is, dude, what the hell are you doing here?

She asks him exactly that. (She's never been shy.)

He looks up and smiles at her, all innocent and cheerful, and oh dear God but he's nice. It's just pouring off him in waves. "I got arrested," he tells her.

She rolls her eyes. "Thank you, Captain Obvious. Why?"

"Well, because I didn't agree with what Jiaying was doing," he says, adding as an afterthought, "and I'm dangerous."

Daisy can't help but snort at that. "Sure you are, Pikachu, sure you are."

(She blames Hunter for the sass rubbing off on her.)

"I am," he tells her quite seriously, lifting up his wrists to show her a set of cuffs very similar to her own - only these seem to be made of some kind of insulating material.

Daisy blinks. "You're an Inhuman?"

He nods, pulling at the cuffs. Daisy knows from experience that they won't budge an inch, but she feels for him.

He looks up at her, a hint of frustration in his eyes. "If I had my powers, we'd all be out of here in a second," he says.

She knows the feeling. "Same," she says, showing him her own cuffs.

His eyes widen. "Whoa, you're an Inhuman too!" Then, because apparently he speaks well before he thinks, he adds, "I was starting to think I was the only Inhuman who had a problem with murder."

His cheeks flush pink right away. "Oh, er, um," he stammers. "I'm sure you're a lovely person, really -"

She rolls her eyes, but there's a grin tugging at her lips. "Okay, Sparky," she says, going for an educated guess as to his powers. (Hey, she is the leader's daughter.) "What's your name?"

"Right, sorry," he says, blushing redder, if that's possible. "I'm Lincoln."

"Daisy," she says. "And I would shake your hand, but…"

"Cuffs," they say at the same time.

And Daisy would probably have stayed there smiling at him for an embarrassingly long amount of time if Jemma didn't clear her throat.

"Daisy," she says in an oh-my-God-Daisy-met-a-boy kind of voice. "Who's your friend?"

"Right," Daisy says, and great, now she's blushing. That won't make Jemma suspicious at all. "Guys, this is Lincoln. He's an Inhuman, too."

"Is he, now," Hunter says, and Daisy doesn't like his emphasis at all. Far too much like an asshole older brother, that one.

"We are delighted to meet you," Bobbi chimes in, and all Daisy can think is really, you too? Because, apparently, nobody's immune.

Poor Lincoln looks as awkward as hell. "Um, thanks," he says, shifting from foot to foot.

Before anyone can say much else, though, May warns sharply, "Incoming."

And, oh, shit, Daisy can already see the guards approaching.

Lincoln looks more confused than ever, and Daisy grabs his arm, yanking him off to one of the quieter corners of the prison yard. "If the guards catch you in a group, you're toast," she explains quickly. "No more than two people are allowed to talk for extended periods of time. They're afraid we'll make up an escape plan or something." She squints across the yard to watch the guards warily. "They're especially paranoid when it comes to me."

He tilts his head. "Why, what do you -"

"I'm Quake," Daisy admits, dropping his arm and determinedly studying her feet.

He blinks. "Whoa. Quake, as in Jiaying's daughter? That Quake?"

“That's me," she agrees, hearing the sting of bitterness in her voice. She's not proud of the things she did for her mother, not even a little.

"Whoa," Lincoln says again. And then he takes her completely by surprise by saying, "so, wait, your powers - they're vibration-based? Do you hear it in your head, or…?"

Daisy doesn't know what to say for a second. She was expecting… fear, horror, disgust, revulsion, and honestly, she'd deserve it.

But instead, she gets… curiosity?

"Sorry," Lincoln says, ducking his head. "It's just… I haven't had the chance to talk to another Inhuman for a long time."

His frankness surprises her, and so does his genuine, enthusiastic curiosity. It took all of her friends a while to accept who she was and what she had done, but Lincoln didn't need to question it.

It's a nice feeling, being accepted immediately.

And, look, she isn't saying her friends weren't great. Because they were. Great.

But there's something about talking to someone who is like her, who understands her right down to a molecular level, who is curious rather than afraid.

So she tells him about her powers, about how it feels like she has a hangover made of bees after she uses them.

His whole face lights up, and before she knows it, she's swept up in an entire conversation.

And Daisy is surprised to find how much she's smiling as she lies down on her crappy cot that night.

Being Inhuman… it's a part of her. In her blood.

And, okay, talking about it can never compare to the real thing.

But Lincoln is Inhuman, too. And there are all these things, little things, she couldn't tell her friends because they just wouldn't get it.

Now, though… well. There's a reason she's smiling up at her ceiling.

She specifically seeks him out the next day at breakfast, and the happy-surprised look he gives her as she sits down next to him is enough to make her decide immediately that yeah, she's staying.

He's just so… nice.

Everything about Lincoln is nice. Spending time with him reminds her about all the good things in Lai Shi.

Plus, the two of them can really talk, for ages and ages - tucked away in a little corner of the prison yard where the guards can't see them. Daisy feels like they've covered everything from their favourite board games to what it's like to use their powers (and how much they miss them), and it's really nice.

Her friends are absolutely amazing, but there are times when she just feels like SUCH a third wheel. (The heart eyes Fitz and Jemma can send each other sometimes, honestly.)

But now she doesn't have to feel awkwardly sidelined anymore - she can just go talk to Lincoln.

And she does. All the time.

She doesn't realise what's happening until one day when she's hightailing it away from Fitz-and-Jemma and Hunter-and-Bobbi and May-and-Coulson, all of whom have decided to, er, have some couple time. At the same time.

And she catches herself thinking, well, at least I've got Lincoln.

That's when it hits her like a ton of bricks.

She was just trying to get away from all these couples, and then her brain automatically jumped to Lincoln?!?!

That doesn't make any sense!

Unless… wait.

Wait, wait, wait.

Oh, shit.

Oh, no, no, no.

This is really bad.

Daisy's not stupid. She knows her mother's got people in this prison, watching her all the time - it's why she hasn't tried to escape yet.

Spending too much time with anyone is a risk - if she gets too close to anyone, her mother could use them against her.

But she knows her mom. Jiaying doesn't think friendships are nearly as strong as they can be, so as long as Daisy doesn't give her an explicitly romantic bond to exploit, she's fine.

Well, shitty shitty fuck fuck. She had very nearly gone and done just that.

Daisy takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and tries her very hardest to convince herself that, no, she's just imagining things, they're just good friends, that's all, finished and done.

But then Lincoln's voice breaks into her thoughts. "Daisy?" He sounds concerned, and she feels his warm hand on her shoulder, just a little awkward because of the stupid cuffs, but there. "Are you okay? You look worried."

She swallows hard, opening her eyes slowly. The look in his eyes… he cares so much.

She knows, then, that she definitely wasn't imagining things. This - their friendship - is hovering on the edge of more.

She also knows that she has to end it. Immediately.

But, oh, God, how does she say this?

Lincoln's eyes are full of concern as he searches her face. "Daisy?" His hand on her shoulder is still there, soft and warm and reassuring, and right now it burns like a brand.

She steps sharply away, already feeling awful for the hurt and confusion that flickers over his face.

"I'm fine," she says, and her voice sounds off, even to her own ears. "I just… I can't do this anymore."

Lincoln blinks. "Can't… what?"

"This," she says, gesturing sharply between them and trying to ignore how the hurt in his blue eyes stabs her straight in the stomach. "I can't do this. It's too much. Too close."

She turns away, because she doesn't think she can look at him right now.

But he catches her arm, tugging her around to face him again. "I'm sorry," he says, and she almost laughs, because he's the one apologising? What.

"I'm so sorry if I pushed you too far, or too fast," he continues, his blue eyes genuinely anguished, and oh God this is tearing her apart. "I just thought we were friends, and I never meant to push, I swear. I just thought maybe… But, Daisy, if you're not comfortable with it, I'll step back as far as you need me to. Just please don't leave, I -"

Daisy shakes her head, unable to find any words.

This is all just so massively, monumentally unfair. In any other life, they could have been together. They could have been happy.

But because of her mother, they can't.

Daisy can almost feel the tears prickling at her eyes, which shocks her, because she never cries.

But then again, she's also never been in a situation like this before.

She wants to tell him it's nothing like that, she'd like nothing more than to kiss him right now.

Instead, she forces out the words, "I can't."

His eyes are almost disbelieving for a second, then so hurt and betrayed it physically stings, then… nothing. His gaze goes completely blank.

It's far, far worse, and she immediately wants to take her words back, every single one of them.

But she can't.

"Okay," he says, clipped, and turns away.

Daisy buries her head in her hands. She wants to tell him it's got nothing to do with him - she'd give anything to take this step with him.

But she can't. It's better for him if he doesn't know the truth, because then he won't ever come after her again. It's better this way.

Only, it turns out, it's really not.

Apparently one of the guards saw their little confrontation, and somehow twisted it up so that Jiaying heard a story about a lovers' argument.

She comes to collect Lincoln the next day.

The worst thing is, Daisy wasn't even there when it happened - they took her away for a "special inspection."

She had to hear about it later from Jemma.

And when she did, the dam cracked.

Jiaying had manipulated her into doing her dirty work for years. Then she had thrown her into a prison. Then she had kept her apart from probably the first decent boyfriend Daisy would ever have - and now she had taken Lincoln away, when Daisy hadn't even actually told him how she felt?

It's too. fucking. much.

Daisy feels a kind of buzzing in her head as a slow, boiling anger built up in her body.

How dare Jiaying. How dare she?

The buzzing sound in her head grows louder and louder and LOUDER, until she can't take it anymore and let's it out in a desperate, furious scream.

The cuffs on her wrists shatter into a million pieces - along with every single window in the building.

For a moment, there's perfect silence. Daisy stares at her free hands in wonder, and gasps out loud as she feels a a wave of vibrations ripple through her body.

Oh. Oh, but she's missed this.

This is who she is.

Then the screaming starts, and it jerks Daisy sharply into action.

Right now, she doesn't give a damn how the hell it happened. She's got her powers back, and she's bloody well going to put them to good use.

When the first wave of guards comes pouring in, she's ready for them - blasting them across the compound and into the far wall with a hugely satisfying CRASH.

She walks through the door and into the yard slowly, and it's as though her every step is singing with power.

Quake is back.

Wisely, nobody tries to stand in her way - one of the guards even stammers, his eyes literally squeezed shut in terror, "J-Jiaying's in the summerhouse."

"Thank you," Daisy says, cold and calm. But just before she leaves, she turns to her group of friends, who are all gaping at her, slack-jawed, "well? Are you coming along?"

They all move after her as one.

And Daisy has never felt more powerful as she does that moment when she blasts down the doors to her mother's summerhouse.

Lincoln is lying on the floor, barely conscious by the looks of him, with Jiaying standing over him.

Daisy had thought she would hesitate to attack her own mother, but this?

She will not allow this.

She blasts Jiaying with a shattering shockwave, knocking her into the far wall, where she falls down, limp and unconscious.

Daisy is vaguely aware of Coulson and Jemma rushing over to Jiaying's side (Jemma with a stethoscope, and Coulson with handcuffs) but all she can really focus on is Lincoln.

She rushes over to crouch down next to him, holding her hand over his cuffs to shatter them. And before he can do much as thank her, she's talking.

"Lincoln, I am so, so sorry," she says fervently, reaching for both his hands and lacing her fingers tightly with his. "I thought I was protecting you by pushing you away, I swear I never meant for this to happen, I would never -"

"Daisy," he interrupts, untangling their hands so he can cup her face. "Daisy, it's okay. I know you wouldn't."

She leans forward and presses her forehead against his, letting her actions do the talking for her.

It seems to work, because his grip on her face softens. "I figured that's why you did it," he tells her in a lower voice.

She blinks. "You did?"

His gaze is wry. "Well, it did take me a while, but yeah, the whole kidnapping thing kind of helped me figure it out." A small smile tugs at his lips, and it's the best thing she's seen all day. "And, you know," he says, and his voice is almost playful. "I didn't think I was that bad at reading your signals."

Daisy can feel herself smiling as she echoes his actions, cradling his face in her hands. "You're not," she says. "Bad at reading me."

He's smiling, too, and the blossom of hope in her chest it gives is the most wonderful feeling she's had in a long time. "Good," he says.

And then they're kissing. She's not sure who moved first, or even how exactly they got there, but she kind of suspects it was a mutual thing.

And, in some far-off corner of her mind, she knows that there's going to be a lot of work to do. The world's governments need to be rebuilt. Jiaying needs to be locked up in her own prison. The Inhumans are going to need a new leader.

But right now, she really doesn't care.

The world can suck it up and wait a little bit.

Right now, she's busy.

The End.

#tropes mashup #prison au #it's not you it's my enemies #staticquake #sorry this one took so long!!#but I do hope you like the results #I admit I'm a little uncertain about this one #it's a bit outside of my usual style #but ah well trying new things and all that #hope you enjoy!!#bullet-point fic

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hopesilverheart · 4 years

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Title: I loved your colours (before I loved you) Artist: @calliartss Rating: Explicit (Chapter 10 only) Pairings: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Alec Lightwood & Clary Fray, Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood Word Count: ~95k Summary: Magnus Bane is a journalist who's always dreamed of modelling for Lightwood Fashions. When the CEO Alec Lightwood starts looking for new models for their spring collection, he jumps on the occasion.

In the meantime, Alec Lightwood is struggling with the idea of finally announcing his role as co-designer. When Magnus Bane strolls into his life, Alec is torn between keeping his secret or throwing all caution to the wind.

This fic was created for the Malec Discord Mini Bang 2020.

Chapter 5: Can’t get you out of my head

If Magnus had thought working for Fade Media was exhausting, it was nothing compared to what he had to deal with now that he worked for the Lightwoods. He was happier, of course, which made all the difference, but he still had to work long hours to accommodate both his trial run on the Media side and his duties on the Fashion side. He had no idea how Isabelle did it, but he admired her more and more by the second.

Especially since she always looked fabulous, never complained about how hard she had to work, and managed to make it to his office before him every single day. She was usually alone though, so he had no idea what to make of the new presence in his work space.

“Isabelle, you brought a friend,” he raised his eyebrows in Clary’s direction before greeting the redhead. “You could have told me; I would have bought her some coffee and breakfast as well. Now I feel like a terrible person for not taking her needs into account. Tell me, how do you feel about coffee with just milk?”

“Not great,” Clary admitted, chuckling at Magnus’ put-upon frown. “But I promise you, I’m fine. I can steal some of Isabelle’s undoubtedly sweet nonsense and take a bite of her food if I feel like it. This is very kind of you, though. Do you do it every day?”

“Ah, yes,” Magnus smiled sheepishly, thinking of the reason why he was getting Isabelle that ridiculously expensive drink every day. “Well, what can I say? I’m just a good friend like that. Can you believe she doesn’t even pay me back by taking me out for drinks or anything along those lines? Makes me wonder why I befriended her in the first place, really.”

“Well, that’s Isabelle for you,” Clary grinned. “So selfish it’s a wonder she has any friends at all. I only spend time with her because Alec gets all huffy if I complain about her too much, and she only spends time with me because she’s desperate for a piece of all this.”

“Arrogance doesn’t suit you, Fray,” Isabelle rolled her eyes, although there was a small smile twitching at the corner of her lips. God, the two of them were adorable. “Besides, we all know the real reason why we spend time together is because everyone else in the building refuses to talk to us when we’re in a mood. You have quite the temper, Fray, and I-”

“Oh yes, we know how you get,” Clary snickered, dodging Isabelle’s elbow when the brunette tried to nudge her in the side. “Anyways, we’re not here on a social call. Or, we are, but not just to say hello or enjoy the food or whatever else it is you two do in this fancy office. How did you convince Maryse to give you such a good spot, Magnus?”

“The perks of being Head Editor,” Magnus shrugged, wondering if the guilt of saying those words would ever go away. Maybe when he would be officially given the position – maybe, hopefully. “I wasn’t about to work out there with Isabelle and her little team of gossipers, especially since I know they have conversations about me every time I turn away. And if you’re not here for my company, is there anything I can do to help?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Clary beamed at him. It should have been completely innocent, but something about it set Magnus on edge and made him wonder if he should have backed out of the building as soon as he had noticed those two together in his office.

After all, he had heard of the infamous rivalry between those ladies, not to mention the sexual tension in the room was off the charts. He hadn’t seen the two of them together yet, but he was starting to understand why there was a betting pool in the first place. He was also starting to understand why people didn’t want to deal with the two of them at the same time; the wicked grins on their faces told Magnus he was in for a world of trouble if he didn’t bow to their whims.

“Look, we’re not blind,” Isabelle started softly. “We know you have a little crush on my brother, even if it’s only physical right now. We also know my brother has a little crush on you, and I have it under good authority that it’s already a little more than just physical on his end of things. That authority being me, of course.”

“And see, that wouldn’t be a problem at all,” Clary continued, sighing heavily as though it pained her to say this. “If not for the fact that both of you are apparently determined to ignore the sparks that fly whenever you’re in the same room. Alec hasn’t dated in a while, not that I should be telling you this, and he’s not going to make the first move because you’re technically his employee. Which means the only way anything is going to happen is if you ask him out.”

“Oh my god,” Magnus groaned. “You’re here to talk to me about my love life? Because I assure you, I already get enough matchmaking advice from my friends; I don’t need it from my colleagues as well. Besides, I’m not sure I’m completely comfortable with asking my boss out either.”

“Right,” Isabelle snorted. “Try again. We may have only known each other for two weeks, Magnus, but I know the last thing you lack is bravery and boldness. If you like my brother, just ask him out; I promise he won’t say no. In fact, he’ll probably jump on the opportunity and then proceed to squeal in Clary’s general direction for a few hours until he calms down enough to speak.”

“Such kind words for Alec,” Clary shook her head, a look of genuine annoyance entering her eyes. “What Isabelle means to say is that Alec would be delighted to go out with you. He might be a bit nervous, or a bit cold at times because that’s his default setting, but he’s a good guy and I think you should give him a chance. I promise you won’t regret it.”

“Because as his sister and his best friend, you two are definitely going to give me the most unbiased advice,” Magnus chuckled, although he would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about exploring the obvious attraction he and Alec shared. “Look, I’ll think about it, alright? But I’m not going to ask a man out just because two people he loves tried to push me into it. If the perfect moment arises, I’ll ask him out and see if things work out, but if not… Well, let’s just say I don’t like being pestered about my romantic life too much.”

“Of course,” Clary nodded. “But just remember what I said about Alec and his love of everything romantic; put him in front of a good rom-com, and you’ll already be halfway to having him worship you forever.”

“A good rom-com?” Magnus laughed softly. “That sounds like a bit of a contradiction, but I’ll see what I can find. If we go on a date, of course. Now please, I have a lot of work to do before I go into the studio with Raphael for a few practise shoots this afternoon, so if you could…”

“Right!” Isabelle exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly and winking at Magnus before sauntering out of the office. “Hurry up, Fray, wouldn’t want you to miss out on your meeting that’s due to start in… Oh, just about now.”

“Lightwood, you absolute-” Her voice trailed off as the redhead rushed out of Magnus’ office, distress written all over her face.

And then Magnus was all alone. He breathed in deeply, taking in the silence and the peace and the wonderful view from his office all at once. Once upon a time, he had hated times like these, times when the world stopped and all he had left were his thoughts. He had hated how lost they made him feel, like he wasn’t and would never be in control of his life. Now though, with his new job and a bright future ahead of him, he found himself alone and smiled.

He smiled because Isabelle Lightwood was a wonderful woman, and he smiled because for once in his life, he actually liked his job. He smiled because he was starting to feel more at home here than he ever had before, and he smiled because apparently, Alexander Lightwood had a crush on him.

It wasn’t like the revelation was complete news to him, since Alec spent more time looking at him than anyone else on the fashion crew, but it was still nice to get confirmation. Not that it meant he would actually ask the man out, since that would be all sorts of inappropriate.

For one, Alec was his boss. He was the CEO of the company, and he probably wouldn’t want to deal with the backlash he would get for dating one of his employees. Secondly, Magnus was actively lying to him. Well, he was lying to just about everyone, but that also included Alec and he had never been one to hide things from his partners. Thirdly, no matter how pretty the man was and how kind he could be on the surface, he was a businessman who dressed like he had no idea what to do with himself. It couldn’t work.

And even if it could, even if things miraculously worked out and Alec accepted Magnus’ invitation and dated him and fell for him, Magnus just wasn’t sure he was ready to deal with the inevitable heartbreak that would come from a relationship between him and Alexander Lightwood. He had had enough of that for a lifetime, thank you very much.

Shaking his head to get rid of any and all Alexander related thoughts, Magnus turned back towards his desk and started sorting through the piles of paperwork he had to hand in by the end of the week. The modelling sessions that weekend had really cut back on his free time, and he was running a lot later than he would have liked.

The thing about starting a new job was that he didn’t actually know anyone who could help him with his workload. Sure, he had Isabelle, but he already felt bad enough about making her lie to her family and friends; the last thing he wanted to do was add to her worries by telling her he was having a hard time dealing with all the work the previous Head Editor had left behind.

For someone who was usually great at making friends, Magnus had to admit he hadn’t done a great job at getting to know his media colleagues. He had been so busy with the fashion side of things that he had forgotten these were going to be his people for the foreseeable future if things went well. This was his team and he needed to get it together if he wanted everything to work out on this side of the company.

Mind made up, he gathered a particularly difficult stack of papers and headed out of his office, glancing around the main work room and completely bypassing Isabelle’s desk and questioning gaze. He knew she had an article to work on, so she definitely wouldn’t be his helper for the day. However, there was one employee he had seen around, and he knew he was close to Isabelle so there was a good chance he would be willing to help Magnus out just because of their mutual friend.

Not letting himself think about it for too long, Magnus took a deep breath and walked straight to the back of the huge work room, stopping in front of a nerdy but kind looking man. Simon Lewis was a good writer as far as Magnus could tell, and since he trusted Isabelle’s judgement, probably also a good man.

“Um, Mister Bane,” the brunet fumbled with his laptop, putting it down on his desk and straightening up in his seat, uncrossing his legs and running a hand through his hair in a futile attempt to tame it. “Did you need something, sir?”

“Simon, right?” Magnus waited for the man to nod before smiling and extending a hand for him to shake. Simon looked stunned for a few seconds, but he quickly shook himself out of his daze and gripped Magnus’ hand firmly, his nervous gulp not escaping Magnus’ notice. “I seem to have found myself in a bit of a tight spot. I had no idea how much paperwork and leftover articles I would have to take over from my predecessor, and since I also have to work with the fashion team every other day, I’m struggling to keep up with everything. I was wondering if you would be willing to take care of the smaller things, the papers that don’t need my immediate attention and such. I would of course mention all of this on your monthly report and make sure you were paid appropriately for this extra workload.”

For a moment, Simon just gaped at Magnus as though he hadn’t understood a word of what the older man had said. Not that Magnus could blame him, since they had never talked to each other before and Magnus was now thrusting a huge task on him like it was nothing much.

“Of course, sir!” The brunet exclaimed after a few more seconds of silence, taking the pile of papers from Magnus and placing them on his desk carefully, scribbling a hasty ‘important’ note on top of a post-it before towards Magnus with a smile. “Thank you for trusting me with this, Mister Bane.”

“Just call me Magnus,” he waved the man’s thanks away, not wanting the people on his team to hate him the same way he had hated Lorenzo. The best way to do that was by making sure they knew everyone here was equal, no matter what their position was. “I know I haven’t had the time to talk to all of you yet, but I’m really hoping I’ll be able to make the best of this job and prove that I can be a reliable boss you can trust with your problems.”

“Oh,” Simon said inelegantly, looking a little bit impressed by Magnus’ speech – he didn’t preen, but it was a near thing. “Thank you, si- Magnus. And you know, if you ever need any help getting to know these people, I’m your man! I’ve been here for a few years now, and I’m close to the Lightwoods which gives me a few privileges other people don’t have.”

“Ah yes, I noticed you were friends with Isabelle,” Magnus nodded in the woman’s direction, raising his eyebrows when he noticed she was already staring at them, her brows knitted together confusedly. “Have you known her for long?”

“I’m dating her brother,” Simon chuckled, his gaze turning fond at the mention of his boyfriend. “Jace and I just moved in together but we’ve been dating for a little over a year and a half, so I know the family quite well. Isabelle and I aren’t best friends or anything, but we get along well enough, and she’s always willing to help me out when I’m stuck on something.”

“She’s a very kind woman,” Magnus hummed in agreement, thinking about the favour she had granted him even before they really knew each other. “I’m glad you have people here you can trust. The atmosphere is a lot nicer than ones I’ve had to deal with in the past, and I hope I can maintain it for as long as I work here.”

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine,” Simon snorted, coughing in embarrassment when Magnus sent him an unimpressed look. He hadn’t even talked to anyone yet, so how could they possibly know whether or not he would be good for the team. “I mean, everyone’s happy to have someone young in charge of the team, and on top of that you’re a model, so… Yeah, I haven’t heard any complaints so far. But if you want to check it out for yourself, you could always come to our weekly bar night. We usually go out every Friday, and you’re more than welcome to join. I’m sure Izzy was going to invite you anyways.”

Magnus tilted his head to the side, considering the offer. It wasn’t that he was opposed to nights out with his colleagues, but he had never… His heart clenched as he realised this was the first time anyone had actually bothered to ask him about a work event. Back at Fade Media, his co-workers had quickly caught onto the fact that Lorenzo only ever showed up when Magnus wasn’t there, so he hadn’t been invited to a bar night in what felt like years.

Hell, it probably had been years.

“I’ll definitely be there,” he smiled softly at Simon, feeling like he had handed the other man the moon when he grinned back happily. “Although I tend to work late, so there’s no guarantee that I’ll make it there on time.”

“Totally fine,” Simon assured him. “Now, I have tons of paperwork to go through, and I’m almost certain your piles are worse, so you should probably get back to it. Wouldn’t want to lose our amazing boss after less than a month just because he was too busy chatting with the team. It was nice meeting you, Magnus!”

“And you too, Simon,” Magnus nodded, backing away from the man’s desk and biting his lip to stop from beaming like a loon as he walked back to his office.

And if he stopped by Isabelle’s cubicle to high-five her over his small victory before getting back to work, it wasn’t like anyone was going to judge him. This was his team, and he would make sure it remained the best damned team in the country for as long as he lived.

Magnus couldn’t remember the last time he had been this happy to stay at work late.

When he worked under Lorenzo, late nights often meant articles he would never manage to finish on time and projects he couldn’t have cared less about. Now that he was his own boss, however, late nights meant take out in his office as he poured over the tips Raphael had given him about modelling.

He was almost halfway done with the leftover media paperwork, Simon had introduced him to two other members of his team, and he could still see Isabelle’s shadow from where she was bent over her desk, typing away like the genius writer she was. Overall, his evening couldn’t have been going any better.

When his phone rang, Catarina’s caller ID glaring up at him, he couldn’t help but grin, glad to hear from his friend. They hadn’t been able to talk properly ever since he had signed up for two jobs at once, and he would be lying if he said he didn’t miss her voice.

“Cat!” He exclaimed into his phone, putting his friend on speaker as he high-lighted one of Raphael’s notes on the proper preparation for a photo shoot. “How are you doing, my wonderful friend?”

“Well, work is a pain and I haven’t seen my best friend in what feels like forever, but I suppose I could be doing a lot worse,” his best friend answered. In the past, Magnus would have felt guilty for his lack of free time, but he knew Catarina was mostly kidding. She was just as – if not more – happy as him about his new job, and she understood being Head Editor meant a heavier workload for him. “You could at least call me once in a while, you know? We used to call every day back when you worked for the lizard.”

“I didn’t have to keep up with two different teams at once when I still worked for Lorenzo,” Magnus pointed out, frowning at one of Raphael’s points and circling it, adding a bunch of question marks to indicate his utter confusion over the advice. “But I’m glad you called. I’m still at the office, so I could use the virtual company. Although I’m actually not the only one to stay here late, so I could technically spend some time with Isabelle if I didn’t think I’d be distracting her.”

“Found a workaholic after your own heart?” Catarina chuckled. “How is the lovely Isabelle, by the way? I know you told me she was the one helping you out with that insane plan, so I’m assuming your friendship is going well.”

“She’s quite the woman,” Magnus hummed, looking over at the brunette and smiling fondly at her look of complete concentration.

“And she has quite the brother,” Catarina added, sounding far too innocent for Magnus’ tastes.

“Yes she- Wait a second,” Magnus frowned, narrowing his eyes in Isabelle’s direction and sighing when she didn’t even look up. “Have the two of you been talking? Cat, have you been stalking my new friends to keep up with my unfortunate love life?”

“Ha! So you admit there’s a love life to talk about!” His best friend crowed. “I knew it. That man is far too hot for his own good, just your type, and Raphael tells me he’s an amazing person.”

“The day when Raphael describes someone as an amazing person is the day I quit this perfect job,” Magnus snorted. “Although I won’t deny that Isabelle’s brother is… something. We haven’t talked much, since we both have plenty of responsibilities to deal with outside of the spring collection, but he seems nice enough.”

“Magnus,” Catarina said sternly. Magnus involuntarily sobered up, sitting up straighter and immediately cursing himself for his natural reactions to his best friend’s ‘mom’ voice. “I know you’re scared of dating again, and I’m assuming that Alec’s status in the company isn’t helping soothe your nerves, but you can’t let your past with Camille get in the way of your future.”

“Look, I barely even know the man,” Magnus sighed, rubbing his hand over his face tiredly. The late hour was starting to catch up with him, and he had had more than enough talk of his love life for the month. “Yes, he’s attractive, and I’m sure he’s also a good person, funny and kind and perfect, but I’m just not sure it’s worth the risk. He’s the CEO to the company I’m actively lying to about my history, I feel like that’s not conducive to a trusting relationship.”

“You could always tell him the truth,” Catarina deadpanned, but Magnus disregarded that idea immediately. He wasn’t about to screw things up so early on in his new career. “Or you could just ask him out on a date, see how things go, and then decide whether or not you want to take things further or not.”

It wasn’t a terrible idea – Catarina’s ideas never were – but for the first time in a long time, Magnus was in a good place. He had a good job, and he was making new friends, and he was happy with what he had achieved over the past month. If he dated Alexander and messed things up because of a relationship again, he wasn’t sure he would be able to recover from it.

On the other hand, it really didn’t have to mean anything. They could go on a date, see if they were compatible or not, and Magnus could always back out if he realised the relationship wasn’t worth the risk of losing his entire life. He could always tell Alexander he had had a nice time but would rather remain colleagues – friends at best.

It was an option, and one that Magnus should have really considered earlier. One date didn’t mean he would get married to the man.

“I’ll think about it,” he finally told his friend. “And the next time I see him, I’ll consider asking him out. This isn’t a promise that I’ll do it, though, just that I won’t dismiss the notion outright. Maybe… Maybe it’s time I moved on properly.”

“Maybe it is,” Catarina said softly, as though she hadn’t been trying to get Magnus to date for the past two years. “This could be good for you, Magnus, so don’t screw it up. Raphael told me Isabelle had stopped by to push you in the right direction today, and I think you should take her advice.”

“God, you’re all ganging up on me now!” Magnus cried out, although he couldn’t even pretend to be annoyed at his friends. He liked that all of the people he cared about got along, liked that Raphael and Isabelle already knew each other and enjoyed each other’s company, liked that Catarina approved of his choices.

“I just want you to be happy, Magnus,” his best friend murmured. “Keep that in mind before you lose your chance with Alec.”

She hung up on him before he could say anything else, and Magnus spent the next few minutes cursing his phone and his friends and Alexander Lightwood. He wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for the man – although he also wouldn’t have his job as a model, so he supposed there were pros and cons to the CEO’s continued existence.

Just as he managed to push Catarina’s words to the back of his mind again, the elevator door dinged open, bringing a frown to Magnus’ face. As far as he knew, Isabelle and he were the only ones remaining on the floor, and the brunette had told him that she generally only left around eleven, so there was no reason for her to be leaving quite yet.

Indeed, when he glanced over at her cubicle, she was still in her seat, staring at her computer intently. And then he looked further than that and his heart skipped a beat.

He wasn’t sure whether to thank or curse the world for the sight in front of him, but he knew he definitely wasn’t ready to deal with it.

Because of course, Alexander looked just as good at ten at night as he did in the middle of the day. He was still wearing his work suit, and he was grinning at his sister like she was the goddamned sun, and Magnus was not fit for an assault of that magnitude so late at night.

His first instinct was to duck and take cover underneath his desk but, before he could put his plan in action, Isabelle was waving in his direction, making all of Alexander’s attention shift to him instead of her. God, he hated her so much. His friends were going to pay for their meddling, and they wouldn’t know what was hitting them once he got around to enacting his revenge.

Then Alexander turned towards him, and he forgot all about revenge. The man really was beautiful, handsome in a conventional way that Magnus had always appreciated. His eyes were stunning, shining even in the office’s dim lighting, and his soft smile was almost too much for Magnus to handle.

He had told Catarina he would think about what she had told him and would take some time before he made a decision about Alec, but he had always been a weak man. And Alexander Lightwood was everything Magnus had dreamed of having, wrapped in one beautiful package. No matter how afraid he was to screw things up and ruin his life, he hadn’t been this intrigued by someone in a very long time, and he wasn’t willing to miss out on this possibly once in a lifetime opportunity because of his ridiculous hold-ups.

By the time Alexander reached his office after having talked to Isabelle for a few minutes, Magnus’ mind was made up. If Alec was as interested as his sister and Clary seemed to think he was, Magnus would take him on a date.

“Alexander,” he purred as the man walked into the room, blushing brightly at Magnus’ tone. The editor grinned roguishly at his flustered visitor; never let it be said that Magnus Bane didn’t know how to flirt. “What a pleasure to see you here so late. Did you need something?”

They both knew he didn’t. Chances were Alexander had come here to talk to his sister and had decided to spend some time with Magnus once he had realised the editor was still around. Still, it never hurt to be polite.

“No,” the taller man shook his head, his gaze never leaving Magnus’. “I stopped by to ask Izzy if she needed a ride, but she’s apparently got it all figured out. Do you always stay here this late?”

“With great power comes great responsibility,” Magnus shrugged, gesturing at the papers scattered over his desk, as well as the schedule he had pinned on his wall. The blasted thing was packed, and he tended not to look at it unless it was absolutely necessary. “I may have overestimated myself when I signed up for the modelling position just as I started my contract as Head Editor. Clarissa’s team doesn’t mess around with their work, and my little writers also need plenty of attention.”

“And yet Izzy tells me you’ve been handling everything perfectly so far,” Alec said, raising his eyebrows as though he was daring Magnus to contradict him. “It’s never easy to juggle between two jobs.”

“Have experience with that, do you?” Magnus snorted. It was no secret that Alexander had taken over his father’s company before he had even finished college, so Magnus highly doubted he had ever had to do two things at once. He wasn’t one to make assumptions, but with a family as rich as his, Magnus couldn’t picture Alexander working shifts at a coffee shop or supermarket.

“More than you might think,” Alec shrugged, his lips quirking up amusedly, almost as though Magnus was missing a piece of a bigger puzzle. “Anyways, I wouldn’t want to bother you if you have a lot to do, so maybe I should…”

“You’re not bothering me at all,” Magnus cut him off before the man could get carried away. “I’m never one to turn down such pleasant company, especially since I may just rip up Raphael’s notes if I have to look them over for one more minute. I love him, I really do, but he tends to make things a lot more complicated than they have to be.”

“It’s one of the things that makes him so interesting to work with, though,” Alec grinned, the smile lighting up his face in a way that made Magnus want to do something stupid, like kiss him or ask him- Oh. Right.

“Not that I don’t love talking about Raphael,” Magnus said as confidently as he could, leaning back in his chair and staring at Alec through hooded eyes. “But I actually wanted to ask you something when you so kindly showed up here looking as handsome as ever.”

“You did?” Alec murmured. He looked so hopeful, and Magnus immediately knew that Isabelle hadn’t been lying about her brother’s feelings. He wanted to be asked out, and Magnus was all too willing to give him exactly that.

“Certain sources that shall remain unnamed have told me that you’re quite the secret rom-com lover,” Magnus said, smiling teasingly at Alec as the man turned an even darker shade of red. “And it so happens that I also like cheesy movies, especially when I have the right company to enjoy them with.”

“Are you…” Alec started hoarsely, clearing his throat before trying again. “Are you asking me out? On a date?”

“Yes, Alexander,” Magnus chuckled fondly, his heart beating even faster as he realised that Alec Lightwood was adorable on top of everything else. “If you’d like that, I would love to go on a date with you. Maybe dinner and a movie at my place? I’m no chef, but I can make a few decent dishes when I have the right motivation.”

“I- Yeah,” Alec said softly. “Yeah, I would really like that. Although I should warn you right now that I haven’t been on a date in a pretty long time, so I’m probably going to screw this up in a thousand different ways before we even make it to your house.”

“I haven’t been on a date in quite a while either,” Magnus reassured him, feeling more than a little flattered when Alec’s eyes widened disbelievingly. “Would Saturday work for you? I promised Simon and Isabelle I would go to the Media team’s weekly bar night on Friday, so…”

“Saturday sounds perfect,” Alec smiled.

Behind the man, Isabelle was dancing victoriously at her desk, sending Magnus a flurry of thumbs up and excited signs before sobering up, glancing innocently at Alec when he turned to look at her suspiciously.

“Sorry about her,” he said sheepishly as he stared back at Magnus. “She can get a little intense when it comes to my love life, and I know you two are friends, so she probably mentioned me a few times…”

“And I didn’t mind at all,” Magnus smiled. “Besides, I’m glad to know that your sister approves. It’ll make things easier down the line, if I ever have to meet your family.”

The words slipped out before he could stop them, but he couldn’t find it in himself to regret them when Alexander smiled dopily at him, nodding as though he agreed with Magnus. Clearly, they were both as bad as the other.

“Right, so, Saturday?” Magnus repeated after a few moments of silence. It wasn’t that the silence was uncomfortable, but he needed to finish up his work for the night and head out before he fell asleep on his desk. As much as he would have loved to talk to Alexander some more, that would have to wait until their date – their date!

“Saturday,” Alec nodded. “I’m looking forward to it.”

With one last blush and a quick wave, Alexander was stepping out of the office, playfully ruffling his sister’s hair, and heading for the elevator, looking over his shoulder one last time before disappearing behind the metal doors.

As soon as he was gone, Isabelle let out an unearthly shriek, rushing into Magnus’ office excitedly and congratulating him for working up the courage to ask out her brother. Magnus let her talk for as long as she needed, too busy thinking about Alexander and all the things they could do during their date to mind her endless chatter.

Catarina had been right; Alexander was definitely worth the risk.

#malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #fanfic #my writing

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