#so a little side research for a local holiday she seemed excited about was a must

[writingwithcolor]

Gingerbread man as golem

@yaronata asked:

I would like to write a character who is Jewish and uses a Golem. She's based on the D&D class of the artificer which looks magic but isn't, because they produce all their effects with inventions, like the "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" quote. Her story is that her very Jewish town was under attack from a terrible monster when she was little. Her Rabbis made a Golem to protect the town, and it succeeded but was torn to pieces in the process. She was fascinated by the Golem and as a kid didn't see a big difference between it's sentience and person's so was really thankful for its sacrifice like you would a person's sacrificing their life for you. They thought all the pieces had been devoured by the monster before it died, but she went looking and found the piece used to animate the Golem, which she, kinda misunderstanding called its "heart". She kept the piece and grew up to be an incredibly skilled cook, specialising as a baker in the town. I imagine she would make a lot of really good food for the Jewish holidays, or to break fasts on ones like Yom Kippur or Tish'abav. But she also made a town specific holiday to honour the Golem's sacrifice and the town still being alive, because I feel "we are not dead woo" is a big theme for Jewish holidays from my research, so it could fit, for which she invented ginger bread men to be the golem, and gave them little "hearts" of fruit or honey, and you're meant to eat them limb by limb like the beast did before eating the heart. This would be the inspiration for using the "heart" piece later to make her own giant gingerbread Golem to help her save the world.

These are my questions 1) would it be considered bad or disrespectful for someone who isn't a Rabbi to make a Golem, or is this method of taking an animating piece someone else made disrespectful? 2) Her journey will take her far from her town and her Jewish family and friends and she will likely travel with gentiles. Would it be disrespectful for a Golem to be used to protect a lot of gentiles and one Jew in the course of saving the world? I don't want to fall into the stereotype of someone putting all their effort into valuing and protecting very specifically the group that in real life is oppressive to them. 3) While she is not using magic and is actually mimicking its effects with technology she invents, is this drawing too close to the line of "magical Jew"? 4) I like to "play test" my characters in ttrpgs to really get a feel for them before I write. Would it be disrespectful to play a Jewish character when I am a gentile, and would it be disrespectful to play a Jewish character in a setting where there are demonstrably real gods other than the one of Judaism?

I really like this character idea and I think it's cute and fun and rooted in Jewish culture but I really want to make sure it's respectful and as good as I, a gentile researching on the internet, thinks it is. Thanks so much! Have a nice day!

My answer to this is very complicated because there are things I both like and do not like about this premise. First of all, I love the idea of a cookie golem, and I'm even imagining the magic word that brings him to life (EMET/truth) would be written in icing. And I'm okay with the part about how she found a piece of the old golem and used it to build a new golem, because that makes sense for a golem made from a baked good when you think about how people use sourdough starter to make a new batch of sourdough.

However, here are the thing that make me cock my head to the side like my little sister's German shepherd:

1. re: "magical Jew" - that's not a trope I've ever heard of. Remember, marginalized groups don't receive identical disrespect across the board. It is indeed a trope to use Black people or disabled people as supernatural plot devices who exist only to further the stories of white main characters or able-bodied main characters. But I can't say as I've ever seen anyone using Jewishness that way. Usually if we are someone's one-dimensional plot device it's as someone's lawyer, fixer, "money guy", etc, not a supernatural force. So this isn't something you have to worry about.

2. I have a certain level of discomfort with you playing as a Jewish character just because playacting as a marginalized culture you're not part of strikes me as off, but I understand that that's how you gain insight into a character you're about to write so it's more of a writing exercise than anything else. (I wonder if D&D regulars from marginalized groups have written about this -- I've only played a few times casually with family so if I did run into this type of discussion in my social justice reading I wouldn't have absorbed it. If anyone is curious I played first as Captain Werewolf, and then switched to playing as Cinnamon Blade because lawful good was too hard. :P )

3. I would prefer you omit the detail about eating the cookies piece by piece symbolically, for two reasons: a. it unintentionally evokes Communion by having appreciative people consume a baked good symbolic of an entity who sacrificed his life for theirs, and b. focusing on the details of flesh consumption reminds me too much of Blood Libel (yes, a gingerbread man is in the shape of a person but how many of us actually think about it literally, the way this act would cause?)

As to your first question: I'm fine with her making a golem even though she's just a rando. Second question: I see what you're saying and maybe it could be more okay if it's really clear how well these gentile folks are treating her? And questions three and four are answered above.

I really do love the idea of a giant gingerbread man golem. Cookie golem T_T <3

--Shira

I would like to second Shira’s point about not ripping apart the gingerbread cookies. I honestly would prefer they were used as decoration, and other cookies eaten instead, since that part just feels so not-Jewish to me, but I don’t have golem-specific issues other than that. It seems like you have already been doing a lot of research, which is appreciated.

As far as the ttrpg/DnD aspect… I bounce back and forth on the topic of playing characters that are so very different from our experiences, other than in fantasy-related ways. However, I am aware that a lot of people will play with, and experiment with gender in game, and learn something about themselves in the process (the number of trans players of ttrpgs who tried out their gender in game before they were out is high). It’s different with Judaism, and even more significantly different when it comes to things you can’t convert into, like various actual, real-world races. But because people do sometimes experience growth from experiences like this, I’m hesitant to dissuade players completely. I do urge you to, at a minimum, bring the same care, research, and willingness to learn, that you brought to this question.

--Dierdra

This sounds like a creative storyline that you could have lots of fun with 😊

At first I was confused by this part:

She also made a town specific holiday to honour the Golem's sacrifice

But then you really got me thinking about different types of Jewish holidays and how they come about, so thank you for that!

Because it’s often the little details that either make a story super powerful or kind of nonsensical, I think it would be a good idea to decide what type of holiday is being created here:

A full-blown chag with restrictions on labour and halachic obligations? These are commanded in Torah and new ones can’t be added.

A minor yom tov with halachic obligations but no restrictions? These were instituted by the rabbis prior to the destruction of the Temple, so again new ones can’t be added.

A public holiday or equivalent? This would usually be declared by the Knesset in Israel, and filter to the rest of the Jewish world from there.

A community-based yom tov with specific customs only for people in the know, such as certain Chasidic groups celebrating the birthdays of their deceased leaders? I asked around, but no one can really tell me how these holidays get started, which is probably a good indication that they arise quite organically from a group of people who all just feel that it should be celebrated. Probably not created by a single person, as such.

Something she runs from her bakery, not religion-based, but more like a day of doing special products and deals the way many small businesses do on their anniversary?

Now, if the people of a modern-day town were actually saved by a real live Golem, that would arguably be the most overt miracle for many generations, so there would be a decent chance of options 3 and/or 4 happening. It’s entirely plausible that there could be special foods for this day that become a tradition, including Golem cookies. People who directly benefited might also return to the site where the Golem fought the monster and recite the prayer, ‘Blessed is Hashem, Master of the Universe, Who performed a miracle for me in this place.’

Alternatively, if it’s important that your MC created the holiday, something like option 5 might be the best. Hopefully this will still fulfil what you need: you describe her as incredibly skilled, so I can imagine the day when she goes all out on the Golem cookies being one of the most exciting events of the year for the townspeople, just because her baking is that good. Plus, they already have a personal stake in the Golem’s sacrifice, so I definitely think it could be a thing without being an official holiday. Also, if she is outside of an all-Jewish environment, don’t forget that she would have to decide whether to commemorate the anniversary in the Hebrew calendar or the local one.

Coming back to the cookies, sorry if we’re getting a little repetitive on this point! But I don’t see the cookies being torn limb from limb as part of a celebration. First of all, this doesn’t sound like a very celebratory thing to do, to say the least. Can you imagine explaining that to a three-year-old on their first Yom HaGolem? They would be terrified! (I don’t read this suggestion as accidental anti-Semitism so much as getting carried away with a metaphor, which I’m sure as writers we have all done!)

But also, it’s worth pointing out that our commemorative foods aren’t usually that literal. If you think about hamantaschen, maror, or apple in honey, they’re all symbols. That’s not to say that having Golem-shaped cookies is a problem, as this sounds like just a bit of fun that the MC is having and not something that is directly at odds with Judaism or Jewish culture. But it’s worth bearing in mind that the more literal you go from there in terms of tying the cookies to the event they commemorate, the less culturally aligned your holiday food becomes.

Finally, about the Golem protecting non-Jewish people: I like this idea! There’s a stereotype that we only use whatever is at our disposal to help ourselves and other Jewish people, so a Golem being created by Jews but helping others as well is a big plus for me. Of course, as has already been pointed out, this would be an odd choice if her Saving The World team were anti-Semitic or otherwise disrespectful to her/her community, but I don’t think you were headed that way!

-Shoshi

I have to come back in here just to squee over the phrase “Yom HaGolem.” Well done :D

--Shira

#asks #Jewish #dnd #golem #food #Jewish stereotypes

[kissinginkitchens]

You Bring Me Home—Chapter Ten: When it Rains

a/n: hi besties!! This one is... tough I’m ngl to y’all. It is the second to the last chapter which is so wild to think about, but alas all good things must come to an end. Hopefully you don’t hate me too much by the end of it but feel free to vent in my inbox :))) much love, Mel <3

Pairing: Hawai’i!Harry x Original Character (Halani <3)

Warnings: swearing, some suggestive humor, ANGST (!!)

Word Count: 7.4 k

catch up on parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine

“Is that my shirt?”

“No,”

Alani squints at the cartoon bee printed on Harry’s white t-shirt and crosses her arms in disbelief. 

“Yes it is! I’ve been looking for it everywhere,”

“Don’t worry, you can have it back soon,” he admits, crawling back into his bed with an apologetic kiss to her pouting lips. “Doesn’t smell like you anymore,”

“Thief,”

Harry scoffs and props himself up on an elbow. “Don’t act like my Spice World jumper isn’t hanging at the foot of your bed right now,”

“You left it there,” Alani defends. “I was merely being kind and looking after said hoodie because it was abandoned by its owner,”

“Oh yeah and you’ve fought real hard to reunite us,”

“Can we get back to the main issue at hand? Which is that I’m kinda pissed off that you look better in that shirt than I do.”

Harry chuckles to himself and presses an affectionate kiss to her temple. “You’re too kind.”

Alani rests her cheek against his chest and listens to the rain pattering harshly against the window, admiring the flashes of lightning that illuminate the dimly lit room. Harry had convinced her to stay the night, worried about her driving home alone in the storm, and he was met with very little resistance. Secretly, he thanks the rain gods for allowing him another night to hold her close. 

********

“H, you gotta tell her,” Jeff had warned the previous night. “I already pushed the flight back a week—”

“I know,” Harry huffed. “I just need a little more time.”

Jeff sighed, rubbing his tired eyes with the heels of his hands. “You have until this weekend when we go away with the girls. One week in Maui, and then it’s back home. I’m sorry.”

********

Harry’s stomach turns remembering the conversation, but he decides to push all the nagging thoughts to the back of his mind and focus on the present. 

“You all packed?” he asks, trailing his fingers up and down her arm. 

Alani drapes her leg over his hip and nods. “Been packed since last week.”

She had been ecstatic the day after Mila and Chad’s wedding when Harry invited her to tag along on the couple’s trip with Jeff, Tom, and their significant others. His eagerness to include her in his friend group was not only reassuring, but exciting. It felt like their lives were coming together, even more so after she had introduced him to her parents. They, of course, had adored him and quickly given their seal of approval. While Alani knew that it was ultimately her choice, it still felt good to have support from the most important people in her life, and she hoped to win his friends over just as easily. Harry, on the other hand, had no doubts that she would fit right into his chosen family. Her name had been cautiously dropped during a weekly FaceTime call with his mother and sister, and he was overjoyed when they enthusiastically grilled him for details. 

What Harry was less sure of, however, was how Alani would react upon hearing that his vacation was up and that he would be headed back to L.A. in a week’s time. It was still early in their relationship and an indeterminate break seemed less than ideal. He had tried to convince both Jeff and the label that he could finish the album in Hawaii, but the same couldn’t be said for Jeff Bhasker, Mitch, Tom, and his new bassist, Adam, who all had families waiting for them back on the mainland. It was too risky personally and financially, so Harry reluctantly negotiated one last week to persuade Alani that a long-distance relationship wouldn’t be a death sentence. 

“What d’you wanna watch?” he asks, sitting up against the headboard to turn on the T.V. 

Alani sighs and settles deeper into his side. “When Harry Met Sally,”

“But it’s not Christmas or New Year’s,”

“So?”

“So,” Harry explains. “We have to wait ‘til the holidays, wouldn’t be right otherwise,”

Alani scoffs and peers up at him with a judgemental look. “So I guess Serendipity is also out of the question?”

“We’ll have all Christmas to get through that list, darlin’,”

Her stomach flips at his suggestion of their future holiday plans. Privately, she had wondered about such things, as well, including what gifts she might get him or where they would spend the holidays. Though still months away, it suddenly felt within reach. 

“Fine,” Alani softens. “The Notebook,”

“And let you drool over what’s-his-face?” Harry pokes. “No fuckin’ way,”

Alani pinches his side and sits up. “Would you stop being insecure about that? I’ve already told you I was just kidding that time,”

“Yeah well, it still stings,”

“Why don’t you tell me your celebrity crush? You know, so I can be totally fine about it because it doesn’t mean anything,”

Harry shrugs, the corners of his lips turning into a playful smirk. “Don’t have one,”

“Liar,”

“M’serious,”

“Why, because you’ve already dated them?”

“Hey,” Harry pouts. “That was a bit snippy,”

Alani’s muscles tighten. She hadn’t realized that his dating history was a sore spot, but she takes a deep breath and plants a sweet kiss to his jaw as an offering of peace. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,”

“S’alright. Truce?”

“Deal,”

“Jennifer Aniston,”

“Huh?”

“My celebrity crush,” Harry explains shyly. “When I was younger,”

Alani giggles lightly. “I see. Good taste, she’s hot,”

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna leave me for her too,”

“I just might,”

“Can’t say that I blame you,”

“Look I know this is a cute little bit we do,” Alani sits up, her gaze dead-set on Harry’s to communicate the seriousness behind her words. “But I just want you to know that I feel so lucky to be with you. I’m not going anywhere any time soon,”

Harry swallows harshly. It was everything he’d ever wanted to hear and it kills him that he can’t return the sentiment with full honesty. A little less than a week is all he has to prove that even though he physically has to go, his heart will remain wherever Alani is. “Me either,”

Another round of thunder booms outside and the lights fizzle out, leaving the room completely dark save for the intermittent flashes of lightning that gently illuminate the room. 

“So much for watching a movie, huh?” Alani sighs. 

“I think I know some other ways we can keep ourselves entertained.”

********

Harry sets a steaming cup of tea down onto the table in front of Alani and she looks up from her tube of nail polish curiously. Harry flashes a dimpled grin in her direction and whistles a familiar tune, one that she had heard in the studio when he was busy doing his Bob Dylan impression. 

“What’re you singing?”

“Hm?”

“The song,” she clarifies. “You were singing it the other day, what is it?”

Harry serves her plate of hash browns and shrugs. “Dunno, just a little tune ‘ve been workin’ on,”

“It’s nice,”

“Thanks, sweets,” he offers, setting her food down and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 

“Hey Alani,” Jeff interrupts, stepping into the kitchen with his cellphone pressed to his shoulder.

“Glenne wants to know if you’re okay with her setting up a spa thing for you guys,”

"Yeah, definitely,” Alani perks up. 

“Cool, thanks.”

“Look at you,” Harry teases, taking a bite of his toast coated in strawberry jam. “Minglin’ with the girls,”

“They’re not even here yet,” 

He scans over her appearance and his brows furrow, hit with the sudden realization that she’s dressed in formal attire. 

“What’s with the fancy outfit”

“I have a meeting, remember?”

“With?”

Alani blows on her freshly painted nails and holds up her other hand for Harry to do the same. 

“My senior advisor. We’re going over my research project,”

Harry’s brows raise. “Smarty-pants,”

Alani had scheduled her meeting with Dr. Hudson months ago and had, truthfully, forgotten all about it until she had received a courtesy email the day prior. She had been working on her proposal in the spare minutes she had away from Harry, which were few and far between, but she knew the initial meeting would be much more casual. Alani checks the time on her phone and stands quickly when she realizes that she is supposed to meet Dr. Hudson in  less than thirty-minutes. 

“Gotta go,” she offers, shoveling potatoes into her mouth and grabbing her bag. 

Harry ceases blowing on her nails and kisses the back of her hand before sticking out his lips for a kiss of his own. “Good luck, darlin’. Meet me at the studio after?”

“Sure thing, sunshine. See you later.”

********

“How did the Joni Mitchell piece go? You never told me,” Dr. Hudson questions, taking a sip of her coffee. 

Alani offers a shy smile and toys with the hem of her skirt. “A flop,”

“Just one more closer to the winner,”

“Yeah,” Alani sighs, stirring her smoothie. “Maybe it’s time to move on from that,”

The professor shoots her a disapproving look and sets her drink down. “Alani—”

“I just think maybe there’s more realistic—”

“You are not giving up,” Dr. Hudson reassures her. “You’ve come too far and you’re a terrific writer. One of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of teaching. These things take time,”

Alani nods gently, her lips pursed in a tight smile. “Thank you, that really means a lot,”

“What are you working on right now?”

Absolutely nothing, Alani thinks, but then she remembers the half-written article about Harry sitting in her files. 

“A short piece about… a local musician,”

Dr. Hudson’s brows raise, intrigued, and she nods. “That sounds interesting. Definitely more personal,”

You have no idea. “Thanks. I mean, it’s not really anything—”

“I’d love to read it when you’re finished,” the professor continues. “What’s the scope?”

Alani thinks, trying not to give too much incriminating detail about her subject or their relationship. 

“Well,” she starts, hesitant. “He’s writing new music and working on his first album. I guess I kind of want to follow his journey and redefinition of success in the music industry,”

Dr. Hudson hums. “I love it. Send me a draft.”

Alani swallows and takes a minute to consider the offer. Surely there couldn’t be anything wrong about sharing her work privately with her advisor. She had been so excited about the potential of the article when it was first started, but it had since been neglected like so many of her other rejected pieces. Starting again seemed exciting, and she knew that Harry would be pleased to play such an important role in making her dreams come true. That had, after all, been the initial terms of their agreement. 

“Okay,” Alani accepts. “I will.”

********

Harry draws out the last note and Mitch lets the chord ring between them for a moment. 

“I think that’s the one,”

“Yeah, I liked that progression better,”

“Hope you got that, Bhasker,” Mitch calls to Jeff in the sound booth, who gives a thumbs up in response. 

Harry continues humming, his head still bobbing to the tune, when he hears the studio door creak unpleasantly. His eyes shoot up to find Alani wincing and timidly stepping into the room. 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt,”

He softens and beckons her over. “Never an interruption, sweets,”

Alani slots herself between his legs and wraps her arms around his neck, giving a gentle peck to the tip of his nose before pressing their lips together.

“How’s the weather?”

“Just got a lot sunnier,”

“Meeting go well?”

She nods and twists a lock of his chestnut hair between her fingers. “Yeah, actually,”

“Then we should celebrate!” Harry perks up, peppering a kiss to her cheek. “Dinner, wine, movie, the whole shebang,”

Alani frowns, thinking back to the article she promised Dr. Hudson. “Hmmm, raincheck?”

Her boyfriend deflates. “You’re ditching me?”

“Just for one night,” she explains, pulling him closer. “I wanna finish up some school stuff before our trip. Otherwise I won’t be able to give you my full attention,”

Harry pouts, but he nods understandingly. “‘Kay,”

“I’m sorry, sunshine. I’ll miss you tons,”

“Ditto, sweets,”

Alani presses her forehead against his and her fingertips wander through the growing curls at the nape of his neck. “Please don’t be upset,”

Harry smiles warmly and smoothes his hands up and down her back. “Never, m’love. Could never be upset with you,”

“Promise?”

“Promise,” he nods, planting a sweet kiss to her lips. “Hey, I wanna play you somethin’,” 

Alani grins and pulls back a bit to read his expression. “Let’s hear it,”

Harry grabs the guitar next to him and slings it over his shoulder before adjusting the capo. The song starts sweet and gentle, his voice light to match the tune. 

And oh we started 

Two hearts in one home 

It’s hard when we argue 

We’re both stubborn I know, but oh

Sweet creature, sweet creature

Wherever I go, you bring me home 

Sweet creature, sweet creature

When I run out of road, you bring me home 

Alani watches in awe as he pours so much emotion behind every word, his vocals effortlessly powerful and rich. She claps when the song finishes and leans in for a kiss. 

“I love it,”

“S’not finished yet,” Harry shrugs, still fiddling with the strings. “Just the chorus right now,”

“Will you teach it to me?”

His brows raise in surprise. “You play?”

“No,” Alani admits. “But I have a feeling you’re a good teacher,”

“Well, let’s see what you got,”

Alani turns and Harry props the guitar in her lap, his arms wrapping around her as he guides her into the right position. His left hand demonstrates the beginning chord and she replaces his fingers on the fretboard to try for herself. She strums and the beginning note resonates in near-perfect pitch. 

“Hey,” Harry beams. “You’re a regular Hendrix,”

He continues positioning her fingers over the right spaces and letting her strum, humming the lyrics softly into the shell of her ear. 

“We don’t argue that much,” Alani defends playfully. 

Harry chuckles and kisses her temple. “Maybe not, but we’re really good at makin’ up.”

“Easy, Styles.”

********

Harry: Hungry?

Alani peels her eyes away from the computer screen and reads the message lighting up her phone. 

Alani: Not really

Harry: …

Harry: oh 

She laughs and pads over to the window. Sure enough, Harry holds up two bags and flashes a cheesy grin down below. 

“Need a study break?”

“I’ll meet you at the door.”

Harry makes himself comfortable in the middle of her bed and unpacks the bags. 

“I’ve got a California and a spicy tuna for my favorite girl,” he announces. “With a side of eel sauce,”

“And the world's best boyfriend goes to Mr. Harry Styles,” Alani grins, taking a seat next to him. 

He smirks and pulls out his own order of miso soup and sushi. “How’s the homework comin’ along?”

“Not too shabby,”

“Glad to hear it,”

“Hey, what time do I meet you at the airport tomorrow?” she asks, dipping her roll in the sauce. 

Harry freezes and turns to her with confusion written all over his face. “I’m sorry, did my girlfriend just insinuate that we’re not leaving for the airport together?”

“I really need to finish this,” Alani explains. “It’s almost there,” 

“Two nights?” he complains. 

Alani nudges him with her shoulder and shakes her head. “We’re gonna be spending an entire week together, non-stop. You’re gonna get sick of me,”

“Never,” Harry rebuts. “Not possible,”

“Just one more night,” Alani bargains. “Then I’m all yours, no interruptions.”

He nods and takes a sip of his soup. “Alright, deal.”

You have to tell her, Jeff’s voice rings in his mind. 

********

The airline stewardess ushers Harry and Alani to their seats while Scott and Miles settle down a few rows behind. She didn’t know exactly what to expect from first-class, but suddenly the perks of having a famous boyfriend increased tenfold by the sight of their luxurious accommodations.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Alani asks while Harry hovers over his chair. 

“Sitting, or I was about to,”

“And you’re not even gonna offer rock-paper-scissors for the window seat?”

Harry shakes his head with an amused chuckle. “No because I already know that you’re gonna get up to pee every five minutes,”

“Not true,”

“It is too true and it’s exactly why we can’t cuddle while we fall asleep,”

“Or maybe the reason is because I’m claustrophobic and I just don’t wanna hurt your feelings,”

Harry frowns. “Really?”

“No,” Alani admits, taking the aisle seat. “I just said that so you’d give me the window,”

“Get up, we’re switching,”

“Thank you, sunshine! You’re the best,”

Harry slumps into his new chair and crosses his arms. “Forty-five minutes and we’re already fighting like an old married couple,”

“Oh really?” Alani smirks. “Is that what old married couples argue about? Who gets the window seat?”

“And leaving the toilet seat up, going antique shopping—” 

“—What old married couples have you been hanging out with—?”

“—Picking up the kids from school,”

Alani presses a kiss to his shoulder and rests her head in the crook of his neck. Her eyelids are still heavy from staying up the night before, but her article was completely finished and sent off to Dr. Hudson just like she’d promised. Now, she could enjoy her vacation free of any worry or obligation, completely focused on the perfect boy still rambling next to her. 

“But, obviously I mean that doesn’t count, right?” Harry asks, craning his neck and smiling softly when he sees that his girlfriend has already dozed off. He kisses the top of her head gently and lets his own eyes flutter close with a deep, contented breath. 

********

“And then I’ll have to repaint it, but I haven’t decided on a color yet,” Glenne explains to Alani as they stroll through the airport. 

Alani hums. “It was your grandmother’s?” 

“Well, it was somebody’s grandmother’s. We picked it up at this little antique shop in Santa Monica.”

Jeff escorts Glenne into the shuttle car while Harry and Alani share a knowing look and stifle their laughter. They shuffle into the back seats as Tom and his wife, Jenny, claim the middle row. 

“So you’re a journalist?” Jenny asks, turning in her seat eagerly to face Alani. 

“Not quite,” she explains with a polite smile. “Still a student, but hopefully someday,”

Jenny nods and twirls the ring around her finger. “Sounds exciting. Maybe you can hitch a ride on tour with this one and do some writing there.”

“Yeah,” Alani smiles, settling further into Harry’s side. “Maybe.”

The idea of traveling the world with Harry and being a part of the excitement of touring the album was something she had considered briefly, but hadn’t allowed herself to fully indulge until this moment. It was already thrilling to see him polish the songs he had begun during his trip, but she could only imagine how much more special it would be to see him perform them for the rest of the world. A twinge of jealousy sparks at the thought of having to share any part of him with the public, but Alani knows that his gifts are much too special to keep all for herself. Harry was golden and he deserved to shine in all of his radiant glory. That was exactly what she had penned in her article, and she said it not because he was her boyfriend and there were clear personal investments, but because she knew it was true even before he had shown any romantic interest in her. 

“What’s tour like?” Alani pipes up as Harry watches the landscape out his window. 

He considers it for a moment and clears his throat. “Fun, mostly. Can be tiring,”

“Lots of partying and adoring fans?”

“No,” he chuckles to himself. “Not so much the partying. Enthusiastic fans, sure,”

Alani narrows her eyes. “No partying?”

“Nope,” Harry reiterates. “Don’t really like to do all that stuff when I’m working. Also just didn’t wanna…”

He trails off and Alani waits a beat to see if he’ll continue. “Didn’t wanna?”

“Fuck it up,” he finishes. “You know, like, be the one who ruined a good thing for a little bit of fun.”

She lets his words settle in, rubbing a reassuring circle on the back of his hand. “Makes sense. Sounds really responsible of you to do that.”

Harry presses a soft kiss to her temple and resumes his study of the scenery. They chat amongst their friends for the remainder of the drive and Alani immediately presses Glenne and Jenny for information about her boyfriend in his younger years. They indulge her inquiries and ask their own questions, deciding privately after a few minutes that her and Harry are a good fit. 

When the group arrives at the resort, Glenne takes charge and instructs them all to meet at the lobby for lunch in twenty minutes. They collect their keys and head up to their respective rooms, which are all located on the very top floor. 

“What a view,” Alani muses as she takes in the sight from their private balcony. 

Harry admires the wonder on her face and nods, his eyes not leaving her side profile. “You’re tellin’ me,”

“Let’s never go home,” she poses, arms snaking around his torso. “Let’s stay here forever, just me and you,”

His throat tightens as he thinks back to the inevitable conversation waiting for them. Harry didn’t know why it was so hard to think about leaving because he had every intention of keeping touch and making their relationship work at all costs. But there was a part of him, a very tiny recess in the back of his mind, that feared the possibility of Alani not feeling the same. 

“Yeah,” he agrees with a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose. “Whatever you want, sweets,”

Alani senses a shift in his demeanor, but she can’t read it. “You okay?”

“Never better,” Harry swallows, mustering up a small smile. “But I am hungry,”

She isn’t entirely convinced that there isn’t something bothering him, but she decides not to push it and tightens her grip around his waist, instead. 

“Race you to the lobby.”

“You’re on.”

********

“You’ve never seen Finding Nemo?”

“Was I s’posed to?”

“My god,” Alani marvels. “You know, I’m starting to believe those rumors that you were grown in a lab,”

Harry’s brow raises and he blinks. “That I was what?”

The restaurant that Glenne and Jeff chose features an aquarium tunnel at the entrance, much to both Harry and Alani’s excitement. Fish, large and small, swim around them and the pair take turns pointing out their favorite colorful species. The Hull’s snap photos for their four year-old daughter, but Jenny also secretly captures one of Harry and Alani with their hands clasped under the mesmerizing blue lighting as a keepsake for her friend. 

“Add Finding Nemo to our movie list,” Alani says, admiring a clownfish that swims close to the glass. 

“S’it  gonna make me cry?”

“Probably,”

“Goddamnit,” 

Alani giggles softly and turns her head away from the glass to silently observe Harry under the lighting of the rippling water. The combination of his serene features and the sound of Billie Holiday’s I’ll Be Seeing You over the sound system creates a perfect image in her mind, one that makes her afraid to blink, lest it be gone forever. Harry glances over at her through the corner of his eye and his lips curl. 

“Checkin’ me out?”

“Always,”

“Like whatcha see?”

“Love it.”

His heart nearly stops at her words, but before he has a chance to process their implication, the hostess calls on their group. 

“And I’ll have the piña colada,” Harry orders once they're seated. 

“Oh my god, H,” Glenne laughs from across the table. “That reminds me, remember your birthday last year when James got trashed and hoarded the karaoke machine for, like, two hours?”

“Ruined that song forever,” Jeff quips, reliving the memory of the Late-Late host drunkenly serenading the entire party with the same song on repeat. 

Harry cringes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I try not to,”

Alani watches as they reminisce on the event, adding their own details and pieces to the puzzle. It’s amusing to watch, but a small part of her also has to fight the pang of exclusion settling into the pit of her stomach. She feels guilty for being affected by it knowing, logically, that it isn’t intentional or malicious in any way. Still, Alani is painfully reminded of the vast differences between their worlds. Harry had gotten to know practically every part of her life, including her family, but there was still so much that she didn’t know about his. It was something she worked hard not to dwell on, given the novelty of their relationship, but she also worried that fear and insecurity would prevent her from investing what little of her heart Harry hadn’t claimed yet. 

“Who was it that started dancing on a table and almost broke a chandelier?” Tom asks, wracking his brain. 

“I think it was Ken—” Jeff hesitates, clearing his throat. “Actually, I don’t remember,”

Harry shifts in his seat beside Alani and reads over the menu, quickly changing the subject. “What’re you gonna get?”

“I don’t know,” Alani admits. “Everything looks so good,”

“Oh look,” Jenny pipes up across from Harry. “They’ve got your fav, the mango sorbet. I wonder if it’s as good as the one in Italy,”

Harry beams and reads over the item. “Oh yeah, that was amazin’,” 

Alani files the detail to the back of her mind. She hadn’t known mango was his favorite flavor of anything, and while it was a trivial detail, she realized that there were so still many little details about him that she wanted to know. Harry had made such an effort to remember everything about her, like her go-to sushi order and the fact that she always saved the kiwis for last in her fruit salad, so it made her feel a touch guilty that she hadn’t made the same effort. 

“Wanna share the coconut shrimp?” Alani asks with a gentle nudge to his shoulder. 

“Oh, uh—”

“He’s allergic,” Glenne says offhandedly, not cold or condescending, but more in the same way that an older sister would. 

“Oh my god,” Alani’s eyes widen. “I’m so sorry,”

Harry laughs lightly and shrugs. “S’okay, I’d let you poison me,”

“I didn’t mean to be rude,” Glenne apologizes, reaching her hand out to Alani. “I thought you knew.”

Alani accepts the hand and waves away her concern. “No, don’t worry about it. I didn’t know, actually.”

“We can stop talking about my defects now,” Harry teases. “‘M not dyin’,”

He leans in closer to Alani and presses a kiss to her temple. “But if I was, it’d be an honor to have my last meal with you.”

She responds with a soft smile before returning her attention back to the menu. His sentiments, however sweet, unfortunately did very little to soothe the embarrassment of her mini faux pas. It was irrational, Alani knew this, but it made her wonder what else she didn’t know and what bigger secrets he was potentially keeping. Whose name had Jeff meant to say earlier to identify the mystery dancer at Harry’s party, and why had it created an awkward shift in the air? She decides not to let the spiraling questions spoil her fun and takes a generous sip of her cocktail to avoid them for the time being. 

********

Harry sets the room key on the nightstand next to their king sized bed and lets himself sink down into the soft mattress. The group had spent the entire day sightseeing, from botanical gardens to scenic beaches, but he was really itching for some quality time alone with Alani. Lately, their time together had been cut frustratingly short by work, school, and life in general. Even when they were seated right next to each other with arms linked or fingers interlocked, she felt far away and he didn’t know why. He hoped that this trip would allow them time to reconnect and solidify their relationship before he had to return to California. 

“Mini bar,” Alani comments, kicking her shoes off and wandering over to the small refrigerator in their suite. “Who’s paying again?”

“The label,”

“Thank you Columbia Records,”

She swipes a few bottles of tequila before climbing into the bed next to Harry. 

“Wanna play a game?”

Harry props himself up on his elbow and nods. “What kinda game?”

“Never have I ever,” Alani explains. “But instead of putting your finger down, you take a shot,”

“Sounds dangerous,”

“It’ll be fun. You can go first if you want,”

He hums and nods in agreement before sitting up to face her. “‘Kay. Never have I ever...named my car after a musician,”

“Cheap shot,” Alani narrows her eyes, taking a sip from the bottle of Jose Cuervo. 

“Your turn,”

She fiddles with the bottle cap, a question already in mind, though she isn’t sure if she should ask it. 

“Never have I ever… dated a model,”

Harry’s brow furrows, but he opens his own bottle slowly and takes a sip. “So it’s that kind of never have I ever,”

“Just trying to keep it interesting,” Alani shrugs innocently. 

“Right. Never have I ever slept with a guy named David,”

Her eyes widen, but she laughs half-heartedly and takes a sip. “Jeez, okay. Never have I ever—”

“Wait, so you two actually…” Harry interrupts, trailing off at the end. 

“I mean,” Alani starts, her eyes wandering to the ceiling. “Yeah, a long time ago,”

“How long ago?”

“Okay, maybe this was a mistake—”

Harry shakes his head. “No, I’m sorry. I’ll play nice,”

“Alright,” Alani accepts. She knows that she should probably steer the game back onto safer territory, but the wound has been re-opened and she can’t resist the urge to keep picking at it. “Never have I ever slept with a fan,”

Harry takes a slow sip. “Never have I ever cheated on my partner,”

The bottle stays put in Alani’s hand. “Never had I ever gone on a vacation with my partner before this trip,”

The tequila washes over his tongue bitterly like the faint memories that it symbolizes. “Never have I ever dated someone just for the publicity,”

The bottle in Alani’s hand doesn’t move, much to Harry’s relief, but her mind is not as tranquil. 

“Never have I ever told someone I loved them when I didn’t,” she says slowly.  

Harry takes another shot and it burns all the way down. “Why are we doin’ this?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t wanna play anymore,”

“Alani,” he starts, springing to his feet when she leaves the bed. “Hey, look at me, please,”

She blinks back the tears that threaten to spill over her lower lashes before turning to him. “I’m sorry, that was a stupid game,”

“S’just all out of context,” Harry offers, reaching for her hands. “Wasn’t the right way to have all of those conversations,”

Alani takes a deep breath and nods. “Yeah, you’re right,”

“What’s really botherin’ you, hm sweets?” He coos, bringing her cold knuckles to his warm lips. “Tell me, please?”

She releases a shaky breath and tries to sift through the fog in her brain for the right answer.

 “I don’t know, really, I just,” Alani hesitates. “Am I a bad girlfriend?”

“No,” Harry says quickly, his hands lifting to cup her face. “God no, you’re the best,”

“Then why didn’t I know that your favorite ice cream flavor was mango? And why didn’t I know that you were allergic to coconut, and why—”

“Hang on, is that what this is all about?” he questions. “Cause I’ll go eat an entire coconut right now,”

Alani laughs lightly and pinches her eyes shut. “No, it’s not about that. I just feel like you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met and you make me feel so fucking special and, God, I just wanna be good enough for you because—”

Harry holds his breath and watches as her eyes gloss over. 

“Because I love you,” she finishes, voice small. “More than I ever thought possible,”

His own eyes sting, but he doesn’t fight the tears that fall as he presses his lips to hers firmly. 

“I love you, too,” Harry murmurs. “I love you so fuckin’ much it drives me crazy,”

Alani chuckles softly. “Ditto,”

“I’ve been wanting to say it for ages, can’t believe you beat me to it.”

“Guess you’re not the only one full of surprises.”

********

The early morning sunlight creeps gently into Harry and Alani’s room, casting a soft, golden glow onto the bare skin that peeks through the white duvet. Harry stirs first, a strand of Alani’s hair tickling his nose and making him smile. He prys his heavy eyelids open and winces at the dull aching of his head aggravated by the light. Alani hears his muffled groan and sighs, willing the sun to go back down and let her sleep a few more hours. 

“Mornin’ sweets,” he rasps with a warm kiss to her bare shoulder. 

She peels her own tired eyes open and flashes a sleepy grin. “Good morning, sunshine,”

“How’d you sleep?”

“Super. You?”

Harry props himself up on his elbow and rests his chin in his palm as he admires the traces of sleep still on her face.

“Just swell.”

Alani chuckles lightly and reaches a hand up to comb through his unruly bedhead. His skin is warm to the touch, and the light from the window casts a heavenly glow around his visage. She pokes her finger into his dimple, which elicits a soft laugh and makes his smile grow wider. They stay intertwined under the sheets as the sun fully rises and soak up their own details to keep as souvenirs from this moment. Alani takes in the scent of vanilla and the juxtaposition of Harry’s inked bicep against the plain, white sheets. He stores away the image of her sleepy, mocha eyes and the pink, manicured fingernails that trail up and down his arm. Neither of them are sure exactly how long they remain in this moment, for all they know it could be hours or days. But whatever the duration, it doesn’t seem to be enough. I need more time, Harry had told Jeff, but there was no more left to give. He had to tell her, and it was now or never. 

“Hey,” he begins carefully. “I need to tell you something,”

Alani sits up to be eye level with him and nods. “Anything,”

Harry waits a beat, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear and pressing his lips to her bare shoulder before letting the confession spill out. 

“I have to go back to L.A.,”

 “I kinda figured,”

He draws in a deep sigh of relief. “You did?”

“Yeah,” Alani shrugs. “Hilo isn’t exactly Hollywood,”

“I asked for more time, but the label—”

“No, I get it. So… when? Next month?”

“Friday,”

Alani’s brows furrow. “This Friday?”

“Yeah,” Harry admits with a gulp. 

“The last day of our trip?”

“Yes,”

Her heart drops into her stomach and she feels sick. It all made sense now why Harry’s mood had shifted when she jokingly asked him not to leave, and why he had been so insistent on spending as much time together as possible this week. Their game of never have I ever turned instantly defensive when asked about his dating history. Never had I ever gone on vacation with my partner before this trip. Never have I ever told someone I loved them when I didn’t. He had whisked her away on a farewell trip and God knows who else had been in her place before, or worse, who would be in it next. Harry was saying good-bye. 

“Wait,” Alani says finally, mind still racing too fast to process. “How long have you known?”

“Alani—”

“How long?”

Harry swallows. “Couple of weeks,”

“You knew for weeks and you didn’t tell me?” she questions incredulously.

“I tried—”

“You know that I hate surprises, you know how I feel about plans—”

“I’m sorry,” Harry insists, sitting up straighter. “I wanted to tell you so many times, but it just never felt right,”

Alani rolls her eyes. “So what, you were just gonna leave a fucking sticky note on my pillow and hope for the best?”

“Don’t say that—”

“Is that why you brought me here?” she asks, voice hoarse. “Is that why you gave me this necklace? A souvenir of our little summer fling so you could leave with a clear conscience?”

Harry’s jaw tightens. “How could you even think that?”

“Because maybe it’s true. Why else would you wait until the very last minute to tell me about this?”

“Maybe we should take a minute,” he suggests, the whites of his eyes now bloodshot. “Before we say something we’ll regret,”

“I think I already did.” Alani admits. Never have I ever told someone I loved them when I didn’t. 

Harry’s head pounds and he feels like he’s drowning, treading water in every direction only to be dragged further into the current. He quickly pulls on his clothes from the night before and tries to steady his breathing. 

“M’gonna go wait in the hall,” he offers. “Give you some space to think and then we’ll talk, yeah?”

Alani doesn’t respond or even meet his pleading eyes. She simply tightens the duvet around her body and turns her head to the window, letting a single, bitter tear roll down her cheek. The door closes softly and she is immediately filled with regret and guilt. Had she truly meant all of the things she said? Or was it fear and the instinct to flee taking over her mouth? Alani wanted to believe that she was wrong and that Harry hadn’t intentionally kept her in the dark, but from where she stood, the sun had long disappeared behind the clouds and all that was left was the storm. 

Harry trudges down the hallway and the walls spin, closing in on him slowly. If he had just told Alani sooner, everything would be different. He had avoided doing so for this exact reason and out of fear that their relationship wouldn’t be worth the risk in her mind. It was selfish—he was selfish—to try to make the decision for her, and now the woman he loved was getting ready to walk away because he had broken her trust. What else was there to do? His back meets the wall and he sinks to the floor. 

“Hey H,” Jeff clears his throat from above. “We should talk,”

“She knows. Didn’t go well,”

“So she did approve the article?” 

Harry lifts his head and his brows furrow. “What?”

There’s a harsh knock at the door and Alani jumps. In Harry’s absence, she had managed to cool off and sift through her frantic thoughts. She had been wrong to think that he used her, all it took was a quick stroll down memory lane to prove otherwise. He had never given her any true reason not to trust him, so there had to be some other reason why he hadn’t told her about his plans to leave so soon. Alani pads over to the door and unlocks it gently. 

“Harry, I’m sor—”

“Wanna talk about surprises?” he seethes. “What the fuck is this?”

She squints at the phone screen that he holds up to her face and the title of her unpublished article stares back at her. 

“I don’t know—”

“Well it has your goddamn name on it,” Harry shoots back. 

Alani steps aside and lets him into the room before she closes the door behind her. “I can explain—”

“Did you write it or not?”

“Yes, but—”

He shuts the phone off and slams it face down onto the night stand. “How fucking dare you call me a liar and then pull this shit behind my back,”

“I didn’t lie,” Alani defends, voice weak. “I had no idea it was going to be published, please just listen—”

“A class project,” he interrupts with his back still turned. “That’s what you said,”

“It was never meant to be released,”

“How do I know that? How do I know you’re not just trying to cover your ass?”

“Please,” Alani begs as her vision begins to blur. “I was wrong, I shouldn’t have said all those things,”

Harry runs a hand through his hair and casts his eyes to the ceiling in an attempt to quell the emotion that pools behind his eyes. 

“So why did you?”

“I was scared,”

“Of?”

Alani takes a deep breath. “Of losing you for good. Of falling in l—”

“Don’t,” he interrupts. “Don’t finish that sentence,”

“I don’t know how,” she tries again. “And I don’t know who released it, but I swear—”

“You really expect me to trust a word you say after you accused me of lying about this whole thing, about us?”

Harry’s  gaze lowers back to hers and the bright, green eyes that she has come to love are replaced with a blood-shot, stormy sea that makes her stomach drop. The words get caught in her throat. 

“I fucked up,” he continues. “I know that I should’ve told you. But I’m having a hard time believing that this wasn’t planned, that this random website would just accidentally publish your work without your consent,”

Alani can’t explain it either, she truly had no idea how her writing had ended up in the wrong hands. There was only one other person she had entrusted it with, but surely Dr. Hudson hadn’t betrayed her, had she? Alani didn’t know who to believe anymore. 

“Harry, I’m so sorry,” she tries. “I didn’t mean what I said, and I know I can’t take it back, but you have to at least believe that I never wanted to hurt you,”

Harry is silent for a moment, and Alani decides that it’s her turn to tell the truth. There was nothing left to lose. 

“At first, I did want to publish it,” she explains. “But I changed my mind and I scrapped the whole thing. In the end, the only person I intended to show it to was you,”

“So how did it get onto the internet for the whole fucking world to see?” he presses. 

Alani sighs. “My advisor wanted to know what I was working on, so I sent it to her, but she never had my permission to publish it. Now I realize how stupid it sounds, but it’s the truth,”

“If you had come to me, I would have given you permission,”

“I’m so sorry,”

Harry’s shoulders tense. Every fiber of his being  wants to believe her, but how could he? She had told him herself that things would be messy and warned him that he didn’t know what he was asking by pursuing a relationship with her. Maybe it really was all his fault for not seeing the signs, but that still didn’t change the fact that he couldn’t trust her anymore. And based on her reaction to the news of his departure, it seemed as though Alani didn’t trust him either. 

“Even if you’re telling the truth,” Harry begins, slow and deliberate. “You still thought, after everything, that I would abandon you. And if that’s the kind of person you think I am, if that’s the person you wrote about—”

“Harry—”

“Then I hope you got all the material you wanted.”

“Please, don’t go.” Alani cries but it’s too late. The door slams and her heart falls. 

After a beat, she races to the door and into the hallway but there’s no sign of Harry. As quickly as he had appeared into her life, he had vanished. Gone without a trace.

#harry styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfic #harry styles writing #harry styles x oc #ybmh #sorry besties <3

[rainythefox]

Nightfall (CH.15)

Synopsis: Pre-Resident Evil 1, slight-AU/Canon Divergence. Claire Redfield comes home to visit her  brother Chris for the holidays but gets caught up in a dangerous game of  cat and mouse with Albert Wesker, the Captain of STARS, after stumbling  upon dark secrets. She can’t call the law; Wesker is the law, and she  can’t tell Chris. She is trapped…Claire/Wesker & Slight Chris/Jill (There’s Wesker & William Bromance too lol). Rated M for smut, language, violence, adult content.

AO3 Link

Chapter 15:Infatuation

Claire was awake when she heard Chris getting ready for work, but she stayed in bed. She didn’t join him for breakfast or a cup of coffee. She didn’t see him off. She just turned over on her side, away from her door where the hallway light creeped through underneath. She had endured a near sleepless night of tosses and turns, the aches in her muscles a stinging reminder of what she had done.

She must’ve fallen asleep for a couple of hours because she awoke to sunshine peeking through the curtains. The sun was out, reflecting off the snow that blanketed the city. Claire got out of bed and did her usual morning ritual: dressing, brushing her teeth, hopelessly trying to come up with a way to escape her grim situation. Funny how that last one had snuck into her daily routine. Her new normal apparently.

Claire made herself toast and orange juice for breakfast but barely touched it. She tried distracting herself with the newspaper, but there wasn’t anything interesting to read in Raccoon Times.

Umbrella Corporation opens new distribution center, creates 600 new jobs

Mayor Warren promises more funding for local orphanage

Kite Bros. expands Downtown travel with new subway tunnel

Clock Tower Plaza puts up traditional Raccoon City Christmas Tree

Even though Chris left her his truck again, she didn’t want to go anywhere. Where would she go? See a friend and potentially drag them into her situation? Try and get help from someone else that was under Wesker’s boot or on his payroll? Raccoon City seemed like an illusion now, a cesspool of collusion and extortion. As though the rose-colored glasses she had once viewed the city in were ripped from her eyes to expose all of the red flags and blood she couldn’t see before.

Besides, she felt bad for the fight she had with her brother last night. Despite Chris overstepping boundaries with his overprotective nature, he was just concerned for her. He knew she was hiding something and was worried. The Redfield siblings only had each other, for nearly nine years now. Chris had sacrificed time and time again for her, to make sure they could stay together, to make sure she could go to college, always making sure she had what she needed over himself. Even when Chris’s behavior got him discharged more than once, he always put her first.

He knew she could take care of herself. He made sure he taught her all he could. Most brothers were protective of their sisters, but Claire wondered if Chris’s...excessiveness was perhaps a form of PTSD from what happened to their parents. Stepping into that guardian role, he went right into the Air Force, just like their parents. He abandoned a normal future to ensure hers, to keep them together, and to somehow get closer to the parents they had lost.

That was why it was hard to stay mad at him. Even if this time he unmindfully didn’t know the danger he was putting them in with his good, albeit intemperate, intentions.

Claire decided she would apologize when Chris got home that evening. And so, she spent the day trying to be productive, to keep her mind from wandering. She studied for a while, and then cleaned the house for a bit, blasting Queen at high volume. However, no matter what she did, she couldn’t keep herself from thinking about not only her situation, but the man that now had her literally pinned under him. She worried what his next scheme for her would be. But she’d be lying to herself if she denied the excitement that also thrummed through her veins. The strange mix made her queasy.

By the time it started getting dark, Claire realized she had wasted most of her day deep in thought, trying to make sense of it all, plotting for a way out, and maybe spending more time than she’d care to admit thinking about what happened between her and Wesker.

Chris would be home soon, so she started dinner. While cooking, she turned on the television to keep her mind focused, but after a few channel changes, a local news station caught her attention with a caption that filled her lungs with ice.

“Raccoon University professor missing, linked to drugging and sexual assault of multiple students.”

Claire turned up the volume, perturbed, because she just knew which professor they were talking about…

“-ow long has this been going on, Alyssa?” asked the anchor.

The news reporter, a pretty, bob-cut blonde, was quick to answer while standing out in the cold in front of Raccoon University, wearing a white coat and a red suit. “I’m being told this may have been happening for over a year now. The RPD are keeping the victims’ identities under wraps at this time, but I do know there are at least four. Dr. Simon Lowery has been missing for a little over 24 hours, having fled after trying to drug a female student at the open house last night. We have yet to get a statement from his wife, but police are saying she had no idea of his behavior. We’ve heard the same testimonies from colleagues. This is one of those -”

Claire clicked the remote. The TV went black, silent. She stared at the screen, a shocked reflection looking back at her. The news story rubbed her wrong. Lowery was a bad man, she knew that much. He would’ve killed her over those documents, would’ve strangled her in the snow when they fought to keep her quiet over stealing whatever it was she had stolen. But not once did she get the feeling he was like that.

She’d bet money that the news story over Lowery was made up to cover up what really happened. She wasn’t sure if Wesker came up with the story or if it was any of his numerous pawns. Didn’t matter. It proved what she already knew, just like the other day when the news covered that Finley guy’s supposed “suicide” in his car. Just as Wesker had told her before, their fates were whatever he decided. Not just their deaths but their legacies, tainting and twisting them, dismantling and disgracing them, like a true god of death.

The city would never know what really happened to Finley and Lowery, whether they deserved their fates or not.

Claire shook out of her thoughts, a chill running over her as she recalled Finley’s head exploding, blood spraying all over the snow. Why had fate led her down that very same path that day?

A smoky, tangy smell pervaded her nostrils. Dinner was burning! Cursing, she raced into the kitchen to save it. The pork chops were burned on one side but other than that, the rest of dinner turned out okay.

Chris came in not long after she had finished cooking, silently walking over to her spot on the couch as she read a book. The couch shifted when he sat down, and so she looked up from the pages. Still in STARS uniform, her older brother scratched the back of his head, uncomfortable but presenting her an apologetic smile. It was hard to stay mad at him with a puppy-dog face like that.

“Hey…”

“Hey,” she mimicked.

“I’m sorry, Sis. About last night. I clearly went overboard. It’s been eating at me all day.”

“Chris, it’s -”

“Let me finish,” he pleaded. “I know you’re an adult. I know you can kick anyone’s ass. I’m overprotective because of what happened to Mom and Dad.”

She sighed. “I know.”

“But that’s no excuse to act the way I did. I trust you, Claire. And I believe in you. But I get so...obsessed with making sure you’re safe and-and fine that my stupid brain can’t see anything else! I let it get the better of me too much. So, from now on, I’ll work hard to keep myself from going overboard and to trust you more. N-Not that I haven’t trusted you! You’ve never given me a reason to doubt you. It’s stupid of me to act like you have. We’ve always had that unspoken pact that we can tell each other anything and it will always stand.”

Claire shifted uncomfortably in her spot. “A-Always.”

“I love you, Sis. I’m really sorry.”

The Redfield siblings were both stubborn and proud, and so sometimes it was Chris who apologized first and sometimes it was Claire. Although Chris usually gave in before she did. Despite that, this was still pretty soon for Chris to give in, as big as a fight they had. Claire wondered if something happened at work that made Chris come to his senses faster. Maybe Jill talked to him? Wouldn’t be the first time. She was her brother’s best friend, after all.

She decided it wasn’t important for now. She had been ready to apologize to her brother when he got home, and here he was apologizing as well. She was ready to put the whole fight behind them and move on...as best as she could in her predicament anyway. At least Chris had seemingly given up pushing her for answers. What a lucky break! Jill must’ve really lined him out.

Claire hugged Chris. “I’m sorry too, Bro. Love you!”

His strong arms wrapped around her and squeezed hard. For years growing up, it had been the safest feeling in the world. She always cherished it. Soon they pulled away, and got up to eat dinner.

William paced, flipping through pages, catching important details and logging them away at a rate far faster than the average person. Wesker leaned against the wall, dressed in his STARS attire, watching him pace a trench in front of him. Always calm, always collected. How did he do it?!

The cable car shuddered, flicking the light overhead as it rose to the surface. He hated taking this hunk of junk! Normally, he didn’t have to, but they were meeting Irons in the sewers. Perfect place to find the slimy rat.

“No! Goddamn it, no! Why? They said Sheena Island was strictly testing and experimentation! That old bastard is moving my Hunter research there without my consent, and now the Tyrants? Mass production on a prototype? Even if they perfect the Epsilon strain, it’s nowhere near ready for cloning!”

“Are you truly all that surprised?” Wesker asked.

“No, I just…” William sighed. “It’s shit like this that tells me Spencer has no plans to put me on the executive board! If I don’t get in there, we’ll never be able to fulfill our plans! And there’s no way in hell I’m bartering the G-Virus for that spot. It’s my legacy, mine to completely control. He’ll have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers!”

“Best not tempt fate, old friend.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“At any rate, your tantrum is premature. With those numbers, the Sheena Island facility won’t be operable for any kind of mass production until August at the earliest. The research team on the Epsilon strain knows that the T-002 will be obsolete by the time it is finished. More than likely a new model is being developed and that will be the one they intend to manufacture. We have time to take this knowledge and use it to our advantage later.”

Birkin snorted. Lately Al’s “optimism” gave him anxiety. "Don’t you think we have our fingers in too many pies already? And toes at this rate. We’re wearing ourselves thin, Al. With too many enemies waiting for us to screw up.”

It was a reasonable concern. Sheena Island’s true motives were still mostly top-secret for now, going by this information sent by Alex. Roth must’ve bought this information from this other cohort of his, and was probably trying to haggle deals with Mueller, Lowery, and Bard. As well as Crawford and Finley. William made a mental note to thank Alex for this later. Wesker may have been a member of the Umbrella Intelligence Division as well, but he meticulously watched his dealings, aware of Spencer’s tabs on him. Alex didn’t have this problem, and so was their go-to source of anything they weren’t privy to.

His partner scowled. “That is such an absurd idiom. Regardless, we are committed at this point. Roth still has our stolen data and the plans for Sheena Island directly affects our goals. You admitted it yourself.”

The cable car shook and screeched, sliding to a halt. The light above the door turned green, and the robotic female voice told them to watch their step and have a good day. No, he would certainly not have a good day! He was having to deal with this and was about to meet a big rat in a stinky sewer. Didn’t the stupid voice know that? How insensitive!

“Yeah, I know. Guess we better be careful how we handle this.”

Wesker and William exited the cable car and walked side by side through the sewer facility. There weren’t many workers, but they all gave them a wide berth, keeping their heads down.

Wesker chuckled to himself, but William heard it over the water pumps and machinery.

“What’s so funny?”

“Just acknowledging that your prolonged bout of paranoia has made us change places. I’m usually the one telling you we need to be careful.”

They were both ruthless and ambitious, but Wesker had more patience and control. And although his back-and-forth stints of paranoia did make him more cautious, Will still hadn’t developed the patience or control that his partner had always had.

If only you knew why...what he’s making me do…

William frowned, rubbing his shoulder and quickly cleared his throat. “Well, no wonder you're so optimistic lately, taking after me. Like a little ball of sunshine!"

His partner didn’t respond to that, and William hoped it wasn’t because he had caught his nervous tic. In case he did, he quickly changed the subject. “So, did you get the kind of reaction out of Ada you were expecting?”

“More or less. I’m still annoyed by how you handled it though.”

“Look, you asked me to bring Claire up in a way to get a reaction from Ada to see if your suspicions were right and I did just that! You’re welcome, by the way!”

They reached the monitor room where they were meeting with Chief Irons. William entered first, and the Chief immediately noticed him, an Umbrella mercenary on each side of him. His pudgy eyes squinted testily and he opened his mouth to start his usual complaining. That is, until Wesker entered right behind him. His mouth quickly snapped shut. Ah, the benefits of having Al around!

Irons glanced around the room, his usual air of arrogance belittled and squashed like a bug. But there was nowhere to run in this room, nothing to protect him. He was at their mercy, but the tough-as-nails Irons wouldn’t be one to break so easily.

He half-laughed, half-snorted, attempting to cover his discomfort. “Now this must be a special occasion if you're both here. Rumor has it when you two are together, someone's going to die...or wish they would."

"Well, funny thing about rumors, Brian," William smirked. "There’s always some truth to them."

It was fun seeing the color drain from his face only to completely flush red like a cherry. He glared their way, fists forming tightly at his sides. "Oh yeah? And how exactly am I on you two assholes' shit list today? Considering all I do is cover your goddamn tracks and provide you with security all hours of every fucking day. Wait, don't tell me, you two have a rehearsed good cop, bad cop routine just for me?" He laughed. "No thanks."

Will nudged Albert. "Damn it, he guessed it! Wait, am I bad cop this time? I forget?"

"I'm always bad cop."

"No fair! We should take turns!"

Irons rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Just get to the point of why I'm here. If we're negotiating new deals, it's a bad time. I'm a busy man, after all."

"Funny you should mention that, Chief," Wesker sneered. "We're done negotiating with you."

The Umbrella mercs pulled their guns on the Chief. Irons froze on the spot, eyes bulging and going to the trained weapons, and this time he turned a bit green.

“Listen, Albert...let’s not get too hasty. Let’s talk like gentlemen. I-I’m sure we can come to an agreement.”

His resolve was cracking slowly, but William wouldn’t count the bastard out just yet. Irons had grown complacent in his position, taking advantage of anything he could get his grubby hands on. William and Wesker had allowed much of this behavior to slide in the knowledge that Irons would eventually get himself into a bind. And that’s where he was now.

“Of course, Brian. I am a sophisticated man, after all. Take a seat.”

The Chief of Police looked relieved at that and pulled out a chair and sat down. The Umbrella mercenaries stood at his back, guns still aimed to the back of his head. William and Albert sat down across from him.

William slid a sealed yellow envelope across the table to Irons. “Open it and take a good, hard look, Brian.”

Irons wiped his mustache, a little sweat forming on his brow. He slowly opened the envelope and sifted through the contents. Each page he flipped through he grew a shade whiter, until he was pasty like a ghost.

“What the fuck is this?”

William leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head. “Oh, I don’t know. You tell us.”

Irons trembled in his chair, both from anger and fear. He flushed again, one fat fist crinkling a page and he quickly stood. “You fucking bastards!”

One merc’s gun barrel pressed into Irons’ skull and he quickly remembered his place. He slowly sat down. He sure was sweating a lot now!

“You put yourself in this situation, Brian,” Wesker stated. “You know I keep tabs on you and yet you got sloppy. Arrogant, too, thinking you’d be able to set me up.”

“Your sick fantasies with the mayor’s daughter will be released to the public. Your replacement has already been chosen. You will die,” William continued.

“No! No, please! We can come to an agreement!”

“There are no more agreements to come to, Brian,” Wesker growled. “Just two choices. You can die like William so eloquently stated or you can sell the remainder of your pathetic soul to our cause.”

And unsurprisingly, the Chief went with the option that kept his sorry ass alive. “Deal! You got it!”

“And just so we’re clear. That -” William motioned to the envelope. “- never goes away. This is your last chance. Next time...well...there won’t be a next time. Just you dead and your dirty secrets exposed for all to see. Never forget how replaceable you are, Brian.”

Irons slowly nodded, guarded. “And exactly what are you two going to want me to do for your “cause”?”

“You will still perform your normal duties for Umbrella, and only report to me,” Wesker explained. “But if William and I tell you to do something, you do it. Even if it goes against your orders from Umbrella.”

“Fine.”

“William will be taking over as your handler. You should thank him. It was my intention to kill you tonight and he convinced me otherwise. If he asks you to perform in the circus, I expect you to clap your flippers and balance that ball without any disinclination. Do I make myself clear?”

Irons ground his jaw and stiffly nodded. “You always do, Albert.”

William sat up a little straighter, a haughty grin spreading. Albert’s protectiveness of him always gave him a feeling of empowerment, feeding his ego, and made a darker part of himself more bold, more ambitious.

“Don’t worry, Brian,” Will said with a fake, friendly smile. “You do a good job and stay on my good side, I always pay really well, way more than Al does.” He added a postscript after seeing the Chief’s interested grin. “Get on my bad side, however, and you’ll be my newest experiment...just ask Lowery.”

The Police Chief’s relief was short-lived. The mention of Lowery’s name struck something in him. He scowled, stiffening once more, looking between the two partners in crime.

“So you two were behind what happened at the university?”

“Oh yes,” William bragged. “Which is partly how we found out about your little attempt to set up Albert.”

“Which brings us to our next order of business, Brian,” Albert added. “Who was with you when you met up with Aaron Roth?”

Irons shook his head, hands on the table, still aware of the guns at his back. “Look, Lowery and Bard paid me to keep their business dealings hush-hush. I think they were trying to coerce Mueller into selling key information on his project in exchange for getting some crucial research going down on some island.”

Will sighed. “Don’t make Al repeat himself, ya idiot.” He snapped his fingers. “His name? Who is he?”

“S-Some bigshot from Europe who works on this island. He’s partners with Roth, buying and selling research within Umbrella and other companies. Goes by Stefan Bennett, but I couldn’t tell you if that’s his real name or not.”

When Will glanced at Al, a subtle flex in his shoulder was all he needed to read him. Bennett wasn't anyone known to them.

"Where are they hiding out?"

Irons shrugged. "Don't know. I'm only being paid for their meetings. Bennett will be at Bard’s annual Christmas party. I don't know if Roth will be there. He acted like he had other plans."

Like selling my research, the bastard...

"Then I suppose a meeting with Nathaniel Bard is in order," Wesker announced, sunglasses glinting under the fluorescents as he looked to William with a dark grin.

William returned his partner's smirk. "Yeah...It's party time."

(photo by IsmaelUchihaSan)

It was the perfect day for Jill to be off, or not have her shift until the evening anyway. Late morning, while Chris was stuck at the RPD, the girls enjoyed a light brunch and lattes at a quaint coffee shop before doing some last minute Christmas shopping.

Claire always enjoyed hanging out with the older woman. They had a lot in common and Claire was always learning something new with her company. She often found herself wondering if her oaf of a brother would ever romantically ask Jill out. It seemed like everyone could see it but them. Then again, perhaps they didn’t pursue their feelings because of their careers. Claire didn’t know the policies of STARS, but there might be restrictions there.

The two of them picked up Claire’s gift she had bought for Chris and took it over to Jill’s house. The box was tall and rectangular, about the size of a small adult. Though bulky, it wasn’t as heavy as it looked, and with each of them on one end, was able to carry it easily into the home.

They were greeted by Jill’s overly affectionate golden retriever, Bella. Claire flopped onto the floor to properly greet the fluffy, blond dog. Jill giggled at the sight.

“Hell of a guard dog, ain’t she?” Jill joked. “She’ll lick you to death.”

Better than getting my throat ripped out by Wesker’s dog…

Claire pushed aside that unpleasant memory and stood back up. Hard to believe that was only a few days ago. Her hand was already a lot better, but her ankle still hurt like a bitch.

They carried the box into Jill’s other bedroom that doubled as an office and home gym. The STARS Alpha member’s house was a three bedroom, two bath. She assumed the third bedroom was a guest room, but Claire wasn’t sure. Chris’s house was a bit bigger, with three bathrooms. They had their own in their bedrooms and then the guest bathroom in the hallway.

“Thanks for keeping this here for a bit, Jill.”

“No problem. I guess my home is the popular choice to hide gifts. Chris has yours here as well. I’m just waiting for Barry to ask to keep the girls’ gifts here, as if they don’t have enough space in that big house of theirs.”

“Well, you know how Moira is. She gets into everything. They can’t hide any gifts from her! She’s gonna be a handful as a teenager!”

They laughed and returned to the living room, Bella trailing behind them. Jill fetched them some water and the girls took a load off on the sofas.

“The punching bag was a good thought,” Jill declared. “I know Chris has been wanting one.”

Claire nodded, smiling as she watched Bella carry around her favorite plush duck toy. “Yeah. He’s been really wanting to start bulking up more. Although when we were playing on his guitar last night, I realized he needs a new toolkit for it. So I might have to go pick up one of those as well.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot you play too. Why haven’t I got to see you play yet? I’ve watched Chris lots of times.”

Claire shrugged. “I guess we just never think about it when I'm visiting.” The Redfield siblings didn’t mind playing guitar in front of others, but they cherished playing together, reciting notes and melodies their father had played for them when they were young. “Chris told me you played piano? I need to see that!”

Claire didn’t get the piano at all. That was entirely different from the guitar.

Jill softly laughed. “Yeah. It’s ingrained from childhood. Had the meanest instructor ever. Chris jokes that playing the piano won’t ever do me any good, and suggests I learn something else.”

“He’s just jealous,” Claire joked.

Jill laughed at that. “He totally is. You know, I’m happy you two reconciled so quickly. Chris can be so stubborn sometimes.”

“He can be, but I’m not one to talk. Whatever you said to him, it must’ve worked. So thank you for that. I know he’s just trying to look out for me, but it gets old. I’m an adult and can take care of myself.”

The older woman furrowed her brows and shook her head. “It wasn’t me.”

“Huh? It wasn’t?”

“No, it was the Captain.”

Her heart flipped, twisting her lungs to where she choked on air before she could take a drink of her water. It took all in Claire’s power to keep a straight face and feign something catching in her throat. “I’m sorry?”

“The fight you two had upset Chris a lot, affected his performance when we were doing some training. I guess Wesker picked up on it. Apparently, they took a long lunch together, and the Captain helped Chris get his head straight. At least, that’s what Chris told me later.”

Claire was completely freaked out by that information but hid it, wiping her suddenly clammy hands on her pants. She drank half of her water in one gulp and squeezed the bottle so hard it crumpled in the middle.

“O-Oh, I figured it was you.”

“Not this time,” Jill answered. “But it wasn’t without a lack of trying. He just didn’t listen. Not until he had gone too far anyway, the ass. At least Wesker got through to him.”

“Yeah…” she cleared her throat and stood up. “Well, I should get going. I don’t want to take up all of your free time and I have some studying to do. Thanks for helping me pick that up and letting me hide it here.”

It was partially true. Claire didn’t want to take up all of Jill’s day off before she had to go in for night shift. But mostly the recent news had unsettled her and she needed to gather her thoughts on the matter.

Jill smiled, nodding as she patted Bella on the head as the retriever’s big brown eyes stared up at Claire with that duck still in her mouth, tail thumping hard on the hardwood floor.

“No problem, Claire.”

“Stay safe tonight, Jill.”

“You’re not on the schedule...again.”

Ada sighed, crossing her arms and looking at the guard like he was stupid. He was. “I know that. But that won’t matter. William will still see me.”

The guard shifted uncomfortably, studying her suspiciously and then glancing at his list again. “Dr. Birkin is an extremely busy man. He’s been doing important tests all day and asked me to not allow anyone but Mrs. Dr. Birkin and Dr. Wesker entry. I’m sorry, ma’am.”

“I’m here on behalf of Albert. He’s busy at the police department currently. Just give him a ring and you’ll see.”

The guard hesitated, thinking and unsure. Clearly, he was scared to disturb his boss in the middle of his important work.

Ada smiled flirtatiously at him. “C’mon, Johnny. Help a girl out? It’s important.” She winked.

Johnny sighed. “Oh, alright.” He put a hand to his headset. “Dr. Birkin? I’m sorry to bother you, but Ms. Wong insists on seeing you. She says she’s here on behalf of Dr. Wesker.”

The spy didn’t miss how the camera up in the corner of the hallway turned down their way, aiming the attached machine gun right on their faces, blinking red light a far deadlier version of Candid Camera.

“Yes, sir. I understand. Will do,” Johnny said into his headpiece. He nodded at Ada and stepped aside. “You may enter. But please, keep it short. He has much to do.”

Ada waved him off. “Thanks, Johnny.”

She went through the automatic door, was sprayed down again, and strolled through the large, multi-room laboratory. She turned a corner, saw bright yellow and outstretched arms, and, on reflex, kicked the thing away from her.

“Ow!” came a muffled voice.

“Will, you idiot. Don’t sneak up on me like that,” Ada snapped.

The mad scientist pulled the hazmat suit’s helmet off, waddling over to the nearby safety station to strip it off and hang it up.

“I think that’s the closest I’ve ever gotten to scaring you!” William laughed.

Ada crossed her arms, glaring at him. “You didn’t scare me. You didn’t even startle me. You mildly annoyed me.”

“Ugh, you sound like Al. One day I will scare him. It’s on my bucket list. It might get me killed, but imma do it!”

The spy shook her head. “I don’t know about you sometimes.”

Birkin seemed extra...quirky today. He had an extra bounce in his step, grinning, humming as he left the safety station to his main desk. That’s when Ada noticed numerous empty energy drink cans and half a cup of cold, forgotten black coffee.

“How many of these have you had?” He did kind of look like one of those zombies Ada had seen being dissected in the Arklay lab, pale skin and dark circles under his eyes.

“Uhh…” he pondered, counting on his fingers as he twitched and quivered restlessly. “Five? I think?” He flopped down in his chair, shifting it side to side.

Ada leaned against his desk, glancing at the disorganized paperwork strewn about. Her sharp eyes caught many interesting and familiar things: G-Virus, Plant 43, Hunter Beta, Cerberus, NE-Alpha parasite, Lisa Trevor, T-Virus Epsilon. Then her eyes caught the interesting things that she had only seen once and was curious to find out more, now with associated words that intrigued her further: Prototype Virus, Project W, eugenics research, Progenitor, Ndipaya.

She had only a few seconds of absorbing these words before William snatched up the two papers that had anything on it. She watched him open his safe and put them inside, only accessible with a scan of his hand.

Ada acted like none of it interested her. “Five, huh? And how long have you been up, exactly? You look like shit. You smell like shit.”

William lifted his shirt and smelled. “I don’t know, when did Al and I go talk with Irons?"

“That was yesterday morning.”

“Oh...shit. Well, it’s been over 24 hours then.”

“I can tell.”

“So, how’d it go with Mueller?”

“As well as you’d expect. I’ve already relayed the info to Albert. Mueller won’t be a problem. In fact, he’s willing to help if it gets rid of Roth. I guess he feels scammed by the trade.”

William smirked, still swiveling slightly side to side in his chair. “I bet he does. Well, with Lowery no longer having a tongue and Irons and Bard put in their places, looks like we might be able to wrap this up by Christmas!”

Ada rapped her nails on the desk, frowning. “Albert told me the plan. Look, between you and me, I gotta ask...what’s the deal with him and Claire?”

Will chuckled. “What’s wrong? You jealous?”

“In your dreams. It’s just that...I mean, I don’t know the girl,” she lied. “But I thought he was just using her to get to Roth. Why have a fling with her? He doesn’t do that...at least not with just anyone.”

“You sure are a curious little kitty,” William half-joked, half-warned, leaning back in his chair. “What are you hoping to use this knowledge for?”

Ugh, she hated when he was an asshole. Then again, he was protecting Albert and so she should’ve known better. The spy sighed. “Fine. I’m just a little worried about Claire, alright? Can you blame me?”

She knew how Wesker worked. Claire was in way over her head. Didn’t matter how smart and strong she was. Despite being his type, she was still different than most and he did seem to have some kind of soft spot for her. And that is what both bothered and intrigued Ada.

“It’s not like you to worry about others like that. And I can blame you, actually. You got yourself tangled with Al. That’s on you.”

Ada bit her tongue. This wasn’t about her. “And poor Claire got tangled out of her control. C’mon, Will. I’ve helped you two a lot recently. Throw me a bone here. I deserve something in return.”

Will kept a straight face, thinking it over. Ada glared at him. Finally, the Golgotha creator grinned widely and leaned forward. Ada recognized the child-like delight, and knew he was about to spill the beans.

“Alright, alright! I think he has feelings for her.”

Ada laughed skeptically. “Whatever, Will! Tell me for real.”

She had to admit, she had thought something similar a few days ago when she spied Wesker nearly pinning Claire against his car. But she soon dismissed it. He definitely liked her and was attracted to her…but had feelings for her?! That was a little hard to believe.

“I do! He is obsessed, I’m telling you. The girl would’ve been dead a long time now had it been anyone else. He’s given her more chances than I’ve ever seen. He had the chance to pop her brother in the back without anyone knowing and didn’t do it! I don’t think he knows it himself, or he purposely keeps himself in denial, but...there’s something about her.”

Ada frowned, thinking it over. William had a point. All of Claire’s stunts to try and fight Albert should have ended with her dead a long time ago. And how her brother had been getting suspicious and snooping around, well, it should have ended the same with him by now.

“You think she reminds him of Anezka?” Ada asked.

Was that her name? Ada couldn’t really remember. She wasn’t around back then and had only heard all the different stories when she came here a couple of years ago.

“Nah...I mean they’re both redheads and feisty, but I don’t think that’s it. Anna jilted him, and besides being a little touchy over it, he’s moved on.”

“Is that really what happened?”

William shrugged. “I guess? No one really knows...not even Al.”

Ada wished she had been a fly on that wall when Anezka was still around. So many rumors and gossip about what happened. She practically disappeared, as though she was only a dream. But Albert remembered...resentfully. Ada knew him well enough that it wasn’t just his ego that got hurt. He actually had cared for her, and he hated that he did.

“Well, Albert’s given Claire all these chances to let her live. You think he will let her go when Roth is dealt with, as he has promised her?”

William scowled, leaning back in his chair. “What do you think?”

The double agent had no idea why, but her heart sank a little. As if she was hoping for something she knew better of. And here she thought her line of work had snuffed out all remaining optimism in her life.

“He won’t kill her. I guarantee it,” William boasted. “As obsessed and possessive he already is of her, she’s stuck. There will be conditions he gives her. I’m sure you know what those would be.”

“You sound happy about that,” Ada pointed out.

He shrugged, but the slight upcurve of his lips gave him away. “I like the girl. Sherry adores her. She’s proven to be quite resourceful and clever. She’ll be handy to have around. Besides, if Al actually has feelings for her, I gotta see where it goes! The geneticist in me really hopes he knocks her up.”

It may have sounded like a dark joke, but Ada knew the lunatic genius was dead serious. “I’m really disturbed by how obsessed you are with your best friend’s love and sex life.”

“I’m just looking out for him!”

Ada would never understand Wesker and William’s relationship. One of life’s greatest mysteries. But what was also another mystery still was why Wesker had feelings for Claire.

Was she the next Anezka?

She parked right down the road. It was already nearly dark, but at least the temperature hadn’t dropped too much. Claire stuck to the recently salted sidewalks, hands stuffed in her parka. Her heart pounded in her throat, and her mind raced with what he could want this time.

Wesker called her while she was waiting for Chris to get off work, summoning her to his house for an “important discussion”. She was anxious for two reasons. One, the last time she saw Wesker just a couple nights ago, they had sex. And two, after learning from Jill that Wesker was the one who dealt with Chris, she wasn’t sure what that meant for her or her brother.

She was queasy, butterflies in her stomach, but she wasn’t about to lose her cool. More than anything, she feared her body would betray her once more, a dark excitement coursing through her blood.

Upon reaching Wesker’s house, Claire spotted a vehicle she didn’t recognize in his driveway. She didn’t get too close to it, but it looked like a ruby-colored Porsche Boxster. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or not about not being alone with the STARS Captain, but she took a deep breath and rang the doorbell anyway.

After a minute of silence, anticipation eating at her, the door opened. Her heart skipped when those familiar grey-blue eyes and dark smirk greeted her. Her stomach twisted, but Claire couldn’t tell whether it was from disgust or excitement.

“Good evening, Claire,” he purred. He stepped aside to allow her entry. “Please do come in. I don’t want you catching a cold.”

She rolled her eyes and stepped inside. “Thanks.”

He shut the door while she looked around. Odin padded over and sniffed her, docked tail wagging slightly. But she didn’t see anyone who could’ve owned the car outside.

Wesker’s hands brushed up her back. The bad thing was Claire realized she didn’t blench this time. No, this time she shivered in pleasure. She inwardly scolded herself as he took her coat off to hang by the door.

“We have much to discuss, dear heart,” he said, one muscular arm locking around her waist and pulling her deeper inside the house.

That’s when the younger Redfield saw a familiar face come into the living room from the kitchen, carrying a full glass of red wine. She nearly blurted Ada’s name, surprised, but quickly bit her tongue, hiding any reaction. Wesker didn’t know that she and Ada had already met personally. And it needed to stay that way.

“I sure hope you weren’t saving that malbec wine for a special occasion, Albert. I helped myself,” Ada said. When her eyes landed on Claire, she was the perfect actress. There was no recognition, no subtle signs given to Claire. “Is this her?”

“The one and only,” Wesker affirmed.

Ada took a long sip of her wine and sat it down on a coaster on the center table before walking over to them. Wesker stepped away while the double agent looked Claire over, one arm crossed and one hand on her chin as she thought. She walked around Claire and even grabbed her arms and lifted them and spun her around.

“Hmm...Yes, I can definitely work with this.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Claire grumbled. Ada spun her around again and grabbed at her hair. “Hey! What’s the big idea?!”

“Hold still, hun.”

Ada withdrew a tailor tape measurer. She measured Claire’s waist, chest, and height, even her arms and legs. Afterwards, she yanked Claire’s ponytail out and felt through her tresses.

“What are you doing?” Claire snapped.

“Taking measurements,” Ada replied. “Trying to figure out what to do with your hair.”

“Why?”

“I’ll explain later,” Wesker stated. His Doberman sat at his side, head cocked curiously as Ada got handsy with her measurements.

“Okay, finished,” Ada announced, rolling up her tape and putting it in her pocket. She retrieved her wine and took another drink. “I’ll have something ready by tomorrow.”

“What ready?” Claire demanded. “What’s going on?”

Wesker’s lips barely curled upward. “Oh, where are my manners? Claire, this is an associate of mine, Ada Wong. She originally was to pick you up at the university. Ada, you know Claire, I’ve told you all about her.”

The Eurasian beauty dipped her head. “Charmed.” Still completely in character, although Claire now saw something subtle in her eyes as she stared at Claire. Perhaps a warning? Or just acknowledgement?

“You too...I guess,” Claire said.

Wesker chuckled, catching their attention. “You do not have to pretend to be strangers on my account, ladies. I know you’re well acquainted.”

Claire ground her jaw, glaring at him. Ada didn’t even flinch, expressionless. Taking another sip of her wine, she shrugged.

“Can’t pull the wool over your eyes, can I Albert?”

“Oh come now, Ada, don’t be that way,” Wesker teased. He obviously sensed something from her that Claire didn’t. He stepped around the agent’s back and, besides her tensing barely, she didn’t look disconcerted. “You knew the risks when you decided to meet Claire behind my back.”

Ada didn’t say anything to that. Wesker’s dark grin grew a bit more.

“I’m quite curious of your intentions. You’re not the jealous type. And you’re not one to have concern for others. So why so curious about Claire? I know this has nothing to do with what Sergei asked of you.”

Jealous type? Claire glanced between them, not sure what kind of undertones she was reading here. She was missing something, that’s for sure. She could only infer that Wesker was gauging Ada for something.

“I was just curious what you saw in her, I guess,” Ada dismissed calmly.

Cool under pressure. Just like the man testing her.

“And did you figure it out?”

Ada’s eyes locked with Claire’s. “I think so.”

Wesker’s soft chuckle told them he didn’t believe her one bit. “You and William should give up trying to find something that isn’t there.”

Ada didn’t have to say anything. Her smile told it all. She was pleased somehow, as though she read deeper into Wesker’s words somehow. Claire wished she would tell her the secret. And also shake this weird feeling in her chest.

“Am I going to get filled in here on why she needed to take my measurements?” Claire grumbled.

“Yes, my apologies,” Wesker admitted, his full attention on her now, and the younger woman regretted saying anything. “Ada, you may go now. I’ll fill Claire in…” He smirked.

Oh god. Did he just…? Her stomach pitched and rolled. She knew what would happen once Ada left them alone. In his house. It was an instant body verses mind battle.

Ada shrugged and walked away. Claire never wanted someone to stay and leave all at once before. But the Eurasian woman plopped down on one of the leather sofas instead, resuming drinking her wine. Odin left his master’s side to plant himself in front of her, as if expecting Ada to give him attention now that she was sitting down. Claire released a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

Wesker scowled. “Or…make yourself at home.”

“I will,” Ada answered nonchalantly. “I’m not about to let this delicious wine go to waste.” She made a show of swishing the red liquid around in her glass. The wine complimented her burgundy fingernails.

Claire caught the agent’s honey brown eyes as she looked right at her while sipping from her lipstick-stained glass, a coded message for her. You’re welcome…

Claire swallowed mixed feelings and glared at the STARS Captain. “So what exactly are you making me do this time?”

“Relax dear heart, it’s nothing you’re a stranger to. We’re going to attend a party.”

His stereotypical college girl jab aside, it sounded easy enough. But Claire knew better. Whatever kind of party it was, with Wesker involved, there would be danger, deception, and death at every angle…

Claire stared at the mirror, stunned. She wasn’t one to get dressed up, not this fancy anyway. Her red-brown hair was pulled up into messy curls with a few tresses hanging around her face. She had more make-up on than what she was used to. The jade-colored halter dress complimented her hair, eyes, and heels. She was only in the shoes for less than half an hour and her feet were already cramping. How did women wear these things all day?

The two assistants Ada had helping her with Claire were finally finished and departed from the big, spotless, and up-to-date bathroom. They were in Wesker’s living quarters in NEST. The younger Redfield tried not to think about what happened the last time she was here. Wesker and William awaited them in the very same room where she and Wesker fornicated, only having arrived a bit ago while Claire was still being made over.

Ada looked her over one last time, one final judgment for approval. Claire didn’t say anything. She really wanted out of this bathroom, but at the same time, she wasn’t ready for the next step.

Apparently, the crooked STARS Captain had meticulously planned tonight. Chris and Jill were working graveyard shifts while he was off and Claire had to tell her brother that she might would have to stay the night at William’s house babysitting Sherry if her parents had to work all night. All the chess pieces were in place so far. Bard’s Christmas party would last well into the night, and depending on how it played out, they might be there awhile. She could only hope nothing went wrong and would get to return home tonight.

“You’re a beautiful woman, Claire. There’s no doubt about that,” Ada said finally.

“T-Thanks.” She wasn’t expecting a compliment from the older woman.

She looked in the mirror again, distracted. This was a little too much for her, but she had to blend in with the other guests at the party.

“I won’t be surprised if Albert takes you home with him tonight after the party.”

Claire blushed, taken off guard, a near panic in her chest only broken by blood rushing like electricity through her veins. She turned to the double agent, holding her breath. Ada sounded so sure as she looked Claire over. As if she knew something the younger Redfield didn’t. Surely, Ada didn’t know…

“I know what happened between you two,” Ada admitted, reading her mind.

“He,” Claire started to blame her captor, but stopped. Could she honestly say it knowing she had decided to do it? Wesker may have manipulated her into wanting to, but she still chose it all her own, no matter how much she wanted to deny it.

“He what?”

She shook her head. “…Nothing.”

“I told you he always gets what he wants, didn’t I? He’ll make you want it, too. That tongue of his is far more deadly than any weapon he has on him. You have no idea how way in over your head you are, Claire.”

The college student glared at the Eurasian beauty. Was she serious right now?! “You’ve got it all wrong! It was just a one time fling. And as far as the rest of my situation goes, I think I’ve been doing pretty damn good considering!”

Ada sighed. “You’re clever, strong, and resourceful. You’ve handled yourself impressively this past week, but that’s partly why Albert’s so infatuated with you.”

Claire frowned, not sure what to say to that.

“Albert’s hardwired to manipulate and take advantage of anyone and anything he can. You give him an inch and he’ll hook his claws so deep in you, there’s no escape. You gave him way more than that.”

“So what? I’m trapped forever now? Is that what you’re saying?” Dread seized in her chest.

Ada looked to the door, as if suddenly paranoid Wesker and William could be listening in and slightly lowered her voice. “I don’t know. Look…yes, he’s using you to take care of Roth in exchange for your freedom, but William and I suspect that Albert may have developed…”

“What?” Claire urged when the agent trailed off.

Ada quickly shook her head, frowning. “Never mind. Just…keep your head. Do what you must to get Roth where Albert wants him for you and your brother’s freedom. Albert’s got a soft spot for you, he’ll likely keep his word if you’re good. As far as this affair is concerned, I cannot help you. That’s your business. My only advice is that you be careful.”

Soft spot? Where the hell was she getting that? There was nothing soft about that man. Then again, she and William, two people who knew Wesker best, kept saying that, so it had to be true to some degree.

Claire wanted to tell Ada that there wasn’t an “affair”. It was a one time slip up, a mistake, it wouldn’t happen ever again. But she couldn’t even believe herself, so there was no way she would convince the double agent.

“Ok…thank you, Ada. For everything.”

Ada exhaled through a small frown. “Don’t thank me just yet…” She turned, walking for the door and motioning for the younger Redfield to follow her. “C’mon, we have a party to get to.”

Claire inhaled deeply, gathering herself, and followed her out of the bathroom. They came into the den, where Wesker and William sat across from each other on the leather sofas talking. They were dressed in posh black suits. Claire berated herself for goggling Wesker. The bastard was so damn attractive anyway, but that suit was hot! She couldn’t believe how much it actually affected her seeing him in that outfit.

The men noticed them and stood up, but their eyes immediately went to Claire. She suddently felt exposed. William’s jaw dropped and he ogled too. The smirk that slowly grew on Wesker’s face as he took off his sunglasses to look Claire over was wicked. More so, it was hungry. He popped William’s mouth shut without taking his eyes off of Claire and closed in like a predator about to sink its teeth into its coveted prey. His eyes entrapped her, an instant, breath-taking spell, and then she was hungry too, felt it spreading through every inch of her body like wildfire.

Ada was right…Wesker would be taking her home with him tonight. And nothing was going to stop him.

#resident evil #resident evil fanfic #resident evil fanfiction #resident evil 2 #Albert Wesker #Claire Redfield #clairexwesker #claire x wesker #William Birkin #Chris Redfield #chris x jill #Jill Valentine #Ada Wong #fanfiction #fanfic #My writing #archive of our own

[its-a-spn-thing]

Dream A Little Dream

Title: Dream A Little Dream

Summary: The reader is a retired cop turned hunter with the help of Jody Mills and the Winchester brothers. Through her training, she befriends, and begins talking to Sam. On a vamp hunt, the reader is left alone and vulnerable and runs into a monster she wasn’t expecting. Who will save her?  Word Count: 5,213 Pairing: Sam x Reader Characters: Sam, Reader, Dean, Jody Warnings / Rating: 18+ only please. Mentions of violence, mentions of death, brief mention of suicide, smut, fluff, some blood  A/N: All grammar and continuity errors are mine, as this work is un-beta’d. I enjoyed writing this, so enjoy reading it 

Here’s my masterlist

Your career as a police officer lasted about two years. Most of the men in your family were cops, and because you always followed in their footsteps, you thought it would have been the right thing to do. 

You  were a good cop, and you wanted to help people, but when you met Jody Mills one day at a convention, you realized there were other ways to help people outside of the uniform and badge. 

Every once in a while, Jody would reach out when she would come across a hunt in your area. You kept your knowledge of monsters on the down-low, because you knew people wouldn’t believe you and you would get tossed in a looney bin and lose your badge for good. So, you would just help Jody, maybe do a little research, and when the hunt was done, you would go back to work like nothing ever happened. 

Christmas eve of 2016 you punched in, and got in your squad car like you always did. It was going to be a long night and you hated working holidays, but you were a rookie, and that’s just the way it was. 

The radio dispatch came over your walkie talkie. 

“Radio, we got a domestic disturbance call. Neighbors said they heard shouting.” 

You rolled your eyes. Really? People still couldn’t get along on Christmas Eve?

“Yeah I got it.” The dispatcher gave you the address and when you arrived, your heart started racing. You had a feeling that something was off about this call. 

You knocked on the front door with your heavy-duty flashlight. “Police, open up.” 

No one responded, and again you knocked. “Hello? Police open up!” You peeked in the window and saw someone laying unconscious on the carpet and you immediately kicked down the door. The house was dark, so you drew your Glock, and turned the flashlight on, holding the flashlight under your weapon. When you realized what happened, you ran out the front door and vomited in the bushes. 

“Dispatch I need backup.” 

You hadn’t slept in days, so you confided in your father who was a newly retired sheriff. He explained to you how many dead bodies he had seen in his career as a cop. He told you it gets easier, but he would support you no matter what you decided to do. 

“Y/L/n,” your captain looked up at you when you put your gun and badge on his desk with your resignation papers. “I don’t know what to say.” 

Your superiors liked you, and they were sad to see you go. 

“My door is always open if you ever wanna come back.” He stood up and hugged you. “You’re a hell of a cop, just like your old man.” 

When you walked out of the police station, you put your sunglasses on and walked down the steps to see Jody parked on the street out front. You opened the passenger door and sat down and looked at her when a sigh of relief came over you. 

“Alright,” you turned on the radio to hear Bad Company playing. “Teach me how to hunt these evil sons of bitches.” Jody smiled at you in response, and her tires shrieked against the asphalt.

Jody helped you pack up your small studio apartment, and you were so happy that your lease was up in less than a month. 

Jody lived in Sioux Falls, which was about an hour and a half away, so you promised your parents you would visit them all the time. 

Moving into Jody’s house was great. It finally felt like you had a home, not a small apartment that was overpriced and crappy. Her house was nice and cozy and you were so thankful that she opened her spare room to you. 

“Take as long as you need to get settled,” she set down the last box on the hardwood floor of the spare bedroom that was now yours. “Tomorrow the Winchesters will be here to help teach you everything you need to know.” 

“Winchesters?” You asked as you looked at the book that you pulled out of an unmarked box. “Who are they?” 

Jody smiled at you and told you about the Winchester brothers, Sam and Dean. Sam was a year older than you and she told you that Dean was most likely going to flirt with you. You looked down and smiled, excited to meet more hunters like Jody. 

The next morning, you sat down at the kitchen table drinking coffee with Jody when you heard the purring of an engine, and shortly after came a knock on the door. 

“Come in, boys,” Jody shouted. “Honestly I don’t know why they bother knocking.” You chucked at her comment. 

“Y/n,” you stood up when you saw the flanneled, and obnoxiously handsome brothers. “This is Dean,” you shook the hand of the shorter, older brother. 

“And I’m Sam,” you saw a dimpled smile flash your way when Sam cut off Jody to introduce himself. When you shook his hand, it seemed as if you couldn’t speak. You thought Dean was handsome, but my God, there was something about Sam that you liked right away. 

You smiled sweetly at him and chuckled shyly. “Hi, I’m-I’m Y/n.” 

“We’ve heard a lot about you,” Dean’s boisterous voice vibrated the entire house. “We’ll teach you everything you need to know. You’re in good hands with Jody here.” 

You spent the morning looking over several books that Sam gave you, and talking about all the different types of monsters. You knew there were some monsters, but Wendigos? Leviathons? You felt your brain begin to turn to mush. 

Sam sat next to you, and Dean sat across from you. 

“What is a duh-gin?” You asked, scanning over one of the books Sam had given you. He chuckled at the failed pronunciation. 

“It’s pronounced, ‘gin’,” you looked up at him embarrassed, but he flashed a pearly white smile in your direction and explained what it was. You weren’t listening when he explained. All you could focus on were his hazel eyes, dimples, smile, the way he furrowed his brow when he spoke. You were hooked on Sam Winchester. 

“Dean actually had a run in with djinn about eight or nine years ago,” you snapped out of it and looked over at Dean. 

“Really?” You asked. 

“Yeah, it was the weirdest thing ever because I enjoyed the dream I was having and was surprisingly content.” He said. 

“Wow,” you looked back to Sam. “That’s kinda scary.” 

You spent the good part of the afternoon with the Winchester brothers. They tried to explain everything to you, but you knew it wasn’t going to all come to you right away. You don’t learn everything there is to know about hunting in one day. 

The Winchester’s had to leave, but they assured you they would see you again soon. 

“It was nice meeting you guys,” you said your goodbyes and they walked down the walkway towards the Impala. Dean walked quickly, with his hands in the pocket of his leather jacket. But Sam walked slowly, still somewhat turned to you, and before he got in the passenger side of his brother's car, he waved to you one more time. Giggling, you waved back. 

“Really?” Dean looked at his brother once they were both settled in the car. Sam looked over at him with a “what-do-you-want-me-to-do” look on his face. “Do you want me to leave and come and pick you up in an hour?” 

“Dean,” Sam said. “She’s cute, and I’ve been single for a long, long time. I think it would be good for me to have a partner in hunting who can also be a friend or something more.” 

Dean didn’t say anything, he just drove off. 

Sam had gotten your number from Jody and the two of you texted almost constantly. You knew that if he went a day or two without texting back that he was most likely caught up in a hunt. You were really starting to like the younger Winchester, and you were so excited to see him next week. The Winchester brothers wanted to take you on a hunt with them. 

You were more than okay with going on a hunt with the Winchester’s. Not that you minded hunting with Jody, you just wanted to spend a little time with Sam on the open road. 

“So,” you leaned forward from the backseat of the Impala. Dean focused on the road, but Sam turned to you with a smile, waiting for what you were going to say next. “What are we going to be hunting?” 

Sam explained the case to you. It was a possible vampire nest in Nebraska and when you were driving past a warehouse, you told the boys that it looked like the perfect dwelling for some vamps. 

“Yeah,” Dean agreed. “There’s not much around here, so we can definitely check it out.” You grinned, proud of yourself for making an observation like that for a rookie hunter. 

You knew you were going to have to check it out, even if it wasn’t the vamps nest, you wanted to go in there and take some pictures. 

The brothers found the nest and the three of you were in and out relatively quickly. It wasn’t the easiest hunt you’ve ever been on, but it was good training. 

Sam put his arm around you and kissed the top of your head as you left the nest, which wasn’t in the warehouse as you’d suspected. The abandoned church down the street from your motel was the home for the vampires. 

“You did an awesome job, babe.” He said proudly. 

“Thanks!” You said as you slid into the backseat of the Impala. Dean suggested that the three of you stay at the motel for one more night. You and Sam agreed, and the three of you grabbed a bite to eat at the local bar and grill. You had a couple of Captain and Cokes, and when it was time to go back to the motel, you grabbed your camera out of your bag. 

“Guys,” you said as they walked towards the car. “I’m gonna go take a few pictures of that warehouse we saw on the way in.” 

Dean immediately thought it was a bad idea, but Sam told him not to worry about it. “Do you want me to go with you, Y/n?” He asked as he opened the door. 

“Nah, I’m good.” You started down the street and told them not to wait up, and you can walk to the motel from the warehouse. 

The rusty, metal door creaked open when you entered the warehouse. It was dark, dingy and wet, and you could hear pipes dripping somewhere in the distance. 

Carefully, you walked around, avoiding broken glass and rats. You snapped a couple of pictures, but you didn’t realize how creeped out you’d be when you came here. 

“Ok,” you said out loud to yourself. “I’m officially creeped out.” 

You turned around to make your way out of the building when a bald man with tattoos on his face pushed you up against the wall, placing his palm firmly on your forehead. You tried to scream but it was as if the blue light emitting from his hands had paralyzed you. 

The sun was shining through your floor to ceiling windows when you woke up. You don’t remember your bed being this huge, or comfortable. You opened your eyes and felt something on your left ring finger and you looked down to see a large diamond ring and white gold band. 

“What the hell?” You sat up and rested your back against the upholstered headboard and looked straight ahead to see a large bedroom with an attached bathroom. Wiping the sleep out of your eyes, you tried to snap out of it, but you still saw everything clear as day. 

Your feet hit the soft, luxurious carpet when you stood, and you were wearing a fancy negligee. You tip-toed through the grandiose master suite when you heard loud music coming from the downstairs. 

You walked through the large hallway that seemed to have been decorated professionally to find where the music was coming from. You quickly walked down the staircase, holding on to the cherry wood railing to find an even larger, open living space. 

This house was stunning, with gorgeous furniture and appliances. Walking through the living room, you saw a large portrait of yourself in a white gown, holding a bouquet of flowers. 

“Am I in the Twilight Zone?” You said to yourself. 

The music was becoming clearer and you padded through the living room to find a home gym with a shirtless Sam Winchester, sweating away on the treadmill, drinking water and watching CNN. 

You opened the door and he took his Air Pods out of his ears. 

“Mornin’ baby,” he said as he turned off the treadmill. He stepped off and wiped the sweat off his face and bent down to kiss you. You kissed him back, but you were still as confused as can be. 

“H-Hi,” you said, and followed him out of the gym and into the kitchen. You knew you were dreaming, and you figured you would just go with it. 

He popped a K-Cup into the Keurig and reached for two coffee mugs. Sitting down at the breakfast bar, you crossed your legs and rested your elbow on the counter, letting your face rest in your open palm. You stared at him, silently watching him make your morning coffee. 

“You alright?” He asked as he placed the teal coffee mug in front of you. You took your elbow off the counter and stood up straight. 

“Oh, yeah,” you sipped the hot coffee, which was made just the way you like it. How did he know you liked French vanilla creamer? “I’m great, just sleepy.” 

He  chuckled and checked the time on his Fit Bit. “Shit, I gotta get goin’.” He put his coffee mug in the sink and started up the stairs and into the master bathroom. 

Sam turned on the water for the huge shower, and dropped his workout shorts to the ground. You were sitting on the bed, sipping your coffee and watching him when he turned to smile at you. He was completely naked, and you couldn’t help but blush when he flashed a shiny white smile at you. 

“Well,” he walked towards you, his impressive length was all you could focus on. “Are you gonna join me honey?” You smiled when he bent down to kiss you, and you stood up to wrap your arms around his broad, muscular shoulders. Sam swiftly lifted you off the ground and carried you into the bathroom, setting you down on the granite countertop. 

“We can lose this,” he said as he slid the thin straps of your camisole off, his large, soft hands caressing your shoulders. You giggled and leaned up to kiss him once more. He smiled on your lips and slid the thin satin fabric off your skin, his fingers trailing up your sides, giving you goosebumps. 

“Always so sensitive, baby,” He kissed your neck and peppered kisses along your neck, collarbones and then to your sensitive, erect nipples. He popped one into his mouth, and pinched the other one with his thumb and forefinger. 

Moaning softly and throwing your head back, you entwined your fingers through his long, thick locks. Sam chuckled at your reaction, and continued kissing down your hide, and it wasn’t long before he reached your panty line. He sunk his teeth into the flesh surrounding your hip bone, making you shriek in pleasure. 

Without a word, he quickly removed your satin shorts, and knelt down in front of you. You wrapped your legs around his shoulders and gripped the edges of the countertop. 

Sam paused for a moment to admire your sex. “Baby girl, you have…” He delivered a quick kiss to the bundle of sensitive nerves between your legs, causing you to moan quietly. “The most…” Another kiss. “Beautiful pussy.” 

He quickly dove into your pussy, lapping away at your wet folds causing you to moan in ecstasy. You grabbed a handful of his hair when he entered two long fingers into your dripping hole, bringing your clit into his mouth and grinding it gently with his teeth. 

“Fuck!” Your pussy clenched around his fingers and he looked up at you, smirking devilishly, before reaching up with his free hand to grab your breast. 

Sam kept working you with his fingers, curling them up and making a come-hither motion, massaging your g-spot and sucking your clit. 

“Baby,” you said breathlessly. “I’m gonna-gonna,” and before you could finish your sentence, the coil that formed in your stomach released. Your eyes rolled back and your head fell back, hitting the mirror. Sam groaned when he felt your core convulse around his thick fingers. 

“Y/n probably should be back by now, don’t you think?” Dean said, sitting on one the beds in the motel room, looking through a magazine. 

“Maybe,” Sam said, scrolling Facebook on the other bed. “Sometimes she loses track of time when she’s taking photos. I’ll give her a little bit longer before texting her. 

Sam got off his knees and cupped your face in his hands to kiss you deeply. You could taste your sex on his tongue and lips, making you moan. 

“Did you like that, babe?” Sam asked after he broke the kiss. You bit your lip and nodded your head, before standing up and quickly dropping to your knees. 

“My turn,” you said, looking up at him and wrapping your arms around him, gripping on to his firm ass. You gently licked the tip of his large cock, making him twitch at your teasing tongue. 

He groaned when you entered his full length into your mouth, the head hitting the back of your throat. 

“Fuck, Y/n,” He reached to take a grip of hair from your head, pulling your head back and forth. You gagged and drooled around his cock, forcing another groan from his throat. When your throat became sore, you sucked the head of his penis and stroked with both hands, gripping firmly. 

“Fuck! Baby.” He pulled you back by your hair, causing you to look up at him with drool dripping down your chin. “No, I don't wanna finish like this.” He pulled you up by your hair, forcing you to stand up. He gracefully picked up your naked body, and you wrapped your legs around his waist. Sam quickly walked you into the shower, kissing you gently and lovingly. 

You felt the warm water hit your sensitive skin as he pushed you up against the tile wall. Sam wasted no time and lined up the head of his cock with your still dripping cunt. You yelled out when you felt the tip hit your cervix. 

“Sam! Baby,” You buried your face into his wet shoulder, moaning into his skin. 

“You like that?” He asked, pumping in and out at a slow, torturous pace, his length hitting your g-spot with every stroke. 

“Y-yes,” you cried out and thrusted your hips to meet with him, finding a rhythm with him. “Please, don't stop.” 

He set you down and turned you around, and you bent down, resting the palms of your hands on the slippery wall. Sam delivered a sharp, loud smack to your wet ass cheek, causing you to shriek. You bent down and raised your ass so your sex was level with his. He gripped the base of his cock and shoved it in hard, pumping faster now. 

His pace was greuling, and the pleasure was overwhelming. Every split second the head of his cock rubbing against that spot that drove you wild. You weren’t sure how much more of it you could take. 

“Sam,” you pressed your pruned fingertips into the surface of the wall, getting so close to another release. 

“Almost there, baby.” He sped up, even though you didn’t think he could go any faster. You went silent with pleasure when he fucked you faster, “Cum with me babe,” he grunted, his voice strained. 

Your pussy clenched around his throbbing cock, eliciting another loud groan from your husband. Sam finished inside you and withdrew his cock, gently slapping your ass. 

Sam quickly washed his hair and body, and kissed you before exiting the steamy shower. You were stunned, he just came inside you. You guys didn’t use condoms? No birth control? 

You wrapped a towel around your chest and walked into the bedroom to find Sam walking around in his boxer briefs getting dressed for work. 

“Did you…” You trailed off and watched him put on a crisp white button up shirt. He looked at you as he buttoned it up, waiting for you to finish your question. “Did you cum inside me, Sam?” 

He chuckled and put his pants on. “Uh,” He looped the belt through the hoops and buckled it. “Yeah, Y/n, that’s kind of how babies are made.” He put his tie around his neck, but didn’t tie it. He reached for his watch and leaned down to kiss you. “We’ve been trying for over a year, that’s the only way it’s going to happen.” He grabbed his briefcase and started towards the bedroom door. 

“I’ll be home for dinner,” he headed out the door. “Love you.” 

You waited a moment to quietly respond. “Love you.” 

You didn’t want kids. You barely even knew Sam. Sure, he would’ve been a great dad, and you’d be a great mom, but now was just not the time. You weren’t ready for this. 

You took the time alone to scan your mansion of a home. You found an in-home office, and you were intrigued. On the walls, there were several degrees and certificates. The biggest one that was framed on the wall was Sam’s law degree. From Stanford. Wow, he finished it out. 

You thought this dream couldn’t get any weirder, so you decided to lay down on the large, soft couch and flip on the giant seventy-five inch television that was mounted on the wall. You figured if you fall asleep in a dream, you will wake up in reality. You closed your eyes, and when you woke up, you were still in the dream. 

“I’m trapped,” you said out loud to yourself, and ran to the office to open the Mac desktop computer. You google searched everything there was to know about djinns. The descriptions from the Quran matched the tattooed man you saw in the warehouse. 

Your eyes were beginning to hurt from reading so much when you finally found out what you needed to do. “Kill myself?” 

You were scared. What if you did kill yourself but never woke up? Why not just stay here with Sam? This was perfect. Beautiful home, handsome husband. What else could you possibly want? You wanted your old life back. If you were going to be with Sam you wanted to do it the right way. This wasn’t real. 

Five hours passed and Sam entered the house and walked through the large foyer. “Y/n?” Sam shouted. “Baby, where are you?” He set his briefcase down on the bench by the door and slid his suit jacket off and plopped it over top of that. 

You ran through the house and slid over the hardwood floors. “Sam!” You grabbed on to him, and looked him in the eyes. He could tell it was serious. 

“You need to take me to Nebraska.” 

“Dude, it’s been hours. Have you texted Y/n?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah,” Sam responded nervously. “I’m starting to worry.” 

“C’mon let’s go get her.” Dean and Sam both stood up and grabbed the keys to the Impala. 

You and Sam had been driving for two hours. He had no idea what was going on, but he listened to you. He knew you were being serious, but you hadn’t explained to him why. 

“Stop!” You shouted when you saw the old broken down warehouse. “That’s it.” You whispered to yourself. 

“What’d you say?” Sam asked, looking at you with his furrowed brow. 

“N-nothing,” you said, wiping the sweat off your palms on your pant leg. “Nothing, we just need to go in there.” 

You walked through the familiar warehouse. But didn’t see anybody. You and Sam ventured in the basement and saw two dead bodies tied to the rafters. They had been drained and left there for months it looked like. 

“Okay,” Sam said. “Time to go.” He turned around but you quickly grabbed him by the shoulders. 

“Y/n!” Sam sobbed at your body tied to the ceiling of the warehouse. Your body was already weak, and there was an IV attached to your neck. 

“Dean,” he was completely panicked and had no idea what to do. Sam shook you, trying to wake you up. 

“Sammy, stop it.” Dean reprimanded his brother. “The only was she will be able to get out of there is if she kills herself in the dream.” Sam cried, knowing you were in pain and confused on what to do. 

“Baby, please.” He whispered in your ear. “Please, you know what to do,” he held on tight to your weak body. “C’mon baby, you can do it. Don’t be scared. I’m here. I’ll be here as soon as you figure it out. 

“Sam,” you looked him in the eyes. “This isn’t real.” Sam pulled his lips into a sad frown, his dimples seeping into his cheeks. It was as if he knew the truth all along. 

“Y/n,” he said. “Baby. Just stay here with me.” You whimpered at his pleas. “That world you live in is cruel, and will chew you up.” He cupped your face with his hands and kissed you deeply, reaching down to hold your hand and twist your wedding band with his fingers. “I can take care of you.” 

You backed away, tears dripping down your cheeks. “I know, baby.” You reached in your coat pocket and grabbed a gun. “But, none of it matters if it’s not real.” 

“Y/N!” Sam shouted when you pulled the trigger and your eyes opened slowly. You were muttering and you felt Sam cut the ropes that suspended you from the ceiling. “Baby, shhhh.” He cooed as Dean took the IV out of your shoulder. “It’s okay, it’s okay.” 

They carried you out of the warehouse and into the back of the Impala. You were muttering nonsense, and reaching for Sam as soon as he sat down in the passenger seat. “Baby girl,” he reached back to grab your hand. “I’m here.” 

You were afraid to close your eyes. You never wanted to sleep again. You drifted away as you lay across the leather seats of the Impala, and Sam didn’t take his eyes off of you. Your body was weak, and your lips were dry and crusty. 

“Sam,” Dean said as he pulled into the motel parking lot. “She’s going to be fine.” 

The wheels shrieked against the black top parking lot of the cheap motel, and before Dean put his car in park, Sam was opening the door to get out. Quickly, he opened the back door, and ducked down to put his strong arms under you. He slid you out, and carried you into the motel room and into the bathroom. 

While he was carrying you, you were starting to come into consciousness and you realized what had happened. “Sam,” you reached up to put your hand on his face, unsure if he was real. 

He kissed your hand and shushed you. “Sam, you’re…” You trailed off, feeling like you were talking in your sleep but you realized this was real. “You’re real.” 

“Yeah, baby I’m real, and I’m here.” He set you down on the laminate countertops in the motel bathroom and turned the water on and put a plug in the drain. He turned and walked back toward you. 

“You were there, Sam.” He didn’t respond, he just wiped the hair out of your face with his hand that was the size of your entire face. You nudged against his touch, bringing your face as close as it could be to his hand. “I almost didn’t leave.” 

“Y/n, whatever you saw,” he reached under your red and black flannel, sliding it off your arms. This was beginning to feel familiar to you. “It wasn’t real, okay?” He kissed your cheek and along your collarbone. “I’m real.” He brought his hand to your chest to feel your beating heart. “This is real.” And finally, Sam cupped your face to kiss you deeply and passionately. 

You whimpered and wiped a tear away, knowing that the dream you had under the djinns power would never come true. But you were okay with it. You had Sam. Sure he wasn’t a lawyer and you certainly didn’t live in a mansion, but you realized that it wasn’t about what you had, it’s who you had it with. 

Sam stripped you down to your bra and panties, and he looked at you to make sure it was okay if he kept going. You nodded your head and he reached around to unhook your bra. Your bra fell to the floor and Sam’s calloused hands ran along your smooth skin, making you shiver. 

When it was time to take your panties off, Sam saw the wetness between your legs from the dreams you had about him. He stammered and you blushed, not sure how to explain. 

“Y/n Y/l/n,” Sam smirked at you. “Were you having wet dreams about me?” 

You hid your face in your hands and stood up and walked quickly to the now full bath-tub. “No.” 

You stepped into the hot water, and slowly sat down. Sam wiped his face with his hand, chuckling. “I think you did,” he said as he sat down on the linoleum floor, grabbing a washcloth to clean you with. 

You didn’t say anything, you just let him give you a bath while you came out of your dreamy fog. 

“Y/n,” he said as he ran the cloth along your bruised back. “I know the dream was a good one.” 

You looked over at Sam’s puppy dog eyes, wondering what he was going to say next. “But, I think we have a good thing here.” 

You nodded your head, agreeing with him. 

“Sam,” you said, looking into his eyes. “I love you.” That was the first time you said the L word, and you were scared for what he was going to say next. 

“I love you too, Y/n.” He kissed you, and wrapped you in a towel when he was done bathing you. When you were dried off, you put on a clean pair of panties, and one of Sam’s flannels. You got into bed, and Sam held you in his arms. 

“Just so you know,” Sam said, bringing you closer. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.” 

You fell asleep in Sam’s arms. You weren’t scared anymore, and you knew that you were always safe with him.

@idreamofplaid​ @squirrelnotsam​ @rebelminxy​ @becs-bunker​ @salt-n-burn-em-all​ @sugarapplepie​ @risingphoenix761​ @fictionalabyss​ @covered-byroses​ @impala-dreamer​ @crashlyrose​ @myinconnelly1​

#Sam Winchester #sam x reader #sam fic #Sam fluff #spn fluff #SPN #supernatural #supernatural fanfiction #reader x sam #djinn fic #protective sam

[filleguernesiaise]

My lockdown feels

Ever since lockdown begun at the end of March I’ve felt confident that we will get though this as our government have handled the situation expertly and with confidence, there is nothing better than feeling like you are in the best hands and when the whole community does what they are told you know we will be ok. The media briefings were very informative and the experts always gave clear and concise information. I’ve always felt our community spirit would show its true self if it had to and although I never would have foreseen or indeed have wanted to predict a pandemic, these times have shown that we do indeed live on an amazing island full of incredible people.

I didn’t work for 6 weeks so I had plenty of time to do all those odd jobs around home that of course I’ve been putting off time and time again, from photo editing to spring cleaning to craft making and even finally starting to research our family tree. However I also felt incredibly guilty as my work place was still open, we had to adhere to government guidelines so we were only allowed 2 people on site at any one time. Naturally the more experienced machine operators with the machines we could run were called in, I know I wasn’t one of them but I wished I could help. 6 weeks after lockdown begun the guidelines were relaxed a little so we were allowed 5 people on site, honestly I still wouldn’t have been first on the list to be called in but I wanted to help and was prepared to learn a new machine so I got the call which I was very grateful for.

It’s weird but I was excited about going back to work, something I didn’t think I would be as I have been a little unhappy there in the last year or so. I’m not sure if it had more to do with the fact I was getting a bit bored at home, I am not sure bored is the right word as there was plenty I could do but I just couldn’t motivate myself and lazed around way too much. Maybe the whole situation was getting to me and I wasn’t allowing myself to really contemplate it, there were times i tried to reflect on everything that was going on but I would just block those feelings as they just seemed too unrealistic.

Now I am back at work, although on a different shift pattern to normal but then again what is normal at the moment, and I find myself thinking that I could have done so much more over those 6 weeks. I could have learnt a new language, learnt more on photo editing, learnt more on creative writing I mean the list goes on. I did listen to lots of book summaries on leadership and management on an app that work set up for us but well it was more fun to watch animal videos on Facebook or Tiktok videos.

I went on a few walks during the first month of lockdown, we were allowed out for a maximum of 2 hours exercise per day and preferably direct from your home so not driving to a location. Do you know even writing that feels so unreal, allowed out?! I mean what the heck! Anyway it was really nice seeing all the rainbow art and the Guernsey bunting people had put out, it really proved that the whole Guernsey community were really all in this together.

Unfortunately and very sadly we had to have our cat put down early on in lockdown, she started having bad seizures and along with slightly dodgy kidneys and age not being on her side (she was 20!) the vets really couldn’t do anything for her. It was heartbreaking seeing her have the seizures and deteriorate so quickly in such a short space of time, we didn’t want her to suffer any longer but it is always such an awful decision. I read something somewhere that said they are compassionate cuddle buddies and empathetic, emotional companions, at times during lockdown that’s exactly what I really needed so it was really hard not having that.

With all my family shielding I went and did the grocery shopping, we also got deliveries but there was always something you just couldn’t get delivered. Most of the time I found the experience ok, the shops were great with all the safety procedures put in place correctly but of course you always get people who push the limits. I only found one shopping experience pretty horrendous and it was down to people not wanting to observe the 2 metre social distancing rule and generally pushing in, I didn’t think I really suffered with anxiety until then but luckily I managed to keep myself calm, stepped back and took my time.  

That’s the thing I’ve noticed over lockdown especially on social media that people are saying some really silly stuff, generally I think a lot of people even though they probably didn’t realise it and wouldn’t admit it but they were scared. I read so much stuff that irritated me but I just put it down to them maybe feeling lonely and wanting to vent without thinking and realising exactly what they were saying and the consequences of it, I’m sure now things have calmed down a bit that some will regret what they said.

I think that these strange times have made me take a step back and think what do I really want from my life, do I still want to be in the job that I’m in which is ok but not really want I want to be doing long term. To be fair the company have been amazing during this situation and I feel incredibly lucky to work for them and to have been supported so well by them. I also want to travel the world however I tend to spend a lot of money on one or two big holidays a year so maybe I should spend less on each holiday and go on more smaller ones, I guess these times really have been like a huge pause for some people and I am sure many have made some life changing decisions.

So after however many days, feels like so much longer, lockdown is over on the beautiful island of Guernsey where I live, no queuing to get in shops, no social distancing required and every shop, bar and restaurant is open. Unfortunately a few places have decided not to reopen which is really sad, now is the time we really must support our local businesses.  We still have controls on our border so only essential travel in and out of the island allowed with strict self isolating rules in place, I think it will be a while before we open them fully as other places still do not have the virus under control.

For now though it is great to be able to meet with family and friends, go back to our favourite cafes and restaurants and enjoy great food and company, but most of all it is great to be able to hug people again! 

#guernsey #channelislands #covid #covid_19 #pandemic #socialdistancing #lockdown #covidfree #islandlife #coronavirus #mentalhealth #blog #love #tumblr #smile

[fc5holidayexchange]

FAR CRY 5 HOLIDAY EXCHANGE 2019 FIC

‘How the Tea Saved Christmas’

Female Rook/Joseph Seed, Joey Hudson, John Seed; when local barista Rook learns that the holidays are a not-so-great time for one of Hope County’s families (and her favorite customer), she takes it upon herself to learn a new skill to bring him a little Christmas Cheer.

@bintangy

“Here is my gift for the wonderful Tangy! I hope you like it and it brings you a little joy during this holiday season :)

If there was one thing Rook lived by in life, it was that if she was gonna do a job, she was gonna do it right. So when she’d gotten the opportunity to sling lattes part-time back in college, Rook decided she wasn’t going to give it the half-assed attempt most baristas gave it: instead, she spent her free time learning that foofy-foam art nonsense to take her skills to the next level. It had been entertaining to whip up frothy drinks decorated with all sorts of dumb phallic images for her friends, but the skill really hadn’t become important to her until she’d graduated and found herself with exactly zero job offers in her field.

With nothing else to turn to, she’d dipped back into the reliable work for the chance to earn the modest monthly rent for her apartment. And thankfully, instead of working for a soul-sucking corporate chain, Rook ended up at The Sheriff’s, an adorably simple coffee shop situated right in the downtown of Hope County suburbia. The owners, a perfectly darling family with a girl her age by the name of Mary May, had been graciously open to her idea of introducing art back into caffeine and were more than happy to let her produce her latte art for customers that specifically asked for it.

While not everyone was interested in the art form, some customers were more than happy to wait for whatever random art she decided to produce for them that day. Those that did ask for it were great tippers and had been vigorous at spreading the word about the girl creating painstakingly beautiful foam art in the idyllic little family business. Sales took off for the shop and Rook made more than she needed to get by in tips alone most days, but more importantly than that – she actually enjoyed what she was doing. It certainly hadn’t been what she expected to do with her life out of college, but the town had quickly absorbed her into their collective family, her employers especially.  

“Rook! Got another one.”

Joey Hudson’s voice sailed across the shop and into the back where Rook was taking stock of the morning’s supplies. With a grin, Rook headed through the double doors and peered over the counter. A flash of blue hair caught her attention immediately. “Nadine, hi. What can I get for you?”

True to form, Nadine Abercrombie flashed a brand-new comic book proudly as she placed her morning order. When the enthusiastic young woman first began coming to the shop to ask for art of the newest comic book characters, Rook had been woefully under-prepared and un-researched on even the most ‘basic’ of characters by her standards; since then, Nadine had taken to bringing examples in hand.

Rook did an exemplary job of copying even the most ridiculous of superhero symbols if she did say so herself and jumped at the chance to replicate today’s choice character. She grabbed a large ceramic cup and tossed a quick, “Coming right up!” over her shoulder as she set to her task.

Nadine was more than happy with the work and eagerly delved into the pages of her comic with her latte in hand. Because of the small-town atmosphere, there were lots of regulars that kept to pretty consistent schedules. Sometimes, strangers passed through during peak tourist season which provided Rook with her greatest challenges, but for the most part Rook’ work was pretty consistent.

Joey eyed her from the register. “Think that poor girl will ever get out of this town?”

“Come on, Hudson.” Rook wiped down the espresso machine and turned to toss the rag at her coworker. “At least she didn’t have a choice in starting out here. Better than making the choice to move to a small-ass town like this.”

“Hmm.” Joey paused. “Touché, Rookie.”

With a roll of her own eyes, Rook countered, “Quit calling me that.”

The chime of the front door’s bell interrupted their banter. Rook felt a quick prod to her side and met Joey’s salacious grin before she turned and saw–

Oh.

It was her newest regular. From what she’d heard from the town’s gossip, the Seed family had remained largely reclusive though not unfriendly during their stay in Hope County. At the beginning of December and therefore the holiday season, Rook had taken it upon herself to up her game with the cutest possible holiday art. It was at that time that the newcomer had first entered the shop and Rook was taken by the way his eyes seemed absolutely enchanted by the perfectly outlined snowflake she’d etched into the foam. Now, the signature Seed-blue eyes were recognizable from a mile away and Rook felt rooted to the spot when she met Joseph Seed’s gaze across the counter.

A smile tugged at his lips as he stepped up to order. “Hello, Miss.”

Though there was no malice behind it, Joey rolled her eyes and backed away from the register. For as many times as he’d been in the shop, Joseph had always asked for the latte art and had, since the beginning, maintained that he would like the pleasure of giving his praise directly to the artist. His gaze remained steady even as Rook took her place at the register.

“It’s Rook, please. I promise there’s no need to be formal.”

A mischievous glint entered Joseph’s eyes, one that told her he had no intention of breaking that tradition of theirs. Joseph had been a very quiet and agreeable patron prior to the discovery of her art. Now? He preferred making his orders directly through her and with an air of humor Rook was surprised to hear from him. The way that their banter brought a smile to his handsome face and brought out the lines around his eyes suited him. “But I thought the customer was always right, Miss.”

There wasn’t much Rook could say to that, so she instead focused on trying to tame the heat rising to her cheeks and asked, “What can I get for you today?”

As Joseph opened his mouth, another face suddenly peered from over his shoulder. The family resemblance was clear in both the eye color and the way that they lit up with mischief upon seeing her.

“Oh, Joseph, you never told me that the barista was as darling as her art.”

Joseph’s cheeks immediately flushed. “John.”

“Sorry, sorry.” What could only be the youngest Seed brother leaned his heavily-tattooed arms on the counter. “I’ll just have two shots of espresso. Need to stay awake through some horrendously boring briefings. Joseph?”

Almost shyly, Joseph asked, “Just a small cinnamon holiday latte.”

Despite the fact that John’s sudden appearance had taken her by surprise, Rook could practically feel her heart melting at the way Joseph always asked for the art as though he was bothering her. She’d make a whole fleet of art-stamped foam lattes if he asked for it. She set to the task at hand, putting up Joseph’s cup first to create her canvas before grabbing a smaller mug for John.

To her surprise, the younger of the two remained as Joseph walked the crowd in search of a table. John watched her with an air of badly-disguised disinterest that was shattered the moment he murmured, “You know he doesn’t actually drink caffeine, right?”

“Ow–” At the sudden remark, Rook jerked her head up and managed to catch her head on the cabinet above the steamer. “What do you mean, he doesn’t drink caffeine? He’s here almost every day.”

A smirk grew until it threatened to overtake John’s handsome face. “Of course he is.” And, with a conspiratorial wink, he leaned forward and whispered, “But have you ever actually seen him drink it?”

“No…” Rook was usually (and understandably) too busy to study Joseph while he sat in the shop. The most she got to experience was the way his features lit up at the recognition of whatever she’d made for him, but that in and of itself was more than enough for her. She absent-mindedly put the finishing touches on the edges of the ornament she’d etched into the foam and slid it across the counter.

“Hmm.” Without another word, John collected both his and his brother’s drinks and headed to their tables.

Now, Rook’s interest was piqued. All this time, she’d assumed that the holiday art had been keeping Joseph here; after all, he hadn’t started showing up in the line until she began the recent brand of holiday-themed latte art. She kept moving orders out and conversed conversationally with her regulars as they cycled through the line, but she kept a discreet eye on the pair of them sitting in the corner. To her absolute dismay, as time stretched on and the two of them moved from their spot, Joseph failed to lift his mug to take a drink even once.

She was immediately crestfallen. A small part of her had been excited about the idea of Joseph enjoying his drinks for her, and the thought made her feel stupid. As Rook kicked herself mentally behind the counter, John suddenly parted from Joseph with a touch to the older man’s shoulder and headed back to the counter.

Under the guise of handing her his used mug, John murmured, “The caffeine – it’d keep him up at night and he doesn’t sleep much as it is. Especially with the holiday season rolling around. It’s… a difficult time to say the least. For all of us.”

Oh.

So he’d noticed her sulking then, but rather than make fun of her, the lawyer with the sharp observational skills was trying to make her feel better. With a smile that almost didn’t match his abrasive nature, John added, “He likes herbal tea. Though I’m sure he’d miss out on your art and I can’t imagine you’d do as well with tea leaves.”

And with that, the two blue-eyed men were gone, leaving Rook stunned at the turn of events.

The coffee-fueled mogul of a family that ran the coffee shop was perplexed when she brought up the suggestion, to say the least, but they were thankfully willing to give it a shot. As shipping orders arrived with the usual holiday fanfare and the shop’s shelves began to be overtaken by the standard shades of red and green, Rook kept an eye out for a specific order and when it arrived, it did so with the air of Christmas arriving early.  

She tried to tell herself that the excitement was because of the opportunity to learn and to expand business, not because of him alone. The mantra repeated itself in her head even as she lined up the first tins and placed the kettle on the range in the back kitchen while imagining Joseph’s face at his first cup. If the holidays were a tough time for him, the least she could do was teach herself how to make a decent cup of tea while incorporating a little art on the top still.

“What in the holy hell are those little shits?” Of course, Joey poked her head in at the exact moment Rook began reading through the first article.

With a sigh, Rook set her reading materials aside. “Tea.”

Joey fiddled with one of the tins, though thankfully, she didn’t move it far from the organized stack. “These tins are cute, but why are they here?”

“We’re adding tea to the menu.”

The squinty look Joey gave her wasn’t helping to fuel her resolve that this wasn’t just for Joseph. “You wouldn’t happen to be turning this place into the new hipster tea shop of the town because of a certain hipster-looking man?”

Rook sputtered indignantly but her denial fell flat. “The man-bun isn’t that out of control.”

The smirk on her coworker’s face faded as Joey dug through the next box and then peered out at the loading bay to the awaiting others. “You’re… you’re serious about this.”

With a sigh, Rook abandoned her current task and leaned against one of the stacks. Though the folks of Hope County were lovely people, she couldn’t help but feel that a real, genuine connection with another person was something she’d been lacking since she’d moved to the county all those weeks ago. That was, until the first night Joseph had come across the coffee shop looking every bit as exhausted and sleep deprived as John had said. The slightly offended look he’d tossed at their holiday display made more sense now. It was probably a fool’s errand, but she clutched to the moments she was sure she felt between her and her favorite patron. “Yes, I am. After all, we’d be stupid to sleep on expanding to a market that may very well do well in this town. For business, you know.”

“Mmn hmm.” With a humph, her coworker picked up a particularly large teapot and scrutinized it before settling it next to the other. “And when do we begin unveiling this newest product for the desired target ‘customers’?”

Rook scoffed, though she turned to her friend with the semblance of hope. “We?”

“Yes, we. Can’t let you venture out on the owner’s capital on your own.” Joey tossed her a grin that barely passed Rook’s own glee as the elder woman started on the work. “Besides, we’ve only got – what, a few more days until Christmas? If you’re gonna master how in the hell to make foam art on top of tea, you’re gonna need all the help you can get. And believe it or not, I’m a sucker for a good holiday romance story.”

With a grateful snort, Rook passed the nearest tin over. “Operation Herbal Holiday is a go.”

Keeping the tea secret under wraps became more and more difficult as the days passed, especially with the introduction of even more decorations and holiday-themed events at the shop. Unsurprisingly, Joseph was noticeably absent the day that Mary May’s parents hired actual Christmas Carolers to serenade the night-owls for their usual midnight cups of joe. Rook could only imagine what John had meant when he said that the holidays were an especially difficult time for the family; after all, she hadn’t had the opportunity to speak to either of them since that fateful encounter.

She was surprised when she straightened her obnoxiously-patterned holiday sweater at the chime of the door only to meet Joseph Seed’s apprehensive expression across the counter. It couldn’t have been past 7pm, but the poor guy looked exhausted. The pale-brown sweater that clung to his frame was noticeably absent of the cartoonish holiday imagery that all other patrons appeared to be wearing.

“Hi.” Rook surprised them both further by being the first to speak up. “I, uh, I’m sure you’re probably here for latte art, but can I make a different suggestion?”

As formal and quiet as ever, Joseph smirked, apparently more than happy to let her take the reins. “Of course, miss. I’m sure you probably know the coffee better than most.”

Rook set about grabbing the necessary supplies as Joseph slid to the other end of the counter, out of the way of prying customer eyes. With a nervous glance over the steamer, she prodded, “So… not getting much sleep this holiday season, I take it?”

If he was startled at all by the question, Joseph didn’t show it. “It is that obvious, huh? Well. As I’m sure you’ve heard by all the rumors by now, the holiday season is not one my brothers and sister and I usually partake in.”

“Rumors?” Rook was genuine in her confusion. Of all the stories she’d heard of the Seeds so far, none of them had detailed any specifically bah-humbug behavior from the quartet.

Another sound of surprise escaped Joseph. “The four of us all shared an equally difficult upbringing, and for various reasons, we’ve never really delved into the holiday spirit this time of year. Old habits, and all.”

“Ah.” With a swoop of nervousness settling in her stomach, Rook carefully slid the cup across the counter to him. “Well, I hope this helps. On the house. Happy Holidays, Joseph.”

Joseph glanced down, and the soft smile that had settled over his lips vanished immediately. He studied the little ornate Christmas Tree, complete with a small poked-out star designed on top, and appeared only more bewildered when he inhaled and noted the absence of the scent of espresso.

“It’s tea,” Rook offered as she twisted a towel in her hands. Joseph cocked one brow up as she continued, “I uh, may have heard one teeny little thing – that you prefer tea over coffee.”

“How-” With a pained groan that only came from the experience of an older sibling, Joseph rubbed a hand across his face. “John. I should have known.”

“It’s okay!” Rook exclaimed quickly. “I didn’t even notice all this time that you weren’t even drinking them…”

Long fingers settled around the warm mug as Joseph pulled it closer to him. “I’d hoped you wouldn’t. I would not want you to think I disliked the art.”

It was her turn to scoff. “You paid and tipped far too much not to be able to really enjoy it.”

Joseph blinked in bewilderment. “Not drinking it didn’t mean I wasn’t enjoying them. You make beautiful art and you are willing to share it with the rest of the world. That, in and of itself, is a gift that we are all very blessed to enjoy.”

“Yeah, well.” Rook tried to shrug off the heat that rose to her cheeks at his praise. “Now you get to do both. You know, enjoy the drink and enjoy the view.”

He sipped quietly at the tea before that playful smirk emerged, and Rook was again caught off-guard. “I may do just that. If, perhaps, the real view here is available for dinner sometime later this week? Assuming you do not have plans for the holidays.”

Rook barely contained the squeak that threatened to escape from thFCe finesse of the compliment. “Uh, no holiday plans for me.” With a grin of her own, she added, “That would mean we’d be making holiday plans together. Assuming you’re okay with getting into the holiday spirit suddenly.”

“Hmm.” Joseph savored another sip from the steaming mug before he settled the ceramic on the counter. “That would mean so, yes. I, like an unfortunate number of souls today, had forgotten that the holiday season is all about giving until you reminded me with how thoughtful and genuine your willingness to give was. Thank you, Rook.”

With a smile that only made her heart swell further, Rook risked a reach across the counter to brush his warm hands with hers.

#joseph seed/deputy #fluff #holiday theme #coffee-shop AU #no-cult AU #joseph seed #deputy oc #fc5holidayexchange #gift: fic #bintangy #submission

[byeoltoyuki]

Just One Week ⇾  KTH

↳Pairing : You x Taehyung

Genre : Fluff / Slight Angst / idol!au

Warnings: Do not listen/watch 'Winter Bear' prior to reading this fic. You might pass out from cuteness overload. He is so sooooft...

Words: +14k

Author: Yuna

Summary :  When you head back to your home town for 2 weeks to visit your family during your holidays, you didn't imagine it would start with Kim Taehyung nearly stealing your luggage. Then stealing your time. And then stealing your heart.

                                      ✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻

Sunday

*

The airport of your hometown, because it was not located in the most touristic area of your country, was not usually very busy so whenever you came back home to visit your family, getting your luggage back and exiting the place was a quick affair. Today however, it seemed like three flights had landed at the same time and therefore a massive crowd of people was making their way to the baggage claim area. It was pretty annoying seeing as the airport was so small that it had only one baggage belt for all flights and therefore everything was mixed together. You made your way to collect your belongings and sneaked in the middle of a group of people, staring at the suitcases spinning on the belt, looking for yours. You were going to be there for a while.

It had been a while since you came back home to visit your family, you were working in another country and flying home was expensive. But this time you had managed to get a full two weeks of holidays so you booked a flight home right away. Your plans were straight forward: you were going to relax the first week since most of your relatives were working, and the second one would be used to visit most of them as they would be free since it was the kids' school holidays. You had been looking forward to it, you could not remember the last time you were able to spend some time in your hometown without having the urgency of visiting every single people you knew. It was going to be nice to enjoy all the areas you used to frequent when you were a teenager attending school in the area.

You were pulled from your thoughts as you noticed a luggage similar to yours passing in front of you. You pulled it from the belt and looked for the sticker you had placed next to the name tag to confirm it was yours. But it was not there.

"Great, someone's got the same suitcase as me." You initiated to place it back on the belt when you caught sight of a man on the other side who turned around to leave the area, with a luggage similar to yours. And then you noticed your sticker.

"Sorry... Excuse me! EXCUSE ME!" You put back the luggage you had grabbed on the floor and started running towards the man who did not stop, not realising you were speaking to him. Finally, you reached him and touched his shoulder to grab his attention. When he turned around, you lost your breath for a second when you recognised Kim Taehyung from the Korean band BTS, a group you liked a lot among many others. For a second you forgot what you wanted to say and he seemed to notice it, a worried look crossing his face. You regained your composure and said:

"That's my luggage you have here." You pointed at the suitcase he was pulling. He looked down at it, surprised.

"What? Are you sure? I mean I am pretty sure that is mine…"

You bent on your knees and turned the luggage you had grabbed from belt to observe it properly.

"You are Kim Taehyung right?" you asked.

"Er... yes?" he said hesitantly, the worried look back on his face.

"Well I can't read Korean but I assume that's what it says on this luggage. Also, I have a sticker on mine behind the handle. And my name." You pointed at the name tag on his luggage and his face reddened when he realised his mistake, his ears suddenly becoming a bit red.

"Oh my, I am so sorry! I did not realise... Thank you for calling me and I apologise for not stopping before, I thought you were…"

"A fan? A stalker? Well I am a fan, but certainly not a stalker. There you go." You got back up and pushed his luggage towards him, trying very hard not to show how cute you found his embarrassment to be.

"Thank you... Y/N!" He said after you told him your name. "I really appreciate."

"It is my pleasure, I don't think you would have had any use of my skirts and dresses. Or my underwear. So let's just agree I saved your life."

"Well, it would have been a great excuse to do some shopping... Let's just say you saved my wallet."

"Does your wallet really need saving? Aren't you rich or something? If anything, I stopped you from spending your money here and killed the local economy!"

"So let's agree on that then."

The both of you smiled, amused by your exchange, when another male's voice interrupted.

"Are you alright Taehyung?"

You turned to see Park Jimin joining his friend's side, frowning slightly. Your eyes widened when you recognised the man and Taehyung did the presentations.

"Oh right, sorry Jimin, this is Y/N, she stopped me from swapping my bag with hers."

You bowed to him slightly when you saw him do that first, copying his custom. He raised his head back up with a smirk on his face, clearly making fun of Taehyung's distracted head.

"Thank you very much Y/N, sorry about Taehyung, he tends to have his mind in other places."

"Not a problem." You chuckled. "Are you guys going to be here a while?"

"Just for a week." Jimin started and Taehyung took over.

"We are filming a special video together for a duo and our company found that this town has a very nice historical towncentre, so they thought it would be cool to shoot it here. Plus it is not a big touristic place so we should be pretty anonymous for a week."

"Well to be fair you did run into a fan just a few minutes after landing, I'd say that's not a really good start." You laughed and the boys joined you.

"True. But you're alright, somehow I don't think you are going to tell the whole world of our presence here." Taehyung added with a gentle smile.

"Your secret is safe with me!" You pinched your fingers together and pretended to zip your mouth shut.

***

Monday

*

You woke up pretty late on the following day, mostly because of the jetlag. So when you got up, it was to find the house empty. You were not hungry for breakfast because of the time difference so you decided to take your time getting ready in the hope that once you would be finished with your shower and getting dressed, you'd be craving some food. However that was not the case and you ended up debating on what to do next, you had a meeting with a friend planned in 2 hours to spend the afternoon with. You remembered a coffee shop you used to go regularly during high school, not far from the place you had agreed to meet your friend. Memories of the delicious pastries and hot drinks they used to serve made your mouth water and you instantly decided you would go there before your catch up.

The coffee shop was located in a small historical square, only reserved to pedestrian. The square was bordered with various little shops that were selling clothes, jewellery... There was even a bookstore at which you made a quick stop to grab a book to read with your coffee. The coffee shop had not changed whatsoever in the years you were gone and as soon as you stepped inside, memories of your teenage years flooded in your head: the numerous times you stopped for a hot chocolate in the morning because you had forgotten to eat breakfast, your first date with your first boyfriend when you shared a pastry... You ordered your favourite latte and headed back outside to settle down in the sitting area in front of the shop and observe the passers-by get on with their lives.

The weather was very nice, it was sunny but not too warm since it was the middle of spring, you only wore a light jacket on top of your cardigan and you realised you could probably sit outside for hours. You started reading your book for a good 45 minutes before taking a break to order another coffee, when you received it, you sat back and enjoyed looking at the square which was now buzzing with activity. Because it was a Monday, today was not the busiest you had ever seen this square, but there were still a fair amount of people looking at the shop windows. You spotted a mother with her young son walking by, the boy clearly not in a happy mood and complaining.

"But mum! These are girls' clothes!  I don't want to wear that, it's lame!" he whined.

"It's not because it's your sister's jumper that it is only for girls. You look absolutely fine so stop it!" The mother argued back before they both disappeared in the crowd.

You smiled, remembering when you had to wear your brother's clothes, including that one time for carnival where your mother decided she would not buy you the Esmeralda costume you wanted but instead made you recycle your brother's ninja turtle costume. You giggled at the memory and somehow this topic reminded you of yesterday's unexpected meeting with Kim Taehyung the suitcase thief. It was lucky you caught him before he left the airport or he really would not have had anything to wear! You wondered where he and Jimin were today and what areas of your town they would shoot their video in. It was exciting to know that at some point in the upcoming months you would watch a video of a duo between the two men in the place you grew up in. You took a small sip of your coffee and caught a glimpse of a familiar silhouette standing on the other side of the square. You straightened up and finally realised it was Taehyung!

He was walking with a small group of people that included Jimin and a couple of middle-aged men that seemed to be in charge. One of them was pointing his fingers at various historical buildings of the square while the others were taking pictures and notes. Jimin and Taehyung were observing with interest and you guessed they were doing some location research for the music video.

Eventually, Taehyung turned to look at the other side of the square where you were sitting and spotted you instantly. You weren't too sure what to do, not even certain he remembered you, but then a boxy smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. You smiled back, amused when you saw him waving at you enthusiastically and you raised your hand to wave back. If it was possible, his smile stretched even wider and he pinched the sides of his jumper to shake it. The message was clear, he was telling you 'I am wearing my own clothes!'. You chuckled and gave him a thumbs up. He then tried to grab Jimin's attention to tell him he found you but he was speaking with a couple of people and seemed extremely focused so Taehyung looked back at you, a bit disappointed and shrugged his shoulders. Feeling the conversation (if you can call your signs communication that) coming to an end, you raised your cup of coffee for the man to see, pointed at it and then pointed at the coffee shop behind you, then you showed another thumbs up to imply it was good, and finished by rubbing your stomach. Taehyung laughed from afar, he could not hear you but he could well imagine you going 'Yuuuuuum' based on the look on your face. He did not have the time to show you he understood as a man called for his attention and showed him a notebook. He concentrated on the task at hand and when the man let him go, he looked back and noticed that you had gone, a bit disappointed.

***

Tuesday

*

You came back to the coffee shop the following day, earlier in the morning as you were starting to catch up on your jetlag. You planned to spend some time there to carry on reading your book before heading to your mother's workplace to grab lunch with her. When you arrived though, you were surprised to find Jimin and Taehyung sitting at one of the tables, immersed in their conversation. You stopped at the sight and hesitated whether or not you should stop for a coffee as planned, realising it could look like  you were stalking them, especially considering the fact you were planning on staying there for a couple of hours. You wavered, contemplating your options, and finally, you decided to follow your original plan and sat a the furthest table you could find, pretending you did not notice the two of them.

A few minutes later though, as you came back outside with your drink in hand, Taehyung noticed you and called you up:

"Oh hey Y/N!"

Taken aback, you did not react on the spot and by the the time you came back to your senses, Taehyung had gotten up and approached you to say Hi.

"Third time in three days! What are the odds?" He said enthusiastically.

"Pretty high actually, I did say this was a small town." You joked lightly.

"What are you doing here anyway? I thought you guys were going to be super busy all week?"

"It's the first day of shooting today and these things always end up starting late so we thought we'd follow your recommendation  and check out what the coffee taste like here!".

"And?" You inquired .

"Soooo good!" He exaggerated , making you laugh. His cheerfulness was communicative and your smile matched his after just under a minute of meeting him again. "What about you? Are you coming here everyday?"

"Hm not really, It just happened that way. I am here on holidays for two weeks but all my relatives are working until next week so I am just finding things to be busy with. And this used to be one of my favourite places to visit when I was at school so..." You started explaining to him before you interrupted yourself when you noticed Jimin looking at you.

Taehyung followed your gaze and undertook to introduce you to him again. "Jimin, this is Y/N from the airport, do you remember?"

"You nearly stole her luggage? Yes I remember Tae." He said sarcastically. "Hi, how have you been?" He spoke to you directly.

You didn't have the time to respond that Taehyung was already asking you another question.

"Are you sitting all the way there?" he pointed at your table. "Come sit with us Y/N!"

"Erm I..." You hesitated. "No it's fine, I don't want to disturb you, you guys are busy."

But Taehyung was already pulling a chair while Jimin sat back down, smiling at you.

"Please, that'd be nice!" he said.

"And you could tell us all about the places we should take a look at while we're here this week!" Taehyung finally added.

You could see through his enthusiasm that he was really keen on having you sit with them for a bit and you couldn't help but feel flattered at his perseverance. You did not hesitate much longer and put your coffee on their table before heading back to yours and grab your belongings. You sat down with the two men and tackled all the places you knew they could not miss on their stay in the area, Jimin was smiling slightly while Taehyung was listening to your every words, even taking notes of your recommendation on his phone. From the best restaurants in town, local historical buildings and locations, down to the best place to watch a sunset after a long day at work. Time went by really quickly and before you knew it, Jimin looked at the time on his phone and interrupted Taehyung who was telling you of his favourite park to visit in South Korea with passion. You noticed the slight disappointment on his face when he heard the news of having to go, but it disappeared quickly as he turned around to speak to you again.

"It was great seeing you again Y/N, thank you so much for spending some of your time with us! I will definitely try to check out the manor you told us about."

You blushed slightly as he unexpectedly pulled you into a rapid hug to say goodbye, but you regained your composure to wave the two of them off as they left for their next engagement.

***

Wednesday

*

It was halfway through the week when you had been asked by your mother to do the weekly food shopping. So when you got up from bed, you took your time to get ready, enjoying some television while having the biggest breakfast with everything you loved. You caught up on the latest episodes of your series and somehow ended up watching your favourite live performances of BTS. It was surreal to think of what happened in the last few days: meeting two members of the group, with one of them nearly stealing your luggage! You still could not believe you had befriended Taehyung in the short encounters you had with him, but it was so easy to speak with him. You smiled at the memory of how excited he was the day before when you discussed the things to do in the area. You felt a bit nostalgic, thinking it was probably the last time you would see him, before shaking your head, thinking you had been lucky enough to have some quality conversations with him and it would be greedy to want more.

At about midday, you decided that you have had enough of being lazy and motivated yourself to do your chores. You left your house and got into your car without forgetting the shopping bags. You planned on stopping in town to grab some lunch after doing the food shopping and made sure to grab your book, you had nearly reached the end of the story so you were impatient to know how it finished!

The supermarket was not busy at all as most people were working so you had plenty of time to walk between alleys and pick up your items. The job was done quickly and before you knew it, you were back in your car, heading to the town centre, singing loudly to 'Idol', clearly, meeting Taehyung an Jimin had an impact and you were craving to listen to some BTS songs. You interrupted your bad singing as you noticed a familiar figure walking on the side of the road, it caught your attention because you were currently driving on a double lane that was far from the closest houses or shops. It was the last place you expected to see a pedestrian and as you overtook him and looked into your mirrors, you recognised Taehyung.

"What the hell??" You pulled to the side of the road, 100 metres ahead of the man and stood out of your car.

You waved at the man who stopped walking for a second, dubious, before recognising you all of a sudden and waving back enthusiastically. You saw him running towards you with one of his boxy smiles you were starting to get used to and welcomed him with a:

"Fourth day in a row! Nice to see you again Taehyung."

You observed the man catching his breath for a second and couldn't stop yourself from admiring his features, from the red of his cheeks because of the cool weather, to the messy hair because of the running. You gave yourself a mental slap and listened to his question.

"Y/N! What are you doing here?"

You looked around you and burst out laughing.

"Me? Should I not be asking YOU that? Of all the places I recommended for you to visit, you decided the side of a random road was the best one?"

You saw Taehyung blush slightly and scratch the back of his head in embarrassment, he was adorable.

"I was actually trying to go to that Manor you recommended, so I took the bus... But I must have taken the wrong one or got off too early... Either way, I got lost. But it's alright I don't mind! I get to see a bit of the area and the countryside!"

You looked at him trying to justify himself and to your eyes, he was getting cuter by the second.

"Well, the manor is this way." You pointed to the direction with your finger. "So my guess is you did take the correct line, but there are another 5 miles to get there, so you definitely got off too early!"

Taehyung looked towards the direction you were pointing before pulling his phone from his pocket to look at something. You interrupted him.

"I'll drive you." You walked back to your car and open the driver's door, setting a foot inside. "It's gonna take you at least an hour to get there, jump in!"

The man smiled at you and joined you on the other side of the car, he opened the passenger door and suddenly froze as he was about to enter the vehicle.

"Are you alright over there?" You asked from where you sat.

Taehyung finally joined you and distractedly said he was fine. You wondered what must have crossed his mind but brushed the thought away as his happy self was back and he started a conversation with you. You did not know that the reason Taehyung was startled was because he realised how happy with the situation he was and that he enjoyed seeing you, that certainly was an unexpected feeling for him.

Ignoring what was going on in his head, you observed:

"You've got a nice camera, you enjoy photography?"

"Yes, I take it with me whenever I can, you never know when you'll find something nice to shoot or when inspiration will strike! Do you have any passions yourself?"

"I actually own a similar camera to yours, just a different brand, and I can relate to what you are saying about taking it everywhere just in case, but I am not as thorough as you. It gets heavy walking around with all the different lenses I own!"

Taehyung laughed lightly and the both of you carried on discussing the topic. It was agreeable for the both of you to find someone with a similar interest and before you realised, you were arriving to the location of the manor. Taehyung stopped talking and his eyes opened wide.

"Wow." he exclaimed.

You observed him from the corner of your eyes, finding his reaction adorable, but completely understandable. The manor was more like a castle, surrounded by gorgeous gardens, so the man probably did not expect that.

"Have you eaten yet?" Taehyung surprised you with his question.

"Er no, I was on my way to the town centre when I found you."

"Me neither." He pointed to a burger restaurant just outside of the historical property. "Do you want to stop there quickly to grab a bite?"

*

The next thing you know, you were stepping out of the restaurant, both eating an ice cream as a dessert. Taehyung had insisted to pay for the meals, saying it was his fault you had to stop and could not go home, and even though you assured him it was fine and you were actually happy with the situation, he would not waver. So at the end of the meal, you dragged him to a separate ice cream station and told him to pick a flavour.

You were now walking towards the 'castle', licking the delicious dessert happily, when Taehyung slowed down and pulled his camera out of its bag, taking a shot of his hand holding the ice cream with the monument in the background. You smiled, thinking it was exactly the kind of thing you would do when visiting a new place. You waited a couple of seconds when an idea crossed your mind; Taehyung was about to lower down his arm, having finished taking the shot he wanted, when you joined him by his side and lifted your arm to bring your ice cream next to his. He turned his head to you, surprised and you blushed, realising what you had just done. You were feeling so comfortable with him that you just acted the way you would do with your friends and family. But surprisingly, Taehyung's smile grew wider and he pulled his camera to take the picture, he then looked at the small screen displaying the new image before showing it to you. You were dubious, feeling something was not quite right and by the man's face, you could tell he was of the same opinion, then, without exchanging a single word, you both crossed your arm so that your ice creams would form a triangle, with the manor sitting in the middle of it. Taehyung snapped the new pose and you straight away looked at it together. It was perfect.

You probably spent 2 hours inside the manor, admiring the beauty of the place, and sometimes looking for Taehyung who would get distracted and lose track of the group you were visiting with. The problem was that you were too a bit like Taehyung, and eventually the two of you were left on your own to continue the visit without your guide. It was not really an issue, you knew this place really well after all. So instead you took advantage of this situation to make it a visit of your own. When you deemed that you had seen enough rooms, you led Taehyung to the first floor terrace outside to have a look at the panorama. The view of the gardens was outstanding and the sunny weather was making it even better, you were chatting comfortably with Taehyung, telling him what you remembered of the history of this place, exchanging ideas for the photos he was taking. It was such a fun unexpected day with him, you did not want it to end.

"I totally disagree, that character's death was absolutely uncalled for! His sister was the one who schemed the whole thing, she was the mastermind and yet not the one who got punished!"

"Well he should have been smarter and keep his distances. But in my opinion, he was pretty boring anyway so that's not a big loss."

The two of you were exchanging opinion on a TV series you both realised you liked. Suddenly, Taehyung stopped and looked around, analysing his surroundings. You recognised the look of him having an idea and tried not to disturb him, curious to see what he would do. He moved away and leaned on the balustrade to shoot his picture before coming back to you, handing you the camera to look at the image. It was gorgeous, you could see both the castle and the gardens, you smiled at the man.

"You have a good eye, It is beautiful Taehyung."

The man smiled back at you before frowning slightly, expressing his hesitation to you:

"I wish I could have stepped further back so I could get this fountain in the shot, it would have made a great symmetry with this window." he pointed at an element on the image, a bit disappointed.

An idea started to emerge in your brain then, and you teased him slightly:

"You know what you're missing in your photos?"

Taehyung looked at you with surprise, not expecting you to say something like that, and stayed silent, unsure of what he was supposed to say.

"The element of danger. And risk." you declared before extending your arm to grab his camera. Startled, he handed it out to you without thinking and within seconds you were leaving.

"What... What are you doing?!" Taehyung asked as he saw you sneak under the security cordon, ignoring the sign that said 'Do Not Enter - Staff Only'.

"Wait don't go there!" he shouted while you disappeared.

"Trust me. And look at the view while I'm gone" you winked at him.

You were gone for a whole five minutes and Taehyung had the time to contemplate the view, but his thoughts somehow drifted towards you and this newly found friendship that arrived unexpectedly. He had traveled many times to locations before but this was the first time he met someone he connected with so quickly. He spent his life meeting new people, thousands and thousands of them, but actually developing a relationship with someone was rare. He was missing this spontaneity of speaking with someone with no ulterior motives than to just chat and exchange interests and jokes. It was so refreshing to discover a new country with a new person and actually feel normal, without the pressure and the stress of looking after his actions in the fear it would end up on the internet. The hint of a smile appeared on the man's lips, before he turned around suddenly, hearing you coming back from your mischievous action.

"I think you are going to like this shot." You told him while looking at the pictures you've just taken on the back screen of the camera.

"I did not realise I made friends with a criminal, I am not looking for problems you know!"

You could have taken this seriously if it wasn't for Taehyung's amused smile.

"Ssh, not so loud!" You whispered loudly in a conspiracy kind of way. "I'll let you in a secret, you can show me any "Do not enter" sign of this town, and I'll know where it is! I am a major outlaw here!"

Both you and him giggled after that little game, and eventually Taehyung asked to see the pictures you had taken on his camera. You hesitated for a second, you had not only taken the shot he tried to do earlier with the gardens and the fountain, but you also had taken a couple of pictures of Taehyung observing the panorama from the castle's balcony without him noticing. You thought he probably would enjoy them, seeing how he posts pictures of himself as a tourist here and then, but the thought of him seeing them in front of you made you blush. You decided to be honest:

"Ok, I have to say, I may have taken a couple of extra shots, but don't look at them now! You are so good at photography, I am a bit embarrassed to show you. So please look at them later once I am gone? Please?"

Taehyung seemed surprised at first and then nodded with a gentle smile on his face. He was finding your embarrassment adorable so he made you his promise without hesitation. He took the camera from your hands and held it in front of the two of you so you could select the image he was trying to take earlier.

"Wow Y/N, this is amazing! I did not realise you could see so much better from higher up. The angle looks so different!"

"The power of criminals." you teased him before he punched back your arm lightly.

The rest of the afternoon disappeared very quickly, 'time flies when you're having fun' as they say... The two of you were now walking to your car, you had offered to drive Taehyung back to his hotel rather than letting him take the risk of taking a bus and getting lost again. He had accepted happily. You were already sitting on the driver's seat while the man was having a last look at the Manor House with a smile. Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind and he bent his head to look at you inside the car, looking excited.

"Y/N, let's take a photo!"

"What?" You asked, stunned.

"Come on out! Let's take a picture together, as a memory!"

Flustered, you observed the man taking a few steps away from the vehicle and get his phone out of his pocket. Seeing as you did not move, he waved at you as if he was saying "What are you doing? Come on!". You unfastened your seatbelt and got out of the car, your legs somehow feeling like marshmallow. When you reached Taehyung's side, he grabbed your wrist and turned you around so the both of you would have the castle behind. He lifted his phone in the air to take a selfie and strike a pose, making a V with his fingers. You smiled shyly, still flustered by his invitation.

"That is not the pretty smile I saw all day Y/N, please do it again for the picture!"

You blushed even more and managed to smile naturally as soon as you regained your composure. Taehyung then looked at the photo with a smile and showed it to you. You observed the image fondly, feeling Taehyung's gaze on you and decided that, actually, you wanted that picture too! You took out your phone from your pocket, unlocked it and extended your arm as far as possible so that the two of you would fit in the frame. Unfortunately your arms were significantly smaller than the man's and what seemed easy for him was a struggle for you. No matter how you angled the phone, it was impossible to fit everything in, you, Taehyung or even the castle! The young man laughed at your troubles and took a step behind you, lowered himself on his legs and dropped his head on your shoulder. You blushed furiously at the contact and instinctively turned your face to look at him. He then took advantage of your distraction to take your phone from your hands and snap a handful of pictures without warnings.

"Taehyung, what...!" you started.

He ignored you and carried on taking pictures.

"I am not stopping until you smile, beautiful!"

It was as if his last sentence finally unlocked your shyness and liberated you to be fully comfortable with him, so you smiled as brightly as his presence had made your day and you could see from the selfie mode on your phone that, as soon as he noticed that, his smile grew even wider, although you did not think it possible. You ended up playing around for a bit, taking probably a thousand different selfies of the two of you smiling, laughing, acting silly, sulking, showing your tongues, making the V sign with your fingers…

Eventually you both managed to sit in the car, ready to leave. You were busy wiping out the tears of laughter blurring your vision when you heard Taehyung asking:

"So, where to?"

You looked at him, stumped.

"I thought I was taking you back to your hotel? Don't you have a big day of work tomorrow?"

Instantly, Taehyung started pouting and your heart skipped a beat.

"But I want to spend more time with you and have more fun discovering the area. I am bored to death at the hotel!"

"I am sure Jimin would be happy to hear that." You teased him, ignoring what he said about spending more time with you on purpose, for your own sanity.

Taehyung shrugged his shoulders, claiming Jimin would not mind, they saw each other everyday after all, and shortly after, he turned in his seat to face you, a serious look on his face.

"But, for real though, I am having so much fun with you, and I can't remember the last time I was able to act so naturally around someone I just met. I'd love for this day to carry on... If you don't have anything else planned that is?"

"Erm, Yes... I mean no..." You stuttered before taking a big breath. "I have nothing planned for the rest of my day, my week even, but there is just that one tiny thing I should have done a few hours ago before I picked you up…"

"What is it?"

"I really need to drop the food shopping at my house. It is all in special bags that keep the food cold but some items really should be in the fridge as soon as possible now…"

"Well if you don't find me too creepy or scary I am happy to give you a hand dropping these at your house if it means we get to stay together a little bit longer!"

You paused to make it seem like you were thinking about it, but really your choice was already made, at this stage you just wanted to tease him a little bit. You saw the young man staring at you, a hopeful look on his face, and it made you happy. You enjoyed the feeling of having someone wanting to spend time with you. As soon as you agreed with the plan, you had the joy of seeing Taehyung's face brightening up before he put on his seatbelt with excitement.

After a short drive to your house, you invited Taehyung to wait for you in the living room while you were sorting out the food shopping in the kitchen. Within seconds of discovering the room, he noticed your Nintendo Switch with excitement and you turned it on for him to have a look at your games. When you had done what you needed, you joined him in the living room only to find him customizing a vehicle on Mario Kart.

"Having fun?" You asked, surprising him.

"Care to join me for a game?" He patted the space on the floor next to him.

You ended up losing track of time, probably racing each other for a good hour before your phone rang and interrupted the race you were in. You paused the game and startled the man by doing so, he was going to complain and ask why you stopped the game when he heard you speak:

"Oh hi Mum... Yes it's all done... In half an hour?? What time is it?" You glanced at the clock and realised it was just passed 6pm, which meant she was going to come back anytime soon. "Actually I am with a friend at home now... No I don't think he will..." You looked over to Taehyung who was staying quiet next to you. "Actually, I don't think I'll be around for dinner either so don't wait for me... Ok that's fine... Drive safe... Love you too…"

You hung up the phone and looked over to your new friend.

"Have you got any plans tonight?"

A bright smile from the young man welcomed your question as he confirmed that he didn't whatsoever.

30 minutes later, after finishing a competitive game of Mario Kart (and losing, you hated to admit it but Taehyung was significantly better than you), the two of you were back in your car. You had not told Taehyung where you were taking him even though he had strong suspicions since he helped you pack blankets and some food in the car. You were both currently singing loudly to your 'Feel Good' playlist as you called it, which was a mixture of songs that made you happy such as Uptown Funk from Bruno Mars or September from Earth, Wind & Fire. However, you were so caught up in your singing that you forgot another song that makes you really happy and that happened to be on your playlist too... Idol, from no others than Taehyung's group. Awkward. By the time you realised what was playing, Taehyung had caught your phone to stop you from changing the song and started to rap happily along Namjoon's voice.

"You can call me Artist, you can call me Idol!" He raised his hands in the air, mimicking his hyung's signature moves.

You blushed furiously as you felt his eyes on you, staring at you with a mischievous smile. If he had any doubt that you knew his group and was a BTS fan, it no longer existed. Surprisingly though, he did not tease you that much apart from the intense staring and you finally started singing with him for the last chorus. When you eventually reached your destination, Taehyung stepped out of the car and he admired the area with a broad smile.

"Is this the hill you recommended? The one with the perfect view of the city and the most amazing sunset?"

You nodded and opened your car to grab what you brought. Taehyung came to your rescue as soon as he saw you struggling with the big blankets and cushions you piled up in your arms, taking them away from you. The hill was completely covered in grass and wild flowers, and a few other people had the same idea as you as you could see several groups and couples spread out in the field, waiting for the sun to set. You picked an empty spot, isolated from the rest of the crowd, and installed your blankets before settling down and observe the view.

The sun was not going to come down for another hour so you engaged in a relaxed conversation to pass the time, snacking on some food you thought of bringing.

"Have you lived here all your life?" Taehyung asked.

"Until I graduated from uni, so most my life really. Then I found a job abroad and just went for it. All I wanted to get out of this place, but now that I live somewhere else…"

"You realised how much it means to you, and how precious your hometown can be…"

You turned your eyes to the man, amused.

"You can relate?"

"I left Daegu when I was pretty young. It's not that I was looking forward to leave, I was pursuing my dreams so I was super excited. But I didn't realise what I had there until I left…"

A peaceful silence settled between the two of you, like an understanding. It was so easy speaking to him, laugh with him, share things to him. Everything felt so natural. This friendship, this relationship, was developing so quickly, any other times you would have been frightened and slowed things down. But it felt so comforting, unique and precious that you didn't want to use the brakes. Maybe it was the inevitable time limit this relationship had that made it like that, so it was easier to embrace the moment, knowing it could all be finished once you drive him back to his hotel. You had been incredibly lucky to meet him 4 times in a row, but you doubted it would happen again, it was a small town indeed but he did mention earlier that in the upcoming days he would be incredibly busy shooting his scenes for the music video, so he would no longer have time for himself to hang around town.

"You see that big park over there?" You broke the silence and pointed your finger to the horizon. Taehyung looked up and nodded. "Next to it was my primary school, I went there from the age of 3 to 10. Every week we would walk to that park with the entire class to practice a sport. I have a lot of memories of those walks, it always took us so long, imagine walking a class of thirty 9 years old kids, so with my friends we got into the habits of telling each other stories. A lot of them were horror ones! I remember this specific story about a cursed doll that would wake up during the night and count numbers while saying where she was, slowly making her way to the bedrooms, until she reaches the parents' room, become silent, and when she starts counting again, she has added another 2, because she had killed the parents, and she was now coming to your bedroom."

"Sounds scary."

"It was. Especially that young!"

"I take it you like horror stories then?"

"Oh no! Quite the opposite! I hate them with a passion! And I blame this doll for starting the trauma! Seriously, put me in front of a scary film and I will not sleep for 2 weeks."

Taehyung cracked up and encouraged you to tell him more, so you started another story of your childhood.

"After primary school, I went to that school over there, with the tower." You pointed towards the direction of the building while the man was trying to find it. But he struggled and even though you tried to give him other indications, such as buildings nearby, he would still not find it. So without thinking, you got up on your knees and placed yourself behind his back, placing your head on his shoulder next to his, and your arm on the other side of his face.

"Right there, do you see it now?" you asked him, pointing your finger again. When no answers followed, you turned your head to look at him and was surprised to find him staring at you, your nose brushing against his as your faces were so close from each other. By instinct, your head pulled back away from his a little, giving you more space to see the blush spreading on his cheeks. To be fair, you could feel your own cheeks heating up too. That is when you noticed the little mole under his nose... You gave yourself a mental slap as now was certainly not the time. Taehyung turned his head back towards the view and raised his arms.

"I think I can see it now, is it next to the orange building? Where there are three trees forming a triangle?"

You welcomed the distraction gratefully.

"Yes! That's the one." You cleared you throat, stepping back from your position and sitting back next to him, wondering what the hell came across your mind to do that. "I spent four years in that school, until I turned 15. I don't really have great memories there to be honest, I was an awkward child, quite shy and a few kids ended up bullying me. But I met one of my best friends there, so there is some positive to take out from it."

You smiled a little, for good figure, not really meaning it. For a second you got lost in your memories, reminiscing about these times. When suddenly a large warm hand enveloped yours, entwining his fingers with yours. There was no need to look as you knew it was Taehyung's, obviously. You squeezed back his hand and continued:

"Then, I ended up in that school over there, until I turned 18. Now you can't miss that one, it was huge. And right next to the main shopping avenue!"

"Oh I see it! Did you end up doing more shopping than studies?" He joked around.

"I'll have you known that I was a very good student mister!"

The man looked at you, with an expecting smirk painted on his face.

"Alright! I might have skipped class a couple of times during the sales period! I was broke okay? I had to be the first to catch a good deal when there was one!"

"Haha don't worry, I'm not one to scold you about shopping!"

"Again, we are back on that luggage thing, I am now convinced you wanted to get the wrong one so you could buy new clothes!" You teased him about that time you met at the airport, nudging him with your shoulder.

A clear laugh tickled your ears, Taehyung was laughing wholeheartedly, and it was the most beautiful sound you had ever heard. What you did not realise though, was that at the same time, Taehyung was contemplating your happy smile, thinking it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. When he calmed down from his laughter, he said with a soft smile on his lips:

"It was just a happy coincidence."

The two of you carried on discussing for a while, until the sky finally darkened and the sun started going down, painting the horizon in bright pinks, oranges, purples and blues. The spectacle was breath-taking and during the whole sunset, Taehyung did not let go of your hand. When you both settled into a comfortable silence to watch the beautiful sky, you managed to summon enough courage to drop your head onto his shoulders, using it as a head rest. You felt the surprise from Taehyung, his head turning your way to witness you resting on him. Your heart was beating like crazy, wondering what the hell you had just done again for the second time in one evening. And you weren't even drunk. But the atmosphere was so special and intimate that you wanted to enjoy it at its fullest. With no chances for regrets later.

You courage paid off and heart made a full loop in your chest when you felt his head rest on top of yours. You both stayed like that for a while until the sun had completely disappeared and the sky was pitch dark. When eventually you looked around you, it was only to see that you were the last ones around and everybody else had left. A quick look on your phone revealed that it was way past 11pm.

"Taehyung, you need to be back at your hotel! You will be shattered tomorrow…"

The man stayed silent for a second and you were not able to tell what was crossing his mind at the time. He looked disappointed, happy, relaxed... All of them at the same time and maybe something else you could not pinpoint... Hesitation.

Eventually he got up, pulling you from the ground with his hand still linked to yours.

"Alright, let's go back to the real world then."

***

Thursday

*

You woke up pretty late on that day. You went to bed much later than usual after all, you dropped Taehyung back to his hotel and once you got home yourself, you struggled to fall asleep, spinning endlessly in your bed. Your brain had refused to turn off, playing over and over again the events of the previous days. How you met Taehyung at the airport when he nearly took your luggage for his, how you saw him again from afar the following day, how you met him again at the same coffee place and ended up having a drink with him and Jimin... And how you spent the whole of Wednesday with him, visiting a castle, joking around, taking pictures, taking selfies, and watching that sunset together…

It felt so unreal to have spent moments like these with a man like that. Like for any celebrities you stanned, you had perfectly embraced the fact that you would not see them any closer than on stage or on a TV screen.

But you actually spent a day with Taehyung, and you held each other’s hand. And it felt so natural and easy that you were struggling to process it ACTUALLY happened. And that you may have developed a crush on him. Now that's a truth bomb that blew up in your face when you woke up, right before the moment that it was over, you two would not see each other again. You were a tiny bit angry at Taehyung for messing up with your head like that, especially after what he did when you dropped him at the hotel.

After a good 20 minutes in the car, driving the man to his hotel, you stopped in front of the entrance, putting your warning lights on as you were not planning to park since you were just dropping the man off. That's when you realised that the two of you had been completely silent during the journey and although it had been comfortable, now it was starting to get awkward.

"So..." You had started and Taehyung had turned his head to you, an expecting look on his face.

"Yes..." He said.

"I had an amazing time Taehyung. It was so great to spend some time with you like that, I had a lot of fun." You smiled softly and concluded. "I can't wait to listen to that new song you are preparing with Jimin, it's going to be amazing I'm sure!"

All things considered now that you were thinking back to what happened, he did look a bit disappointed after you said that, he maybe was hoping for something else.

"Thank you for your kindness Y/N, I had the best day. For real. I haven't felt like that in a long time."

He smiled at you one more time, before opening the car door and throwing his legs outside. He got up, turned around and grabbed the door in his hand as he bent down to look at you. He stared at you for a few seconds, visibly searching for his words:

"Take care Y/N." He finally said.

You raised your hand to wave at him shyly, when suddenly he engulfed himself back in the car, sat on the passenger seat and leaned over you to give you a quick kiss on the cheek. He got back out of the car as quickly as possible, closed the door and finally walked in his hotel.

You sighed at the memory of last night, the whole reason why you spent the beginning of the night spinning in your bed. You had totally developed a crush on him. Too bad were never going to see him again.

Your day went pretty quickly, you managed to busy yourself by visiting your mother at her work, having lunch with her since you skipped dinner the night before to spend the time with Taehyung. You had been tempted to go back in the town centre as you had been doing the last few days, but you had no real reasons for it so the only explanation to it was that you were hoping to meet with Taehyung  again. But you knew he was going to be really busy so that would only feed your hope to end up in disappointment. So you behaved yourself.

And eventually, it was the evening and you were watching a film with your mother after dinner. You were scrolling mindlessly on your phone at the same time since you had seen this film before and did not need to pay full attention to it. When the twitter notification saying that @bts_twt tweeted on their account, you paid no special attention to it and clicked on it by instinct. Your heart jumped when you saw the picture that was posted.

It was the photo of Taehyung you had taken at the manor the previous day, without him knowing. The one where you ignored the sign that was forbidding entry to this section of the castle. The picture you asked Taehyung not to look at until you were gone. It had completely slipped out of your mind, but clearly not Taehyung's as he took a look at it, and probably even enjoyed it since he posted it on the official BTS twitter account. You checked the caption, written in English for once, and giggled lightly.

'This picture is a crime'

You remembered fondly how Taehyung called you a criminal when you came back from the forbidden balcony and clicked on the tweet to see people's responses.

'The real crime here is how beautiful you look!'

'My new phone background!'

'OMG how is it even allowed to be so handsome?'

That was very true, he was so beautiful on this image, the perfect candid shot, unaware he had his picture taken. You saved the image in your phone, grateful to have an extra souvenir from this day you spent with him (on top of the million selfies you took together), when an idea emerged in your head.

You clicked on the tweet to write a response yourself, taking a few seconds to think of the best way to let him know it was you, without others understanding, if he ever came across the tweet anyway. A quick search on Google images and you found your happiness. So you posted a picture of a very similar sign to the one that was displayed at the castle 'Do Not Enter - Staff Only' and wrote a few words 'I'll let you in a secret, you can show me any "Do not enter" sign of this town, and I'll know where it is!'. It was exactly what you said to Taehyung after coming back from your little 'expedition' and nobody else apart from him should understand the reference.

Your heart was racing like crazy after you tweeted your comment. It was ridiculous really, there were already thousands of tweets responding to his post, what were the chances of him seeing it? Why did he even tweet that? The picture made sense, he posted pictures of himself for the fans regularly, but the caption was very specific. Was he trying to get in touch with you? Were you just imagining things because you missed him already?

You put your phone down on your side, pretending to be chilled about it. But all you wanted to do really was to stare at the screen without interruption, hoping for an answer, a clue, something. But you knew better than to do that, expecting to be disappointed and hurt, so in order to protect yourself, you even turned your phone upside down so you would not see if you received a notification. By some sort of miracle, you managed to push the matter out of your brain for the rest of the duration of the film you were watching, and when your mum got up to go to bed, you reached out and grabbed it, turning the screen on.

You had received a DM on Twitter, from an account you did not know, and there was nothing written by the look of it, just 'XX sent you an image'. Curious, you opened the app and took a look at the message.

It was the picture Taehyung had taken of the manor's gardens, the one that ended up in you 'breaking the law' to get another angle for that image. Or a very similar one. You heart clenched, you were hoping it was Taehyung. It could only really be him, using a private twitter account with nothing on it. You wondered for a second why he would only send you a pic rather than just tell you it was him, but then you understand he did the same as you, he tried to be cautious, he probably needed to confirm it was you for sure. So you thought for a while of what the best response would be and ended up sending him a picture of the manor itself, there was no room for doubts here, it was the historical building you both visited.

You press 'sent' and waited for a response, your heart racing like crazy in your chest. It was like the person on the other end had been waiting for your answer with impatience because in the same minute, you received a response: the picture of your two hands holding the ice cream cones, crossed, with the castle sitting in the middle. You started gigging without being able to control it, making little jumps of excitement on your sofa.

It was HIM.

It was definitely Taehyung.

Only him had that picture.

You decided to carry on sending him pictures, before starting speaking to him for real, so you debated to send him one of the million selfies the two of you took. But you quickly changed your mind, it was the internet and it was better to be cautious. You searched on your phone for an appropriate image and found a selfie of yourself from the day, displaying the brightest smile, with a tiny Taehyung far in the background behind you. You edited the picture by adding a little sun emoji on top of the man's face and sent it once you made sure it was safe.

The picture you received in return made you squeal  as you were not expecting it. Taehyung had sent you back one of the selfies you took, where he had his arm thrown around your shoulder and your heads were leaning against each other's. Giving up on sending pictures, you texted him.

'Hi there 🙂 Fancy seeing you here'

'Hi Y/N, missed me?'

'Actually I did, my day was really boring today after yesterday's craziness. How was yours?'

'Really busy, we finished shooting really late, I've got back to my hotel about an hour ago and I am up at 6am tomorrow for more.'

'Aaw you are working really hard, you can do it!'

'Thank you 🙂 Tomorrow I should be finishing around 6pm, and then it will be another big day like today on Saturday as it will be the last day to shoot the video.'

'And then you're going back to Korea on Sunday morning...' you concluded sadly.

Taehyung didn't respond straight away after your last message, but the app was indicating that he was typing, then not saying anything, then typing again... You realised he was probably deleting what he was writing and was struggling on finding what to respond. You felt guilty, wondering if you should have just kept your disappointment for yourself. A new message finally appeared:

'Are you free tomorrow at 6pm?'

***

Friday

*

It was nearly 6pm when you got in the car to head to the hotel Taehyung was staying in with Jimin and the rest of Big Hit's team. After he asked you if you were free on Friday, he invited you to come over to his hotel to spend the evening together one last time before he left, to have a few drinks, play some games... "I'm not accepting 'no' for an answer!" he said. He confirmed he would be finished by the time you arrived at the hotel, and that Jimin would be there as well, so you guys can get to know each other. He seemed really excited about that last part and you felt touched to know that he wanted his bestfriend to get to know you.

You entered the main hall of the hotel and found a couple of sofas at the back to wait for Taehyung to come and pick you up. 5 minutes later though, it wasn't his blond locks that appeared but Jimin's shy smile. You waved at each other and when he finally reached you he explained:

"Taehyung is not finished with his scenes yet, he just sent me a text to let me know and make sure I get you. Sorry about that!"

You followed the young man to the suite where he and Taehyung stayed in for the duration of their stay in your home town and admired the beauty of what is basically a small apartment in a hotel with separate bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom and a small kitchen area.

"Wow that is an impressive hotel room." you stated.

Jimin smiled at your comment and invited you to sit on the sofa in the 'living room'. The area had a sofa, 2 armchairs, a coffee table, a mini-fridge and a large TV, on which you noticed a Nintendo Switch plugged to it, most likely Taehyung's. Now you understood why he asked you to bring your own games. You sat on the edge of the sofa, a bit awkwardly, unsure of what to do next. Until Jimin started speaking and decided to make it even more awkward.

"So Y/N. I heard you and Taehyung did things two days ago!"

"What?!"

For a short moment, your stomach had dropped, wondering what the hell Taehyung had told his friend. What could he have mentioned? Did he talk about the time at the hill? Did he mention the fact he held your hand? Or when he gave you a kiss on the cheek when you separated? You would have thought that was the kind of things to keep in private, but going by Jimin's comment, did he tell him all of that? And was it a big deal anyway? It certainly affected you and shook your heart, making you realise you definitely developed a crush on the man. But maybe he did not see it that way, he is a very openly affectionate person in the first place, so maybe you were getting all worked up over nothing.

"Wow, I was not expecting your face to change like that. I was teasing you!" He smiled and crashed in the sofa next to you. "Taehyung told me you guys visited that castle and checked out that hill with the nice view and sunset! He showed me a thousand pictures as well. So many of them. I don't even think he showed them all...". He finished with a tone reflecting despair.

You saw an opportunity here to tease him back and get revenge.

"Oh I see! Do you want me to show you my pictures?" You took your phone out of your pocket and unlocked it.

The pleasure you had in watching Jimin's face drop was indescribable and a smirk quickly appeared on your face. When Jimin realised what game you were playing, he burst out laughing, followed closely by you. When you both calmed down, you started chatting of nothing and everything, you were pleasantly surprised to see how easy it was to speak with him, thinking he would have been a lot more shy with you. You had a common topic of discussing how distracted Taehyung could be to end up getting lost like he did on Wednesday, he had apparently done the same mistake a few years ago in Norway, leaving the rest of the group worried.

Without noticing, an hour went by, you were both sipping on some white wine Jimin opened. Well. You were sipping. Not Jimin. He was drinking the alcohol like it was water and teased you on how slow you were to finish your glass. It was all fun, but you knew your limits and you did not want to be drunk by the time Taehyung finally arrived. Because wine made you sleepy and that would not be good. You don't know how it happened but you were now playing 'Just Dance' with Jimin in front of the TV. Jimin started talking about Taehyung's games and how he was rarely playing with him because he was not fond of the games he owned, and you somehow gave yourself the mission to find game he would enjoy so he could play it with Taehyung.

You blamed it on the alcohol giving you the courage to do things you would never do with someone you barely knew.

Jimin had been really excited to discover a song from Blackpink in the game and you had both been dancing to the choreography of DDU-DU DDU-DU on repeat.

That is how Taehyung found you shortly after, moving to the beat of the song (pretty approximately on your side if you had to be honest, whilst Jimin was obviously nailing every move). He stopped on the doorstep as he observed the scene in front of him, neither Jimin or yourself had realised he was there.

"OH WAIT 'TIL I DO WHAT I..." You both shouted as you raised your arms, absorbed by the moves on the screen.

"...Hit you with that ddu-du ddu-du du!" Taehyung appeared between the two of you, holding his fingers like they were guns and followed the choreography.

Jimin seemed unphased by his best friend's sudden appearance and carried on dancing. You, on the opposite, were stunned and stayed still for a few seconds before the reality of the game caught you back.

"Wait... How are you doing this move with your shoulders?!" you asked suddenly to no one in particular.

You played a couple more songs, laughing brightly, teasing each other on your various dancing skills (you stood in-between the two men and kept bumping into them as your clumsiness was through the roof today, probably not helped by the couple of glasses you had drunk. Eventually, Taehyung joined you and Jimin, grabbing himself a drink, and you spent the rest of the evening chatting in the living room, joking around, playing games together, taking pictures... It was the perfect evening between friends and once again, you were marveled at how easy it was to be friends with them. Especially with Taehyung, it had always felt very easy and natural with him, and tonight was no exception.

Slowly, as the evening went by, everybody calmed down and you started watching videos on Youtube, showing each other funny clips, cool dance clips of other artists. Jimin was the first one to fall asleep, he was sitting on his own on a single comfy chair, while you and Taehyung were sharing the large sofa. Well actually you were alone on the sofa and your new friend was leaning against your legs on the floor. You had your feet propped up on the coffee and your hand was tangled in his hair, mindlessly stroking them, while Taehyung was humming happily.

"Hey Y/N..." Taehyung broke the silence with a whisper.

"Yeah..?"

"I am leaving the day after tomorrow…"

Unsure of what to respond to that, you stayed silent. A knot had formed in your throat anyway, threatening to make you cry if you tried to force words out of your mouth.

"I think you need to show me the town centre under the night lights before I leave."

You smiled gently. And off you were.

Your hometown at midnight was eerie, there was absolutely nobody in the streets and your footsteps were resonating against the cobblestones of the old town. It was a beautiful sight to watch the old buildings illuminated by special lights, even for you, even though you had grown up here. You never had many occasions to visit the town centre after midnight as a child, for obvious reasons. You shared a few anecdotes with Taehyung as you walked past some places that triggered your memory and it felt nice to see he was genuinely interested in you, asking more questions about your life. You wanted to do the same, but the knot in your throat would reappear every time you thought of something to ask him, since you knew that his answer would always imply him being far away.

After a while, you both agreed to get a taxi. Once in it, Taehyung asked for you to be the first one dropped off home. You couldn't help but notice that it did not make sense as you would drive past the hotel first, but maybe Taehyung just did not realise that. You refused to let your mind think any further than that, but you did nothing to correct it, enjoying every last second you got to spend with him for the last time. It would usually take a good twenty minutes to drive from the town centre to your family house, however, because it was the middle of the night, there was absolutely no traffic and you realised it was going to take half the time to get home. You mentioned it to Taehyung who didn't say anything in response. But it's not like there was anything to say to be honest. It was completely silent in the taxi, apart from the music playing on the radio, and you felt like the atmosphere had changed. Your mind was buzzing with all the things you wanted to tell Taehyung, but you stopped yourself from saying anything that was related to how you felt about him. You tried to think of other topics, but it always came back to the urge you had to confess to him. So you stayed quiet, biting your lip to stop you from opening your mouth.

"When are you going to pick up your car at the hotel tomorrow?" Taehyung surprised you with his question.

"Mmh... Probably in the morning, I'll get my mother to drop me on her way to work so I don't need to pay for a taxi."

"Ah ok…"

The car became quiet again.

"What time is your schedule tomorrow?"

Taehyung looked at the time on his phone.

"I am supposed to be on set with Jimin in 6 hours. And then we don't really have a finish time. The plan is to finish by 10pm to get the night shots done, but realistically and based on experience, we'll finish 3-4 hours late."

"Oh wow, hopefully you can have a lie-in in the morning. You deserve that much."

A small smile appeared on the man's face.

"My plane is in the morning... I might no go to sleep at all."

You did not respond anything to that. And he did not add anything either. It was unspoken, but you had both looked for extra options to see each other again, and find none. It was the end.

'Do I take a left here miss?" The drive broke the silence and asked you.

"Oh yeah." You leaned forward to make sure he could hear you properly.

"Take a left and then straight over to the end of the road. It is the last house on the left."

You sat back in your seat, your heart racing at the prospect of saying good bye, when your felt a large hand grabbing yours gently. You looked at Taehyung, surprised, but he was looking out of the window. So you did the same and pretended to not notice it. Finally, the taxi came to a stop and your hands separated. You opened the door and said:

"Well. This is me…"

"Yes…"

"I hope you have a good last day tomorrow and that your schedule goes smoothly." You blurted out rapidly, afraid to let another awkward silence settle between you two.

"Thanks. Enjoy the rest of your holidays here."

You smiled at each other. And you concluded first.

"Ok so... Bye Taehyung." you waved at him with a shy smile.

"I'll miss you."

"Me too. Take care of yourself please."

You closed the door and the taxi started driving straight away. You observed the car turning around and hoped to catch one last glance at the man on the back seat. But the back windows were tinted, you wiped out a single tear from your cheek with your hand and headed back inside your house.

***

Saturday

*

You woke up with great difficulty in the morning and a slight hangover from the alcohol Jimin made you drink the previous night. You cursed at him for being such bad influence and your mind wandered off to Taehyung, wondering if he woke up fine this morning for his last day of shooting. Soon enough you were in your mum's car heading to the hotel to get your own vehicle back. As you were driving in the town centre, one of the street was blocked and a diversion was put in place, creating a little bit of traffic.

"Oh I forgot they were planning on blocking this road today." Your mum said. "I read it a couple of weeks ago on the town's newspaper, something to do with a film being shot here."

That's when it clicked in your mind.

"It's a music video actually…".

You spotted a couple of guys who seemed to be part of the Big Hit team heading inside the shut down area, but couldn't see anything else, or anyone else.

Eventually your mum dropped you at your destination and you were already driving back to your house, making a giant detour in order to avoid the town centre. To avoid traffic you told yourself.

Your plan for the day was to distract yourself enough to not think about Taehyung's last day in your country, so you had organised a full on clean of the house, followed by lunch with your mother, before meeting friends in the afternoon in another town. That should do it.

It worked just fine for most of the day really. You left no room for your thoughts to wander around when scrubbing the kitchen tiles, your mother was so happy to have you with her for lunch she didn't stop talking even for a second, and you hadn't seen your friend for so long that you had a lot to catch up on! Including meeting the adorable puppy she had just adopted a couple of weeks ago. You spent hours playing with the baby dog, taking pictures with him and posting them on your social medias , trying to teach him tricks with your friend (but all the baby cared was to bite your fingers with his sharp needle teeth).

The next thing you know, it was 10pm and you were back home, debating between watching a film and playing a game on your console. That is when you gave up on your resolution. Taking your console out of its bag reminded you of Taehyung, and a wave of melancholy took over you and you started missing the man. You picked up your phone and opened up Twitter, mindlessly heading on BTS' twitter account, to see if he had posted anything about his day.

"He is probably still working." you whispered to yourself, seeing what the time was on the screen. However when the page loaded you let out a gasp.

A picture of Taehyung with his dog Yeontan was published a couple of hours ago with the caption in english: 'I'm cute with my puppy too!'. It was clearly an old picture, as the young man had a different hair colour on the photo. Your mind went wild the second you saw the caption and the adorable picture. You gave up on putting some distance between you and him, you gave up trying not to think about him, how he was, what he was doing. You wondered if he posted this because of the images you shared earlier in the day with your friend's puppy. You wondered if it meant he was stalking your social media profiles. You wondered if he was thinking of you too.

You grabbed a pillow, shoved your face in it and let out a scream of frustration. You didn't know what to do. Respond to the tweet? Send him a message? Ignore it? Despair swallowed you whole once again when you remembered that, whatever that was, he was still leaving in the early hours of the following morning. In the next 6 hours. You ended up watching Friends for the next couple of hours, not really paying attention to the show.

Your phone vibrated in your hands and you were surprised to see that you had received a message from a Twitter account you did not recognise.

"Hi Y/N, it's Jimin!"

You sat up straight on the sofa, surprised to be contacted by him.

"Oh hi! You ok? How did you get my twitter handle?" you responded.

"I stole Taehyung's phone to get it."

You blushed intensely when you realised that Jimin might have read your conversations with Taehyung.

"And can I ask why you did that? lol" you asked.

"Y/N. We are friends right?"

"Er... Yes?" You started to get worried with the turn the conversation was taking.

"And friends tell each other the truth right?" he continued.

"I guess so, when it is for their best interest I imagine."

"Exactly! So I'm going to tell you exactly what I said to Tae today."

"Ok?" You were really wondering where this whole conversation was heading now.

"Just go for it. Be brave. Take a leap of faith."

"Hm... Not sure I am following you here Jimin..." In reality you had a sneaking suspicion Jimin realised you liked his friend and wanted you to tell him that. But just to make sure you were not going to make a fool of yourself, you played dumb.

"Oh come on! Meet me halfway here! I'll just add one more thing: Tae has been miserable all day, and even more since he posted that picture on Twitter and is thinking that you didn't see it."

"Right. I get the message."

You really did, and Jimin finally gave you the last bit of convincing you needed. You shoot up from your seat, turning the TV off and grabbing your coat.

"I can't believe I had to intervene that much." Jimin carried texting you as you were getting ready. "I swear next time I will make you both pay for my services!"

Not wanting to leave him on read, but not wanting to take the time to respond with a full sentence, you just sent him a thumbs up emoji and shoved your phone in your pocket, grabbing your car keys on the way out.

*

Your best guess to find Taehyung, based on your discussion with him the day before on how every single schedule finished late, was to go to the town centre, where you knew they were filming today. When you parked though, you were surprised to see the street was not closed anymore and members of staff were carrying the filming materials to vehicles.

"Y/N!"

You turned around to look where you heard your name shouted from, only to see Jimin waving happily at you.

"What are you doing here?" he asked you when you reached each other.

"I followed your advice! I took a leap of faith. I came to see Taehyung, is he around?" you asked the man

"Argh! Why didn't you ask me where he was before you left, silly?!"

"Because you were complaining about interfering and threatening to make me pay for your services so I thought I wouldn't make my debt any bigger!"

Jimin laughed and you joined him.

"To be honest, I am not sure where he went." Jimin finally said. "We are meant to leave to the airport shortly, I even got my luggages with me. I guess he would have gone to the hotel to pick up his stuff? I am not sure though, he has been gone a while now.

"Thanks Jimin, I owe you one!" You thanked him as you were already heading to your car."

"You owe me two actually!" You managed to hear Jimin shouting back to you and laughed. You waved goodbye in response.

A few minutes later, you had parked at the hotel they had been staying for the past week, making the comment to yourself that in all the years you lived in this town, you had never spent this much time in this area than this week alone.

You entered the hotel lobby and headed out to Taehyung's room, you had no patience for the lift, so you took the stairs and climbed them two by twos. Eventually, you arrived in front of his door, completely out of breath.

"You're an idiot Y/N... You can't even speak now..."

You waited a couple of minutes to catch up your breath and gather the courage to knock at the door.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

You waited a few seconds for a response, but nothing came. You tried again.

Still nothing.

"Tae? Are you there? Are you asleep?" You tried to speak through the door, cautious not to be too loud as this was the middle of the night.

Still nothing.

You took your phone in your hand, debating on what to do next. Contact Taehyung? Contact Jimin? You really weren't sure.

"Excuse me miss?"

A voice startled you and you jumped in surprise. It seemed to be the night guard, checking up on you.

"Can I ask you what you are doing here?"

"Erm... I was here to visit my friend? Mr Kim Taehyung?"

The man looked at you suspiciously, but then eventually decided he could just give you the information you needed.

"I am afraid he has checked out of the hotel some time ago miss."

"Oh."

You felt your stomach drop, and your heart probably. You were so incredibly disappointed, tears started to swell up in your eyes. You managed to contain them in front of the man and thanked him for his help. As you headed outside, you reviewed your options.

You were not sure what time his plane was, you were not sure where Taehyung was. You could always text him, or Jimin. But after everything you just did tonight to see him once again, and after all of it didn't work out, you started thinking maybe it just wasn't meant to be. Maybe you were just forcing things to happen, and it was time to give up now. You really were not one to believe in destiny, but after these failures, it was just the world telling you to stop trying. You stepped outside the building, your head low. You were biting the inside of your cheeks to stop the tears from coming out. But as soon as it started pouring down with rain, you realised it would make no difference to cry, the tears would mix with the rain drops, and nobody would notice.

Not that there was anybody outside at this time of the night.

Until the rain stopped because an umbrella appeared on top of your head and a voice you were craving to hear desperately resonated behind you.

"You were difficult to find."

You turned around instantly, and forgot to breathe when you realised Taehyung was here. Holding an umbrella above your head. Glowing with the brightest smile on his face. You slapped yourself mentally to get some words out of you.

"You can talk." You laughed. "I went to two places to find you. I think I worked a lot more here to find you."

"I went to your house." He said. "I rang the doorbell and your mum opened the door."

"Oh." was all you were able to say.

"She doesn't speak English." He added.

"No. She does not." You agreed, starting to feel really sorry for the man.

You both took a pause. The rain was getting heavier and heavier. You were blushing at the intense stare Taehyung was giving you. His eyes were absolutely glued to you, it even seemed like he was not blinking, simply too busy contemplating you. You forgot to breathe again.

"Ok... Maybe you did work harder to find me."

Taehyung took a step forward under the umbrella, you were now touching. He was so close to you, you could feel his breathing on your face.

"And also, I am the one who actually find you."

He raised his hand to your face and moved a hair strand, stuck on your forehead because of the rain, behind your hear. He didn't pull his hand away after, letting his long fingers grazing softly against your cheek. Your heart was beating like crazy, it felt like it was coming out of your chest. Or maybe it was Taehyung's you couldn't tell anymore, you were so close, your bodies were pressed against each other's. You could see every details of his face, his adorable mole under his nose, you could probably count every single one of his eyelashes...

And you could tell how soft his lips must be.

And warm.

Because he was now kissing you.

And you were kissing him back.

While one of his hand was on your cheek, you reached out for his other hand and entwined your fingers, before pulling him closer to you, as if it was possible.

This was the dreamiest kiss you ever had in your life, so soft and yet so passionate. There was no pause, you could not get enough of each other. It felt like you were not the only one who restrained yourself during the week. Taehyung ended up confirming it for you when you finally separated. Your lips disconnected but your eyes didn't. You could imagine your eyes were glowing as much as his. It was a beautiful sight, Taehyung looked so blissfully happy, all you wanted was to kiss him again. Instead, you linked your arms across his chest, hugging him like you've been wanting to do for what seems like forever.

"You don't know how long I've been wanting to do this." Taehyung said, putting his arms around you in return, laying his head on top of yours.

"As long as I've been wanting to?" You asked him, not giving him a specific time.

He smiled at you, pecked another quick kiss on your lips.

"Most definitely."

You gave him a quick kiss too, struggling to resist as much as him. But as you were about to separate again, he whined like a child, started pouting and you cooed at the sight.

"You are the most adorable person in the world Tae." You rubbed your nose against his, and he did the same.

"And I love you. Can I stay here one more week with you?"

#bts scenario #taehyung #bts #jimin #bts fanfic #bts fluff #bts x reader #taehyung fluff #taehyung angst #taehyung x reader #bts imagine #yuna is baaaaack #just one week

[artificialqueens]

And Now You're Mine (branjie) - writworm42

A/N: Halloween smut for Barbie, I hope y'all enjoy it! Title is from I Put A Spell On You from Hocus Pocus. Happy Halloween!!

Also, DO NOT TAKE MY FICS AS FACTS. I have never been to a play party and did virtually no research on what they’re like beyond what I already knew about them (again, v little). I cannot guarantee it’s an accurate representation.

People in Vanessa and Brooke’s friend group often say that Halloween is Christmas for four groups of people: drag performers, closeted trans folks, cosplayers, and kinksters. Vanessa can’t deny it; even if for the kink community, that Christmas is held strictly behind closed doors, there’s no better occasion for a private sex party than a holiday where you’re supposed to dress up, party, and get freaky anyway. Plus, Halloween means cheap and easy-to-find costume options that either round out outfits perfectly, or give folks a budget-friendly way to look into whole new roleplays.

But the best part of the Halloween parties Brooke and Vanessa frequent, the real reason they make such an effort every year on Halloween night, is the opportunity to see and be seen. To show themselves off, and let everyone in the community see how well they work together, how good they are at what they do.

The kind of care Vanessa takes of her dear, darling sub, who gives herself up to Vanessa and trusts her right back.

And hey, the bonus fun of consensual public sex is never a bad thing, either.

“Are you ready to go, kitten?” Vanessa calls out to the bedroom, where Brooke has been getting ready for the last ten or so minutes. “Come out and show mommy your costume.”

When Brooke emerges from behind the bedroom door, even the fact that Vanessa bought the costume for Brooke doesn’t stop her breath from leaving her lungs in one quick, deep huff. Brooke is dressed as an angel, her body a vision in a white corset and panty set dripping with faux-crystals and framed in lace. A pair of light, feathery wings extend from Brooke’s back, and height of her heels and the halo perched atop her head stretch her height such that she looks twice Vanessa’s size.

It makes Vanessa all the more excited to bring Brooke down on her knees, but she restrains herself, knowing that that will come later.

But first, they’ve got to get out the door, a task that’s proving very difficult for Vanessa as she continues to take in the sight before her.

“So pretty for me, angel.” Vanessa strides forward, tracing her hands along Brooke’s sides and smiling as the blonde shivers at the feeling. “So done up, so pure…” she lowers her hands to grab at Brooke’s ass, squeezing hard, and laughs when Brooke lets out a half-squeak, half-moan in surprise and pleasure.

“What a shame I can’t keep you lookin’ like this all night.” Vanessa cranes up on her tip-toes to whisper in Brooke’s ear, still kneading the flesh of her ass. “See, I just love wrecking pretty little things, and you’re so perfect, how could I resist? But that’s okay–you like it, don’t you, angel? Want me to make you all dirty?”

Brooke moans again, and Vanessa takes the opportunity to bite down on the nape of her neck before letting go of her, pushing away from her with a sly grin.

“Now, put on your long coat, baby, let’s get going.”

–

House of Chachki’s annual Halloween play party is nothing short of legendary in the local kink scene, and it’s a reputation that’s well-deserved. The organizer, Violet, rents a manor house every year and always decks it to the nines, carefully designing the place to have something for virtually everyone. There’s always a plethora of toys and gear left out for use and plenty of clean surfaces to hang from, be tied against, or be trapped in. Floors are usually accessible by elevator, with the upstairs rooms dedicated to private play for those who prefer it and the downstairs floor always converted into an aftercare space. It’s a kinkster’s wonderland, and something that Brooke and Vanessa look forward to every year.

“Hold on one second, baby.” Vanessa grabs Brooke’s wrist as Brooke tries to slide out of their car’s passenger seat, ready to enter the party.

“What?” Brooke sits back down, and Vanessa can tell she’s already trying to keep down a pout. A quick, sharp glare wipes the expression right off of Brooke’s face, though, and Vanessa softens.

“I have something for you.” Vanessa smiles, turning away from Brooke for a moment to lean down under the driver’s seat, emerging a moment later with a small package wrapped in black-and-orange jack-o-lantern paper.

Brooke squeals with delight, and Vanessa can’t help but laugh as Brooke claps and tears at the paper eagerly, her eyes widening and giggles giving way to an almost awe-struck gasp as she opens the box underneath the wrapping paper to reveal a lacy white collar fit with a golden tag that reads ‘ mommy’s little angel ’ and attached to a long, white leash. White cuffs stoned with the same shining jewels as Brooke’s corset lay underneath the first present, and Brooke doesn’t bother even trying to contain her glee as she pulls them from the box, running her thumbs along the gems and feeling the plush lining on the inside.

“They’re beautiful, mommy,” Brooke leans forward and kisses Vanessa gratefully. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome, kitten.” Vanessa kisses Brooke back, watching with affection as Brooke leans forward for more, her long lashes fluttering closed. “Now turn around and let’s get you ready to go inside, yeah?”

Brooke walks into the house led by Vanessa on her new leash, her hands cuffed behind her back and a demure smile on her face.

There’s a certain amount of pride for Vanessa in leading Brooke around and showing off how beautiful, obedient, and all-around wonderful her wife is. It’s not just that Brooke does what Vanessa asks, either; it’s that she does it enthusiastically, sometimes without even needing to hear the command, and enjoys it just as much as Vanessa does.

They spot their friends immediately, and without prompting, just like they’d discussed beforehand, Brooke kneels down onto the floor as Vanessa talks with the other doms, held by her leash as she listens and occasionally, when allowed, participates.

“She’s such a good girl, Vanj, so obedient.” A’keria praises, and Vanessa beams. “Can I pet her?”

“As long as she’s okay with it.” Vanessa nods. “What d’you think, baby girl, can auntie Kiki show you what a good girl you’re being?”

Brooke nods, looking down at the floor shyly, as A’keria kneels down and pets her hair, cooing out compliments and words of encouragement that make Brooke blush. Vanessa can’t help but smile, either; as much as she likes to keep Brooke all for herself, she can’t deny that the older woman deserves all the praise she can get, and if it’s from their friends, then why not?

“Honestly, wish I could get Silk to be half as good for me whenever she’s subbing.” A’keria rolls her eyes. “I swear, girl says she’s a switch like me but even when she’s bratting around it feels like she wants to dom. Thank Lord we agreed on doin’ some free play tonight, she’s off doin’ God knows what and I ain’t gotta worry ‘bout her.” All three of them laugh.

“I swear, Kiki,” Vanessa chuckles as they all begin to settle, “I don’t know how you and Silk do it. I couldn’t share Brooke if I wanted to.”

A’keria shrugs. “Poly ain’t for everyone. Besides,” the ghost of a grin appears on her face, “We all know how possessive you both like bein’.”

More laughter, and the conversation continues, moving from topic to topic and person to person until it seems they’ve greeted almost everyone at the party. They’re about to shoulder their way over to say hello to Violet and her sub, Pearl, when suddenly, Brooke stops, clinging to Vanessa’s arm and whining.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Vanessa frowns, bringing a hand over to where Brooke’s nails dig into her skin and stroking the back of the blonde’s hand gently. “You okay?”

“Um… Yeah.” Brooke sighs, letting go of Vanessa. “Sorry, I’m… No, I’m okay, it’s fine.”

Somehow, though, the way her eyes flit around the room is unconvincing, and so Vanessa holds her a little closer until they finally find who they’re looking for. Vanessa is just asking Violet how she’s doing when suddenly, she feels something squeeze around her leg, something that shakes and grips tightly and whines with anxiety.

“Baby, seriously, what’s going on?” Vanessa looks down at Brooke’s shuddering body, speaking a little more firmly now in the hopes that a sterner tone will elicit the truth from the other woman. And it works, to a certain point–Brooke looks up at her, fear and anxiety in her eyes telling her that she’s not okay, before she burrows her face into Vanessa’s thigh, letting out a high-pitched, plaintive whine.

“I think you’ve got company.” Violet taps Vanessa on the shoulder and points her attention away from Brooke, gesturing over to the crowd around them, where a man leers at Brooke, smirking and gradually moving closer, as the throng of people allows. He catches a glimpse at Vanessa and grins, an air of condescending dismissal in his eyes as he sets his sights back on Brooke, licking his lips.

Oh Hell no.

“Who the fuck is that?” Vanessa asks sharply, not taking her eyes off of the man for a second as she reaches down to pull her wife closer, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

“Never seen him before.” Pearl, who had been kneeling on the floor with Brooke, shrugs as she shuffles closer, looking up at Vanessa for permission before she sidles up beside the blonde, laying a soft hand on her shoulder and providing an extra barrier between her and the stranger, who continues to stare.

“Want me to kick him out?” Violet frowns at the man, who looks away briefly before inevitably turning back to Brooke, smiling cockily. Vanessa considers it for a moment; it certainly would eliminate the problem, and would likely benefit the whole space, eliminating a potentially toxic person who could potentially endanger anyone who was unclaimed or simply not paying attention.

But then another idea hits her, one that will really drive the message home, and she whispers it into Violet’s ear before leaning down and doing the same to Brooke, who smiles and nods, straightening up a little at the suggestion.

“Alright, hoes.” Vanessa coughs, tugging on Brooke’s leash to signal for the taller woman to get up again. “We’ll be right back.”

Vanessa wastes no time in hurrying over to a chest full of ropes and restraint materials, grabbing a spreader bar before leading Brooke back to a table in the centre of the room, making eye contact with the leering creep the entire time. Tapping Brooke’s leg as a signal for them to open, she fixes the spreader bar to her wife’s ankles at the widest setting before straightening back up, tracing her fingers along the backs of Brooke’s legs as she goes.

“Ready, princess?” Vanessa snakes her hand up to Brooke’s hair, grabbing a chunk near the roots while she waits for Brooke’s permission. “What’s your colour?”

“Green, mommy.”

“Good girl.”

Without any more ceremony or warning, Vanessa shoves Brooke’s head down onto the table, ignoring the blonde’s cry of surprise as she doubles over, hitting the table’s smooth wooden surface with a light thud.

“So wet already.” Vanessa snickers loudly as she trails a hand between Brooke’s legs, feeling the damp fabric of her panties with a single finger along the line of Brooke’s slit. “Did bowing down to mommy all night make you feel good, sweetheart? Made you nice and horny?” she looks around at the crowd, now mostly watching the scene, and locks eyes with the man, who’s already started to fade into the background, other attendees pushing in front of him to get a better look.

But Vanessa’s found her target, and by God, is she going to make him know it.

“Answer me, slut.” Vanessa slaps Brooke’s ass with a smooth, upward motion, “Are you nice and horny, now that you know your place?”

“Yes, mommy, I do!” Brooke cries out as another spank lands on the flesh of her ass, this time a little harder, a little more swiftly. “Love serving you, love being beneath you!”

“Good girl!” Vanessa laughs, hitting Brooke again before gently placing a hand over the rapidly reddening area and rubbing it soothingly in circles. She tugs down Brooke’s panties, the wide spread of the taller woman’s legs allowing for them to suspend, caught and stretched over her thighs, such that Vanessa can already see the wet spot that’s gathered and soaked through the thin white fabric.

Adorable.

“Oh, baby, you’re wetter than I thought.” Vanessa tsks, moving her hand back over Brooke’s slit from behind and spreading wetness along her folds, all the way up to tease at her clit with light, barely-there touches. “What am I to do with you?”

“Ruin me, please, mommy.” Brooke whimpers. “Please.”

“What was that?” Vanessa smirks, bringing two fingers on either side of Brooke’s clit and squeezing lightly as she rubs the area up and down slowly. “You’re going to have to speak louder for me, angel, or else I won’t know what you’re saying.”

“Ruin me, mommy!” Brooke cries as Vanessa lets go of her clit to lightly tap its hood, not hard enough to hurt but hard enough to make Brooke startle a little. “Please, play with my pussy and ruin me!”

“Mm.” Vanessa nods. “You certainly deserve it, being such a good girl for me all night. And I gotta take care of what’s mine, don’t I?”

The man has faded further into the background, smug smile fading from his face as Vanessa repeats, “ Don’t I? ”

“Yes, mommy!” Brooke practically sobs as Vanessa resumes her ministrations on her clit, teasing it in circles as fast as they are light, a pace and pressure she knows drives Brooke absolutely mad. “I’m yours, need you to take care of me, please, I need you!”

“Good girl.” Vanessa softens, pressing down a little harder on Brooke’s clit. “And it’s not just your pretty little clit that I own, is it?”

“No, mommy.” Brooke whimpers as Vaness brings her thumb down to her entrance, teasing lightly along Brooke’s hole. “You own all of me, mommy, all of me.”

“That’s right, but what specifically?” Vanessa coos, still teasing, still stringing Brooke along. “Let me hear you say it, angel.”

“My hole, mommy.” Brooke sighs as the answer rewards her relief in the form of Vanessa slipping her thumb inside of her, leaving it there while she continues to circle at Brooke’s clit. “You own my hole, mommy.”

“That’s right, baby, good girl.” Vanessa praises, finally beginning to pump her thumb in and out of Brooke’s cunt and almost shivering with pleasure of her own when Brooke instinctively tightens around her.

She’d like to see any man try to do that to Brooke, let alone the creep who’s still staring, albeit now with a completely different, much more shaken expression.

Brooke is ready for it; Vanessa’s ready for it; ready or not, the man’s going to get what he deserves.

She speeds up suddenly, pounding in and out of Brooke and circling her clit at a merciless pace.

“Tell me who’s fucking you good, baby.” Vanessa raises her voice over Brooke’s moans, high-pitched and plaintive, begging for more without even forming the words to ask for it.

“You are, mommy!” Brooke whines, her voice already shaking with desperation.

“Who’s making you feel this easy, this ready to come?”

“You are, mommy!”

“Very good.” Vanessa keeps going, her pace ever-quickening, hitting up against Brooke’s spot with more and more precision with every stroke. “And why is that, sweetheart? Why do you feel this good?”

“Because you let me, mommy, only because you let me!”

“That’s right! Clever girl,” Vanessa praises loudly, “You feel this way because I let you, because I allow you to. And, one more question sweetheart, why is it that I let you?”

“Because you love making me squirm, mommy!” Brooke sobs, her whole body going rigid, and Vanessa knows she’s close.

“Try again, sweetheart.” she looks around the room, scanning for her target, but he’s gone, only for her to spot him moving through the crowd a moment later, headed straight for the front door. “Why do I let you?”

“Because I’m yours, and you can do whatever the fuck you want with me!”

“Very good!” Vanessa relaxes internally, satisfaction spreading through her body at the knowledge that the threat has passed, that Brooke is safe again. “Alright, sweetheart, since you’ve been so good, I’ll let you come tonight. But you gotta use your words and count down, alright?”

Brooke says nothing, only nods, and Vanessa clicks her tongue disapprovingly.

“What did I just say, princess? Use your words, or you’re not coming. Now, will you be a good girl and count down for me?”

“Yes, mommy.” Brooke forces out, her voice so quiet and hoarse with effort that it almost makes Vanessa melt, almost makes her take back her order and let Brooke come right then and there.

Almost.

She’s having far too much fun to let herself cave now.

“Alright, baby, I want you to start from thirty and count down, you understand?”

“Yes, mommy. Thirty–”

“Did I say start?” Vanessa stops suddenly, eliciting a plaintive whine from Brooke, which she ignores.

“No, mommy, I’m sorry.” Brooke sobs. “Please let me try again.”

“Alright.” Vanessa resumes her movements, albeit at a slower pace. “Go ahead, then, princess. Start counting for me.”

“Thirty… Twenty-nine… Twenty-eight…”

Vanessa presses down harder on Brooke’s clit, but keeps her thumb’s placement shallow, pumping in and out at the same slow pace.

“… Twenty-seven… Twenty-six… Twenty-five…”

Vanessa pushes in a little deeper, pride surging through her chest when Brooke tightens around her but continues to count, refusing to let herself be distracted.

“… Twenty-two, twenty-one, twenty, nineteen…”

Vanessa goes a little faster, hits Brooke’s spot a little harder.

“… Sixteen, fifteen, fourteen, th-thir–twelve…”

Brooke is pretty superstitious, so Vanessa supposes she can let that one slide.

“… Eleven… Ten… Nine… Eight…”

Vanessa kicks up when Brooke gets to seven, her pace almost dissolving Brooke’s focus as she breaks off into a desperate, almost animalistic moan. But Brooke is too good a sub, too good a partner, to let go of her training, and so she catches herself, resuming the count at seven to make up for the lost beat.

“… Six… Five… F-four.. Three… Oh, fuck, mommy… Two….”

Vanessa pulls out at one, leaving Brooke to cry out loudly and then moan in frustration at the loss of sensation, her orgasm completely ruined.

It’s alright; Vanessa will make up for that trick with plenty of treats later.

“Alright, sweetheart, want to get a drink and cuddle a bit?” Vanessa suggests, crouching down to release Brooke’s ankles and then uncuffing her too, for good measure. Brooke nods.

“Violet said there’s cocoa in the aftercare room,” Brooke sniffs, her eyes still watering with frustration and exhaustion. “Can we go?”

“Of course, baby.” Vanessa wraps Brooke in a hug, her heart melting. “Let’s go, we’ll get you a nice blanket and make sure you’re nice and comfy.”

She helps Brooke downstairs with a light, happy heart, secure in the knowledge that no matter what, she and Brooke will always be there for each other.

#rpdr fanfiction #brooke lynn hytes #vanessa vanjie mateo #branjie #smut #lesbian au #writworm42 #tw dom/sub #tw mommy kink

[aliciameade]

Fade Into You - Ch. 1

Title: Fade Into You (Chapter 1 of 5) Author: aliciameade Rating: T Pairing: Beca/Chloe Summary: Tip for newlyweds: send a wedding invite to every billionaire whose address you can find because it's a 50/50 chance their assistants just send you a perfunctory gift without ever wondering who the hell you are. Or: Beca had a really bad terrible idea when she got tired of being broke in New York. 

Also on AO3 and FFnet, but I probably can’t link there idk.

Beca wasn’t prepared for how expensive it was to live in New York City. Sure, she’d done her research; she knew it would be costly, but just how costly it was was wreaking havoc on her bank account. Rent, transportation, groceries, household necessities and the very rare luxuries like a concert or theater ticket here or there to keep her sanity had her living paycheck to paycheck. Even bringing two roommates with her to cram into the tiny Brooklyn studio didn’t help her live any more comfortably (considering only one of them chipped in for rent).

Of course, it probably helped her afford to eat.

Whatever. The point was that it was not quite the life she envisioned for herself once she landed what she thought was a Big Job.

But at least she had her friends.

“Why do I have so many cousins? And why are they all getting married?”

Beca watched Chloe sitting at their tiny dining table on Sunday afternoon (if you could even call it that) as she tossed aside a just-opened fancy envelope and what Beca assumed to be a wedding invitation. As far as she could remember, it was the fourth Chloe had received so far that year. “How many cousins do you have?”

“Sixteen. And I’m the baby of the family so they’re all either married or about to be. And here I am.” She gestured at nothing specific and sighed. “I can barely pay my share of the groceries. I can’t afford to go to all these weddings so I need to send something off their registry, but I can’t afford that, either.”

“Weddings feel like a ploy to get free shit from everyone you met once in your life,” Beca said as she watched Chloe stress out. “Like, congratulations on deciding to spend your life with one person. Why do I have to reward that?”

“It’s like an expectation. You either have to go to the wedding or send a gift. Or both!” Chloe slid her chair back from the table and took the two steps needed to get to their bed which she threw herself on a bit dramatically. “I’m just going to elope.”

She liked being on the same page as Chloe. “And miss out on all the free swag?” Beca said as she nudged Chloe’s foot with her own.

“I don’t want to be part of the problem!”

“Okay, okay!” Beca laughed. “So elope. Must be nice, though: send out a bunch of invitations to people you know won’t come and get a bunch of free stuff in return.”

“I know,” Chloe mumbled into her pillow. “It’s so messed up.”

A devious thought slid through Beca’s mind and she paused the music she’d been playing. “I need a new Keurig; ours is going to die any day now. I can feel it.”

Chloe turned onto her side to look up at Beca. “What does that have to do with anything?”

She closed her laptop and slid down to lie next to Chloe, eye-to-eye. “I have an idea. But before I tell you, I blame it entirely on Amy’s influence.”

“Why Amy?”

“You’ll see. Now hear me out. What if we sent out wedding invitations saying we’re getting married in, like, Fiji where no one we know can afford to go, and set up a wedding registry somewhere.”

“Beca, that’s, like, fraud. No wonder you blamed it on Amy.” Chloe frowned at her. “And no one would believe we’re getting married anyway.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’re not even dating!” Chloe said with a laugh. “And you don’t even like girls!”

Oh. Right. There were those little details that the people who would make sense to invite to their wedding would know she and Chloe weren’t together. Not to mention the giant elephant in Beca’s mental room that she was actually very into girls and very, very into Chloe.

Except literally no one in her new adult life knew either of those facts about her. The bisexual thing was weird to bring up unprompted at this point, and when she started dating Jesse in college, everyone just assumed she was straight and made it even weirder to try to correct.

And the Chloe thing, well...that was all sorts of messy and complicated.

“Okay, first of all, a person can fall in love with someone who’s not their usual...type, so anyone who says shit about that can fuck right off.”

Chloe seemed a bit surprised by her declaration but waved for her to continue. “And the fact that it’s me?”

She had to stop herself from saying, “It’s everything.” Instead, she said, “We’ve basically been living together for six years. I don’t think it’s that far-fetched.”

Chloe was quiet for a moment, thinking, and then a slow smile spread across her face. “Beca Mitchell, you devious little devil. You actually think this could work.”

“Well, why wouldn’t it? If Aubrey was getting married in, like, Fiji and you couldn’t afford to go, you’d send her something off her registry, right? That’s what you just said.”

“I would never miss Aubrey’s wedding,” Chloe said earnestly. “She’s my best friend. And she wouldn’t miss mine, either.”

“Okaaaaaay,” Beca drawled. “So we don’t invite our current friends. Or immediate family. Cousins, old coworkers, and friends from high school.”

“Can I invite Mrs. Higgins, my 8th grade choir teacher? She was my favorite teacher.”

“Yeah, I mean as long as she won’t try to show up—wait. You’d actually do this?”

“You’ve had worse ideas.”

“Have I though?” Beca shook her head. “This is dumb. Forget it.” She put away her computer and rolled out of bed. “I’m going to Target if you need anything. I’m out of conditioner.”

“I don’t think I do, but I’ll come with you.”

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

When Beca came home from work late on Monday, Chloe was laying in bed, laptop propped on her thighs. She was intently focused on whatever it was she was doing and didn’t look up at Beca’s entrance.

“Hey, weirdo,” Beca said as she kicked out of her shoes and pulled her own computer out of her bag to toss it onto the bed while she changed into comfy lounging clothes. “What are you doing?”

Chloe ignored her for a few more seconds before tapping the trackpad with particularly notable resolution and sitting up. “Hey!”

“Yeah, hey,” Beca laughed. “Seriously, what are you doing? Caught up in an intense Pinterest spiral?”

Chloe shook her head. “Come here; I want to show you something.”

“Is this going to be puppies or something dirty?” Beca knelt on their bed and walked her way up until she was sitting next to Chloe. There was no telling what Chloe had up her sleeve whenever she told Beca she wanted to show her something.

“Neither. Look.” She turned her screen toward Beca.

“What am I looking at?” she asked after a few seconds. “Because that looks like a wedding invitation with our names on it.”

“That’s what it is.”

She looked at the invitation on Chloe’s screen again and then looked at her. Chloe was biting her lip and almost buzzing with excitement. “And why is that a thing that exists?”

“I made it!”

Beca rolled her eyes. “And why did you make it?”

“We need invitations if we’re going to invite people to our wedding.”

“That idea was terrible! I told you to forget it; how much time did you spend on this?” She grabbed the computer away from Chloe so she could zoom in on it. The stationery had been painted with watercolors. It was quite pretty and one Beca wouldn’t be opposed to choosing for her actual wedding.

“A couple hours. I went with a silver and sage palette. I don’t think we’re a couple who has pink in their wedding.”

“Yeah, no,” Beca said, only half-listening because her brain was pretty hung up at the moment seeing the words ‘The Wedding of Beca and Chloe’ in script. “No pink.”

“I just put Fiji because you mentioned it yesterday but we can pick something else. And a date. Oh, and we’re registered at Amazon and IKEA.”

Picking a wedding locale and date with Chloe? Sure. Cool. “Wait. You already registered us?”

“Well, no, not yet,” Chloe scoffed as if Beca’s question was absurd. “That’s what’s on the registry cards that go with the invitations. We need to make our registries together next weekend.”

“I’m not sure if I should be concerned or proud that you’re so willing to go along with my terrible idea.”

“What’s the worst that could happen?” Chloe said with a shrug.

Beca was pretty sure a lot of bad things could happen like someone showing up to a non-existent wedding. Then again, all they’d really have to do is apologize and explain that the wedding was called off last-minute and point out their would-be guests would now have a vacation in Fiji without wedding activities to inconvenience them.

“Several things come to mind,” she said as she returned the computer.

Chloe elbowed her. “Okay. We need this to be far enough in advance that it doesn’t feel shotgun, but not too far that everyone can rearrange their schedules for it.”

“So it’s like I forgot to send out the invitations like I said I would and you found them in a box two months after they were supposed to have gone out?”

Chloe looked at her, holding her gaze. “That sounds exactly like something you would do.”

“And we should have it on, like, a Wednesday so it’s super inconvenient. With no holidays around it that people can use to save vacation days.”

“I feel like you’re a secret evil genius,” Chloe said as she flipped through the calendar on her computer. “How about October 2?”

“Perfect.”

They then spent more than an hour Googling Fiji and wedding location options. It took so long because they kept bickering about the venues; Chloe loved one but Beca hated it. Then Beca loved one and Chloe hated it. Every fifteen minutes or so, one of them would remind the other this was all fake and it didn’t matter, and the other would argue that it still had to seem real. They’d finally settled on a resort located on the edge of a rainforest that had more than enough amenities for a destination wedding.

“Well?” Chloe asked when she finished entering the details on the invitation. “Good?”

Beca stared at the screen and what they’d created inviting recipients to their wedding. It made her a little queasy so she swallowed hard. “Perfect.”

They ordered a set of one hundred invitations, response cards, registry cards, and envelopes for it all and agreed to split the expense equally.

“Did we seriously just do that?” Beca asked as she put away her credit card. “That shit is nonrefundable. We just burned five hundred dollars.”

“Think of it as a down payment on my new dinette set.”

“Your new dinette? Pretty sure that’s going to be ours, babe.”

Chloe cocked an eyebrow at her. “Babe?”

Beca blushed. “Wedding fever. Shut up.”

“You’re adorable,” Chloe said with a laugh as she grabbed Beca by the chin to give her a shake. “Careful, or I might marry you for real.”

She blushed even harder, her heart getting lodged in her throat. “Yeah, right, dude.”

“We’ll see,” Chloe said with a wink before hopping off the bed to leave Beca behind, heart still pounding. “It’s my turn to make dinner. What do you want?”

~~~

~~~

“How many names do you have so far?” Chloe asked from her lounging spot lying backward on their bed, feet rocking back and forth next to Beca.

Beca looked at the spreadsheet on her computer; she hated spreadsheets. Loathed them. But Chloe created one for their wedding invitation list so she could have Staples print the addresses on the envelopes once they arrived. Had they planned ahead like actual would-be brides, they’d have had the list ready to import when they ordered the invitations to let the printer do that. But alas. “Thirty-six. It’s hard to figure out who makes sense to invite to my wedding but wouldn’t actually come.”

“If you can get to forty, I can make up the difference.”

“I should invite the CEO of BFD; it’s not like he’d ever come. I’ve never even met him. He’d probably pick one of the expensive gifts, too.”

Chloe sat up quickly and Beca tried not to think about how strong her abs must be to do that. “Beca.”

“What?”

“You’re a genius.” She sat forward so suddenly Beca had a fleeting [stupid] thought that Chloe was about to kiss her but all she did was turn around to sit next to her and look at the list on Beca’s screen. “But don’t add him; I don’t want to put your career at risk. Put your douche boss from Residual Heat instead; there’s no way he’d come.”

“O...kay,” Beca said as she typed his name. She’d have to look up her old studio’s mailing address later. “But why am I a genius?”

“We can invite a handful of CEOs and tech bigwigs who won’t know whether or not we work for them. We send it to their office and their assistant will just buy something off our registry without bothering to look us up.”

“Should I be concerned that your mind is this twisted?” Beca asked as Chloe commandeered her laptop to open Google and start searching.

“Did you forget this was your idea to begin with?”

She watched Chloe pull up the address for the headquarters of Apple. “A little ambitious, don’t you think?”

“Are you kidding? The bigger the company the bigger the chance we get a ‘declines with regret’ and you get that Ableton Push you think I didn’t see you add to our Amazon registry.”

Beca grumbled under her breath to hide her guilt. She’d gotten a little click-happy the other night after a couple beers and added a few non-traditional items to their list like high-end mixing equipment and the new Xbox.

“I’m just going to pick ten companies from the Forbes 500. Let’s see what happens. And now you don’t have to come up with the rest of your list!”

“Sounds great,” she said with a tight-lipped smile.

Something in her gut was telling her they were taking this much too far. But that new Ableton was so, so pretty…

~~~

~~~

“Becs, honey,” Chloe said when Beca opened the door to head to work.

Beca turned, patting herself down to make sure she had her keys and phone. “What’s up?”

“Don’t forget to mail the invitations.” She smiled at Beca and pointed at the shoe box on the table containing their pretty little scams. Amy had stuffed the envelopes for them last night and was naturally agreeable to their little business venture. They’d obliged her request to add an absurd inflatable bounce house to their list as payment for her help as long as she promised to never try to set it up in the apartment.

Beca was pretty sure Amy had her fingers crossed behind her back when she agreed.

She picked it up and rapped her fingernails on it. “Are you sure we should do this? I feel kind of guilty.”

“We got our list down to eighty-nine people we barely know—or don’t know at all. It’s going to be fine. Don’t worry.”

“Yeah, okay,” Beca said with a nod, though being told not to worry didn’t magically erase her concerns. “You’re right. I’ll see you after work. It’s my turn to cook, so text me what you want and I’ll pick it up on my way home.”

“I’m totes going to be the one who actually cooks in this marriage, aren’t I?”

“Trust me; it’s for the best. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, sweetie!”

~~~

~~~

Beca dropped the stack of thick, fancy envelopes into the outgoing mail drop on the corner by her subway stop on her way to work, and that was it.

The deed was done.

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

Three days later...

When Beca came home from work she found Chloe at the table but she wasn’t sipping her usual tea and wearing a smile at Beca’s return.

Instead, she was visibly nervous, her arms crossed and eyes fixed on her untouched tea.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Beca asked and moved to sit across from her. “Are you okay?”

“Promise you won’t get mad?” Chloe said in a small voice, eyes refusing to meet Beca’s.

“It’s hard to promise that when I don’t know what’s wrong, but I’ll try. What’s going on?”

Chloe closed her eyes and sighed. “My parents got one of our invitations.”

“What?!” Beca almost launched from her chair; she gripped the edge of the table to stay put and she saw Chloe flinch at her outburst. She tried to lower voice when she demanded, “How?”

“I checked the spreadsheet because I know I didn’t put them on it.” She sounded on the verge of tears. “But it looks like it got corrupted, like it combined with my Christmas card list.”

Beca’s blood ran cold. “My dad’s on your Christmas card list, too.” She’d barely finished the sentence when her phone started ringing in her pocket. She could hear Chloe’s text alerts almost non-stop from where her phone sat on her bedside table. “Who else ended up on the list?”

Chloe closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Beca pulled her phone from her pocket; she already knew. She didn’t even bother looking at the screen as she swiped the screen to answer it. “Hey, Dad.”

“You and Chloe are getting married?!” he crowed into the phone. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner? Oh, Beca I’m so happy for you both; you’re perfect together!”

“We’re not—wait.” She straightened. “Huh?”

“I knew it was only a matter of time.”

She looked at Chloe across the table who was oblivious to what her father was saying. She seemed to assume it to be terrible the way she was hiding half her face behind her hand. She looked miserable.

“Yeah…” Beca replied. She felt bad; this was all her doing and now Chloe’s going to be humiliated having to tell everyone in her life that she tried to do something dumb. Or that her fake relationship failed. And all her cousins were getting married… “We’re...really happy.”

Chloe’s hand fell and her eyes went wide. “What are you doing?” she whispered.

“And I’m so happy for you. The date is going to be tough for me to get away in the middle of the semester, but there’s no way I’m going to miss my little girl’s big day. Is there a block of rooms reserved for guests? Should I just give your name when I call?”

“Um, no. Sorry. We...we splurged on the trip so we couldn’t lock down rooms for everyone.”

“Don’t you worry; I’ll take care of the rooms. It’s the least I can do. I’ll call the resort and give them my information.” It was Beca’s turn to cover her eyes. “Thanks, Dad. That’s so generous.”

“Anything for you and my soon-to-be daughter-in-law.”

“Thanks. Listen, I just got home and Chloe and I have a lot to talk about. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Sure, pumpkin.”

Beca ended the call and set down her phone with a long exhale. “Shit.”

“What happened?” Chloe asked sounding as sheepish as she did excited.

“He’s...going to pay for everyone’s rooms at the resort for our wedding.”

Chloe blinked hard and sat back. “What?”

“He thinks we’re perfect together. And he wasn’t surprised at all. Well, he was surprised by the wedding. Not about us being together.” Which we’re not. “What did your parents say?”

Chloe cleared her throat. “They offered to pay for the rehearsal dinner and the reception.”

“What?” Beca said with a barked laugh.

“They’re over the moon for us. Asked what took us so long.” She looked like she wanted to disappear into her chair, which was a unique state for Chloe to be in.

“But you didn’t tell them it’s fake.”

“Did you tell your dad it’s fake?” Chloe countered. “No, you didn’t. You just went along with it.”

Beca sank into her chair, too. “And now our parents are ecstatic we’re getting married.” There was a lot to unpack with that fact and all that came with it. Chloe’s texts were still chiming and a minute later, Beca’s started up, too. “Seriously, who else got invited?”

With a sigh, Chloe slid a piece of paper across the table. Printed on it was a spreadsheet set up just like what they’d made to send to Staples, except it was a mish-mash of their distant cousins, millionaire executives, and people they actually knew. Their parents. The owner of the vet clinic Chloe was interning at.

Aubrey, Emily, and the rest of the Bellas.

“Oh, my God, how did this happen?” Beca said with a groan as she crumpled the paper and tossed it toward the trash can. (She missed.)

“I told you: I don’t know! All I can think is that my files were named List1 and List2 and somehow they got combined or maybe I didn’t delete everything from one of them before I saved it.” She reached across the table and grabbed Beca’s hands. “Beca, I’m so, so sorry. I’ll take care of everything. I’ll let everyone know it was just a prank gone wrong.”

Beca was about to agree when she remembered how excited her father sounded. “Your parents were really happy?”

Chloe managed a sad laugh; she still looked on the verge of tears and Beca couldn’t blame her. She felt like she might cry herself. “My mom said she was starting to get worried you were never going to propose.”

“Oh, my God,” Beca said, blushing hard. “She didn’t even know that we were dating. Or, that we weren’t dating. Whatever. What did you say?”

“I told her I asked you.”

“You proposed to me?!” Beca scoffed. “As if you would! I would totally ask you to marry me before you even had a chance!”

Chloe blinked at her, her worry and sadness starting to fade into a soft smile. “You would?”

Beca realized what she’d said and shook her head. “Nevermind. I should have looked at the envelopes before I dropped them off.”

“You didn’t have a reason to. This isn’t your fault.”

“Except that it was all my idea?” Beca said with a crooked smile. “You’d think Amy would have realized they were wrong when she was stuffing them. She knew the plan.”

Chloe sighed and let go of Beca’s hands to run her own through her hair. “Something tells me she knew they got messed up.”

“Why would you think that?”

Chloe shot her a look.

“Because it’s Amy. Right.” She sighed, too. “I need a drink.” Beca stood up and headed for the fridge, the top of which held their liquor collection. “What do you want?”

“Whiskey, neat,” Chloe answered as she pushed aside her tea.

“Yeah. Me, too.”

~~~

~~~

They waited until they were both two whiskeys in before they agreed to get on Skype with Aubrey.

“This is how you tell me you two are a thing?” Aubrey said as she waved the invitation in front of her camera. “A little warning would have been nice.”

“It all happened so fast, Bree,” Chloe said. “I guess living together in such close quarters...well, it brought some things to light.”

It was so convincing that Beca almost believed her. Except she didn’t know why they were lying to Aubrey. Not wanting to immediately disappoint their excited parents was one thing, but going along with it with Aubrey… She nudged Chloe from her spot next to her where they sat closely in bed so they could both be mostly in frame and threw her a look she hoped read, What the hell are you doing?

Chloe just winked at her and slipped her arm behind her to wrap around her waist and pull her closer.

“Well, as disappointed as I am that you didn’t think to tell me, I’m thrilled for you both.”

“You are?” Beca scoffed.

“Why wouldn’t I be? You two are good for each other. And I know you’ll take care of my best friend.”

Beca had to fight hard to not blush. “Yeah. Well...that’s the plan.”

“So, Fiji? I’ve always wanted to go! Do you have a wedding planner? And Chloe, I can’t believe you haven’t asked me to be your Maid of Honor yet! We made a pact!”

Chloe cleared her throat. “Right! I was getting to that! I’d love it if you’d be my Maid of Honor.”

“What are you doing?” Beca muttered from the side of her mouth.

“Asking my bestie to be in our wedding,” Chloe muttered in return.

“I’d be honored!” Aubrey said with a bright grin. “Now you have to let me take over the planning. You can’t do this all by yourselves. Put me in touch with your contact at the resort and I’ll take it over. What have you arranged so far?”

“Well, we could barely get the invitations out without trouble…” Chloe started and Beca elbowed her. “So we haven’t really had a chance to get going yet. We haven’t even put down the deposit to reserve the space yet—”

“Don’t say another word,” Aubrey said with her hand up. “I’m going to take care of that as my gift to you both.”

“Thanks, Bree. That means so much.” Chloe grasped Beca’s hand and pulled it up to kiss it.

Beca just stared at her in shock.

“Right, Becs?”

“Uh, yeah. Right. Thanks, Aubrey,” Beca offered. “We gotta go, though,” she added, desperate to end the torture.

“Okay. Remember to send me that info and I’ll send you the confirmations once I get it taken care of this week.”

“Totes. I’ll text you later.”

“Perfect. Have a good night, you two!”

“Bye!” Chloe chirped and Beca offered a weak wave as Chloe disconnected the call.

“Oh, my God, Chloe, we can’t keep this up!” she said as soon as the screen was blank. “What are we doing?!”

“Everyone’s so excited for us; I don’t want to disappoint them.” Chloe turned a little to look at her and she was so close Beca could see the different specks of light and dark in Chloe’s eyes. “We’ll tell them soon.”

“Aubrey’s going to spend money on this. We can’t let her do that.”

“I’ll wait a few days to send her the info and then we’ll just tell it’s off.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

~~~

~~~

Not two hours had passed when both their phones chimed with a group text from Aubrey to the two of them. Chloe was taking a bath when it came in so Beca opened it and read it aloud so she could hear it.

“Was too excited! Looked up the resort info and got it booked. Oh, my God. They said they didn’t have any record of your interest—gee, I wonder why—and the day was already booked for some corporate retreat but I got them to move it for the wedding. Of course she did. Good thing you let me take care of it! You might not have had a venue. Damn it, Chloe!”

“Well, it’s not my fault!”

“Then whose fault is it?!”

Nothing but silence followed from behind the shower curtain.

(Chapter 2)

#bechloe #fdau #fake dating au #WITH A TWIST #fanfic #fade into you

[bfgplanner]

Lately...

So, I’ve been pretty slack when it comes to keeping up with updating this page. I guess that sometimes life happens really fast, and that’s exactly how I would describe the last couple of months! The purpose of this blog was intended to track my progress with running, something I’m still and will always be passionate about, but, well, I haven’t been running. At all...

...because... (click below to read a whole lot more)

Shortly after we got home from Guatemala, we found out that I was pregnant! This had been a goal of ours for 2019, but we had absolutely no idea it would happen as quickly as it did, and we feel very fortunate for that. 

The week that I found out, I was TERRIFIED to run. In fact, Not only that, but I was worried about moving too much, eating too little, not drinking enough water, letting my heart rate get too high, eating a ‘forbidden’ food, etc etc. I was being totally unrealistic about the damage I could do to what was at that time a tiny cluster of cells hidden safely deep inside my body. 

After a week, though, this constant anxiety got old, and as happens when you suddenly cease being active, I started feeling pretty awful. This was not how I was going to spend 9 months of my life. I started running again, tentatively at first, but then I worked back to my normal pace and distance for about a week. Unfortunately, I had a couple of spotting episodes immediately after runs, and it scared me enough to decide to hold off on running until I’m safely into my second trimester, when everything becomes a bit safer. 

Instead, I’ve been spending my workout time in the gym on less jarring exercises: cycling, using the stair machine, elliptical, etc. And of course, plenty of weight training. I’ve noticed that staying active has definitely helped me cope with the overall crummy feeling that the first trimester brings. I’m very fortunate to not have had traditional morning sickness in the form of vomiting when I wake up. Instead, the surge of hormones has manifested itself in more of an all-day feeling of sea sickness (bleh). To say that I’m ready to feel like myself again is an understatement :)

The last couple of months have been full of difficult conversations involving big lifestyle changes. We are city people through and through. We love the life we’ve built in Hoboken over the past six years, and of course, half of our hearts are just across the Hudson in NYC. It’s safe to say we split our time evenly between the two cities. Initially, we decided that we wanted to stay in Hoboken until it was time for middle school, we just couldn’t picture ourselves leaving. It didn’t help that one of my best friends, also in Hoboken, found out she was pregnant only 3 days before me. We would chat endlessly about the playdates we would have and how we would have the best maternity leave ever together. But then I came back down to earth and started thinking more realistically about what our lives would like like in Hoboken with an infant. 

We would have to upgrade to a two bedroom apartment of course, which meant going through another move (anyone who’s lived in a housing-competitive city knows how much of a hassle this is). There’s no telling how pissed off our new neighbors would be by a crying infant at all hours of the night, which for me was beyond anxiety inducing. Then, at only 7 weeks pregnant (even before my first scan which is insane), I was already researching Hoboken infant care centers and setting up appointments to go tour them because I didn’t want to risk being wait listed. There was some major sticker shock to learn that the average infant care price was $2400/month. Of course, nannies (even shared) are over $3k. 

For weeks, I was waking up in the middle of the night with major anxiety about all of this. It was all do-able, but was it worth it? Were the suburbs really that bad that we were avoiding considering them like the plague? Over the course of a couple weeks, we had an epiphany. We wanted a space to call our own. We wanted an actual house we could paint and decorate. We wanted a yard where we could plant flowers and have cookouts. We didn’t want to hear our neighbors television anymore. We wanted enough space to host family if they wanted to come help us with the baby (Darryl’s parents just retired so we’ll take all the free babysitting we can get!). 

More importantly, after we crunched the numbers with a mortgage broker, we realized we didn’t want to keep throwing away MORE MONEY on renting a one bedroom apartment than it would cost to buy a four bedroom house. 

So the search for the perfect town began. Anyone familiar with New Jersey knows there are hundreds of commuter towns in the NYC suburbs to choose from, it can all seem a bit overwhelming. Our criteria was (what we felt) simple: a quick and easy commute to the city (where I work and many of our friends live), highly rated schools (so weird to think that this was a criteria for us now), a centralized and bustling downtown (with local businesses and not many chains) and plenty of park space. We began where most of our transplanted friends had ended up- in Bergen and Essex counties. We had assumed we would end up somewhere like Glen Ridge, Montclair or Glen Rock. We spent a weekend scoping out these towns and visiting open houses. I can’t say exactly what it was, but they just weren’t doing it for us. We just didn’t feel any connection to these areas, and we both despise the traffic and feel of highway 17 and the Parkway. It’s just so congested up there. Out of the three, Montclair was our favorite, but for the type of house we were looking for, we were unfortunately priced out of the area. We were conflicted because we weren’t willing to consider anything further north than Ridgewood. Our only option was to look south, which was tough because we don’t really have any friends who have moved this direction and haven’t spent any time there. Someone suggested Westfield, so we did some digging and decided to check it out. 

What a change from the congestion in Bergen county! We drove around a bit and checked out the downtown area, which was a real downtown. It was adorable with just one drawback, nearly all of the shops and restaurants were some familiar chain. Ugh. We still popped into a few open houses, but again, there was something missing for us. We decided to see if there were any open houses in any of the surrounding towns because we knew next to nothing about the area. We ended up finding some in the neighboring town of Cranford and, well, this is where it looks like our new chapter in life will begin.

It was literally love at first sight in Cranford. There are the most beautiful parks (the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, so this certainly helped), and we ended up spending the afternoon strolling the charming downtown checking out the local coffee shop, brewery and restaurants. Everyone seems to walk and bike throughout town, there isn’t much driving done, which is exactly our style. There are quite a few city transplants there, mostly our age who are starting families as well. The schools are great, and the homes were in our price range.

Fast forward a couple weeks, and an offer we made on a Cranford home (that we love!) was accepted and we’re that much closer to living in the burbs. 

What a whirlwind! Much, much more to come as we enter this totally new, totally exciting stage of life :)

Side note: While I will greatly miss all the Spanish wine, it looks like our 2 weeks in Spain in July will be much more than our summer holiday, it will be our babymoon! :)

[h-styles-babes]

Bad Habit | Part IV

And I’m back with Part IV. I hope you guys enjoy! As always, feedback is much appreciated xx

Read Part III here. 

FOUR

Harry and Viv stumbled into her flat at around seven that evening. Viv had never been on a date that lasted more than a couple hours, let alone the over seven she’d spent with Harry. They’d returned to her complex about an hour and half earlier, but then they’d decided to go to the pub just down the street for a couple drinks and maybe some chips. They were pretty full on snacks and popcorn from their time at the cinema, but they figured something absorbent was good if they were going to be drinking a bit. Viv had no intention of getting anywhere close to drunk, but she didn’t mind being a little bit tipsy.

Which was exactly what she aimed for as her and Harry sat at a tall table beside each other, laughing at embarrassing stories they were telling about each other from their time in school. Viv snorted out a laugh at some point and Harry teased her lightly about how cute it was, so she tossed a chip at his face, which he whined lightly about before tossing one back at her. They giggled some more and sipped on their drinks. Harry had been pleasantly surprised when she’d ordered a bottle of Heineken when asked by a server. She struck him as more of a mixed drink sort of girl, but she’d continued with the beer throughout the time they were there. She’d only had three bottles by the time they left, so she was just pleasantly buzzed but still had her wits about her.

Harry seemed to be in a similar state, slinging his arm around her waist as they walked back to her building in the briskness of the evening. Viv was only then beginning to regret her choice to wear a dress, but she knew she’d be back in her cosy flat soon, so she didn’t worry about it too much.

When they got to front entrance, Harry stopped and made to bid her farewell for the night. He figured this was the end of their time together for the day, and he’d have to call for a cab or an Uber to take him back to his, since he didn’t quite feel like walking back home in the cold. He supposed he could always call Niall, but he was sure his flatmate was already headed out for a party, seeing as it was a Friday night. He was almost certain that the Irishman would already be a few pints in and in no shape to be coming to pick up Harry and take him back to their home.

“Come inside?” Viv asked him, biting at her bottom lip a bit shyly. Harry was a bit surprised by her offer, but he wasn’t about to turn her down. He didn’t have any plans to do anything ungentlemanly with her, considering this was still only their first date, but he was more than willing to accept her hospitality and the warmth her flat would provide.

So, they went up to her flat, giggling a bit when Viv had to try twice before successfully getting the key into the lock. Viv kicked off her boots as soon as she closed the door behind her, so Harry did the same, wiggling his socked toes as he steadied Viv as sh struggled with her second boot. When she finally got it off, she sighed and smiled up at him.

“Would yeh like anything to drink?” she asked. “Can make some tea, if yeh’d like.”  

“That would be great, thanks,” Harry agreed.

Viv nodded as she shrugged out of her coat, gesturing for him to do the same. “Make yourself at home. I’m gonna put the kettle on.”

Harry wandered into Viv’s living room as she went to put the kettle on. He had intentions to just make a spot for himself on the couch until she came back, but he noticed she had bookshelves in the living room that were filled to the brim with books, CDs, records, music sheets, photographs, cards that looked like they were from a recent birthday, and a bunch of little knickknacks that looked like they were from different parts of the world.

He set his eyes on a photograph that was in a shiny silver frame. It was of what he assumed was Viv’s family at a wedding. It was one of the married couple and some family and the wedding party. The bride and the groom in the center were beaming happily, each tucked into the other’s side. Viv was stood immediately to the bride’s right, dressed in a pretty lavender gown that brushed around her ankles, showing off her silver heels and what looked to be a tattoo on her left foot, holding her own small bouquet of flowers. By her side was an older woman in a light grey gown that reached the floor, a black shawl around her shoulders, her blond hair cut in a stylish bob. Stood behind the both of them was a gentleman that looked to be the same age as the woman, smiling proudly in a nice suit, his wavy hair the same chestnut colour as Viv’s. Harry supposed these were Viv’s parents.

On the other side of the groom was a boy that looked to be slightly younger than Vivian wearing a tux that was the same grey as the groom’s, his hair blond like the older woman’s. He was tall, too, like the older man, his grin the same. Stood beside him was a much younger boy, probably with or nine, beaming a slightly toothless smile and the same chestnut as Viv, wearing a miniature version of the grey tux. They all looked quite smart, and it looked to be early autumn, as the photo was taken outside and the leaves of the trees were all bright red and orange. Everyone looked incredibly happy.

“That’s from my brother’s wedding last year,” Viv said to him, suddenly appearing beside him. She slid herself close and pointed out everyone in the photo as she told him their names. “That’s my older brother, Oliver.” She pointed to the groom. “Those are my two younger brothers, Jamie and Carter. And those are my parents.” She pointed to the two older people in the frame, confirming Harry’s suspicions. “Oliver’s wife is called Lily.”

“You were a bridesmaid?” Harry guessed by the colour of her dress matching the guys’ ties and the ribbon tied around the bride’s bouquet.

“Maid of Honour. Lily’s been my best mate since we were in Year 3.”

Harry turned to look at her with wide eyes. “Your older brother married your best friend since yeh were little?”

Viv laughed at his surprise. She bit her lip to quell her giggles. “Yeah. Oliver’s only two years older than us. I always reckoned they fancied each other when we were younger. They didn’t start actually dating until we were in our last year of secondary and Oliver was in sixth form. My parents thought it was kinda odd, since they saw Lily as a sort of sister to Oliver, since she was around to much when we were growin’ up, but I was elated. Oli proposed the New Year’s before.”

“They’re so young,” Harry observed, figuring Lily was only twenty, like Viv, making Oliver twenty-two. He didn’t know anyone personally that was married, yet. And their wedding was over a year previous, so they had to have been nineteen and twenty-one, Harry figured.

Viv shrugged. “They’re each other’s soul mate. They didn’t see any point in waiting until they were in their mid-twenties or summat.”

“Are they still in school?” Harry asked, still surprised two people could love each other so much that they’d get married so young. He couldn’t even fathom it, really.

“Oliver’s a teacher now,” Viv told him. “He teaches Year 3 at a private school. Lily’s still going to school. They live in Surrey.”

“So they’re not far.” Viv shook her head with a smile. “Do yeh see them often?” “Lily and I get together about once a month, when we can both find time. She’s studying biology, so she’s a bit more busy than I am. I see my brother occasionally. Mostly at holidays and birthdays.”

“And the rest of your family?” Harry asked.

The kettle started whistling then, so Viv gestured for him to follow her so she could continue answering his questions.

“My parents and younger siblings live in Reading. My parents are professors at the uni there.” Viv poured some water into mugs over bags of Earl Grey tea. “What do they do?”

“My mum’s a zoology professor. She mostly teaches about marine animals. She does research with her grad students about the migration and growth patterns of sea urchins.” Harry made an impressed sound in his throat and Viv smiled. She’d always been proud of all her mum’s research, even if it took up a lot of her time, especially when they were younger. “My dad is an archaeology professor. Ancient cultures and all that. Mostly ancient Greek and Roman civilisations.”

“And your younger brothers?” Harry asked as Viv handed him a mug, following her back into the living room to sit at the little love seat she had in there.

“Jamie is seventeen. He’s at the local college doing his A-levels. Wants to go to Germany for uni, though, for some reason. Not that I begrudge him wanting to get out of the area, but that’s pretty far.” Viv blew on her tea, pursing her lips in a way that had Harry biting his bottom lip, too distracted to even try to tend to his own mug. “Carter’s only just turned eleven, so he just started secondary this term. Thinks he’s finally catchin’ up to threats of us.” Viv laughed.

“Why the age gap?” There was six years between Carter and Jamie, which seemed large when there were only two and three years between the other siblings.

Viv snorted, which made Harry smile. He’d teased her about it earlier, but he actually found it quite adorable. “He was a bit of a surprise. Oliver was too, I suppose. My parents were only in their first year of grad school when Oli was born. Jamie and I were planned after that. They thought they were done, but Mum found out she was pregnant when Jamie was six. Bit of a shock for us all. We were still young, but we’d all accepted Jamie was the baby. Then Carter showed up and messed up the dynamics.”

“You’re still a middle child, though,” Harry pointed out with a raise of his brow. There were things to be said of middle children.

“But I’m the only girl,” she countered, obviously picking up what Harry was trying to say.

“Touche,” he nodded.

“What about you? What’s your family like, Harry?”

“It’s just four of us,” he shrugged. His family was much less exciting than Viv’s, he thought. “My mum, Anne, works from home doing charity stuff. She’s a coordinator of some sort. She’s always planning stuff and attending charity events.” It was Viv’s turn to make an impressed sound. Harry smiled. “My mum’s the best person I’ve ever known. Never met anyone kinder.”

“Explains where yeh get it from,” Viv mused.

“I’d like to think so,” Harry nodded, a small smile still tugging at his lips. “Then there’s Robin, my stepdad. He’s perfect for mum. Just as nice and always happy. Good enough a man to take on a woman with a bratty teenage daughter and a weird son.”

“You’ve got a sister?” Viv asked, somehow not at all surprised by this revelation. Harry seemed the type to learn all he knew about handling and interacting with women from years of carefully maneuvering a moody older sister.

“Yeah, Gemma. She’s three years older than me. Lives with her boyfriend in London, now. She’s working on gettin’ her business off the ground.”

“What’s she do?”

“She owns a boutique in Covent Garden. Does well for herself.” Harry smiled proudly, his relationship with his sister obviously much better than he was letting on.

“They sound lovely,” Viv nodded, smiling at Harry over the rim of her mug.

Harry set aside his own mug on her coffee table. He took to folding the sleeves of his shirt up his forearms, her flat much warmer than he anticipated. He was feeling a bit warm, though, that could have been her Viv’s presence. She made his heart race in a way that he hadn’t experienced in a while. It was overwhelming and completely welcome all the same.

“They are. My parents live in Cheshire, though, so I don’t see them save for holidays, now. Gem and I’ll have lunch every so of—”

Viv suddenly started choking on her tea, sputtering with her eyes wide. She lunged to reach for a napkin she’d brought in with her that was laying on the coffee table. She dabbed at her mouth to clean up the splattered tea, coughing to clear her lungs of the inhaled liquid. Harry fretted over her, rubbing her back. “Yeh alright?” he asked, his concern genuine in his tone and the crumple of his features. Viv would find it amazing if she wasn’t currently freaking out.

Her eyes had zeroed in on his arms as he’d rolled his sleeves up. Mostly the movement had caught her attention, but then she’d stayed transfixed because she was finally going to get to see his exposed forearms, which she had been wanting after brief glances at his hands. She’d seen through jumpers and jackets the pull of his broad shoulders, so she was exceedingly curious about what the rest of his body looked like. She imagined he was lean and sinewy, so this was her first opportunity at discovering it for herself.

However, she’d gasped as the tattoos that littered his left arm were revealed, causing her to inhale the tea she was sipping, throwing her into a coughing fit as she tried to expel the liquid.

As she looked over the familiar tattoos, she was berating herself. How had she not noticed the rings that adorned nearly all his fingers. A week of avoiding being caught looking at his hands for fear that he’d find her weird meant she’d never properly looked at the rings, let alone the little cross tattoo that sat between his thumb and first finger of his left hand. How had she never noticed? She felt like an absolute idiot.

Because those were hands and arms that she was just a bit too acquainted with. Not on any personal levels, of course, but acquainted all the same. Because those were forearms she’d seen straining with a pumping motion, making her mouth water.

Because those were hands she’d seen wrapped around an impressive cock, their stroking driving her to her own orgasm over the course of minutes or hours.

Because she suddenly realised that Harry was UniBoy94, and her brain didn’t know how to reconcile this information very well without making her choke. “Oh my god,” Viv groaned as soon as she was able. Her face was already hot from the near-choking thing, but now she was also extremely embarrassed, because she wasn’t quite sure she could play this off, and she’d probably have to tell Harry the truth. She knew about the real way he made money because she contributed to it. She’d watched him get himself off too many times to count, and he’d commented to her directly during one of his livestreams. It was all too much, honestly. “Jesus Christ. Motherfucker.”

“Viv, are yeh okay?” Harry asked, still very much concerned about her choking. She wanted to swat his hands away and tell him to stop touching her, but: a) she really didn’t want that because she quite liked having Harry’s hands on her and b) there was no reason for her to be upset with him. She was just entirely flustered by this whole situation that she’d ultimately gotten herself into.

“Sorry,” she croaked out, shaking her head. She cleared her throat to try to make herself sound normal again. “I inhaled my tea on accident.”

“Yeh sure?” he asked, a bit skeptical, though, still concerned about her wellbeing. “Yeh seem a bit flustered.”

Why, yes, Harry. Now that you mention it, I am quite flustered. I am flustered because I just realised you’re the boy that I watch jerk himself off to the internet nearly every Tuesday and Thursday.

Instead, she went with, “I, uh—” She coughed again to try to think of what she was going to say. Should she lie to him and pretend like she never figured out that he’s UniBoy94?  Could she actually continue seeing him with her revelation sitting between them? Or should she just come out with it and get it out in the open as soon as possible? Surely he couldn’t judge her for watching strangers jerk off on the internet when he himself was a stranger that jerked off on the internet. Surely.

Option #3 sounded best to her, since she liked her relationships—both romantic and platonic—to be as honest as possible. She supposed this was a testament to her beliefs.

“I, uh—” she started again. “I just, uh…realised something, I suppose.”

Way to not beat around the bush, Vivian.

“What’d yeh realise?” Harry asked, more confused now than anything by the way his brows creased in the center. He expected her to say she’d left the stove on or she’d forgotten her purse at the bar. But he’d watched her turn the burner off when she’d poured the water, and he’d taken her purse from her when they shucked their shoes and coats in the entryway. So, yes, he was confused.

Viv took a deep breath and decided to really just go for it. No beating around the bush, no stalling, no bullshitting. Just complete honesty and a hope for the best outcome. She wasn’t sure what she thought that was, though.

“I just realised you’re the man I’ve been watching masturbate on the internet twice a week for the last few months.”

It was Harry’s turn to choke, except it was only his own saliva, so the spluttering was minimal and he coughed a few times to clear it. “Yeh’ve what?” he mumbled.

“Yeah, not my most appropriate confession,” Viv admitted, forcing a chuckle to try to make this all less awkward. She was pretty sure it wasn’t working. “Figured it was best to just get it out there, though, seein’ as I’ve just figured it out.”

Harry stared at her with wide eyes for a few silent beats before squeezing his eyes shut and taking a few deep breaths. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to figure out how to have this conversation or devising a way to rid himself of her and get out of her flat as quickly as possible, but she allowed him his time either way. She knew this was a bit of a shock to him, too, and she didn’t want to push him. She was shocked, too, but at least she wasn’t the one who the other’d seen naked multiple times. She supposed she did have a slight advantage here.

With eyes still closed, but now just resting instead of squeezed, he began to breathe out, “So, you’re tellin’ me…th-that you’re subscribed to me. And yeh’ve seen me—seen me masturbate.” He cleared his throat and peeked his eyes open, looking at her like he was a cornered animal for some reason. Did he think she was gonna make fun of him for getting off for strangers for money? Who was she to judge? She was one of those strangers that paid him to watch him jerk off! If anything, she was the one that should be judged here.

“Uh…ye—yeah, that’s what I’m sayin’,” Viv confirmed with a slight bob of her head. Could this possibly be anymore awkward? Probably not, she thought, but she wasn’t really willing to find out, so she pushed on, hoping to relieve some of the tension that had settled over them. “I just want to make it clear that I’m not, like…judgin’ yeh for it, or anything, Harry. For what yeh do to make money. Honestly, if I looked half as good as you do, I’d be doin’ the same thing. And I’m one of the pathetic fucks that pays to watch yeh jerk off, so I’m not exactly in any position to criticise, am I? And I’m sorry if I’ve made things weird by tellin’ yeh that I know, but I really don’t like to lie to people if I don’t have to. Whether or not yeh still want to see me, you’re friends with Liam, yeah? So I’d spend time with yeh occasionally, anyway. And I don’t think I could’ve carried on very long carryin’ that around with me. And I don’t want yeh to think that I see yeh any differently now that I’ve put it together. You’re still the Harry the I’ve been gettin’ to know over the last week. I still think you’re great and funny and kind. And I’d really like to keep gettin’ to know yeh, if yeh’d let me. Or if it’s too weird for yeh for me to know, then that’s okay, too. Whatever yeh want, Harry. I just—”

She was very aware that she was rambling at that point, but she couldn’t stop it. It was just spilling out like a leaky faucet. She’d actually run out of breath, so she had to pause to fill her lungs, but Harry stopped her before she could get going again.

He scooted toward her on the couch almost timidly, but there was also a sort of resolve in his eyes that made them sparkle. He reached a hand out to place on her bright red cheek, letting the tips of his fingers sift through her hair. Her breath stuttered in her throat, and Harry watched as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, chewing at it lightly. He nearly groaned as he saw the tip of her pink tongue dart out to lick over it and guide it in. After everything she’d just word vomited, he still found her much too attractive for his own good.

“Viv?” he asked, his voice quiet after the loud, prolonged rambling of Viv’s voice.

Vivian gulped before responding. “Yeah?”

“Just…be quiet for a second, yeah?.

The look in his eyes was a it intense, so Viv squeaked out, “Okay.”

Before she could really understand what was happening, she felt Harry’s lips press against her own, warm and soft and tasting just like mint.

#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles imagine #harry styles oneshot #harry styles smut #harry styles fluff #harry styles fanfic #uni au #cam model au #harry styles au

[kylieryanette]

Life and Decisions

I want to start this blog by apologizing for the delay. We took my son on vacation for his birthday and it took a very big toll on me. I was in flare up for a little over a week and basically just slept the entire time as my blood pressure was hovering around 80/50 and my pulse was struggling to get above 50. These flare ups take a lot out of me, but thankfully I have a wonderful family, son, boyfriend, and best friend who all helped to take care of me and made sure I was ok. Thankfully I was able to pull out of it on my own and I didn't have to go to the ER for fluids this time, progress! So, I've talked a lot about Dirk's side of the family, so I'd like to introduce you to my mother's side.

My grandmother, Carlene, grew up in Bloomfield, IA and was an honors english teacher for years. She passed away on June 24th, 2019, after fighting a thoracic aneurysm. She married my grandpa, Phil, on Christmas day 1965, right before he was deployed to Vietnam. Grandpa was also raised in Bloomfield. They had 3 children, my mom, my aunt Trisha, and finally, their son, Chad (you will find out why I refuse to call him "uncle" later in my blog). They grew up very poor, but full of family love and friendship. Everyone got together for birthdays, holidays, and when we moved to Bloomfield, we would have family dinners on Sundays. It was during this time that I met a lot of the people who would influence my life and decisions later in life. One of these people would have more of an impact than I could even imagine.

I met Austin Owen when I was 3 months old, right after he was born. Our mother's were best friends in high school, and she dated his uncle, Michael, all throughout her high school years. We were also around his paternal family, the Finneran's, quite often during my first few years of life. We would reconnect during the summer between my 6th and 7th grade years, at 12 years old, and we fell in love that summer. A love that would not let go until April 2020, at age 32, 20 years. When we moved back to Bloomfield in December 2002, we decided that we would be together, and we were, for about a year. He broke up with my right before homecoming 2003, and right after my life started to really unravel.

In October 2003, we lost our home in Glenwood, IA to a complete loss fire. Dirk had still been staying there during the week as both of our labradors, Lacy and Drake, were still there and he was still working in Omaha. He had been in Bloomfield that weekend, and the fire happened late Sunday night, after he had gotten home and gotten to bed. Thankfully, the dogs were able to wake him up and alert him of the fire. This should have been the end, but of course, it wasn't. The insurance company refused to pay, and instead, had the fire marshall investigate, and they brought Dirk up on arson and insurance fraud charges, something that would prevent them from getting a mortgage in Bloomfield until the charges were cleared up. This would prove to be the start of the end of my parents marriage.

My mother spent hours upon hours researching, reading the court transcripts and expert reports, doing more work than the lawyers. While she was doing this, Dirk had a girlfriend in Glenwood, and another in Des Moines, which was not anything new as this was a pretty constant thing for him, and he never really tried to hide it, from any of us. At one point, Dirk left while Kaitie and I were at school, draining the bank account, and just disappearing for a while, just to come back a week or so later with gifts, the typical Dirk way of apologizing without actually saying "I'm sorry". Right after this incident came the final straw for my mother. She and Dirk were in a verbal altercation in the living room of our rental house on N. West street in Bloomfield. I was in my bedroom trying to drown out the noise, until I heard Dirk say "you're a fucking cunt". That was it, I was DONE! I came out of my room, pissed as hell, and proceeded to chuck the remote control at his head. I missed, my aim for throwing was never any good. He came barreling at me and I ran into my bedroom, slamming my door behind me. He ripped my door off, pinned me down on my bed, all 120lbs of me underneath his hulking 250+lbs body. He had my by the throat with one hand and his other he had drawn back into a fist, I braced myself for what was coming. Thankfully, my mother came in screaming at him that she was going to call the police. She actually had to insert herself between his fist and me. He released my throat after what seemed like forever, and walked out of the front door. I remember having to remind myself to breathe, as I had been holding my breath during the entire altercation. I cried, she cried, we cried together on my bed holding each other, another bullet thankfully missed because of the quick actions of my mother.

Shortly after this, I started dating a man named Brock. He was smart, funny, and athletic, which is what I wanted at that time. I was so excited to have him meet my family, as Dirk had been back for a couple of days. I brought Brock into the front door and was greeted by mom and Dirk sitting on the couch, Dirks bags and suitcases all packed and ready to go. The first and only thing Dirk said was "I'm leaving", I turned to Brock and said "This is my family", not sure whether to be sad, embarrassed, happy, I had so many emotions flowing through me, it was a lot for my 17 year old mind to process in that instant. Even though I had been miserable, I had always feared being a "statistic", being in a divorce situation, splitting holidays (which turned out to never be an issue), having step-parents/siblings. What would life look like now? How would we do being on our own? He wasn't going to stick around Bloomfield, he made that perfectly clear. He ended up moving to Des Moines, in with a woman who he was proud to have "turned" from being a lesbian to being with him, *insert eye roll here*. He was also seeing a woman named Dawn, from Glenwood during this time. This would be the last time we would all be together under the same roof as a "family".

After Dirk left for good, mom took a job at the local newspaper so that she could be around more and could continue coaching us and being there for everything. This took a huge financial toll on her, and I had gotten my CNA during my junior year in high school, so I got a job at the local care center, working 2-10 on weekends and making around $12/hr, which was amazing for a high school kid. I tried to pay for anything I wanted beyond the essentials. My aunts Jodi and Gina, were gracious enough to pay for my senior pictures, class ring, and graduation materials, as we could not afford it. I continued to maintain my 4.3 GPA, remained active in all of my activities, clubs, choir etc. I took a lot of college classes my junior and senior year, graduating high school as a first semester sophomore in college. I was a very busy kid, but it kept my mind busy so I didn't have to deal with the mental and emotional pain, the physical pain from my medical conditions was still plaguing me, but I'd always been told to "rub some dirt in it and walk it off", so that's the approach I took to every aspect of life. Much easier said than done. I made some horrible decisions during this time.

My last year of high school and first year of college were a big party that included drinking, a lot, smoking pot when I could, smoking cigarettes, sneaking out, and sleeping around trying to find love and connection in anyone I could. I hated myself for a long time because of these decisions, decisions that I have now forgiven myself for because I know where they came from. No, I AM NOT condoning these actions, I'm just giving myself some grace, something I struggled with for years and years. Grace is such a powerful thing, not only to receive, but to give as well. It is amazing how much you can achieve when you learn about grace and its impact in your life. Grace saved me, and it continues to save me every day.

#trauma #self healing #narcissisticrecovery #mental health

[rainythefox]

Nightfall (CH.12)

Synopsis: Pre-Resident Evil 1, slight-AU/Canon Divergence. Claire Redfield comes home to visit her  brother Chris for the holidays but gets caught up in a dangerous game of  cat and mouse with Albert Wesker, the Captain of STARS, after stumbling  upon dark secrets. She can’t call the law; Wesker is the law, and she  can’t tell Chris. She is trapped…Claire/Wesker & Slight  Chris/Jill. Rated M for eventual smut, language, violence, adult content.

AO3 Link

Chapter 12: Complicit

Claire couldn’t believe this was happening. After two days of “late night babysitting” preparing for this…mission, she was about to actually undergo it. She was kinda freaking out deep down, but her Redfield nerve and composure never broke a sweat on the outside.

She lingered, eyes firmly set on the double glass doors and the welcoming signs, faint traces of snow dancing around her. Would she be able to do this?

“Losing your nerve already? Pity. Thought you redheads had more spunk than this...”

Wesker’s velvety voice crept through the tiny headphone hidden in her right ear. It wasn’t the only thing he attached to her. There was a video camera, the smallest and most advanced she had ever seen, and some kind of tracker, like he needed another way to keep her under his thumb. All to “help” her during this important task at hand that he so generously gave to her. And by generously, there were implications if she didn’t go through with this, that Chris would have a bad “accident”.

“The only nerve I’m about to lose is my last one with you,” she muttered, careful to not talk too loud as a few people slipped by her to enter the building, eager to get out of the dark evening's cold. “I’m ready when you are.”

Wesker’s low laugh through the earpiece made her shiver more than the icy wind blowing the snowflakes around. “I’m always ready, Claire. You should know that by now.”

“Whatever.” Ignoring the dark implications behind his words.

“I have the utmost faith in you, my dear. Do not disappoint me. You know the consequences.”

The younger Redfield took a deep breath. This was it. She would do this…she had to, for Chris.

She headed up the concrete steps and entered Raccoon University, bypassing the positive and welcoming signs advertising “Exclusive Open House for Umbrella’s Future Leaders!”

Claire immediately took notice of all the college students her age and even some older people here. The large, fancy lobby was decorated up for the occasion. There were balloons, finger foods and drinks, more signs and several tables for information on Umbrella programs, internships, scholarships, and grants. Distracted by all the dress up and people, Claire paused to get her bearings, only for someone to bump into her.

“Oh…sorry,” a girl around her age mumbled, wearing a green jacket and looking of Japanese descent. She smiled apologetically and readjusted her backpack strap. Claire noticed right away she seemed a little spacey, but didn’t think much on it.

“All good,” she replied and allowed the girl to pass. Claire watched her walk over to the corner by some of the many leather lounge chairs and tables, sitting with a girl in a yellow hoodie with a long braid and glasses.

“Hello everyone, and welcome to Umbrella’s Open House!” The voice immediately drew Claire’s attention and she turned towards the front desk of the lobby, where three men stood in suits. She immediately recognized them from the research and planning she had gone through for the past two days in order to do this assignment. The man speaking was Greg Mueller, a professor here at the university that also worked for Umbrella. On his right stood another professor and Umbrella researcher, Simon Lowery. The man on the left was well-known Umbrella researcher and medical doctor, Nathanial Bard.

“We hope you are enjoying the delicious food and beverages catered to us by our local favorite restaurant, Grill 13,” Mueller continued. “And of course, staying warm from good ‘ol RC snow. Now, before we begin with tonight’s exciting tour of our historical university, introductions are in order! I’m Dr. Greg Mueller, head of the Research and Lab department of the University and I teach several courses. With me is my colleague and good friend, Dr. Simon Lowery. He’s essential to my team here and makes sure that everything runs smoothly and you have him to thank for some amazing programs to help you on your journey to a brighter future here. Last, but certainly not least, our special guest tonight is the revered Dr. Nathanial Bard of Spencer Memorial Hospital, whose achievements are nothing short of ground-breaking, and he will help you get started on which of Umbrella’s programs will serve you best. I’m going to hand the mic to Simon now.”

Lowery looked to be the younger of the three and wasn’t shy when he took the mic from his colleague. “Thanks Greg. Hello everyone! You know, this is the third year Greg and I have helmed this open house in search of bright pupils with a future at Umbrella Corporation. We have fun every year, and it’s always great meeting every single one of you. Now take your time, visit, mingle, get to know each other, make yourself at home and help yourselves to all this delicious food - I personally recommend the smoked sausages, they’re my favorite! - and please check out each booth we have set up for more information on what programs Umbrella has to offer for you, and we will go into depth later on after the tour. Dr. Bard, would you like to say anything?”

“Of course,” he said and snatched the mic with a wide, fake grin. “There’s something for everyone here. You absolutely will not leave empty handed. Umbrella cares about each and every one of your futures, and we are here to help. It’s my personal mission to make sure every individual will get the help and information they need to ensure a prosperous future. You have my word! Welcome to Umbrella’s open house!”

The three men put up the microphone and split up to join the chatting groups of visitors. Claire kept her cool, getting herself a cup of spiced cider and checking out the information booths just like everyone else.

She could certainly understand why Wesker was using her in this infiltration. There was no doubt she blended right in with the crowd of college ready young adults. She could tell by overhearing bits of conversations that many were already students here at the university while others were newcomers.

The hardest part was waiting. She couldn't get to the next step of the plan if they didn’t go on the tour around the university. So the younger Redfield put on a charming smile and worked the crowd, pretending to be one of them, fishing for information as she waited.

"Such a charmer you are, dear heart. But be careful of whom you charm. Some snakes are immune to the flute."

"Like you?" Claire whispered.

"I'm impervious to the charms of nearly everyone. Most people are just so predictable and boring. Thankfully, you are not ‘most people’...”

Is he really flirting with me over the radio or am I just hearing things? Claire sighed. As if she didn’t have enough on her plate at the moment!

“Oh! Tell her to sneak some shrimp into Nate’s food. I wanna see the dickhole swell up like a balloon and choke.”

She stood corrected, instantly, after William talked smack on the other side. But his big mouth didn’t get to say anything else before a loud yelp rang her eardrum and all became quiet again.

Claire shook her head, but soon a tall figure slipped around from behind her and greeted her with a smile that was more lecherous than cordial.

“Good evening! Dr. Nathanial Bard, how are you, Miss?”

He extended his hand. Claire panicked for a moment because she never came up with a fake identity even after Wesker’s insistence upon it. He had said the chances of her being approached were slim, but not impossible.

“Do not give him your real name. You’ll want to drop conversation with him as quickly and as inconspicuously as possible.”

As Bard frowned, the name finally hit her and Claire eased a fake smile that looked natural. “Elza. Elza Walker. Nice to meet you, Dr. Bard.” She took his hand and shook it, internally gagging.

His eyebrows rose high. “That is such a pretty and unique name. You from Raccoon City?”

“No, sir. In town visiting family. I was thinking about transferring to Raccoon University and a friend told me about the open house. Figured I’d give it a try and see.”

She could feel his eyes skim over her, not near as clandestine as Wesker was, and, dare she admit, not near as tantalizing as him either. Claire squeezed the cup of hot spiced cider in her hand, restraining herself from splashing it in his face.

Bard’s smile widened. “Well, I think you’re in luck, my dear!”

The younger Redfield didn’t realize how much she secretly liked Wesker’s pet names for her until it came from someone else’s tongue. She internally shook her head. Now was not the time to start having the warm fuzzies for that asshole. Claire could hardly believe she was even thinking in this direction. Had to be the stress of going undercover while quite literally having Wesker breathe down her neck...yes, that was it. It had to be.

Get it together!

“There’s a program for everyone! Umbrella Corporation wants you to succeed! Grants, scholarships! Umbrella will even pay for everything for you to transfer. There is no shortage of bursaries here. What kind of field are you looking to get into?”

Bard leaned in closer, suave and friendly. It would’ve fooled anyone else, but not Claire. This man was digging for something. She could only hope that he was being a lecher and wasn’t seeing through to her true motives.

“You’re stalling. Get out of there.”

Wesker sounded annoyed, but she couldn’t determine why. It wasn’t as though she had messed up the mission...yet.

“You know, I’m still on the fence,” Claire made up, slowly backing away.

Bard chuckled. “One of those, huh? No worries. When I was your age, I didn’t have a clue either. But do not fret, Miss Walker, my colleagues and I are here to help. There’s no need to decide right now. After the tour, we can sit down and talk it over. We can still find something right for you even if you haven’t decided on a major.”

“Oh, the tour...right,” Claire faked ditzyness. “I better go to the little girl’s room before it starts!”

She beelined for the restrooms just to the side of the information center in the lobby, even as the doctor told her directions. She sat her cup down on a table as she passed by, glancing over her shoulder. She spotted Dr. Bard motioning her way to the younger Dr. Lowery, the two men speaking quietly.

There were a few other girls in the restroom. One student flushed a toilet and came out, washing her hands and leaving quietly. A couple fixed their makeup while gossiping. Since Claire didn’t need to go, and wasn’t about to while Wesker was able to see everything, she pretended to check her face over too. She fluffed her hair, left down in long waves for the occasion.

“Worried about looking good enough for me, Claire? Don’t be. You still have work to do, and it doesn’t matter to me what your hair looks like while doing it. Just do it.” Wesker mocked. The biting humor in his admonishment was hard to miss.

“Geez, you really need to be nicer if you want to get laid, buddy!” William muttered in the distance. “OW! Fuck…”

Despite the wheeze of pain and cursing, distant chuckling sieved through the earbud. But Claire ignored it, instead nearly bristling and turned on the tap to wash her hands as the girls left back out to the lobby.

“I am doing it, asshole. Even with lecherous old men hitting on me, which wasn’t a part of the plan, by the way! No need to be so pushy. If you want me to go under cover here and make it believable, then let me handle it. It’ll get done, stop riding my ass!”

There was a moment of silence before William snorted loudly in the back, laughing. “That’s what she said!” He cackled loudly in amusement. “Man, I like her more and more every day...the girl has balls.”

Wesker's laughter was quieter, colder. “If you insist, dear heart. I’m just offering my humble assistance to make things go over smoothly. Just get the job done and we’re fine.”

Humble, my ass! Claire thought sourly.

The Redfield sister heard them announcing the tour. She quickly dried her hands and exited the restroom, melding herself into the back of the group. This would be the slowest process, she knew, but kept her wits about her even as she only half-listened to the doctors as they rattled off trivia and history over the university.

They took the upper floors first, pointing out classrooms that covered the liberal arts and the professors who taught them. Dr. Mueller told them the history of the iconic bell tower.

“Jesus, Greg, you’re putting me to sleep over here, put some life into it!” William huffed. “You seriously make me want to shoot myself.”

At least Lowery had a bit more spunk and spirit as he raved about the college’s sports teams, particularly the football team, the Raccoon Sharks. Which Claire never understood why they chose “sharks” and not, well, “raccoons” for obvious reasons. But hey, at least the sharks were colored up like raccoons.

They returned to the first floor and continued the tour. There was the fancy cafeteria, the huge library, and more classrooms. The doctors talked about more of the programs and classes, semester activities, and the following herd asked questions in return.

They left the main establishment to take a walkway to a neighboring building. It was still lightly snowing, but the walkway was covered. It was also illuminated by soft, yellow lights. Claire could hear the Circular River rushing nearby, as the institution was built along its path.

This was the building she had been waiting on. It was essentially its own facility, running classrooms, laboratories, and other departments, doubling as a school and a research center for Umbrella.

Claire used to not think anything of it, even admired how much Umbrella helped out the city between their programs at the university and hospitals, as well as their charities and large scale employment. Now, the deeper she went down this rabbit hole being dragged by Wesker’s leash, she started to wonder what was really going on.

Men like Albert Wesker, William Birkin, and Sergei Vladimir were not the type to work for “good guys”. Even the three doctors Mueller, Lowery, and Bard were all hiding something, that much was certainly clear.

So, what was Umbrella hiding? What were they hiding that required the Captain of the elite S.T.A.R.S. force and the Police Chief to control the city? That required them to murder people once they knew too much? And what about that top-secret underground Umbrella facility that William reigned over?

Claire had a flashback of Wesker pulling the trigger on Finley’s head, the blood spraying across fresh snow; how his fate was completely covered up with no one to question or oppose it. She recalled watching the news just the other day reporting on how his body was discovered and ruled a suicide in his car.

What happened to Mr. Finley back there will never be brought to light. He died in a car crash, you see. Committed suicide, or simply disappeared. His fate is whatever I decide to make it. You and your brother are no different, same with all the others who thought they could expose me. Wesker’s voice echoed in the back of her head from that fateful day.

Maybe Umbrella were still the good guys. Maybe Wesker, Irons, William, and Sergei were the infestation of corruption, growing and taking control, like weeds strangling a fruit tree from its roots. Yeah, surely that was it.

But deep down, she didn’t believe herself.

Once they were inside Dr. Mueller’s state-of-the-art laboratory that connected to a classroom laboratory through two automatic sliding doors, the professor slash researcher began boasting with a lot more pride and spirit than his lecture on the university’s trivia earlier. He showed off some equipment in his place between Lowery and Bard.

Again, Claire only half-listened, her eyes scanning the area for her objective.

“In short, there is no other research department like this in the country. My laboratory is vital to Umbrella’s key studies on disease prevention and cures.”

“C’mon Greg, you’re a glorified babysitter with a sandbox! Mine’s way better!” William hollered, sounding like his mouth was full. Coffee break between two sessions of unethical lab work, she supposed. Just another day at the office, between blackmailing and killing people. Nothing to write home about.

Wesker sighed. “If you wish to do a dick measuring contest with someone, at least choose some actual competition.”

“My dick’s bigger than all three of theirs. I got pics to prove it. Don’t ask. I have my sources. Courtesy from their parties with the senator. I will nail those dick pics to their corpses when we’re done with them too.”

And yet I wondered how these two are best friends…silly me.

“Claire, as soon as they leave the laboratory, the power failure will engage. Be ready. The laboratory’s backup power will switch on, but the security systems will remain down.”

“Got it.”

Still, William’s words hung her up. There was nothing stated in all the planning that anyone would be killed...but what if she was setting it up for these three men to die? No, she specifically remembered Wesker wanting to gain control over them. They were useless to him dead. But that didn’t mean their value to him didn’t have an expiration date…

Claire shook out the thoughts and trailed after the rest of the group once more. The double doors to the neighboring classroom laboratory slid open and the mass of people passed through, the doctors taking turns to address their followers. Some of the crowd whispered amongst themselves, but they were mostly quiet.

As the last few went through the doorway, Claire purposely slowed herself down to where the door slid shut inches from her. The power instantly went out. Total darkness and stillness swallowed her for only a moment before the laboratory’s backup power switched on. But just as planned, the double doors were locked, glowing red above.

She barely heard the mumblings of surprise on the other side before turning and speeding towards the main computer in the back, located near a single locked electronic door with a sign that stated, “Authorized personnel only!”

Claire reached inside her parka pocket and pulled out the computer disk. The same, unmarked one she got the other day when Wesker was using her to fetch from his informants. She pushed it into the drive, fingers itching to get this over with.

“You have just under four minutes, Miss Redfield. Don’t drop the ball now.”

She ignored him and typed away, putting in the passwords and entries she had memorized from the planning process of this infiltration.

The spyware program uploaded onto the mainframe in a timely fashion. What took a bit longer was it copying information back onto the disk, whatever that was. While it processed, the younger Redfield moved to a nearby set of drawers.

“You sure it’s the bottom one?”

“That is what my source informed me.”

“They better be right.”

Claire retrieved her lockpick from her pants pocket, the one gifted to her from Jill, the same one she used to break into Wesker’s house. She carefully worked the lock, listening, feeling, remaining focused. It finally gave and she pulled the drawer open. Inside was what she was looking for.

"Looks like the "master of unlocking" taught you well. Shocker. Guess you stumbling into my affairs paid off in the end, in more than one way... "

The sealed yellow envelope inside looked harmless enough. But the label printed on it in red ink chilled her to the bone. Requested research for THANATOS PROJECT.

The name sounded ominous to her, and she couldn’t help the shiver running down her spine. She had a bad feeling about this.

Claire retrieved it from the drawer, looking it over. It was heavy, full of papers and what felt like maybe a USB drive. There was a white sticker in the bottom right hand corner that read, “Paid in full. - AR.”

Those initials had to be Aaron Roth. If only Wesker wasn’t spying on her and she had the time...she would’ve ripped into the envelope to see what they were all hiding.

She slid the drawer shut and returned to the computer. The disk was ready to be removed. She took it back and returned it to her pocket. Taking a step back, she looked it over once more. Everything was in place and didn’t look disturbed.

“Finished in a timely fashion. I’m impressed. You’re certainly talented in more ways than one. I’m almost tempted to hire you again, dear heart. I’m sure I could find some use for you...”

“You didn’t hire me, asshole, you blackmailed me.”

“Semantics. What matters is a satisfying outcome...wouldn’t you agree?” Wesker purred in her ear.

Oh God. Was it just her or was there a double entendre somewhere in there? Sweat broke out on Claire’s forehead even though she had managed to keep her cool until now, but Wesker making ambiguous remarks was getting to her. Nervously (and not just a little bit annoyed with herself), she discreetly wiped her sweaty bangs from her forehead.

Let’s get this over with, she admonished herself. The sooner her dealings with the corrupt STARS Captain were over, the better.

The college student stuffed the envelope inside her jacket and under her arm since it was too big to put in a pocket. She hurried over to the double doors, knowing time was almost up. If it all went according to plan, the doctors and their party would still be in the dark locked in the next room. The backup power in this area would be cut off and the doors would open just long enough to allow her back with the others before all power returned.

When the lights went out, Claire barely heard the doors skim apart, courtesy of whoever was controlling the university’s power system. She stepped over the threshold into the classroom, moving further in, careful not to run into anything. This particular laboratory for regular classes had large windows on the opposite side, but it was so dark outside, it barely helped light anything.

But soon it didn’t matter. The power returned in an instant, back to normal, as though it had never been touched. Claire wasn’t far from the group and quietly joined them as everyone got their bearings, blinking to adjust to the sudden bright lights. Startled voices talked over each other.

“Everyone, everyone, settle down. Everything is fine!” Mueller announced. “Just a small power failure. Let’s return to the lobby and I will have someone look into it!”

Relieved, Claire followed along as Mueller and Bard escorted everyone out of the classroom while Lowery remained behind by the door checking on the visitors. That was normal and understandable enough until his brown eyes pierced her. Watchful. Suspicious. She kept her composure, offering him an innocent smile as she slipped by him and out the door. He didn’t say anything, but Claire felt his eyes on her back until she caught up with the others, heart slightly racing.

Surely, he wasn’t onto her. There could be no way.

"Think he's onto me," Claire whispered as voices boomed through the massive hallways, the herd migrating back to the lobby.

"Irrelevant," Wesker answered. "As soon as you return to the lobby, make your leave. Without notice, preferably."

"Don't worry, Claire. Lowery's a nerdy bag of stress and paranoia. Nothing to fear there," William added.

"Like you?" Wesker mocked.

"You know, I’m half-tempted to empty one of my petri dishes into your coffee next time you’re not looking. Don’t push your luck, jerk. Annette always says you wouldn’t like me angry. And you know how Anne’s always right. Even she says so!"

Amused chuckling was all he got as a reply from Wesker.

Claire rolled her eyes at their continuous banter. God, she swore these two were like old marrieds.

Once they all filed into the lobby, most visitors either took a seat or went and got more food. She soon noticed a couple heading for the front doors, sliding on their coats, and took advantage, inconspicuously joining them.

"Hold on, please, you three," Bard hollered, making the trio pause and look. "Before you leave, let us make sure everyone is accounted for from the power outage. A small safety regulation we must abide by."

Claire inwardly groaned and moved away from the doors with the others. Bard and Mueller finished speaking together in a hushed huddle and went opposite ways.

"What are you doing?" Wesker asked.

"You said to leave without being noticed. Did you not hear him?"

"Then find another way out. Do it quickly."

Claire ground her jaw but didn't answer. She looked around, thinking of a way she could escape. More university workers were showing up now from other hallways, probably disturbed by the power failure. Lowery had yet to return.

She watched Dr. Bard set a plate of food down on an empty table and left it to go introduce himself to another pretty face, using the same charm he had used on her.

Apparently, the prick was only interested in helping students he found attractive. The girl obviously looked uncomfortable but smiled to be nice, and that didn't sit well with her one bit.

But since kicking him where it counted would cause a scene, the younger Redfield soon found herself scheming up something better.

Casually, she went over to the buffet of refreshments, picking up a plate and grabbing a few random foods. She sat down at a table close to Bard's plate, eyes scanning. People were talking or reading while they ate. She de-shelled one cold shrimp and broke it up into chunks.

She had only a tiny window of opportunity here, and it all determined on the selections of food on his plate. Pulse racing but outwardly composed, she discreetly took a stroll over to his plate. From afar she analyzed what was on it, and what would best conceal her ticket to freedom.

“HOLY SHIT, SHE’S GONNA DO IT! I LOVE THIS GIRL!” William squealed in delight.

She winced, retracting the urge to rub her eardrum. Her deft hands quickly stuffed the pieces of shrimp into a club sandwich triangle. It was pressed back into place with the toothpick and then she was off, glancing around to make sure she hadn’t been caught. Everything went on as normal. Claire got some more spiced cider and returned to her seat to wait.

“Don’t tell Anne, but If I wasn’t already married...” William softly laughed in her ear. She could tell he was trying to whisper, but the eccentric, mad scientist didn’t realize he was louder than he thought. “She’s a keeper, Al. Don’t screw this up!”

Screw what up? Keep me...for what exactly? Stop giving him any ideas, William! God, this is really getting out of hand...

Claire facepalmed as she started to feel hot under her collar and blamed the thrill of committing a heist under everybody’s noses for it.

The Redfield sister didn’t have much time to dwell on it before she spotted Dr. Lowery emerging into the lobby. She instinctively made herself smaller as he marched across the room, going straight to Dr. Mueller.

He pulled the older man aside, whispering urgently. Claire started sweating in serious now. Especially when their eyes scanned the full lobby until Lowery pointed her out.

“Shit,” she hissed under her breath. She pretended not to notice them, her nerves beginning to rattle a little. She reluctantly called for help. “Wesker…”

“What is it?” Claire wasn’t sure if it was just her hearing things, but he actually sounded a little concerned.

And then she was saved. Not by the bell but by commotion. People shouted and pointed, some moving in closer to watch or help as an individual choked. Dr. Bard was turning red, red like the shellfish he had just unknowingly consumed. Mueller raced across the lobby for him, Lowery right behind him after giving her one glance.

Claire took her chance. She sprinted for the doors and was out, taking the concrete steps two at a time and bolting across the front courtyard through the snow flurries with only the college ground lights to guide her.

When she made it through the opened gates and took a sharp turn on the sidewalk, she collided straight into another person and nearly lost her footing. She dropped the enveloped stashed inside her coat.

“Sorry, Miss. I should’ve been watching where I was going,” the young man said with a charming smile, stooping to pick up the envelope for her.

He slightly flinched when he picked it up and noticed the label, as though he recognized it. But it was gone in an instant and he presented it to her with a warm smile and twinkling green eyes.

“What the hell is he doing there?!” William demanded.

Wesker ignored him and promptly spoke to Claire. “Take it and leave, do not engage in conversation with him, Claire. That is an order.”

“Leave?! This may be our only opportunity to kill the bastard!”

“Are you okay, Miss? Do you need help?” the man asked.

She silently obeyed Wesker, snatching the yellow envelope back and hurrying past him. The redhead didn’t look over her shoulder, but she could feel the man watching her until she turned down the next block.

Panting, the icy wind cutting her throat, she finally slowed to a walk, heading for her next destination. Traffic rolled by her, beams of headlights stretching down the streets and making the falling snowflakes sparkle. There weren’t many other pedestrians out walking the streets, but she did spot many inside buildings shopping or having a coffee.

“Who was that?” she asked.

“Aaron Roth,” Wesker answered nonchalantly. “He’s not someone you should involve yourself with.”

“Oh, but I should involve myself with you?”

Wesker chuckled mockingly. “Wishful thinking, Claire? I’m flattered. Then again, I’ve been known to have that effect on redheads...must be genetic.”

Claire bit her tongue. She pulled her parka hood over her head, bundling up from the cold. After passing by the empty elementary school, she cut across the parking lot to the bus barn next door.

Her ride would arrive here to pick her up. Unfortunately, Claire wouldn’t be going home just yet. She had to meet Wesker in person first. She just hoped that Chris wasn’t getting worried...or worse, suspicious.

The bus barn was a large depot and mechanic shop for all the schools’ buses. Rows and rows of parked long, yellow buses slept quietly. It was dreary and quiet, with snow falling lightly all around. A person could easily get spooked by themselves here, as though they were trapped amongst sleeping giants.

“There’s been a change in plans,” Wesker announced. “My main liaison will not be picking you up. Instead the collaborator that worked the power outages at the university will. He should be there shortly.”

“Okay,” Claire mumbled through chattering teeth.

“I’m going to sign off for now, dear heart. Well done. See you soon.”

She was relieved for the silence. Claire waited with her hands in her pockets, back against a cold bus, shivering, watching the snowflakes swirl around. The lights of Raccoon City at night were beautiful to look at, some of the skyscrapers in the distance were lit up in Christmas colors. The younger Redfield was so lost in observing the serene scenery around her that she did not hear the pair of feet that had slowly walked closer to her.

"Found you!"

The voice startled her and she pushed away from the bus, whirling to confront them. Shocked, she didn't say anything as Lowery cautiously approached, encased in shadow from a looming bus nearby, and sounding a little out of breath.

"The hell?" Claire hissed. "What do you want?" She reached for her knife in her pocket.

As Lowery stepped into the light, speckles of snow in his brown hair, she noticed the gun pointed at her chest.

“Lucky shot!” Chris whined.

Jill laughed, moving around the pool table to take her next move. “Suck it up, buttercup! You’re about to lose to a girl!”

“It’s these beers. They threw me off my groove.”

Jack’s Bar was crowded tonight. The bar was full and so were most of the tables. Music played on the radio, but it could barely be heard from all the talking and laughter bouncing around. The bar-and-grill was decorated up with Christmas decor and lights, looking quite festive and bright.

His partner made the winning shot that cost him this game of pool. She won the last time they were here too.

“Whoo!” Jill exclaimed, arms shooting in the air and grinning at him. “You know what that means, partner!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Chris grumbled, fishing for his wallet. He looked around him and then spotted the familiar face he was seeking. “Hey, Cindy! C’mere!”

The favorite waitress of J’s came over, an empty tray under her arm. The young, pretty blonde smiled and giggled. “Let me guess, lose again, Chris?”

“Hey, I’ve won before, okay?!”

“A Mai Tai then?”

“Yeah,” Chris answered, giving her a $10 bill. “Here’s for another plus tip...because I know Miss Sharpshooter here’s gonna want seconds.”

“Why wouldn’t I when your pouty ass is buying?” Jill snickered.

They made faces at each other, and then Chris spotted the rest of their party arriving. “Oh, bring the drinks to our usual table, the guys are finally here.”

Cindy nodded. “Will do. You want your usual?”

“Yeah, add it to my tab.”

Chris and Jill joined the others at their usual table. The STARS teams came here often to wind down and have fun, different mixes of teammates each time from differing schedules. Hell, even the Captains came once in a while.

Wesker was a pro at pool, too. And Jill had been on his team a few times. She said he taught her tricks...something about math and trajectory or some shit. Who does that? Didn’t people just point and shoot at the balls with their cue sticks?

The gang tonight consisted of Chris, Jill, Barry, Joseph, Forest, and Richard. Tagging along with Barry was Robert Kendo, which wasn’t uncommon. They ordered their food and drinks, a perfect view of the hockey game playing on the hanging box TV. While waiting, the group of friends and colleagues joked and small-talked.

“So, Kendo, how’s that new assault shotgun model coming along?” Richard asked.

Kendo cracked a grin as he took a swig of beer. “You ask me that every damn time you see me, Rich. Look, I’ll personally call ya when I make a breakthrough, alright?”

“You better! I’m excited!”

“Coulda fooled me!”

Cindy and her friend and co-worker soon brought their food and drinks. Chris could never remember the young lad’s name...Bill? No...Will. It made him think of William Birkin again...the mysterious man that Claire was babysitting for. The past couple of nights she had stayed out late babysitting, and it seemed as though tonight would be the same. He just hoped that’s what she was really doing…

“Cindy, babe, could you please turn the station? I cannot stand these damn Christmas tunes anymore!” Forest complained.

“Aw, c’mon, Forest. Get into the holiday spirit!” Cindy exclaimed. “Don’t be a grinch!”

“Don’t insult the Grinch like that,” Joseph joked.

Cindy gave him a look. “Don’t be a meanie, Joe.”

“Eh, he’s just jealous of my hair, Cin. That’s why he fucking hides his under that stupid bandana all the time.”

“You wish.”

Cindy casually shook her head, used to their antics, and left them to their meals. The gang discussed their plans for the upcoming holiday, after work of course. Most of the STARS team had family here to celebrate with. If Chris remembered correctly, only he (other than Claire), Jill, and Captain Wesker didn’t have any family.

Soon, they got on the topic of gifts.

“I finally found Claire’s Christmas gift. She’s gonna love it. I picked it up the other day. She’ll never find it!”

Jill laughed beside him. “That’s because it’s at my house!”

“Your house is the safest place! She’s a sneaky little brat and will find it!”

“Speaking of which,” Barry interrupted, dipping a couple fries into his ketchup. “I figured you wouldn’t be coming tonight because Claire’s in town. She make you come out?”

“Probably,” Richard snorted. “I’d need a break from him too.”

“Nah, she’s been babysitting for someone. Last few days she’s had to babysit well into the night.”

Joseph snickered. “That’s what I’d say too if I was messing around with a guy I didn’t want my big brother to know about.”

Chris shot his colleague a glare that almost dropped him dead. Joseph stuffed his mouth with a big bite of hamburger.

Kendo cleared his throat, pushing his empty beer bottle up to the middle of the table. "Oh! That reminds me, Chris. Did Claire get into trouble?”

“Huh? No, why?”

“I was on the other side of town yesterday evening picking up Emma’s medicine and I saw her with the Captain. He opened his car door for her and she got in.”

“Which Captain? Enrico? Or Wesker?” Richard asked curiously.

“Yeah, cuz that determines how much trouble she must’ve been in,” Forest teased.

Kendo half-rolled his eyes, sighing. “THE Captain, ya idiots. Wesker. I saw her with Wesker. She got into his car and they drove off.”

“See? I told you there was a guy she didn’t want you to know about!” Joseph laughed. “They must’ve hit it off after she went down to the station to give him a piece of her mind. Bet now she’s giving him a piece of something better!” Barry slugged him hard in the arm. “Ow!”

This was new information to Chris. He sat there, dumbfounded, at a loss for words as his mind processed exactly what Robert had said. “She didn’t get in trouble...that I know of. Wesker would’ve called me, for sure.”

Barry frowned. “For sure…But then why else would Claire be with him?”

“Chris, buddy, I love you, but let’s be honest here, they’re probably doing the nasty.”

“Jesus, Forest,” Jill growled, facepalming. “Don’t be starting those kinds of rumors.”

“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, s’all I’m sayin’.”

Chris glared at Forest. “Between you and Joseph, I’m gonna shove those beer bottles so far up your backdoor you two won’t be walking straight. Ever. Again.”

“Sorry,” Kendo interrupted. “I didn’t mean to get everyone so riled up. I was just curious. Looked harmless to me.”

“Dumb and Dumber here like to start shit,” Barry explained, glaring at Joseph and Forest. “I’m sure it was harmless. It is Wesker, after all. Maybe she just needed a ride.”

“Or maybe he offered her one,” Jill added. “He’s quite the gentleman.”

“Gentleman?!” Forest scoffed. “The guy’s a hard ass and a dick to us most of the time!”

“I mean, yeah, he kinda has to be. He’s our boss. But really, he isn’t that bad to most of us. You two just get on his nerves all the time,” Richard admitted.

“Hey, who’s side are you on, Aiken?”

“I’m j-just s-stating the facts!”

“Alright, alright, knock it off, all of you,” Jill ordered in her “mom voice”.

“It’s all harmless joking,” Joseph defended. “And Chris knows it, right bud? I mean, how often do I joke what if Wesker is actually a sociopathic supervillain on a quest for power? Of course he isn’t...but I sometimes wonder!”

Chris shook his head. Joseph and Forest were frustrating at times with their nonstop jokes, but he knew it was never mean-spirited. They all ribbed each other all the time; it was their clique’s twisted way of showing they cared about each other.

“You and your weird conspiracies, Joe...But really, let’s just drop the subject, okay? I don’t care why Claire was with Wesker,” he lied. “Because I know it doesn’t mean anything. Got it?”

“Got it,” they all agreed.

“Good. Now can we all please get along, drink some beer, and talk about something pleasant? Like the weather or something?”

They all looked to the front of the bar, where the windows were. Snow fell just outside, looking to have picked up since they arrived at the bar.

“Oh yeah, pleasant RC snow...love it,” Jill quipped dryly.

Chris scowled, rubbing the back of his neck. He had even more worries on his mind now, thanks to their earlier discussion. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t push them away.

His overreacting, protective brotherly instincts had continued to gnaw at him, making him wonder about the integrity of this “babysitting job”. Claire had never given him a reason to doubt her, but still he worried.

There was something going on with Claire. She was definitely hiding something, and his innate detective instincts kept putting together the clues, all starting over a week ago. Some kind of worry or panic she hid from that jog on the mountain hiking trails, her quiet, wandering thoughts, some questionable explanations, the injuries she hid on her hand and ankle...and then this Wiliam Birkin came out of nowhere with a babysitting job for her. “A friend of a friend.”

And now she was with Wesker on the other side of town when she was supposed to be babysitting? That set off a whole wave of bad thoughts and red flags in his mind.

No, he told himself firmly. It’s Wesker. There has to be a logical explanation! I bet it’s all harmless and I’m worried for nothing.

Captain Wesker may have been a hard ass at times, and he and Chris bumped heads occasionally, but they respected each other and got along great most of the time. He was one of the best men he knew. A damn good leader and boss, too. After his big screw up in the Air Force, not many were willing to give Chris a chance, and Wesker did.

There was absolutely no reason to worry about Claire being with him. If anything, it should have relieved him...knowing his little sister was in good hands. Wesker would take care of her.

But deep down inside, something small, some miniscule but insistent doubt ate at him. A growing part of him was questioning whether everything was as innocent as it seemed...

#resident evil #resident evil fanfiction #resident evil fanfic #Albert Wesker #Claire Redfield #William Birkin #clairexwesker #claire x wesker #fanfiction #fanfic #Chris Redfield #Jill Valentine #chris x jill #ChrisxJill

[kurohfic]

Title: Toxic Chocolate Pairing: Ot3! Kuroh/Shiro/Neko (could be interpreted as platonic if that is your preference!) Rating: K Summary: Shiro thinks Valentine’s day traditions are pretty neat, Kuroh thinks they are stupid. Neko thinks they are  absolutely delicious! Aka Hakumaitou celebrate Valentine’s day! A/N: Written for K-Project Rare Pair Week! Please enjoy :D The prompt for this submission was Holidays! (I always appreciate feedback) Link to Ao3 (x)

There was this funny kind of look on her face as the date approached. The various marketing teams initiated by the Gold Clan took advantage of a consumer driven society by spreading posters, advertising new flavors, and invading every store, from the corner supermarkets to the bustling shopping malls in the center of the city.

Valentine’s Day was looming, and with it the rest -- the color pink, the aroma of roses and cocoa powder, hopeful glances, and broken hearts.

For the members of the Silver Clan, Valentine’s Day did not live up to the expected hype for various reasons.

Seeing as Shiro had spent a majority of his everlasting lifespan in isolation, he found within himself an appreciation for the intentions behind it, but nothing much more beyond that. The candy sweet reminders did not strike any deep sense of motivation within, seeing as he’d long since fallen out of the tradition of exchange. Back in his grounded days there had never been much interaction with people his age beyond his sister’s company. Despite their rather cunning and mischievious presentation there was not much time for amorous interaction, between the chaos of the war and their groundbreaking research. It had never seemed lonely so long as Clauida was at his side, then after… Then after, Shiro was more prone to observation than participation.

Even though his experience with the holiday was slightly fresher, Kuroh found that the customes reaped every Feburary were little more than a pestering headache. In the village where he’d lived with Ichigen Miwa, there’d been a shortage of eligible bachelors, in fact many of the residence were already married and starting their own families. However, through the periphery of his youth he’d spotted the occasional woman nervously delivering a package of homemade goods, an offering to their local celebrity, who always accepted with a gracious smile, without any sense of obligation to future courtship.

Kuroh himself had never noticed the toll of time, or the fact that he’d grown into one of those rare bachelors until his 16th year when a girl, the niece of their local grocer and new to the neighborhood, shoved a misshapen parsal into his hands. The burnt smell within had wafted through his nostrils in an instant. He’d stared with great shock as the girl bolted immediately afterward, and Master Ichigen had chuckled softly once they’d cleared earshot. His hand landed reassuringly upon his pupil’s shoulder. Kuroh had not derived much pleasure from the experience as a whole, not entirely fond of sweets himself, or the awkward exchanges faced thereafter whenever they were in need of fresh fruits and vegetables.

The outlier of the group thrived in Neko. Growing up as a cat she had little opportunity for the festive give and take of Valentine’s Day. As a gorgeous young woman who loved snacks, she found this to be one of the greatest shortcomings of her generally exciting lifestyle. She did not care much about the romance associated with the holiday, she was not lonely anymore with her Shiro, and Kurosuke to keep her company. However, she certainly saw the appeal, people proving their interest by providing delicious snacks, with no serious commitment upon the acceptance of the treat.

As a new student at Ashinaka High School, Valentine’s Day sailed by with another festival. Kukuri claimed that instead of swapping cookies and tainting the educational environment with unwarranted declarations of love, the high school would direct that energy towards paper mache, costumes, and art! Neko had noticed with much amusement that this claim did not sway several of the boys from edging around the territory, throwing hopeful glances in their direction, until finally a pack, lead by Mishina, swarmed the unsuspecting girl with gifts and cards. It was a highly amusing transgression until Neko realized that not a single boy in the jumble had meant to gain her attention.

“It’s probably because you’re so new!” Kukuri had attempted to consol once she’d vanquished the so called disturbance. “Don’t worry, I’m sure next Valentine's Day you’ll get plenty of sweets!”

After she’d accepted the hypothesis, and regained her prior enthusiasm, Neko had bounced home to see if perhaps the two boys who knew her best had prepared anything in her honor. And there it was, that funny look on her face, curious when Shiro returned to the apartment after a long day of lectures, plopping a tiny package on their coffee table before retreating to relax on the bed.

“What is it, Shiro?” Neko asked, the enthusiasm rich in her voice as she bounded to examine the parcel.

“Just a little gift from one of my students,” he sighed in explanation rolling his stiff shoulders back, and relishing the pull of the stretch.

“From a student?” it was Kuroh piping in, there was a disapproving look on his face, as he leaned out from the kitchen, apron in place, and something that looked a lot like flower spread across his nose.

“Yummy!” Neko cawed as she unwrapped the gift revealing a decorated box of chocolates to her curious stare.

“You can have it if you like,” Shiro replied, smiling at the young woman before turning his attention to Kuroh, still looming in the doorframe. “Don’t worry, Kuroh, it’s nothing lecherous, she brought them in for everyone, the other students too.”

“And you accepted?” the disapproval still clear in Kuroh’s voice.

Shiro replied with a quiet smile, “There’s nothing wrong with a little holiday spirit.”

“Yeah!” Neko agreed, licking her lips as she scarfed down three of the chocolates immediately, popping one after the other, mushing them together in her mouth as one chocolatey glob. They were obviously store bought, but it was better than nothing. Though he did not appear entirely convinced, Kuroh at least seemed to be moving on from the impropriety of accepting a Valentines day gift from a student. The accusation in his expression was morphing into something closer to exasperation. He’d turned his attention to Neko now.

“You’ll ruin your appetite.”

“Neko is tired of fish!” she announced with exaggerated resistance. At this proclamation both men stared at her with individual interpretations of doubt.

“In that case I’ll stop cooking it for you,” Kuroh challenged. He’d taken up the role of chef without complaints, it was a part of his nature, he enjoyed the task of caretaker, the thoughtfulness that was prescribed to every meal. The sated looks of his two friends were yet another inspiration. He kept this much to himself as he stared Neko down. He loved to cook for people who appreciated his efforts, but Neko’s spoiled and unwieldy attitude often drove him to the edge of his patience. He could see the panic swarming in her eyes as she measured his bluff, not sure if it was safe to resist with dinner on the line.

“No!” she backpedaled. “I’m tired of fish because it’s Valentines Day! And on Valentines Day you’re supposed to eat chocolates and cake!”

“On Valentines Day you’re supposed to embarrass yourself and and confess sordid intentions, not fall into the vapid trap set up by commercial companies. Besides,” he leveled her with a challenging glare. “Chocolate is toxic for cats.”

“Stupid, Kurosuke!” Neko spat back, at the end of her argument. After aggressively shoving the final chocolate into her mouth, she leapt towards the bed where Shiro sat observing the altercation with a look of fond exasperation.

He pet Neko’s hair comfortingly, sitting back to brace against the wall.

“I think Valentines Day is about putting your heart on the line. Telling the one you fancy how you truly feel, for better or for worse.” He smiled then, “Of course it’s hard to experience it in full from an airship, so I’m no expert, but it sounds nice… In theory.”

When he looked up, Kuroh was staring at him with an indecipherable expression on his face, and Neko, on the other side of him, was grinning, her interest renewed once more.

“And to eat cake with them if all goes well!” she amended. “And if not, steal their cake and then there is more for you anyway!”

“You’re relentless,” Kuroh sighed.

“And you’re still making fish for dinner, right?”

Shiro laughed, Neko smiled, pleased with Shiro’s amusement, and Kuroh pivoted back into the kitchen to finish cooking up their supper.

It was the next evening, the evening after Valentines Day, as they closed off their meal, and Shiro raised his hands to offer the usual thanks when Kuroh cut him off.

“I made dessert for tonight,” he announced in a firm voice though his eyes avoided the startled expressions of both of his companions.

“Dessert?” Shiro parroted, as Neko blinked appraisingly.

“You know,” Kuroh shrugged, eyeing the young woman between them. “Since you made such a big deal over it yesterday…”

Her reaction was immediate.

“Yay! Thank you, Kurosuke! Sweet dessert, you do like Valentine’s Day after all!” Neko exclaimed. She’d leaped once more in total disregard of personal space to wrap her arms tight around his slender frame. It was far easier to get a hold of him when he was seated and closer to her own height. As he’d suffered the indignities of Neko’s closeness on many occasions in the past, he’d more or less grown used to the treatment. Inexplicably, the color of his cheeks deepened to a light pink, as he wriggled out of her grasp.

“I don’t like Valentine’s Day,” he grunted, already retreating towards the kitchen. “But you obviously put meaning into it…”

As he trailed off Neko and Shiro exchanged jolly smiles. “Thank you, Kuroh!” Shrio called after him.

It turned out that Kuroh had baked a fresh fruit tart, that despite not having any chocolate still tasted incredible. Shiro demanded seconds following his initial slice, and Neko thirds, so that none of the cake remained by the end of the sitting.

“Wow, Kuroh,” Shiro sat back at last, patting his deliciously full stomach. “It was decedent!”

“It was nothing,” he replied softly, gathering the plates in preparation of the clean up.

However, his hand was pinned to the table before he could rise to his feet. Neko was at his side again, staring at him with her mixed match eyes and that suspicious little grin.

“The sweet dessert was yummy, Kurosuke. But cake only covers part of the process.”

Before any reply could be formulated, or the meaning behind that look could dawn on him, the hold around Kuroh’s hand tightened and a pair of smooth lips pecked lightly against the side of his cheek.

“Yes, Kuroh,” it was Shiro’s voice floating into his ear. He too was suddenly closer than anticipated. An odd intoxication flooded Kuroh’s mind as if it had been wine instead of cake. The skin where Neko’s lips had landed still blazed in an echo of her kiss.

“Thank you for the sweets,” Shiro’s voice was a whisper curling around his ear. Then, a second pair of lips pressed slower to the opposite side of his face.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” they said in near unison, sandwiching their baker between two warm bodies, and delaying the process of his chores. Kuroh, to his credit, loosened his grip slightly around the sullied plates, and let himself be held for the moment.

“You idiots,” he murmured sweetly as they smiled against his cheeks.

#krarepairweek2018 #kuroh yatogami #yashiro isana #neko #ameno miyabi #hakumaitou #fic #kuroh x shiro x neko