#the twirls get me every time! and to think...perhaps a wedding dress twirl is next???

[hotcinnamonsunset]

let's go watch the greatest movie we ever made🥰 (insp)

#911 #911edit #911verse #911 abc #maddie buckley #chimney han #madney #the twirls get me every time! and to think...perhaps a wedding dress twirl is next??? #SBedits

[melanieph321]

Ruben Dias - Lost in Sardinia Part 8/8

This story will have an epilogue ❤️

*Warning smut

18+

Summary - Ruben is on a getaway in Sardinia. There he meets a girl named Fiorella. She starts to wonder why Ruben won't tell her what exactly he is getting away from, or even what his real name is.

Enjoy!

Fiorella stood at the altar, her eyes brimming with tears of joy as she watched, Chiara exchange vows with the love of her life. The sun bathed the farm wedding in a warm golden light, adding an ethereal glow to the already beautiful scenery. As Fiorella stood beside the radiant bride, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness in her heart. Ruben, was unable to attend the ceremony due to an important meeting with his lawyers. Fiorella understood the demands that was on him during this hectic time, but she couldn't shake off the disappointment of not having him there.

Despite her longing, Fiorella gracefully fulfilled her bridesmaid duties, managing to put on a smile every time the camera captured her. She laughed along with the other bridesmaids, enthusiastically arranging Chiara's dress and making sure every detail was perfect. But deep down, her heart ached for Ruben's absence.

"I need a bottle of wine." Sophia sighed. She had also cleaned up her act and done her best to fulfill her bridesmaids duties at Chiara's wedding.

"Sis, you joining me?"

"No you go ahead." Fiorella said. Although the offer was tempting they still had a whole reception to get through.

The ceremony concluded, and the newlyweds greeted their guests with cheerful smiles. Fiorella moved through the reception, mingling with relatives and friends, pretending everything was alright. But her eyes searched for Ruben, secretly hoping he would appear, even though he had promised to arrive only after his meeting.

As the night progressed, laughter and music filled the barn where the reception was held. Fiorella joined the guests on the dance floor, twirling and swaying to the rhythm, momentarily forgetting her sadness. The joyous atmosphere enveloped her, momentarily lifting her spirits. Suddenly, a familiar voice whispered in her ear, "Mind if I cut in?" Fiorella turned around, surprised to see Ruben standing there, a mischievous smile lighting up his face. Her heart leaped with joy as she found herself wrapped in his arms.

"I'm sorry I'm late. The meeting went on the whole day. " Ruben confessed, his voice filled with tenderness. "Hopefully my gift to your sister and her husband will make up for my absences."

Fiorella smiled, coming up and out from Ruben's embrace. "If it's not season tickets to your football games next season, I don't think their easily that forgiving."

Ruben's eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Ruben?" Fiorella gasped. "You didn't?"

He leaned in and whispered, "But I did."

Fiorella returned to hug him, wrapping her arms around his large stem. She was aware that their days together were counted, that Ruben would have to return to England, perhaps sooner than later.

"You look so beautiful." He spoke against her hair.

Fiorella clung to him, feeling a renewed surge of happiness. Forgotten were the moments of longing and sadness as they danced the night away, their bodies moving effortlessly in perfect unison. They laughed, whispered sweet nothings, and reveled in the simple joy of being together. There was alot of attention surrounding them, Nonna did not hesitate to fill in anyone who wished to know who her granddaughter's mystery man was.

"They're getting married next June." She said. "I am already planning the whole thing."

Time lost all meaning as Fiorella and Ruben laughed and danced the night away. It didn't matter that Ruben hadn't been there for the ceremony because now, in this moment, they were together, celebrating love and happiness. The night ended with Ruben having to help carry Dino to bed. He had clung onto Ruben's leg on the dancfloor, trying to get him away from his big sister so that the two of them could dance instead.

"There." Ruben said, dropping Dino of his shoulder and onto his bed.

Fiorella tucked him in. "He really likes you, I can tell. My whole family likes you."

Ruben smiled and offered Fiorella his hand. They returned downstairs where the wedding ceremony had officially ended. Nonna who had been clearing tables walked towards them. She was followed by Pluto,  who eagerly ran ahead,  jumping towards Fiorella.

"He's still got some spunk in him. Won't you and Ruben take him for a walk? Ware him out."

"Sure Nonna, we can do that."

They walked along the country road. The sun was down but it's heat still lingered in the air.

"Tell me somthing?" Fiorella said. She and Ruben were walking hand in hand, with Pluto waving his tale as he walked ahead of them.

"Tell you what?"

She shrugged. "Somthing you haven't told anyone before."

Ruben's eyebrows furrowed... "Like a secret?"

"Could be?"

Ruben looked to ponder the question, thoughts going through his mind. "I used to believed in the tooth fairy."

Fiorella chuckled at his lame confession. "Everyone used to believe in the tooth fairy Ruben."

He shook his head. "Not like me. I used to believe, believe. "

"Oh."

"I even wrote him a letter once."

"Him?" She frowned. "Ruben the tooth fairy is not a guy."

"I know that...now." He laughed. "But when I was young my parents told me that the tooth fairy was a guy that came from Brazil, donating childrens teeth to the mouths of famous football players."

"Um...what?"

"It gets worse. I even wrote him a letter once."

"The tooth fairy, man, guy?"

Ruben nodded. "I put a stamp on it and everything and told my parents to post it for me. Surely they didn't, they probably laughed at how faithful I was to my beliefs. The very next day after I'd lost a tooth, an envelope with money would be under my pillow, the attaching letter signed with a thank you note from the football player who had received my tooth."

Silence lingered as Fiorella tried to process everything that had been said. She had not expected Ruben to tell her something that absurd, but it was wonderful, imagining Ruben to have been such a sweet and naive child.

"What about you?" He squeezed her hand. "Tell me somthing not many people know about you."

"Well..." She looked ahead of them, to where Pluto was moving in the distance. "I once tried to sell my dog for a bag of chips."

"You what?" Ruben's eyes widened in suprise, however, after his confession, he had no right to judge her.

"I was a child and had just gotten Pluto who was a handful as a puppy. You can judge me all you want but I really wanted a bag of chips that day."

There was silence followed by laughter,  heartwarming laughter from the two of them. They laughed all the way to the docks. It's where Pluto had led them, down to the water not too far from Ruben's boat.

"He wants to go for a swim." Fiorella stepped out of her shoes. She untied the ribbon around her waist, followed by draping her dress down her shoulders.

"Fiorella?" Ruben stopped, not approaching her any further. He watched Fiorella step out of her dress, wearing only her lingerie.

"Come." She offered him her hand. "I know it's late but the water is at best at this hour."

He looked skeptical, still he undid his tie with one hand, stretching for Fiorella with the other. She waited for him to undress. The two then waded into the lukewarm water, with Pluto swimming ahead of them.

"See, it's nice." Fiorella said, hearing Ruben let out a satisfied groan as he soaked his body in the shallow water. He pulled Fiorella towards her, hooking an arm around her waist. She ended up wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Ruben carried her further out into the water, where only he could stand.

"If you let go you'll drown." He joked.

Fiorella looked deep into his eyes. "Than I won't let go."

He leand in to brush his lips against hers, but only to brush. He was indicating that he wanted to kiss her, but what happened next was up to her.

Fiorella's lips parted. A very inviting gesture for Ruben to complete his desires. He kissed her softly, his tounge caressing her gently.

"Take it off." She moaned against his skin.

Ruben's fingers were getting tangled up in the straps of Fiorella's bra.

"You know, there's a better place to do this." He said, feeling how his growing erection put pressure against her stomach.

Fiorella pulled away from their kiss, her gaze conflicted.

"What?" Ruben worried.

She shook her head. "I'm not going back to your boat."

"Fiorella I wasn't..." His grip around her loosened as it dawned on him, what she was implying. "I wasn't gonna ask you to." His said, with a very cautious expression

"No?"

He shook his head. "Like I said, I don't live there. I have an apartment."

Ruben's apartments was bigger than Fiorella's, Sophia's and Dino's room combined. It must have cost him a fortune, she thought. A fortune he could afford of course.

"My room is this way." He said leading her through the dark apartment. Soft snores could be heard in the distance. It was probably Ruben's friend that he had staying with him. Ruben and Fiorella moved in silence, trying not to wake him.

"I can lend you a shirt if you need anything to wear." Ruben went through his closet.

"It's okay." Fiorella undid the ribbon to her dress again, draping the laces over her shoulder, letting the fabric drop to the floor.

Ruben stopped and stared as she stood before him, half naked. "Fiorella, we don't have to do anything, we could just sleep, we should just sleep." He went around the bed, undoing the covers.

"I know Ruben. I know that whatever I say goes. I trust you."

Ruben raised his head, his expression attentive. "Fiorella, are you sure?"

She nodded.  "I've never been more sure."

He was skeptical but Fiorella was already inviting him to lay down with her on the bed. Ruben surrendered, joining her under the covers.

Wet kisses and groping hands, Fiorella was surley leading the way as far as she could. Ruben only took over when she began tugging at the hem of his boxers, wanting for them to come off.

"You sure?" Ruben had her pinned to the matress.

"I'm ready Ruben, I'm so wet for you."

"Fiorella I..."

"I'm sure Ruben,  I want you inside me, now."

He shifted to lay between her legs, spreading her thighs between his hands. Although she claimed to be ready for him Ruben took his time with her, making sure she was tender and pliant for him.

"Fuck." She gasped as Ruben dipped his face between her thighs, licking across where it ached the most. He made sure to lick her clean, not stopping until her back arched with her orgasmic release.

"Oh, Ruben." She sighed . Stretching for him to lay on top of her. He did so, bringing his cock out of his boxers, adjusting to slide it  in between her folds.

Fiorella gasped with the first thrusts, but quickly adjusted, the sensation becoming more soothing with every stroke of Ruben's size. Her arms cradled around his neck, clinging onto to Ruben, trapping him to stay inside of her.

"Fiorella I'm gonna..."

His final strokes were hard but sloppy. There was no need to pull out, he was protected, allowing his orgasm to rise and fall whilst his cock still resting inside of her. Once his erection dawned Ruben shifted to lay beside Fiorella, the two of them catching their breaths.

"Tell me somthing more." He said.

"More?" She turned to face him, pulling the covers to her chin.

"Tell me somthing else that no one knows about you....."

Fiorella and Ruben would go on all night,  sharing things about themselves that nobody knew. There would kisses and groping hands in between, followed by more deep talks about themselves.

Eventually night became day and days became weeks. Fiorella had the right to believe that her and Ruben's days were counted, because it was sooner rather than later that he returned to England, leaving Fiorella behind.

Ruben would go on winning his case against his club, allowing him to participate in training again just ahead of the new season. As for Fiorella, she decided to give nursing school a second chance. Most of the tourist had left Sardinia so it was back to normal labor for the majority of the population. Chiara was right, nursing school was a perfect opportunity for Fiorella not to get stuck on the family farm with Nonna and all the sheep. It was also the only thing that could distract Fiorella from her loss. School took up so much of her time that she almost forgot that her heart belonged elsewhere.

Lost in Sardinia was the perfect way to describe it. For the first time in her young life Fiorella felt an ache in her heart, a painful unease. Home is where your heart is, she had never understood that expression until now, she had never understood that expression until her home left to play football in England, leaving her behind.

The End

Tagslist:

@christianpulisic10

#fanfiction #football imagine #man city #manchester city #ruben dias #ruben dias x reader #ruben dias imagine #footballer imagine #footballer x reader #football angst #smut

[chromiumagellanic06]

The Silver Knight: Warrior, Princess, Wife

Daemon Targaryen/Original Fem [Targaryen] Character

Chapter 8: Three Answers

MASTERLIST

Summary: Naera prepares for Lady Tyrell's arrival in the capital and has an interesting family dinner. Daemon learns a little about her past.

Word count: 3.8k

Warnings: nothing, really

It was roses, roses all the way. On the beds, in the twenty vases laid out on the tables and floors, on the sheets, on the curtains, on the windows, on the very ceiling of the chambers. Everything was filled with roses.

Naera was plucking more roses from the gardens—red, pink, white, yellow, and more, and more, and every flower that resembled a rose at all, was plucked and dethorned and cut diagonally at the stem and dropped into water. There were twelve maidservants with her, all fetching flowers in haste, trying in vain to get her to leave the work to them and take another hour of rest.

Naera did not listen. Everything needed to be covered in the finest roses from the finest florists in the capital. Everything.

“I thought you didn’t like flowers,” Daemon watched her from the edges of the gardens, arms folded, teasing.

“They’re not for me,” Naera answered with a smile, fingers scabbing over from the thorn cuts. It wasn’t good for her, he knew, everyone knew, even the incompetent maesters, who had long ago given up any hope of coaxing the princess to rest. They had ordered a Kingsguard—but she always carried around that dagger he had gifted her. Ser Redmond would survive, surely. A stab to the neck shouldn’t perish such a respected Kingsguard.

“My prince,” Grandmaester Mellos began, hissing at the sight of blood roses in Naera’s hands as she continued her actions, “It is imperative that the princess rests. If you would be so kind, as to—”

“Are you asking me to use force on my lovely niece?” Daemon chuckled, “Get another Kingsguard.” He was enjoying this far too much. He only hoped that Crispin Cunt could be next—that would be amusing. Mellos grumbled his disdain and walked away, glaring at Naera as he left.

“How’s this one?” Naera held up a rose, yellowed and wrinkled with age, withering away, “Good enough for the chamber pot?” Daemon laughed, walking over to her and taking the rose from her hand. He glanced at it for a second, at the spider crawling within, and dropped it to the floor.

“I believe,” he took her scratched, bloody hands, “that is quite enough.”

“Oh, but uncle,” Naera giggled, eyes closed, “She hates roses—it shall be grand. The roses shall be everywhere.” Lady Elysabeth Tyrell, long befriended to Princess Naera, did, famously, hate roses. The lady always argued that anything rained without measure brings abhorrence to its once lover. It is her logic that a Targaryen can come to tire of fire, as a Stark can tire of winter, or a Lannister can tire of being wealthy, or roaring? It did not always hold up.

“Now,” Daemon spoke without thinking, “I believe that you should rest now. Lady Tyrell shan't be here for another day, at best,” and he cursed himself because he would have loved to see the Green Queen’s sworn guard beaten by a barely armed girl—and he knew that she’d win, irrespective. She was Visenya returned, surely, and yet there was no sign of her Vhagar, he twirled a black lock of hair on his finger, swirling the stained hair around his finger. “Any answers from Asshai?”

Naera wiped her hands on her dress, leaving behind carmine and soil-coloured streaks on the silk. “It shall take time by raven. Another week, perhaps,” but the wedding would be upon King’s Landing by then. She turned to the maidservants who had toiled for hours decorating the chambers of Lady Tyrell prior to her arrival at the behest of their Princess, and exhaustion was evident in their sweat-laden faces. Naera directed them, “Away, girls,” and turned to take her uncle’s arm.

The dozen young servant girls, who had probably been happy to receive a summons of service from the princess as close to her wedding, who had probably expected to help with ribbons and hair or jewels and wine, were probably glad to leave to tend to their arms.

“And our plan?” Daemon questioned, quietly.

“We begin.”

The streets of Pentos were loud with trade and bargaining, the occasional wail of a stolen slave and the laughter of rich merchants as they crush the dreams of common labourers. There were men, women, and the occasional children, in cyan blue for those with wealth, in greens and maroons for the middle folk, and dirtied yellows for the labourers and slaves. No, slavery had been long abolished in Pentos due to Braavos, but that had hardly stopped the practice in reality. The slaves were still branded with tears for whores, with hammers for builders and fish for fishermen. Among them, on occasion, is spotted a man or woman with flames drawn across their faces-the slave priests of the Red Temple, but they hardly appeared and hardly wore red. 

Amongst them all, between the labouring, harassing, cheating humanity stood a lone Red Woman.

Melisandre of Asshai stood by the ports in Pentos, as she had stood the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that, waiting. She was waiting for a ship bearing orange flags with a red sun pierced by a golden spear carrying the richest Dornish Red wine to ever grace the Free City of Pentos. It would also have something—someone a lot more valuable, whom she did not yet know.

She had sent a letter to her knight, a short note of tribute before her big day, to tell her love of the obligation of her position. She had seen in the flames a Targaryen rogue Prince in delight, and Melisandre knew where duty applied. 

Naera's duty would come soon, as her entire life, Melisandre had embraced her obligations. Once, it had been to spread her legs when she was still called by another name, and now, she would board that ship, in one way or another, and follow its way to King’s Landing, then row a boat across the Bay of Black waters and reach the ancestral home of the Targaryens. For now, she needed to tarry, even if it took days, if it took nights, if it took weeks and months. She would wait.

“I will win if we joust, my dear,” Daemon said with a scoff.

“How can you be sure, unless we try?” Naera argued.

Laenor was holding his laughter, lips pressed together painstakingly, as he averted others’ gaze. They heard themselves, he trusted, I shall not be the first to laugh. I shall not be the first to blush. I shall not be the first to laugh.

“We could, yes, but I wouldn’t want my dear niece injured and with Maester Mellos of all people on her wedding night,” and King Viserys cleared his throat, uncomfortable. Yes, surely, the thought of his brother fucking his daughter was a little disconcerting.

“Well, I wouldn’t want my sweet and bloodthirsty uncle injured on his wedding night either, but I want to joust,” and Aemond crinkled his nose above his soup, unable to tell if he witnessed love or late between his soon-to-be-wed half-sister and uncle, “and if he isn’t willing to indulge me, then—”

Daemon clicked his tongue, “Don’t be stubborn, it doesn’t become you,” and Aegon was being far too liberal with the wine for a boy of his age. Queen Alicent was staring across the table, counting his glasses, frequently putting the pitchers out of his reach to keep her, by all means, idiot son sane enough to behave.

“Oh, I could say the very same for you, could I not?” Jacerys was intrigued—his aunt was loud and brash, much like his grand-uncle, and he wondered why his mother wouldn’t let him speak to her outside of meals. He also wondered why she always chose the seat closest to his grandfather, the King, and besides his father, and never near him, and Luke, and Aegon, Aemond and Helaena, or Daeron and Joff.

“Fine,” Daemon yielded, taking a sip of Dornish Red from his soon-to-be lady wife’s glass, and added, “When you lose, limagon doar.”

Naera seized his glass of Arbour Red instead and scoffed, “Nyke gaomagon limagon daor, kepus,” I do not cry, uncle, but she was far too drunk, was she not? She had had far too many pitchers of far too strong wine and not nearly enough food to hold it down, and Naera felt giddy and ecstatic. She met his eyes across the table, narrowed and laughing, and revelling in how bothered every adult at the table was.

“Wine?” Aegon asked his uncle, already reaching for a decorated glass jug.

“None for me,” Daemon spoke breathily, and downed Naera’s glass to emptiness, and watched curiously as Alicent dragged the boy down before he could refill his own serving. “I must say, brother,” Daemon addressed Viserys, “These family dinners are proving very entertaining, indeed.”

Naera pushed around the maybe dozen peas on her plate. Where had the rest gone? She had had at least double this many, and could not recall chewing them. Huh, but she brushed it off. She filled herself another wineglass, and chose only Dornish Arbour, perhaps out of sentimentality, or perhaps because every other wine tasted vaguely of pig piss, and she filled her glass halfway only, for the sake of etiquette, as well as her shaking hands.

All playful mischief drained his face, and some inkling of concern took its place. He reached his hand across the table, past the rich meats and soups and wines, “Now, now,” Daemon took her glass before it touched her lips, “That’s quite enough,” and made sure to curl his fingers around her blackened curls that gathered around her face and tucking the bunch behind her ear. Laenor stared down at his food uncomfortably, still not the first to get uncomfortable, and doing it well, for his sake, but almost let his laughter loose at the clear agony on Queen Alicent’s face when Daemon handed Aegon Naera’s glass.

Sure, a drunkard prince being fourth in line to the Iron Throne wasn’t anything unusual, but from the Green Queen’s perspective, things had been depreciating at an accelerated course since Princess Naera and Prince Daemon grew close.

“Well,” Naera shrugged, “I believe I shall retire now,” and was joined by half the table. Alicent took her part in assisting the King off the table and sharply asked Aegon to remain, whilst Laenor cared for his own children in the absence of Rhaenyra, who had chosen to dine in her chambers.

When Naera stood, she was surprised to feel no dizziness and even made it all the way out of the King’s solar before she stumbled a step and was caught by Daemon. She giggled when he took her arm, telling him with slurred words and a grin he could only call silly, “The looks on their faces!” She burst into laughter, and Daemon laughed also. Were they evil? Meh.

After catching herself and her breath, Naera continued, “In all’nesty—honesty, kepa,” she leaned close, “You will lose,” and leaned her weight on her uncle, trusting him to help her to her chambers.

“We’ll see who loses, my knight,” Daemon chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist and taking careful steps through the echoing corridors of the Red Keep. It was hardly night, and midnight wouldn’t strike for another hour and another, and he knew that the city without the Keep was alive with dazzling lights and wonderous crafts.

Every step for Naera made little translucent dots dance in her vision, and the moonlight that crowded the corridors filled with firelight only made a dull ache emanate off the spot where her brows met her nose.

Naera rested her shoulder on her uncle’s shoulder, a sweet refrain from the pain and blur, but she bent her neck in a way that hurt, and with dizzying gazes and a spinning head, she stopped following his steps. Naera leaned against his chest, his build that stood as a stone wall to support her, and wrapped her arms around his neck, telling him in spirit enough that her head spun.

“You didn’t have to drink as much,” he chastised, “You’ve barely recovered from that day,” oh, that day, when she had awoken and behaved as though all was dandy, and he had almost chained her to her beds. Arrogant, self-destructive and beautiful, he had decided after that.

“Oh, I’m fine! I’ve done worse—there was this one time,” Naera coughed, choked, and ignored it with a sigh, “I was stuck with this…uh…assassin, yes…a Braavosi assassin in a ship of mutineers somewhere off Slaver’s Bay,” and she giggled, uncharacteristic, and leaned into his shoulder, easing her head, “’n the assassin was trying to ham—h…hack, yes, that’s the word, he tried to hack off my skin with a knife, trying to take my face—don’t ask—and,” she pointed to a long, nearly faded scar by her left ear, “You have never seen a woman with half her face covered in blood knocking Ironborne overboard a ship, and you never will.”

“Take your face?” Daemon asked. Take a face? A disguise? Literally?

“I said don’t ask!” Naera shook her head, “Either ways, it was a miracle I survived, and the next day I was fighting Unsullied guardsmen in Astapor, all the same.” Unsullied guardsmen, Daemon smiled. Men without cocks? Naera did not seem particularly interested in that anyway.

My Love, and he felt a vague strangling on the inside of his throat, as though one was tugging a barbed wire around his neck. He felt his breaths shorten with every second, his hand tremble as they held her weight. She was drunk and dishevelled and in no state to take his questions with civility, he knew, but still.

“Oh, you’re burning,” Naera smirked, coming to a stop, just a dozen steps away from her chambers, backing him up against a wall—bold; “You’re burning with questions.” Daemon felt the thudding, thumping, thrumming of his heart begin to choke his chest with its fastened, blatant hammering. “A man wishes to ask a question,” she mused, smiling in a way he could only note as ominous. “A man has held her thrice as she walked,” by the pits, by the roses, by the palace 'dors, and she trailed a jittery finger over his chest, nearest his heart, smiling deviously still, “A girl shall grant him three answers. Epagon, kepus,” Ask, uncle.

Daemon gasped, and he felt fear running through him, the urge to push his niece away, to unsheathe Dark Sister and defend himself, but he couldn’t. He just couldn’t, with the way her lilac eyes teased him, with the sprinkle of silver hair by her scalps that had begun to taint her otherwise dark stained locks, with her words, and her ways, and herself. He could never push her away as she had him. He did not have the strength, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted that strength.

He stared into her eyes, twinkling, sparking, and the dilated pupils from the wine she had indulged in, and the dancing lights of the flames around them, beautiful, she was, with her toned form and height, her slender fingers and her breasts that always spilled neatly into a corset she fastened too far. She was beautiful, he knew, with her scars and her mysteries, and she was strong, perhaps even as much as him, and he’d find out soon enough but Daemon knew he would be more so adept at calling her such when her hair grew past the darkness which she had given it, and show off her Valyrian heritage again, when she smiled beside him as his, and when he knew of every venture she had failed and won and every life she had taken.

There, he knew. She had already handed him the opportunity to begin the journey into her past. Three questions, and he’d ask them with care.

“Well,” Daemon leaned close against her face, letting his nose brush against her ear, and he breathed, making her twitch and shudder. “I’d love to know more about this face taking assassin. Who was he?”

“A man has asked his first question,” Naera grinned with her straight white teeth, taking his hands and pulling him towards her chambers, “and a girl replies…the assassin was…” she blinked, twice, thrice, and again, thinking of the right words, “…no one.”

“No one? Naera, is that a proper answer?” He rolled his eyes, grasping her by the waist, making her giggle near his neck. Brilliant. His hands burned where they touched her, as one would feel holding up one's hands to the noonday sun--it burnt, and it amazed. 

“I am being honest,” she spread a hand along the side of his neck, “It was no one. What is the man’s second question?” She spun on her feet, dragging him along on a heaving, dancing twirl.

“Well, if you’re about to answer each question like the first, I’m going to need a thousand to learn anything valuable of you at all, Naera,” Daemon flirted also, and the fear of the moments past had passed, and the peace that came with her trivial answer had made him bold—bold enough to lift her above him, in one stroke, grinning up at his princess, his bride.

“And you wish to learn of me?” She stretched her arms to hold onto his shoulders, humming at the pleasure that came with it and tilted her face to the side in feigned curiosity.

“Of course, I wish to learn of you—I will know you,” and his declaration made her draw a soft breath, “I will know you, like the back of my own hand,” and his words sent chills down her spine, “I will know you like I know my sword—as though you are a part of me,”  and she smiled at him with bated breath, intoxicated in both alcohol, and perhaps the drug that was his existence, and as he took gallant steps towards her chambers, stopping right by the doors, “My second question, princess,” and he set her down, feeling the rush of boldness and defiance—the kind he had brandished for years in frustrating the court and ‘ailing’ his brother—the kind he had let dull to sincerity in the past few weeks. No more—she had let him taste joy, his wonderous and proud knight with power and beauty and wit, with their plot to fell the towers, and he’d return the favour with ardour—he’d return the favour with worship.

“What would it take me to win you?” To win her, she, who was brilliance personified—seasoned with experience, beauty, power and wit. To win her, would be to win everything he could have.

Naera laughed, delighted, warming, head thrown up and arms dropping down, and her eyes watered for a second before she blinked it away. She stepped back, sighing out a frown to smile just bitterly.

“Nothing.” And she disappeared into her chambers. He spotted the edges of a smile, heard the semblance of a near-erotic gasp, and he followed her within. Where was her sworn guard, had been his first wonder, but he couldn’t care for long enough. No, he was a man on a mission then. To win her.

“Will all your answers be as blunt?” He closed the door behind himself, slamming it shut with more force than he had intended. Naera stumbled towards the candles lit in her chambers, lighting more and more as she went about.

“Is that your third question?” Naera smirked at him before opening the door to her solar and lighting more candles there

“No. No…” Daemon shook his head, following her in and careful of the door this time.

Naera sat at her desk, and he noticed how letters had just piled up on his niece within a few days. She picked up the one at the top, broke its seal, and began reading.

Daemon sat opposite her again, watching her face smile and contort as she processed the contents of the letters. He smiled—fond—at her faces, and tried counting the other scars on her face. She wrote a long response to the creditor of her first letter in black ink, sealed it shut and set it aside to be sent on the morrow.

She picked up the next, and smiled, for it was unsigned and unmarked, apart from the burn of fire that sparked in her veins at the very first touch. Melisandre. She set it down, to be read later, when the day is younger and she isn’t joined by another—when she isn’t watched by another, for Daemon did watch her. He watched every twitch, every flick of her fingers, every blink of her eyes, and he missed nothing. She was an open book held a mile away—she hid nothing, but her appearance did it for her. Her appearance, her attitude, and her aura all deterred away those who dared as though shooing away a stray dog.

Daemon knew her better than that already, and it had taken him only weeks to go about it. In weeks, he had torn down her first mystery—it was only a matter of time until he broke the next. If she stayed, which she wouldn’t. Melisandre could swear that every love between them had been a lie, and she would follow. Daemon could confess a love for her he couldn’t possibly have—at least, past a certain lust for her and what she brings—and she would leave still.

Her freedom mattered more, she knew—more than him, or his lust, or her own. He was of no consequence.

“My final question,” Daemon had decided, and he turned to his back, glanced at the portrait there, and turned back, “What is Melisandre to you?”

Ha. What did he know of her Melisandre? A Red Priestess from Asshai, someone Naera missed, someone Naera did trust, and had spent a very long time with. What could he know of her beyond that? Nothing. She was no one to him, just another passerby in his long, bloody life, but she was dressed in better blood and bore better fire in her blood than he ever could, she knew.

Melisandre had shown Naera the truth. She had shown Naera the falsities of the Old Gods of the forest and Valyria, the lies and deceptions of the chastising and guilting new gods of the Seven, and the divinity and the brilliance, and the glory, and the truth of R’hllor. She had shown Naera that passion is nothing to be ashamed of, and love, nothing to seek or avoid—she had shown Naera lust, and sin, and pleasure, and called it love, and she had accepted.

She had loved, and she shall do so until the long night arrives, until the Great War begins, until Azor Ahai bloods his wife to defeat the night, and burns the darkness away with his fire, for the night is dark and full of terrors.

“Everything.”

MASTERLIST

#daemon targeryan #original female character #house targaryen #house of the dragon #daemon x oc #daemon smut #daemon targaryen smut #team black #house martell #dance of dragons #melisandre of asshai #melisandre #daemon x y/n #daenerys targeryan #azor ahai #dreams #fanfiction #archive of our own

[cherrykindness]

let's make babies |

pairing: Harry Styles x Actress!Reader

summary: you and harry are doing a live on instagram, you've drunk a lot of wine and now the world knows that the future Mrs. Styles is ready to make babies.

warnings: mostly cute, but the title tells you what you need to know 🤪

"What is your favorite song from the Fine Line album?" Y/N read aloud, twirling in her right hand the second glass of wine of the evening, the one already halfway through. "Adore You and Watermelon Sugar, of course."

Harry giggled, rolling his eyes upon hearing his fiancée's statement.

"Y/N will always choose Adore You because it was obviously written for her." He accused. "She wouldn't give that answer under different circumstances."

The comments climbed up the screen continuously, most fans gushing about how cute Harry Styles and YN/LN could be while the other part was concerned with wringing even more information out of the slightly inebriated couple who had decided to do a surprise live one early Sunday morning.

As expected after being away for some time to begin filming Don't Worry, Darling in Southern California, Harry enjoyed a lazy weekend in the house he shared with his fiancée and her pets. The days were filled with late naps and relentless Netflix marathons, sublime and ethereal evenings, marked mostly by unexpected declarations and rounds of sex that used to last until the beams of light were shyly coming through the linen curtains. They were not a monotonous couple, so this order could easily be changed.

"Watermelon Sugar is nothing more than about my love for watermelons, don't get too creative." Harry replied to a fan while sporting a corner smile, the message standing out among the rest for its dozens of emojis and large print, questioning the singer about erotic content behind the lyrics of his latest hit. "I really don't know what you guys are talking about."

Y/N laughed, shaking her head before leaning it against her fiancé's chest, propped up on the soft white pillows that were spread practically all over the bed. The air conditioner was on at a minimal temperature and a light rain whipped on the panes of glass camouflaged by the cream-colored curtain, that being the projection of Y/N's favorite nights.

"You can tell them, I'm not shy." She joked, nudging her fiancé's waist.

"You know what it was written about and who it was written for." Harry replied, raising one of his eyebrows. "That's what matters."

It went without saying that much of Harry's newest album, as well as some of his earlier work, had been done in exclusive dedication to his future wife. Y/N had been the muse for a vast repertoire of romantic songs, and even though the singer preferred to keep the story behind his more explicit compositions a "secret", the relationship the two had shared for more than three years was already solid and known enough for the media and fans to distinguish hidden messages in small details.

"It's a song about what usually comes before the act of making babies." Y/N laughed as he pointed at the display. "Honestly, you guys are impossible."

"No, we make babies every day." Harry joked, making a funny motion with his eyebrows. "I would spend my entire career writing just about that."

"Harry!" The actress exclaimed incredulously, slapping her fiancé weakly on the chest. "Children might be watching this."

"You don't want to have babies with me?" He asked falsely offended, accepting the cup that Y/N offered him. "Because I want some babies with you."

Y/N laughed, rolling her eyes as she watched the internet freak out at the dialogue that had suddenly emerged. Since the beginning of the quarantine, it was kind of inevitable that the couple of artists would not become the darlings of all social media; they were fervently active with photos, videos, and lives that depicted step by step daily life in isolation, gaining more and more followers and making the media more and more fascinated by the relationship they both shared.

The wedding was scheduled for the summer of next year and it was perhaps the most anticipated event in the tabloids. Bets about what the model of Y/N's dress would be and lists presuming who would be selected for the short list of guests stood out among countless news stories about the famous people influencing pop culture today.

The possible arrival of a Styles baby was an inevitable topic in interviews. Harry and Niall were the only members of the ex-boyband that had not become fathers yet, and because they had maintained a solid relationship and were seen as one of the most enviable couples during the last four years, Y/N and Harry had gotten used to all this openly asked questions. They didn't mind, they even had fun with the montages and all the anxiety that dominated the whole internet, often mentioning the fandoms' efforts to represent them as such "cool" parents in perfectly edited pictures.

"No, guys, I'm not pregnant." Y/N amusingly clarified the doubt of dozens of new comments. "Please don't believe so many controversial news stories that appear out there. I was on twitter last week and saw several people theorizing about a possible pregnancy, most of the arguments based on a website that used photos from the set of How to Get Away with Murder in the season where I was actually playing a pregnant woman as Laurel." She laughed. "It's so funny! I know you guys love to guess these things, but we won't hide something so special when it actually happen, I promise."

"Especially because Y/N can hide absolutely nothing from anyone." Harry accused, leaving his drink on the corner table before settling into a comfortable position for the two of them. "Anyone who's a Marvel fan knows that. That's one of her most characteristic quirks."

"They gave me a fake script for the last two movies." Y/N agreed, shaking his head. "For me and Tom."

"We agreed to keep the engagement a secret for a while. The plan was to travel to Holmes Chapel to break the news to my family in person, but guess who got a call at ten o'clock at night from an angry Anne because she learned of her son's engagement from an interview Y/N gave the next day?"

Y/N gave a guilty smile, winking gracefully at the camera. "It was all James' fault! I'm sure he already suspected something, those questions were very suspicious."

"Of course the questions were suspicious, babe. You literally said you had a secret that involved both of us but that you couldn't tell because it was important that our families knew first."

"I thought he would think about a pregnancy or something!" The actress defended herself, feeling very convincing in her intonation bordering on obviousness. "That's a mania I can't get rid of, it's in my genes."

"Did you all hear that? Further proof that you guys don't have to worry about guessing when Y/N's pregnancy will be, I'm sure our baby will make sure to tell you everything while still in the womb, mom's genes will make sure of that."

"You are so funny, Harry Styles." Y/N sarcastically stated, holding back a giggle as countless messages with laughing emojis were frantically up. "Yeah, I know I talk a lot and all, but you have annoying quirks too."

It was obvious that live would be news the next day. Although they were completely open about matters concerning their relationship, nothing seemed better than receiving so much exclusive information from a Harry and S/N drunk on expensive wine.

"You wake up in a bad mood and you're dangerously sexy, that should be illegal."

Harry laughed, holding his fiancée's waist a little tighter as he felt her tumble a little further to the side, getting closer and closer to the edge of the bed. Y/N was dangerously weak for drinks, and the singer knew that the actress' body was already near its limit.

"You're the only sexy person here, love." He declared with a corner smile, evidently finding the whole situation funny. "Do you want to go to sleep now?"

"No." Y/N shook her head. "Can we watch some movie? Can we watch Sweet Home?"

"Of course, love." He murmured, giving the woman a quick kiss on the forehead.

Even though Harry knew that his fiancée was unlikely to make it past the five-minute mark of the episode, he made sure to restart the korean series at exactly the scene where she had stopped, the first chapter still halfway through after Y/N realized that it would be impossible to watch such a macabre work without a drop of alcohol in her blood.

She had been so excited by the taste of Argentinian wine and the idea of updating her fans after a few weeks away, that she had forgotten the main purpose of the live. Harry and Y/N had been apart for a few days due to the new movie the Brit was shooting in North America, all happening in an unrestrictedly careful manner due to the restrictions caused by the pandemic.

He was slowly migrating towards acting and the future Mrs. Styles couldn't be prouder. Y/N had felt on cloud nine when Harry had given her the news of his upcoming job, but her only pronouncement on the subject had been a succinct post on instagram. Just a photo of the couple on a trip to Germany with a simple heart emoji didn't seem enough for the actress' exhibitionist soul, and coming to that conclusion was the main reason she decided to invite him, already relatively changed, for a live appearance. Y/N wanted to go on and on about how much she loved that man and work on that whole honeyed speech that would bring her (once again) the title of "cutest bride of all time," but of course Harry had to come home from his trip with his favorite red wine and poison her with those sweet caresses that took her out of orbit, turning the degree of alcohol content into the least of her problems.

"You're going to kiss Florence." Y/N exclaimed suddenly, as if only now realizing that her fiancé would share the screen with Florence Pugh, one of her closest friends in that industry. "Kiss on the mouth."

The MacBook was still open and hundreds of new comments were going up every second, but Harry didn't bother one bit to warn her about the possibility of her becoming a meme the next day. He was having too much fun with the situation to worry.

"Are you jealous?"

"Yes." She stated with a pout. "I am jealous, I just don't know if I'm more jealous of her or of you."

"But you kiss me every day, babe." Harry laughed. "And you've been kissing other people's men for almost ten years." He joked.

"But I only think about you, I already told you that."

Harry shook his head negatively at the camera, knowing he was sharing with the fans the funniest side of his fiancée.

"I know that, honey." He assured, lightly stroking the actress' back. "I think we'd better turn off the TV and go to sleep now, I'm sure you'll have a terrible headache tomorrow."

The brit planned to bid his audience goodbye and put an end to that recording, but Y/N was drunk and her sense of right and wrong had already gone to space. Harry should have been quicker, however, because his fiancée's speech would be cause for new tags and the only subject for the interviewers for at least the next few months.

"I don't want to sleep, how about we make babies?"

That's what Watermelon Sugar was all about, after all.

#harry styles imagine #imagine1d #imagine harry styles #harry x reader #harry styles x reader #fluffy imagine #harry fluff #actress reader

[georgiesdarling]

orchideous | g.w.

pairing: george weasley x female reader

warnings: brief mention of death (fred’s), but nothing major

summary: george remembers an old spell and decides to use it during the wedding.

word count: 0.7 k

a/n: flashbacks/memories are in italics.

orchideous. george weasley had learned that charm whilst prank planning with his twin brother ages upon ages ago. it was in their third year that they discovered that spell, but george could remember the day like it was yesterday. 

“georgie, look. i found this spell in an old textbook. what d’you think it does?” fred asked his twin, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. george peered over his brother’s shoulder, squinting at the text plopped down on the desk before him. “i’m not sure, fred. but there’s always one way to learn.” they simultaneously decided that they needed to test the charm in order to know what it was meant to do. george raised his wand and casted the ‘orchideous’ spell, which instantly caused a shower of flowers, dozens of various kinds, to rain down from out of nowhere. “wicked!” the twins exclaimed in unison, wearing matching grins of pride. perhaps the spell could prove useful whilst plotting their next escapade.

george, seated in the groom’s suite, peered at his reflection in the mirror adjacent to himself. the day was here; it was finally here. he had fallen in love with a girl, and now he found himself dressed in a morning coat, anxious on the day of his wedding. 

he didn’t doubt the union for a moment. his love was a true as could be, he was sure of that. george merely paused a moment, wishing that his beloved twin had survived long enough to witness this day. the memories he held of fred, he reminisced fondly upon. particularly, their discovery of the ‘orchideous’ spell during their third year at hogwarts. 

then, his inspiration struck. fred had passed away, but that didn’t mean that george wasn’t able to honor him during the ceremony. 

y/n y/l/n and george weasley had been a wonderful couple for two years. several months ago, he proposed with a brilliant fireworks display, to which she happily accepted. how couldn’t she? george was the boy of her dreams, a million times over. any girl would be lucky to have george weasley. but there was only one who had his heart. y/n.

“so, y/n. what d’you say? you? me? marriage?” she could recall him being nearly out of breath from running around like a maniac. an adorable maniac. her maniac. “yes, georgie! a thousand times yes...” y/n could still remember the way he swooped you up in his arms, twirling her around, that positively slap-happy grin plastered across his face.

she was seated on a chaise in the bridal suite, her bridesmaids and the maid of honor all fussing over her dress and her makeup and her hair. preening over every detail, they were intent to assure that y/n looked her best.

it felt like something out of a dream or a novel, or perhaps a film. she was adorned in a stunning wedding dress, and if all the ladies attending to her so carefully were being honest, she looked like a dream. 

george felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest, so fast that he was afraid he may swoon. gazing upon the love of his life, walking down the aisle, he was filled with a sensation stronger than any regular joy he’d ever felt. y/n felt just the same, an overwhelming sense of happiness. 

in front of friends and family, they confessed their love for one another and recited their vows. just like that, as if by magic, they were married. but the groom had one last trick up his sleeve. 

“and for my best man, freddie, who had the audacity to leave us before i had the chance to prove that i can get a girl,” george announcenced, lifting his wand towards the sky. “orchideous.” 

a large assortment of flowers and colorful petals blessed the congregation of loved ones, who had begun to smile and laugh, enjoying the blissful moment. george, putting one hand on the small of her back, leaned in and kissed his wife, eliciting cheers from the crowd. 

“merlin, how i love you, mr. weasley.” y/n smiled, meeting her husband’s eyes.

“and i love you, mrs. weasley.”

#george weasley #fanfiction #fanfic #george weasley fluff #george weasley fic #george weasley ​x reader #hogwarts #weasley twins

[goldenlaurelleaveswrites]

Sabine’s Big Day

I’m sorry for the delay, things have been a bit crazy in my life. I hope you enjoy the next Part of The Big Day (AO3)

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

Sabine dabbed carefully at her teary eyes, she didn’t want to ruin her makeup, but she couldn’t help but cry. Even anxiously pacing around, Marinette was an absolute vision in her dress. And it didn’t help that Tom kept bursting into tears every time he looked at their daughter. 

But no matter how much the sight made her tear up, she couldn’t take her eyes off her daughter as she tried to calm her. 

“… And if Hawkmoth decides to akumatize someone?”

“Then Ladybug will handle it,” she said soothingly. “Chat Noir too,” she added as an afterthought. Unfortunately, her words didn’t seem to offer any comfort; instead, they just sent Marinette pacing in the opposite direction, wringing her hands. 

“Sweetheart, don’t you think there are other things to stress over today?” She shot Tom a look as he seemingly realized what he had just said.

“Not that there is anything to worry about, dear! It’s your wedding day; this will be one of the happiest days of your life…” she trailed off as she caught sight of Fang, who seemed to be admiring himself in the mirror. Her thoughts immediately jumped to the father of the groom and the surprise Gina and Anarka had planned for Marinette and Luka. 

 Maybe there were a few things to worry about.

Marinette didn’t seem to hear her though, as she continued on with her tirade. “But weddings always make people stressed! All it takes is one miscommunication between the florist and the venue, and poof! Suddenly there’s an akuma that turns people into topiaries!”

She remembered that akuma all too well. She and Tom had had the misfortune of delivering a cake to that wedding when the akuma occurred. While they had avoided being turned into shrubs, it had been a little too close for comfort.

The scratching of scales against the wood floor caught her attention, and then she felt a tail brush against her ankle. She watched as Fang laid his head on her daughter’s foot, stopping her midstep as he nuzzled her leg. 

Marinette froze, before her lips curled into a soft smile.“Thank you, Fang,” Marinette whispered as she knelt to scratch the flower girl's head.

“Honey…” she reached out to her daughter, gently clasping Marinette's hands in hers. “Are you sure it’s really an akuma that you’re worried about?”

“Marrying Luka is the easiest decision I'll ever make.” She began to tear up at her daughter’s words and the conviction with which she had said them. “I love him, mom. He makes me happy.” 

Marinette had always been indecisive and anxious, but Luka had always been able to soothe whatever storm was brewing in her daughter’s mind. 

“I know, darling.” She felt her husband’s hand settle on her shoulder. 

And then they were all hugging and crying.

“Mama, Papa! You’re making me ruin your makeup!”

“You look beautiful, darling,” she heard Tom say through his sniffles. 

“But let’s get you cleaned up! You have an aisle to walk down!”

                                                           *** 

She took her place at Marinette’s right, as Tom took his place on Marinette’s left. She forced back the tears that were threatening to well up in her eyes as Marinette looped her arms through theirs. Marinette had been adamant that either they both walk her down the aisle or no one would. 

She had always known Marinette would grow up one day, but it felt so soon. It felt like just yesterday she had been holding her baby in her arms for the first time. 

The moment almost didn’t feel real. 

Was this how her father had felt? Right before he walked her down the aisle?

She didn’t know if she was ready to let go of her little girl yet. She knew she wasn’t losing her daughter but rather gaining a son. But it was hard knowing her baby was all grown up with a life of her own. 

Her eyes met Tom’s over Marinette’s head. 

Tears were leaking out of the corner of his eyes, but he was smiling. She was too. 

Luka loved Marinette so much, and they had so much happiness ahead of them. 

But Marinette would always be her baby girl. 

The music from inside the ceremony room swelled, and she felt Marinette squeeze her arm. And then the doors opened, and they stepped towards Marinette’s future. 

                                                          *** 

She wasn’t sure if she should sink in her seat or leap to her feet and haul Adrien out by his ear. 

She had once thought of him as the dear boy, even after Marinette moved on from him. He had always seemed so sweet and polite. 

But just over a year ago, things changed. 

Suddenly he had seen Marinette as more than the friend he had always claimed she was, and he had begun hounding her to go out with him. She had no idea what had caused the change in his feelings, or seemingly his entire personality for that matter. 

All she knew was that even as Marinette planned her own wedding to someone else— Adrien had been relentless in his pursuit; and crossed many boundaries. He had sent flowers and expensive gifts to Marinette every day, even when her daughter begged him to stop. He had shown up at Marinette’s work to surprise her. The boy had even somehow managed to get himself onto Marinette’s balcony and set up a candlelit picnic. 

He was no longer the dear boy. He was simply a petulant child who didn’t understand the meaning of the word no. 

Truth be told, she wasn’t entirely sure why he was here in the first place. Perhaps foolishly, she had thought he would have had the grace and dignity to turn down the invitation he had received as a professional courtesy.

But it seemed Adrien had decided to use the opportunity to confess his love for Marinette one more time, even going so far as to call them soulmates. 

She hadn’t been sure if she should leap to her feet or sink into her seat when he stood, but she had to hold back a smile at the way he seemed to shrink under Marinette and Luka's glares. 

Was it petty? Maybe. But under the circumstances, she could forgive herself.

She did allow herself to smile when Adrien sat down, looking thoroughly cowed. 

She still couldn’t believe how much Marinette sometimes sounded like Ladybug. It was uncanny. 

                                                          *** 

She leaned into her husband’s side as they watched Luka and Marinette seemingly float across the dance floor. It still felt surreal, knowing her little girl was a married woman now. But it was the best kind of surreal, like that wonderful place between sleep and being awake, where all the best dreams happened. 

And looking at the two of them twirl around in each other’s arms, lost in each others’ eyes, tears gathered in the corner of her eyes again. 

“It feels like just yesterday that was us.” 

She nodded as Tom wrapped his arm around her, but her eyes never left her daughter and new son. 

                                                          *** 

Jagged’s toast had certainly been… something. 

As wonderful as Luka was at soothing Marinette’s anxieties, she had the distinct feeling having Anarka and Jagged Stone as in-laws was going to have the direct opposite effect on Tom. But it had all been fine in the end, and the croque-en-bouche had escaped Jagged’s toast mostly unscathed. 

She chuckled as she caught sight of the newlyweds, who seemed to be off in their own little world. They probably would have been fine if the croque-en-bouche hadn’t made it out in one piece. 

There was a good chance they might not have even noticed. 

                                                          *** 

She was still chuckling, hours later, at the bouquet toss. She knew she would get an earful from her cousin and her daughters the next morning. But it was worth it. And it had seemed no one was willing to argue the results of the bouquet toss, which made it even better. 

 “I’m glad te call her me daughter.” Anarka settled herself down in the chair beside her, eyes trained on Marinette and Luka as they danced to the last song of the night. 

“I couldn’t have asked for a better son,” she murmured in reply. 

They sat there as they watched their children glow with happiness. She really couldn’t have asked for a better son. 

He always knew how to soothe Marinette when she was plagued with stress and anxiety. He was the wind beneath her wings lifting her to fly even higher when she was at her best. 

He let Marinette shine bright without diminishing his own light. 

The music was coming to a close.  Even as the last notes of the song still played, the couple starting making their towards the doors, waving their goodbyes to those still present. 

Watching Marinette and Luka walk out the door, their fingers entwined, warm filled her chest. Even if today hadn’t gone exactly as planned, they were happy and that was all that mattered. 

There was nothing to worry about. 

“Ye think they’ll like the surprise?”

#endgame lukanette #lukanette endgame #pro lukamari #adrien salt #I didn't mean for this to become salty but that's life I guess #pretty low sodium #sabine cheng #marinette dupain cheng #tom dupain #luka couffaine #adrein agreste #anarka couffaine #the big day #my writing

[malfoymanortings]

silver tongue // part two

SUMMARY: charlie weasley was never the type to fall in love. his main focus has always been dragons. by the time he realizes he’s in love, it may be too late.

PAIRINGS: charlie weasley x fem!OC

WARNINGS: smut, and mentions of gore/injury.

well, here’s the final part to charlie’s story! i may write an epilogue of sorts in the future. and i may use luminita in a different story, i like her character! anyways, hope you all enjoy.

charlie and luminita fell into step with the order and the weasley family. charlie spent time catching up with his family and conversing with arthur on the foreign wizards they had gathered. luminita spent a fair amount of time with kingsley, who had taken a great interest in the girl. he said she was a great asset and a natural fighter, and she was assigned as a watch guard for the burrow while they were there.

luminita was surprisingly comfortable at the burrow. it made her realize where charlie got his decorating skills from; his shack in romania was filled with warm tones of mismatched fabrics and designs. it had always drove her crazy, she preferred a set tone and color palette. but now she knew charlie was just trying to have a piece of the burrow with him while he was with the dragons.

the day of the wedding, she was stationed to stand guard outside of the tent the ceremony was being held in. another wizard and witch, remus and tonks respectively, stood guard with her.

luminita had gotten to know the two fairly well, remus was a werewolf and he had soothed a lot of the concerns she had over her injuries. the only thing she had experienced was a likening towards rare meat, and restlessness during the full moon. tonks was a delightful metamorphmagus, and a strong willed fighter like her. tonks had suggested she would make a brilliant auror, but luminita assured her that her heart belonged to the dragons and romania.

tonks was the person who had given her a dress for the wedding, a silver cap sleeved gown that clung to her chest and torso, before flowing weightlessly to her feet. her wild thick hair was twisted up in a bun, showcasing the thin dragon scale necklace around her neck. she rarely had a chance to dress up, and she enjoyed it in spite of herself.

“it’s a beautiful day for a wedding,” tonks commented brightly, twirling her wand in her hands. “not too warm, not too windy.”

“thank you for the weather update.” remus smirked playfully at the purple haired witch, nudging her shoulder.

tonks glared at remus, with no real malice. luminita laughed, their banter heartwarming and yet painful at the same time.

“so how long have you and charlie been an item?” tonks asked luminita, winking at the girl whose eyes had widened at the assumption.

“oh, no, we aren’t together,” she let out a humorless laugh. “we’re both too focused on our work. he’s always said the dragons are enough for him, he can’t entertain a relationship while there are so many undiscovered dragons.”

tonks shared a look with remus, their expressions gentle. “sometimes you just need to convince a man otherwise. even if they’re stubborn.”

luminita smiled politely, her insides churning. it was a nice sentiment, but it wasn’t like that with charlie. she knew long before her feelings for him grew that he wasn’t interested in any relationship with anyone. she was just foolish enough to let herself be captivated by charming grin and muscular biceps, his infectious laugh and extraordinary personality. she had never met someone quite like him.

spending time around his family for the past few days, she was able to see where it had all stemmed from.

before long, the ceremony had conceded and music began blasting from the speakers within. laughter and the clinking of silverware echoed outside, and luminita couldn’t help but peek inside to take a look.

“oh, you can go on inside,” tonks waved towards the tent, her eyes flicking over to remus. “we can take it from here.”

luminia hesitated, but at their reassurances, she slipped inside the tent.

she had never seen so many redheads in one place. charlie had been the first and only redhead she had met, and she found it a bit jarring to suddenly be surrounded by them. she sought him out now, a smile appearing on her face when she finally caught sight of him walking towards her.

“lumi,” he greeted, giving her a hug. he pulled away, his hands still on her arms, his eyes raking over her body. “you look wonderful.”

she laughed, a blush coating her cheeks. “well thanks. you don’t look half bad yourself, i almost don’t recognize you without the layer of ash on your face.”

charlie laughed loudly, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “thanks, i think!”

they walked over to the drinks, each taking a glass of fire whiskey. a few of charlie’s relatives came over to talk with him

about his work with the dragons, and a few of them asked if luminita was his girlfriend. charlie would quickly shake his head, his cheeks would flush, and he would deny it. luminita would joke and say she had much higher standards, even if the words burned her mouth on their way out.

“would you fancy a dance?” charlie asked suddenly, as they had finished off their drinks.

luminita nodded, her lips turning up as she let herself be led away to throng of people twirling to the music.

she began swaying to the music, charlie’s large hands splayed out on her hips. she had her hands on his shoulders, and they moved fluidly together to the music.

“your family is really nice,” she told him, looking into his brown eyes. “fred and george have a nice amount of spunk in them. and ginny is a force to be reckoned with. she kind of reminds me of me when i was her age.”

charlie nodded in agreement. “the twins have really made something for themselves. i’m so proud of them. ginny, too.”

“oh, charles, you’ve gone soft of us,” fred appeared next to them, twirling a gorgeous blond as he passed.

“really, i think we may swoon.” george finished, a similar girl in his arms as they danced together.

“just wait until after this wedding, i’ll have the both of you in a headlock before you can say mum.” charlie threatened, giving the two of them a look.

“we’ll be waiting!” the twins had identical grins, and they led the dance floor, disappearing with the veelas.

charlie grinned, shaking his head, and he twirled luminita in a circle. she felt wild, carefree. the feeling of charlie’s warm hands on her hips and the feeling of his thick muscles under her hands made her feel invincible. they never got the opportunity to be intimate like this, and all they were doing was dancing.

maybe it was the rush of euphoria she received from being so close with him, his hands on her hips, his eyes watching her every move. or maybe it was the feel that weddings had, like love was an attainable thing for all to grasp. whatever it was, when the music switched to a slow song, she had to finally put her feelings for the burly boy out in the open so there were no more second guesses.

“charlie,” luminita bit her lip, their movements slowing. “i know how you feel about relationships. i know we’re in a war. i know we can die at any moment... and that’s why i need to just say this and be done.”

“luminita...”

“i care for you, charlie weasley. a lot. a damn lot, and who knows? maybe i love you. and perhaps it’s wishful thinking, but i think you like me too.”

she could feel him tense under her hands as her words spilled out in an honest confession. they paused in their dancing, and she waited with bated breath to hear his reply.

as charlie opened his mouth, everyone’s attention was suddenly turned to the opening of the tent, where a silver lynx landed a few feet away from charlie and luminita. she quickly reached under her dress for her wand that was strapped to her calf, holding it tightly in anticipation.

the patronus’ mouth opened wide, and it spoke in the loud, deep, slow voice of kingsley shacklebolt.

“the ministry has fallen. scrimgeour is dead. they are coming.”

everything was silent for a moment, most of the guests were still turned towards the remaining vapors of the patronus. then somebody screamed.

guests started running in all directions, many were disapperating. luminita swore, realizing the enchantments around the burrow had broken.

the death eaters came rather quickly. they were masked and cloaked, firing spells into the crowd of people.

luminita began dueling, her mouth set in a determined line. she was vaguely aware of charlie fighting at her side, firing off a few ‘protego’ as they fought together.

then luminita saw ginny, who appeared as though she was too busy searching for someone rather than looking out for her back. she was going to get herself killed.

“charlie,” she spat out of the corner of her mouth, firing a leg locking curse at one of the cloned figures. “where is your families safe house?”

“my aunt muriels,” charlie responded under his breath, stunning a death eater. “go there!”

“no chance in hell!”

she sprinted across the dance floor, kicking her heels off in the process. she dodged spellwork, twisting around to fire back as she ran.

“protego!” she shouted, blocking a curse that very nearly hit ginny. “ginerva! get a hold of yourself!”

“harry left,” ginny told her, her eyes wild. “i didn’t get to say goodbye.”

“you’ll see him again,” she panted, gathering the girl behind her. “where’s your wand.”

“i don’t know, i don’t know, i think it’s in the burrow.”

luminita cursed, scanning the crowd as spells continued blasting around them. molly weasley looked panic stricken, as she fired off spells at the death eaters, her eyes darting around in a worried haste. aunt muriel was next to her, looking as though she were going to hyperventilate.

she was looking for ginny.

“molly!” she yelled, grabbing ginnys arm as the quickly maneuvered through the crowd.

molly looked up at her, relief sagging in her features as she saw ginny beside her. luminita pushed ginny into her mother’s arms, and they clung to each other.

“go to the safe house, we’ll take care of things from here.”

molly nodded, and turned on her heel. with a crack, they disappeared.

luminita turned back to the crowd, and joined forces with remus and tonks, the three of them were soon joined by charlie. charlie and luminita fought back to back, alongside the other two.

it appeared the death eaters were only there for harry potter. once they realized he was no longer there, due to one of them shouting it in disappointment, they left in a cloud of black smoke.

the beautifully decorated tent was destroyed, the flowers trampled and decorations ripped, platters of food and drink strewn around the floor. a few areas had been set on fire and put out, the smoldering remains letting off plumes of black smoke.

“is anyone hurt?” arthur called out tersely, a deep looking ash on his forearm.

there were a few murmurings through the crowd, but no one appeared to be gravely injured.

“right, then, let’s clean up and then we can recoup.”

it didn’t take very long to get the place cleaned up, most of it just needed to be banished away as it was damaged beyond repair. bill expressed regret over the flowers being destroyed; fleur had wanted to save a few in a photo album of their day. but they were all wrecked, stomped into the ground.

the order members who had attended the wedding all apparated to muriels cottage, crammed into the small living room as they waited for kingsley to appear. he came at half past nine, looking worn and torn.

“was harry able to leave?” he asked, standing in front of the order members.

arthur nodded. “he, ron, and hermione left. no one was able to get them.”

“that’s good.”

they began discussing further plans for the order, and repairing the wards that had been broken at the burrow. they would all head back tomorrow morning to redo he magical charms, and resume their normal schedules.

as the order members aside from the weasleys and luminita began to file out, kingsley called to her and charlie.

“you two are heading back to romania tomorrow, right?”

charlie nodded tensely. “that’s the plan.”

kingsley nodded slowly, looking over at luminita. she forced herself to remain strong under his intimidating gaze.

“luminita, if you’re willing, i would like for you to stay behind. you’re an excellent fighter, and we could really use your help.”

she faltered, unsure of what to say. she hadn’t been expecting him to say that.

“no,” charlie answered, shaking his head. “no, she comes home with me.”

“charlie, think of what’s best for the order,” kingsley said firmly, turning his gaze on the man. “if she refuses, then that’s fine. but if she’s willing to help the order, that’s her decision to make.”

“im not leaving her here unprotected,” charlie’s voice was bordering on hysterical now. “miles away from where i could help her. where i go, she goes.”

the two men stared at each other, silence echoing loudly around them. luminita felt her heart thud at the way charlie was talking about her, and she very nearly said no. but he said she would be a great asset, and if she would be more helpful here... she couldn’t say no, especially not after the death eaters she encountered tonight. fighting like that... it gave a thrill that reminded her of trying to bond with a dragon. and if she could help innocent people and fight against voldemort hands on, well, she wouldn’t say no.

charlie looked at her, and his shoulders sagged as he recognized her expression.

“please, lumi,” his voice was low and pleading. “don’t stay. come home with me.”

she swallowed hard, and looked over to kingsley. she gave the man a firm nod, straightening her shoulders. “i’ll stay.”

charlie cursed, and stormed out of the room. the front door slammed behind him, and luminita shut her eyes briefly.

“tomorrow we’ll meet at the burrow and discuss your role,” kingsley held out his hand, and they shook firmly. “i have an assignment in mind for you already.”

kingsley left then, biding a goodnight to the rest of the weasleys. luminita took a steadying breath, and slipped outside. the grass was cool against her bare feet, and the wind was balmy against her skin.

charlie stood leaning against a tree a few yards away from the house, staring out at the vast forest that expanded beyond muriels cottage. his sleeves were rolled up, and the ends of his dragon tattoo poked out from his right bicep. her heart ached as she walked towards him.

“hey,” she said softly, crossing her arms as she stopped next to him. “can we talk?”

“how could you just decide that?” he turned to her, his words hard and fast as they came from his mouth. “how could you just decide to leave me and stay here?”

“charlie, you know i won’t back down from a fight. you know i’m not the type of person to run and hide. if there’s a chance i can be more helpful here then in romania, i have to do it.”

“even if that means leaving the dragons? leaving me? i thought you lov-“ and he cut himself short, the words snipped shut as soon as he thought them.

she shut her eyes, taking another steadying breath against the thud of her heart. “don’t do that.”

“do what? at the wedding, you said- you said you loved me. how can you just drop that on me and then just leave me?”

“are you kidding me? it doesn’t even matter charlie! you don’t feel the same way about me! the dragons will always come first!”

“fuck the dragons!” charlie roared, and he took hold of her shoulders. “i love you, damnit, and i can’t lose you!”

he crashed his lips against hers, and she lost her hands in his wavy hair. she opened her mouth, tongue and teeth clashing against each other. his deliciously muscular body pressed against hers, fulfilling many a fantasy she had ever since she saw him with his shirt off three years ago. his hands cupped her cheeks, pressing her harder against him.

every single one of her nerve endings were on fire as his hands ghosted down to her hips, gripping them tightly before he tapped her thighs, signaling for her to jump. she did, wrapping her legs around his waist as he turned around, pressing her against the tree.

as his lips trailed down her neck, nipping ravenously at her skin, she could feel his hardness pressing against her core. hardness that she caused. it sparked a fire deep in her chest, and she moaned loudly as he ground her hips into hers.

he looked up at her, his eyes dark. “do you want this?”

she nodded, her eyes fluttering at the feel of his body pressed against hers. “i’ve wanted this for years, charlie.”

at her admission, he pulled up her dress, and pushed aside her panties, slipping a finger into her wetness. her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she gripped at his hair as he plunged his fingers deep in her pussy. his thumb rubbed circles on her sensitive clit, while his two fingers thrusted in and out in a fast pace.

“charlie,” his name fell from her lips among a string of moans, his hair still gripped in her fists.

“say my name,” charlie growled, biting down harshly on her neck. “say my goddamn name.”

“charlie!”

she could feel the knot in her stomach building, and just as it was about to unravel, his fingers left her heat. her unfocused eyes attempted to look at him in annoyance, wondering why he stopped, when his full length suddenly slammed into her with a force that brought tears to her eyes.

“you like it rough, don’t you slut,” he murmured, groaning as he rolled his hips against hers. “taking me so well.”

she threw her head back in both pain and pleasure as his cock pounded into her, hitting deep inside her as he continued sucking on

her neck. the pain subsided, and she nearly saw stars as he brought a hand down to rub circles on her clit.

the knot in her stomach returned, and with it came a primal need to mark charlie as hers. she lifted her head, bending towards his neck and searching for his soft spot. as he moaned when her tongue licked over a spot near the base of his throat, she bit down harshly, drawing blood that she quickly licked up, moving to suck on the other side of his neck.

“did you just bite me?” charlie gasped out, his hips flush against hers.

she tilted her head back, meetings his eyes as he continued slamming into her. “yeah, i did.”

“do it again.” he groaned darkly, moving his head back to expose the other side of his neck.

she did as he asked, sinking her teeth once more into the taught skin of his neck. she supposed the need to bite him and mark him as hers came from the werewolf scars, but she hadn’t expected charlie to be so open to it.

the knot in her stomach tightened, and she moaned as the pressure built. charlie’s thrusts became sloppy, and she knew he was close too.

“gonna cum,” he grunted, slamming his hips into hers. “fill you up like the slut you are.”

his words drove them both over the edge, and with one final thrust he came inside her, and she released on his dick. his hips stilled, still flush against hers, and he buried his head against her neck. she rested her head on top of his, her arms resting limply around his neck.

“so,” she said after a moment, a pleased smirk on her lips. “i’m a slut?”

charlie looked up immediately, his face flushing maroon. “oh, erm, i didn’t mean-“

“don’t take it back!” she exclaimed, a laugh falling from her lips. “it’s hot. dirty. didn’t expect that from you.”

charlie gave an exasperated sigh, shaking his head. he pulled out of her, setting her down gingerly. her legs felt like jello, and she held onto his shoulders to steady herself.

“was it too much for you?” he teased her, his eyes dark.

she swatted at his arm, forcing herself to stand on her own. “in your dreams, weasley.”

“oh trust me, this will be the center of my dreams for years to come.”

she rolled her eyes, pulling her panties back up. “if only you would have done this sooner.”

charlie nodded slowly. “if only... are you really going to stay?”

“i have to, charlie. if it’s in the best interest of the order, then-“

“forget the order,” he stated firmly, placing a hand on her hip. “what is best for you?”

she paused. “charlie. i wouldn’t be able to live with myself if i left when i could have helped people. not after what i saw today.”

“i suppose i knew that,” he sighed ruefully. “that’s just who you are. it’s why i love you.”

“so you do love me?”

he gave her a look. “i don’t just tell people i love them if i don’t mean it. of course i do.”

she nodded. “i love you too.”

she held out her hand, and he grasped it tightly. his large one engulfed her small

one in warmth, and they walked hand in hand back to the cottage. they didn’t specify a label on each other, but she didn’t feel they needed to. they loved each other. that was all they needed.

the next day, luminita received her first assignment from kingsley. charlie prepared to leave for romania. they spent their last night together in his childhood bedroom, familiarizing each other’s bodies in the tangle of his sheets.

but he had to leave, and she had to stay.

kingsley kept her busy, and she found she didn’t have much time to dwell on how much she missed charlie. it stayed with her, like a thorn in her side, but most nights she was so exhausted she fell into a dreamless sleep, only to wake up the next morning early to get a start on her duties.

she stayed with the weasleys in the burrow, and grew quite close with molly and the twins. she practiced dueling with the boys on her rare days off, which they greatly enjoyed.

but of course, all good things must come to an end, and when ginny returned home for easter break, ron was found traveling with harry potter and hermione granger. the trio got away, but the weasleys shot to the top of the death eaters most wanted list. they were forced into hiding, and luminita took on a heavier work load as the death eaters became more determined to destroy the supporters of harry potter.

eventually, she was stationed in hogsmeade, which meant that when the final battle began, she was one of the first to join.

“it’s unfortunate you’re seeing hogwarts in shambles as your first impression,” george called to her, as he hexed a death eater. “it’s bloody amazing in its full glory.”

“has to be, though,” fred chimed in, dodging a bat bogey hex. “it’s where we got our start! the infamous weasley twins!”

“load of braggarts, you lot!” chided luminita, sending a stunner straight to the chest of a burly death eater.

the three worked together, battling the emerging death eaters. at some point in the chaos, george split away from the two, and they were joined by percy, the weasley who had blacklisted his family.

“i was a fool, fred,” percy shouted hoarsely, shooting spells at the four hooded and masked death eaters that had them back into a corner. “an utter fool!”

“and a right prat!” added fred, ducking as a green spell whizzed by his ear.

luminita became separated from the two as the death eater split them apart, two took on her while the other two kept at the weasleys. she was forced to only cast shielding spells, as she was unable to do much else with the both of them constantly firing at her. but then, by sheer luck, she found an opening.

“ventura!” she shouted, jabbing her wand directly at the two.

a hurricane swirled out of her wand, gathering the two death eaters into its depths. they flung around the room, hitting the ceiling with a sickening crack before falling to the floor, their thick blood spilling out onto the floor.

she shouted the counter curse, and the hurricane disappeared.

“nice one, lumi!” fred shouted in approval.

jets of light flew in every direction, and luminita rushed forward to help the two weasleys; out of the corner of her vision, she saw harry, ron, and hermione emerge from the hallway.

one of the death eaters hoods slipped, revealing his high forehead and streaked hair.

“hello, minister!” bellowed percy, sending a neat jinx to thicknesse who dropped his wand and clawed at his rom in discomfort. “did i mention i’m resigning?”

“you’re joking, perce!” shouted fred with glee, as the death eater he was battling collapsed under the weight of four separate stunning spells. “you actually are joking, perce.. i haven’t heard you joke since you were-“

luminita felt the electric pull of the air, and her instincts kicked in. she reached out, grabbing hold of fred, just as the air around them exploded.

they flung through the air, and luminita held fred close to her chest with her wand gripped tightly in her hand, protecting his head with her arms. the yells and screams of their companions echoed around them, and the cold air that hit let her know the wall of the castle had been blasted away.

they landed with a crash, her head cracking against the floor of the castle, her leg bending the wrong way with a throbbing pain. fred slammed painfully against her chest, but she didn’t release her hold on him.

then the world resolved itself into pain and semi darkness; they were half buried in the wreckage of the corridor.

she looked down at fred, who had a dazed expression in his face. there was a gash across his forehead, dripping thick blood in his eyes.

“lumi, you have to let go of me so we can get up,” fred groaned, and she released his hold on him. “think you may have just saved my life.”

“that was the hope.” the words came out funny, and her head exploded in black stars. she wasn’t sure that the words had came out at all. there was something thick and sticky coating the back of her head, and when she reached her hand back to gingerly touch it, moaning at the pain, her hand came back slick with blood.

“percy! ron! help me get her out of here!”

she was vaguely aware of someone jostling her body out of the rubble as the pain coalesced into a blinding blackness of stars, and she faded away.

the next time she opened her eyes, she was staring at the twinkling ceiling of the great hall. she felt as though her head was filled with foam, and her leg had a stabbing pain reverberating through her shin.

“lumi?”

her eyes fluttered over to the worried face of charlie weasley, and her heart swelled. “charlie.”

he carefully gathered her in his strong arms, holding her against his chest. “i told you to be safe.”

she wrapped her arms around him, not fully believing he was there.

“luminita. never thought i’d see the day you weren’t tossing me a witty comment.”

she lifted her head off charlie’s chest to see billius standing near them, and a grin cracked across her face.

“oh, shut it,” she scoffed. “go suck on a dragon scale.”

“that’s my girl,” billius grinned, before pausing thoughtfully. “guess i probably shouldn’t say that. you’re charlie’s girl now.”

a warmth filled her chest as his words processed, and her head became less foamy. “yeah. i am.”

“you hit your head really hard and broke your leg,” charlie informed her, keeping her in his arms. “maria had to regrow the back of your skull, and a few of your leg bones. you’re still healing.”

“maria’s here?”

“all of our romanian allies are here. we got here just after the battle ended.”

she could hear the frustration in his voice. she knew it must have killed him to get here late and then find that she was injured. “you’re here now. that’s what matters.”

they caught up while her skull regrew, and the other weasleys came by as well. fred thanked her again for saving him, and molly nearly cried as she thanked her for saving her son. she waved them off, not caring for the attention.

before long, the battle resumed, and charlie had to leave her to help in the fight. she tried her best to get up against his orders, but her vision went blurry and her leg sent shooting pains through her body. so, she was forced to sit there while harry potter was declared dead. the war raged on.

then, harry potter was alive again. the war began turning for the better, and it seemed that they would win. the residents of hogsmeade joined in, and before long, harry had killed voldemort.

the war was over.

charlie came back to her immediately, taking her in his arms and holding her tightly. she wrapped her arms around his torso as his hands tangled in her hair, and he peppered her face with kisses.

“i love you, luminita,” he declared, cupping her cheeks in his hands. “marry me.”

“marry you?” she gaped at him, staring up at his heavily freckled face.

a grin broke out across his face. “are you deaf? i said marry me, damnit!”

her heart swelled with love, and she nodded fast, her head spinning from the movement. “charlie weasley, of course i’ll marry you.”

he kissed her passionately, lifting her in his arms. everything was right in her world.

the sun rose steadily over hogwarts as they celebrated, and mourned over the ones they had lost. luminita was saddened to hear that tonks and remus had died, she would never forget their kindness. she wished she was able to tel tonks that charlie had proposed, the delightful woman would been ecstatic to hear the news.

they celebrated, they mourned. clean up on the castle would begin tomorrow, but for now, everyone was invited to stay in the dorms or go home.

charlie and luminita decided to go back to the burrow with their family. they would head back to romania after the shock of the battle wore off, but for now, charlie needed to be with his family. luminita knew that.

as she lay in charlie’s arms that night in his childhood bedroom, she smiled genuinely. she supposed she had bonded with a dragon after all.

one

#charlie weasley one shot #charlie weasley imagine #charlie #charlie weasley x oc #charlie weasley #weasley #weasley smut #charlie weasley smut #harry potter #fred weasley #hp #hp x reader #harry potter series #hogwarts #george weasley

[isitgintimeyet]

Just a Friend

Thank you all so much for your support with this story.

Sorry for the delay with this next chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

thanks to @wickedgoodbooks for the beta

AO3

Previous

Chapter 10: From Posing to Plus One

I adjust the numerous cushions behind me on the purple velvet chaise longue and take another sip from my glass of champagne. This luxurious moment is marred somewhat by the underwire in my strapless bra digging painfully into soft tissue. With my free hand, I surreptitiously try and manoeuvre it into a more comfortable position.

“Claire, after this we have tae get ye a new bra, fer the dress.” Geillis has noticed. She notices everything.

She is sitting on the edge of a lavender boudoir chair, so full of excitement, I can practically see the air humming around her. She can’t seem to keep still, her legs constantly jiggling while the fingers of one hand beat a tattoo on the arm of the chair. Despite all the movements, the champagne in her glass remains unspilt, unsurprisingly.

Eventually, the sales assistant enters holding aloft a large white garment bag. “Here ye go, ma pet. If ye jes’ want tae pop behind the screen over there, we’ll get ye sorted.”

Geillis disappears behind the screen, while I continue to savour the champagne and take a good look at my surroundings. This room is like being in a big fluffy cloud. The walls are white with huge white wooden open wardrobes, filled with masses of lace, frills and satin. One wall has a full length mirror set in an ornate gilt frame. The floorboards are painted white as are the shutters at the windows. The only splashes of colour are from the chaise longue and two boudoir chairs, which do look somewhat incongruous against the overwhelming whiteness, like burlesque performers stuck in a room full of angels.

But perhaps they couldn’t risk white seating. All the shuffling bottoms, fake tan and spilt wine would play havoc with pristine upholstery—less virginal and more slightly seedy and used. The velvet decadence is probably preferable.

“How’s it going, Geillis?” I call across the room.

“Fine,” a muffled voice responds.

I am certainly enjoying this experience—wedding dress shopping with Geillis. It’s not something I ever imagined doing for myself, so to share it with my best friend is great. Even when I was a little girl, I never seemed to dream about weddings. I never played weddings with my dolls— I was far too busy bandaging them up, healing their imaginary diseases and, on one memorable occasion, amputating the left leg of my Tiny Tears. (In my eight year old self’s defence, it was a necessary intervention to save her from imminent death—her leg had already turned black with marker pen and all it took was a sharp pair of kitchen scissors and some red wool to stitch up with.)

And so I am thoroughly enjoying this new experience of visiting bridal shops and choosing dresses. All the pleasure and none of the wedding planning. Geillis has already dropped a dress size due to pre-wedding stress and I hope she doesn’t drop anymore—this is our final fitting.

I take the last sip from my glass. While Geillis is still being manhandled into her dress, I quietly lean over, take her half full glass from the (white) side table, pour some into my glass and relax back against the cushions.

And just in time as Geillis emerges from behind the screen.

The expression ‘take my breath away’ is often used, but in this case it is genuine. I’ve seen the dress before. I was with her when she chose it, but to see her in it now, well, I’m speechless. I want to rush over and hug her, but of course, I can’t for fear of spoiling the pristine fabric.

It’s a simple dress. Cream chiffon pleated Grecian style with a fitted strapless bodice and a long floaty skirt full of tiny intricate pleats that make the fabric lift and swirl around her as she moves. A plain cream veil cascades from the back of her head adding to the ethereal image. She looks like a goddess.

A goddess until she opens her mouth. “What d’ye think, then? This dress is bloody gorgeous, is it no’?”

She stands in front of the mirror, and twirls around, trying to glimpse it from every angle.

I feel my eyes prick with tears. “Oh, Geillis, you look absolutely beautiful. It’s just… just… lovely. You’re lovely and it fits like a dream. Dougal is a lucky man.”

“He is. And I make sure he knows it.”

The sales assistant is hovering around, straightening imaginary creases, checking the dress. Finally, Geillis stops moving and allows her to cast a professional eye over the fit. Once satisfied, she directs Geillis behind the screen once more, for the reverse transformation.

Geillis pulls a face as, clad again in jeans and t-shirt, she sits down and picks up her glass. She views it with suspicion, before shooting me a glance and taking a gulp. I try to look innocent.

“All ma clothes are sae boring now,” she pouts. “ I want tae wear that dress every day and never take it off.”

“Not very convenient in theatre, though, love,” I console her. “And think how special it’s going to be when you put it on for your wedding.”

“Aye, I suppose ye're right. And now it’s yer turn. C’mon now.”

The sales assistant returns with another garment bag and I follow her behind the screen.

There’s something quite uncomfortable about being dressed by someone else, I decide as I stand in my bra and knickers, arms stretched above my head waiting for the dress to slither down my body. I mean, obviously my parents would have dressed me when I was little, not that I can remember that, but by the time I went to live with Lamb, I was fully able to dress myself. He would have to do the occasional rebuttoning of cardigans, or zipping up of anoraks, but that was all.

The dress slips over my head and down my body. Now is the moment of truth as the sales assistant lifts my arm and pulls up the side zip. I breathe a sigh of relief (yes, I can actually breathe); the dress fits like a glove, or rather like a dress that’s been tailored to my exact measurements.

I step out from the screen to a round of applause from Geillis. “Claire, ye’re gorgeous. Ye look stunning in that dress.”

I sashay towards the mirror, enjoying the feeling of the fabric as it dances around my calves. In style, it’s not dissimilar to Geillis’, the same intricate chiffon pleats on the bodice and skirt. But my bridesmaid dress has one shoulder and is, as I was informed, ‘seafoam’ in colour.

That name is so descriptive; neither blue nor green yet both at the same time, and, as my skirt swirls around my legs, it’s easy to picture the ocean waves lapping against my ankles.

“D’ye like it?” Geillis sounds genuinely concerned.

“I love it.” And I do, I really do.

There’s just one thing, I realise as I continue to twist around. Geillis was right. I do need a new bra.

***********

With the two garment bags safely stowed in the wardrobe of Geillis’ spare bedroom, we celebrate with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

I curl my legs up on the sofa and watch as Geillis switches on her laptop, ready to update all her wedding preparation spreadsheets with today’s activities. She sticks her tongue out in concentration as she scrolls through all her information, finally finding the appropriate worksheets. A few taps of the keyboard and it’s done. She doesn’t switch off but continues to look at the screen.

Eventually she speaks. “Claire, I need tae know. This weekend we’ve tae give the numbers tae the hotel and I want tae do the seating plan. Are ye bringing a plus one? I mean, it’s ok if ye’re no’.”

I feel really bad about not letting Geillis know sooner. I mean, after the rugby club, it appears  that Jamie and I have somehow become each other’s ‘plus one’, but I haven’t yet decided whether to ask him to the wedding. That somehow seems more intimate—and the thought of him being interrogated by my friends fills me with dread.

“I haven’t asked anyone yet. When do you need to know?”

“By ‘anyone’ I take it ye mean Jamie? Who else would be yer plus one? Frank?” She pulls a face at that idea. “And I need tae know by tomorrow night. It doesna matter if ye dinna bring anyone…Angus isna bringing anyone either. He’d be thrilled tae accompany ye.”

I grimace instinctively. I met Angus, Dougal’s brother, at Geillis’ last New Year's Eve party and he was more than a little, shall we say, full on. I could cope with his hands, although it was rather like trying to wrangle an octopus. Midnight was a different matter as he tried to turn a polite peck into a full snog, tongue and all.

“Ok, I’ll ask Jamie tomorrow. We're going running.”

Geillis bursts out laughing, which rapidly turns into a coughing fit. “Running? Ye?” she croaks between coughs. “Oh ma love, I’d pay good money tae see that.”

******************

I don’t consider myself unfit. I try to do yoga every week and all those hours in theatre keep me pretty active. But running isn’t something I ever imagine myself doing, let alone actually enjoy.

Jamie first suggested it to me a couple of weeks ago. As usual, I didn’t have to say a word, my face told him what I thought of the idea. He then proceeded to agree with me, declaring that he didn’t think I had the stamina for that kind of exercise. I knew exactly what he was doing—a blatant attempt at reverse psychology. Did he really think I would fall for that?

Anyway, I’ve arranged to meet him in the park at our bench. I eye the coffee kiosk wistfully. It’s too early in the morning for it to be open, or indeed for anybody to be around, save a few fellow runners and some dog walkers. Perhaps, it will be open by the time we’ve finished.

I hold onto the bench and practice a few lunges, trying to look as though I know what I’m doing.

“Ye’re wobbling a bit,” a familiar voice calls from behind.

Immediately I stand up and turn to face him.

“Morning, how are ye? Looking forward tae this?” He sounds far too cheerful for this early on a Sunday.

“Of course.” I don’t tell him that usually all I want on a Sunday morning is coffee and a cinnamon bun.

He checks his watch. “Well, mebbe yer man’ll be open fer coffee when we get back.”

I don’t believe it. Are all my friends mind readers?

I shrug, trying to look like it never crossed my mind.

“Sae,” he continues. “We’ll start off wi’ 5 minutes brisk walking tae warm up, then mebbe 15 minutes alternating between slow running and walking and finish off wi’ 5 minutes walking tae cool down. I dinna want ye tae do too much as it’s yer first time and I think that’ll be more than enough fer ye.”

Here we go—Jamie and his reverse psychology again. How obvious.

“Oh well,” I reply. “I think we can do more than that. I’ll be fine.”

He smirks as he sets the timer on his watch. “OK, Sassenach, whatever ye say.”

*************

I don’t think I’ve ever seen so welcome a sight as the open shutters on the coffee kiosk. It may be my imagination but, even from this distance, I can smell the freshly brewed coffee. And, boy, do I need it.

I let my pride override my commonsense and actually ran-slash-walked for ten minutes more than Jamie had planned, finishing with a totally unnecessary sprint, or rather my pathetic attempt at one, before the cool down. And now I’m paying the price. My face is burning hot, my t-shirt is one huge sweat patch and my legs feel like they’re made from rubber.

Jamie, on the other hand, is strolling towards the kiosk looking as though he’s barely broken into a sweat. I think it literally was ‘a walk in the park’ for him today.

I sit down on the bench, shifting awkwardly as the sweat trickles down my back and between my cheeks. What I really need is a long, hot shower…

Jamie comes and joins me on the bench, his hands full with coffee and a couple of mysterious bags. He deposits his purchases between us and settles himself. I hope he’s not downwind of me. I don’t think I’m smelling my sweetest at the moment.

He passes me a coffee and a bag.

“Here ye go, I reckon ye’ve earned it. I didna ken what ye wanted. That’s an almond croissant, but I’ve a pain au raisin here if ye’d prefer.”

I accept the almond croissant and coffee gratefully.

“How d’ye feel now?” He asks as he takes a large bite of his pastry.

“I feel fine.” I lie.

“Hmm. Actually, ye did well today. Better than I thought. Ye’ll be running a five k before we know it.”

I stare at him, not sure if he’s being sarcastic, but, no, there’s a genuine smile on his face as he takes another bite of his pastry.

“Not sure about that.” I’m thinking that once is enough.

“Nonsense, ye should do this regularly. I’ll help ye, if ye like.”

“But won’t I hold you back with my slow pace?”

“Doesna matter. I run a couple of times a week anyway. I can do this as well.”

“I’ll think about it.” I break a piece of my croissant off and pop it in my mouth. It is delicious and totally guilt free. I’ve earned it.

We are quiet for a moment, both of us savouring the coffee and treats. I am also pondering how best to ask Jamie about Geillis’ wedding. I know I have to ask him today, but I don’t want him to feel obliged to attend, I need to offer him a way to decline without feeling guilty.

“So,” I begin, a bit hesitant. “I was wondering…of course, you don’t have to, if you don’t want to… but you know I’m a bridesmaid at Geillis’ wedding and I was wondering, well, if you wanted to accompany me…be my plus one.”

“I won’t mind if you don’t want to come. That’s fine too.” I add quickly.

“Ye sound like ye dinna want me tae come.” He watches my face, maybe looking for clues as to what I actually want.

“I do…but only if you want to. You don’t have to.” I’m still giving him a guilt free way out.

“But, ye want me tae come, do ye?” He looks a little bit perplexed, unsure what to do.

“Yes, obviously—“

“Well, Sassenach, in that case I accept. It will be ma pleasure.”

#outlander fanfiction #outlander fanfic #Just A Friend #Jamie Fraser #Claire Beauchamp #Chapter 10

[imagine-loki]

Imagine being Little!Loki’s childhood sweetheart.

You hold hands as you “go adventuring” around the grounds. He gets visibly jealous whenever another boy gives you attention. The two of you are practically joined at the hip.

In fact, Loki even tells you about a curious Midgardian custom he’s just read about. It’s something called Valen... Valor... Valk... Something to do with hearts, but the men give the ladies flowers and sweets. With that, he hands you a pastry from the palace kitchen and a small bouquet from his mother’s garden. He even knows it’s the right kind because Frigga helped him. (Although, that was partially because she didn’t want him getting into any poisonous or carnivorous plants by mistake.)

You’re so delighted that you immediately wrap your arms around him as you thank him for the gifts. Loki is just glad you can’t see him blush.

Some time later, you shyly ask Loki if he’s ever kissed a girl before. This time, you definitely see him blush. He pretends to shove you into the nearby fountain.

It’s such a sweet, innocent relationship that nobody has the heart to say anything whenever either one of you says anything about wanting to marry the other one day, “when we’re old enough.” They just sort of... nod along.

Time passes, as one would expect. You are laughing at how Loki’s voice is starting to change, and fall onto his shoulder. He absentmindedly puts his arm around you. It’s not like he’s never done so before, but this time his hand is on your waist instead of your shoulder. He can feel the boning of your corset, and can’t help but wonder how long you’ve been wearing one. He blushes... again.

As Loki walks with you back to your home, you overhear someone in the palace remarking how precious it is that the two of you still see each other so regularly. Another retorts that it’s just because you’re still children who “don’t know any better.”

You frown. Know any better?

“They’ll grow up one day,” the second servant gossips. “That girl can’t keep coming around once Loki’s bride has been chosen. And especially once he’s wed. His wife won’t take kindly to some giggling little hussy throwing herself at him.”

Your eyes burn. “They... Loki, they called me a...”

Loki scowls, gripping your hand a bit tightly. “They can’t do that!” He snarls. “They can’t just force me to marry somebody I don’t even know or like! And they’re not supposed to speak ill of a royal family member’s friend or guest!”

As soon as you’re home, you rush to your own chamber. Your mother comes in to check on you, and you tearfully tell her what happened and ask what it means.

She explains that many nobles and royal families partake in arranged marriages, rather than marrying for love.

“Do... all nobles?”

Your mother kisses the crown of your skull. “There are a few who don’t. In fact, your father was first arranged to marry my sister. Your aunt! But we were in love, and she had her heart set on someone else, and, well, here we all are.”

You nod, taking comfort in her words. After all, your family enjoys a great deal of status and influence. Maybe there’s hope for you and Loki.

Then again, you’re not quite royalty.

Loki has been having conversations of a similar nature with his parents, namely Frigga.

“Loki, dear, it’s not as though someone has been chosen for you already,” she assures him.

“I still don’t want it!” His changing voice starts to crack, and Frigga tries her hardest not to snicker at the sound. “And why would they say something like that about (Name)?! It’s not even true!”

Frigga rubs his back, saying she doesn’t know. “Sometimes, people simply speak without thinking, and that causes them to say hurtful things. But you’re absolutely right; (Name) is a very sweet girl. She doesn’t deserve to be called such a horrid name.”

The next time you see each other, it’s... different. You’re terrified that you one day won’t be allowed to see Loki again. You’ve been inseparable for all these years. What will you do without him? It hurts to think about.

Loki tells you not to worry. He’ll refuse to marry some stranger just because he’s told to. “After all... I do what I want,” he declares with a toothy grin.

He squeezes your hand and invites you to attend an upcoming banquet with him. “They’re letting me bring a guest, and I was hoping it could be you.”

You’re stoked. You’ve never gone to any of the royal festivities before. Your parents may have gone to a couple here and there, but not you.

It ends up being the most fun you’ve had in your life. You wear a beautiful gown, dine with the royal family... and you even dance with Loki! (Thor asks you to dance once, but Loki snaps that he should have brought his own guest.)

As Loki twirls you around, you can’t help yourself. You giggle, enjoying the slightly dizzy feeling as you spin amongst the array of gold and more colors and embroidery than you’ve ever seen in one place before.

Loki catches you as your spinning stops, a gentle smile on his face. He notices your corset this time has even more boning, and tries his hardest not to blush.

You notice a crone of a maid scowling at the two of you as she tidies up a spilled goblet. You wonder if that’s the one who called you a “hussy.”

Your pleasant mood threatens to fade.

They’re just children... they don’t know any better... they’ll grow up... that girl can’t keep coming around... Loki’s bride... wed... wife... hussy... giggling little hussy... throwing herself at him... arranged marriage... hussy...

Loki follows your gaze and glares at her slightly. He’s clearly thinking the same thing you are.

You’re not sure if it’s because he really cares about you or if it’s out of spite, but Loki keeps inviting you to every party he can...

... All the way into adulthood.

You still enjoy the galas, but you can’t help but wonder how much longer you can keep doing this. After all, you can’t keep coming around once Loki’s bride is chosen.

When a handful of palace guards show up at your house and ask your parents for their immediate presence before the monarchs of Asgard, you can feel your stomach turn inside-out. Will they call you a hussy, too?

You’re instructed to stay home until they return, and you do. You sink to the floor, wondering what you’ve done that was so bad your parents had to be summoned. It’s not like you’ve ever done anything with a guy. Not even with Loki.

Your parents return to find you half-sitting-half-kneeling in your foyer, sniffling as you mutter to yourself, “I’m not a hussy. I’m good. I’ve been saving myself for marriage. I come home before dark and everything.”

Your mother gently jostles your shoulder to get your attention. She has a soft, soothing smile, making you think perhaps everything will work out. “Why don’t you go try on your new dress for the gala? It may need more beadwork.”

At the next gala, you’re glad your mother talked you into the extra beadwork after all. It makes you feel like a princess.

Princess...

You shake the thought out of your head. No, you’ll just enjoy getting to see Loki for as long as you can. What good will dread do, anyway?

Loki is taken aback. Yes, you certainly do look like a princess. More to the point, like a princess who would one day make a beautiful queen.

As per what has become somewhat of a normal routine, the two of you have a complete blast.

At the end of one song in particular, Loki draws you closer to him. “Come with me,” he whispers into your ear.

You let him lead you into the dimly-lit gardens, knowing this is it. He’s going to tell you that he’s betrothed now and can’t see you again. It will all be over. Tonight is going to be the night you have to say goodbye.

You wasted good beadwork on the worst night of your life.

“I hope the guards didn’t frighten you too badly when they asked your parents to come to the palace.” Loki’s voice is calm. Almost too calm.

“Why did they need to go? And so urgently?” You gulp. “Have they chosen your—?”

“No. No, they certainly haven’t.” Loki answers with a smug grin. “You’ll be pleased to learn that refusals do indeed work.”

“So... we can still see each other? For now, at least?”

He lets out a hum as he loops a strand of your hair around his fingertips. “That’s precisely why I summoned your parents to the palace. I needed to speak with them.”

“You... you summoned...? I don’t understand. Why?”

Loki places the strand behind your ear and looks deeply into your eyes with a sincerity you’ve never seen before. “Because I love you, (Name).”

You sigh, feeling like your heart will burst at any moment. “I love you, too, Loki.”

Still, you’re confused.

“What do my parents have to do with this, though? What did you ask of them?”

Loki smiles as he gently takes your hand in his. “Their blessing.”

#Others #Imagine #Lover #God of Mischief #Angst #Loki #submission #taniismean #Little!Loki #childhood sweethearts #midgardian custom #valentines day

[random-imagines-blog]

All I Need {Colossus x Reader One Shot}

Requested by: Anonymous Wordcount: 2494 Summary: After Piotr helps you get out of a humiliating situation, your best friend Beast advises you to come clean with your feelings.

‘You have got to be kidding me’, you thought to yourself. Enclosed in small spaces was uncomfortable under the best circumstances, but being in a cage that was made for a cat? You just hoped that someone back at the school was able to track you despite your animal frame. You walked in a circle, your four black paws balancing carefully on the metal bars that made up all sides of the enclosure. You weren’t the only one in the back of the van - there were a couple of dogs, other cats ... and what smelled like a ferret. The humane society was on a roll today. Normally you would applaud them for getting animals off the streets and trying to find them good homes - but they picked up the wrong cat today. You sniffed at the metal, picking up the scents of all the other scared and alone animals that had been in this cage - and then sat down to accept your fate. Having the power to turn from your normal human self to any animal that you wanted, as long as you had touched it, was amazing. The unfortunate downside was that you always had to turn back into a human before you could shift again.

Hence why you were stuck in this damn cage instead of turning yourself into a mouse or a bird and escaping.

When the van got to the shelter, a large man took  hold of your crate gently and brought you inside. You smelt faint traces of honeysuckle on his hands. A gardener, perhaps, in his spare time. That was kind of cute. As a cat, you did have a good sense of smell, not as much as a dog but less overwhelming than one. You played the part, licking at the man’s fingers and he praised you for being such a ‘pretty kitty’. “I’d adopt you myself if I didn’t already have four of ya,” He sighed. At least you found a friendly animal-catcher, and not a brute like in the movies.

You were transferred over to a woman who started up water in a small bathtub. This was going to be your chance. They were going to let you out for a bath. You leaned forward, shaking your little behind and your tail when -

When she held onto you and didn’t give you a chance to change because you might hurt her. And you would definitely break the tub. So as grumpy as you were, you had to endure getting washed and scrubbed down by a younger woman. And then was the check for mites, for ticks, for fleas, for anything that might be on your body. But you were clean, thank God. You had caught fleas before, and they tried to stick on you, even when you were human again.

And then back into the crate you were, all shiny and ready for people to come looking at you. You paced back and forth, waiting for Hank or for Charles or for anyone really to come looking for you. You would even have put up with Logan if it got you out of here. But an hour later, it turned out so much better than that.

The footsteps were familiar, for you listened for them every dinner at time. They were heavy, in their boots, unmistakable. You ran immediately for the front of the cage, sticking your paws out, trying to get his attention. You waved them in a way that the animal shelter woman found adorable, and cooed over, and recommended you to him. Colossus - otherwise known as Piotr Rasputin; and the man that you had a huge crush on and turned into a wreck around - stopped and crouched down in front of you. You did your best to look into his eyes and scream ‘it’s me, it’s me!’ You even purred, but that wasn’t entirely voluntary.

“Yes, I will take this one,” He said with a nod. The worker was very pleased, and once more, you thought that you were about to get your chance of freedom but she put you into a little carrier bag for Piotr to carry with his shoulder, like a purse. This one was even smaller than the cage, but at least you were able to lay down on the fluffy blanket inside.

Everything was bright when you were brought back out into the sunshine, and then dark as you were put into another van. The backseat this time. Piotr unzipped the bag and you walked out of it, settled on the seat, then turned back into your human self. Usually this meant that you were naked, but thanks to the special suits that Hank had made, it was able to work with your mutation so you were dressed in it as you stretched out to your human form. You stretched out your legs and then your arms.

“We should petition them to make their cages more comfortable. I think Charles would fund it, what do you think?” You asked to Storm, who was driving one of the school vans.

“I think we ought to microchip you,” She said, only somewhat amused. “Like a real pet. How did you end up at an animal shelter again?”

“I thought I was being clever and chasing down a lead,” You mumbled. “I knew I should have turned into a squirrel instead. Or even a cute little chipmunk, it’s the right season.”

“But you went with the cutest black kitty-cat that was going to get all of the attention?” Piotr questioned.

“When you say it like that, it does sound stupid...” You sighed, looking out the window. “You thought I was cute though?”

“All cats are cute,” Piotrr said with a smile. Well, wasn’t that just enough to make your heart melt, and imagine a cat being the flower-girl for your wedding. Oh what a union it would be.

“Next time, don’t get caught. I had lend Piotr a hundred dollars to adopt you,” Storm said, making you look at her in surprise.

“I’m worth a hundred dollars, that’s sweet,” You said with a smile. It was a nice thought, knowing that you were worth some cash. She gave you a look in the rearview mirror that told you she didn’t think that was all that cute. “Alright, I’ll pay you back Ororo, thanks.”

-

“I hear you go caught by the humane society,” Hank said as you entered his lab. You took a seat in one of his chairs, extra large to fit his big, furry frame, and started to spin.

“Yeah, but that’s not the best part,” You said, biting down on your lower lip.

“I don’t know, I’d say that’s pretty funny,” He said, chuckling, pushing his glasses back up onto his face. He was doing something with a microscope. Blood samples, probably. Your blood fascinated him in particular, because when it was taken while you were an animal, it would show as animal blood. Everything, down to your very inner cells, changed.

“Okay, it was a bit hilarious. Though very claustrophobic. We should do some protests about that by the way. It is not fun to be in one of those cages.”

“They weren’t built with human comfort in mind. But go on, please,” He twirled his finger at you, as he peered down at some slides.

“I was a cat, and they didn’t even give me a damn toy. I feel clean though. Anyways - the best part was that our dear Colossus-”

“Your dear Colossus,” Hank corrected but you continued on.

“- said that I was the cutest kitty-cat. I wonder if he meant that. I mean, I know I make a  damn cute cat but I didn’t really think that he was a cat person.”

“Wow. Something you don’t know about him. Shocking,” Hank said, sounding completely sarcastic. You stopped your chair from spinning by putting your foot on the ground, then used it to kick him.

“Don’t make me turn into a bee and sting you. I know you’ve got sensitive skin under all that hair,” You threatened. Hank sighed, looked away from his microscope, and took off his glasses, tossing them on the desk.

“You’ve been like this for over a year now, y/n. Why not just talk to him? What’s the worse that could happen?” He questioned. You tapped your finger against your chin, your mind going through the possibilities.

“Rejection is a pretty bad thing. Oh, and laughter. If he laughs at me, I’m just going to be a penguin in the arctic. It’s going to take a lot of ice to get rid of that burn.”

“Look, you’re torturing yourself. You’re torturing me. I even started to dream of him,” Hank grumbled which made you start to laugh. He didn’t mind that. He was just glad you were able to smile after thinking about rejection. “So just ... go tell him how you feel? And if you chicken out, just turn into the cute cat he likes so much.”

-

You flew back and forth in front of Piotr’s room, turning into a hummingbird because of how fast, yet quiet, it was. You didn’t want him to hear any pacing footsteps as you thought of what you were going to say.

‘Okay, what about ... I thought I’d quit Stalin? No, that’s ridiculous. And probably offensive,’ you thought, flitting back and forth. A couple of other mutants walked past you, looked at the floating bird, then continued on their business. There was enough madness around here without them having to stick their nose in more. ‘Do I just go Russian in? No, no, that’s probably racist.’

Hank walked by, looking at some papers and not paying much attention to where he was going. Not until you flitted by his ear, anyway. He looked around, noticed where he was, then saw you and sighed. “You’re welcome,” He muttered, knocking on Piotr’s door, then rushed away, leaving you awestruck. You had just enough time to turn into your human self before the door opened, and Piotr stood there with only his track pants on, and no shirt. Hubba hubba.

“Hello, y/n,” He said with a smile that reached all the way up to his eyes. It might have something to do with just being a small bird, but you somehow felt very heavy as you stood there.

“H-Hi,” You said, smiling in return. “Do you think that we could maybe talk for a minute? I want to tell you something.”

“Yes, yes, come in,” He said, moving to the side. You took a couple of steps into his room and looked around. You never actually went in it before, though you’ve had the chance to turn into an insect and go through the ducts. He at least deserved his privacy. It smelled like him, you noticed. A bit like a gym. A tinge of sweat, of metal. “What do you need to say?”

You met his eye nervously. His eyebrows were lifted, anticipating whatever news you had for him. You put your hands behind your back, clasping them, trying to hide how sweaty your palms were getting.

“I just wanted to say...” You started, looking away from him. The pressure was mounting. You could feel your heart beating from your stomach. “Uhh.. thanks for picking me up from the animal shelter! Those cages sure were itty bitty.”

“You’re welcome,” Piotr said with a smile. He always made you feel so welcomed - which was why you were kicking yourself for actually saying the words ‘itty bitty’. “Is that all?”

“No, no, there’s something else. Something that I guess I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while.” You bounced on the balls of your feet, and shook out your palms, trying to get the sweat off. You looked up at the ceiling as if trying to find the answer to a difficult test. You really couldn’t look at Piotr. “Okay, so... I think you’re really hot.”

“Hot?” Piotr asked. You could imagine his face, that adorable little confused expression. No, don’t look damnit, that’ll get you even more tongue-tied.

“Oh yeah. You’re definitely a babe. And I might have had a thing for you for a while. And I wasn’t going to tell you about it but Hank told me that I should. I should have known better than to take his advice, I guess. For a scientist, he can be real dumb sometimes. And now we’re never going to work together because you know that. So good afternoon, good evening, goodnight and good life.”

“Wait, wait wait,” Piotr said, blocking the doorway before you could make a motion to move. He put his arm out, making an actual block, with it turning metal so you couldn’t bend it away. “You have a thing for me? A good thing?”

“I mean, I think it feels like a good thing but that doesn’t necessarily mean...” You rambled on. “Can you just let me go? I’m already a prisoner of embarrassment, don’t need to be one of you too.”

“You are not prisoner here, you are always welcome,” Piotr said, standing right in front of you so that you could not avoid looking at him. “I have a thing too.”

“Well, yeah, have you noticed that a lot of us mutants are really attractive? Like Ororo is stunning, and Kitty, and then you got-”

“You talk too much,” He said with a smirk. “I have a thing for you. When you’re you and when you’re cute little kitty-cat.”

“Hmmm,” You said, attempting to play it cool, but you knew your mouth wasn’t going to go along with that plan. “Does that mean you want to go out sometime with me? Not to the animal shelter because if you need cuddles, I’m your kitty-cat.”

Piotr let out a large laugh at that, his hand going to his stomach to hold himself together. “My kitty-cat, huh?”

“I can be an elephant too, we can see how strong you are if I step on you.”

“You wouldn’t do that, you like me too much,” He said, putting his metal arm around you. It wasn’t as heavy as you thought that it would be. He probably wasn’t putting much weight on you. You were a shifter, not a super-strengther. “Is it almost dinner time?”

“Not even close, but I could make us a late lunch?”

“We’ll make a date of it.” Piotr grinned. And there went your heart again, flipping and flopping as if it were shoes on a beach.

#Colossus #Colossus x reader #Colossus oneshot #XMen #XMen oneshot #Marvel #Marvel oneshot #request #oneshot #one shot #piotrr

[writersmacchiato]

Golden | Peter Pevensie

Summary: Peter would do anything to keep his siblings, and Narnia, safe - even if it means marrying someone he has never met. 

Request:

Warnings: Aulathen is your kingdom, a little rushed but otherwise no warnings

_ _ _

It wasn’t an ideal arrangement by any means. 

Aulathen was a small coastal kingdom with rich trades and abundant resources. They might have been on a lesser scale than that of Narnia, but the navy fleet was fierce and deadly. 

Peter scanned the report from Edmund, rubbing a hand over his chin in thought. There was no good news to be found. 

Aulathen had always been regarded with caution, a quiet kingdom that kept to itself but close enough to Narnian borders to raise concern. 

Peter looks out of his bedroom window, having a clear view of the waves hitting the sand. In his hand is the letter from Edmund, rushed to him in an emergency.

Arranged marriage. End the conflict. Treaty with beneficial trades. 

He finds it funny, how the possibility never occurred to him until today. Of course, his advisors had told him countless times that it would be in his best interest to marry, but Peter supposed there was still a little part of a boy from England in him that wanted to fall in love on his own terms. 

But, for his kingdom and the safety of his siblings, Peter would do anything. 

. . . 

The dress is light, flowing gently over your body in a twirl of soft fabric. Embroidered delicately on the sleeves are pink and white flowers, appearing as though they physically flutter with each movement made. 

Your lady-in-waiting smiles at you with reassurance, looking up from her book. “It will be alright, my lady. I hear that he is a good man.” 

“That is not what I am worried about.” 

The man you were offered to, so graciously by your father, had an unending list of shining words about him. His rule as king had certainly earned him admiration. 

She looks concerned. “What troubles you?”

“This marriage is a treaty between our people. I would do anything to keep them safe.” You loved the people of Aulathen, it never seemed like they were distant people that you would have to subject over. “But what if I fail?” 

Before she can ask what you mean, the carriage comes to a halt. She gives your hand a quick squeeze and you smile faintly at her, before arranging your features into nonchalance.

There is a small crowd gathered in the courtyard. Despite the density of travelers who made their way through Aulathen's ports, it was a shock to see the myriad of creatures trickled among the Kings and Queens. They were all hesitant, apprehensive, but there was a warmth in their eyes. Narnias were not naive but they were not cruel, either. 

King Peter the Magnificent. 

He was certainly imposing, every bit of handsome as told by others; his hair seemed to shine under the sun, a golden sheen. Blue eyes aloof and unwavering. Strong, broad shoulders. You were told that he was not much older than you, and it could be seen in the subtle soft curve of his jaw, the barely-there tender glow of youth in his face. 

The Pevensies' siblings are all intimidating in their own way. Perhaps it is their age; young and ruling over one of the most powerful kingdoms. The favor of Aslan casting a light over their reign. 

. .

You are thankful that no one expects your presence at the moment. 

Narnia is a beautiful country, from what little you’d seen. 

Cair Paravel is a wonder all in itself. The large towers and walls imposing and intimidating. But, the smell of the ocean and the sight of the waves crashing on the shore ease your worries. 

King Peter was nothing you had expected. Praises left the mouths of all who spoke of him, but you had hardly spent a moment alone with him. It was foolish, but it seemed he avoided your presence. While he smiled and talked, there was a veil of distrust in his interactions. 

He didn’t trust you. Perhaps for good reason. 

Aulathen has not completely withdrawn their naval ships. Your father claims that once the marriage, and thus treaty, has been fulfilled he will withdrawn his ships and return home.

Your family will not be attending the wedding ceremony. And when you think about it, you do not think they will ever come see you in Narnia. The likelihood of seeing them again - your mother, your younger brother, sister - is slim. 

You do not realize that you are crying until the tears slip down your cheek and land with a soundless splash on your hand. 

The palace gardens are impressively built. Sections upon sections of floral and plants, most of them entirely unfamiliar to you. The stone path zigzag through burrows of dirt, with no end in sight. 

Within the gardens, there is a small alcove that branches off from the main path. A stone bench by a water fountain, containing crystal clear water shooting out of an elaborate statue. Willow trees dot the corner, swinging gently in the breeze. Pink and purple and yellow flowers swaying among the vibrant grass.

“I do not want your time here to be miserable.” 

Of course, if anyone were to stumble upon you in this disgraceful state it would be the high king himself. 

"I apologize, your majesty." You drop to a clumsy curtsy, chin ducking to hide the shining tears on your cheeks. You miss the way Peter's eyes soften.

"Please, my lady. I have told you that such formality is not necessary." Peter takes slow steps, keeping a respectful distance. 

"My apologies."

His lips curl into a small smile, shaking his head. "No apologies are in order. If anything, they should be coming from me."

From his chest pocket, Peter produces a red handkerchief. You take it, feeling foolish as you wipe away the already drying tears. Once the fabric is folded back into his pocket, he speaks up.

"I do not want you to be miserable here. This is not ideal arrangement, for either of us, but I promise to treat you with kindness and respect. You have my word."

. . .

You pretend that the waves don't wash over your ankles, ruining the ends of your dress. There will be a fuss over the state of your appearance once you return to Cair Paravel, but you do not think about it.

It's nearing dusk; the sun dipping lower and lower over the horizon until it casts a dazzling light over the sea. Pink and orange meld into peach, melting into the wispy clouds with a delicate kiss. 

The marriage ceremony had taken place a week prior; a quick celebration that had ended on a quiet note. The beloved ruler was finally married, but everyone in attendance knew the act was out of duty and not of love. 

Peter arranged for your living conditions to be kept in the room next to his own separate quarters. You were surprised, but secretly relieved that Peter was not expecting for you to be completely his. Truthfully only in the legality were you married, name signed next to his. In every other way, he is a stranger to you. 

Though, the way he looks at you is different; a small change. No longer cold or blank, but rather...open. Choosing to see, instead of looking away. 

Slowly, he is letting you in. And, perhaps the same could be said for you.

It is easy to note that Peter is handsome. He is obviously handsome, in the way that people stop and stare for a moment, eyes lingering. The way he exudes strength only adds to his image. 

But with that aside, you notice him - the man, hardly over his boyhood years, beneath the crown. Peter, who sometimes fails to hide his smile when Edmund makes a snide remark during a meeting. Peter, who gets a bad case of bed hair every morning. Peter, who sometimes look at you with a look that can't be deciphered but leaves you feeling light. The Peter that forgets that he is still Peter Pevensie and not High King Peter the Magnificent. 

The Peter you may be starting to become affectionate toward. 

And, when he comes down the rocky path that leads from Cair Paravel to a sandy alcove near the sea, you cannot deny the tiny way your heart skips a beat, nor the smile on your face when he sits next to you on the wet sand - not a care in the world for how his trousers are now ruined. 

Peter doesn't have to say a word, silence wrapping around you both like a warm blanket. 

The setting sun glows golden over the sea and a quiet voice inside says;

"it will be okay."

#narnia x reader #narnia imagine #peter pevensie x reader #peter pevensie #peter pevensie imagine #narnia #hmmm dont know wht to think abt this one yall #pls enjoy

[meigh-day]

Obligation (Tendou x Reader) - Part 19

———————————————————–

Title: Obligation

Pairing: Mafia AU Tendou x F!Reader

Characters: Includes characters from both Shiratorizawa and Seijoh/Some OC background characters

Includes: Swearing, Guns, Knives, Excessive Violence, Blood, Torture, Threats of rape

Status: Complete

Word Count: 2k

Previous 

———————————————————–

Epilogue:

The weeks that followed were filled with extremely busy days. Between meetings, dress fittings, rehearsals and so on, you found yourself exhausted at the end of each day. Though the bright side to that was that at the end of each day, you could retreat to the serenity of Tendou's embrace. By the time your confinement had finished you found yourself reluctant to return to your room, though you weren't the only one who wasn't keen on the notion. You had chanced to bring it up one afternoon and the look of misery that came over poor Satori's face had you regretting even thinking about it. However, you did find it reassuring to know that he also wanted the same thing. What you didn't know was that he had wanted you all to himself from the very beginning. The next day, with a little help from some obliging staff, the remainder of your belongings found their way to the room you two now shared.

The wedding, as a whole, was beautiful. It wasn't anything like the small intimate ceremony you had envisioned having one day but, to you, it was a small sacrifice to get to marry the man of your dreams. Even though the last few weeks had been a whirlwind, Tendou had made it all worthwhile. Despite his own busy schedule, he made sure to find time during the day to see you, even if it was just to sneak a quick kiss. If he woke up first, you might find a cup of coffee or some semblance of a breakfast waiting for you and if you were late getting back he'd make sure dinner was waiting. It was really touching just how kind and thoughtful he was being. Someday, when all this wedding nonsense was over, you were going to return the favor tenfold. He had taken such good care of you, making sure you were eating properly, checking in to make sure you weren't pushing yourself, and you wanted to do the same for him everyday.

Despite the hustle and bustle that the day brought, you still found it fairly easy to enjoy it. You were marrying Tendou Satori after all, the only person who had ever found a place in your heart. His beautiful red hair and matching eyes had drawn you in, but it hadn't been his good looks that kept you coming back. It had nothing to do with money or power or anything of the sort. It was Tendou himself that made your heart flutter. The more time you spent together, the deeper your feelings had grown until they were so tangled within that you knew there was no hope of them ever being removed. It was that deep-rooted love you felt for the man before you, his eyes on yours and a smile etched on his lips, that made the traditional vows you recited suddenly seemed all the more profound.

in a flash, the ceremony was over and before you could take two breaths together the crowd descended. Suddenly there was a flurry of pictures, congratulations and a constant stream of people wanting to chat. Honestly, it wasn't until late into the evening, the reception now in full swing and the guests all busy chatting amongst themselves, that you were finally able to breath. You stood at the far end of the room, alone, watching Tendou and Goshiki talk animatedly about something all the while trying to pull a reluctant Semi into the conversation. The room was full of voices and music and it was making you feel a little overwhelmed. You felt warm and stuffy, no doubt partially due to the heavy dress you wore. A quick glance around the room confirmed the horrible lack of windows. Fresh air and a quiet space sounded like just the thing to help soothe your nerves.

If you thought no one would mind, you would have liked to steal Tendou away for this little adventure. Unfortunately, his little group had grown and you just couldn't bring yourself to disturb their merriment. So instead, you slink quietly out a side door and into the house. You didn't really have a destination in mind, just somewhere quiet and away from the gathered wedding guests. However, it seemed like your feet had a mind of their own because you soon found yourself standing in front of the garden door. The last time you had gone through this door had been the night you were abducted and it had been so busy lately that you hadn't really explored outside the house. It's not like you were forbidden from leaving the house per-say, you were allowed anywhere on the property in fact, but there was this small niggling hesitation that had kept you from venturing any further than the safety of a window. Now that you were here, the call of the cool night air was making that hesitation seem smaller and smaller. It only took a moment for your mind to find a happy middle ground. Instead of actually going outside, you'd opted to stand in the open doorway, thus allowing you to get your fix of fresh air while technically still being inside.

"There you are." You let out a small cry, flinching away at the sudden voice next to your ear. The surprise causing you to jump away from the safety of the doorway, landing on your feet in the soft grass. You knew whose voice it was the moment the words had reached your ears but that knowledge hadn't lessened the shock of your husband suddenly appearing from nowhere.

"Oh my god Satori. You scared the hell out of me." You look up at him with wide eyes, a hand on your chest as you suck in deep breaths to calm your racing heart. He leaned his shoulder against the doorway, arms crossed and a smirk on his lips.

"Can't help it beautiful. You look so cute when you're surprised." He chuckles as he leans up and moves out of the doorway, closing the small distance between the two of you. Tendou was incredibly handsome on any given day but today, in his all black suit, he looked breathtaking. You thought so even now, your heart now racing for a completely different reason as he came to a stop in front of you.

"Well if you keep that up, you might end up a widower. Not sure my poor heart can take it." You let out a small laugh but stop short when he frowns down at you.

"I'd never do anything to hurt you, you know that, right?" Shit. Your smile falters when you see the uncertainty reflected in his eyes. Without hesitation you reach out, wrapping your arms around his back, cheek pressed into his chest as you hold him tight.

"Of course I do! Satori, I trust you with my life." You pull back a little, just enough so you could peer up into his eyes, a small reassuring smile on your lips. "You did save it after all." He hummed in response, sliding his hands down your arms and interlocking a hand with yours. The two of you walk through the garden, surrounded in a comfortable silence. The last time you had been out here, the garden had looked ominous and eerie. Now as you looked around, the light from the moon illuminating the greenery, the garden was all the more enchanting. Whether by chance, or perhaps the skillful maneuvering of your husband, the two of you found yourselves under one of the wisteria trees, the low hanging blooms providing some small amount of privacy. He stood before you, one big hand cupping your cheek while the other held your hand. He looked thoughtful for a moment as he gazed down at you, a small happy sigh escaping his lips.

"How did I get so lucky?" His eyes almost glittered in the slivers of moonlight that shone through the branches and blooms above. "I've been in love with you for years but I never thought I stood a chance with someone as stunning and amazing as you." He pressed a quick kiss to your forehead, pulling you against his chest. "Imagine my surprise when I found out you were the one they'd arranged for me to marry." His long fingers drifted up your back and up into your hair, gently brushing and twirling around the strands. "You had no reason to even like me but here you are loving me back."

You could feel your lips trembling with the effort of holding back tears but, with each tender word he spoke, your resolution crumbled. "I know I don't deserve you but-- " He loosens his hold on you, gazing down at your flushed face, tears sliding down your cheeks, a smile on your lips. He gently brushed away your tears, kissing your cheeks and nose as he did. Satori then paused, lips hovering over yours as he looked into your eyes. "I promise, I'm going to take such good care of you. I'll keep loving you everyday and if the last few weeks are any indication, I'm going to love you more and more every single day." With a final grin, his lips met yours, sealing his promise with a kiss.

As the two of you part, your hands reach up to cup his cheeks, gazing into his eyes with such adoration. "I wish you could see what I see when I look at you 'Tori. You are absolutely beautiful inside and out." A wide smile pulls at the corners of your mouth as your thumbs slide across his cheek. "I've thought so since the day we met. I couldn't have asked for a better man to become my husband and I feel so incredibly grateful that I get to be your wife." Tendou bit his lip as you spoke, trying desperately to hold back the tears that were starting to well. He leaned into your soft touch, basking in the paradise of your love. "If you'll let me, I want to do everything I can to make you happy. I love all the things that make up who you are and I want to be a haven where you can feel at ease and be yourself. I promise I'll always be here for you and if there are times when you can't love yourself, I'll just love you twice as much."

Legally the two of you had been married for several hours but, standing together under the shelter of a wisteria tree, the impromptu vows you'd exchanged were far more significant than anything you had said before the gathered crowd earlier. A few tears escaped down his cheeks but you were quick to brush them away. "You know I didn't come out here to cry." Tendou chuckles as he rubs a hand across his face.

"Oh? And I thought you just wanted to scared me half to death."

"No, but the look on your face was impeccable." He grasped your chin between two fingers and gave your head a gentle shake. "I was actually coming to tell you they finally gave us to okay to leave that damned party."

"Wait, really? You should have led with that! This dress is driving me insane." You glance down at your body, the offending dress greeting you. It wasn't like it was ugly or anything, far from it, it was however heavy, stiff and just overall uncomfortable.

"Is it now?" Tendou murmured as he tilted your face back up where you were met with his own dark eyes staring down at you. "Anything I can do to help?" His fingers trailed along your jaw and down your neck, leaving your skin feeling hot in their wake. You cheeks turned pink, his tone and expression turning the unassuming question far more provocative. Words suddenly became difficult to produce yet your body was happy to reply as you pressed up against him, a simple yes whispered through your lips. That seemed to be all the permission he needed because before you knew it you were off the ground and in his arms. You let out a squeal of surprise as he lifted you up and immediately began striding across the garden and back towards the house.

"It'll be a tough job, might take all night in fact, but I think I'm up to the task."

-The End-

#tendou x reader #tendou #tendou satori #tendou mafia #haikyuu #haikyuu mafia

[katie-writes24]

Last Chance

Pairing: Alexander Hamilton x reader

Warnings: Language, suggestive material, brief religious content ig, angst, fluff, weddings, bad officiant script (if that makes sense), irl it’s kinda wrong but just go with it.

Part 2

I’ll just get straight to the point, Taylor Swift was the cause of this..... That’s it! You’re welcome, enjoy! Lemme know if you want to be tagged. Oh and also, can we appreciate that I finally figured out to put the ‘keep reading’ feature on because I finally set tumblr up on my computer? Yay me, this is a life changer you don’t even know!

As a kid, Y/N would be dragged to church every Sunday, told to represent her supposedly "religious" family. Her mother would force her into a dress, always reminding her to "sit like a lady" since there were always boys present, and you just never know. They would go and learn about the god above, be thankful that they were brought here, cheer his name. 

When she was fourteen, she went into church on a Monday, this time for a funeral. She automatically noticed the change in tone, obviously, but since then she looked at churches a bit different. They weren't praised as much, they held an entire different meaning, one that wasn’t very happy at all. No, she learned that churches could be just as devastating as celebratory. 

Like now, where people gathered in front of the steps, mingling and wearing expensive clothing. There was a truck on the lawn, workers were shoving different table sets across the road, where a large tent was set up. There was a group of people laughing a couple feet away, all looking down at a little girl with a white dress on. A stretch limousine rolled around and a few women climbed out with grace, all wearing the same pale color. 

Truly devastating. 

Y/N tugged at her own dress, hoping that the simple color would at least help her blend in with the crowd. Maria had told her it would be just fine, and it’s not like a new fancy dress was in her budget. 

Besides, it’s not like anyone here cares about her appearance. They’re not here for her. In fact, she hadn’t found one familiar face yet, which should be a good thing, but Y/N couldn’t help but wonder how many of these guests both parties even knew. 

“Would you ever get married?” 

He scoffed, “Marriage isn’t very meaningful is it, why should I have to document my love for you? As long as we both know it right?”

“Okay...I guess you’re right, but I wouldn’t mind seeing you in a nice tux.” She wiggled her eyebrows, but it didn’t bother him. 

“Is that all you’d want a wedding for? Because I will gladly put on a fancy tux if it meant you’d be down to-”

“Shut up! No, that’s not all. I’d like one, I’d think it’d be nice. It wouldn’t even have to be a big one.” She could see them by the beach, perhaps even getting married at the courthouse and use their money to blow on a big dinner after. She wouldn’t even mind a service in their apartment, it’s roomy. 

“Well, not like I have anyone for a big wedding anyways…”

She sat down next to him and stroked her fingers through his hair. “We’d invite our friends. I could invite my mom, you know she loves you. We don’t need a bunch of people to have a wedding.”

“Good, because I don’t want a giant guest list where there are different number tables and- a full service and a grand ceremony. I just...I just want you.”

She wonders how much of this is total bullshit. 

From where she’s standing, Y/N doesn’t think anyone would approach her. The lake is quite breathtaking, but the crowd is full of anxiousness and people are patiently waiting for the ceremony to start by the front of the church. 

Some people pass her by, and she picks up on certain terms, like how “beautiful the church is” or “she picked out the perfect dress, Philip was crying it was so pretty” and her favorite “just wait till you see this guy, they are just perfect for each other.”

Perfect. 

“I told you I can’t dance.”

“And I was a fool to not believe you. My feet are killing me,” He smirked and then laughed as she hit his shoulder. 

“Fuck off! Why are we doing this again?” She looked up at the sky that cracked before her, grey clouds mushing together.

“Because dancing in the rain is on my bucket list,” He twirled her around, pulling her close when she fumbled out of the turn. 

“Okay, what does that have to do with me? You’re telling me all your years before we met you couldn’t have gone outside and danced?” She grimaced as she felt drops of water against her skin. 

“Maybe I was waiting for the perfect person to do it with?” A hand wrapped around her waist and she chuckled. 

“Perfect? I am far from perfect,” They met each other’s stare and she got butterflies just seeing that look in his eye. 

“Well, then this is perfect,” The rain started to beat against the cement below them. “You and me, here right now, together. It’s perfect.”

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t hear anybody approach until they called her name. Y/N turned her head a little too fast, scared that she would be caught, there would be a giant scene, and then she would lose her chance at-

At what exactly? She didn’t know either.

“That’s really you, isn’t it?”

Hercules always was so welcoming, she never felt out of place when she was around him. In fact, he actually had a small smile on now, dressed nicely in his, most likely own, tailored suit. 

“Hey, Herc,” Y/N gripped her own arm, unsure if it was appropriate to go in for a hug. “You look nice.”

“Thank you, I made it myself.” He chuckled and opened his arms, allowing her to view his form. He looked just the same as she had seen him almost two years ago. 

“It’s definitely you! Did that business of yours ever hit it off with the investors?” Maybe she was aiming for small talk in hope of a distraction, she wasn’t ready for the obvious to be out in the open just yet. 

“No, but I’m working with something better. Got a lot of new line ups, good people to work with…” Hercules  trailed off with a fond smile on his face. 

“I’m really happy for you, Herc. You deserve it!” 

He smiled, “What about you? What have you been up to?”

Y/N winced and tried not to fidget. “Still working for the same place, I actually got a promotion a couple months ago, so I’ve been busy with that...But everything else has been...things are going well.” 

Hercules nodded, and just like a wave, tension flooded the air around them. 

Y/N refused to look up and meet his eyes, to either see full curiosity, disappointment or any other mood that would just make her feel sick to her stomach, will have her asking the same question over and over to herself. However, the silence couldn’t stay too long. 

“Y/N, what...why are you here?” 

An older woman was yelling at a worker, wanting more champagne for the bride's suite. She was aggressive, and yet the guests around her weren’t baffled at her behavior in the slightest. Y/N hated entitlement, hated more when the rich forgot that other people aren’t as fortunate enough as them. 

Y/N also hated that Hercules was still staring at her while she was wondering if her own mother would be so stressed as to the point of lashing out at others. 

“How long have they been engaged?” She finds herself asking only to quiet her thoughts of if they were stuck in one place and never seemed to want more. 

“Eight months,” Hercules sighed, never being one to push and always being honest. “Eliza’s sweet, she has a good heart. She’s loyal-”

Ouch.

“And she makes him happy.”

“Do you think we were ever… not happy?” Her eyes finally met his, instantly going soft and trying to word his answer carefully, even though Y/N could see a straight answer on his face. 

“I think...you guys worked around each other well. I think you enjoyed each other’s company, and maybe you might have been in love once, but that’s in the past. Right now, over a hundred people are going to celebrate what’s best for him and Eliza…”

He’s not marrying you, he’s not with you. 

It was something unspoken, but Y/N knew that was what Hercules was trying to get at, letting her know that her presence was unwelcome and that this was for the best. 

Why was she here? Why did she think that today would be the day to confess her feelings that never drifted away? Why was she so selfish, and think that her happiness was more important than-

Someone approaches them rather quickly, and it makes her turn and brace for an attack. 

Instead, it’s just John. 

“What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be here, you weren’t invited!” He was loud and he was causing a scene, something Y/N definitely did not want. He actually looked like he was about to jump her, but before he could move any closer Hercules puts his arm on John’s chest to block him. 

“Relax, John,” Hercules looked back at her with a pointed look. “Y/N was just leaving.”

There was a pause, and she almost believed that yes, she was leaving. This was her cue, no one wanted her here, she wasn’t supposed to be here. Who is she to ruin a wedding? How could she do something so terrible?

“You should move in,” He ran his hand over her back, listening to her slow breaths. 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah. It’d be nice, having you here all the time?” He knew she was drifting off and probably wasn’t even registering what he was saying. He was proven wrong when she raised her head to look at him in the dark light. 

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt seeing you all day,” Y/N smirked as he nudged her with his leg. She kissed his chest and smiled down at him. “If I move in, there’s no turning back. Rent is too high for me to be switching back and forth.”

“I couldn’t think of anywhere else I'd want you to be.”

Y/N gave him a curt nod, walking backwards a bit before fully turning around. She walked all the way pass the church, passed the parking lot, all the way down to the end of the lake. She was out of sight. 

But there was no way she was leaving. There was no way she was going to give up her last chance. 

Even from where she stood, she could hear the beats of the traditional wedding music pick up, cheers from the crowd pick up as everyone hustled inside. 

Her feet moved before she could even make a decision. 

There was an elderly couple just walking into the room, and luckily the man held the door open for her. She thanked him and took the grand venue in. On each bench there was a bouquet of flowers, a white row leading up to the altar. It was packed, and Y/N could only imagine how many people she was about to shock. 

She sat in an empty aisle seat in the back, and finally realized that Eliza was just reaching the top of the stairs, kissing her fathers cheek before he gave her over to him. 

“Should I get a haircut?”

“No. I like it the way it is. You have nice hair, it’s soft and always so full. Why would you want to chop it off?” She caressed said hair. 

“Eh, it’s too long. I think it’s a hassle to work with when I’m getting ready for work. I don’t know…” He looked in the mirror with a pained face. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his chest, leaning her cheek on his back. 

“Well, personally, I like it. But it is your hair. You know I’d love you either way.”

“Are you just being biased?” 

“Mmh, well, I can’t say I don’t like having something to pull on.” She tugged and he whimpered before turning and kissing her, a full grin on his face. 

He looked just like Y/N imagined him. In fact he hasn’t changed, except maybe the circles under his eyes got a bit darker. His hair was neatly wrapped in a ponytail behind his head, sharp tux on, a smile on his face.

Except none of that was for Y/N, it was for another woman. 

Swallowing back the lump in her throat she cleared her throat, tapping her foot nervously as the officiant started speaking. 

“We are gathered here today to celebrate the love of Alexander and Elizabeth.”

“Stop being such a poor sport.”

“You so cheated! You know what, it’s fine. Because I know what really happened.”

“I’ll tell you what happened: Mr. Hamilton sucks at Mario Kart!”

“You take that back!”

“Through their time together, they have realized that their goals and dreams are more meaningful through a combined effort and mutual support provided in love.”

“I’m proud of you.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“You got promoted, Alex! You’ve come so far since we met. You work so hard, you stay late at work, you stress yourself out far too much for my liking. But you got exactly where you wanted to be! And from here you can only go up! I’m proud of you!”

He smiled, kissing her knuckles and thanking her. 

“As we create this marriage, we create a new bond and a new sense of family.”

“I hope our kids have your eyes.”

“If we’re thinking about children, I have no problem shoving them right back if they don’t look exactly like you.”

“Alex, what the fuck is wrong with you?”

“I’m just saying. Your eyes, your nose, I even want them to be as witty as you.”

“I hope they don’t have your sense of style.”

“Hey!”

“Now, before we begin the vows, if anyone can show just cause why this couple cannot lawfully be joined together in matrimony-”

“You’re acting crazy!”

“No, I’m acting reasonable! You can’t seriously think that you were just going to let this go?”

“Where are we going, Y/N? We’re stuck in this one spot, and I can’t do it anymore!”

“Then don’t!”

“Let them speak now, or forever hold their peace.”

“I think I’m falling in love with you…” She wiped the tears from her eyes as he held her closely to his chest. “And I’m terrified.”

Y/N stands without letting herself have any more doubts. 

Almost immediately, attention is drawn. There are gasps in the crowd, one woman even let out a horrid yell. The man sitting a couple feet away even scoffs, like Y/N’s idea was ridiculous. It’s enough commotion that causes the bride and groom to look her way. 

Warmth filled her as his brown eyes connected with hers. 

It went in flashes, Alexander’s emotions. First he was a bit confused, almost as to why their loved ones were making such noise. Then, it was anger, finally realizing that it was because someone was objecting to his wedding. And as their eyes connected, it was like he was sad. 

Maybe it was because he hasn’t seen her since she walked out. Maybe it was because she was ruining his special day. Maybe it was because he knew she lost her chance years ago, and that even he knew it was too late. 

Maybe it was because he knew the outcome of this. 

Y/N took a shuddering breath, before saying the three words that could easily crush the hearts of everyone in this room. But she ignored the appalled crowd, she ignored the angry face of John right next to Alex, she didn’t even want to see how broken Eliza must look right now. 

Instead, she focused on the very small quirk of Alexander’s lips, the small chance of hope that was promised. 

#alexander hamilton x reader #alexander hamilton x oc #alexander hamilton imagine #my writings #alexander hamilton fic #hamilton fic #hamilton fanfiction #hamilton fanfic #I should probably rewrite this #but it's whatever for now #I've had no inspiration for the past four days and then suddenly at 4 am I finished this #soooo yeah #hamilton imagine #okay but this is totally inspired by speak now and exile

[fortheloveoffanfic]

The Reveal

Keanu Reeves x Reader (A/n- Written in the The One That Stays universe, because I love it, and those characters so much. This is about 3 years post the last chapter, and I was really iffy about posting it, but here we are anyway.) 

Warnings- Nothing really, just pregnancy and fluff. 

“And I thought I loved you then.” -Then, Brad Paisley 

Warm yellow rays from the barely cloudy sky cast a picturesque gleam on the surface of cool, blue water. That day, thankfully, hadn't been as sweltering as the ones in the weeks gone by, and the forecast predicted for that weekend had been one conducive to recreational boating, which was why they'd decided to rent a yacht for the weekend. Joining them had been Keanu's side of the family, his sister, her husband and his mother, along with Julie, her husband Eric and their two year old Lucas.

It was their second day out on the water, anchored off the coast of Los Angeles and by late afternoon, everyone had gathered on deck, around the small pool to hang out. Eric had taken to the pool to humor Lucas, as had Keanu's brother in law, while everyone else had kicked back on lounge chairs. Y/n was laid back on Keanu's chest, his worn shirt soft and comforting against her exposure arms as his legs spread slightly to accommodate her bare one. One of his large hands were splayed on her stomach, while the other absently twirled the ends of her hair, something he'd taken to doing after she'd let her tresses grow out a bit longer, all while Y/n toyed with her wedding band. The diamonds shone proudly in the sunlight, and though the ring hand made its home on her finger almost two years ago, Y/n couldn't help but smile faintly. She was Mrs. Y/n Reeves. 

"You okay?" Keanu broke her thoughts, gently rubbing her rounded stomach. They were just under four months shy of welcoming their first child. They’d been discussing having a baby even before they married, in a small ceremony at Keanu’s favorite hotel, but hadn’t gotten down to actually trying until about a year earlier, when he had decided to cut back on the amount of roles he took and Y/n’s work schedule cleared up. Thankfully, though their road to pregnancy hadn’t been a trying one, they were both fairly healthy and it greatly helped that they were usually all over each other, and within about three months of being off her birth control, they had taken a home test, which had confirmed that Y/n was indeed pregnant. Since then, Keanu’s protectiveness had nearly quadrupled; the woman he loved was carrying their child, and he’d be damned if anything remotely bad happened to either of his favorite people.

Shifting a bit in his embrace, she laid one of her smaller hands next to his, feeling the light kicks of their baby, like butterflies fluttering in her stomach. According to Julie, those were only going to get stronger, and apparently a little painful, but Y/n didn’t care, she’d endure it any day if the reward was having their child in her arms afterwards. “Yeah,” Y/n smiled softly, nuzzling his chest with her cheek, “I’m good, we both are.”

“Good,” Keanu bent to kiss the top of her head, reassured for the time being. He’d been a little skeptical when Y/n and his sister had conjured up the idea of taking a boat out for the weekend; out on the water, if anything happened to her, getting to her doctor or the hospital would take longer than he preferred, and there had already some difficulties that had him almost constantly on edge. But, alas, Y/n was extremely persuasive and eventually convinced him that she was fine to get away for the long weekend, “And-”

A gasp from his mother, Patrica from her own chair as she set her cocktail down cut off Keanu’s words, and everyone turned to her, “I just remembered,” she sat up, eyes fixed on them both, “You two had an appointment this week, did Dr. Shaw tell you the sex?”

Boy or girl, it had recently become a hot topic in the Reeves family. Every time they all met, it somehow came up; what family names would work if it were a boy, how cute they’d dress up a little girl and Y/n was even sure that their was a bet going on between her sister-in-law and Julie, “We didn’t,” Keanu chuckled, “This little one was turned away from us; shy like their mommy.”

“And their daddy!” Y/n playfully slapped his thigh, giggling when he tucked her closer. When their laughter died down, Y/n elaborated, “I promise, you’ll be the first call when we find out.”

“Call?” Patrica repeated incredulously, as if the word were a capital crime in itself. How dare they simply call?

“We’ll take you to dinner?” Keanu scrunched his nose, trying to appease her. He knew it was a big deal, almost every family member had made sure to remind them of it, but surely, it couldn’t be that big. 

“Dinner- ugh,” she put a long, manicured finger to her temple, her entire, though possibly exasperated expression, was hidden by her dark sunglasses, though, her words were enough to tell them just how much a their options had not sufficed, “I’ve waited twenty years for my only son to get married to a nice girl. And now, they’re having a baby, and all I get, after all this waiting, is a phone call? My grand-baby is worth more than a phone call, you need to have a reveal.”

Julie squealed in agreement, “Oh! That would be perfect! You could do it where we had ours, at that cute little pastry shop in the city.” Y/n remembered that party well, especially since she’d nearly planned the entire thing. Julie had gone the perhaps, more old fashioned route, with a cake reveal. They’d rented out her favorite shop for an afternoon and gathered their closest friends and family for the vintage style soiree, where everyone was encouraged to wear a color that matched their suspicions; pastel blues and greens for a boy and light pinks and purples for a girl. Y/n, who’d been sure that she was going to have a godson from the very beginning, had opted for a cute blue dress with white lace trimming, claiming victory over Keanu who’d opted for a pink, which he dubbed salmon, shirt. 

“A gender reveal?” Y/n shifted again, scooting upwards, aided by Keanu and subsequently tucking her head in his neck after turning on her side. Quite recently, finding comfortable positions had started becoming quite a daunting task, but somehow, being cuddled to, or rather on top of,  Keanu had remained Y/n’s favorite. “We didn’t really think of doing one of those, my mom already wants to do a baby shower, we just feel like it's too much.”

“Yeah,” Keanu chimed in, trying to be another voice of reason, “Besides, that’s a lot of work, and we’re supposed to be keeping an eye on her blood pressure-”

“Well then let me plan it,” his mother protested, determined to have a reveal, “I’m sure Julie and Karina will help, and we can have it at her place too.”

Perking up, Karina joined their conversation, “Oh! That would be perfect,” she clapped her hands excitedly, no doubt on board with the idea. She’d been bursting with excitement since they’d announced that they were expecting, teasing that having a baby in the family this time around would be more fun considering she wasn’t the one who’d have to wake up at four am feedings. She was however, down to babysit whenever her niece or nephew started sleeping through the night. Yeah, their family thought of it all. “I’d love to help!”

“Count me in too,” Julie beamed, taking her son in her arms just as Eric came out from the pool, handing him over so he could go get Lucas a towel. 

And then, before Y/n and Keanu knew it, the three women were all involved in planning a party that they hadn’t even signed off on, though, at that point, it was clear that they didn’t have a choice anyway. “Perfect, all you two will have to do is show up,” she smiled triumphantly.

Three weeks later Y/n was a the snack table, surveying its contents and deciding if she wanted something, when Keanu came up behind her, causing her to jump with he placed  gentle hands on her shoulders, pecking the crown of Y/n’s hair, “It’s just me sweetheart,” he chuckled, his baritone warm and familiar.

“You startled me,” Y/n pressed one hand to her chest over the neckline of her white flowing dress, while the other cradled her bump. The little, unofficial planning committee had instructed guests to wear white, though, the decor had entailed a charming mix of baby blue and a light pink, beautifully mixed to compliment each other. The deserts; everything from inviting cupcakes to cute cake pops and elegant looking macaroons, and party favors, mostly made of little pouches filled with jelly beans along with fuzzy topped pens along with several other little trinkets, were also color coordinated. The ladies had really gone out, though arguably, simple wasn’t exactly their MO. “This is supposed to be a gender reveal, not a baby reveal,” she joked, turning to face Keanu.

“You’re right,” his lips brushed her forehead, one of his hands on her waist sliding to her stomach, “Wouldn’t want our bun popping out too soon,” he crouched down, so he could ‘talk to the baby,’ something he’d been doing for months now, “As excited as we are to meet you, you still gotta keep mommy company in there for a few more months.”

Threading her delicate hand through his dark mane a fond sorire upturned Y/n’s pink stained lips. She absolutely adored those little moments that Keanu would spend chatting with their baby, at first, he’d started with brief sentences, ‘I love you’s and ‘can’t wait to meet you’s, but as months drew on, and it the reality set in, Keanu had started reading to her belly, and sometimes at night, when he’d join her in bed, he could spend well over an hour talking about all the things he’d teach them as they grew up. Already, he was proving to be an exceptional father; extremely loving and always ready to put his wife and child first, and Y/n knew that things would only get better when they met their baby. 

She was so lost in her own thoughts, that Y/n had barely heard a thing of what Keanu had said, only returning to the moment when he pressed a chaste kiss to her tummy, offering one final declaration of love before standing again and heading to another end of the table after kissing Y/n one last time. "What are you doing?" She giggled as he picked up a pen and a little blank card out of a stack next to two decorative wooden boxes. The entire set up was for one of the many games being run that day, where their guests could vote on their options. Before the reveal later that evening, someone was supposed to count them and the reward would be satisfaction at the end. 

"I'm placing my bet," Keanu defended, scribbling on the white surface as he spoke.

"It's not a bet," Y/n placed a hand at the top of her growing bump as she made her way over to him, standing on her toes to peer over the loose shield he'd made with his hand, "You're going with girl again, huh?"

"Hey, Julie and Eric's baby was one thing, but I think I know our kid," folding the card in half, creasing it for emphasis, Keanu slipped it into the box with the word "girl” carved in cursive at the front, "This baby," he palmed her stomach with both hands, "Is definitely a girl."

Rolling her eyes, Y/n decided that she'd get in on it too, plucking on of the cards from its spot, swiping the pen from off the table and using Keanu's chest to press on, "Well, you must like being wrong," she chewed on her lower lip as she wrote, dramatically showing Keanu what she'd written before slipping it into the matching box labeled boy, "I was right then, and I'm right now."

"And how are you so sure of that?" The giddy smile of both their faces didn't show any signs of fading as Keanu reeled Y/n back in, "Why don't we bet on it?"

“Because I’m carrying the baby, duh,” she rolled her eyes playfully. Throwing her arms around his neck, Y/n twirled the ends of Keanu's hair in her fingers, leaning into his chest as far as she could, "And yeah,”  his arms circled Y/n's waist, toying with the lace on her flowing maxi dress, "Let's do it. What does the winner get?"

Keanu scrunched up his face, looking up thoughtfully, "The winner gets….." he thought on it some more, "Whatever they want."

Y/n eyed her husband suspiciously for a minute, a little curious about what he could possibly want, if by some miracle, he won. "Okay," she finally said, “Winner gets whatever they want,” Y/n smiled mischievously, almost certain that she would be triumphant. 

Hours later, just before noon had turned to evening and when the brightness had gone hazy as the sun journeyed to the horizon, everyone had gathered in the backyard, on the lawn for the long awaited moment. It was time for the reveal. They’d gone with a balloon reveal, and when it was time, Y/n and Keanu were positioned near the fence, just a few feet in front of their family and friends, all ready with phone and cameras. Keanu held on to the string of the large, shiny black balloon, one with a silver question mark painted on at the front, while Y/n had been armed with a metal skewer from Karina’s kitchen.

Just about an hour earlier, the contents of both boxes had been counted, and the team banking on Baby Reeves being a boy had come in strong, outnumbering the other side by a landslide. The small victory, though it couldn’t be considered a real prediction, had only built Y/n’s faith in her own suspicions, almost everyone, even down to her own parents, were convinced that she and Keanu would be greeting a son in the coming months. 

“Ready?” Keanu’s eyes met hers, the nerves shared between them, along with bright, excited grins plastered on both their faces. They both knew that in the end; boy or girl, daughter or son, it wouldn’t matter. None of it would matter as long as their baby was healthy and safe.

Y/n nodded vigorously, using her free hand to tuck some hair behind her ear, positioning the skewer near the opaque balloon, “Yeah.” Somewhere in the crowd, she heard her mother anxiously prompt her to “just do it already,” while someone else interjected that their camera was ready, “Okay, okay,” Y/n laughed, ready to get on with the moment of truth.

Taking a deep breath, Y/n didn’t even try to steady her shaking hand as she finally pressed the tip of the stick to the balloon, wincing and shutting her eyes tightly at the loud popping sound. The crowd cheered loudly, jubilance igniting a celebration and when Y/n opened her eyes, her jaw hung slack with shock. Rendered speechless, she just stood there, rooted to the floor, dropping the skewer and placing her hands on her stomach, barely smiling breathlessly at the patter of kicks beneath her palms. “Oh my god…..” Tears of joy welled up in her eyes as she raised her head to meet Keanu’s equally glistening gaze, “I…..”

For a second, he too seemed shocked, and the jeers of congratulations faded in the background as everything moved in slow motion. She could have sworn that there had never been so much love in his eyes, and Keanu thought that he’d never been that happy, though, their wedding day came in at a very close second. Suddenly, the prospect of parenthood seemed a thousand times realer. After that evening, so much would change, they would finally choose a name. 

Without another moment of hesitation, Keanu took her into his strong arms, lifting Y/n off the ground and spinning her in a circle and planting a passionate on her ready lips. In turn, she hugged him tightly, forgetting everything and everyone else as they basked in their joy. “So,” he began when he set her down, brushing some pink confetti off her shoulders and picking a couple similar pieces out of her hair, “I guess you were wrong,” he chortled, still holding her close. 

Nodding, Y/n looked at the ground around them; the healthy green grass was now freckled with bits of fuchsia pink, “I guess I was, we’re having a little girl,” she kissed him again, that time quicker, not even caring that everyone was still taking pictures of them, “You win.”

“I do,” Keanu pressed their forehead together, the tip of his nose brushing hers. By then, they both looked equally rosy, the sheer joy of the matter seeping through their skin, “And I know just what I want to cash in my win for.”

“What’s that?” Y/n giggled.

“This,” and before she knew it, Keanu was dipping her, one hand holding Y/n steady at the center of her back, while the other cradled her head. Her loose tresses hung in a waterfall, disturbed only by Keanu’s stocky fingers, just as he captured her lips again, in a breath stealing bout of sweet endearment. 

******

Taglist- @harrisongslimited @magnificentclodpiebanana   @keandrews @greenmanalishi  @rdjloverxxx​  @danceoftwowolves​  

#keanu reeves #keanu reeves x reader #keanu reeves x you #john wick x reader #john wick x you #the one that stays #the reveal #fanfic #fanfiction #keanu reeves fanfic #keanu reeves oneshot #oneshot #ff #john wick fanfiction #fluff

[theydontknowaboutusimagines]

Sunflower - Harry Styles AU (Volume 6)

The year is 1977 and it’s officially summertime. Y/N is spending it with her family at the Malibu Breeze Hotel, where she meets, aspiring musician, Harry Styles. The two clash in the beginning, but soon realize they may just need each other in the end. Find out just how life changing one summer can be in Sunflower, a Harry Styles AU.

   Here is part 6 of Sunflower. Hope you enjoy it!

Vol. 1 Vol. 2   Vol. 3  Vol. 4 Vol. 5 

Word Count: 1.9K

“Oh, this is so wonderful, honey,” My mother exclaimed as she twirled by hair around the curler. “William is such a gentleman and this could bring on great things for you.”

“It’s only dinner, mother,” I sighed.

“Yes, yes, I know, but I really think he might have an eye on you,” she smiled.

I rolled my eyes. It didn’t take long before both of my parents found out about me having dinner with William later. The dinner I never said yes to, might I add. Of course, they didn’t know that and I probably should have told them, told William that I wasn’t interested, but the words wouldn’t leave my mouth. I could tell my parents, especially my father, were ecstatic about me hanging out with William and his friends.

My father because he thought it would help me make up my mind regarding Boston and because it would put in a good word for him with his boss. My mother because she could already picture a wedding with grandchildren running amuck down the line. I wanted neither of those things, at least not right now and not with William.

As my mother continued doing my hair and makeup that she insisted on doing once finding out the news, my thoughts wandered to Harry. He had looked so miserable, so annoyed and angry today. It really felt as if we were making progress and he was being less like how he was before, but today proved that it’s still the same.

Maybe he was just embarrassed with me being there. Seeing him having to wait on William and his friends… on me. Jasper never said anything to me, mostly because he was too busy sailing the boat. Rehearsals would be after the dinner, I wondered if either of them would say anything to me or bring up the events of the day.

Part of me hoped for a yes while the other was perfectly okay with them not uttering a word.

“There we are,” she smiled. “You look absolutely beautiful, Y/N, just gorgeous. William is going to be floored when he sees you.”

Mother moved out of the way, letting me be in full view of the mirror. My eyes widened as I looked at the reflection in the mirror. A reflection I didn’t recognize as me, not in a bad way though. I had never really been one to worry about makeup, mostly out of laziness and feeling like it was just something society made women feel like they needed in order to get a man and for cosmetic companies to make money.

But seeing myself in just a bit of blush, lipstick, eye shadow, and mascara, it was like my confidence level rose about four levels. And my hair was pulled back with a few strands of curled hair framing my face.

“Wow,” I uttered.

“See, I told you just adding a little bit to your face can make the most amazing changes,” she smiled. “Now, for your dress. I have the perfect one for you.”

My mother rummaged around through her closet for a few moments before pulling out this beautiful sunflower yellow dress. It was a halter top with a sweetheart neckline that flowed out just above the knee.

“Try it on,” she smiled.

I took the dress from her going into the bathroom to change into the dress. Once it was on, I tied the long ribbon around my neck and looked at myself in the mirror. The dress fit me perfectly and the color matched perfectly with my skin. I found myself smiling as I looked at myself in the mirror trying different angles to make sure everything did look alright.

Being all dressed up for once in my life made me feel special, beautiful even, but my heart sank knowing that all of this was happening for the wrong person.

**

Arriving at the Dining Hall for dinner with William was weird, awkward, and stressful. I wanted it to be over before I had even started. However, if having dinner with William wasn’t already bad enough, Harry and his band… the hotel house band was scheduled to perform. I nearly dropped my glass when I saw Harry and Mitch making their way towards the stage.

“Interesting, hopefully that one is a better singer than a waiter,” William joked.

I looked at him.

“Oh, um, the one there, I think he’s name is Barry… he was on the wait staff on the boat today,” William answered.

“I know and he’s name is Harry,” I told him.

“Eh, doesn’t matter,” he shrugged.

My hand gripped onto the menu a little too tight causing a small crease to start forming.

“Good evening and welcome back to another evening here at The Malibu Breeze Hotel. We hope you’ve had a lovely day and we thank you for spending the rest of your night here with us,” Harry said into the microphone.

The opening notes of the first song started playing as I looked over at the stage. Harry’s eyes were closed while he took a deep breath, something I noticed him doing every time before he opened his mouth to sing. Most people probably wouldn’t even notice because he does it so discreetly, but I did. I always do.

“Speaking of our day out at sea,” William started. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Um… I mean… I guess. I’m not really a boat person,” I told him.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize,” he said. “Perhaps we could stay on land next time,” he laughed.

Mentally, I rolled my eyes, physically I gave a small nod and a smile.

The rest of the dinner went exactly how I thought it would. William talking about Boston, himself, his dad, shoving food in his mouth, etc. And just when I thought our little date was over and I could finally get out of there, William stood up from the table walking over to my side.

“Join me for a dance?” He asked, holding his hand out towards me.

“Um, actually, it’s getting pretty late, I should probably get going,” I told him. “I have plans, remember?”

“Oh come on, just one dance. Besides what’s wrong if you’re a little late anyway, you’re with me,” he smirked.

I had the urge to smack him right then and there, but I saw my parents at their table out of the corner of my eye. Even though they weren’t looking in that exact moment, I knew they had been staring throughout the night. I sighed going against my better judgement and what I wanted by saying yes.

I placed my hand in his and he practically pulled me to the dance floor. I gulped feeling Harry’s gaze on us when we got there. I didn’t dare look at him, afraid of what I might see. William wrapped his arm around my waist and held my hand with his other one. William’s face sat near my ear and I could feel his warm breath against my skin. A shiver ran down my spine, but not in a good way.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered into my ear.

His hands were slowly inching their way down from my waist. He knew what he was doing, placing his hands ever so subtly on me. I stood there frozen, my body willing to push him away, but nothing would move.

“How about you forget about those plans of yours and we head back to my room?” He asked. “So we could have a little more privacy to get to know one another. I could show you some more information about Boston, too.”

“Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I told him. “In fact, I should uh… be going now anyway. Excuse me.”

Not sure how, but I finally was able to maneuver myself out of his arms and out of the dining hall. I needed to get out of there, but I wasn’t sure where I would go. It was too early to head to the cabin for rehearsals and if I went back to my room, Marianne might be there and ask me about tonight. So, I took off my shoes and went out to the beach instead.

I found an empty beach chair that was still left out in the sand. I sighed sitting down, letting my head fall into my hands. I wanted the night to be over with and I knew first thing in the morning I would have to tell my parents that whatever they wanted me to have with William was never going to happen.

My hands rubbed at the side of my neck almost as if I was trying to wipe away his words and the remnants of his breath. I heard someone walking up behind me. I could stand up, ready to run, thinking it was William. But it wasn’t, it was Harry standing there, still wearing his suit with his hands in his pockets.

“W-What are you doing here?” I asked him.

“Are you okay?” He asked. “Did he-”

“I’m fine,” I said, shaking my head. “So um… you saw-”

“The two of you dancing? Yeah, it’s kinda hard not to when you were on my dance floor,” he said, kicking at the sand.

I sighed, “Look, I don’t get you or what’s up with you. Why do you always do this? You act like an ass to me, and then you’re fine and it’s like we’re finally moving past that and then today, you treated me like you didn’t even know me.”

“Me?” He asked. “Y/N, you’re the one staying at the big fancy ass hotel with your Daddy and his money. You’re the one who gets to be Daddy’s little girl by day and sneaks around playing in some band at night. You’re the one playing two sides here, not me.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it!” I told him. “I told you this isn’t a fucking game for me! I’m serious about being in this band because it means something to me and because you mean something to me.”

“Oh really? Cause you could’ve fooled me when his hands were all over you and he was whispering in your ear,” he snapped.

“I pushed him away and left when he did that! I don’t want him,” I snapped back. “I never wanted him and I sure as hell didn’t want to go to dinner with him.”

“Then what do you want Y/N?” Harry asked. “What do you want, right here and right now, what do you want?”

I closed the remaining distance between the two of us. Sand covered my feet and my shoes felt heavy in my hands. My heart raced a mile a minute and my stomach felt like it was in knots, but I didn’t care. For the first time in my life someone asked me what I wanted for myself and because of that, I had to be completely honest.

“You,” I whispered. “I want you. I want the band… I want the music… I want all of it, but mostly… I just want you.”

I stared up at him, his eyes glistening as the moonlight lit up his face. His previously slicked back hair was now blowing freely in the breeze. I waited what seemed like forever for him to say something, but he never did.

He simply took my face in his hands and pressed his warm lips against mine while the waves crashed along the shore behind us.

**

Soo... word count wise this update was a little shorter. I thought about making it a bit longer, but I kinda like where it ended. But this does make me want to ask, do y’all prefer the longer updates 2k-3k word counts or shorter ones like 1k-1.5k? 

Let me know! :) 

#Harry Styles Imagines #Harry Styles AU Series #Harry Styles Fanfics #Harry Styles Fanfiction