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#we recall with our feelings; anything real should be a mess
ginnsbaker · 1 month
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fic: if i bleed (you'll be the last to know) (3/?)
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Part summary: Leigh develops an unhealthy habit as she hits closer to rock bottom
Pairing: Leigh Shaw x Fem!Reader | Word count for this part: 5.370 | Warnings/Tags: Some hetero stuff | A/N: Things will pick up after this part. I think there's going to be a total of 6 parts, but let me confirm that in the next update :)
Masterlist | Part I Part II | Next
-
Leigh is ten minutes late. 
It makes sense. Her willingness to attend this meeting was surprising, because if you were in her shoes, you doubt you'd have agreed to it. Listening to the entire history of a relationship can be exhausting, and it's hard to imagine what it feels like to hear about one that arguably should never have existed.
But just as you're about to think she's bailed or intentionally left you hanging, you spot her sprinting toward the cafe from across the street. She's a mess—hair soaked and sticking everywhere, face bare, missing its usual touch of makeup. But even like this, Leigh doesn't look much different from her usual self. You can't help feeling a bit envious of that.
She rushes into the cafe, attracting a few curious looks, but she barely registers them, her wide green eyes quickly finding you.
“Sorry I'm late,” she pants, struggling to catch her breath, “I got caught in the rain and then missed my bus.” The lie slips out effortlessly. True, it had rained, but the real reason was far more personal—something you didn't need to know.
You shrug off her apology with a smile, signaling the waiter for a menu for Leigh. “No worries, I'm just glad you made it,” you say.
Leigh gives you a quick once-over, then forces a smile and thanks you. Once her coffee order's in, she gets right down to it. “So, Matt,” she starts, her voice dropping to a whisper, “how did you two meet?”
You lean back, carefully thinking about what to say next. You didn't practice your answers ahead of time because you weren't planning to lie about anything. But you're wary of how you word things, not wanting to upset her. Being caught up with a married man is embarrassing enough as it is, and having to relay the details to his widowed wife only adds to it.
“Actually, our first meeting was totally by chance,” you say, bringing your steaming cup of tea to your lips. “I quite literally bumped into Matt one day. It was so brief, I barely gave it a second thought.”
You take a deep breath before continuing, “Then, about a week later, Matt showed up at my clinic with the same friend from before. It turned out, they were there for his friend's dog, who needed a check-up. Matt was just tagging along, helping out.”
Leigh’s face remains passive, making it hard to read. 
“The friend was the one who interacted with me the most that day. He even asked for my number, saying they were grateful for the help with the dog. I assumed he was interested,” you say, the memory coming back to you clearer now as you speak. “But, to my surprise, it was Matt who texted me later, not his friend.”
You barely manage to suppress the slight twitch of your lips, recalling how everything once seemed magical to you. Leigh on the other hand, takes a slow sip of her coffee, buying a moment to process.
“Who was that friend of Matt's? Do you remember his name?” she asks.
You pause, racking your brain for the detail, feeling its importance to Leigh. “Yeah, I think his name was Nick or something,” you say, scratching your head. Whether the name ‘Nick’ rings any bells for her or not, she doesn't let on. 
“Strange,” you mumble under your breath, but then shrug it off. “It doesn't really matter, he's not the one I—” You stop yourself just in time, realizing you're about to say something potentially hurtful about a situation that still feels raw, especially to Leigh.
Instead, you quickly pivot. “Anyway, that's how it all started. On the day of the dog’s follow-up, it was just Matt who came by. We struck up a friendship from there, and one thing led to another until he, uhm, asked me out for dinner.”
At this, you notice a subtle change in Leigh's demeanor. Her entire frame becomes more timid, the first real sign of emotion she's shown since this conversation began. 
You’re about to go on with your story when Leigh suddenly speaks up.
“So, you just said yes, even though he was your client? Don't veterinarians have professional boundaries?”
Ever since meeting Leigh, you've found it challenging to predict what might trigger her reactions—it's like navigating a minefield. Occasionally, you’d find yourself wondering what it would be like to know her without the complications currently defining your interactions. You think about the roles you both involuntarily play in each other's lives, roles neither of you auditioned for but somehow ended up performing.
You feel a lump form in your throat, and your gaze drops to your lap. “Well, he was persistent,” you say, feeling the need to defend your decision. Nevertheless, it sounds weak to your own ears. “But I made it clear nothing could happen until the dog's treatment was complete. And I insisted he'd have to find a different vet for any future appointments. It was... complicated.”
“I bet,” Leigh scoffs, crossing her arms. After a beat, she asks, almost too casually, “So, how quickly did you two... you know, have your first kiss?”
The question hangs awkwardly between you. You know you can’t answer it in any way you could avoid her judgment, so you just decide to spit it out. 
“First date.” Under Leigh’s scrutinizing gaze, it feels like admitting to a minor crime.
Leigh stares at you with unblinking eyes. “And how long after meeting him did this first date happen?”
You draw in a slow breath. “Three weeks,” you mutter. “It was last fall.” You add that bit, proactively laying out the timeline as if it could somehow soften the blow or make the situation less complicated. Leigh, however, looks like you've just knocked the wind out of her. She looks away, her expression shifting into something like shock or deep pain. Alarm bells ring in your head at the picture before you.
“Hey, did I say something wrong?” you say in a rush. “I mean, this whole situation is messed up, but if I—”
Leigh’s eyes are glass as they return to you. When she speaks again, her voice is so soft you almost have to lean in to hear. “Last fall... That's when I told Matt we should start trying for a baby.”
The words drain the color from your face. And suddenly, all the pieces of your story with Matt feels even more tainted.
You're not sure what your face gives away when you hear this news, but Leigh's expression quickly shifts from tearful to furious. “Stop feeling sorry for me,” she hisses. “I don’t need your pity.”
Leigh's tears start to spill over, and it's only 7:30 in the morning. It feels way too early for tears, especially here, in the middle of a coffee shop where the day is just beginning for most. You try to shrink into your seat, wishing you could make both of you invisible as the few other patrons start throwing curious, if not outright concerned, looks your way.
You never realized a simple conversation could cause someone so much pain. You thought providing Leigh with answers would help, but it looks like you're just making things even harder for her. Maybe keeping your distance from her is the kindest thing you can do.
“You know the worst part?” Leigh brushes away the tears that keep streaking down her face.
Clearly, she isn't looking for an answer, so you stay silent.
She makes sure she catches your eye before saying, “He agreed, and we started trying.”
-
Leigh catches her breath after wrapping up her class at the Beautiful Beast. 
She took a day off yesterday, immediately after talking with you, spending the whole day in bed just trying to sort out her thoughts and feelings. Surprisingly, wasting away for a whole day seemed to help, and her concerns gradually drifted back to her fight with Jules. It’s been days, and Leigh feels the urgency of reconciliation pressing on her. By this point, they should be on speaking terms again. By now, Jules should have let go of her anger, right? Leigh knows she can't afford to have her sister hating her. At least not right now. She needs her family, or what’s left of it—on her side. 
“Hey, Jules, got a sec? About the schedule…” Leigh tries, hoping work might be a safe enough topic to get her sister to acknowledge her existence once again.
Jules barely glances her way. Her hands keep moving, adjusting a strap here, aligning yoga mats there, as if the very act could shield her from having to engage. “Sorted. Check your email,” she replies, her voice cold and detached.
Leigh nods, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot. “Great, great... um, did you consider adding that beginners' workshop we talked about?”
Jules stops for a beat, and Leigh thinks, maybe she's going to drop it. But no, Jules resumes fussing over items that hardly require any attention. Then, without even looking up, she says, “Yeah, it's on the list. Anything else?”
Leigh tries to keep her cool, wishing Jules would just cut to the chase and tell her what needs to be done for all to be forgiven. 
Trying a different tactic, Leigh goes, “Hey, found a Starbucks card in my bag. How 'bout I grab us some coffee? My treat.”
Leigh’s trying. She really is. Why can’t they see that?
Jules just gives her that look, the kind that doesn't need words, and heads back to her desk. And there's Leigh, offer of a beverage truce just floating in the air, going nowhere.
Getting ignored really gets under Leigh's skin. Back in the day, Matt's habit of brushing her off would drive her to the edge. She'd respond with over-the-top demands or twist things around just to make sure he’d always pay attention to her. She didn't start off wanting to be that person, but looking back, she sees the lengths she'd go to just to keep his attention from straying. 
Unable to control herself, she heads straight for Jules, grabs her arm despite her trying to wiggle free, and yanks her into the backroom.
“What the hell is your problem?!” Jules explodes, not caring if anyone’s heard her outside.
They're both standing there, kind of shocked by how heated things got so fast. Jules’ shout might've turned a few heads outside, but right now, that's the least of Leigh's worries.
“How many times do I need to apologize, for you to get over this?”
Jules’ eyes are wide in disbelief, her mouth twisting into a sardonic smile, like she can’t believe what she’s hearing.
“You’re so fucking full of yourself, Leigh! This is exactly why I’m not talking to you,” Jules hisses, but keeps her voice down this time.
“What—”
“Do you even know what you’re sorry for?”
Leigh's initial scoff dies in her throat as she watches Jules' expression twist with hurt. “Yeah, okay, I said sorry about the crap I pulled the other day. I know I was out of line, talking about your past like that—”
Jules doesn't let her finish. “You weren't just being ‘out of line’, Leigh. You threw the worst time of my life in my face! Do you have any idea how hurtful that is? Coming from my own sister? From my own family? What, just to win an argument? To cover up for acting like a jerk at the club?”
Leigh goes quiet, but her face hardens, trying not to show how much Jules' words hit her right in the gut. What she said, laid out like that, it sounds…well, unforgivable.
“I'm trying, okay?” Leigh blurts out without thinking.
“Shouldn't be that hard to just be a decent human being, should it?” Jules shoots back, her dismissal sharp as she exits the cramped space, leaving Leigh reeling.
Under her breath, almost like she's talking to the walls, Leigh mumbles, “I'm really sorry…” It's quiet, almost lost in the room, but she means it the most at this very moment, even if no one's around to catch it.
-
Leigh clocks out from work, her day's fatigue hanging off her shoulders like a weighty cloak. Instead of heading straight home, she veers off her usual path, her feet bringing her to places that made breathing difficult the first few weeks after Matt's death. She's walking the same old route she always did when he was still around, back to when her home address was different and she'd pick up takeout from his favorite places along the way.
There’s the park first, the one where she and Matt spent countless afternoons sprawled on the grass, lying side by side as they watched the sky blush into shades of orange at sunset. She allows herself only a fleeting glance at the familiar paths and the bench they claimed theirs, feeling the same regret, the same hollowness as she remembers the good times they had there. 
In the back of her mind, she can't shake off the worry that maybe you've been here too, making your own memories with him. She doesn’t feel the surge of anger at this thought however. Instead, a part of her is almost willing to share these sacred memories if it means holding onto him in any form. She wants to believe that her jealousy has faded into a quieter acceptance that others might also carry pieces of him, pieces she's learning to live with.
Pulling herself away from the park, Leigh's walk inevitably leads her past Matt's favorite Italian restaurant—a quaint, cozy place where they celebrated most of their birthdays and, on occasion, anniversaries, especially when neither felt like cooking (which became an increasingly common choice in the months leading up to his accident).
She remembers how Matt's face would light up at the prospect of their rich, creamy carbonara and the tiramisu he claimed was unrivaled in the city. She recalls the numerous times she attempted to recreate the restaurant's tiramisu at home, aiming to surprise Matt at least once a month. Despite her efforts, if she truly wanted to indulge him, she knew there was no substitute for the real thing. So, on special days, or whenever she felt an extra burst of affection, she'd stop by the restaurant on her way home, picking up takeout. 
A waitress from the restaurant notices Leigh's lingering gaze and asks if she'd like a table. With a shy smile, Leigh declines, then pauses before finally deciding to order a tiramisu to go.
When she returns to her mom's house and eats the tiramisu alone, it tastes different. 
Leigh can't decide if the difference in the tiramisu's taste is good or bad, but that doesn't stop her. She finishes the entire slice in minutes. But instead of feeling full, it makes her feel emptier. Perhaps, it’s not the flavor that's changed; it's the experience of eating it without Matt's enthusiastic commentary, without him lighting up at the first bite or playfully claiming the last one, despite his generous offer to let her have it.
Suddenly, tears just start pouring out of Leigh as she sits there with an empty plate. She didn't see it coming, no chance to stop it or shove it down. Then, she finds herself laughing—a deep, throaty laugh—because she's grieved for him in countless ways, but this, crying over a dessert, has to be the most absurd. It's exactly the kind of moment they would have laughed at together.
Deciding that that would be her dinner, Leigh cleans up the small mess she's made and considers the evening ahead. But just as she’s about to sink into the couch for a quiet night, her phone buzzes, making her jump.
Seeing your name flash on her screen, she sighs, sensing a familiar bitterness creeping back in, disrupting the soothing moments she had just spent reminiscing about Matt. She lets it ring a few times more before picking up.
“Hi, Y/N,” Leigh says, managing to keep her voice steady over the phone.
“Hey,” you start, unsure how to break the ice after everything. Especially with what you’re about to say next.
“Listen, something happened today at the clinic. Someone came in looking for their lost French Bulldog, and they had a picture,” you pause to breathe. “Leigh, it looks a lot like Visitor.”
On the other end of the line, you can practically hear Leigh's heart skip a beat.
“Hello?” you ask, checking to make sure she's still there after she doesn't respond for several seconds.
“Are you sure?” Leigh’s voice cracks slightly.
“Yeah, I'm pretty sure,” you say softly, feeling a surge of empathy. “I'm sending you the picture now. Check it out and tell me what you think.”
You hit send and then wait for Leigh’s confirmation.
“It's him. It's definitely Visitor,” she says a moment later.
You're relieved but also concerned about what comes next. “So, what are you going to do?”
Leigh hesitates, and when she speaks again, she doesn’t give a direct answer. “Thank you, Y/N,” she says, and you pick up something in her tone. Something somber. 
“Everything alright?” 
But the line's already dead, leaving you staring at your phone, wondering what she is up to.
-
Leigh stands outside the community center, her hand lingering on the door longer than usual.  It's been weeks since she last came to a session. First, there was the shock of uncovering Matt's darkest secret, and now, there's the issue of the man inside, already looking her way, waiting to see her next move.
Danny appearing at her doorstep earlier in the week caught her completely off guard—and not in a good way. The moment she realized it was him, Leigh didn't hesitate to close the door in his face. After she shut him out, it escalated to the point where she threatened to call the police because he wouldn't stop pounding on the door and shouting for Leigh to let him in, insisting he just wanted to talk. His last attempt to get through to her fell flat when he flooded her inbox with texts and missed calls, pushing Leigh to the point where she blocked his number for good.
Despite the problem of Danny being here tonight, Leigh isn't willing to walk away from this just because of him. She's already given up so much lately, most recently Visitor—or Chico, as she found out his real name was—and his absence carved a fresh ache in her heart that she hadn't seen coming.
So, she takes a deep breath and pushes the door open, ignoring the smirk on Danny’s face as she proceeds to pretend like he doesn’t exist.
-
Somehow, after the meeting, Leigh ends up saying yes to a quick chat with Danny. He reels her in with the news that he submitted Matt’s remaining works—which he got custody of—to his publisher, and they were keen to publish them posthumously. 
Leigh can't help but throw in a bit of shade. “That's nice of you, doing something good for your brother, even if it's a bit late.”
Danny's face drops a little. Her words were sharp enough to hurt him, but he doesn't bite back or get in her face about it, which totally throws Leigh for a loop. After all the time she'd spent ignoring him, she had expected him to be at his worst around her.
And then he surprises her even more when he says, “Let me give you a ride home? It's the least I can do…”
Leigh arches an eyebrow. She didn’t bring the car tonight because Jules had a thing with Tommy, and she didn’t want to give her sister another reason to resent her. A ride from Danny beats the alternatives of walking or shelling out for a pricey cab, especially now that her phone's battery has given out, nixing the option of booking an Uber.
But this is Danny. Matt’s brother, and the guy she hooked up with because she thought she’d get back some semblance of her dead husband. After Jules pointed out how messed up it was that they'd slept together, Leigh's been all over the place. The rules around what they were doing either turned her off or, weirdly enough, made the whole thing more enticing, taboo and all. That's a big part of why she's been steering clear of him. Hanging out with Danny feels like reaching for a cigarette long after she's sworn off smoking.
Even with all that swirling in her head, Leigh ends up saying, “Sure, why not?”
Before she knows it, she's also agreeing to a drink at his place.
-
The second they step into his apartment, something inside of Leigh snaps. Acting on impulse, she grabs Danny by the collar and kisses him fiercely. She clenches his shirt in her hands, practically tearing it in her grip. Danny's initial surprise melts away in seconds, and then he’s kissing her just as hard, his tongue prying open her lips, taking control of the kiss right away. His hands find her waits, pulling her closer, practically already half-lifting her against the wall.
Leigh, caught up in the moment, begins to move her hips in a rocking motion against him. The action is effective enough to distract him from where he’s kissing every inch of Leigh’s neck, and he retaliates by suddenly pressing her more firmly against the wall, pinning her with his hips, their chests are tightly pressed together.
But as Leigh's fingers begin to fumble with the button of Danny's pants, he catches her hands gently and, panting, says, “Wait, Leigh, hold on for just a sec.” 
Leigh’s eyes fly open at his voice, irritation and impatience coloring them. “What?” she gasps out. 
He ignores the hard edges of her tone. He wants more—something real—and he's hoping she does too.
“I can’t do this again unless I know it’s going somewhere,” Danny says. He gently lets go of Leigh and takes a step back, trying to collect himself. It's a tough task, though, with Leigh looking the way she does—hair all tousled, lips slightly swollen and marked from when he got a bit carried away, her cheeks tinged with a warm flush. He could’ve made her come in the next two minutes, he’s sure of it.
At Danny's confession, Leigh can't help it; she bursts into laughter. The idea of him catching feelings now, of all times, seems absurd to her. As she laughs, Danny's jaw tightens, but he waits patiently for her to finish.
When Leigh finally notices the seriousness etched across Danny's face, her amusement evaporates almost instantly. The realization that he's not joking strikes her, and it doesn't sit well. Not one bit.
“What, you think because your brother's gone, you get to... what? Step in? Take his place?” she spits out, incredulous. “This is never going to be anything more than a quick fuck, Danny.”
In his desperation, he calls her bluff. “You’re lying.”
Leigh's reaction morphs into a cruel sneer. “If you're going to insist on something more, then we're just wasting our time,” she mutters, turning to leave.
Danny's not ready to let her walk away, not yet. He grabs her arm, and for a second, they're just staring each other down, a silent battle raging between them. Leigh’s resolve is impenetrable.
It’s Danny who cracks first, exhaling a defeated, “Fine.”
But Leigh's not having any half-measures. She whirls around, fire in her eyes. “Nope. Say it properly,” she demands.
With a sigh that feels like he's giving away a part of himself, Danny looks at her, worn and resigned. “This doesn't have to mean anything,” he says even if it’s the last thing he wants.
Leigh locks eyes with him, a storm brewing in her look. Just when Danny thinks it's better to just drop it, she throws him a question out of nowhere. 
“Did you know?”
“Know what?” Danny asks, genuinely puzzled.
“About Matt and me... trying for a baby when he... you know.”
“He... he never mentioned anything like that,” he says, feeling the pain she’s radiating. Leigh looks like she’s about to fall apart and all he wants is to be the one to gather her pieces and put them all back together.
No more words follow from Leigh. It's as if the question drained what was left of the conversation. Without warning, she surges forward, her lips meeting Danny’s in a bruising kiss, then she grabs Danny's hands, placing them firmly back on her waist. He gets the message loud and clear, and together they quickly shed their clothes, letting them fall in a heap around their feet. She comes about twelve minutes and thirty seconds later.
-
It's been eight days—not that you're keeping track or anything. But after giving Leigh the heads-up that someone’s been looking for a dog that looks exactly like Visitor, you were kind of expecting she’d at least update you if it really was him or not.
So, when a client strolls in later with Visitor, who's actually called Chico according to the file your secretary slips you, you're a little disappointed it's not Leigh showing up instead. It must have been incredibly tough for her to return Chico to his real family. She invested her heart, time, and not to mention her wallet, into that dog, caring for him as if he were her own.
Thinking she’d be relieved to know he’s in good hands, you send her a text to update her about Chico's visit to the clinic today. You mention how healthy and content he seems, yet you hazard a guess that he's probably missing Leigh too. 
She sees your message right away, and then leaves you on read.
-
Her thing with Danny turns into a late-night ritual, particularly after Drew fails to respond to her following their conversation, not even offering her a guest column in the weeks that followed their talk. Drew continues to invite her for coffee and dinner dates along with his fiancée, but he avoids the topic about the column, so Leigh stops asking.
The hookups are always a post-midnight impulse. She’d find herself sneaking out of her mother's house to meet him, driven by a mix of need and escape, or occasionally, by insomnia. After their moments together, she never lingers in Danny's bed for too long once she's found her satisfaction, eager to shower away his scent from her skin. 
Back at home, she ensures there's no trace of their deed by the time she slips into bed, allowing herself to sleep deep into the middle of the day. This pattern of nocturnal activity and daytime slumber has led her mother to adjust Leigh's responsibilities, moving her to take charge of the afternoon classes instead. This behavior earns her suspicious glances from Jules, but Leigh chooses to ignore them—if Jules isn't interested in reconciling, then she has no right to concern herself with Leigh's personal affairs.
Leigh doesn’t know how she got here, back at the beginning, in an ever messier situation. She can't stop fucking Danny, her emotions for Matt are a rollercoaster—she finds herself forgiving him and cursing him interchangeably a couple of times a day. 
She's astounded this is her life now, seemingly unable to talk herself out of decisions that pull her deeper into chaos.
-
A month later, Leigh becomes a distant memory. Following a series of tumultuous encounters, your life gradually returns to its normal rhythm—quiet, ordinary days filled with clinic work, attending to various cases, meeting new clients, and addressing the myriad issues of small animals. All of these tasks prove easier to deal with than anything involving Leigh Shaw.
The sole noteworthy event in your generally uneventful life lately was your latest visit to a physician for an annual physical exam. The blood tests revealed some numbers outside the normal range, notably elevated cholesterol levels. Consequently, your doctor advised you to integrate exercise into your daily regimen and to reduce your consumption of takeout meals, specifically pizza and Chinese fast food.
It’s a big sacrifice, considering your day usually flies by without much thought for food, except for dinner. It’s the one time in your day you actually look forward to. So, to hold onto that bit of happiness, you've been looking at fitness classes that are actually enjoyable and help burn those extra calories to keep you in shape.
Yoga stands out as the top choice for you, mainly because it all unfolds on a mat. You assume it'll demand the least amount of effort compared to the other options (specifically spinning), which all seem to promise nothing but pain and suffering.
Deciding to give yoga a shot, you choose Beautiful Beast, swayed by its stellar reviews. You secure a slot for a 6pm class, feeling pretty good about this decision.
That is, until Leigh Shaw walks into the said class, clad in a sports bra and tight-fitting leggings that highlight her toned legs. She’s busy on her phone, and without looking up, she walks to the front of the room. 
What are the chances you'd both be in the same class at the same fitness studio? The plot thickens when she pockets her phone and turns to face the class, gesturing for everyone to get their mats ready as the session's about to start.
You swallow hard. Leigh isn't here as a joiner—she's running it.
It takes about a quarter of the session for Leigh to notice you’re in her class. It's only while she's making her rounds, observing each student's camel pose, that her gaze finally lands on you. Struggling through your lack of core strength, you can't quite catch her initial reaction, but then she calls out your name. The surprise makes you gasp as she places her hand on the curve of your spine, just above the small of your back, and gently pushes you upward, deepening your arch. 
The stretch draws a grimace from you, but then she says, “Good, that's it,” and suddenly, you're determined not to let her down. You focus on the pose, on Leigh's instructions, and on not falling apart under her watchful eye. Leigh keeps everyone in the position a few moments longer than expected before instructing the class to transition into the child's pose for recovery. At her cue, your arms collapse, and you find yourself breathing heavily, grateful for the brief respite.
Something tells you it's not the high cholesterol that's going to be the end of you, but rather this yoga class and Leigh's merciless teaching style. 
-
You're all packed up and ready to leave, still reeling from what could easily be the toughest hour of your life, when someone calls out to you.
“Hey, Y/N.”
It's Leigh. Her tone is softer, more fatigued than you remember. She’s still in her gym clothes, looking like the workout barely touched her except for a few strands of hair sticking to her forehead. And somehow, she smells more like a rose garden than the gym floor.
“I didn’t know you work here—” you blurt out, almost apologizing. But before you can add anything else, Leigh just shakes her head, something like amusement in her smile, stopping you mid-sentence. Her smile, warm and a little teasing, eases some of the tension you didn't realize you were holding. 
“Are you a mind reader or something?” she teases. “Cause yeah, I was going to ask if you were following me.”
You’re quick to deny it. “I wasn’t.”
Leigh lets out a chuckle like she's getting a kick out of seeing you on edge. You shuffle your feet, still unsure if she’s trying to scare you off or welcome you to her tutelage.  
“Look, if it's weird for you, me being here... I can find another class,” you offer, the words tumbling out before you can think them through.
Her reaction is swift and a bit surprising, “Why would I want that? So you can duck out and be a rubbish yogi elsewhere and ruin my reputation?”
You’re taken aback by her response. Clearly, Leigh's not pushing you away; it's almost as if she's egging you on, daring you to stick it out. And if there's any hope of moving past this... whatever it is, leaving now because it might get awkward doesn't seem like the right move to make a fresh start.
“All right, I'll stay,” you find yourself saying, more to your surprise than hers. 
Leigh's got this look of triumph, chin lifted just so, when you agree to stick around. “See you at 5:30. Greenway Park,” she throws out casually.
You're there blinking, trying to piece together what she means. But before you can even get a word out, she's one step ahead. 
“We have to work on your endurance,” she clarifies. “Make sure you’re wearing real running shoes. No sneakers.”
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twilightmalachite · 28 days
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Poltergeist - Prologue
Author: Akira
Characters: Madara, Natsume, Tsumugi, Sora
Translator: Mika Enstars
Proofer: Revoltrad
"Trying to solve your mistakes with monEY… That’s a scummy adult moVE…"
[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]
Season: Winter
Location: NewDi Office
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ES’ first year of establishment, early January. The first work day following SS—NewDi Office…
Madara: Happy New Yeeeeeear ☆
I’m here to answer your call! Happy New Year! MaM’s Mikejima Madara is here! Time to welcome in the new year!
Hahaha! May you have a prosperous New Year! I wish for our up-and-coming idol agency, NewDi, to experience a bright future this year, too!
That is all! New Year’s greetings are over! I’ve done what I needed to do…☆
Natsume: WaIT, waIT. Were you a bomber aircraft in your past liFE? Can you not just come in shouting and yelling all over the place and then just walk away satisfiED?
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Sora: Auauaua~? Auauaua~…?
Tsumugi: A-Are you alright, Sora-kun? Is it your eyes? Do your eyes hurt?
Sora: A-A huge color burst out when Sora let his guard down, so—
Madara: Ahh, that’s my bad. Sorry, sorry. Did you recognize my loud voice as color and feel it through your eyes, Sora-san? That’s pretty interesting!
Here, let Mama give you a New Year’s envelope as an apology for bein’ a bother! ♪
Sora: Yay~! ♪ With this New Year's money, now Sora can buy up all those games companies are shelling out for children for the new year!
Natsume: Trying to solve your mistakes with monEY… That’s a scummy adult moVE…
Madara: Wouldn’t it be more creepy to see a squeaky clean adult~? To live is to become dirty, no~?
Besides, since the conclusion of SS turned out to be a farce laughable enough to make tea boil in your gut[1], those of us idols who participated in the main competition were rewarded accordingly.
The massive amount of money that should’ve originally gone to a single unit has been distributed evenly.
Tsumugi: Yep. As a result, we’ve received more L$ than we know what to do with. NewDi has been struggling financially for a while now, so it’s a great help.
Natsume: As the experiment in SS nears completiON, the profits from SSVRS should be reaching our pockets shortly as weLL.
Madara: Mhm! But if I’m being honest, I don’t know what to do with all the money I’ve gotten!
I’ve attempted to give it out to show my thanks to the friends who came to help MaM out during SS…
Nearly each and every one of them snapped back at me, saying “It’s not like I came to help you for the money or anything!” in some old-fashioned tsundere style—I was completely pushed away!
So now I have way too much money left over. What should I do?
Sora: Does Mr. Giant not have any hobbies? Does he want Sora to recommend a game to him?
Natsume: It’s less that he doesn’t have any hobbies and more that he has his hands full touching grass in the real worLD, rigHT, Mikejima-senpai? You knOW, you’re a surprisingly empty persON.
Tsumugi: Is that surprising?
Madara: Quieeet! What’s up with you guys? The new year has just begun, and you’re toying around with my faults~?
If you’re looking for fun, can’t you just play Fukuwarai or Hagoita?[2]
Tsumugi: No need. Actually, Mikejima-kun, I have some news that should make you happy.
Madara: Yes? What could it be? I can’t recall anything, anything at all, but if you’re lecturing me for something that’s my fault again, then—
Natsume: Just why would you not remembER? Have you been rampaging on for so long you can no longer feel remorSE?
Madara: I’m a no-remorse, no-regrets kinda guy! Which is why I don’t like to be yelled at, because to me, I didn’t do aaaanything wrong!
Tsumugi: Hehe, so basically, Mikejima-kun, you just wanted to give us your greetings and head back before you could get a scolding, huh? You’re like a child who has misbehaved.
Natsume: Aptly pUT. You’re just like thAT, a chiLD, but with a massive boDY.
Madara: He~y, are you messing around with me for kicks again?
Natsume: Oh, not at aLL. RathER, it’s the opposiTE—ActualLY, our presideNT, who is still traveling overseAS, sends his congratulations to yOU.
Madara: Congratulations? Our president, who has a reputation for having too little presence in the company, is giving me what-now?
Natsume: Well you sEE… Thanks in part to SS, NewDi’s managemeNT, which has always been small and weak as an agenCY, just like a little peeping baby biRD, has begun to show signs of stabiliTY.
Thanks to your work in Double Face, obstacles behind the scenes have been eliminatED, tOO.
Developments continues on like sO, so operations are going strongly within the agenCY—
As presideNT, he wants to reward us for NewDi’s breakthrough as its affiliated uniTS… It’s sort of like thAT.
Madara: Is that true? So if we hadn’t been holding down the fort, this small and weak agency would have been crushed and eradicated long ago?
Tsumugi: Maybe so. But through this, we were able to survive.
It’s likely not a gift to us in the spirit of the New Year, but rather… As a way of recognizing our achievements thus far, the president has awarded us a bonus.
Madara: A bonus? More money? Right after I said that I don’t need any more of it?
Natsume: YeAH. That’s about how the rest of us reactED, tOO. The idols within our agency aren’t too obsessed with monEY.
Tsumugi: Ahaha~, which is exactly why we’re losing in this competitive capitalistic society! ♪
Sora: HaHa~♪ When Tsuka-chan in Knights heard he was going to get money, he said “Is this an insult!?” and got all angry for some reason~!
Madara: Hahaha, we’re quite the troublesome bunch, aren’t we? ♪
Natsume: You’re at the top of the liST, you know thAT?
StiLL, if we rejected the bonus like thAT, it’d make the director lose faCE. In other worDS… Seems even the president was a little uneasy about thAT, you sEE?
And so he started saying that it doesn’t have to be monEY, but he’ll grant us anythiNG, anything at aLL.
Tsumugi: He basically said, “Now, make a wish. I’ll make it come true, no matter what it may be.”
Madara: I don’t remember having collected the Dragon Balls.
Tsumugi: Well, anyhow, if you have any wishes, now's the time to tell me, essentially.
Natsume: The president boasted “any wish you waNT,” but this is a small and weak agency in the eND—So your wish can only be so bIG.
Tsumugi: But the president really seemed willing to do anything you’d like. So if there’s anything you have qualms with, please let me know, this might even be your chance to speak out about agency management policies.
Madara: Hmmm…?
Tsumugi: Well, by all means, take your time to think about it. Apart from that, Mikejima-kun, are you free right now?
Madara: Aren’t I always free, whether I like it or not?
Sora: Wanna come with us for Hatsumode[3], then? It was too busy to go during the New Year’s holiday, so Sora and the others were talking about going now~! ♪
Madara: Haha, everyone’s still feeling the New Year’s festivities, even though today’s supposed to be the first day back at work…♪
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Madara: (…I wonder if that’s why I’m feeling festive too. I just came up with an “outlandish idea”~. ♪)
[ ☆ ]
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The Japanese saying heso ga cha o wakasu (lit. to boil tea within your navel) is used to describe something ridiculously laughable, comparing one's belly when laughing hard to a boiling tea kettle.
Two popular New Year's celebration games. Fukuwarai is a little similar to “pin the tail on the donkey”, but with players trying to correctly arrange facial features on a blank face while blindfolded. Hagoita, or Hanetsuki, is a racket and shuttlecock game, much like badminton but without a net.
Hatsumode is the first shrine visit of the year, as part of New Year's festivities. Typically done on the first couple of days of the new year. Traditionally, New Year's wishes are made and omamori (good luck charms) are bought. It's also popular to draw an omikuji to receive your fortune; hence the omikuji feature during Enstars' New Year's campaigns.
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adt3 · 29 days
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Karma is my pet
28 March 2024
All of us have at some point in our lives witnessed the existence of karma. Karma is true—really, truly true! Let me tell you what Karma is truly called for those of you who are still trying to figure it out. According to Google's definition, it is the culmination of an individual's good and bad deeds throughout their current and past life stages, which are thought to have an impact on their future. I am aware that you were also unaware of this, since karma a bitch (don't smile) 🤦‍♀️. Karma accumulates on three basic levels, as we have previously seen: mental oscillations, chemical reactions, and experiences. The unconscious mind's external expression is the sensory body. A vast archive of karmic memory governs the unconscious mind. This karmic memory continues to show itself without your consent. Being an unconscious manifestation, it gives you the appearance of being a huge mess. However, if you give it some thought, it might be really helpful knowledge. Three forms of karma exist: kriyamana, also known as agami, sanchita, and prarabadha. While agami karma is the outcome of one's current decisions and acts, parabi karma is experienced via the present body and is merely a portion of sanchita karma, which is the sum of one's past karmas. Karma isn't really related to rewards and punishments. It has nothing to do with some tyrannical life auditor operating on rudimentary carrot and stick equipment in the sky.
It's got nothing to do with some nice god high in the sky. It's as simple as "as you sow, so shall you reap." The only trick you should be aware of is brainstorming.
I can recall every instance in my life where I felt a lot of karma. I am appreciative of my parents since they constantly serve me a reminder of KARMA. Few people who are close to me frequently curious about how this process functions and what consequences result from constantly acting in the right path. As I am too young to answer because I have to discover a lot so for now all I know is that sometime things are done badly so that you might learn from it, and we then ask ourselves, "Why me?" in response to the question of why we exist. The truth is that everyone works hard. Everybody is growing every day and everyone is suffering in their  सफर. Rather than crying to God, one must be prepared to learn from their experiences and emotions.
Recalling the day of my life when I experienced the real karma, I wrote few lines that says –
I doubt that I am who I am. I've evolved over time into someone who is essentially just a walking corpse that has been contaminated by the ruins of all the individuals I've already met and will continue to encounter.
I'm not the one doing anything I do, thinking, choosing, saying, or speaking in a certain way.
I think the people we have encountered throughout our lives have shaped each of us into the people we are now. Sometimes we take on someone else's accent, eating habits, song preferences, cafe preferences, places and dreams, dressing style, advice on how to look good on ourselves, perspective on the world, and manner of Everything about us—the way we enjoy the outdoors, our spirituality, beliefs, and superstitions, how we build relationships or choose to be alone, how we view other people, the songs we listen to, the lyrics, the emotions they evoke, our feelings of rage and anxiety, our habits, our characters—is shaped by the people we spend our formative years with, part ways with, or devote our energies to.
I'm trying to convey that you should be careful while investing in something or someone. For it's not only that we impact them; they also affect us. Make sure to concentrate on what you will become rather than what you currently desire. Desires never go away, but your inner vitality does.
In conjunction, we become what we are with.
Love & Peace on your way! ❤️
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lawlessfm · 4 months
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hi! what does a blade runner or memory maker do?
Hiiii beloved!!!!   You have stumbled onto my absolute favourite roles for Stoneage Industries!    If you are not familiar with the films,    Blade Runner,    or Blade Runner 2049    —-   fret not.    I am here to help you out and hold your hand.     A Blade Runner is basically a person ( or a replicant notably ) assigned to hunt down and kill defective ( or rebellious ) replicants.      This is taken from the world of Blade Runner,   obviously,   so I will link the page here!   More details for you,   beloved!      Memory Makers are,    again,   taken from the world of Blade Runner and they are basically coders who use their own memories and replicate false ones to attach to said replicants!     These are people highly skilled at making things believable.    Like quoted in the film,     ‘They all think it's about more detail. But that's not how memory works. We recall with our feelings. Anything real should be a mess.’    !!!     I hope this helps,   angel   —   thank you so much for the interest! 
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kaiyodei · 11 months
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might of done this alredy
I keep ruminating and inner monologing, scripting on rapid repeat and I forget what I was going to put here.
anway. in the late 90's some friends of mine had a sleep over at their mother. their mother was into weird spirtual things, crystal healing and such. with a Kerskin's ESP board (and some protection prayer I had thrown away some years ago, it contained phrases like "we surround ourselves in white light") they came into contact with an (Incan?) girl named Kolisp. somehow she knew ff7's Sephiroth(who's last name is something like Kaiytaki kyutaki?). we eventualy befriended what were various "spirits" of fictional characters and went a romantic rout. I was not paying attintion to Saga Fronteir's Ildon being gay and blind, but I feel for that green haired Mystic. well he wound up being evil, an imposter. I think Mike was his name. maybe Mike was another being. he tried hurting those friends, and one of our group of friends had his (spirit companions) kill him. various times untill he just...was nothing. this really possibly messed me up big time, trauma. maybe this is why I might not be able to feel like I should. we belived these spirits could inhabit objects and such. I had such an excited rush with whoever that one was. was it Ildon? even if those friends were still alive, I doubt they would recall this infomation. I even made out with a stuffed animal thinking it was a vessel for my (not imaginary) boyfriend. but that furvor wasn't so long lived. I really don't think I can heal from this fiassco. but I'm to old now for a wild furvor of romance feelings, red hot make outs. love struck elation.  anway. then there was Nephrite from Sailor Moon anime. I feel bad that I sent him to Denmark , I told another fan he was real, a spirit. I passed aroudn my (not imaginary) boyfriend like a trading card. I highly doubt this woman will be able to ever find me, as I lost that warwick.net email. I don't even know what it was. I don't know if it was a collprin@warick. or alpha based. this is terrible. then there was Lunar's Nash. then somehow Final Fantasy's Reno came to me? which is weird because I feel like, Axel chose me. even though I credit a character I cannot do anything with for bringing him to me. not just a character. someone who exists as his own person, yet a part of me to the point, i would want to dream i merge with him (Kennith).   and then of course a personal character that stuck with me since the late 90's. I can't use him, I don't know how. He could of been a muse, and in momments of forgetting nobody is real, i'd expect him to do the work. but like Kennith, there is "comicbook Donovan" and "Donovan the man on his own"
Nash eventualy turned to his own person. I had some many of these "not imaginary friends". i've spent so many years thinking I can talk to these beings that I am stuck now, a force of habit. no distinction between individuals, or of course my self. no voice, no image. it was like I replace them like fads. I know I had a long thing with/for Kakashi,  Krylancelo ("Orphan") for some years. for the 10th Doctor(which in retrospect I feel weird about) others were only for a few weeks or months. it's a blur.  the lack of control over this, and memory loss bothers me, uncureable I fear. not knowing is bothering me. and of course the embrasment of thinking I can have weird sex with them. I'm afraid of that physical, but these......whatevers? yeah why not. I'm possibly forgetting a few names of long standing "Husbandos" or spur of the momment connections. Ban Mideo, Surlent from Rudra no Hihou were short interactions. somewhere early Blue from Saga Fronteir(who I married just to bang?). I don't recall if Rubius from Sailor Moon liked me, so...I went with it, or if that was two other friends? I think Saphire and another girl were a thing.  and now Kingdom Hearts Axel. I don't think he appreciates being told he is not real.
and now , since things have been bothering me more , as of past 3 months.  I at some point in the 20 aughts learned of the soulbonding community, and made such a mess in that. I thought what I was experancing was what everyone else was doing. maybe these were tulpas? but my experances were still not like everyone elses.
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Sneaking Glances
I was sore and exhausted. I'm pretty sure I had a bruise on each limb and whether it was bruised or not the seal on my lower back felt like an open wound. Nights like this made me wish I could just remove it and lounge in all my demonic glory. Lounging in the heart of the city's defenses with my horns and wings on full display and a tail slung lazily over my leg was a delightful image. It also would have been the quickest way to get myself killed.
It almost felt like it would be worth it for a chance to stretch out my wings again. Feel my whole power again... I sighed, tipping my head back. That was when I caught the sound of voices in the adjoining hall. They were coming in this way. A few moments later, Nessa heard it too. As the two voices came closer she looked up from her book and we both watched as two men came in to view.
One was the Lieutenant, a man I admit I hadn't paid attention to like I should have all things considered. He was talking to the Captain, but all I got from their conversation was that he had just gotten back from a mission. Or maybe I didn't hear that, since I couldn't recall anything else they said.
What I did know was that Captain had returned looking battered and worn out. His shirt was all torn up and his hair was a mess. They didn't so much as glance our way as they passed, but I found myself leaning forward in my seat to watch as they disappeared down the hall, taking the sound of their voices with them.
I hadn't realized how far on the edge of my seat I was until Nessa threw something at me. My head whipped around I demanded to know what her issue was with my glare as her bookmark clattered to the ground.
"He's not Ash!" She snapped. Her book was folded around her thumb and I fought the urge to smack it out of her hands.
"Oh please. You can't tell me he isn't at least attractive." I sat back with a huff, crossing my arms. Her cheeks colored the tiniest bit, but it hardly felt like a victory. I could have argued a million things right then. How I hadn't looked at Ash in any kind of way (a lie) or how I was just eavesdropping since my hearing was more sensitive than they knew (a blatant lie, since all she needed to do was ask what they were discussing and I'd be at a loss.)
"What are you going to do if one of them or, gods forbid, someone higher up, senses the magic dripping off of you one day? What will you do if they investigate you?"
I grinned at her, showcasing pointed incisors. She scoffed with a roll of her eyes before returning to her book. The obvious answer was something akin to 'I certainly wouldn't mind being investigated by him.' The real answer was that I hadn't the foggiest. Magic was more common here than home, but still not widely used anymore. The captain was one of a handful (that I knew of, at least) that could wield it. Everyone experienced magic differently. By now he had to know I had magic, but there was no way of knowing if he could figure out how much or what kind. Of all the people to start asking questions, someone like him was the last one I needed on my case.
Maybe if I was lucky I'd annoyed him too much to look any deeper.
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geetimesthree · 2 years
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...they all think it's about more details. But that's not how memory works. We recall with our feelings. Anything real should be a mess, wouldn't you agree?
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its-me-im-coraline · 3 years
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Little Puppet // Ethan Torchio, Damiano David
words // 4261, i have never written this much in one go my whole life, holy shit
warnings // smut, degradation, sub!reader, name calling (ya know, slut and stuff like that), threesome, oral, no explicit mention of protection, but obvi that's not how it should go in real life, anyways.... thats all i can think right now. has not been proofread
pairing // Ethan Torchio x F!Reader x Damiano David (leaning more to Ethan)
author's note // if you want to be on the tag list let me know. im going with female reader cause that's how it was requested. here's the smut playlist, def listen to it when you get to the smut part, or the whole time, whatever you want. thanks to anyone who adds songs to the playlist 💘
i feel like i cpupve made it kinkier but at 1 am and with over 4000 words i was a little tired to do that.
request // yes, here
summary // Ethan can not stop thinking of sharing his fwb with his bandmate, Damiano. A thought sparked from a random drunk conversation he had with his best friend will end up with them both pleasing Reader to tears
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Experimenting in the bedroom was nothing unusual for Ethan and Y/N. The two had known each other for quite a while, overtaken by attraction but neither was ready for a relationship. Instead the pair opted for a slightly different compromise, one that had no name, no label, for now. While neither had the intention of an actual romantic partnership, it never stopped them from being loving and affectionate towards each other. Neither would ever have to leave before the morning comes.
Thus, as the light shone through his bedroom window, Ethan opened up his eyes, looking at the person laying by his side. Such a beauty, the shy rays of sun laying over the features Ethan so many times observed. It was common to do this in the morning, it would calm him down, especially on the very busy days.
“Anything particular you are thinking of while staring at me, Ethan?” There was no hesitation, no grogginess coming from Y/N’s voice, Ethan realised how he was not the only one awake previously.
“Well, I am, but I am not sure you could handle it,” he responded, smirking down at the laying figure, leaving a few kisses before finishing his reply, “plus, it is too early in the morning for such sinful thoughts.”
“Mhm, as if our endeavours last night were holy,” Y/N laughed, kissing Ethan back, as his lips crushed into hers.
“Well, you were certainly calling god if I recall correctly, cucciola, no?”
Maybe what made this situation not be awkward was exactly the fact that the two were friends. They thrived from the friendly banter, never missed an opportunity to mess with each other. It was just how they were and it worked perfectly to their benefit.
“I can tell it is troubling you, Edgar. You want to tell me what’s going on?”
"It's nothing amore let's just get ready. I'm quite hungry if you must know," he mumbled on her neck, trailing kisses all the way to her lips before abandoning the bed.
“Come on,” he called, ushering the girl to follow him.
Their feet were bare, no clothing no nothing -at least until Y/N pulled a few pieces of clothing for them both to wear- as they walked into the bathroom to start their day. They stood right next to each other as they washed their teeth, washed their faces, fixed their hair and so on and so forth.
“Isn’t that shirt too small for you, dolcezza,” commented Ethan, laughing at his own joke and poking Y/N’s side.
“Eh, well, I can take it off,” she suggested, pulling at the hem of his shirt that she was wearing. That only resulted in a laugh from the tall man, him shuffling her hair and walking out of the bathroom, putting distance between him and Y/N’s complaining about messing up her hair.
After that everything moved quite quickly. Y/N left the cosy home and went to her own house, leaving Ethan with his bandmates to work on their upcoming stuff. She knew how much it meant to him, but she also knew how stressful this career was to him. She always had something small to do to make his days even a little bit more relaxing, of course one of them being their nocturnal activities.
By the time night got around the drummer was sitting at the side of the pool, next to a small table, a beer in his hand as music played in the background. Everyone was doing their own thing: Victoria was swimming, Thomas was preoccupied with a cigarette and his phone and Damiano was sitting on the other side of the previously mentioned table having a conversation with Ethan. It started with speaking about small things before the subject turned more serious.
“You really like her, don’t you?” Damiano had, very early on, caught on his friend’s emotion, he was not very sure that Ethan was aware of his own feelings. It had become a little stupid in the frontman’s mind.
“I am not sure, Dami. She’s great, she is, and we are really close friends but… I don’t know…” Clueless as ever, thought the older man.
“Well, if anything at least you guys have a fucking amazing sex life, everyone can hear,” he laughed out, semi teasing his friend but kind of revaling a piece of information no one had had the heart to tell the tall man.
It caught him by surprise. He was never shy about his sex life, and truth be told he and Y/N never hid their predicament… He simply never thought they were being that loud; maybe that’s exactly the reason he had not understood the others could hear, the reason as to why they were so loud. “Mhm, didn't think you could,” he responded and took a drag of his cigarette.
Damiano copied his action, inhaling his own smoke and releasing it before he decided to say exactly what he was thinking. “Don’t worry about it. I personally don’t mind it, it’s kind of… entertaining.”
If Ethan was surprised before then now he was shocked and blushing. Of course, it was not in his nature to show it, and make this feeling obvious, but he surely had thoughts running through his head now. “So, what? You jack off to us having sex, though about a threesome? What is it?”
“Maybe a bit of both,” said Damiano, looking down at his beer. He was a bit ashamed but at the same time he could not keep his mouth shut, the alcohol overtaking his proper ability to keep some thoughts to himself. “I have to be honest, the noises she makes, they kill me, man.”
Everyone could see the gears in Ethan’s mind turn. On the one hand contemplating his friend’s confession and on the other thinking of all the ways he could punish Y/N for being as loud as she was.“So, if I asked you to join, you’d be in?”
Now it was the frontman’s turn to get shocked and blush, but he certainly could not lie. He would be more than into it, considering the many times he has thought of that, each and every one of them leading to him either taking a cold shower or taking care of himself hoping that it’d be Y/N instead. “Yes, I suppose I would…”
The conversation stayed at that, neither of the two men knowing exactly what to say or do at the time being. Instead they opted to wait it out, see when the proper time comes to bring it up again before deciding on what to do. And that day came soon, sooner than either anticipated.
Y/N had been especially bratty -just maybe two days after the conversation occurred- pushing Ethan to his limit with the teasing, the innuendos and the clothes she was wearing. It was the perfect occasion. A little punishment was in store and the tall man knew exactly how to execute it.
“What the fuck was that?” Ethan’s voice was stern, not nearly close to a yell but authoritative nonetheless, the stoic expression on his face never failing to let Y/N know exactly what he was thinking of: she was going to be fucked, both literally and figuratively, but she was surely into that.
“Such a little slut,” he voiced, pulling the girl to his body, their faces almost touching and their breaths mixing together. A whine left her lips but Ethan was quick to shut it with his words, “you were not complaining when you acted like one, cucciola. In front of everybody as well. Did you see how Dami was looking at you? I’m sure you flashed him at least once all night.”
The girl shivered at what her friend was suggesting, a tingling feeling was taking over her pussy, legs already ready to fail her.
“Maybe he could help me punish you.” These words almost send Y/N in a frenzy. Her eyes widened and her lips parted, an obvious gasp escaping her lips, causing a deep laugh from Ethan.
“You like that idea, don’t you?” She simply nodded her head, mind racing to all the possible outcomes of tonight.
“I need your words, dolcezza. I need your explicit consent to this,” he whispered, holding Y/N’s face in his hands, leaving a kiss just next to her lips.
She softly responded with a yes, voice trembling and low, unable to come out properly. She had gotten probably a little too excited.
“Be a doll and just sit there, yeah. I’m going to go call Damiano. I’m sure he is dying to see how desperate you are to have both of us.” With that the man left the room, presumably going to call his friend over.
When Damiano walked into the room Y/N was violently taken out of her thoughts, the man’s energy overtaking the whole room, his temperament easing any possible worry the girl could have for this situation.
“I’m here dolcezza,” called Damiano, sitting next to her on the bed with the biggest shit eating grin he could possibly have.
“Don’t be so eager, Dami. She’ll be cocky within minutes, we don’t want that.” Always the stern dom he is, Ethan asserted himself over both people in the people. He did not need many words or strong actions to show them who is in charge, a look and his tone were enough to let that be known.
Damiano looked down, in a similar fashion from a few days prior, only this time he was not really shy, more like a puppy that just got yelled at.
“Why don’t you get undressed Damiano, our little puppet over here can not wait to see what you have to offer.” The man mentioned smirked, his confidence reappearing in a second before obliging to his friend’s request.
He decided to play it dirty, going slow, surely attempting to give the little puppet a show. His hands moved slowly, pulling his shirt up and over his head before traveling from his chest to his waist in a seductive way, stopping for just a moment, making sure Y/N’s eyes were right on his own before removing his belt and opening up his pants. In the meanwhile, Ethan had moved Y/N to be sitting on her knees on the floor, in front of the undressing man, eye level with his pants’ zipper.
“Help Damiano, amore. It seems he’s struggling with his pants and you are right where you need to.” She shivered at his words but followed the orders, slowly unbuttoning his pants, her face having moved a little too close -not that it was not welcome- pulling them down and simply gawking at the view in front of her.
She went to move, to please, but her dominating best friend seemed to have other plans.”Not yet, puppet. Come on. This is supposed to be a punishment for you, but we all know how much a cock shucking slut you are. You’ll get his dick but you have more work to do.”
Damiano opposed his friend, already feeling desperate to get whatever he could from the girl below him, dying to feel her lips around his cock, oh and her tongue, oh that tongue he had seen plenty of times devouring ice cream cones in the most pornographic way possible. Sometimes he wished she was in one.
“I think it’s a good start to a punishment, Ethan. She can suck my cocka and then just simply not get it fucking her, yet.” His plan had some practicality to it, knowing very well how much she’d be dying to have a dick buried deep inside her after getting a feel in her mouth.
“I’ll allow it,” said Ethan, starting the process of undressing himself, and looking around the room for anything that could bring more pleasure to everyone involved.
“Well, what are you waiting for, cucciola. Go on, show him how well you blow whistles.” With that the girl wasted no time, pulling Damiano’s boxers down, taking them off him with his help and getting to work. It started off simple, a few pumps at first to get him even harder than he already was (he’d really bet that any man could get hard in seconds seeing her on her knees in front of him, it was a divine view). Her hand was going slowly, her focus on the man’s face, looking up at him all innocently, making sure that his own eyes were on her.
“I am looking at you, dolcezza, don’t worry,” confirmed the man, as if reading her mind.
So, she continued, entirely encouraged to show her best self, to be a good girl for the two men in front of her. Moving on, her hand stayed pumping the man’s cock for a second before her tongue came onto the mix, licking all the way up the curve, a very thick vein getting special attention and then the head. It was already leaking pre-cum, the girl’s antiques driving Damiano insane by the second -and she had not even started blowing him yet. With a push to her head by the singer Y/N really took his cock into her mouth, starting with the head, sucking and bobbing her head a bit, still moving her skilled fingers up and down, with every bob taking more and more of the length reaching a point where she had taken it all. She paused in that place for a second, relaxing her throat, Damiano’s cock resting deep inside her mouth, before she moved in need of breath. The same pattern repeated itself a few more times before the pace got quicker, following the music that was now playing from Ethan’s speaker.
It did not take long for the older man to cum, unexpectedly, in Y/N’s mouth, some delicious sounds leaving her lips and sending vibrations all through his cock, intensifying his orgasm.
“I could have never thought she’s that good, Ethan. Why have you been hoarding her this whole time?” He laughed, all in one breath and blown completely out of his mind.
“Exactly because I know how good she is. But tonight she has been plenty bad, although she’s trying to act all innocent now.”
“I’m a good girl daddy, see?” She questioned, tongue out, showing evidence of her swallowing predicaments, “I took all of it.”
Ethan smiled, looking down to his friend, his big hand holding her jaw and spitting in her mouth as it stayed open. Swallowing that down as well Y/N showed it to the two men, waiting impatiently for the next orders.
No orders came for the time being, Ethan sitting himself on the bed, back resting on the bed frame, opening his legs and motioning for her to sit between them. She clearly obliged, knowing very well that her punishment was already going to be overwhelming but oh so pleasurable and she wanted nothing more.
In all honesty the drummer was played to her needs every time, the punishments being always the outcome she hoped for (except few occasions when she had gotten Ethan so much she ended up edged on for over a week as a punishment, and although the orgasm was spectacular, the wait was torture). Ethan knew it and he was not opposed to it, instead working with the girl’s deviousness.
As she sat between his thighs, back on his chest and palms resting right on his thighs, Ethan used his calves and feet to keep Y/N’s legs spread open, thankful she was wearing a dress and panties that he could easily replace any time he wanted. He prompted Damiano to move between both their legs, face aligned with her pussy, the frontman practically salivating at the sight in front of him.
She had anticipated this night, having bought a cheap but utterly sexy lingerie set online, wearing said lingerie in an attempt to drive Ethan crazy. It was black, with little orange flowers here and there, some lace with mesh material surrounding her pussy, back piece doing little to cover her ass cheeks. Damiano was currently dying at the, almost, disappearance of the fabric due to the wetness leaving absolutely nothing hidden -not that the material could hide much anyway. He moved up, face just a hair’s distance from the wetness, just about to leave a kiss but the other man had different plans.
“Don’t be so eager, Dami, you’ll get what you want in a bit,” he said, palms massaging the girl’s boobs, kisses being left on her neck. “I think she’s overdressed.”
Damiano agreed to the statement, sharing just one simple look with Ethan, reaping the panties apart, her pussy now fully exposed. The singer looked up to his friend once again, a nod of approval being more than enough to shoot the man into action.
His lips swiftly found her clit, not much effort for the skilled man, sucking and kissing the sensitive bud, tongue lapping the juices of her pussy taking advantage of the wetness to stimulate her clit. Y/N’s head fell back, on the drummer’s shoulder, the man taking advantage of the angle and leaving kisses and marks on her neck, one hand always on her chest, the other currently choking her. She moaned so beautifully in his ear, making him harder than he thought he could get, surprised at how well he held himself together.
Damiano kept eating the girl out, fingers starting to dive into her pussy one at a time. He got up to four, said pussy taking them in wonderfully, practically swallowing them within the velvety confines. “I’ve experienced nothing hotter in my life, dolcezza. This pussy is scrumptious, could eat it for days,” he, himself thrusting on the bed, already having gotten hard again, craving some friction. His mouth was leaving wet kisses to her thigh and his fingers were deep inside her, going in and out, Ethan adding his own fingers, playing with her clit edging her closer and closer to the edge.
All the telltales were there: the shaking, the loudness, the closed eyes… She was ready to cum, but it was not something Ethan could allow yet. He stopped his actions, placing a hand on his band mate’s head, said man getting the memo and pausing as well. “You really thought you’d come this easy, amore? Oh no! You have been acting like a desperate slut all day, flashing Damiano and now letting him taste you, knowing it drives me crazy. You have been very naughty,” he explained before shuffling her off his body, moving to stand up.
Y/N could not help but whine, the sound only enabling the two men. “I think she’s been naughty again. Didn’t you say you’d be a good girl, puppet?” She simply nodded head looking down, but not before seeing the look on Damiano’s face. “I think some spanking would put our puppet in place.”
Ethan nodded in agreement, already moving Y/N to bend over the bed, her legs wobbly from her previously denied orgasm. “Count for Damiano, dolcezza,” said the man, leaving a kiss on her back and then starting his actions.
“One.”
Although her words were what was asked of her Damiano was not satisfied, giving her one of his own and speaking up. “Say thank you, puppy, don’t be rude.”
Another spank, “three, thank you,” she followed the orders, jumping forward with every slap on her skin.
As she reached ten it got harder to count. Damiano had started fingering her again, opting to pause his actions after every few thrusts, slamming his palms on her ass cheeks or pussy. It’d be a lie if Y/N said this wasn’t enjoyable-after all she could not stop moaning loudly, but the redness of her ass would disagree.
“Why don’t you keep quiet, puppy? These noises of yours are what got you here. You can’t hide how much you like this, can you, slut?”
For the second time that night, Y/N was on the verge of cumming all over Damiano’s fingers, unable to speak yet again.
“Use,” spank, “your,” spank, “words,” spank.
“I can’t hide, daddy,” she responded, this time leaving an almost screaming moan, eyes rolling all the way to the back of her head, once again almost falling apart.
Before she had the chance Damiano stopped, hands retracting from the girl and into his mouth, tasting her on his lips.
“I think you can take at least one more, puppet. Can you?” Ethan, had been quite distanced this whole time, deciding to let his friend get a taste of his sex partner, but deciding this was the best moment to do his thing.
Y/N nodded in confirmation, letting out a simple “green,” to let Ethan know she was not stopping just yet.
“Beautiful, puppy! You have been doing so good for us, taking your punishment so well, but we are not done yet.” A buzz sound is what concerned the girl, eyes widening at the toy.
It was a small remote virator, imitating sucking on the clit. The drummer placed the girl over his knees, stuffing the toy between his leg and her clit, shocking the sensitive bud. “I think you can take a few more spanks,” said the man, landing one at the expanse of her thigh, the skin giggling at the contact.
“Damiano, count,” ordered the assertive man, seeing his friend kneel in front of Y/N, kissing her and then doing as he was told.
“I think we were left on twenty-three. Twenty four,” he began, counting all the way to forty before the ordeal was over.
The whole time Y/N was shaking, just about to fall off the edge, asking for permission to cum but her wishes were not granted just yet. She was exhausted, overstimulated, frustrated, and now unable to move on her own. But, oh man did she need more. The two men were more than willing to assist her.
“You are doing so well, dolcezza,” praised Damiano, thinking of what to do next.
“Why don’t you get up, puppet. I think it’s time you get what you want.”
At that, her head perked up, already jumping from Ethan’s lap (almost falling while doing so) eager to be fucked and to finally orgasm. “I want you on all fours. You suck me off, Dami can fuck your pussy. I’m sure you’d love that.” She nodded, moving to be in all fours as Ethan stood on his knees on top of the bed, Damiano following suit and placing himself behind Y/N.
“Agh,” he groaned, “sei così bagnata, bambina,” he commented, collecting all the wetness on his cock before pushing inside her.
The action and the moans it emitted caused vibrations to Ethan, making him groan in pleasure, Y/N’s talent to shuck not wavering now. “You like this a lot, puppet, don’t you? Being fucked by my best friend while sucking my cock, huh? You like that?”
She could only hum in response, holes being filled to the brim so pleasurably. It was all better than she expected, more overwhelming, so she could not keep it anymore. She released Ethan’s cock, screaming loudly as her release finally overtook her, Damiano groaning in contentment. He pulled out of her afterwards, jacking himself off a bit before coating her back in his own cum.
Now the only one left unsatisfied was Ethan. His pleasure was cut short for the girl’s release, and although he was not mad, he certainly wanted to feel her.
“Can you handle one more for me, cucciola? You did such a good job so far but I need to feel you.” Y/N nodded and changed her position, this time her legs were in the air, soon to be wrapped around the drummer, eyes half closed in bliss.
“Such a good girl for me,” Ethan praised one more time before he started his rhythm slamming into her. This time it did not take long for both of them to reach their highs, the man riding out both of them and after taking a second to breathe he pulled out, falling right next to her.
“Are you ok?” This time the concerned man was Damiano, a bottle of water already in his hands and ready to give it to the girl.
“Mhm… Thank you,” she mumbled, voice almost a whisper but the smile was hard to miss.
“I think I should leave,” said the front man and he went to get dressed, abandoning the room, leaving only Ethan and Y/N in it.
Ethan got up quickly, looking around for a cloth as he got to the bathroom and wet it with some warm water. Coming back, he used it to clean Y/N up; her back from Damiano’s cum, her face from the cum and her dried up juices and her pussy from the left over wetness, a pair of underwear and a t-shirt in his other hand.
“Come one, dolcezza, you did so good. You’ll go to sleep in just a second. Come one, help me get you dressed,” he voiced and started leaving kisses on her face.
“You took both of us wonderfully, thank you.” Another hum as a response.
Ethan realized how at this point she had fallen asleep, fucked out and exhausted, he did not expect her to stay awake.
“I only wish I could tell you this when you’re awake… I think I’m in love with you."
tag list: @bieberhoodforever @tabi-toast @ginny-lily @moriro-da-regina @the-killer-queenie @makapaka11
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quellcrist · 4 years
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They all think it's about more detail. But that's not how memory works. We recall with our feelings. Anything real should be a mess.
BLADE RUNNER 2049 (2017) dir. Denis Villeneuve
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ayybtch · 3 years
Text
Bread
Wanda Maximoff x f!Reader, Baker!AU + Friends to Lovers
Chapter 5 of Made With Love
Word Count: 3,292
Chapter Warnings: Our two favorite idiots are so blind it’s not even funny, lots of yearning, some brief mentions of alcohol consumption towards the end
A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for being patient with me on getting this posted. School and work have been crazy, but I’m almost done for the semester so hopefully it won't be as long for the next update. Shout out to my Grandma for sending me her paprikash recipe so I would actually know what I was talking about for this chapter. We literally never speak but she did me a real solid on this one and I will be adding paprikash into my regular cooking schedule once fall hits. Full disclosure though, I literally Googled “What wine pairs with chicken paprikash” and the wines mentioned are what it gave me. Please let me know what you think! I love reading your guys’s comments, it really makes my day.
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Hey, so everyone is going to be out on a mission tomorrow night except for me. Any chance I can cash in on that raincheck? There’s a Bewitched marathon happening.
You smiled at Wanda’s message, quickly typing out your response. Definitely! Would you like to join me for bread day tomorrow?
She responded almost immediately. YES!
You couldn’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm. She had been wanting to make bread ever since the two of you made snickerdoodles. She brought it up almost constantly, mostly as a joke to get back at you for all of the times you teased her about it.
Up to this point, Wanda refused to accept any of your attempts to say thank you for helping you out through the cupcake debacle, saying that this was the sort of thing that friends were for. It only felt right that this should be the next thing to bake as your own special way of saying thank you.
As excited as you were to spend time with her and teach her how to do this, you couldn’t help but feel incredibly nervous at the same time. Why had Wanda decided to share her sexuality with you after all this time?
Okay, scratch that. You understood why she shared it with you when she did. The real question is what to do with the information now that you had it.
Was it just a general knowledge sort of a deal? Or was this her way of trying to say she was interested?
You groaned and put your head in your hands. This is why you hadn’t dated someone since your last relationship ended. You needed big flashing lights that screamed “I want to date you!” before you’d catch on, and even that didn’t work sometimes. If someone tried to be subtle, you were an absolute lost cause. You did your best to recall every interaction you had with Wanda that could even remotely be considered as her flirting or expressing interest.
She did smile at you a lot, even more than she smiled at Sam and Bucky who she clearly adored. She also certainly didn’t shy away from physical contact and had even initiated it several times. She had also remembered your coffee and bagel order from the one random time it came up weeks ago...
Suddenly, everything started to add up. All of those glances that had left your heart racing, all of those little touches...maybe Wanda was interested in you?
Your heart felt ready to burst out of your chest with joy.
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Wanda didn’t arrive at the bakery until almost noon. The majority of the bread had been baked already; the only bread left to make was hers.
The two of you said your hello’s and caught up a bit as she stepped in to put on her apron and began washing her hands. Once the conversation slowed, you started your rundown for today’s bake.
“Bread is actually a lot easier than it looks but there are a couple of points we’re going to need to be careful at. I’ll remind you about them as we go about but I figured it would be good to have them all in your head now.
“We’re going to be very conscientious about temperatures this entire bake in a way we haven’t really needed to before. When we’re dealing with the yeast, we need the milk around 110 to 115o so the yeast activates properly. We also want things to be warm during the rise times, which shouldn’t be too much of an issue given the ovens have been on most of the day. Once it’s in the oven, we aren’t going to mess with it at all until the last couple minutes and that’s only if we need it to brown further.”
Wanda nodded along as you spoke. “I don’t know how much of an actual problem this is because you’re here, but I always hear a lot about overworking or underworking the dough. How do I know if it’s been kneaded enough?”
“Ah, good question! If the dough keeps getting really flat and not holding its shape, it’s underworked. If the dough is overworked, it gets kind of hard and not easy to work with. The good news is that we’re kneading by hand since it’s your first time and it’s a lot less likely to happen that way than in a mixer.”
She looked unconvinced but nodded. “Okay, so where do we begin?”
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The first fifteen minutes of the bake flew by quickly. The yeast mixture had been prepared and was almost ready for the rest of the ingredients to be mixed in. Wanda was completely in awe at how the mixture looked.
To be fair to her though, the yeast mixture does look very weird if you’re not used to seeing it.
Once the flour, salt, and eggs were mixed in, the true fun began. Everything was mixed just enough to be combined into a rough, sticky ball of dough before being taken out of the mixer and onto the floured counter. Wanda followed along as you sprinkled some flour on your dough and began to knead, doing her best to mirror your motions.
You watched her out of the corner of your eye as you worked the dough, waiting to see what she would do. It was hard to hold back your giggles as you watched her. She was practically just squeezing the dough in different directions. You gave her a few minutes to see if she would work things out, but eventually, you set your dough down and moved closer to her.
“Here, let me help,” you said. Your hands moved so they were on top of hers, you tried guiding her through the motions, only for things to fail miserably.
“Okay, can I try something that might be a little weird? It’s just that I’m not used to kneading at an angle like that so it’s throwing off my muscle memory.”
She nodded and you adjusted yourself so you were now standing behind her. Your arms slid around either side of her waist and your hands rested on top of hers. This time, your hands knew what they were doing and you were able to help guide her through the motion. Even after she got it, you remained standing behind her, your chin resting against her shoulder.
The feelings that washed over you as you stood there with her were hard to describe. There was nothing necessarily comfortable about the position you were in, but your whole body felt more relaxed than it had all day. At the same time though, everything felt electrifying. You hoped she couldn’t feel the way your heart was thumping against your chest.
It wasn’t until you realized Wanda had paused and turned back slightly to face you slightly that you stepped back. An apology rose up in your throat only to die as you noticed the small smile on her face. You shot a smile back at her before moving back to your spot, turning your attention back to the job at hand.
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The rest of the bake went smoothly, despite Wanda’s fretting about if the bread was rising enough. It didn’t take long before you had two perfectly round loaves of bread sitting next to each other on the cooling rack. Wanda had not stopped smiling since they came out of the oven. Even though that was her usual response, this time felt different.
For the second time that day, you were left trying to describe impossible feelings. Was it her eyes that felt different? They were lit beautifully, radiating so much joy it was impossible to not feel just as excited. But how was that any different from usual? Her eyes always captivated you and left you breathless. Maybe it was the new shade of pink lipstick she had on. It was perfectly accentuating the shape of her lips, to the point you couldn’t help but wonder what it might be like to feel them pressed against yours.
You may not be able to pinpoint what the look was, all you knew is that you were grateful to be a part of why her smile was so big.
After she finished taking pictures of the loaves, she turned to you. “That was incredible! I had no idea bread could be that simple.”
You nodded along, unable to hold back a smile. “I told you it wasn’t too bad, there are just a couple spots you have to be sure to navigate well. And clearly -” you gestured towards the loaves, “- you did. Maybe I should start worrying about you stealing my job.”
Her laughter filled the kitchen at your teasing.
As her laugher began to die out, her focus turned back on to you. “Okay, so what time were you thinking of coming over? I’m making us dinner and want to try and have it finishing up right around the time you get there.”
You glanced over at the clock and then back to the to-do list written out on the whiteboard above your desk before answering, “I think it’ll probably be close to five if I had to guess. I still have to finish cleaning some stuff here and I promised to go help Charlie work out some menu options for that picnic thing that’s coming up.”
Wanda nodded along, “Are you going to that?”
“I’m working it, so I, unfortunately, don’t have much of a choice.”
She nodded again. “Same here, actually. All of the Avengers are required to be unless there’s some sort of alien invasion again or something…” She trailed off a moment before continuing. “I was planning on making paprikash. Is that okay with you? I don’t know if there’s anything you can’t or don’t like to eat.”
“I’ve actually never had that before so that would be wonderful! I’m pretty easy when it comes to food. The only things I don’t like are mushrooms and zucchini, but I’ll still eat them if I have to.”
Wanda gasped, “You don’t like mushrooms? How do you not like mushrooms?”
You just shrugged, “Okay, I’m actually pretty neutral on mushrooms. I’ll still eat them. I just don’t go out of my way to make them for myself. Zucchini is a firm no, though.”
She gave you a side-eye but relented. “Well, there are no mushrooms or zucchini in this, but just know I’m going to have to keep an eye on you from now on. I don’t know how we’ve made it this far into our friendship without me knowing you’re an anti-mushroom heathen.”
The two of you joked around for a few minutes longer before she left to start preparing for dinner.
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Planning the menu with Charlie didn’t take very long, which you were grateful for. He already had a decent idea of what he wanted to do, so the main thing left was to figure out how much food to order to prepare it. The two of you also agreed upon what you needed to make. Most of your responsibilities centered around desserts, specifically pies, though you agreed to make some fresh rolls and soft pretzels as well.
You were thankful for the meeting to end though because it meant the remaining time you had left could be spent getting ready to go see Wanda.
‘Getting ready’ was perhaps a bit dramatic. You were just changing out of your usual work clothes into something a little cuter. It was nothing particularly fancy, but it was an outfit you felt both confident and comfortable in. You had also made sure to pack some toiletries that morning, allowing you to freshen up your deodorant and brush your teeth as well.
As you stepped into the elevator and pressed the button, you couldn’t help but feel a bit jittery. The past few times you’ve made your way to that part of the building you’ve been nervous about the other Avengers not wanting you there. This time though, all of your nerves could be attributed entirely to Wanda. You weren’t sure what to expect of tonight, but you were determined to have a fun night filled with food and good company.
The warm smell of paprika filled the air and made your stomach grumble as soon as you stepped out of the elevator. Once you were inside, you found Wanda in the kitchen, stirring in some additional seasonings.
“This smells incredible,” you said, setting the two loaves of bread down on the counter.
Wanda beamed. “Thanks! This is my great grandmother’s recipe and is one of my favorite things to make.” As she set the spoon down, she walked towards the fridge. “I bought some wine to go along with dinner if you would like some.”
“Yes please, wine sounds amazing right now.”
“I have a chardonnay and a Barolo, which would you prefer?” she asked, turning back towards you.
You shrugged, “Whichever one you want.”
She nodded and pulled out the Barolo. It didn’t take long for the bottle to be opened and to have a glass of wine in your hand.
It wasn’t until you took your first sip that you realized Wanda had also changed. Your breathing hitched as you looked her up and down. Gone were her jeans and old T-shirts, replaced by a pair of cut-off shorts and a stylishly oversized T-shirt. If it weren’t for the fuzzy wool socks on her feet, you’d assume she was camera-ready. Hell, even with the funny socks she was the most beautiful woman you had ever seen.
You realized you were staring and abruptly began looking around the kitchen, trying to find something to do that would take your mind off of how hot Wanda looked. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
Wanda shook her head no. “There’s not really anything to be done, this just needs to simmer for about another five minutes and we’ll be good to go. Why don’t you go have a seat at the table and I’ll be over in just a moment with some bread slices and butter. Once this is ready I’ll bring it in as well.”
You nodded and made your way out of the kitchen and towards the table.
It wasn’t until you were seated that you realized how well the table was set. Both seats had beautiful flatware laid out, with silverware organized neatly to the side. Underneath was a crisp, pure white table cloth. What caught your attention the most though were the two lit candles sitting between your chair and hers. It wasn’t until you noticed the candles that you also noticed the music playing softly in the background.
Everything about the setup screamed ‘fancy first date’.
Before you had much of a chance to dwell on the thought, Wanda arrived with several slices of bread and a small dish of butter. You thanked her before she walked back towards the kitchen. She returned soon after with the pot of paprikash, setting it on the hot pad in the center of the table. She walked around to her seat and soon both of you had your plates filled and began to eat.
It was impossible to hold back a satisfied sigh as you took your first bite. It tasted just as delicious, if not better than it smelled. The chicken was cooked perfectly and all but melted in your mouth. The paprika added a nice rich flavor and added extra depth to the creaminess of the sauce.
“Wanda this is incredible.”
She smiled at you brightly, “If you think it’s good by itself, try dipping the bread with some butter in it.”
You did as she said and this time instead of a satisfied sigh, you let out a satisfied moan. “You are going to have to give me this recipe. This is so good I don’t even know what to say, all I want to do is keep eating.”
Wanda laughed at your enthusiasm. “Tell you what, I’ll teach you how to make it sometime. It’s about time I taught you something in the kitchen.”
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Dinner was a blast. The two of you spent more of it laughing and talking than eating. The bottle of Barolo was finished before dinner was done. It didn’t take long before it was replaced by the chardonnay.
Once dinner was over, you fought Wanda to let you help clean up the kitchen. Her argument that guests shouldn’t help was shot down as you pointed out she’s technically a guest in the bakery, yet she always helps clean up after she’s been in there. She grumbled about it but quickly conceded. It didn’t take long for the kitchen to be cleaned up and even less time after that for her to drag you over to the couch.
The first-ever episode of “Bewitched” was halfway finished by the time the two of you had settled into your spots on the couch. Currently, Samantha and Darrin were at his ex-girlfriend's house for a dinner party and the girlfriend was doing everything she could to make Samantha feel inferior. Samantha, of course, wasn’t having it and was willing to fudge her promises of not using magic to level the playing field.
Wanda laughed along perfectly in time with the sitcom track. The more she laughed, the more your attention turned from being on the TV to be on her. This was the most relaxed and happy you had ever seen her. She had a small, almost imperceivable smile that grew as she became more and more emerged into the episode. Each time she laughed, you noticed how her nose would scrunch up in the cutest way and it took everything you had to not lean over and kiss her.
What you wouldn’t give to make her as happy as this show.
It wasn’t until the end credits were about to roll that you forced yourself to look back at the screen, unsure of how she’d respond if she caught you staring.
As the next episode cued up, she reached out and grabbed her glass of wine before turning to face you.“So, what do you think? Could I have been a Samantha in another life?”
You couldn’t help but laugh. “Definitely, though I can’t see you being willing to hide your powers just because a man wants you to.”
Wanda nearly choked on the sip of wine she had taken. “You got me there.”
She finished the glass and set it back on the table before letting out a loud yawn. “Sorry, I probably should’ve warned you beforehand that wine makes me a little sleepy.” She paused for a moment before she continued, “It also makes me incredibly cuddly…”
A rush of emotions washed over you as you processed her words. Was she asking to come cuddle with you?
The hopeful look in her eye suggested she was.
Pure, unadulterated joy swept over your body and you had to fight the urge to jump up and down from excitement. You did your best to collect yourself before you replied, hoping that the answer was indeed what you were looking for.
“Is that your way of asking if you can come snuggle?”
She smiled at you sheepishly, which made you laugh. You moved over on the couch, moving around some of the throw pillows so you could lay down.
“Well, what are you waiting for then?”
Wanda didn’t hesitate for a moment and soon was laying on top of you, her head resting on your chest. One of your arms wrapped loosely around her back after she settled in.
A comfortable silence fell over you as you laid there together, watching Bewitched until you fell asleep.
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2jaeh · 3 years
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Body Paint | Wong Hendery
Genre: fluff, mature themes
Warnings: slight nudity, body painting ?, slight hair pulling, dirty talk
Words: 1,5k
AUTHOR SIN
Youre partnered up for a painting project with Hendery, when he has the the brilliant idea of painting each other...for the project Ofcourse.
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You set a couple canvases onto the wooden floor of the studio you and Hendery had rented for your upcoming art project. It was for the varsity final exhibition and the task was to be completely experimental while perfectly collabing with your partner. Hendery, the quirky black haired boy you were partnered with walked into the room sipping on his ice coffee, 
“Any ideas yet ?” He smiled sweetly as he set down his backpack and walked over to the tray of paint. 
“Nah” you shook your head and sat crossed legged on the floor, “what about you ?” 
Hendery joined you on the floor before pulling out his ipad and you scooted closer to him to take a look. Your eyes widened when his pinterest board was practically filled with body painting art pieces, ranging from a back piece to a completely full body canvas. 
“B-body painting ?” you raised an eyebrow, 
“Yeah, I think it's interesting and it will perfectly showcase a collab as well as create something different from everyone else” Hendery explained and sipped the last bit of his drink. 
You wrinkled your nose at the screen, unsure of how this was going to work, how much body would you be painting exactly ?
“Problem ?” Hendery chuckled, leaning back on his elbows as he stared up at you, 
“How much are we painting ?” you scratched your head nervously, eyes still locked on the majority of his moodboard being close to nudity. 
“I think full body, front or back your choice” Hendery answered calmly, “I brought my tripod and camera so we can do it now, take a few pictures and edit it for the exhibition”
You stood up and Hendery discarded his coffee cup and immediately brought his shirt over his head. 
You stood up and Hendery discarded his coffee cup and immediately brought his shirt over his head. 
You stood up and Hendery discarded his coffee cup and immediately brought his shirt over his head. 
“Wait you're for real, don't we need to plan ?” you stuttered as the boy continued to strip down to his black boxers. 
“We should go with the flow I think it would look better if it was freestyled” He replied as you took in his confident semi nude figure waltzing around the room. 
You thanked the heavens you were in somewhat decent underwear today, especially ones that aren't too revealing. Hendery locked the studio doors and taped a piece of paper over the window just in case and began mixing paints as you reluctantly began undressing. 
“Don't be nervous, remember those people who were butt ass naked in our class two weeks ago ?” Hendery chuckled as he continued doing his duties. 
“Oh yeah that was really something” you reminded yourself of that dreadful experience. The only reason why you agreed to Hendery’s plan was because you were comfortable around him despite never seeing each other like this. He was an extremely sweet person and had always been respectful toward you and your peers. 
“Front or back ?” Hendery asked as he stood on the plastic sheet he laid out. 
“Back, I really don't want to be face to face with your uhm” 
Hendery burst out laughing when he realized what you were hinting at, “noted.” 
You gathered your favourite colours and got to work on his back, which was gloriously broad and honestly the perfect human canvas. Hendery hissed at the cold paint making contact with his skin but finally eased up when you began your workflow. It felt awkward at first but eventually became fun, as you watched your piece come to life against his golden skin. 
“I guess you're going with a darker style huh? I've always liked your work” Hendery mused as he lifted his arm making it easier for you to cover his ribcage. 
“I'm surprised you like it since your style is the complete opposite of mine” you chuckled, “its like good meets evil”
“I think that's why this idea is really going to be perfect, wow I can't wait to see the outcome of it�� Hendery stretched up in turn making his muscles flex, which was quite...the sight. 
You were coming close to the details around the side of his neck and the closeness made Hendery really take notice of you, like really take notice. He watched you concentrate as you worked on his skin, your tongue darting out while painting was incredibly cute to him. 
Hendery had no idea you paid attention but you were definitely aware of him studying you and it kind of made you feel a bit more comfortable that you weren't the only one ogling. 
“Okay i'm done!” You took a step back and admired your work, “It actually looks pretty good.”
Hendery stood at the backdrop while you snapped a few solo pictures of him and showed off your artwork. “Wow it looks dope, those demons on my thighs are kinda sexy” he teased and you rolled your eyes, “they're supposed to be creepy not sexy” 
“They can be creepy and sexy, just like you” Hendery stuck his tongue out, “come on demon princess it's your turn.”
You and Hendery both agreed on a front facing canvas since it was a good contrast to your piece on him. You sucked in a deep breath as Hendery neared you with the brush and the instant contact made you flinch, 
“Too cold?” he cooed, as he carefully began working on your sternum area. 
“Y-yeah” you chuckled nervously as you felt his warm breath hit your chest, Hendery looked up at you, eyes slightly narrowed before his lips curled into a grin,  “I'm sure you can handle anything babe.”
Where the hell did the sweet boy from earlier disappear to and why the hell did he just turn you on with just his words ?
Hendery quietly painted away, making sure to steal glances at you and his fingers danced lightly across your skin. He was gentle, making sure to touch you appropriately at all times even though you wished he wasn't so courteous for a second. 
“Okay I'm all done we should take pictures before it gets messy” Hendery ran over to the camera and began snapping a few shots of you. You were about to walk over to the camera to see his work when he held his hand up to stop you. “Wait we need to take a few together! I just want both canvases to look perfect”
You nodded and stood back in place while Hendery set up a self timer and jogged over to you. Thinking it was just a normal picture you stood as you were before but Hendery moved your arm to caress his face while he faced the other way and wrapped his arm around your waist. 
“Art is sexy remember” He winked as you recalled that stupid line your fine arts lecturer once said. You bit down on your lip and got into position, feeling a sense of excitement of Hendery’s grip being a little firmer than before. 
Hendery set the camera up once more and this time you orchestrated a position where Hendery stood behind you, showing a good portion of his back piece, and you faced front while he and you and him interlaced fingers. 
“For the finale we should make out, and kinda show the aftermath of the canvas” Hendery suggested and bit down on his lip, “are you okay with doing that?”
“Eh yeah that's actually a good idea” You agreed and Hendery quickly set up another self timer. 
Hendery grabbed your face in his hands as you wrapped your arms around his waist and looked up at him. His bright eyes suddenly darkened as they drifted down to your lips and pressed them against yours. The kiss was heated, crazily passionate for two people who had no prior feelings for each other. Hendery’s lips were soft and sweet, you could still taste the coffee on his tongue from earlier. His hand moved to your hair and he surprised you by slightly tugging on it which caused you to moan into the kiss. 
“Oh you into that huh?” he purred, and sucked your bottom lip between his teeth. 
He made you dizzy with lust. One simple kiss and you wanted him right then and there. He wasn't shy to grab your ass either as it was the only thing he was thinking about for the past four hours. 
“I think the….shutter...went off” you tried to catch your breath as Hendery’s lips already moved to your jaw and his hand gently squeezed his artwork around your throat. 
“Mmm, oh yeah” He sighed and licked his lips, breaking away from you and made his way over to the camera. Hendery sat up the final shot for the messed up canvases finale and made his way back over to you. 
The two of you posed side by side but you both could clearly hear the other person panting heavily after that heated kiss. 
The camera shutter went off and Hendery grabbed hold of your wrist and turned you to face him, “So y/n, There's only one shower” he smirked, “...do you want to wash away our artwork together ?”
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Serenade (Daniela Dimitrescu/Reader) Pt. 5
Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Pairing: Daniela Dimitrescu/Reader (Gender neutral) Rating: T for language and mentions/references to an (emotionally) abusive relationship. Mild, brief violence. Warnings: TW for referenced emotional abuse, mild TW for possible physical abuse (sorry, angry Dani is not 100% gentle with people she doesn't love-love) Notes: Music for this chapter here. If you're following this story and really want to continue reading, but worry about the TWs for this chapter, just send me an anonymous message and I'll write up an alternative version of this post. It's not something I would do without it being requested, but it's also not a big deal so don't feel like you're bothering me if you want that. Previous Chapters: Pt. 1: Nocturne, Pt. 2: Overture, Pt. 3: Accelerando, Pt. 4: Tocatta
Chapter 5: Poco a Poco (Italian: Little by little)
Finding a schedule for lessons to follow proved to be an insurmountable task. Consistency was something that Daniela struggled with greatly, even when it came to things that she genuinely cared about. Things like ensuring you lived long enough to entertain her. Instead of working with you to find a balance that worked for both of you, the youngest Dimitrescu daughter seemed intent on doing things in her own time. Little by little. Which would have been fine, if the two of you weren’t restricted by time.
Fate wasn’t entirely unkind, however. There were still a few things that Daniella recalled from her “youth”, bits and pieces of musical theory, the bare basics of reading sheet music. Not having to teach her proper posture or the structure of a piano would save you a little bit of time. On top of that, you had been informed that, somewhere in the castle, there were a few books of sheet music you could borrow. Assuming you were eventually able to find them, that is. So far they had eluded you, but you hadn’t even had much time to search, as you were still expected to perform your usual Maiden-related tasks.
In the end, it was Daniela herself that proved to be the biggest obstacle in your way.
“Look,” Daniela said one day, barely ten minutes into a lesson, “I think we should take a break… maybe have some fun?” One of her hands is resting on top of yours, the other tucking your hair behind your ear. There’s a smirk on her lips, unsurprisingly, and she’s mere inches away from kissing you. If not for the heavy threat hanging over your head, you would have already thrown yourself into her arms. Instead, all you can do is sigh, turning away from her as you do. “Don’t be like that, sweet thing. C’mon, no one can hear us right now. Might as well enjoy ourselves.”
“Babe. Darling. Buttercup, honey, cute little button on a bear, you are not the brightest bulb in the lighting department,” you replied, holding the bridge of your nose between two fingers. Instantly Daniela is upset, giving you a (thankfully) playful smack on the arm. Before she can protest more you continue speaking. “Your family would not hear us making out, true, but they would definitely hear us not playing the piano. I’m pretty sure your mother already thinks I’m doomed to fail as a teacher, and the last thing I need is to give her a reason to drop the curtains this early into our performance.”
“First of all, I am not an idiot,” Daniela said, a bit of a growl to her voice. “Secondly, what harm can a few minutes really do? Don’t you think I’ve been working hard enough to earn a little reward?” Now she’s holding a finger under your chin, lifting it up, making sure you’re looking right at her. There’s no dissuading her, it seems, as she leans in for a soft kiss. This was one of the more frustrating aspects of dealing with (courting?) her; communication felt like a one-man play, except the audience was as likely to throw knives as rotten tomatoes. Whenever Daniela acted like this, pushing away your concerns in favor of her pleasure, it felt helpless to try and resist her.
So you kissed back, wrapped your arms around her, and hoped that she’d be more open to compromise afterwards. At least kissing her was nice. Even though it had only been a week since you first kissed her, she was already getting better, evidently learning through experience. The passion behind her movements had grown as well, leaving you a tad breathless. Regardless of her odd perception of romance, and her insistence that she knew best, you found yourself charmed by her. It was scary. Terrifying, really, how you felt yourself falling under her spell. Wait. Hadn’t you been in this sort of situation before?... Staying with someone who wasn’t good for you? Why were you kissing her? Why were you starting to tremble, tears in your eyes, mind falling down a slippery slope of memories?
By the time you snap out of it, you’re sitting on the floor, Daniela awkwardly kneeling by your side. What the fuck? You think, sniffling a little. Head spinning, mind reeling, you struggle to form coherent thoughts. Next to you Daniela is unsure of how to help. But she’s trying, sort of, one hand holding your own, the other gently rubbing your back. She’s saying something, the words going right over your head. Understanding her takes times, focus, like tuning an instrument until the pitch is just right.
“I don’t understand, we were only kissing, what happened? Can you even hear me? Is this your way of tricking me into not making out with you? Because that’s a total dick move and-” she rambles, only stopping when you give her hand a soft squeeze. Then she’s meeting your gaze, looking uncomfortable, shoulders tense. “You’ve been weird for a while. Distant. Like you don’t want to touch me anymore. Don’t you still love me?”
There’s real, honest pain in her eyes when she speaks. If the timing had been different… you’d have thrown your arms around her and covered her face in kisses, promising to hold her onto she felt better, promising that yes you cared. You cared so fucking much. But she’s making you exhausted; every second has to be focused on her, not you. Every moment of concern is flipped around until she’s the victim, or at least the one that needs comforting. You didn’t think that she even realized what she was doing. Well, you hoped that she didn’t, wanted to believe that if she understood she’d change.
“Remember the first day we kissed?... how you pulled me close, and I kissed you harder, and we started…. Remember how I made a move and you pushed me away? I’ll never forget the look on your face. I felt like shit afterwards. I should have asked before I tried anything,” you explain, letting go of Daniela’s hand so you could pull your knees to your chest. Somehow you can’t bring yourself to maintain eye contact with her- not right now, not when you could still remember what it felt like to be on her side of this story. “I don’t want to push your boundaries, or make you feel pressured to do something you don’t want to do. The last thing I’d ever want to do is hurt you like that.”
“Oh bullshit,” Daniela snarled, shocking you, before getting to her feet. Confusion doesn’t begin to describe how you feel in the moment as you watch her pace back and forth. Both her hands are clenched into fists, and she’s refusing to look at you. There’s a buzzing sound in the room, faint but growing louder, like she’s a split second away from entering swarm mode. “We’re a couple, aren’t we? Shouldn’t you be able to tell what I want? Shouldn’t it be obvious what I desire, when I’m pinning you to the wall and shoving my tongue down your throat? What more do you require?”
“Holy shit, Dani, I know communication isn’t your forte, but have you really not even considered talking to me? That’s simple, easy, literally the first thing that should come to mind!” You snapped, too in disbelief to keep your voice down. For a moment Daniela stops her pacing, turning to stare at you with narrowed eyes. If you weren’t so mad, you’d be convinced she was ready to kill you. But she doesn’t move to grab her sickle, or otherwise advance on you, instead groaning and tugging on her own hair in frustration.
“Because that’s not romantic, genius!” She replied. Some dots start to connect in your mind, but you lack the full context, as if looking at sheet music with no clefs or time signature. It’s not until Daniela continues that you really understand; and, by extension, realize just how ridiculous this whole mess is. “None of the books I’ve read involve conversations like this. People just… they just love each other! And figure it out as they go along, reading each other’s body language and facial expressions, inferring what they need to know through touches and reactions. Why can’t we do that?”
“This isn’t a fucking book, dumbass! I don’t have powers like you, I can’t just read your mind and figure out what you want. That’s not how relationships work! Communication is key. And you can’t just talk, you have to listen, hard, and understand,” you continued, still on the floor, heart pounding so furiously you thought it might leap from your chest at any moment. As angry as you are, you wonder if you’re being too loud, too angry, wonder if there was a better way to get through to Daniela. Before you can think of a solution the air is ripped from your lungs. Your “partner”/student is grabbing you by the front of your shirt, yanking you to your feet. Instinct makes you struggle against her, as useless as it is.
“I. Told. You. I’m not an idiot!” Her free hand comes up to your face, cupping your cheek for a moment, then pulling away just as fast. When it moves back up she’s gripping onto her sickle. The sharp edge ends up resting against your neck, the slightest movement threatening to cut you open. This is the most Daniela has ever openly threatened you, and in that moment all your anger melts back into fear, tears spilling down your cheeks. A flicker of something shows in her eyes, making you think that even she doesn’t like where this is going. “Give me one reason not to end this right now.”
“... I don’t… I can’t think. I… Why would you?” The words leave you in a rush, even with the pauses, and each syllable makes the sickle press into your skin a little more. There’s sure to be a cut there, though you can’t even begin to estimate how bad it is. The blade is sharp, clearly, and it hardly even hurts as it slices you. Thankfully the sensation doesn’t last long. Once you’re done speaking, Daniela’s grip loosens considerably, hand slowly letting your shirt go. Her other hand takes a few seconds to move, but eventually pulls away without any fuss. For a few seconds she just watches you, eyes filled to the brim with a rich sorrow, mouth open but unmoving.
“No lesson tomorrow. I need a break,” Daniela whispers, barely audible. Then she’s dusting herself off, no longer looking at you, and heading towards the exit. Just like the first time you met, she pauses in the doorway. “How’s that for communication, hmm?” When she laughs, it’s empty, forced. Part of you wants to stop her and ask if she’s okay.
Instead, you watch her leave, unspoken words tangling with your tongue until you almost can’t swallow.
Then your feet move, automatically, leading you to the piano. You sit down without thinking. You touch the keys without thinking. When you play, you play without thinking. It’s just a song, the world tells you, and you have no choice but to play. It’s not just a song, you know this, but you can’t think. Can’t argue against the personification of your isolation, or the embodiment of your trauma. All you can do is let yourself get lost in the music, softly, recalling lyrics from a forgotten time.
I’ve been running all my life, trying to find a place to hide ‘Thought that I had settled down, but I guess things are changing now Don’t make me go, don’t make me go Just don’t make me go, this feels like home
As soon as the last note fades out you stand, wordlessly, and leave. Your feet carry you down corridor after corridor, past maidens working, some of whom gasp when they see you. But you don’t stop, not even when you cross paths with Lady Bela, who eyes you with surprising concern. She doesn’t try to stop you, though, and you doubt you would have cared if she had tried. It’s not until you are within your shared room that you finally stop moving. It is there that you sit, shaking, finally pressing a cloth to your neck. Blood stains the fabric, first in just a few dots, then spreading out. There’s not enough to make you fear for your life, but there is enough to make you cry harder. Washing the wound will sting… so you don’t do that. Soon you will have to return to your work, and the thought puts pressure on your skull, summoning an all-too-familiar migraine.
When you close your eyes, you don’t mean to fall asleep, but that is exactly what you do. And when you dream, you do not wish for nightmares. You never do- and fate never denies you their company.
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five-rivers · 3 years
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Pennywort and Swallowtails
For @phantomphangphucker :)
Prompt:  Flynn, due to being Phantom’s aka the Ghost King’s family and part of the Zone’s society, receives a Prince title and is now getting crowned.
.
Flynn couldn’t put his finger on exactly why, but the Ghost Zone seemed different lately.  There was something in the atmosphere, almost.  It felt… lighter, maybe?  
He didn’t like it.  
After all these years in the Ghost Zone, he’d come to regard any change from the norm with suspicion.  The tendency had saved his life multiple times.  Usually, such changes were caused by a nearby and powerful ghost.  Or, on rare and terrifying occasions, a not so nearby and obscenely powerful ghost.
For example, that Pariah Dark guy he’d heard about from some of the ghosts he traded with.  Flynn sure was glad someone else had taken care of him.  Not that Flynn was much good in a fight against any ghost more powerful than that annoying one in overalls that showed up whenever Flynn so much as thought of making anything even vaguely box-shaped.
Which wasn’t that often.  Flynn had never really nailed the whole carpentry thing. Ha.  He’d never been super great at the whole square thing either. Because he wasn’t one.  Skipped school and everything.  The whole high school experience.  Ha.  
Sometimes he really cracked himself up, but only in the most depressing of ways.  
He sighed, heavily.  Maybe he should think about spending more time in his hideaway cave, under his cottage (aka his shack, it was a shack, who was he kidding).  Stock up on supplies.  Get ready to weather a storm.  Literal or metaphorical.  
But hiding out in the cave was so boring.  There wasn’t anything to do down there. Except try to design better grass shoes and to patch his increasingly ragged clothing with limited amounts of thread. He preferred being outside greatly. Even if it was just on his little floating island, messing around in his little garden, growing potatoes and blood blossoms, digging for those crystals ghosts seemed to fear and desire in equal measure.
Flynn was peripherally aware that he was supplying the ghosts he traded with the equivalent of ghost uranium (one of the few human-world things he’d picked up was a middle school science textbook), but…
Yeah.  Guy had to eat, and the Ghost Zone didn’t exactly have cops running all over the place, or the United Nations, or… yeah.  Honestly, the Ghost Zone didn’t have much of anything, at least not in these parts.  It was pretty empty around here.  
Just like Flynn’s heart.  
Ha.  
Yeah.  That was a good one.  
Eh.  Life wasn’t so bad.  He was sort-of-kind-of friends with half a dozen undead monsters of questionable morality, had his own house, most of his teeth, and copious free time.  Plus, it had been a while since the ‘rocks from nowhere’ decided to trash his roof.  Which was bad for the sport he had invented (Chucking Rocks into the Misty Void), but good for roof integrity.  And not having a concussion.  Or losing any more teeth.  
But, back to his original topic.  
Flynn glared absently at the Zone at large. Okay, yeah, something was going on. Was it Flynn’s problem? Maybe.  Was it directly Flynn’s problem?  No.  The day was otherwise clear and ‘normal’ (the term being used loosely in the Ghost Zone), so he might as well go about his day—
The sky tore open in front of him.  
Flynn recognized that.  Before he knew what he was doing, he threw himself away from the portal. The last time he’d stepped through one of those—
The thought crossed his mind that this portal might lead back to Earth, back home, back to Mom.  But he knew from his ghostly friends how unlikely it was that the portal would put him anywhere near his home physically, not to mention temporally. It might not even lead back to Earth for that matter.  
He took cover behind a boulder, cursing his blasé dismissal of potential danger.  Who knew what could come out of a portal?  At least according to the ghosts he talked to.  Hopefully, nothing came out that he couldn’t beat into submission with his ectoranium staff.  
This was going to suck so much.  
The portal disgorged three floating eyeball ghosts in voluminous robes.
(One of the other books Flynn had gotten his hands on was a dictionary.  Which he had read.  Twice. Living on a tiny floating island was boring when it wasn’t terrifying.)
Ah, heck.  He could take one ghost.  Three? Yeah.  Not a chance.  
Maybe they’d leave?  They couldn’t know for sure he was here.  With how unpredictable portals were, and all.
“Flynn Walker,” intoned the central eyeball ghost with a great deal of gravitas.  
Flynn’s body did something between a cringe and a blanch.  
He was never trusting Globithar the Lapidarist’s tall tales ever again.  He wasn’t going to give him any more discounts for them, either.  No way to control a portal his scarred left butt cheek.  
“Flynn Walker,” repeated the eyeball ghost, now with a touch of annoyance.  
“In accordance with the laws of the Infinite Realms,” said the leftmost ghost, in a higher-pitched voice, “we call you to take up your position in the Court of the King of All Ghosts as a member of his family.”
Ah, that ectocontamination Aunt Maddie had sometimes talked about had finally caught up with him, and he was hallucinating something fierce. Either that, or these ghosts thought unbelievable jokes were good bait.  They weren’t.  Flynn would know.  He’d made many unbelievable jokes.  They’d never attracted anything but groans.  
Ha.  
“This is ridiculous,” hissed the third ghost.  “He isn’t even a real ghost.”
“He’s more ghostly than Phantom’s sister,” said the second.  
“We don’t have any choice about her, though.  Can’t we simply… not tell Phantom about this Flynn? Especially if this cousin of his is so craven as to hide at a moment like this.”
Rude, but accurate.  
“He’ll find out,” said the first eyeball, tiredly. “He always finds out.  Damn Clockwork.”
This was officially too weird for Flynn.  Why were they cursing out clocks?
“Because they’re petty and don’t have anything better to do.”
Flynn may or may not have shrieked like a little girl at the voice behind him.  The uncertainty was mostly because Flynn hadn’t seen or heard a little girl since he was in the vicinity of his cousin, Jazz, which was years ago.  At least a decade.  
But he did scream.  Loudly.  Which he really should know better than to do, living in the Ghost Zone and all.  He brought his staff up defensively, too, though, so his self-preservation skills hadn’t completely shorted out.
“Clockwork!” chorused the eyeball ghosts.  
“Yes, yes,” said the ghost who’d snuck up on Flynn, flicking imaginary dust off his robe as he smoothly, and dizzyingly, shifted between ages.  “I’m sure you’re all very shocked that I’m here, after you just finished complaining about how much I know.”  He examined his fingernails.  “Now, Mr. Walker—”
“Walker?” shrieked one of the eyeballs.  
“Yes, he is related to our illustrious sheriff. As I was saying, I am here to bring you to your cousins, who have risen quite a bit in this world.”
“What.”
“It is, indeed, rather surprising,” said Clockwork. “To those who cannot see the twists and turns of fate.  Or those who are willfully blind to those twists and turns.”  He eyed the eyeballs.  
“What,” repeated Flynn, more forcefully.  
“Clockwork,” growled the lead eyeball.  
“Allow me to explain,” said Clockwork.  “Do you recall your youngest cousin, Daniel?”
“Uh,” said Flynn.  He adjusted his grip on his staff.  “Vaguely?”
“He was crowned King of All Ghosts a few weeks ago. As a member of his family and an active participant in ghost society, you are automatically a member of the court. Assuming you wish to be, of course.”
“You- You’re saying I have family here.”
“Indeed.”
“Like, Aunt Maddie?”
Something odd passed over Clockwork’s face.  “No.  Your cousins. Daniel, specifically.”
“Wait, wait, he was a baby.  Wouldn’t he only be, like, ten or something?”
“Fifteen,” corrected Clockwork.  
“How did he die?”
“You will have to ask him that,” said Clockwork.  He raised an eyebrow.  “If you would like, you can sleep on this and I will return tomorrow.”
Flynn bit his lip.  Hard.  Okay. He wasn’t dreaming.  And- And this ghost didn’t seem to be lying. What would the point of that even be, anyway?  Flynn was nothing.  He didn’t have anything they could possibly gain by lying like this.  
“I’ll go with you,” said Flynn.  
“Excellent,” said Clockwork, clapping his hands.  “Then let us away to the castle.”
.
Well.  That was certainly a castle.  Or a palace? Flynn wasn’t sure of the difference. The ghosts hadn’t lied about that, at least.  
It was a big step up from Flynn’s house.  Which, honestly, more deserved the title of hovel. Or perhaps shack.  
Or even hole, when compared to all this.  Dear god, this place was fancy.  
Flynn hunched his shoulders, feeling out of place even as Clockwork led him deeper into the massive edifice.  
Come on, Flynn, he thought furiously at himself. Some of these people aren’t even wearing skin.  You are not underdressed.  
Clockwork brought him to a normally sized (which was, incidentally, not a given in this place, which contained both huge and tiny doors) door with understated but elegant carvings.  “Here are your rooms,” said the ghost.  “You will find a selection of clothing in your size in the wardrobe, and the bathroom is fully stocked and human safe.”
“Human safe?”
“Human safe.”
That was ominous.  
“There is a bell in the room that will summon a servant should you need one.  I will collect you for dinner in three hours.  Long enough for you to relax, I should hope.”
Or long enough for him to worry himself into pieces and chew on their curtains.  
… There would be curtains, right?  This place had to be fancy enough to rate curtains.  
He opened the door.  
Lots of curtains.  Lovely.
No, really.  It had been so, so long since he’d seen curtains.  He might be crying.  
Oh, gosh, that bed looked so nice and soft.  He wanted to—
Wait, no, he was filthy.  Filthy.  Covered in years’ worth of grime.  He hadn’t had a proper bath since he’d still been living with his mom.  
Pathetic, right?
There was a human-safe bathroom in here somewhere. Beyond the snark, he was looking forward to having a human-safe bath.  He was craving a human-safe bath.  With clean water and soap.  
Could the bathroom also have toothbrushes?  Toothpaste?  Unrestrained luxury.  
The bathroom door was in the same style as the outer door, but the handle was different, lighter.  The inside was tiled and surprisingly modern.  
There was a sink.  
He played with the sink faucet for several long minutes before remembering that he’d come in to take a bath.  
He spent several minutes playing with the bathtub faucet.  
Then he got into the bathtub and experienced a half hour of combined panic (he didn’t really know how baths worked anymore, and the sensations were weird) and nirvana (the sensations were also good).
He had to keep cycling the water.  Because he made it so, so dirty.  He sank into the water, up to his chin.  
When he got out of the water, he decided his hair was a lost cause.  Because it was always a lost cause.  Only, it was even more of a lost cause now, because it was also wet and had been stripped of its usual protective layer of oils.  
There was a variety of toothbrushes and toothpastes available.  He tested them out and discovered that he would probably need the services of a dentist. A good one.  Were there ghost dentists?  There had to be ghost dentists.  They had a lot of teeth.  A lot of teeth.  Sharp, scary, teeth.  
Ugh.  His baby cousin was a ghost.  He’d probably have teeth like a shark.  When he’d last seen him, he’d hardly even had any teeth at all.  Because.  Baby. Little, tiny, baby.  
Who Flynn barely knew.  
Why did he even want Flynn?  Or was it just some weird ghost tradition thing?  
Ghosts were weird.  Anything could be possible.  
He flopped face-first onto the bed.  His bed?  His temporary and maybe permanent bed.  If he was allowed to stay here.  
Oh, gosh.  Clockwork and the eyeballs seemed to know how to make portals.  Could they make a portal back to the human world? To Earth?  
To Flynn’s proper time?
To Mom?  
He missed Mom so much, even after all this time.  
(Dad?  Not so much. He hardly remembered the man.)
He wouldn’t know until he asked, he supposed.  But asking maybe-royalty would be scary. Talking to all these powerful ghosts was scary enough by itself.  
Ehhhh, he thought he’d gotten rid of his more cowardly side by now.  He was living in the scariest place out of the world.  
Ha.  
Yeah.  
He crawled out of the bed, dragging his nice, clean self to the wardrobe.  Oh, boy. Many clothes.  He hadn’t even seen so many clothes since the last time he’d been in department store.  Incredible.  
They were so fancy, too.  He didn’t know how to choose.  
He didn’t even know how to wear half of these things. At least half of them.  
He began to tease lengths of fabric from the wardrobe and lay them on his bed.  Some of them looked cool.  And also the kind of thing that he’d destroy just by touching it.  
Except he had already touched them, and they hadn’t been destroyed yet.  Yet.
Oh, cool, there was underwear.  Wow.  It had been a while.  
.
Okay.  The bed was incredibly nice, but somehow too nice.  Like, no nap nice.  
He wanted to take a nap.  
But no nap was occurring.  
The bed was too soft.  Ugh.  This was like the thing in that one war novel he’d read when he was probably way too young to read it.  
He groaned.  He hadn’t thought that was real.  He’d thought it was an exaggeration, or just drama.  Or something.  
He crawled off onto the floor and the wonderfully plush carpet.  
Maybe he could sleep here.  
.
He woke up to a faint knocking sound and rolled sideways under cover.  What cover? Oh.  Bed.  That was the bed.  He was in the room.  In the castle.  The ghost king’s castle.  
His baby cousin’s castle.  
He was going to cry.  This was so weird.  
Embarrassed, he rolled back out from under the bed and threw on the first clothes that came to hand.  Which.  Might not have been the best of ideas.  But, hey, he was dressed now.  
He stumbled over to the door and spent several long, embarrassing seconds sleepily remembering how to open doors with this type of handle.  Eventually, though, he managed it.
Clockwork was standing there.  One of his eyebrows went up.  “Interesting choice.”
Flynn looked down.  Orange and green went fine together.  What was he talking about?  
Forget it, he wasn’t about to develop a sense of social shame after living in a hut for a decade or so.  
“Come, now.  Your cousins are expecting you.”
Flynn briefly considered ducking out, phasing through the floor and out of the castle using a tangibility trick he’d picked up a couple of years back.  At least, that would spare him from this ‘diner’ he was rapidly approaching.  
He decided not to do that.  Running away wasn’t his style.  
(Who was he kidding?  That was definitely his style.  He would have run away so, so much if he had anywhere to run to.)
(It wasn’t like he could exactly fight ghosts on even footing.  Each and every one of them had Martian Manhunter’s powerset.)
“Don’t be afraid, Flynn,” said Clockwork, looking back over his shoulder.  
“Do you, like, read minds?”
Clockwork chuckled.  “Only the future.”  He swung the large, gilded door open.  
Inside, there was a long table, set with silvery plates.  There were a small group of children beyond it.  One of them waved at him.  Was that Danny?
Flynn took a deep breath and walked forward, back to his family.  
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blu-joons · 3 years
Text
Candids ~ Min Yoongi
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He couldn’t take his eyes off the screen as the placard came up on the programme to announce you’d be the next performer on the stage that night. Every single one of the boys who were sat around him had their eyes watching his stare.
“Do you forget sometimes you get to see the real thing?” Jungkook chuckled, earning himself a glare from Yoongi. “You look like you’re obsessed with her.”
Taehyung nodded from beside him, “we all know Y/N’s pretty and successful, but you look right now like you’re jealous of every single guy sat in that theatre tonight.”
Yoongi’s head shook, deciding not to give them the reaction that they wanted. Everyone knew that you were incredibly successful, plenty of fans liked to remind Yoongi of that on a daily basis, questioning how he ever managed to end up in a relationship with you.
Around you, he never wanted you to see how much people’s comments got to him, but at times, he struggled greatly to hold back and bite his tongue.
“It must be pretty lonely for her to be there alone tonight,” Jin spoke up, “but then she looks better probably than she would if she had you stood by her side for the night.”
Yoongi’s head continued to shake, as much as he knew the boys were only teasing him, the boys were unaware that those were also the comments that he read every day online and in the fan cafes from most of the fans, and yours.
“How does she always look so good,” Hobi mumbled under his breath.
Yoongi looked across at him, “she looks great without makeup too, I wish that people saw a bit more of that side to her too.”
As he spoke up, he pulled his phone out from his back pocket and looked down at his lock screen. The photo instantly brought a smile to his face, noticing your wide grin as he photographed you tucked up in bed, giggling away as he pulled a funny face in your direction.
Hobi and Jimin who sat either side of him soon glanced down and looked at the photo, nudging their blushed friend in the ribs gently.
“This is when I love her the most.”
“Like what?” Jungkook asked.
Yoongi turned the phone around so that the rest of the group could look at the photo too. “Just when she’s Y/N, not the superstar that everyone knows and loves.”
“You can see just how happy she is with you in that photo Yoongi.”
The boys both were all too aware of how well the two of you got on, despite their several instances of mocking and messing around with him.
Namjoon was always the first of the boys to make sure Yoongi knew how pleased they were for him. “You’ve done well for yourself Yoongi, you should be able to show her off.”
“I just wish people didn’t think that I was just with her for the person on the screen tonight.”
He turned the phone back around to look at, unable to hide his smile once again as he studied you closely. His phone was full of candid photos of you, he loved to snap as many as possible so that he could look back over them when the two of you were apart.
With such busy careers for you both, there were often very few opportunities for the two of you to spend some proper time with each other. The photos Yoongi possessed of you were almost like saviours for when he really struggled without you.
“Do you really think people feel that way?” Jungkook questioned from across the room.
Yoongi’s eyes darted up to look over at him, “I’ve read so many comments that wonder how I’ve managed to get with Y/N, because they just see her in fancy dresses and make up.”
“But that’s because the person who’s on your phone is a part of your private life,” Taehyung tried to reason, “that’s a side of Y/N that you should treasure all by yourself.”
Taehyung’s words quickly resonated with Yoongi as he placed his phone away, so many of those photos were ones that he wanted to keep away from the world. They were photos that he wanted to be able to look back all by himself. The smiles on your face in so many of the photos were ones that only he wanted to be able to bring out of you.
Yoongi’s head slowly nodded in response to his friend, “all these candid photos carry memories and traits of Y/N that so much of the world doesn’t get to know.”
“And you’re the lucky one that does get to know them.”
“I guess you’re right,” he mused, glancing back across at the television screen. “I’ll be the first to admit that I’m punching when it comes to Y/N, but what I won’t admit is that I’m only with her for the incredible performer that she is.”
He could spend all night listing off the reasons that he was with you, reasons that no one else ever had the chance to know. However, the boys knew, and that was by far what was most important to Yoongi, those closest to him knew the real you.
“Y/N won’t want you to feel down about tonight too.”
Yoongi’s head nodded at Hobi’s words, your performance tonight was one you’d begged him to stay up and watch. It was well into the early hours for them at home, but all of them wanted to see you perform and watch you do what you love.
“Do you know anything about her performance tonight?” Hobi added.
Yoongi’s head shook, “she’s kept it top secret from me.”
He quickly recalled the several times he’d begged you just for a small spoiler over the past few days, but each time, you told him that there was no sharing any details.
“What are you hoping she performs? You’ve got to have a favourite song of hers off the new album?” Taehyung then enquired.
Once again, Yoongi’s head shook, he loved every song off your new album the same, as did hundreds of thousands of people around the world who also took the time to listen to your album.
“Anything she performs I know will be great,” he whispered, much to the excitement of the others.
Regardless of what you performed, sung, danced, or even spoke, Yoongi knew that he would be proud of you and cheering you on.
“What if she surprised us all by performing with no makeup on?” Jin suggested, “if she knows that’s a side of her that you love so much.”
“I hope she doesn’t,” Yoongi replied, “you guys were right, that’s a side of her that I want to keep for me, the world can have the superstar Y/N, but I’ll just keep the human Y/N for me.”
“I’m sure it’s the same for her too,” Jimin grinned, “not many fans get to see you without makeup, but that’s a part of you Y/N always gets to see.”
“Well, you guys always get to see it too,” he teased, “but seeing as none of you have any candid photos of me, I guess it is a bit different.”
Namjoon’s eyes widened, “I guess you haven’t looked through our photo galleries for a while.”
“Since when have you guys been taking photos of me?”
---
Masterlist
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drxwsyni · 3 years
Text
Petrified (pt. 9)
Yandere Erasermic x f!Reader
SERIES MASTERLIST
a/n: This part is really short, and honestly not that good. But seeing as this whole series is a mess, not much is new lmao. Thank you to @sawamooora for beta reading ilyyyyy <3 <3 <3
*Sidenote*: Please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed from the taglist!
3.4k words
Warnings: Descriptions of past dubcon, gaslighting.
Waking up, you wished the metaphorical blanket of comfort wasn’t ripped off of you the moment you opened your eyes.
It was an uncomfortable contrast.
While one blanket was ripped off, a real, physically tangible blanket weighed down on not just you, but the two sleeping men who had you sandwiched in between them. Seeing Hizashi on your right, and Shouta on your left was all you needed to be plunged into a dreadful confusion.
Your body hurt. An ache creeped through your spine as you sat up, only to realize you were completely bare. If the pain spreading across your skin wasn’t enough of a clue as to what had ensued less than twelve hours ago, then the evidence marring your body would be.
An intense throbbing radiated from your backside, prompting you to lean over on your elbow. Pulling down the covers, your eyes landed upon the black and blue patterns littering your skin, trailing down to the tops of your thighs. It seemed that both your wrists and hips were adorned with similar bruises, the only difference were those being distinctly fingerprint shaped. No one position completely alleviated the ache.
A sting emanated from your neck and shoulders as you lightly traced over the series of wounds, feeling remnants of bite marks and long scratches. In examining the bedsheets, you were convinced that the patterning of the fabric wasn’t tricking your mind. Little blotches of blood were just barely visible where you once laid.
An indiscernible cloud still hung over your mind, even if it was only slightly there by now. A fog that was muddling your memories, blocking whatever had gone down between you and the men at your sides. Nothing you could recall really felt concrete, at least for now―the possibility of memories returning over time being not all that unlikely. In the present however, the only indicators to tell you what happened were the marks they left behind.
And based on those―you were certain that it was never something you would’ve agreed to.
The morning sunlight was beginning to stream into the room, breaking through the small divides of the curtains. One glance at the alarm clock placed on Shouta’s nightstand told you that it was just over half past five.
On a Sunday morning, neither of them had anything to do. Naturally, the two were still sound asleep. You envied how peaceful they seemed, bathed in morning light, free from worry―a contrast to the nauseating unease you felt.
Becoming more and more horrified by the second, drowning in your thoughts and grasping at what they had done to you, the only one thing that stood out was your need to get the fuck out of there.
As carefully as possible, for fear that one move too harsh would wake one, if not both of the so called heroes, you peeled back the blankets from your battered form. Proceeding to crawl down to the foot of the bed, you gave a glance over your shoulder―just to confirm that the two were still sedated in slumber.
You let out a shaky breath upon confirming that they were, returning to swiftly taking your leave. But in the split second, when a whimper of pain left your lips, body doubling over at the burning enveloping your core as you settled your weight to stand—you were immediately sure their perception as trained heroes would alert them to the noise.
Though still, the steady rise and fall of Shouta’s chest, and the now relaxing sound of Hizashi's light snoring, put your nerves at ease―even if only a little.
Your clothes from last night weren’t in the bedroom, but neither were theirs. In finding a steady trail of frantically discarded articles leading to the living room, you could finally abandon the suffocating atmosphere that was their home. Freedom was the only thing on your mind as you hastily dressed yourself and grabbed your bag from the foyer.
_____
Hizashi Missed Call (7) 10:48 AM
Hizashi Text Message (16) 10:32 AM
Shouta Missed Call (3) 9:54 AM
Shouta Text Message (5) 8:12 AM
It would seem the shake in your hands would be uncontrollable until the foreseeable future, sighing as your phone lit up once again. Perhaps it wasn’t the wisest idea to disappear with no warning, knowing how the two could be when they weren’t in the know of your every move.
Yet, if they knew just how downright terrified you were to stay until they woke up, maybe they’d understand your unceremonious leave of absence.
Unfortunately, they didn’t. Neither of the heroes seem to be all that knowledgeable of how they affected you, what they did to make you fear them.
For so long you tried to bury that anxiety you felt with them. They crossed the line of innocent concern a long time ago with their intrusiveness. And now, with the marks they left behind, spanning across your body and leaving a searing pain as an unignorable reminder of just who they were under their doting facade―you couldn’t simply disregard what this relationship had turned into.
It was toxic.
The safety they should provide feeling ripped away in their presence.
It was suffocating.
Even when you were alone, there always seemed to be an inescapable weight upon your shoulders, mind guessing as to when you’d see them next.
It took you until now to realize it, until they’d done something you couldn't quite ‘forgive and forget’―but you finally knew their tactics, what they’d been doing all along. They were predatory in every sense of the word, targeting your weaknesses to seek a self satisfying goal.
With each missed call and unread text message, you cursed yourself for not fighting your way out of their grasp before it became nearly inescapable. That, and there was a painful tinge of shame riddling your body with how you’d let them handle you.
Most of last night was all but impossible to recall, but the existing memories told a clear story. They made you feel good, really good. Even in whatever stupor they’d placed you under, it’d be impossible to forget the intense and repeated sensations the two men made you reach.
The thought alone had you nauseous, knowing the circumstances of how you ended up like that.
In any case, the idea at the forefront of your mind was that there’s no time like the present. Especially since you were quite literally adding fuel to the fire by ignoring them. You couldn't change what they’d done to you, but you could change what happened going forward.
It was simple―you never wanted to see the two faux heroes ever again.
Hizashi had been trying to contact you for the better half of the hour. But what really bothered you was how Shouta stopped doing so a while ago―better to know what he was up to than the radio silence that only made the pit in your stomach worse.
Though it wasn’t all that bad―it would be easier to stomach the voice of Hizashi, especially over the phone, given what you were about to tell him.
A new call came through. On the final ring, you answered.
“...―Shou’, I’m not gonna stop till she―”
With the sudden absence of noise, it wouldn’t be hard to believe that the call had ended. Though, silence between the three of you was never short. Never before, and still not now.
“...(Y/n)?”
Your jaw clenched in worry, hearing Hizashi use your first name instead of a not so endearing pet name. Laced with the exhausted sounding disbelief, you could tell even over the phone that he wasn’t doing so good.
Part of you almost forgot to respond, his voice alone bringing you back to last night. When you did, you winced at the unintentional shake which you couldn’t control.
“Y-Yeah, I’m here.”
“Oh, thank god. What―Where did you run off to? Gave us a damn heart attack when you weren’t in the house.”
For someone so physically fit, Hizashi sounded like he just ran a marathon. Although, you suppose given the scare you put him through, the out of breath reaction was understandable.
And relatable, as your heart rate was beginning to pick up, anticipating how they’d soon handle your message.
“I, uh...I went home before you guys woke up…”
You could practically see the perplexed expression on his face, the sound of confusion coating his words.
A small laugh of disbelief came through the speaker. “Well there was no need for that, sweetheart.”
As if your body was trying to expel the extra energy from the adrenaline you were using to have a steady conversation with him, you began mindlessly wandering around your apartment.
“I just didn’t...feel comfortable? N-Not after what happened, I mean―last night shouldn't have happened, at all. So I left.”
The two heroes were back in the living room of their home, where they found your stuff missing in the morning. Shouta’s eyes narrowed at your words, hearing them clearly over the speakerphone. He shared a glance with his partner, the latter seated on the couch and nervously bouncing his leg.
“I’m not so sure I’m following. I don’t wanna embarrass you or anything, knowin’ how shy ya get, but...you were screamin’ our names last night. Don’t see how ya could’ve had a bad time, songbird.”
That detail in particular was one of the many occurrences from then that escaped you. With your memory being in shambles, it was pretty much a ‘he said, she said’ when it came to what happened.
...Pretty much.
The things that did stick, well...you almost wish they didn’t.
While all the fleeting events you knew of didn’t leave a good taste in your mouth, certain details made you sick to your stomach.
“I’ll never get sick of seein’ ya like this, songbird.”
The ones you couldn’t explain, and left far too many possibilities of theoretical context. Most of them being a worst case scenario for you.
“…You saying we should speed things up?”
Or, the ones that could be easy to pass off as playful teasing, if it weren’t for the darker undertones that made your wild imagination run rampant.
And when the things they whispered lowly into your ear became a jumbled mess of inebriated nonsense, you could still rely on memories of their touch. How they held you, early in the night when you weren’t completely lost to both natural and unnatural chemical influences. The sensations of frustration, only met with feelings of being restrained. They way it felt almost practiced, as if they were planning to do whatever they did long before it actually happened.
Unconsciously, you wandered into your bedroom, anxiously pacing all the while. The safety of its familiarity was sedating, to an extent.
You shook your head, trying to figure out how you’d get your concerns across to the two men. “That’s...That’s not the problem. Well it is but―the whole thing was just a bad idea.”
A muffled, irritated sigh could be heard. “No, something must be going on with ya. It’s probably better we talk this out in person, yeah? You home right now, sweetheart?”
In typical Hizashi fashion, he failed to respect your boundaries. You let out your own sigh of annoyance, spinning on your heel to face your bedroom’s window.
“There’s nothing―”
...You were most definitely certain that you closed your window before leaving yesterday.
Forgetting that you were in the middle of a very heated conversation, the hand that was holding your phone to your ear fell slightly. With the one that was free, you pulled the frame closed.
And it creaked back open.
The latch was busted.
Deft fingers grazed the metal frame, where it would typically snap shut, and stay shut. While it wasn’t untypical for these kinds of things to break, knowing that your apartment complex wasn’t exactly the newest, the fault didn’t sit right with you.
And, when you set your phone down, using one hand to hold the window closed, the other to keep it in place by fastening the lock, you found that too equally damaged.
...Almost like someone tried to leave out the window, in a hurry at that. Which would explain it being left open, and how the aggressiveness of the action would render the whole thing completely useless.
The sound of your name being called through the speaker brought you back to the main issue at hand. Picking up the phone, you could only continue where you left off.
“There’s nothing else to talk about. Whatever relationship the three of us have...I don’t want to be a part of it anymore.”
You managed to shock yourself with that, not actually believing you had it in you to really put your foot down.
Hearing the radio silence that followed, you knew he was more shocked than you were.
It made you wonder if he was more fucked up on one substance or another than you were last night—the sheer level of denial Hizashi was in over the whole thing.
“...Don’t talk like that, gonna give me another heart attack. Two in one mornin’, that’s awfully cruel, dontcha think?”
You were always one to shy away from confrontation, but now was not the time for that. The chance to cut your ties with them in this moment was as best as you would likely ever get.
“I’m not okay with what this has turned into, Hizashi. Not remotely comfortable, and—“
“Where are you, (y/n).”
...
Shouta’s voice.
“...This isn’t something we should discuss over the phone.”
It shamed you that all Shouta had to do was address you in that low, gravely voice of his, and you were instantly regretting every decision you’d made since picking up the phone. He certainly had an effect on you; no matter how many times you dealt with his tone, you could never quite get used to the sternness.
You swallowed dryly, still eyeing the unnaturally broken window.
“I-I’m not telling you where I am. You need to respect my decision on this…”
But if they couldn’t respect the privacy of your own home, why would they care about your newfound insistence?
...
The thought of the two men being culprits to the property damage popped intrusively into your head. Wildly associating it to be an explanation to the fragments of blissed out proclamations, whatever “seein’ ya like this” meant.
Your grip on the cellphone faltered, a shake seizing your hands.
No, they were heroes.
What purpose would they have breaking into your apartment?
Because if Hizashi was referring to somehow having already seen you in such a compromising position as the one him and his partner coerced you into…
You took a step back from the window.
“It’s not something you have to like, b-but neither of you guys cared about what I wanted last night.” With the slight crack in your voice, you winced knowing they could likely tell how hard it was to be firm in your ways with them, only making their job easier. “You...you went too far―that’s why I’m so upset.”
Shouta’s words, as always, effortlessly sent a pang of anxiety through your system.
“You didn’t know what you wanted last night, we made that decision for you. And judging by how you didn’t exactly try to put up a fight...” The small, almost inaudible chuckle only made his claims tear you apart more. “...I’d say you were more than happy with our decision.”
Never failing to find the exact things to say to shut you up, to put you in your place, Shouta remained confident with where things were going since he took control of the conversation.
You fumbled on your words, not quite sure of what would be the best argument to deny his statement.
“T-That’s―”
“That’s the truth, and you know it.”
I can’t even remember half of what happened last night, is what you wanted to say.
You wanted to scream at him, really. The two of them loved assuming they knew everything―what was best for you―despite the clear evidence that they in fact did not.
Naturally, all you could actually do was run from wherever this conversation was headed. It was obvious you would never reach an agreement with them. All they’d want to do was take, take, take. Make demands like they were in charge of you.
You knew that you’d never be able to get through to them.
And honestly, you didn’t have the energy to even try.
The point of answering their call was to finally end things, and that’s all that was left to do.
“...I don’t care what either of you think, whatever happened last night—I didn’t want it. Just...don’t try to contact me again. Goodbye.”
When you finally pressed the ‘end call’ button, you expected to feel that weight of their unrelenting presence lift off of you.
...It didn’t. But you probably shouldn’t be surprised. It’d take time to calm down, all you really needed to worry about now was returning your life to how it was before meeting the two all those months ago.
Another call came through in seconds, startling you where you still stood in your bedroom. Shaking slightly from lingering nervousness, you hastily declined it, not checking to see who it was from. Fingers flying across the screen, you blocked both Shouta’s and Hizashi’s contacts from your phone, proceeding to delete the existing conversations.
A small step towards getting back to normal.
Just one of many.
_____
Trying to conceal the slight limp in your step as you walked to work on Monday was both difficult and mortifying, each sharp pain shooting through your abdomen an unwelcome reminder. A cold shiver ran through you, prompting you to shove your hands in your pockets for warmth.
The changing seasons meant you’d have to work on moving around the shop’s layout. Bringing more delicate plants inside, swapping them out for seasonal ones that could handle the chill in the air. A task that you wondered if you would have to complete yourself.
With the days growing shorter, you noted the dusk already settling over the sky, drawing near the start of your 5pm shift. The orange hues dancing in the clouds were certainly a beautiful sight. Your gaze repeatedly found its way back to the sky as you walked down the sidewalk.
The closer you got to work, the more vibrant it seemed.
Strange indeed.You passed it off as the darkening night merely amplifying the remaining light of the setting sun.
Turning down another street, you could hear the approaching sound of sirens. A firetruck soon whipped past and continued down the road, making you shuffle towards the inside of the sidewalk. The piercing noise left an uncomfortable ringing in your ears.
When such an irritating reaction to the blaring never completely faded, you realized that was because it was just more distant sirens, multiple of them, sounding off in the direction you were heading.
You picked up your pace.
With another glance at the sky, you began to see not just the orange hue intensifying, but also a distinct plume of black smoke.
...
...It’s not...it can’t be…
Soon enough, your leisurely walk picked up speed. The ache in your gut from both physical wounds and growing anxiety making you nauseous.
Barely taking precautions to watch where you were going, you focused only on the direction of your shop, and the beacon of light that seemed to be right on top of it. Mindlessly placing one foot in front of the other, feeling like the end of the road before you turned the corner was only growing further away with each step.
The unpleasant smell of something burnt met your senses—faint, but there nonetheless.
You couldn’t lie to yourself, whatever was up ahead, it wasn’t good. But it couldn’t be what you were thinking.
Not your shop.
No. You’d turn the corner, and it would be fine.
The small boutique would be where it always was, nestled in between two buildings, waiting for you to start your shift.
Things would go back to normal, just like you’d planned.
The wailing sirens met your ears in full force. A stifling air, unnaturally hot and acrid washed over you, causing you to instinctively clamp a hand over your nose and mouth.
In gradually coming to the worst realization of the night, your free hand braced the brick wall of the building next to you, knees nearly buckling.
Thirty feet away, lighting up the street to be as bright as day, was your workplace completely engulfed in flames.
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Text
“Hi ma’am. Uh—I’m looking for Jethro Gibbs?” The 15 years old boy asked to Ellie Bishop. Who’s that kid? She’s never seen him before, or heard her boss talked about a teenager. And she doesn’t recall how it could be link to any case.
“You are?” She asked, intrigued.
“It’s—personal,” the teenager said. Now, she’s even more intrigued. If he had blue eyes, she’d have asked herself if he shared DNA with her boss.
“I’m gonna call him but I just need your name,” she said, grabbing her phone.
“Harry! What are you doing here, bud?” Gibbs approached the teenager and Harry immediately ran into his arms. Gibbs hugged him tight.
“Can I stay with you today?”
“I—“ Gibbs wanted to tell him that he was working. But he was the sad eyes on Harry’s face. The kid has been though a lot lately, he can’t tell him no. “Let him call your mum, okay?”
Gibbs stood aside the bullpen while he called you, Harry was right next to him and the rest of the team came back. Tony and McGee stood next to Ellie, following where her eyes were watching. “Who’s that kid?” Tony asked first.
“I was hoping you could tell me,” Bishop answered.
While on the phone, they saw their boss smiling. A real smile. And then he put his hands in Harry’s curly hair.
“Does Gibbs has a kid we don’t know about?” Tim asked.
“He has green eyes,” Bishop stated.
“So? Do I look like my father?” Tony said, without thinking. Tim and Ellie turned their heads to look at their coworker. “Yeah, bad example, but you get the point.”
Right after Tony’s sentence, Gibbs hang up. The three agents pretended to be occupied at their own desk. Their boss had his arm around Harry’s shoulders as they came back to the bullpen. “Harry is going to be our honorary agent for the day. This is Tim, Tony and Ellie,”
“Hi,” Harry shyly waved at them.
“Hello Honorary agent Harry,” Tony stood up to check the teenager’s hand. “And he is?” Tony asked his boss.
“None of your business,” Gibbs simply answered. Tony growled, unhappy about not having an answer. “Update,”
While the team updated Gibbs on the case and what they found, Harry stayed really close to the boss. Gibbs always had a protective and special warmth towards kids and teenagers, but there was something special there. Tony promised himself to find what was the relationship there, by the end of the day.
Abby knew Gibbs would entered her lab any minute, but he never expected him to come in with a very young special agent. “Abby, Harry. Harry, Abby. Lab tech,” Gibbs said, and both Harry and Abby waved at each other. “What you got, Abs?”
“Many questions,” she said, looking at the teenager’s green eyes.
“Unhappy look,” Harry whispered to her, looking at Gibbs that was standing right behind her, waiting for her report.
“We call it the Gibbs stare, here,” she quickly said, before telling her boss what we wanted to know.
Harry was impressed. We knew things about Gibbs’ job, just like he knows what yours, since you’re a cop too. But what Abby is doing is very impressive to him, he would love to her multiple questions. “Can I stay with her?” Harry asked Gibbs, as they were about to leave the lab.
Jethro definitely hates how weak he can be with Harry. “Okay but a few rules,” Abby and Harry listened carefully, “First, Abby, do not interrogate him. And do not show him weird things his mother can be mad about. And you, bud,” Gibbs took a few steps closer to Harry, “enjoy your day, okay? I’ll come get you for lunch,” Gibbs kissed Harry’s forehead and left.
Abby didn’t waste any time, “Okay, bud,”
“Nope. Only Jethro calls me that. I hate it, but it’s an habit now,”
“Fine. Who are you to my boss?”
“Stepson, I guess. I think?—I’m not sure. Jethro and mum has—“ Harry stopped in the middle on the sentence and turned around. “God, I thought he was standing behind,” he said.
“Does he do that outside of work, too?” Abby asked, super exciting about knowing personal things.
“Yeah, it’s like he has a detector every time we say his name,”
“Today’s going to be so fun!”
Harry has never been into sciences at school, he’s more into languages and literature, just like his father. But Abby Sciuto made it so fun that his curiosity was exploding. Pretty much like the experience he was doing. “What did I do wrong?” Harry said, frustrated about failing.
“You took this,” Abby said, showing a product, “instead of that,” she showed another product.
“Damn!” Harry said. And of course, Gibbs has entered the lab at the very same moment. He extended his hand to his stepson, “do we have to do it even when Joe’s not around?” Harry complained. “I’m not a kid anymore,”
“Fine, but don’t tell your mother. And—what happened here? A tornado?” Gibbs asked, looking at the mess.
“I’m definitely not good at sciences,”
“You just need a good teacher, sweetie,” Abby said. “You can come around when you need help, if your—stepdad is okay,” Abby grinned at Gibbs, happy to know that info.
“What happened in that lab—better stay in that lab,” Gibbs said, “Hungry, bud?”
Gibbs and Harry went to the diner for lunch. “Text your mum, Harry. She’s worried,”
“Dad broke up with Lindsay. He wants me to come back and live with him again,”
“Is that what you want?”
“No—yes—maybe. I don’t know,”
“Hey, whatever you want to do, your parents will agree to it. All they want is for you to be happy, wherever you are,”
“Even if it’s in Australia?” Gibbs looked at Harry, confused. Last he knew, your ex husband is living in California. “Dad had a job offer in Sydney, he said yes. And he’s leaving next month,”
“If you want to go with him, do it,”
“How would you feel about it, J?”
“It doesn’t mat—“
“It matters to me. You’ve been in my life for almost ten years now. At some points, you were more a dad to me than Dad was. And you’re my baby brother’s father. I care about you, and I care about what you think,”
This is typically what Gibbs doesn’t like. He hates that kind of conversation, he hates to let people know how he feels and what he thinks. But if someone deserves to know a little about it, it’s definitely Harry.
“For me, there’s no difference between you and your brother— Family’s more than DNA. It’s about people who care and take care of each other.”
“Stop with those sentences all made up! Tell me how you’d feel if I move to Australia,”
Gibbs chuckled. The shy little boy he met 8 years ago was now becoming a confident young man. “I’ll miss you, okay? Just like I missed when you left for California! Are you happy now?”
“No! I’ll be happy when you and mum stop acting like children, and finally give Joe a stable family,”
“Your mum and I are dysfunctional, but we work that way. Did Joe tell you something?”
“He’s 5 and he wants what any other 5 years old want; he wants to live with his mother and his father, 24/7. In the same household,”
“With his big brother too, right?”
“Yes, but that’s not the point,”
After a blank during which Gibbs intensely stared at Harry, “I didn’t see you grow up. I’m proud of the young man you’re becoming,”
Harry smiled, “Say it,”
“What?” Gibbs asked, his mouth full of his burger.
“You know it! Say it,”
“Nope,”
“Why? Why is it so hard?” Harry paused. “Look— it can be easy when it’s true. I love you, dad.”
Harry called Gibbs “dad” occasionally. Sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. Jethro remembered the first time he heard it from him and the first Joe said it. He felt the same for both. That’s how he knew there was so difference between his real son and his stepson. They are both his sons.
“I love you,” Gibbs mumbled, with French fries in his mouth.
“Didn’t understand. What did you say?”
Gibbs swallowed. “I love you, son! Okay? You happy? Can I eat in silence now?”
“Yes, you can,” Harry proudly smiled.
In the afternoon, Harry stayed with Gibbs until the agent had no choice but to go on a run for the case. Gibbs let his stepson with Ducky. The doc showed Harry around, avoiding the autopsy and corpses obviously. By the end of the day, Ducky and Harry were playing chess at Gibbs’ desk, waiting for everyone to come back. But when they heard the elevator opening, here you were, with Joe in your arms. The little boy got down and ran to his brother as soon as he saw him. You hugged your son tight. “How are you, baby?” You asked.
“I’m good mum,” he smiled and kissed you on the cheek. “I’m beating Ducky,”
“Not yet, young man,” Ducky stood and hugged you. “How’s my favorite Gibbs?” He asked to Joe, who was holding onto his brother like a koala bear.
“Say hi to Ducky, sweetheart,” you told your youngest son and the little boy waved at the doc. Ducky and Harry sat back in their chairs, Joe was still holding Harry and you sat on Jethro’s desk.
“Where’s J?” You asked.
“Followed a lead, he should be back soon,”
The four of you stayed together, talking about everything and nothing until the elevator opened again. This time, it was Gibbs with his team. As soon as Joe saw his dad, he jumped from his brother’s lap and ran into Gibbs’ arm. “Hey baby,”
Tony, Tim and Ellie were more confused than they were hours ago when they met Harry. Ducky couldn’t help but smiling big. Before anyone could say anything, Abby appeared with Jimmy in the bullpen. The entire team was there. “How’d it go?” She asked.
The team explained that it led to nowhere, and they had to go back to the beginning on that case. While they did that, Jethro stole you a quick kiss, and he whispered something in Harry’s ears. “Checkmate!” Your son told Ducky as he made his final move.
“That’s cheating,” Ducky said.
“Nope. Dad and I share one brain,”
When the word “dad” was heard in the bullpen, everyone stopped talking and turned like one man towards Gibbs and you. Your boyfriend laughed, and moved Joe on his back, “Hang on Monkey!” He said.
“Can we go to McDonald’s?” The little boy asked.
“Nope,” “yes!” Gibbs and you answered at the same time. Jethro looked at you, but you were looking at Harry with a smile. “Boys!” You said.
In a second, Joe was tickling his father in the neck, and Harry was searching for his car keys while you were holding his arms. When your oldest found the keys, he handed them to you and the three of you ran to the elevator. “Team work!” You high five the boys.
Gibbs’ team was looking at him, more confused than they have never been in their life. Their boss laughed and walked towards the elevator and his family, “Good night everyone!”
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