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heloisedaphnebrightmore · 3 years

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Regardless of the bond [James Potter x Reader]

Title: Regardless of the bond Pairing: James Potter x Female!Reader Word count: 3.3k Published: 19 April 2021 Author: Heloise Daphne Brightmore Summary: [x] The existence of soulmates was hard for you to believe. You wished to be one of them, but after your 18th birthday, when you were supposed to experience a difference, you are left disappointed. Knowing you didn’t have that special bond and you had to continue watching the one you liked so deeply love someone else makes you want to just disappear. Bingo: [x] This is part of my Make me feel Bingo Card by @girl-next-door-writes

Square filled: Alternative Universe

Harry Potter Characters Masterlist | Masterlists

Make me feel Bingo Masterlist

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Soulmates were a very widely known myth that many believed and wished to experience, but some found it to be a silly little idea created by those who romanticised the idea to be with someone for the rest of their lives. The thought of loving someone and being loved unconditionally was indeed one that many wished to have, but since soulmates were rather rare, people often ignored its existence and chose to find love themselves. According to the myths, some people experienced finding their soulmate with a simple touch, where for a mere second, they saw images of their future life together. For some it was a sensation, a pulling force telling them that they belonged together. There were some theories where they could recognise each other’s scent. Many different myths have been spread throughout the centuries, but there was one mutual theory in all of them. When it happens, you just know it, you feel it, every single fibre of your body screams for that certain person to stay in your life.

You were one of those who believed it but didn’t think it would ever happen to you. You hoped, of course you did, but you were more logical than to rely on an old myth. Having such a strong connection was a lovely idea, but it was hard to believe that it would be handed to you on a silver plate. All the fairy tales you have heard about from your parents said that the soulmate-bond would be activated after your 18th birthday if you had one. But of course, it’s been a month and you have felt no different than before, reassuring you that you weren’t any special.

You were seated in the Gryffindor common room, legs thrown over the arm of the sofa, hanging down on the side as you doodle little drawings on a piece of ripped parchment.

“What are you doing?” You heard a voice and as you looked up, you recognised Lily standing in the doorway.

“Just drawing,” you replied, turning back to your parchment, ignoring your friend.

“Good, good,” she nodded and took a seat beside you, staring at your doodles.

“Is there anything you want?” You asked, turning back to her with an expectant expression, brows running high.

“Nope,” she popped the ‘p’ as she shook her head. You frowned at her rather strange behaviour, but once again turned back to your drawings, trying to ignore her staring. However, it seemed to be a task easier said than done. Feeling Lily’s breath on your neck and her eyes attached to your drawing, whilst squirming in her place chased all your creativity away. You folded up your paper and looked at your friend once again.

“You are being fairly annoying,” you stated with a grimace.

“I didn’t even do anything,” she huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest and turning to the opposite direction, giving you a side-glance every once in a while.

“Breathing down my neck and staring at me is quite creepy and as much as I love you, your behaviour is very unusual so spill it, what’s going on?” You asked firmly, causing Lily to scrunch her nose and pout in a child-like manner. She was a very smart witch and an even better friend, but at times she was capable of getting on your nerves with a simple look. “Come on, I don’t have all day to wait for you,” you rushed her as you stood up and tossed the folded parchment in the drawer of your desk and closed it with a thudding sound.

“I have overheard a little discussion between James and Sirius. They were talking about you,” she smirked playfully, wiggling her brows as though you were supposed to understand.

“I’m not sure what kind of reaction you are expecting of me,” you frowned in confusion.

“Well, certainly a happier one than the one I’m getting now,” she grimaced. “I have been hearing nothing else from you, but how much you’ve liked James since the first time you talked,” she tried to lead you to the right direction, but you still stood there cluelessly.

“So?” you asked.

“So? James and Sirius were talking about you,” Lily repeated slower as if you didn’t understand before.

“I heard you for the first time too, I’m not stupid. I simply don’t understand what you want from me. James and Sirius are my friends, they will inevitably talk about me if I come up in a subject,” you shrugged nonchalantly.

“You are unbelievable. I overheard James telling Sirius that he has feelings for you,” Lily exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. But instead of excitement you gave her a deadpan expression. “Okay, I’m not sure what’s going on with you today, but I’m honestly starting to think you are broken or something,” she huffed.

“We both know that James has been running after you for years, Lils. Sure, we are close, I love him to bits, however, I am nothing but a friend to him. I’m not sure what you heard or what you misunderstood to be exact, but we both know James has liked you for years and I find it hard to believe that his last year will be the one where he changes his mind so abruptly,” you explained. Whilst a part of you wished to believe it was true, a more logical side made sure to crush those hopeful thoughts that tried to sway you.

“I’m sorry, but I’m quite sure of what I heard. And why couldn’t he? Crushes come and go, and he hasn’t asked me out or showed any interest in me for the last month or so. I do believe he has feelings for you, but you have been friends for so long, you can’t expect him to just walk up to you and confess,” Lily tried to pressure your logical side, but you couldn’t find it in you to agree. You have liked him for so long, you were numb to even the thought of him ever reciprocating your feelings.

“Ok, I accept that. Now that we have concluded this conversation, can we actually grab something to eat?” You asked whilst walking towards the door and opening it for Lily, waiting for her to follow you.

“You’re definitely broken,” she huffed, annoyed by your nonchalant behaviour.

“And you are rather annoying today. I’m glad we both have negative feelings towards each other. It will be a beautiful day,” you put on a fake smile, earning a grimace from Lily.

“You have been avoiding him recently,” she added with a side-glance, making you groan as you headed down the stairs to the common room.

“Can we stop talking about him for a second?” you asked, pleading with the girl.

“Fine, but I’m not giving up just yet,” shrugging, she hurried up her steps and walked out the common room, leaving you farther behind. Rolling your eyes, you heaved a heavy sigh and followed her to the Great hall.

As you sat at the Gryffindor table with Lily on your right, eating your usual morning toast, James took a seat on your other side whilst Sirius sat down beside Lily, followed by Remus and Peter across the table.

“We have a beautiful day today, don’t we?” James beamed, his unusually positive attitude making you frown. Everyone seemed to act unlike themselves and you certainly didn’t like the way they behaved.

“I guess,” you replied with a grimace. “Would have been better if Lily didn’t start my day by dancing on my nerves,” you groaned.

“I was simply stating facts,” she huffed.

“That could possibly be a definition of annoying too if we dig deeper,” you retorted.

“It’s not my fault you are hard-headed,” she rolled her eyes.

“It’s not my fault you are spreading false rumours,” you shrugged nonchalantly.

“It’s not my fault you can’t see the forest from the tree,” she grimaced.

“Woah, woah, let’s just stop it there. We have quite an intense breakfast on our hands. What do you say we just continue eating quietly?” James asked, trying to stop your bickering.

“Been doing that until you arrived with your overly-positive attitude,” you replied as you bit into your toast.

“I’m sorry for having a nice day. Instead of being gloomy, you could try it too,” he raised a questioning brow, wearing a playful smirk across his face. In normal circumstances you would have returned his smile, feeling all warm inside, feeling your cheeks flush. He had a certain vibe that always made you feel happier even if you were down. But not in that moment. It just didn’t work.

“Will take your advice into consideration,” you huffed as you stood up from the table, finishing your breakfast. “See you later,” you nodded and headed towards the exit. You barely reached the first classroom across the corridor when you heard your name being called.

Turning around you, you saw James walking towards you in a haste. “Hmm?” You hummed in a questioning tone.

“You are acting strange recently. I can’t talk to you, I barely see you and honestly, I feel like you are avoiding me,” he stated, nervously rocking from one foot to the other. Indeed, you have been trying to keep a distance from the boy, knowing he fancied Lily whilst you liked him. Since your birthday you expected some kind of sign that would lead you to your soulmate, but it never happened. No images, no scents, no touches. The person you liked for so long had a crush on someone else and when you finally thought you might have a chance to find someone to connect with, you had to release you as one of many didn’t have a soulmate.

“Look, I just prefer being alone nowadays,” you lied. Imagining a pitiful look in his eyes, knowing why you have been avoiding him was something you never wanted to see. He was always supportive, and you could always rely on him, but this time you couldn’t possibly open up to him. You didn’t want his apologetic looks.

“Seven years. It’s been seven years since we first met and almost as long since we have become friends. I think I know you fairly well. Sure, people change, so did you and I, but we have changed together, for me you are still the same person I befriended. I don’t understand why you think that I would believe you. Wanting to be alone on occasions is fine, you have always done that, but you never closed me out completely until recently. I need to know what’s going on,” he pleaded, his words, his eyes, even his tone screaming for some kind of an explanation, but you couldn’t give him what he wanted.

“I’m sorry,” you simply apologised and started walking away. Giving him an explanation would have revealed your secret and you were not ready for that. Maybe once when your feelings were finally gone and you decide to sit down to talk about the old times, being nostalgic, maybe then you would have the courage, but not in that moment.

“Sorry is not enough,” he raised his voice as he hurried after you and grabbed your wrist. The feeling of his warm palm across your skin sent shivers down your spine. Your lips parted in surprise as you felt electricity run through the spot where he held onto you, starting off your heart in a quick pace. Feeling your cheeks heat up, you turned around and looked into his brown eyes as wide as yours, trying to figure out the unusual, sudden feeling. You felt your chest compress, air stuck in your lungs as you watched the man you had feelings for being just as shocked as you were. Knowing, hoping, believing what that certain electrical feeling running through you meant, it frightened you. You never wanted to be bonded with a man who loved someone else and the simple thought of you having to watch him run after his loved one made you feel as though your heart was shattering into the smallest of pieces, where picking them and trying to mend them wasn’t an option anymore.

Both of you stood stunned, his fingers firmly around your wrist, staring at each other, wordlessly trying to communicate. It was James who recovered first and let go of your arm, leaving it to fall beside you. You wanted to speak, you wanted him to speak, but none of you knew the right words to voice. In your shocked state you just wanted to disappear, you wanted to run away. The awkward silence was making you mad and frustrated, wanting nothing but to get as far from him as possible. So, you did. You hurried off, the sound of your heavy steps following you through the corridor. Hearing James’ pleading voice to stop you didn’t seem to work, you hurried your steps, not knowing where you were heading.

“Stop!” James appeared in front of you, stepping out of a hidden door you have not seen before.

“Leave me alone, James,” you pleaded, desperately needing some time alone.

“You felt it too. I know you did, so stop running away,” he stepped in your way as you tried to walk around him. He was determined to keep you there, to talk to you, to finally stop you from avoiding him.

“Why? I felt nothing. Just get away from me,” you raised your voice, even though you have never done it before, but it didn’t work. James wasn’t giving in.

“Enough,” he raised his voice this time, but it wasn’t threatening nor aggressive, he was firm and somewhat assertive. “You can avoid me if you like, you can ignore me if that makes you feel better but telling me that you didn’t feel anything when I touched you, lying to my face, that I will not take,” he exhaled slowly. “I know you felt it too and we both know what it meant. You are not stupid and nor am I. And if you feel like pretending that it didn’t happen,” he swallowed and heaved a heavy sigh,” we can do that, I will not force you. I’m only asking you not to run away from me,” he pleaded with you.

Feeling the tears collecting in your eyes, you tried to keep them in bay, not wanting James to see you so vulnerable. A heavy sigh left your lungs as you looked up at him, locking your eyes with him. “I— I don’t know how to handle this, James. You have been in love with Lily for so long, I don’t know how to react. I don’t want to be bonded to someone who already loves someone else,” you finally voiced your thoughts, finding it hard to resist the pleading look across his face.

“I never loved Lily,” he shook his head with a deep frown. “I was in a way infatuated with her, I liked the idea of liking her, but I didn’t love her. And I don’t feel that way anymore. I haven’t even tried getting closer to her in the last couple of months. If you were here, you could have seen it, but you decided to avoid me at all cost,” his tone, his demeanour, his firm stance radiated confidence and sincerity. Indeed, you haven’t seen much of him and you couldn’t judge what happened around your friend circle recently, but it was hard to believe that after all this time he just gave up on Lily.

“Look, whether you like her or not is not my business really and you don’t owe me any explanation. Maybe in the future you will like someone else, and I will be happy for you, but we have been friends for so long, I don’t want this stupid bond to stand in your way. So, let’s just pretend it didn’t happen, alright?” you tried to compromise, but James shook his head heavily in reply and stepped closer to you.

“How can you be so silly? You and this bond will always be standing in the way of me liking someone else, because regardless of that stupid bond, it is you that I like,” he confessed, his eyes a storm of emotions. He reached for your hand, cupping them in his, squeezing yours gently. “I like you. I really do. It has nothing to do with that bond,” he swallowed nervously. You tried to respond, say something, but instead you kept opening and closing your mouth as if you were a fish out of water, gaping, finding it hard to breath. It was hard to believe, but you couldn’t deny the tiny bit of flame you felt deep within you, hope that meant you still had a chance with him.

“But why?” you exclaimed in shock, not even realising your own words. James let out a mild chuckle, your words catching him off guard.

“Because you were always there for me, because you always knew what to say to me, how to hold me, how to deal with me. Because whenever I’m around you I’m both calm and nervous at the same time. Because you make me feel like a little child, wanting to smile whenever I see you. You are beautiful of course, but regardless I feel as though there’s this pulling force between us. I didn’t realise that I liked you until you were avoiding me. And it was not because of the bond, but because I realised that you were not there beside me and I missed the smallest of details that makes you—you. Scrunching your nose, pouting, grimacing at my silly ideas, scolding me for not studying. Every single little detail that makes you— you, was just missing from my life and it was killing me. I do like you more than you can imagine with or without that stupid bond,” he replied with a lopsided smile across his face, leaning his forehead against yours.

“But Lily—” you wanted to say, but he cut you off.

“There is no Lily. There’s only you and me. I just want you to maybe give me a chance to try if we work, if this— whatever is between us works,” he pleaded and instead of a reply, you stood on your tiptoes and attached your lips to his. He was hesitant, he didn’t know what was happening, but he didn’t let his chance slip out of his hands. He let go of your hands and cupped your face for better access, devouring your lips, losing himself in the moment where it was indeed only you and him.

“I like you. I like you so much,” you breathed against his lips, stunning him. His eyes widened at your words, clearly shocked by your sudden confession.

“But you have been avoiding me,” he exclaimed.

“I couldn’t be around you. I couldn’t watch you run after Lily anymore,” you shook your head, nervously biting your lip.

“I’m so sorry for putting you through that,” he hinted a small kiss on your forehead. “I promise I will make up for it if you give me a chance.”

“Wasn’t I clear enough?” you giggled softly as you placed your hands on his, holding your face. “There is nothing I want more than to give us a chance,” you smiled, reassuring him that you wanted him just as much as he wanted you.

“Well, since we have already missed the beginning of the first class, we could start off by trying to regain the last month you have so rudely taken from me,” he raised a questioning brow, hoping you would agree.

“I guess we could skip a class after all,” you giggled softly.

“Or more than one,” he wiggled his brows as he captured your lips once again, impatiently waiting for all the memories you were to experience together.

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#james potter #james potter x reader #james potter imagine #james potter oneshot #james potter fanfiction #james potter x reader imagine #james potter x reader oneshot #james potter x reader fanfiction #girl next door's make me feel bingo #harry potter #james potter x yn #james potter x y/n

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silverkoushi · 3 years

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haikyuu!! headcanons

⇢ scenario: how you’d spend the holidays with them!! pt.2 | read pt. 1 here! ⇢ feat. : tsukki (karasuno), bokuto (fukurodani) & kuroo (nekoma) x gn!reader ⇢ wc & warnings: 3.3k, slightly suggestive for kuroo

ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ not @ me having the phattest crush on kuroo as you can probably tell here... dear god that man is something edit: omo for some reason the paragraphs got messed up n i just checked it after hours of posting... i fixed it now so hopefully it makes more sense ahh my apologies!! ><

tsukishima kei

୨୧ ˻˳˯ₑ*॰¨̮ idk about you but i think tsukki secretly enjoys the holidays? like he’d think the music is overbearing, the movies are disgustingly cliche, and the amount of people gathering in places is one of his worst nightmares— those aren’t the things that he looks forward to. i think tsukki loves winter, maybe because i see him as a softie who collects sweaters, hoodies, and sweatpants that keep him comfy and cozy during cold nights and chilly mornings! WITH THAT BEING SAID, tsukki dies inside when he sees you wearing any of those following outfits of his. he might get annoyed at first that you don’t ask because he was planning on wearing them that day, but when you show up at his dorm clad in his night blue sweater with a little moon stitched on the side, there are no words coming out of his mouth. he will try to look menacing, eyes in a deadpan expression but you know he’s lying, and just stare at him with a doe-like face and put his hands in yours, swinging it back and forth as you drag him out of his room and into the snowy field. you don’t even think twice about getting matching sweaters because the boy will hate you for the rest of his life, but at least you got him to wear a reindeer headband for 2 seconds in the photobooth!! most of the time, you basically just bring him to anywhere you want to go. you guys look at the humongous christmas tree they placed in the center of the plaza, and you ask someone walking by if you can get a picture of the two of you in front of him. this way, tsukki can’t complain and will be semi-forced to pose with you hehe. you thought he’d just be standing there, arms to his side with a nonchalant expression but you actually feel him put his arm around your waist and lean his head down on top of yours.

you can’t help the cheeky smile show on your face as you tiptoe just enough to reach his cheek, and once the guy said, “ok one more!” you steal a kiss on the side of tsukki’s small smile. “hey, what was—” “thanks, mister!! happy holidays!!” you avoid his stare, and get your phone back from the guy as you scroll through the pics he took (thank god only a few were blurry). tsukki keeps glaring at you, and you understand he’s not big into pda but uh, he started it with holding you close to him like that >:( “what?? you look so cute here, though!!” you whine to him, hoping he doesn’t ask that you delete it :( tsukki gives it a once over, a warm feeling creeping on his cheeks as he studies the picture: damn, is he whipped for you. he dismisses the overreaction on his part (for once), and takes your hand in his once more, asking where it is you wanted to go next. you’re surprised he left it like that, but you’re taking advantage of this situation and drag him to more festive stuff around the plaza <3

with your parents spending the holidays abroad and working overtime, tsukki’s mom invited you to their place instead and you’re!! more than happy and oh so grateful!! tsukki doesn’t show it but he’s actually extremely nervous,, what if you don’t like his family?? what if his brother is too annoying for you, what if this isn’t the kind of in-laws you were expecting— wait, he’s thinking too far ahead and you’re looking at him with raised eyebrows. quick! he turns away from your gaze, biting his lip at getting caught with his overthinking. “tsukki, you okay?” you ask gently, looping your arm around his as you guys near his house. “yeah…” he responds lamely, and you’re not sure if he wanted you at his house for the holidays or what… but you shake the negativity away and tell yourself that this is an opportunity to show your own personality to his family!! you’re greeted by a boisterous even taller guy at the door, and his also really tall mom waving at you from the kitchen, finishing up the grand dinner. “mom and i thought you were just pretending about your relationship, tsukki~” akiteru nudges him, and you chuckle at your boyfriend’s helpless look on his face, as if telling you this is what i dealt with during my childhood. but the holiday celebration with his family went super smooth!! his mom cooked amazing homemade dishes, and tsukki was actually smiling and laughing along the poor jokes akiteru made, it was so endearing to watch. you asked to help with the clean up as tsukki and his brother play volleyball outside in the cold.

“i’m so glad he has you,” his mom comforts you, and you nod your head in thanks while you wipe the plates clean. “i’ve never seen him so… cheerful like this, you know?” what a heartwarming thing to say :(( and yet you thought he was just finally letting loose because he’s at home!! his mom turns in early that eve of christmas, and his brother goes out to have a nightly beer sesh with his hometown friends before christmas morning tomorrow. you and tsukki are left alone in his room as you marvel at the many dinosaur related merch, posters, and even stuffies he has in his childhood room!! “don’t say it,” he threatens you lightly, even though you’ve been well-aware of his fascination for the species. a little tired from the trip earlier and ngl you’re both full from the food, you lay down on the floor, pillows supporting your sleepy heads as tsukki shares the other side of his earphones. you listen to calming, lofi music for the night and at some point, he finds your fingers in his again. “thank you for having me, tsukki,” you whisper with a yawn, remembering the night days ago where you cried into his shoulder about missing your own family during this season. tsukki doesn’t respond as he hears your light snoring, and instead turns his body towards you as he caresses the side of your face, smiling at the beauty before him. “you’re always welcome here, dummy. you’ll always have me.”

bokuto koutarou

୨୧ ˻˳˯ₑ*॰¨̮ oof!! so many holiday parties!! gift giving exchanges!! dancing and singing, drinking and having the time of your lives! of course, bokuto asks first and foremost if you’re okay going to all of these celebrations with him as he has gathered a lot of friends from different majors, clubs, and such. you didn’t expect to come with him to all of them, tbh, but since he seems so excited to bring you along you found yourself nodding along! OOPS, what a wild ride it was to meet friends you didn’t even know he had. first, bokuto asked you to help him find some gifts for the exchange parties and you comply— you love thinking up presents for diff kinds of people! “would akaashi want this?” he points at a set of compression socks for sports “you’d want that more, bo” “oh oh!! how about this for kuroo?!” he leads you to the beauty section, hairspray littering the aisle “i think that’s more of an insult than a gift…” he’ll pout at his failure to think of the best gifts for his friends, but you cling to him with your linked arms and tell him not to worry— you kinda figured the kind of people his best friends are, so you suggest things off the bat: film roll for akaashi the photography minor, a mug with a pun-ny chem joke for kuroo, and a new case for kenma’s switch lite!! “wah! you know them better than i do,” he exclaims, eyes shining in excitement as you bring the gifts and other extra stuff to his apartment to help him wrap them. with this, bokuto came up with an idea to wrap the presents in the most creative way possible, and you just stare at him in awe as he tries to disguise the mug as.. a gingerbread man?? you don’t even know how he did it! as you tape up the finishing touches with the others, you eye a small gift wrapped box on the island counter along with a card next to it, all glittery and a name scribbled on top that you can’t make out where you were seated.

“hey, bo, who’s that for?” you point at the suspecting box, and almost immediately bokuto body slams you on the ground, obstructing your view of the gift. “bokuto i can’t breathe—” you wheeze, laughing at the way he scrambles to get up from the position but his feet slips against the unused wrapping paper on the floor. “sorry, sorry i just— STOP LOOKING” he pleads, caging you with his arms either side your figure. the both of you pause, realizing the predicament you’re in until bokuto unleashes a sly smirk, eyes pointed at you with a mischievous glint. you know that look, so you start wiggling out of his way until he plops down on you again (mind you, he’s MANY inches taller than you and his built...whew, but that’s part of the problem right now!!) and blows raspberries on your neck, the audacity!! “tell me,” he whispers against your ear after a while, voice suddenly low in tone and your senses perk up. “have you been naughty or nice recently?” he continues hoarsely, and it doesn’t take long until you burst out laughing at his attempt of being flirty right now. he finally releases you, feigns hurt from your reaction but he knows what a goofball he is.

anyway, you put all the gifts in the car and head to the many parties he was invited to!! and honestly, you enjoyed yourself albeit it got really tiring to show up with much enthusiasm compared to the last. but bokuto on the other hand never runs out of energy for some reason!! he’s still winning the games, singing his heart out with his friends, and trying all the foods in the potluck, even shamelessly!! feeding you too! it’s embarrassing >< but in a way your heart swells with the thought of bokuto being very openly proud of his relationship with you, and how his friends seem to like you as well! pictures were taken, holiday spirits and gifts were exchanged and finally, he’s free for the night <3 you’ve been waiting for the right moment to give him your personal gift to your boyf (it’s an edited picture of the two of you at one of his winning games!! you can’t draw for sht but you are the best at adding lil stickers and cute petnames all around the photo hehe) you had it inserted in a picture frame too so the gift was relatively medium sized and rectangular. when you crash at his place, you ready yourself to give it to him, having second thoughts with how corny it must seem like… as you psych yourself up on the couch, you feel his arms suddenly wrap themselves around you as he starts peppering your neck with lazy kisses. your chest tightens, eyes closed at the warmth of his lips on your skin but— you can’t get distracted!! “bo, i have something for you—” “i saved the best gift for last—” o, you say it at the same time and so you look at each other with blank stares, and then laugh at your awkwardness!!

he lets you go first, your nerves slowly dissipating at the excited gleam in his irises, he’s so cute!! as he unwraps it, he hitches a breath, looks at you then the picture and you again and— let’s say your face was just full on bokuto territory only ;-) as much as you were enjoying his attention all on you, his gift wasn’t opened yet!! bokuto went from confident to shy mode again, hiding his face with only one eye peeking out to watch you…. for some reason, since it was a tiny box you blurted out, “don’t tell me it’s a ring, bo.” as a joke but bokuto suddenly freezes at your words. and you had to stop unboxing to make sure he doesn’t go all pale on you, but also??? was he really???? GOING TO???-- “DID YOU WANT ME TO GET YOU A RING?? I CAN RETURN THE EARRINGS TODAY, I THINK I STILL HAVE THE RECEIPT—” “bo, it’s okay!!! omg no T_T” you take his hands off his face to look at him lovingly, a kiss on his pouty lips as you reassure him his presence is all that you can ever want, but whatever it was he gave you, you’ll cherish just the same!! so finally, once you take the lid off the box you see an adorable pair of owl earrings!! it’s so cute and it reminds you of him and thats probably why he got that for you :’)))) “i also wrote you a letter but please read it when i’m asleep or something…” aww shy bokuto!! >< you never thought you’d see the day :’)

kuroo tetsurou

୨୧ ˻˳˯ₑ*॰¨̮ man.. i just know this guy wouldn’t want to let leave… the bed… with him… on christmas day. imagine something like having to stay until he can for his duties at work which ended up til late christmas eve :( you were looking forward to spending time with him back at his hometown since you don’t necessarily celebrate the specific holiday, but being with tetsurou for almost a year now and knowing he does— you wanted it to be special and memorable for him! he felt really bad making you stay at his apartment until he finishes up work, really zooming through all the documents and stuff he needed to complete just so he can spend at least a few hours of christmas eve with you. when he got home, his heart dropped to his stomach at the sight of you falling asleep on the couch, right next to the lit up christmas tree you two decorated a week ago (thats how busy he has been! you opted to fix the tree yourself, but tetsu insisted on doing it together since it’s your first holiday with him!). your favorite blanket was wrapped around you but your feet were dangling midway with no socks on and he just >:( had to carry you to bed and tuck you in— all of you!!

he changes to a sweater and pjs before readying himself to carry you against his chest. his own body is exhausted from working non-stop, but he doesn’t let it get to him as he passes by the hallway and plops you gently on your side of the bed. you stir groggily, eyes refusing to open but you notice your surroundings are different. the room is dimly lit but the figure walking around the place isn’t amiss; with his hair sticking up and his wide shoulders, you know it’s your tired boyfriend finally home for the holidays. you smile, still sleep-induced but you try to reach over for him. “tetsu… come to bed, please,” you mumble but he hears you, and his back is against you but he smiles at your half-awake tone. “i’ll be right there,” he lets you know softly, and true to his word you feel the dip in the mattress with his warmth slowly exuding onto your own body, his hands easily finding themselves over you. you wiggle into his grasp, head against his chest and hands holding onto his waist. he feels warm, he feels like home, and you press a kiss where his neck meets his collarbones. “mm, merry christm…” you mutter, losing consciousness but he doesn’t mind. he lets you snore your way into dreamland, watching your eyelashes tickle the surface of your skin, lips partly open as you breathe in and out. suddenly, his tense muscles relax with your presence oh so close to you, and he sleeps soundly after a few minutes of admiring your face.

as the sunlight filters thru the windows, kuroo wakes up first but knowing it’s his day off (finally), he relaxes into the bed and just observes the tiny details of your face, same as the night before but with some of the brightly shining rays of the sun hitting the right spots— you’re breathtaking to him. he feels you stir in his embrace so he pretends to snore because he knows you like to get up as soon as you feel awake. “tetsu…” you mumble, popping out your head from his grasp to peer your eyes at him pretending to not hear you. “you’re a lousy liar, i know you’re up,” you tell him, rubbing your nose against him as a form of an eskimo kiss. it takes so much out of his restraint to bite his lip in pure love for you, so he gives in and kisses you on the lips.

you are taken aback for a split second until you comply to his request, and you spend your first christmas morning with him in bed just like that <3 he still asks if you guys can spend the whole day just tangled into each other’s embrace but you lecture him playfully, knowing that he had a christmas party to attend to in the afternoon with his closest friends (bokuto, akaashi, kenma, and others) and you have a lovely dinner planned in the evening. he wiggles his eyebrows, fingertips tracing the exposed skin on your chest, “what if we skip all of that and i just have you for dinner instead?” “KUROO TETSUROU IT IS TOO EARLY FOR YOU TO SAY THAT RIGHT NOW—” you swear to god, it is his teasing and malicious intent that will kill you one day. but the blush on your face doesn’t go unnoticed, and yet kuroo complies with your light nagging, getting up and getting ready for the day. you’re happy that he finally has the day off, and being with his friends during the party truly lightened up his mood. afterwards, he then asks where you got a reservation during the busiest time of the year, and you just winked at him and zipped your mouth.

since you ate a bit at the party, you knew you had some time to finish prepping the food you had prepared the night before, it all just needed to bake or be cooked on the pan. and bec of his exhaustion last night, he didn’t even open the fridge at all so there were zero suspicious at your surprise dinner. urging him to take a long, hot bath, he drags you with him. “you seriously want me to take a bath by myself?” he says in shock horror, and normally you would join him hah but you tell him that your parents are calling, just wanting to say hello. a little sad, kuroo nods in understanding and so he goes about his way while you cook the food with haste. he likes to take his time in there but you know you won’t finish beforehand, so once he’s out of the bathroom, you immediately go right in front of him to hide the view of the kitchen. you played yourself, seeing kuroo only in his bathrobe with his chest exposed, you slap him right at the center to ignore the sensation in the pit of your stomach. “what?? what’d i do???” “existing right in front of me like that!!” kuroo laughs at your embarrassment, but kisses you on the forehead nonetheless. he ignores the obvious smell of pasta and chicken in the apartment, ignores the messy apron you forgot to take off because he thinks you really wanted to surprise him. so he goes to the room to change, thinking about how lucky he is to have you in his life. the rest of the night ends up with the both of you having a romantic dinner in the dining room, talking about everything you already know about each other—but it never feels repetitive. he always feels so renewed with you, falling in love every day.

#haikyuu imagines #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu au #tsukishima kei imagines #tsukishima kei scenarios #kuroo tetsuro imagines #kuroo tetsuro scenarios #bokuto imagines #bokuto scenarios #tsukishima au #bokuto au #kuroo tetsuro au #haikyuu headcanons #tsukki:hc #bokuto:hc #kuroo:hc #hqf.jiae

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angst-fairygodmother · 4 years

Note

Sorry to bother you, but if you've got the time can I maybe get either Angst #1: "I can't do anything right" or Random #25: "It's 6 o'clock in the morning, you're not having vodka" with Klaus x Reader please? I feel like you could do something super cute with them, unless you don't want to. Whatever you're feeling.

A/N: Your prompts gave me a strong hurt/comfort feeling. So I just...stuck the knife in, wiggled it around a bunch, kicked the poor boy while he was down, and let the reader clean it up. Please enjoy. Word Count: 1941 Rating: M - self-hatred/negative thoughts/depression, alcohol mention, reference to past drug use, reference to PTSD, reference to death, spoilers for The Umbrella Academy season 1

A loud crash from the front of your apartment woke you with a start. Gripping the small but shocking heavy clock from your nightstand, you cautiously padded down the hall toward the noise. Absently, you thought about the fact that you had left a kitchen window open and hoped that whatever was making the sound was just a possum or other easily caught creature wandering in from the fire escape, rather than someone. Another thump caused your heart to race as you rounded the corner.

The figure in your kitchen screamed and you heard the thump of something heavy hitting the floor. With a groan, you flicked on the light and glared at your best friend, though you were reconsidering the title as you inspected the mess he had made by breaking in and rooting through your cabinets in the dark.

“What the fuck Klaus?” you said with a sigh.

“Oh! Y/N! You’re up!” his voice was strained and too loud for the hour, you could tell something was off.

“Yes. Funny that, what with the amount of noise you were making.”

“Sorry,” scrunched up his face. “I was trying to be quiet but…you know me.” He continued to nose around in your cabinets until he made a small noise of victory and pulled out what he was looking for.

“Yeah I do.” You saw the bottle in his hand and frowned. “Put that back.”

“I’m just going to have one little glass…”

You glanced down at the timepiece still in your hand before setting it on the counter.

“It's 6 o'clock in the morning, you're not having vodka.” You pulled the bottle out of his hand before he could protest.

“Pleeeeeease. I need it. I need something.” His whine seemed unusually desperate, even for him and you finally really looked at him. Quickly you recognized both a very different outfit than you had ever seen him in before, particularly the green army vest and new tattoo on his arm, and the tell-tale signs of withdrawal in every part of his body and behavior.

“Sobriety with no rehab?” you asked, incredulous.

“It’s a long story, and I’d rather not talk about it,” he sighed. “I just want to forget it and move on.”

“By going straight back to the bottle?”

“Yes,” he snatched at it and you held it just out of reach, placing your small dining table between the two of you to counteract his height advantage.

“No.”

He gave you his best pout and you almost surrendered before you caught yourself.

“How about instead, I make some breakfast and we talk?”

“I told you, I don’t want…” he trailed off, voice cracking at the end, and when you looked at him again his eyes were glassy and unfocused, not really present anymore. His whole body trembled. You suspected that he was being bombarded by ghosts, as tended to happen on his rare sober occasions, and felt guilty for giving him a hard time. You set the bottle aside and circled to stand in front of him.

“You okay there?” you asked, trying to keep your voice light. He remained silent and distant.

Gently, you cupped his face between your hands, trying to pull his focus to you. His hands came up to wrap around your wrists, shaking and frighteningly cold, the war between shoving you away and clinging to any connection he could get plain.

“Klaus?” you asked softly, tilting your head to one side. He didn’t seem to register your voice. “Klaus please talk to me…”

He opened his mouth as if to speak and then closed it again, his eyes now roving your face as if searching for something. Suddenly, he collapsed forward into a sob, leaning heavily on you as you wrapped your arms around his head and shoulders. You slowly guided the pair of you down into a sitting position, your back against the fridge and Klaus practically in your lap.

His behavior scared you. You had seen many wild mood swings from your best friend, usually on account of whatever drug he was using to dull his powers that week or the withdrawals of coming down off them, but you had never seen him like this before. Your heart ached at the pitiful noises he made, and you rocked him gently, humming a soft tune and trying your best to comfort him.

You weren’t sure how long you sat with him on your kitchen floor, staring at the jar of pasta sauce that he had dropped when you surprised him. Long enough that the light of dawn was spilling through the window, little puddles of light dancing around you. Long enough that your shoulders ached from your position, not that it mattered to you compared to his hurt. Long enough that you were surely late for work and your pajama top was stained with eyeliner and tears. Long enough that you wondered absently how he hadn’t run out of tears or breath yet.

Eventually, the body-wracking sobs softened to little hitches of breath and then, even later to silence. You continued to sit there, holding him close, shifting only enough to run soothing fingers through his hair.

“I can't do anything right,” he admitted, voice hoarse and muffled by the fact that his face was still pressed into your shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“Woah, hey. Where is this coming from?” you asked, frowning, puzzled and concerned.

“I’m a giant screw up. Everything I touch, I ruin.”

“That’s not true, Klaus.” You tried leaned down and back, trying to get him to look at you. “Talk to me?”

What followed was a bewildering accounting of his last forty-eight hours, or ten months, depending on your perspective. He told you about how he had been kidnapped because he was too high to notice the assassins in the Academy trying to kill his family. He described the torture, voice trembling, in detail that made you sick and made your grip tighten on him as if you could retroactively protect him, how he’d caved and told the two about the biotech company that Five had been staking out.

“I’m the reason Diego’s girlfriend is dead,” he said sullenly. “I got her attention, made her come into the room trying to save me. And then when she did, I ran like a coward. Didn’t even warn her that there were two of them.”

You flinched. You had heard about Detective Patch, seen how broken Diego was over it. But she was a police officer, doing her job, and Klaus was hardly to blame for the fact that he had taken the opportunity to escape his torturers, or that she had gone to the motel without backup. Not that he would listen if you tried to tell him that, and he would probably clam up and not finish even though he clearly had more to say. So instead you stayed silent and let him carry on.

What he said next left you stunned, as he admitted to travelling back in time, to fighting in the Vietnam war and falling in love with a man called Dave. And then Dave had been shot during a battle and though he’d pressed his hands over the wound and called desperately for a medic, he’d failed to save him. And now he was back in the present having flashbacks to bombs going off around him in addition to the withdrawal and the ghosts everywhere. And he couldn’t even conjure Dave.

“One more thing I can’t do right.” He laughed bitterly. “Can’t get Dad either, no matter how many times Luther asks me too. Even the one useful thing I can do, I can’t get it right.”

He was silent for a moment, and you thought with relief that he might be done berating himself and you could speak. Unfortunately, as you gathered your thoughts and went to start, he continued, now talking about Five’s return and how he said the world was going to end.

“Five hopes that with the ‘full force of the academy’ we can stop it from happening, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. And before you ask why I’m not with my family then trying to help, it’s not like talking to ghosts is helpful here. So I just, bailed. Like I always do.”

At some point during the conversation, he had finally pulled away from your embrace and leaned beside you against the cold metal appliance. He looked over at you, eyes soft and full of an unfamiliar expression, before he cast them down to stare at his hands folded in his lap.

“Christ, I can’t even protect the one person I have left that matters,” he muttered, utterly defeated.

“Three days, huh?” you asked tentatively.

“Mhm. That’s what he said. Yesterday. So it’s actually probably closer to two.”

“Alright. Well, I’ve always wanted to see the Roman Coliseum. But that might take too long to get to, waste a whole day on air travel. We could…go to Vegas, blow all my savings on…hookers and slot machines…?”

“What are you doing?” He stared in confusion.

“Trying to make a plan for how to spend the last days of our lives?”

He cracked a small smile. “And you settled on slot machines and Vegas hookers?”

“Well I don’t know. I’ve never thought about…what I’d do if I knew I was going to die soon…I’d just, I want to spend the last few days with someone I love.” You shrugged. “But it got you to smile, so…I call it a win.”

He shook his head ruefully, warm expression widening. “Y/N, you are, amazing.”

You smiled back at him.

“For real though, you are not just a screw up, Klaus,” you said fiercely. “You are my best friend and you mean the world to me. And even if you’ve made mistakes, that doesn’t negate that you are so full of light, and so genuine even when you try to hide it. You see the best in everyone else, and the people that care, care about you because of everything you are, good and bad. I’m sure if this Dave were here, he’d say the same thing.”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “He probably would. You two are a lot alike actually.”

“I wish I could have met him then, and thanked him for keeping your sorry ass alive so you could come back to me.”

You both laughed. The room settled into a steady, comfortable silence, each of you enjoying the other’s presence and the moment of peace, sneaking glances when you thought the other wasn’t looking.

And then your eyes caught. On an instinct, you leaned almost imperceptibly closer.

“I wish you hadn’t told me yet that the world was ending,” you whispered. “Then I could do this without worrying that you’ll think it’s just because of that, and not the fact that I’ve been in love with you for a while now. There’s no time to do things properly.”

“What did you just say?”

Instead of answering, you pressed your lips to his softly. Stiffening for a moment, you thought he might reject you, but then he relaxed into it, kissing you back with increasing passion and hunger. Gently he cradled your head and laid you back onto the floor, never once breaking contact with your lips.

“Y/N,” he sighed, leaning back to give you both a moment of air. “You’re right. There’s no time to do this properly. There’s no time for anything.”

You smiled up at him, bright and loving. “We don’t need properly, we just need each other.”

He laughed and leaned down to capture your lips quickly. “Right again.”

#ending on a happy not #hurt/comfort #Klaus Hargreeves x reader #Klaus Hargreeves #reader insert #The Umbrella Academy #The Umbrella Academy fic #season 1 spoilers #TUA #anonymous messages #requested #I'm not crying you're crying #I made myself sad

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vannahfanfics · 3 years

Text

Before you read, here’s the previous chapter. New? Start from the beginning!

Daffodils Bloom After Winter

Ao3

Chapter 6: Gratitude

Ayumi’s eyebrows were furrowed as her gaze painstakingly crawled through every word of her manuscript draft for the fifth time. Her hand was holding a cup of coffee to her mouth, but the liquid just lapped uselessly against her upper lip instead of being drawn in because she was hyper-focusing on the printed words. The page was already smothered in red ink, indicating spelling and grammar errors or sections that needed rephrasing for her next draft. Her brown eyes widened when she stumbled across yet another mistake, and she slammed the coffee cup down to scribble on the area with her pen lest she immediately forget her thought process. It was the last sentence of the document, and so once she had finished adding her note, she set the manuscript down on the table with a weary sigh.

I think that’s enough proofreading for now. I should begin incorporating these edits into the file… Ayumi thought as she reclined back in the café chair and rubbed at her aching eyes. She then lolled her head to look out the window at the bustling streets of Konoha.

Usually, Ayumi worked on her personal research at home or in the public library. However, she had felt that a change of pace would do her good. She elected to work at the café by the schoolhouse. It was the same little joint she had brought Shikadai to when she had walked him home. She actually loved the quaint place; it had phenomenal teas and coffees imported from all over the world, and its pastries were all family recipes. She was on excellent terms with the owner, and they had even thrown in a free coffee cake with her purchase that afternoon.

She picked up her coffee cup again, actually intending to consume it this time, and noticed that only a small amount of the beige liquid remained. She quickly drained the last dregs of it before shifting in her chair to go order a refill. However, before she could rise, someone set down a steaming hot and full cup of coffee right in front of her. Blushing, she glanced up with a gratuitous remark dancing on her tongue. It died when she saw who it was.

“You’re working awfully hard,” Shikamaru smirked down at her. He gestured to the iron-wrought chair opposite her. “May I?”

“Y-yes!” she stammered, thankfully finding her words again. He strode around the small table to sink down into the chair with a long, tired sigh. “Um… Thank you for the coffee,” she murmured shyly and slid it across the table towards herself. Its warmth bloomed across her palms, not unlike the warmth blossoming in her chest at his kind gesture. He waved a hand dismissively and sipped languorously at his own cup of pure black coffee.

“I saw you from the counter. The owner mentioned that you’d been here since 8 o’clock. I figured you needed a replacement,” he chuckled. Ayumi smiled shyly and sipped daintily at the fresh coffee. The owner knew her order by heart; the robust brew was sweetened to perfection with a combination of sugar and sweet cream, turning the dark liquid a honey-brown color. Its bittersweet taste spread over her tongue, easing her tensions, and her body began to buzz as it absorbed the fresh wave of stimulating caffeine. The minuscule amount of fatigue she had started to feel was swallowed in its invigorating wake. Shikamaru smiled in amusement. “You look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed already.”

“Yes, I don’t drink much caffeine actually, so it works rather quickly,” she explained. Shikamaru’s gaze dropped down to the collection of papers strewn in front of her. He looked as if he were going to inquire, so she enlightened him before he even opened his mouth to ask. “I publish historical research. I’m editing a draft of a manuscript that I’m hoping to submit to an academic journal soon.”

He whistled in admiration and gestured to the stack of papers, wishing to peruse them; Ayumi nodded in permission, and he scooped them up to begin skimming the document.

“‘The Sociopolitical Impacts of the Second Great Ninja War on the Rural Village of Nichibotsu’?” he said with raised eyebrows as he rattled off the paper’s title. His eyebrows crept higher and higher up his forehead as he rifled through the pages of paragraphs, maps, and diagrams. “Records of personal accounts… Photocopies of death and birth records… Even photographs of the riots… The riots in Nichibotsu resulting from the governing body’s underhanded support of the enemy and human rights violations are actually very scarcely mentioned in history textbooks. Most people don’t know they ever happened. How did you ever find so much information on them?” He asked with a clear tone of awe, which made Ayumi flush and wiggle in her chair self-consciously.

“Well, I took a few personal trips to Nichibotsu to converse with the locals. Many of those documents were stored away in their attics and basements. They were more than happy to share them with me if it meant the plight of their ancestors would get the attention it deserves.”

He clicked his tongue appreciatively and nodded with another glance down at her scribble-covered manuscript.

“This is a very impressive account. I hope you’re able to publish it, and it gets the recognition it merits,” Shikamaru smiled as he handed the papers back. Ayumi hid her bashful grin behind her coffee cup. Shikamaru reclined back in his chair, tossing his arm over the top and looking off in the distance. A silence settled between them, a silence that caused Ayumi to fidget uncomfortably. The parent-teacher conference had only been a few days ago, and the tension between father and son was never far from her mind. Looking at Shikamaru, his lidded gaze searching the horizon for something unknown, she once again wondered if there was anything she could do to ease their pain.

As Shikamaru shifted, a flicker of light caught Ayumi’s attention. She followed the bobbing white light to see the sunlight refracting off the smooth, slim surface of a diamond ring, hanging on a silver chain against Shikamaru’s chest. It was most obviously a wedding band. She stared at it with wide eyes, her breath hitching in her throat; when Shikamaru noticed her intense gaze, he frowned and tucked the ring back underneath his shirt.

“Don’t stick my nose in where it’s not wanted, right?” she asked hollowly. Shikamaru’s frown deepened at her echo of his unkind words, and he rubbed at the back of his neck. “You don’t have to answer me… but I think it’s important for Shikadai’s sake… that I know what happened to your wife,” she posed slowly. Shikamaru’s dark eyes bored into hers. Doubt and fear swam within the black depths. “I only want to help my student.” And you.

Shikamaru inhaled sharply, then breathed out through his nose. He hunched over the coffee table while gripping his coffee cup tight, bending the plastic under the force and causing the dark liquid to bulge near the rim. He did not answer her for several minutes, ruminating on the decision to allow Ayumi into his fractured heart or continue to keep her beyond the walls he had built.

His eyes fixated on the swirls of bubbles floating in his coffee.

“My wife perished on a mission,” he revealed quietly. His thumbs slowly slid up and down on the smooth paper of the coffee cup. “One year ago.” He drained the cup of the bitter liquid and set it down, lips smoothing into a thin, terse line. Sensing that the troubled man wished to offer no further explanation, Ayumi did not press him for more information.

“I see. I’m sorry to hear that.” And she was. Death never loomed far from ninja, even in times of supposed peace. Even routine missions could turn deadly. Such was the uncertainty of their profession. Saddening news as it was, Ayumi was still glad for it; finally, she could understand the rift between Shikamaru and his son and why Shikadai was so emotionally volatile. Everyone responded to sudden deaths of loved ones differently— and it was clear that these two had reacted very negatively, one lashing out and the other trying desperately to bottle everything up inside.

Shikamaru only grunted at her in response. His brows were furrowed deep over his eyes, bringing hard edges to his dark pupils. His hand curled over his mouth with a stiff grip that turned his knuckles white. She wondered if she had pressed him too much in her quest for information; guilt prickled at her gut. As she squirmed uncomfortably, Shikamaru’s eyes slowly flickered up to meet her face. The hint of a smile peeked above the edge of his hand.

“Don’t look so uneasy. I’m all right,” Shikamaru chortled. The strain in his tone left much to be desired; it was clear he was trying to put up a strong front to keep Ayumi from pestering further. Despite her curiosity, Ayumi knew that the best thing to do would be to allow Shikamaru to reveal his tragic story at his own pace.

As he dropped his hand, he continued, “I’m actually grateful, you know, to see you taking such an interest in Shikadai’s welfare.” Ayumi perked up, a haze of pink dusting her cheeks. He smiled wryly, seemingly amused by her bashfulness and surprise. “I know I’m not going to win Parent of the Year or anything, but I do care about my son. I recognize that he needs a positive influence in his life, considering I’m anything but.”

“You sell yourself short,” Ayumi contradicted quietly. “You’re a man who’s suffered an inconceivable loss. Both of you have. Difficulty processing and managing that is to be expected.” She breathed in quietly and then timidly reached out to take Shikamaru’s hand. He did not retreat from her, only stared down at her small hand covering his own through lidded, pained eyes. “I’m not sure what it’s worth… but I think you’re doing the best you can given your situation. Both you and Shikadai have shown tremendous growth just since I’ve known you… I’m sure that with time that you two will be able to come together again.”

Shikamaru continued to just stare silently at her hand, watching her thumb gently sweep back and forth over the top. A smile crawled onto his lips, and his gaze slowly up to her warm brown eyes.

“Well, that’s not due to anything on my part.”

Ayumi’s face flushed at the implication of his words. She fiddled with her manuscript, flipping the corners of the pages as she tried not to seem too satisfied with his unspoken praise.

“You sell yourself short,” she repeated meekly. Shikamaru snorted amusedly, once again studying her hand. It was clearly a teacher’s, smooth and unblemished— not like Shikamaru’s, which was roughened with years of battle and toil. He studied her hand like it held all the solutions to his problems, which made her flush darker and fidget in her chair. As her hand twitched over his, it seemed he decided that he’d disrupted Ayumi’s work long enough.

She lamented the loss of his gentle heat as he withdrew his hand from underneath hers.

“Well, I do believe I’ve taken up enough of your time,” he sighed, languidly rising from the chair. “I’d hate to delay your contribution to academia any further,” he chuckled with a small wink. Ayumi giggled and hugged her edited manuscript to her chest with one hand while reaching for her coffee with the other. When she brought it to her lips, she recoiled, discovering that the liquid had long since gone cold. She smacked her lips distastefully and set it down with a grimace.

“I’ve definitely taken up enough of your time,” Shikamaru joked and fished out some bills from his pocket. Ayumi sputtered refusals, but he still tucked them underneath her coffee cup with a willful smile. “It’s the least I can do, Ayumi,” he insisted in a soft voice. The gentle rumble of his tone made her heart flutter and the words dissolve on her tongue before she could speak them.

It took her a few seconds to recollect her swooning brain.

“Th-there’s nothing to repay,” she stammered and shyly tucked her hair behind her ear. “I am only doing my part as Shikadai’s teacher… and your friend,” she added hopefully. Shikamaru straightened, staring down at her with a complicated expression. He then smiled warmly and reached in to sweep away a stray strand of hair that she’d missed. As his fingertips skimmed over her heating skin and her eyes beheld that absolutely beautiful smile of his, all the breath left her lungs.

“I’m grateful.”

His smile vanished as soon as it had come, like the sun eclipsed by the relentless clouds rolling across the sky. Ayumi was left reeling, blinking rapidly as she watched him turn his back to head back to work. As she stumbled out a farewell, he looked over his shoulder, the shadow of that happy smile playing over his lips.

“I expect a copy of the article when it’s published,” was all he said before he melted into the crowd. Ayumi gazed wide-eyed at the space where he’d been, and the glimpses of that toothy, giddy smile danced like stars in her mind’s eye. She wondered how long it had been since he’d smiled like that and what she had to do to see it again. She wondered if Shikadai smiled like that, too, or if he carried a little bit of his mother in his grin.

Ayumi picked up the cash and stood up to get herself another cup of coffee. There was work to be done.

Enjoy this story? Here’s the next chapter! Please consider perusing my Table of Contents.

#naruto #naruto fanfiction #shikamaru x oc #shikamaru x female oc #naruto oc #nara family #shikadai nara #nara shikadai #nara shikamaru #shikamaru nara

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atzgiggle · 5 years

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Spin the bottle

A/N So.. this is my first tickle fic! Please let me know if you like it, and if you have feedback, I’m happy to hear that as well!

Lee!Taehyung / Ler!BTS

Ship: Taehyung x BTS

Word count: 1.684

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It was another boring evening for the 7 boys of BTS. All of them were hanging out in the oldest's hotel room. Some were on their phone, some drawing, some were watching some Korean drama. None of them payed attention to the others, until a voice was heard through the room.

"I'm bored!" whined Jimin.

"Why don't you think of something to do then? We're all bored, Min," Yoongi said, throwing his phone on the bed next to him. They were all sick of spending their nights at boring hotel rooms. Don't take it the wrong way though, they loved being on tour. Seeing their precious fans, getting to perform their songs and dances on stage, it was all amazing. Although, there were negative things about touring as well. The exhaustion, the homesickness, and the thing they were experiencing now; jet lag. It was about 3 am, and none of them were able to sleep.

Jimin brainstormed. What was there to do in a hotel at 3 am? "We could play a game?" he suggested. The boy had an idea, but he wasn't sure if the others would like it, and he felt a little shy bringing it up.

"What kind of game?" Jungkook asked with interest. Jimin's cheek turned pink. "Spin the bottle?"

All heads were now turned Jimin's way. "S-spin the bottle?" Seokjin asked with a stutter. "If you think I'm going to kiss any of you, you thought wrong," Yoongi said quickly.

"No, no! Not with kissing! But.. we could change the rules a little bit?"

Jimin's mind went back to a few days ago, when each of them found out a little weakness regarding one of the maknaes. Apparentely, Taehyung was incredibly ticklish. Jimin and Jungkook didn't have a choice but to wreck him right then and there. And he would just love to see their precious little tiger giggling and squirming like that again.

"What are you suggesting, then?" asked Namjoon. Jimin made eye contact with Jungkook, who had a suspicion he knew what Jimin was talking about. His cheeks turned pink as well. Taehyung was sitting at a desk, drawing, but paying very close attention to the conversation between the other members. "We could.. tickle whoever the bottle points at."

A new kind of energy entered the room. One that they've felt many times before.

"Not a bad idea. I'd love to see any of you being wrecked," Namjoon said. His voice had a different tone. A mischievous one, a dominant one. Every boy in the room thought it was hot.

"What if the bottle lands on you, Joonie?" Seokjin asked, with a teasing voice.

"I'm not ticklish, Jinnie."

"Yeah right."

The boys continued bickering, all trying to tease each other. They all liked the idea of having someone underneath them, exposed for them to scratch and wiggle their fingers onto. Well, except for one of them.

Taehyung continued drawing, his head low, his cheeks red. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened days ago between the members of the maknae line. He remembered how his hands were pinned above his head by the cute but strong maknae, and how his hyung's small fingers made him cry with laughter and beg for the two to stop. They truly had no mercy for the ticklish tiger, scribbling their fingers all over his armpits, ribs, sides, thighs, feet, and eventually his tummy. The thing that freaked Taehyung out the most is how much he had enjoyed it. He felt so helpless underneath his two friends, and he loved it. Just imagining that scene repeating itself, but with six pairs of hands instead of two, was enough to make him a shy and blushing mess. He could feel Jimin's and Jungkook's evil smirks at him.

"Taehyung, are you gonna join?"

Taehyung looked up with wide eyes, and he noticed the others had already created a circle, an empty bottle of water laying in the middle.

"I- uhm, okay.." he stuttered. "You don't have to join if you're uncomfortable, Taetae," Hoseok said sweetly. "N-no, it's okay hyung, I wanna join," Taehyung said, and with that he stood up and sat inbetween Namjoon and Jungkook. Everyone secretly adored his stutters and blush.

"Alright! Who's gonna spin?" Jimin asked. After some discussing they decided Namjoon should spin. Taehyung breathed a shaky breath. Why was he so nervous? He secretely hoped the bottle would point at him. He could already imagine the feeling of the 6 pair of hands all over his body. Jungkook's strong figure holding him down, using one hand to tickle his body. The feeling of Jiminie's small fingers scribbling over his tummy and teasing his bellybutton. Namjoon's big hands-

"Taehyung!"

The boy was brought back to reality as several members called out his name. Everyone was looking at him, and he looked around confusedly. Until, he noticed the bottle. It was pointed at him. He gasped softly, the blush on his cheeks burning. He noticed the fellow maknaes' smirks. Oh gosh.

"Aw, he's blushing!" Hoseok called out.

"Alright Taehyung! You know the rules! We'll get to tickle you for... how long?" Namjoon said.

"15 minutes!" Taehyung's eyes widened.

"Right, 15 minutes!" Namjoon continued. "But-" Before Taehyung could continue his sentence, Namjoon and Jungkook both grabbed one arm, pinning him down to the hotel room's carpet. "No buts!" Jungkook said, before moving to place his knees on Taehyung's hands, pinning them down above his head. His entire upper body was know exposed for the members to tickle, great. Taehyung quickly tried bringing his knees up to his chest, but Jimin pushed them to the ground, climbing over Taehyung to sit on his crotch area. "Jungkook, you tickle his neck! Namjoon and Hoseok, go for his armpits and sides. Seokjin, tickle his thighs and Yoongi, his feet," Jimin said. Taehyung's eyes widened as he realized /all/ of those spots were going to be tickled at the same time, for /15 minutes long/.

He loved it.

"J-Jimin!" Taehyung stuttered. Jimin said nothing in response. All the members went into their positions. Yoongi sitting against the bed, smirking mischievously as he eyes Taehyung's feet. Seokjin sitting on his legs, with his thighs and knees exposed. Jimin's hands ghosting above his tummy. Namjoon and Hoseok sitting at either sides of him, ready to attack his sides and armpits. And Jungkook, with his knees pinning Taehyung's hands down above his head and his hands ready to tease his neck.

From there on, everything happened really quickly. Namjoon counted to three, and started the 15-minute timer. Immediately, all 12 hands attacked Taehyung with soft tickles that made the boy giggle. Yoongi's fingers ghosted all over Taehyung's sensitive soles, occasionally playing with his toes. His thighs were lightly massaged by the oldest hyung. Taehyung's worst spot, his tummy, was softly tickled by his best friend. His small fingers drew circles over the skin, and Jimin felt Taehyung's deep giggles bubbly inside his tummy. Hoseok and Namjoon didn't do much yet, just observating how the different kinds of touches affected the younger. And Jungkook, he was the worst. He was leaning in, softly blowing in Taehyung's ears and whispering teases. "We know how ticklish you are, little tiger~" he whispered. Taehyung whined, and then blushed as he realized the sounds coming from his mouth. Some members cooed at him. Jungkook's fingers were slightly teasing the older's neck, tickling oh so softly. Giggles couldn't stop escaping the tiger's mouth. This went on for a few mintes, until Jimin decided to increase the speed a little bit and Namjoon and Hoseok joined the tickles. Jimin's fingers were now softly tickling Taehyung's bellybutton, and Taehyung started giggling a little more.

"Oh! Looks like his little bellybutton is ticklish as well, how adorable!" Hoseok said, scribbling his fingers over Taehyung's side. The members laughed. "Such a ticklish little tiger, I can't wait to make you cry with laughter!" Jimin cooed. Taehyung's blush spread, the teases and petnames were driving him insane, along with the tickling. "P-pleahehehese.." he giggled. "Please what? Please tickle you more? Whatever you want, Taetae!" Seokjin said, laughing, as his tickles increased as well. Taehyung was now laughing, arching his back slightly as Yoongi's and Jungkook's tickles sped up as well.

The members continued teasing the boy, and Taehyung's cheeks hurt from smiling. The smile wasn't forced one bit, though. His smile was genuine. He really did love the tickles his fellow members were giving him.

"He's totally enjoying it, aren't you, tiger?" Namjoon asked as he scratched his fingers over the boy's armpit. Taehyung was laughing too much to answer, but he shook his head. "Aw, admit it Taehyung. You're not even fighting back," Yoongi said. Taehyung blushed more, his nose now also turning red. That was enough to confirm to the members that what Namjoon said was right. They all found it adorable.

After some long tickles, the timer finally went off. The tickles stopped, but Taehyung couldn't stop giggling, as if he felt the fingers still ghosting over his skin. Jimin, Seokjin and Jungkook let the boy go, and he sat up. Jungkook giggled with him, and quickly pulled him into a hug. He let Taehyung giggle it out in his chest, and the others watched fondly. They waited until Taehyung was done giggling, Namjoon was the first one to speak. "So, /do/ you like being tickled, Taehyung?"

The boy turned around, wiggling out of Jungkook's hold but still staying close to him. The blush was still present on his cheeks. He nodded softly. Hoseok laughed and patted Taehyung's back. "Aw, Taehyungie! Why're you blushing? There's nothing to be embarrassed about!" Everyone nodded in agreement, smiling fondly at the boy. "I guess we'll have to do it more often, huh?" Seokjin said, poking Taehyung's side playfully. He nodded with a smile. "Thank you guys.." he said softly. They all cooed and gave Taehyung a big hug.

"Anyone else who wants to admit they like tickles?" Namjoon asked.

Jungkook and Yoongi raised their hands with a slight blush. Let's just say, the boys weren't quite done tickling that night.

#lee!taehyung #ler!bts #scenarios

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purewhitewolf · 4 years

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Kaitlyn, rate the seers, Ezra, and Past on a scale 1 to 10 For intelligence (based on what you know about them), personality, and sexual appeal

“Oh...You should not have done that... Am I allowed to use negatives? TOO LATE! Will use anyway!”

Ezra (my Ezzy hubby~)

Intelligence: 6 “He’s street smart, he may even be book smart.... but drunk bastard does a lot of stupid things. He never knows when to retreat and when to pick fights... He has knowledge, but he doesn’t always use it well.”

Personality: 8 “He’s vulgar but has some charm to him. When we were together officially he actually had many decent moments! He...he gave a lot of good advice. That’s why I was so confused...he helped us... Charlotte and Ezekiel, he made me work things out with Past despite hating her, he could’ve just let me abandon her.......S-so why? What possess him to suddenly shift like that? Why is he so different now too? What...what happened with him? I...I don’t understand.”

Sex Appeal: 10 “...Come on, he’s the sexiest man around! He doesn’t even need to use his charismatic grin or construct words...he just needs to look at you and wiggle his butt. Or flash his fangs, or claws, or tail...or thrust his.........Excuse me I need to visit him real quick...”

Past (my sweet bunpup~)

Intelligence: 4 “Too bad we’re not rating Wisdom because she can be clever with what little she knows. She may not be the most book smart, but she does have very good read on liars such as myself and those who hide emotions. ...If only she was more outspoken....”

Personality: 9.5 “She’s sweet, kind, caring, ball of sunshine. Must protect. ...And will bite when the kids are threatened.”

Sex Appeal: 3 to 5 (normal) 10 (in heat) “This...uhhh...Yes, she’s my mate but.... Look it’s complicated. She’s been horribly malnourished and treated awfully most of her life like she was some object. Her body and mind were very child-like and fragile when we first met. My original intentions were to be her guardian and then have some one else better to watch over her and help teach her valuable skills. But things change and I fell for her. I fell when we were on that couch, then I fell harder when she became more assertive. ...She’s really cute when she tried to pin me during heat.”

Xander (my Xandy~ Icy eyes~ Scaly butt~ Dragon Daddy~ hubby #2~ shh don’t tell)

Intelligence: 9

Personality: 0(initial score) 6(real score) “...Does he actually HAVE a personality? Even without the curse he’s dead inside hahaha!.... Okay, my actual thoughts though... he’s a good guy sometimes, he does care but has a hard time showing it. I want him to open up, but I understand he trusts no one. But maybe...maybe we could be good friends....if we both got our shit together. I...I hope so... I love him...”

Sex Appeal: 9.8 “He’s hot, but Ezzy is still hotter. Size matters little to me in this as I could still top both of them easily even with my 4″ to 9″ canine glowsDICK. Anyway his butt is flat but still cute enough to squeeze and spank, his ‘mini-dragon’ is small for most dragons I’ve been with but big for a human’s- again size matter little to me as I care more on how one carries themself with confidence, Xander’s confidence wavers more than he shows but still decent enough, his icy eyes give me chills I enjoy, he’s got a decent muscle build, he’s sexier in his dragon form DON’T KINKSHAME MY BEASTLY PREFERENCE! His sharp teeth make me want to faint in bliss, his voice makes me feel warm and tingly...and... I’M GOING TO JUMP HIM IN HIS OFFICE RIGHT NOW AND FORCE HIM OVER HIS DESK LIKE THE LITTLE MAN HE IS!”

Brooke (My feisty Goldilocks~ Bitter fun fox rival~ Charming bitch~ My sexy mean friend~ My playmate~)

Intelligence: 8.9 “She’s cunning, but get easily frustrated. She can be really smart if she actually used her brain rather than just her looks. I want to see more of her smarts... even if it was against me I would love the challenge! ...And be so proud of her.”

Personality: 6 “I like that she doesn’t let anyone push her around, but I fear she may break to certain people in charge. I don’t want that. I want her to keep fighting. If she’s going to break to anyone it should be me...and even hen I would want her to oppose me again later. She’s a bitch, but does have rare good moments if Past is involved. ...I don’t see her as evil...but lost and bitter. ...She’s fun to mess with, just like her brother. I like her. I hate her. I love her.”

Sex Appeal: 9.5 “......Do...do I really have to say it? ...She’s hot, her emerald eyes are alluring, that rare not-smug smile is soothing and welcoming, when she speaks softly I cannot help but listen, when she screams she sounds like an angry vixen, her movement is graceful and dance-like, very hypnotic to watch her sashay confidently, her assets are well developed, and again I must stress...her confidence. Confidence is sexy... arrogance is not. Maybe she needs me to show her what real confidence is~ Shadow will help too~”

Samuel (Old man. Burnt manure. Snake man. Inferior Stithulf clone. Butt slave. Gaylord. Closeted One-hand the One eye Snake-SSSSucker! Wrinkle dick. Shriveled balls.)

Intelligence: 7 “I’m being generous because everyone else in Quietem are dumb as fuck or delusional as shit so of course he seems like a genius when really he is only slightly above average intelligence. He’s so obvious and predictable.... ”

Personality: -5 “I would rate even lower but I cannot deny he at least knows how to carry himself high. Just like Stithulf. Arrogant, thinks they know best, always get KILLED by their own ugly heads.”

Sex Appeal: -10 “I’d only fuck him with a dick just to torture him...and I’ll use ALL holes AND wounds with the only lubricant being his BLOOD. He’s an ugly fuck inside and out.”

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journal-of-an-outlaw · 5 years

Text

Price to be Paid - Chapter 14

Is This a Bad Idea? Ao3 Link

Words: 3055

Note: I’m so sorry it took me this long to update!! Wordtober has been my focus this month so once that is done I’m back to weekly updates. Anyways! Hope you all enjoy, there is some violence and fluff in this chapter to be warned!

Sadie decided to ride along, too.

She had been heading back from guard duty when you and John blew by and hollered until you stopped and picked her up. When she heard it was a secret rescue mission you two were off to, her eyes lit up, and she motioned for you to help her swing on to the back of your saddle.

John nearly lost it at having to ride with two women. He was used to only men who were steel strong at his side, and although he would never admit being slightly afraid of Sadie, you were softer and less experienced so he could take out his frustration on you. John felt out in the open and exposed riding with you two and he made it known.

Sadie heckled John right back after a few minutes. “This horse is carrying two and still riding faster than you, Martson! Wish I had time to grab Bob and show you how a real outlaw rides.”

Bob, Sadie’s horse, had been left at camp. You never knew why she named him something so simple but at least it wasn’t a name to be forgotten anytime soon.

While the two of you rode on she held on to your waist with one arm, the other brandishing her pistol up in the air and ready for the first sign of danger. Her hair wiped around her face as she called out directions of where she had seen the others disappear to. Sadie was someone you truly admired for her strength and courage in the face of danger.

“John! Take a left up here, I saw them head over the hills and off towards this way.”

The man led his horse after her directions, and you rode on for nearly an hour. The sun had long since crossed the horizon and you hoped Eclipse would be able to see the bumps and dips the land formed in utter darkness.

“Hush now, I see lanterns ahead,” Sadie hopped down from Eclipse once the two horses had come to a stop and walked over to John. “I’ll stay here with Marston, Moore, see if you can coax those fine men into lettin’ us pass. I have a feeling they’ll like you more.”

“Me?” you turned and watched the two smirk over at you. “Why just me?”

John sighed and at least had the dignity to look a bit bashful as he answered. “If we could bat our eyelashes and wiggle them hips to make men listen like you do, we would head over there.” Your face blushed furiously as you spurred Eclipse over to where the men were positioned, the soft laughter of John and Sadie following you.

“Evening gentlemen! May I pass on through here, or is something wicked coming?” A heavy Southern drawl somehow found its way out of your mouth, unknown to the strangers blocking the road that it wasn't normal.

“Why is a pretty thing like you out alone this late?”

“Just heading home, sir. I live up on the farm past that lake and ride this way every night.”

“Unfortunately ma’am, we can’t let you up that way. Heard there was outlaws in these parts, ready to take advantage of whatever fine things come their way.”

“What if one of you fine, strapping boys was to accompany me?” You ducked your head and batted your lashes, watching them fall under your spell. Flirting had never been your strongest point but these two targets were especially easy.

In the distance, John and Sadie creeped up the hill guiding his horse. The guards never noticed and eventually let you pass under the ruse that you would be returning to their post soon with some sort of gift. You blew them each a kiss as you rode by and made to meet with the others, careful to not look back in case they decided to follow you over the hill and into the heat of the action.

You nodded at John when you joined up. Something made you want to impress him, like being Arthur’s younger brother meant he had to like you too. “They’ll be good, we should have nearly an hour. I told them I lived a good ways off.”

Sadie chuckled from the back of Old Boy. “I’m sure they were more than good, YN. But let’s go, I see a farm off in the distance there and some lanterns flickering about.”

The three of you raced off, and you felt your heart beat faster in your chest. Hopefully no one would hear it if they stood too close, but the danger hiding ahead had you gripping the reigns tighter and tighter. Not even three days after you and Arthur finally admitted your feelings to one another and here you were riding straight into danger to make sure he was okay. You really, really hoped he would be alright.

The negative thoughts and what if’s running through your brain pushed your spurs into Eclipse and she picked up the pace.

Sadie guided the three of you off the path and into a patch of woods. She pulled out her binoculars to try and see but it was too dark. “Damn, can’t see a thing. John, you think we should wait or advance? Could be our boys holed up in that stable.”

John contemplated his options. “I don’t see their horses anywhere nearby, hard to know who we’re helping if they’re far enough away. Maybe I can ride up and see.”

“Look! There’s someone joining them.”

You moved forward to wave as four men approached the building tentatively, holding their light high above their heads in search of something. Sadie pulled her binoculars out and held your arm down suddenly.

“They ain’t our boys, YN. I think that’s them Cornwalls the guards we ran into were talking about. John, why don’t you and I come in from the back and surprise those fellers. YN…” She turned back to you and paused for a moment. “You can hold the horses and be ready to help us get out of here. Ain’t sure how this is gonna go.”

You felt a resentment at the image you had built for yourself and that you couldn't do anything more in this moment except hold horse reins. You floundered, but eventually agreed, watching John and Sadie creep off towards the wooden structures. Their guns glinted in the moonlight and you wished more than anything to be with them.

“C’mon, girl, let’s go sit and wait.” Eclipse moved slowly in the dark, her ears drawn back and eyes wide. She sensed the static electricity in the air as you walked her and John’s horse quietly to the other side of the trees.

The moon was high in the sky, wispy clouds crossing its light every so often. Your arms were covered in goosebumps as you and John left so fast you didn’t remember to grab a coat, a thought you now regretted. As the year moved on the night temperatures dropped lower and lower, forcing heavier layers to be worn at all times.

“S’just the boys, go help them,” you muttered to yourself after a few minutes. Why were they all making a big deal? Wasn’t it supposed to be a simple stage coach robbery?

Through your binoculars you witnessed why your original thought had been so wrong.

Shouting and rounds of gunfire made you jump and snapped your attention back to the barn, which was now partially engulfed in flames. As the bullets flew through the air you could see the small bursts of light each time the gunpowder ignited. Your heart pounded as you desperately searched for some sign of life of those you knew.

Shadows danced as figures moved out of cover to shoot and back again, but your position on the wooded hill offered no hope at distinguishing faces. Trying to see this far away was hopeless, but you knew you couldn’t leave your position and risk the horses running off.

You sure hoped those figures moving towards you were friendly.

Four bodies slipped into the night as the barn continued to burn. It was nearly all engulfed in flames which lit up the area a bit and you breathed a sigh of relief as you saw Charles, Bill, Uncle, and finally Arthur move into the tree line. John and Sadie were nowhere in sight.

“Charles! Arthur!” You whispered loudly. The men were a decent ways away and didn’t hear you, but you were cautious that being any louder would signal the Cornwall men to your location.

Moving Eclipse forward slowly, you tried to catch the group as they began to run through the trees. The fact that John and Sadie were missing was nagging at the back of your mind.

“Alright fellers. We better split up so we don’t have too much trouble, now.”

You heard Arthur grunt. “Trouble you caused, Uncle! You better hope Cornwall doesn’t follow us out of here. Now, we tied the horses up around here somewhere, Uncle you ride back with Charles, Bill and I will head different ways. Don’t lead anyone back to camp!”

Arthur stood and watched the others ride off, pulling himself up onto Zeus. He didn’t hear you approach right away but the two horses nickered and he drew his gun up out of habit without seeing who it was.

“YN? That you?”

You held your hands up mockingly, “It’s me, cowboy. Put that thing down.”

“What in the hell are you doing out here? Dutch send you?” He closed the small space between you and swept you into his arms. You could hear how fast his heart was beating as you rested your head on his chest.

“No, rode out with John and Sadie. Wanted to make sure you were alright, does robbing a carriage normally take this long?

“No,” Arthur chuckled while scanning the woods around you, “it doesn’t. Where are Mrs. Adler and Marston? Don’t see ‘em with you.”

You shook your head. “I thought they were with you. We stopped up on that hill and they went down to help. I haven’t seen them for half an hour at least. I got stuck babysitting the horses.”

Arthur rubbed his jaw and continued to look around. The area was silent, even the sounds of the others riding away had faded and left you alone. The burning from the barn was silent at this time of the night.

“Let’s head back, see if we can find them.”

Riding back out of the woods proved of little use as John and Sadie were still missing. Arthur didn’t have to say it out loud for you to know what that look on his face meant. It had been too long since they snuck off and far too quiet.

A scream pierced the air that you recognized as Sadie’s. Both of you spurred off in that direction as two shots rang out as well.

“Take that you shit eating scum!”

At the edge of the woods you saw why they had been delayed. John held a smoking gun out as a Cornwall man had Sadie held up by the neck. She fought and wiggled about but couldn't escape his grip. From the looks of things John had just taken out another who was approaching through the trees but never made it close.

“Just leave me with the girl, scar face, and walk off like nothing happened. Mr. Cornwall will let you all live for once!”

‘Not a chance!” John’s ragged voice replied. “Get back before I shoot you too.”

The guard chuckled darkly at this, pulling a knife out to point at Sadie’s neck. You looked over at Arthur, unsure of your next move but found him dismounting and motioning for you to stay put. You nodded, happy to not approach the men.

Sadie moved again and yelled as the knife cut into the chest. It was pure rage that poured out of her and not an ounce of fear. You found yourself again admiring her tenacity while staring death in the face.

She must have caught sight of Arthur coming up as she started laughing, and spit on the ground.

"You fool just about to meet your maker! You ready?" She swung her head back and slammed into the nose of her attacker just as Arthur jumped on his back. All three went sprawling, and Sadie frantically lunged after the knife that had fallen in the grass.

John watched, gun aimed at the guard, knowing that if he fired he could hit either of his gang instead of the damn Cornwall man.

Your hands were numb from how hard you gripped the reigns and how useless you felt sitting up on the hill. You wanted to cry out but couldn't risk distracting someone you cared about.

Finally Sadie found the knife and swung around, meeting the neck of the taller man. He gasped and spluttered, hands clawing at the metal weapon but was gone in moments. She wiped her face with blood covered hands in an attempt to clean herself, but it had the wrong effect. She ended up looking downright terrifying.

As soon as the movement stopped you charged in, angry and scared about what could have gone wrong.

"Arthur!!"

Your voice was laced with worry and fear, and he turned at the sound of your approach. It took everything you had not to throw your arms around him, but Sadie and John watched you run down the hill.

"Thank god you're all alright. I didn't know how to find you without causing a scene and didn't want to draw attention. Guess I didn't need to…"

John rubbed his face with his hand, dragging it slowly to release tension. "This is a god damned mess. Let's get out of here before someone comes looking."

Sadie wiped the knife off, and with John's help climbed up onto Old Boy to lead the way. Arthur trailed behind you.

Most of the ride back was silent, your head spinning from what you witnessed as you rode away. Another life taken, just like that. All that blood and fighting Sadie seemed to revel in seemed so forgein to you, like a language you didn’t quite understand.

"YN, can we speak? In private?"

Arthur’s voice pulled you from your thoughts. The small group had arrived back at camp already. Everything was silent except for the murmured greeting from whoever was on guard duty and the quiet movement of the lake.

After giving Eclipse a treat you followed Athur into his tent. Ms. Grimshaw had bulked up the exterior with walls now that winter was getting closer. They served as an excellent block from peeping eyes around camp.

As soon as the flap closed Arthur pulled you in to him. His lips covered yours with a hunger you haven’t experienced in a long time and it scared you how fast you felt the same. Your hands reached up and pushed his broad brimmed hat, earning a chuckle as it hit the ground. You could feel the low rumble from his chest as you were pressed up against him with one hand running through your hair and the other keeping you in place on your lower back. It was overwhelming and wonderful all at once.

Arthur gained confidence from the small noises escaping you and moved to kiss and suck on your neck. His stubble tickled slightly as it brushed along. You moaned as he hit a particularly sensitive spot, causing Arthur to groan back, hot breath against your neck.

His hands slid under your thighs and you felt him lift up, then lean back onto his cot. By now your heart was thundering in your chest and the blood pumping through your veins was hot and fast. Apparently the thrill of battle got Arthur going.

Hovering above you, Arthur paused for a moment. The space between you was small, and taken up by a shared breath as your chests rose and fell in time. Arthur’s gaze was locked with your own as if he was measuring how far he could push things.

“Should we stop…”

“No it’s...not yet.”

“We don’t have to, you know…”

Feeling bold you grabbed his tie and pulled him to you again, lips crashing into one another. You could have stayed like this forever, fighting for dominance but happy to lose if it meant Arthur would kiss your neck just like that again.

After awhile you pushed on his chest, needing a moment to think. He winked at you and moved to sit on the end of his bed, adjusting his pants in the process.

“Sorry to just jump you like that.” Arthur rubbed the back of his neck and you laughed softly, pushing him playfully with your boot.

“Don’t ever apologize for feeling like that, Arthur Morgan. It’s just...we’re…” you fumbled to find the right words, but Arthur reached over and squeezed your hand, knowing what to say.

“New. I know. You just looked so damn good with that wind in your hair I couldn’t help myself.”

He stood and stretched, the small strip of skin between his shirt and belt showing which made your face flush all over again.

“Guess I should get on to bed, it’s late enough and we got that ball coming up with Hosea soon so he’s making us get up and practice dance steps.”

Something in Arthur’s face made you stop. “Or I could...stay?”

He looked hopeful, smiling as you sat back down on his bed. “It’s awful cold out there and I’d hate for you to freeze. Maybe you should just sleep in my cot. You know, share body heat and all that.”

“Alright Mr. Morgan, I’ll share your bed. But no funny business, just good old fashioned sleeping for warmth. Like folks do.”

“Mr. Morgan!” You squealed as Arthur pressed you down on the bed again, hands held above your head and legs trapped below his. “Woman, that’s a dangerous game you play.”

“Well, I’m sure we can figure out some sort of punishment between you and I, Mr. Morgan.”

By the time you fell asleep you were sure the entire camp knew you two were together from the sounds that echoed across the small grass clearing.

#price to be paid #rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 fanfic #fanfic #reader story #reader fanfic #arthur morgan #arthur morgan x reader #writing #the price to be paid

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ohfrickfanfic · 6 years

Text

Best Of Both Worlds

Pairings: Blurry X Reader, Tyler X Reader

Warnings/Tags: violence,extremely rough sex, intense choking, knifeplay, bloodplay, shower sex, there’s also a slightly creepy part where Tyler thinks your dead the next morning.

Working on the new album is stressing Tyler out more than he lets on, but you know. You know because every now and again when you look over to the piano, watching him work, his dark brown eyes flicker to a vibrant red. You know exactly what that means; Tyler’s insecurities about his work are getting the best of him again and Blurry is trying to take over. But you can’t help the feeling beginning to pool in your lower abdomen because as much as you hate what Blurry does to Tyler mentally, you thoroughly enjoy what Blurry does to you sexually.

You knew when you married Tyler that ‘in sickness and health, til death do us part’ also included dealing with Tyler’s demons, especially Blurry. Most of your encounters with Blurry had consisted of ignoring the demon manifested of negative thoughts and insecurities while simultaneously showering Tyler — who you knew was still in there somewhere — with love and positivity until he was strong enough to come back.

It wasn’t until after you were married that you started having sex with the demon. The first time it happened was completely unintentional; you and Tyler had had a particularly stressful day and thought sex would help take your minds off things for a bit. As it turned out that didn’t help at all your mind was a million miles away, lost in your problems and unable to focus on the task at hand: climax. Tyler, due to no fault of his own, was unable to make you cum. That, mixed with the days earlier events still weighing on his mind made his insecurities boil over. While still inside of you his eyes flashed to red, and for the first time, you found yourself having sex with Blurry, not Tyler.

Tyler was gentle, sweet, caring, compassionate and wouldn’t hurt a fly. In fact, on more than one occasion Tyler had you gently escort an intruding bug out of the house on a sheet of paper or inside a cup because as much as he feared the insects, he didn’t want them harmed. These traits crossed over into the bedroom as well. Sex with Tyler was amazing and went far beyond the realm of pleasure. The two of you practically melted into one being with the way your souls connected when Tyler was inside of you. His tender touches and passionate kisses filled your senses and awoke every nerve ending in your body. You definitely weren’t complaining by any means, but sometimes you wished he would be a little rougher with you. You had expressed this to Tyler on a few occasions but he insisted he didn’t want to hurt you.

Blurry was everything Tyler wasn’t: rough, harsh, cruel, and degrading, and so was the sex with him, but you’d be lying if you said you didn’t enjoy yourself that first time with Blurry. Tyler apologized profusely whenever he saw the black handprints on your neck, mascara streaked cheeks, and your lips, bitten raw and bloody. You assured him that it was ok — that you were ok — and admitted you enjoyed it.

“I know you’ve expressed wanting rougher sex in the past, but that looks like it was really rough — too rough,” Tyler winced as he wiped black handprints from your neck, revealing identical bruised ones underneath. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m okay if you’re okay?” you pried, wondering how Tyler felt about the situation.

“Well, I don’t like seeing you hurt but... but if this is what you want and I can’t give that to y —”

“Tyler, stop it. It's not like that — don’t even think of it like that. Blurry is a part of you,” you said placing your hand on Tyler’s shoulder as he tended to you. “Think of it as me getting to experience the best of both worlds. At least it’s good to know that monster’s good for something,” you joked.

“Yeah, I guess you're right.” Tyler cracked a smile. “Just promise me if it happens again and it gets to be too much, you’ll cry out for me. I swear I’ll fight my way back to protect you.”

“Promise.” you agreed. “Safeword: Tyler”

You both laughed as Tyler pulled you in for a hug that night.

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

Most people are probably in bed at this ungodly hour but here you are you sitting curled up on your favorite spot on the couch, reading a book as you keep a close eye on Tyler, who refuses to go to bed until he’s perfected this one particular part he’s been struggling with.

“That sounded great, babe,” you offer, the echo of the last note dissipating in the air.

“No, it sounds like every other piano riff in existence...” Tyler starts. “There’s nothing special about it,” Blurry’s deep menacing voice cuts through briefly before fading back to Tyler’s.

“Tyler, honey, please, let’s just go to bed. You can work on it more tomorrow. You’re stressing yourself out.”

“No. You can go to bed if you want. I’m fine.”

Tyler rolls his cramped neck; the combination of sitting in front of the piano for hours and the building stress and tension have worked knots into the musician’s muscles. He slowly opens and closes his tired, calloused hands, giving his fingers a slight wiggle before returning them to the piano’s keys and begins again.

Returning your eyes to the pages of your book, you shift to get more comfortable as ‘perfect -to -you’ melodies fill the air. You smooth out the bunches your movements have made in your nightie, your mind drifting back to the night Tyler had bought it for you. You had been surprised he picked out something so basic and simple: A plain, cream, mid-thigh length nightie, with the tiniest of bows where the slinky straps attached to the fabric right above your breasts. Tyler insisted, saying, “Most girls wear sexy lingerie with fancy straps, ties, and lace to make themselves look beautiful, but you’re so beautiful already. I know you can make this simple nightie look sexy. Plus, it looks a lot easier to get off of you,” he finished with a laugh. Suddenly the loud clamorous sound of multiple piano keys being smashed at once pulls you from your thoughts.

“T-Tyler?” you question, knowing full well he would never treat his instruments in such a way. You rise from your spot on the couch. “Tyler?” you question again, making your way over to the piano but you can already see the back of his black stained neck and hands from where he’s perched on the piano bench, facing away from you. “Tyler? Honey?” you try again to reach your husband. As much as you enjoy sex with Blurry, you would never intentionally let Blurry takeover, and still always try your best to bring Tyler back. “Tyler, I-I really liked that last one. It-it sounded really good... um... different even.” you coax, placing an unsteady hand on Blurry’s shoulder. “I mean it, Tyler. The fans are gonna —”

“Silence!” Blurry interrupts, blindly swatting backward; the knuckles of his open left hand striking your lip.

“Owww!” you wince and suck in air between your teeth. Bringing your hand to your lip, you dab at the wet warmth on the surface with your middle finger and pull it back to look at it; sure enough, it’s bleeding. You reach over Blurry for the box of tissues Tyler keeps on his piano when suddenly Blurry’s blood-streaked hand shoots up and grabs you by the wrist, stopping you.

“I always did have a thing for blood,” his demonic voice bellows as he turns to you, bringing his hand — still clamped around your wrist — to his mouth. Locking his crimson eyes to yours, his head moves back and forth in a jerky — almost mechanical like fashion as his tongue zigzags through the valleys between his knuckles, collecting your blood as he goes. A moan slips from your mouth and his free hand quickly wraps around your throat as he stands, backing you up into the adjoined kitchen. With his hand still firmly wrapped around your neck, he shoves you roughly against the space of blank wall at the end of the countertops.

You claw at his grasp, trying to loosen his grip enough for you to speak. “Leave Tyler al —”

“I said SILENCE!” he forces out harshly as you feel his fingers slowly tighten around your throat, one... by... one. Yanking you forward by the column of flesh, he sucks your injured lip into his mouth, drawing more blood from the cut, and then pushes his tongue into your mouth. A copper tang lingers on his tongue as it dances wildly in your mouth. You can’t help the sounds that escape your lips; your moans acting as a white flag as you completely surrender yourself to Blurry, deepening the kiss. “Huh huh ha ha,” his evil laughs rings in your ears. “There’s my little slut. I knew you’d forget about that pathetic husband of yours and give in sooner or later. I don’t know what you see in —”

You can’t stand to hear all the vile things Blurry insists on spewing about Tyler, so you opt to drown him out, turning your focus to his harsh kisses on your bruising lip, the feeling of his calloused hand roaming up your nightie between your thighs, the drumming of your pulse against the pads of his fingers and the way it whooshes in your ears. You pay close attention to the sounds of exchanging breaths and smacking lips as Blurry devours every shallow, raspy, moan and gasp you manage to produce.

Blurry abruptly pulls his hungry lips from yours and releases your throat, reaching to open the drawer to your right. The sudden influx of air to your oxygen-starved lungs burns like fire, but the feeling quickly dissipates when suddenly you feel cool metal contact your skin. causing you to exhale in a breathy moan.

“You’re not gonna go crying out for Tyler now, are you, Dollface?” Blurry’s low-pitched voice taunts as he presses the serrated blade of a large steak knife to your throat. You shake your head ‘no’, daring the blade to slice your skin as heat pools in your core. You know you would never be able to get Tyler to agree to knifeplay, but you’ve always been intrigued by the idea of it.

Blurry places the handle of the knife in his mouth, holding it in place with his teeth and quickly pulls you from the wall, forcing your hands behind your back. Taking hold of both your wrists in one hand. he removes the knife from his mouth with the other and returns it to your throat.

“Good. Bedroom. Walk,” he orders.

He roughly guides you to the bedroom, but as he spins you around and throws you onto the bed, the teeth of the knife catch in your flesh, nicking you. Your blood quickly beads to the surface, and in an instant Blurry is on you like a blood-starved vampire. Dropping the knife to the mattress and straddling your hips, he pins your hands by the sides of your head and runs his tongue up the river of red trickling down your neck to the cut. Even though you know it’s something you were always curious to try, you surprise yourself with how needily you begin to writhe when Blurry pauses to suck more blood from the source.

“Mmmm desperate, are we?” he asks with blood-stained lips, grinding against you.

“Blurry, please,” you beg, raising your hips up to meet his.

Blurry retrieves the knife, his eyes glued to yours as he licks the remnants of your blood from the blade. He slides the knife under the dainty strap of your nightie, scraping it against your skin, and begins to pull up.

“Don’t! It’s Tyler’s favorite!” you plead.

“Don’t! It's Tyler's favorite.” Blurry mocks with a demonic chuckle as he slices through the thin strap, and then repeats the action on the opposite side. He doesn’t even bother removing the garment, instead pulling the top of the silky fabric down off your breasts and pushing the bottom up over your thighs, bunching it around your middle. A smug grin spreads across his ensanguined lips when he realizes your pantiless.

“Mmm, fuck!” he drops the knife to the bed again, immediately shedding his clothes and snatches up your legs, smearing black paint all over them. With his hands behind your knees, he forces your legs back, promptly entering you. Without even giving you time to adjust, he begins pounding into you with a quick and vigorous rhythm. “So fucking wet already! Admit it, you wanted this. You’ve been watching Ty stress all night, silently hoping I’d make an appearance, haven’t you?”

“Yes Blurry! Please just fuck me… fuck me… harder,” you chant in time with is his trusts.

Blurry drops one of your legs from his grasp and grabs the knife. Slowing his hips to painfully languid and shallow thrusts, he places the tip of the knife under your chin, lifting your head up as he leans in closer.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do, Dollface.” he quips, slamming back into you and reestablishing his speed and vigor. He teases the blade lightly down from your chin and over the hollow of your throat, adding slightly more pressure — enough to scratch but not cut you — as he trails it over your chest and down your stomach, finally pausing at your hip.

He flicks his eyes to yours and watches momentarily as their expression flutters somewhere between lust and fear while he presses the knife firmly against your flesh before harshly dragging the blade across your left hipbone. A cocktail of winces and moans fall from your lips as you raise your hips off the bed, meeting Blurry’s thrusts, the sting of the slash somehow intensifying your pleasure. Blurry tosses the knife down to his right and runs his hand through the ruby red blood seeping from your hip, spreading it around. Both his hands navigate up your body as he connects your mouths in a heated kiss, littering your body and tattered nightie with a combination of black paint and blood-soiled handprints in his wake. Upon reaching your neck, he grabs it tightly, choking you as the other quickly glides back down your body to your hip. With his palm pressed firmly over the wound, causing more blood to pool out, he holds you down while he fucks you.

Due to Blurry’s crushing hold on your throat cutting off your oxygen and blood flow, your face and lips grow tingly. Your vision begins to narrow to pinpoints and you start to feel like you’re flying as your impending orgasm begins to build warmth in your abdomen. And then just as you’re about to give in and cry out for Tyler because you're sure you're about to lose consciousness, Blurry releases your throat. The sudden rush of oxygen and blood flow back to your deprived body that’s already been teetering on the edge of release sends you into the most intense series of orgasmic waves you’ve ever experienced.

Your body quakes and shakes as you come down from the high. Your mind is still so cloudy and confused in a pleasure-induced stupor that you don’t even remember Blurry cumming. He must have because you can feel it leaking from your entrance and he’s already crashed, half asleep next to you. Sleep sounds great right about now. You’re not even sure if your legs are capable of standing anyways, so you opt for sleep as well, not even bothering to get cleaned up.

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

In the morning, Tyler awakes with a groan and a stretch, and groggily makes his way to the bathroom, his eyes still heavily lidded with sleep. He smacks his lips and tongue in an attempt to moisten his sleep-dried mouth but finds himself slightly alarmed at the metallic taste that accompanies his usual morning breath. Sleepily, he pushes his concerns to the back of his mind as he enters the bathroom.

With his eyes still mostly closed, he turns on the faucet and begins to fill his cupped hands with water. Just as he brings the water up to his face his eyes begin to rouse, and the rust-colored water he’s cradling comes into focus. Terrified, he quickly empties the water from his hands and bends down staring intently at the running water like perhaps he’s in some sort of horror movie.

Nope definitely not coming from the spout.

He shakes the nonsense thought from his head and turns his attention back to his hands, turning them over, his eyes meeting with the remnants of dried blood. Confused, he looks up, searching his brain for answers only to be met with his blood-stained reflection in the mirror: Crimson messily surrounds his mouth like smeared clown makeup. He looks down, surveying his body and realizes he naked. He doesn’t remember getting undressed, and come to think of it, he doesn’t remember going to bed either. In fact, the last thing he remembers is being at the piano...and suddenly it hits him…

Blurry.

He rushes back to the bedroom to check on you, panicked by the sight before him: your motionless body with eyes closed, caked in dried blood, and a knife to your right. In an instant, Tyler is by your side and you’re stirred awake by the feeling of two fingers palpitating at your neck. You open your eyes to Tyler’s fear-filled brown ones just inches from yours.

“Oh, thank God you’re alright,” he says with a relieved sigh, whisking you into a tight embrace. “I’m so sorry, babydoll; so sorry he did this to you.” You hear his voice crack as he buries his head into your neck.

“Tyler I’m fine, I —”

“Fine? Fine?! Don’t try to justify this. This is not fine,” he says, running his thumb over your swollen, dried blood encrusted lip. “This,” his says, tilting your neck and exposing the small cut, “this is not fine.” He reaches for the knife next to you, picking it up. “Knives? Knives hurting my beautiful wife are not fine. And this,” he says, plucking at the tattered fabric around your waist, “you... everything... you’re a mess!” he speaks frantically.

“For the record, I told him NOT to cut the nightie,” you say light-heartedly, trying to defuse his concern and suggest that you had consented to Blurry cutting you.

“I don’t give a shit about the nightie!” he curses, his rage causing his eyes to flicker a cherry red.

“Tyler! — Tyler, your eyes baby, your eyes,” you warn. “Calm down, baby. Really, I’m okay. Umm how do I put this...?”

“What? What is it, baby?”

“Blurry didn’t do anything I didn’t want him to do,” you admit.

His rage turns to confusion but he begins to relax a little, his eyes stabilizing to a warm brown before he speaks again. “Y-you wanted this?” he questions. “I thought the first time was too much with him choking you, but you swore you were into it so I let it go, but knives? Really? You liked that?”

“What can I say? You married a freak, baby,” you chuckle. “I don’t know, I’ve always been intrigued by the idea, so when Blurry pulled out a knife I wasn’t about to stop him and I’m glad I didn’t. It was such an adrenaline rush.”

“You really are a freak,” Tyler smiles. “Come on, at least let me get you cleaned up.”

Tyler pulls you to your feet and helps you peel off the torn nightie that’s adhered to you with dried blood and cum, then guides you by the small of your back to the bathroom. Inside the bathroom, Tyler grabs a washcloth from the closet and starts the shower, adjusting the temp to get it nice and hot — just the way you like it — before the two of you step in.

The water almost instantly pools to a rusted color by your feet as it hits your body. Tyler opens his mouth allowing the water from the shower to fill it before spitting it back out, ridding his taste buds of the copper taste. You watch as Tyler applies soap to the pads of his fingers and scrubs around his lips and chin, then tightly closes his eyes, letting the spray of water wash away the blood-tinged bubbles. When he’s finished he tends to you: carefully patting the dried blood from your swollen lip with a wet washcloth and cleaning the black paint and cut on your neck.

“You sure you wanted this, Babygirl? I don’t want you covering for Blurry,” he asks, moving the cloth to your wash hip then between your thighs, the light friction leaving you wanting more.

“I’m sure,” you smile.

“Even though you say that I can’t help but want to kiss every mark and every cut, like he hurt you,” Tyler states as he rinses the soap from your hip.

“Well, what’s stopping you?” you smirk.

Without another word Tyler softly takes your face in his hands and gently kisses the side of mouth where you lip had been split, then moves his mouth down to your neck, placing a dainty kiss to the wound just above your clavicle. With his hands resting on your waist for balance, he squats down to kiss your hip and you can’t help but let out a small moan.

“You know, I’m feeling kinda sore today too,” you say suggestively, strumming his hair.

“Is that so?” he smiles, gazing up at you and causing you to suck your bottom lip between your teeth. He immediately delves his tongue between your folds, licking one long, exaggerated stripe before pausing. “Blurry might like the taste of blood, but I think this tastes much better,” he grins before diving back in for more as the shower rains down, slicking his hair to his forehead.

“Oh... God...Tyler!” you whine, threading both your hands through his wet hair, holding him right where you want him. If there was one thing Tyler was good at, it was definitely eating you out, especially considering Blurry never did. He was always more wrapped up in his own needs.

Tyler, as always, is mindful of detail, giving every part of your pussy the attention it deserves. When he’s not tonguing over your clit, he’s sucking on your lips or lapping at the wetness secreting from your entrance as your arousal builds in your abdomen.

“Need… to feel you... inside... please!” you beg, growing closer to release.

He stands up, slowly tugging his already erect cock and begins teasing the head over your clit. You quickly throw your arms around his neck and raise one leg, wrapping it around his waist allowing him to guide his length into you.

Once fully inside you, he grips your opposite leg and helps you wrap it around him as well. He promptly moves both hands to your backside to support you and pins you to the shower wall with hips. His hips piston and grind into you as your wet bodies slide against each other under the falling water.

“God I love you,” you whine, sliding your hands from the nape of his neck to his back and pulling him closer, your breast pressed firmly to his chest and chin digging into his shoulder. You can’t get close enough, can’t get enough of him and his intoxicating kisses he’s planting at the base of your neck.

“I love you too,” he breathes heavily. “Look at me.”

You lift your head from his shoulder, meeting his eyes. Tyler softly connects you mouths, water dripping from his lush lower lip. You kiss him back, sliding your tongue along his puckered lips, gathering the droplet on your tongue before pushing it into his mouth and moaning into the kiss: the sound accompanying that of colliding wet flesh.

“You... uhh… mmm... you close?” Tyler moans, hovering on edge.

“Mmmm... yeah,”

“C-can I try something?” Tyler asks shyly.

“Anything… anything you want baby,” you answer, intrigued.

Tyler pins you harder against the wall, holding you in place as he removes one hand from your backside and oh so gently places it on your neck, careful to avoid where Blurry cut you. There’s barely any pressure behind his hold, but the feeling of Tyler taking ownership of you in a way he never has and his mere willingness to even try this is enough to send you over the edge.

“Oh, fuck, Tyler!” you shout, your orgasm washing over you so profoundly that your legs shake and weaken, slipping from their place around Tyler's waist. Tyler tries his best to keep you up as he finishes inside you.

“Shit, if you’re gonna cum like that every time, maybe I can get into this rough stuff a little.” Tyler huffs out of breath, returning you to your feet. “It was hard to tell because we’re in the shower, but I’m pretty sure you squirt.”

#tyler joseph #tyler joseph smut #blurry x reader #blurry smut #blurryface #blurryface smut #tyler joseph fanfiction #tyler x reader #Twenty One Pilots #twenty one pilots fan fiction

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sofreddie · 6 years

Text

Thinking Of Us

Summary: Cute little Friends to Lovers piece.

Characters: Sam x Reader

Warnings: Fluff, Smut (Smluff? Flut??)

Word Count: 1,587

A/N: So last autumn (I know! I’m sorry!), I made a bet with the lovely @lunarsaturn88. I lost the bet (which I STILL cannot believe!) and the stakes were a one shot of the winners choosing. Ember asked for a fluffy Sam one shot, smut if I was able/comfortable. I’m so sorry this took so long to get out. Love ya, Ember! ; ) UNBETA’D, so all mistakes are my own. Feedback is appreciated. : ) If you like my work, consider buying me a coffee.

“Well, have you?” Sam asked, leaning over the kitchen island towards Y/N as she cooked at the stove.

“Have I what Sam?” Y/N huffed out, sounding bored and annoyed.

“Ever thought about it?” He pressed, standing and walking around the island and leaning against the counter next to Y/N. She hurriedly turned off the stove, dinner being ready. She slammed down her utensil and took off her apron, tossing it on the island and turning to face Sam.

“About what?” She rested her hand on her hip, impatiently waiting for him to get to whatever goddamn point he’d been trying to dance around for the last ten minutes.

“About us?” His tone was soft, his features relaxed. He studied her face and her eyes as he waited for her response.

“Yes.” She said, arching a brow and walking around him to leave the kitchen.

“And?” He called after her, stopping her in her tracks. She took several deep breaths before turning around.

“Yes, Sam, I’ve thought about it.” She threw her arms up and let them smack back down against her sides. “I’ve thought about it a lot. Probably more than I should. What’s your point?”

Sam smiled and licked his lips. “Me too.” He said, biting his lip. She couldn’t help but laugh. Too many emotions at once. She relaxed and walked a few steps closer to him, trying to fight a smile.

“And how would that work exactly?” She cooed. Sam’s posture relaxed as he looked at the ground, shaking his head and looking back up at her.

“I don’t know.” He stood straighter, grasping her by the shoulders gently. “I don’t know,” he exhaled the words. “But I-I really need to know.” He nodded, raising his brows, making sure she understood him.

“You’ll still hunt.” She said. Sam immediately got defensive.

“Y/N, I-I hunt. It’s what I do-” Y/N raised her hand to stop him. Sam was readying himself for it all to blow up in his face.

“It wasn’t a question Sam, it was a statement. You’ll still hunt.” Sam was momentarily caught off guard, but quickly recovered.

“Are you telling me what to do?” He said, biting his lip and cautiously sliding his hands to her sides, stepping closer. She giggled, and Sam’s heart soared seeing her blush.

“No.” She tried her best to be serious again. “I’m talking out how it might go.” She whispered the last bit. Sam could tell she wanted to talk a little game, but was so uncomfortable and unfamiliar in the field. It only made him more sure of this.

“So, I’ll still hunt.” Y/N nodded in agreement as Sam continued, “And you’ll stay home?” He asked carefully. He didn’t want her hunting or traveling with him. But he didn’t want her biting his head off if she insisted on going.

“Yeah, I’ll stay home.” She smiled. “You’ll come see me every chance you get.”

“It might not be as often as we’d like.” Sam quickly realized he could be gone for weeks at a time.

“I know what I’m getting here, Sam. I’ll be here, you’ll go hunt. You’ll come home when you can.” Sam was shaking his head, not liking the way the conversation was going. Y/N made him meet her eyes as she continued. “I’ll get to be me and live my life. But I’ll also get to have you. And with you being gone, I can miss you. I’m worried that if you quit the life and we lived a “normal” life that we would grow tired of each other.” Sam couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“I’d never get tired of you.” He added, holding her closer. “But I could get restless.” He shrugged and laughed as she playfully slapped at his chest.

“But what if things get...serious.” Sam added, still concerned.

“Like with us?”

“Yeah.”

“I hope so.” She beamed. “That’s kind of the whole point of dating someone, isn’t it? To hope it gets there.” Sam nuzzled her nose gently with his own as he nodded his agreement.

“What about kids, maybe, someday - if you want to?” With each word, Sam seemed to be backpedaling in panic. Y/N laughed.

“Are you kidding me?! I’d love to be a mother. And to have them with you?” She added, biting her lip now. Sam couldn’t take it anymore. He leaned in and kissed her, his arms wrapped around her, holding her against him. He couldn’t help the doubt gnawing at his mind.

“Are we really going from friends to exclusive committed relationship within five minutes?” He asked, his eyes still closed as he cradled her face, his breath fanning over her lips. He needed to be sure that this was real, that she wanted this. He wanted it so bad, for so long.

“If that’s what you want.” She cooed seductively. Sam broke out in a wide grin.

“Yeah. That’s definitely what I want.” He nodded enthusiastically, his nose brushing hers, his hair shaking down in their faces.

“I don’t know.” Y/N teased, barely pecking at his lips. Sam was vibrating under his skin, desperately trying to keep himself from ravaging her right then and there. “I’m not entirely convinced you really want this.” Sam’s grip tightened slightly on her cheeks as he growled. Oh, he’d make sure there was no room for doubt, ever. He pushed the last lingering negative thoughts from his mind as he crashed his lips to hers, moving his hands around her back, gathering her up in his arms. He bent her back slightly with the force of his kisses which grew in intensity with licks and nips. His lips moved across her jaw and down her neck. She bent her head, allowing him more access.

“Sam.” She moaned out, losing herself to the sensation. That was it. He had to have her.

Sam ran his hands to the backs of her thighs, quickly picking her up and wrapping her legs around him. Y/N yelped in surprise, causing Sam to bite his lip in response. She was blushing as he nibbled on her collarbone, carrying her down the hall to an empty room across from the kitchen and dropping her on the bed.

“Sam. Our rooms are just down the hall-” She protested, wondering why they were in another room.

“I can’t make it that long.” He breathed out, lowering himself onto her and attaching his lips to hers once more. Her protests were quickly forgotten as Sam ground himself against her, desperately pulling at her clothing. They were quickly naked, their clothes strewn about them haphazardly, half of them ripped from hurrying to get them off.

When they were naked, Sam laid his body over Y/N’s. He ground his hips against her, rubbing his cock through her folds, feeling how wet and warm she was.

“You’re so wet, Baby.” He crooned, notching the head of his cock at her entrance, swirling the tip to tease her.

“Oh, Sam, please.” She begged, nearly breathless as he took a nipple in his mouth, continuing to press the head against her wet hole before rutting through her folds once more. “Please, just take me!” She pleaded with him. Sam looked up, a grin spreading on his face seeing her so desperate beneath him.

Sam placed his arms on either side of her head, holding her as he kissed her and slipped inside. She gasped and he swallowed her sounds. When she wiggled her hips beneath him, he took the cue, pulling back and slamming home hard.

Her back arched and she tried to scream, only a breathy moan escaping. He wrapped her arms over his shoulder and behind his neck. “Hold on to me, Baby.” He whispered before starting a punishing rhythm. As she began to lose herself in the pleasure, he scooped her into his arms, hoisting her into his lap as he sat back on his knees.

Y/N gasped in surprise as Sam kissed all over her face, neck, and chest. He wrapped one arm around her back, the other holding into her shoulder for leverage as he simultaneously fucked up into her and yanked her down onto him. She couldn’t help it. She threw her head back and let increasingly loud and obscene moans falls from her lips as relentlessly pounded into the sweetest spots within that had her head swimming from bliss.

“Sam, I’m so close.” She managed to choke out, holding onto him for dear life and looking into his eyes. She nudged his shoulder and he lay back, taking her with him. They repositioned themselves and Y/N began rocking on his cock, working them both into a frenzy. When her mouth hung open, her orgasm drawing near, Sam spread his legs and grabbed her hips, thrusting hard and fast.

“Oh God!” She screamed as her whole body went rigid with her release. Sam grunted from his efforts before he let out a long growl and scream of her name, cumming deep inside her.

They lay panting for several minutes before Y/N rolled off of Sam and to the side. He fetched a towel to clean them up before taking his place beside her once more, running his hands over her heated and exposed flesh.

“That was amazing!” She huffed out, desperately trying to work up enough saliva to coat her dry and aching throat.

“We’re just getting started.” He smirked before leaning into kiss her once more.

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#sofreddie #thinking of us #sam winchester #sam x reader #reader insert #oneshot #spn spn fan fiction #spn fanfic #supernatural #supernatural fanfic #supernatural fan fiction #spn oneshot #sam winchester oneshot #supernatural oneshot #sam winchester fluff #sam winchester smut #fluff and smut #fluff #smut

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dontdontwhatwhat · 7 years

Text

My Comet Experience August 23 evening

I recorded audio which i will trade/gift so feel free to message me and also if you see an asterisk * next to a bullet point that means you can hear what I just described in my audio because I sat right on stage and it's sooo cool (like footsteps, singing, and slamming into the rail above me)

(Sorry if I repeat myself from the last post I don't remember what I wrote then)

-I sat on stage this time!!! Alex was my pierogi boyyy and I said Hi Alex! And he said Hey!! And placed his hand on his chest and then proceeded to give us the basket to pass around and explain the rulesss. He was so funny I love him

-After the pierogis Nick C was just standing above me facing the orchestra so I went "Hi Nick!" And he had to look for me for a sec and then he asked how I was and talked about how the dumplings needed chutney or some sort of sauce... ok nick... lol It was a bit random so I just kind of smiled and yeahed it all (he's gr8 tho I love him)

-Before prologue started Lucas was standing near my pit and he pointed to me (I'm assuming because I was wearing a Comet Tshirt) smiled, and wiggled/raised his eyebrows (literally died a lil)

-Kennedy was on for Helene tonight! Her voice is very different from Amber's but I actually enjoyed her a lot! Her and Lucas definitely did not have the chemistry that he and Amber did though

-Also Nick B's costume change into Bolkonsky is incredibly quick wow

-I'm really sad I missed Scott by a day because I'm seeing Dave twice now but anyways I made eye contact with him a lot

-Private and Intimate life Paul hobbles in as the servant, and the first time I saw the show I thought it was hilarious because I was in the mez and couldn't see his face but this time noooo it was so scary. His eyes are literally rolled into the back of his head

-Bolkonsky screamed NONSENSE instead of songstress? *

-Mary pulls the young suitor from where I was sitting! He played into it and was great! *

-During No One Else Natasha was holding onto the rail above me and made eye contact and held it with me for like 5 seconds while she sang!!!

-I think I said this in my last post but Andrey in the snow and the blue lighting is so beautiful and he's so handsome and she's so cute ugh i love it a lot

-Andrew and Brad sat on the steps by me and caressed each other and sang some of the lines in the beginning of The Opera *

-I love the music when they announce Dolokhov and Helene so muchhh (also you can hear their footsteps as they run past me!) *

-Kennedy and Nick also did not have that chemistry Amber had but it was still great

-Ok but in The Opera 1 Paul's change into the opera outfit??? How did it he do it in like 2 seconds??? and 2 he was standing right above me and he opened his mouth and made the loudest most high pitched scream I've ever heard I was thoroughly SHOOK *

-Anatole’s Entrance is godly as usual

-I love the part where Andrey is getting injured at war i just think it's so cool for some reason?

-He's as handsome up close as at a distance... Lucas is a beautiful boy but when he sang "I never remove my smiling eyes from your face" he was right above me and he was starring into Denee's soul and his eyes were so wide and it was pretty scary tbh I was like whoa

-The whole seize me from behind thing happened right above me and I could hear Lucas kiss her neck *

-THE DUEL

-I was so hyped for the duel it's one of my favorite songs to see live

-"Dear Andrey's betrothed" and Anatole's just like ehhh

-Drink drink gonna drink tonight gonna drink tonight gonna drink drinkkkk Dolokhov's dance was performed right above me and wth is it 😂 it's bizarre I love it *

-lots of grinding, Reed's sparkly high heels omg

-Lucas and Grace come down into my pit... I've heard what happens and oh it happened. First Lucas's butt was literally in my face blocking my view of what he and Grace were doing (not that I'm complaining) but he was so close and so I touched his vest hehe ( i doubt he felt it really it was pretty thick) he whips her and then they switch places and Lucas is standing on the steps and unzipping his pants and Grace is down on her knees and then whoop the lights come on and he zips back up (you can HEAR the whips in my audio) *

-When dolokhov got shot he fell into the rail and spit on everyone 👍 *

-Dust and Ashes the main cast and ensemble stand in the rear mezz and some in the orchestra and sing

-Ok so Kennedy's Charming was so good! She doesn't have the Angry voice Amber has but her version was amazing and her voice went so high like wow I was not expecting it

-Intermissionnn

-LETTERS

-Letters is my jam and then Paul sat on the steps next to me and I mouthed "Paul!" And waved and he smiled and waved back and we lip synced a bit together. He also had some sort of squeaking quacking thing whenever he would move his body it was probably supposed to be to the beat but he was off lol *

-Also a guy had to get up and hand Natasha the letter and he played the part well too! He did like a courteous bow sort of thing after he gave it to her

-Preperations gets me lit ok and nick literally showers lucas with spit when he holds him against the rails

-Balaga is soooo much fun everyone where I sat got a shaker. Balaga is literally everywhere one minute he's in front of me the next he's in the rear mezz (what a madman). He stuck his tongue out at the people in the swivel chairs once or twice in front of me and he pointed at me and smiled big when he ran by

-Ok I sat LITERALLY right underneath the Anatole and dolokhov kiss and... their lips did not touch?? Dolokhov was whispering something in his left ear and then he put his mouth super close like he was teasing him with a kiss but didn't and then dolokhov did like playful? hand motions by anatole’s chest and smacked his butt (last time i saw the show im pretty sure they did kiss though)

-Slightly disappointed but just being right beneath them during their dance is like the best thing ever so

-ABDUCTION

-I didn't have a glass so I raised my pierogi box and Brandt clinked his glass with my box and some others where we sat :)

-Some people at the table beneath Anatole weren't raising their glasses so he yelled at them and forced them to raise them lol

-I love the abduction dance moves so much and idk if I mentioned it in my last post but CHEF BELTONS HIGH KICKS 👌👌👌

-"May your numbers be numbered and counted..." Dave that's not the lyric but it's ok 😂 *

-Gelsey and Billy came into the pit and she sang in my face *

-Ok my best friend was sitting in the abduction seat and I'm not even gonna go into it because it was *no words* but @carnovalesque described it perfectly so thank you

-Lucas's hair got so messy in Pierre and Anatole and his petersburg was on point

-I love Andreys voice so much also he didn't punch/ shove Pierre he just jabbed him a few times in the chest

-Dave struggled to find his sleeves and that made me happy because when I saw Oak he didn't

-Only negative I really had was that Dave really didn't show much emotion, maybe he was just off tonight idk

-But anyways I love the bows so much it's literally one of my favorite parts everyone has their own bow and their individual song music playing

-The show was incredible and everyone was so good tonight!!! Sitting on stage was amazing but tbh if it's your first time I recommend NOT sitting on stage cause there's so much going on around you it's pretty hard to keep track of what's even happening, but if you just want to have fun then yeah sit on stage! and our audience was so enthusiastic it was amazing! the first time i went it was a matinee so it was pretty tame but tonight there was so much clapping, and cheering, and whistling WOW i had so much fun :)

#natasha pierre and the great comet of 1812 #the great comet #great comet #tgc1812 #nptgc1812 #my experience #im going to miss this show so much

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wonkyuna-blog · 7 years

Text

Dependence

Genre: (MATURE) Angst, Fluff, Smut, M / W, M / M

Im Changkyun x Yoo Kihyun Summary: As the resident Oncologist, the throes of life and death are beginning to weigh on Changkyun. He turns to self prescribed medication to fight off the pain of loss and losing sight of yourself. One of the nurses has invited herself to become incredibly close with him under the guise of false hope and a helping hand. Will he lose himself within his own mind or learn how to move on with his life? And, what happened to Kihyun?

Word Count: 8.6k+

Warnings: Drug abuse, Death, Drug-induced Sex, Hallucinations /// Author’s Note /// I hope you enjoy the first installment to this series!

Warm and sweet, the spring wind rolled through the window and stirred the stagnant air within Changkyun’s apartment. Everything had its own specific place to him, so in consequence it hadn’t been cleaned in months. Clothes were strewn about, coffee stained mugs sat at the dining room table as if their owners would come to reclaim them at any moment, and several different cologne bottles both empty and occupied were hidden around the living room like Easter eggs. He grew impatient sitting restlessly on the couch tapping his foot on the floor while running slender fingers through his hair. The window was hardly ever opened, but he believed some fresh air may actually do him some good and relieve some of the energy pent up in the home as well. There were memories in his head forcing themselves together, almost clawing at his consciousness begging for his attention, as though they had decided to march to their own beat. It was agonizing, all Changkyun needed was something to help him haze them out. Quiet them, relieve them, kill them... something, anything but oblige them. He scanned the living room with means to distract himself but all he could make out was ghosts from his past. With every dust particle and fabric depression left just the way it was supposed to have been. Left that way on purpose to preserve the very memories he intended so deeply to skew. Footsteps could be heard as they trod down the hallway. Suddenly the buzzing thoughts had been momentarily silenced and replaced with anticipation. Changkyun leapt in a blur from where he was as soon as the bell sounded to open the front door for Wonho.

“On time as always, but each time is beginning to feel like an eternity now. Man, am I glad to see you.” Changkyun was eyeing Wonho as he pulled a small box from the bag he carried with him. “My head becomes its own overcrowded streetcar basically with how all these thoughts are buzzing.” He continued, coming up with excuses for himself while still following the box in his gaze.

“It’s going to be like that until you decide that you don’t need these anymore you know.” Wonho shot him a concerned look before setting the box down on the table next to the sofa. “Maybe you should think about weaning yourself off ‘em? You’re one of my best friends Changkyun. I know this may not have been the best route and I know it helps your brain settle down, but you can’t keep on it forever. Eventually you're gonna have to go through the process of accepta-” Changkyun slipped him the money then gave Wonho a lingering hug; almost in a fifty/fifty bid to get him to stop talking and to deliver a sincere thank-you together in one motion.

“If I’m ever in serious trouble I know you’ll come to my rescue. Thank you.” Changkyun gave a sad smile and motioned towards the door. “I’m going to be late for work if I don’t hurry, I’m sorry. I’ll talk to you later.”

“I gotta head off myself anyway, I don't wanna miss work myself. See ya man.” Wonho walked off with a reluctant expression glued to his face. Changkyun locked the door behind him and made a beeline for the box Wonho had left for him. He knew what this was doing to him, but it was the only thing that made the high-speed thought traffic in his mind ease off. An escape attempt, sure, but he’d come clean soon he promised himself continuously. Upon opening it Changkyun exuded a relieved sigh, grabbed the container of Ketamine pills inside and swallowed one of them. They usually didn’t come in pill form, but Wonho had put the powder inside empty placebo pills to eliminate the anxiety of needles. As a doctor, Changkyun had no issues administering medicine to his patients with needles, but he couldn’t stand thinking about using them on himself. I’m going to repay him somehow… he’s all I have left, Changkyun thought to himself. He grabbed his keys and everything he needed for the day before heading down to the parking lot and into his car.

The pills had started to kick in shortly before he arrived at the Gocheok Hospital where he worked, and started a hallucination after parking. He gave a breathy sigh, trying to stabilize himself, and looked around as the interior of the car began to bubble and twist to resemble his apartment home again. There was a bright light shining in through the open window that illuminated the entire area. It was much cleaner than before, and the sun coming through the drawn curtains invited a feeling of lazy comfort. Changkyun shifted on the couch and took a deep breath to try and remind himself that he was revisiting a memory, not reality; but the air rolled in and brought a sharp tang of a lemon and grapefruit fragrance coming from a head of bright pink hair lying in his lap.

“Please don’t go to work today.” The man hummed, slowly lifting his pout to catch Changkyun’s gaze. He playfully flashed a smile and wiggled his body trying to be cute. It was a pretty convincing display.

“You know I have to, Kihyun. Someone around here has to work anyway.” He teased. They embraced each other closely while Changkyun stroked Kihyun’s hair. The warmth of the sun tracked its way crawling over his skin, but felt nothing like the warmth that Kihyun filled his chest with.

“Hm, fine. But! You have to make it up to me when you get home. We are going to go eat, celebrate, and no excuses!” Kihyun waited for a response as he tangled their fingers together.

“I promise”, Changkyun said as he undid their knot of fingers to loop their pinkies together. Kihyun climbed up his body to kiss him deeply and Changkyun’s mind faded back to staring at the parking lot of the hospital with tears stinging his eyes. He sat in silence with his thoughts for a while before gathering himself up and headed into the building. No more distractions today. The nurses waiting at the service desk perked up as he stepped through the front doors. One of them, whose badge read “Anna”, began gathering up files and presented them to him when he walked up.

“Good morning hun! You have a couple of appointments later today that I left files waiting for you on your desk.” She fashioned the largest smile she could manage to beam at him while the nurses sitting behind her whispered and giggled. He cocked a half smile while fingering the folders she handed him and thanked her quietly, moving on towards the elevator. “Did you see?” Anna’s face was flushed as she sat back down to gossip with the rest of the nurses. As Changkyun took a step to enter the elevator he felt his heart stop as he saw a familiar face with dancing pink hair waiting for him against its walls. He immediately dropped his gaze, boarded the lift, and chose his floor destination. Kihyun stood in silence, smiling and staring at him the rest of the way. Once Changkyun finally reached his floor he stepped off continuing to ignore his presence while gripping at his chest. His heart felt as if it had combusted into a wild flame. It licked at his very lungs making it difficult to breathe.

He reached his office finally and settled into his desk while fighting back the tears welling in his eyes. Slowly he blew air out from his mouth and stared at the files set before him. Focus, Changkyun, you have to focus. With a two-ton brick resting just under his rib cage he scattered them across his desk to skim them over. All of his patients were a variety of cases, whether they suffered from malignant tumors or benign cysts. Changkyun thought back to when he was in medical school and wondered why instead of feeling satisfaction from helping others he was just constantly barraged by the presence of death. It seemed to cling to him recently, and it was beginning to hold a significant weight over him. A phone call suddenly came through and informed him that his first patient had arrived and was waiting for him in the exam room. Changkyun lingered in his thoughts a bit while heading to meet the patient, still wondering if this life was flourishing as he needed it to be. He entered the room where two men were seated inside waiting for him. “Erik?” He called out, holding an open file in both hands. The man sitting to the right gave him a weak smile and waved his hand. “A pleasure” said Changkyun, “I’ll be your oncologist. You can call me Changkyun.” He shook both their hands then took a seat at the table in front of them and flipped through his file. “Now, it looks like your biopsy came back negative and your growth is very benign.” They both gave an audible sigh of relief and grabbed each other’s hands for support. “I know how stressful it can be to hear that you have a cyst and not know what that may entail for you, so I’m happy I could deliver good news to you today. I would like to see you again for a follow up to make sure it doesn’t change, but breathe easy now.”

“Thank you so much doctor!” Changkyun nodded to them, wished them a good day, and left for his next patient gripping her folder tightly. He entered the next room and shook a woman’s hand.

“Nice to meet you Mira, I’m your oncologist, Changkyun.” She was alarmingly petite he noted.

“Thank you, doctor”. She gripped his hand tightly and wore the unmistakable mask of anxiety. Squirming in her seat and fidgeting with her hands while she seemed to be waiting for some sort of judgement to be passed onto her. Just as before, Changkyun took his seat in front of her and looked over her file. His heart plummeted. “Miss, it seems that the tumor has spread to your lymph nodes. I’m very sorry to be the one to tell you this.” She sat in silence for what seemed like an age. “We can try chemotherapy if you’d like, that is an option, but it may bring you into even greater pain. Otherwise, you aren't looking at the long life that many of us are supposedly promised anymore.” Mira sat in silence with her head hung between her shoulders. He gave her the time she need to process this news until she finally looked up at Changkyun with tears streaming down her eyes and a smile full of what seemed to be hope.

“No, I think I will simply stay with my family and live out my time. My siblings need a strong person to look up to, you know? And I have to be that for them even if that means my time here is cut early. I’m... all that they have...” She sat in her thoughts for a short moment and finally nodded to confirm her final decision, trying her best not to get choked up. Changkyun hesitated, but understood the woman’s wishes and made the notes in her file.

“If you ever need to see me don’t hesitate to make an appointment. Regardless of your decision I will be here for you for any amount of pain or however uncomfortable you may feel in the coming months.” He walked over to her and handed his business card so she could reach him personally if she needed.

“Thank you for understanding.” Changkyun wished her well and stepped out of the room with a heavy heart. He couldn’t understand completely her resolution, there was no way. Wouldn’t she want to remain strong for her family by fighting, instead? Maybe she meant that she didn’t want them to see her body react to the chemo treatment since it breaks down so gradually. There was nothing he could do if she did not want to be saved, so he decided to try and put it from his mind.

In the elevator Changkyun dug in his pocket, palmed another pill, and forced it down his throat. He began to seriously question whether he could continue to put up with this anymore. The constant limbo of good news, bad news, and so forth was becoming a mental and emotional strain. He only wanted to help people but all there was to do lately was deliver death certificates. As he entered his office Changkyun was again greeted by a silent Kihyun. He was taken aback realizing who it was, then resolved to ignore him again and walk straight to his desk. He tried to shut out his piercing smile that lingered over his own face. A knock from the door resounded within the room and Anna walked in with rose colored cheeks, obviously embarrassed from barging in. “I-I’m sorry to intrude on you like this but I was wondering if you might join me for lunch? I know how busy you must be and you know it’s silly of me to asking the first pla-“

“Yes”, Changkyun interjected.

“…What?” she said, dumbfounded.

“Yes, I will join you.” Changkyun’s expression was blank as he waited for her response. He kept stealing glances towards where Kihyun was seated. If there was any way to escape this uncomfortable situation it was by entertaining the nurse who seemed admittedly smitten with him. Anna gathered herself again and replied, “Right…” Gaining confidence she continued, “I’ll meet you in the cafeteria then!” He nodded in agreement and she nearly tripped over her own feet in her excitement to get out the door. Changkyun sat in silence for a while before deciding to take two more pills then stepped out to meet with Anna. He bought himself an iced coffee and found an empty table near a window while he waited. The garden outside was bursting with new life. Emerald leaves coated the branches of trees that danced in the day’s breeze and gave homes to nesting birds. Wildflowers were pushing themselves up through the ground to feed upon the sun’s ever piercing light. It was the time of rebirth, where the death of winter was forgiven and creatures great and small began again.

“Thank you so much for sitting with me today.” Anna settled in the seat across from him carrying a sandwich and some tea. “I usually sit in here by myself when I’m not swamped with patients. It can get pretty lonely.” She pursed her lips and stared at Changkyun awaiting a response. He pulled himself from his fixation and thought on her words before replying.

“I usually eat in my office.” He held his drink close to him and let his eyes again glaze over scene he had been admiring outside.

“Ah, that only makes sense. I’m sure it’s very peaceful.” The nurse began to struggle to continue with words for the conversation considering Changkyun didn’t have much to say. He was lost in between the present and elsewhere in his mind. As he initiated the drift he began to imagine lazy smiles and sunlit rooms in the afternoon. Revisiting the vision he had in the car when he arrived that morning. A warm and fuzzy sensation crept across his face until the hum of a flat-line filled his ears and sent him into panic mode. He snapped back into a lucid state and soon realized he was standing over Anna cleaning his spilled drink. “I…I’m sorry I have to go.”

“NO!” she shouted, her face went flush with embarrassment and he stopped where he was as she continued in a softer tone “I’ll walk you to your office”. She escorted him out and back into the lift supporting him by grabbing his shoulders. Once they reached his office Anna opened the door and Changkyun sat himself down on the couch staring into space. She closed the door behind them and sat next to him, stroking the hair from his face. “What happened back there, huh? You seemed to just kind of zone out then all of a sudden stood up and dropped your drink.” He kept his attention to the floor and remained silent. “Ok, well you don’t have to tell me… but I do have something that I wanted to give to you.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a bag with tiny blue pills inside. “I know how much you’ve been hurting lately, so I wanted to give you something to help you escape – even if for a little while. It may be a little unorthodox, but just this one time shouldn’t hurt anything, right?” He finally looked up at her; his eyes were filled with so much pain. He took a couple of the pills from her and swallowed them on the spot. “Besides”, Anna giggled, “if anything happens you are just lucky enough to have a real-life nurse at your side!”

He fell back into the couch and waited for his reality to melt away and transform into something new. After a few moments had passed Changkyun felt a slight pressure all over his body. His heartbeat raced and he began to feel extremely warm. What felt like fingers started to weave themselves through his hair in a precise and repetitive rhythm. It was so relaxing, they felt like they had become a part of him and maybe he could rest and fall asleep here. Another hand then caressed his face, every ridge of its skin he could feel resisting his own. The fingers began to trace his lips slowly before finally slipping between them. He took a breath and accepted it by taking it further into his mouth, releasing a soft moan and swirling his tongue around as it prodded in and out. A third began to glide over his stomach and chest, mapping out the crevices of his abdomen. These sensations were overwhelming; Changkyun didn’t know where to focus. Then finally, a fourth ran up his thigh where an intense weight lingered over his growing member. There were countless hands and fingers and nails sliding across every single inch of his body. Changkyun moaned heavily around the fingers fucking his mouth. He opened his eyes and turned his head to the side to see Anna sitting next to him simply staring at his ecstasy. Her fingers locked through his hair as she finally leaned forwards and kissed him deeply on the mouth. He felt himself melt into her as sparks of life danced across his face. He hadn’t felt this way in a long time. She climbed into his lap before disconnecting their faces to leave a trail of bites along his ear, neck, and collar bone. A feint fruit-like smell wafted throughout the room as he tried to focus on what he was feeling. He felt every point of pressure magnified. Changkyun grabbed Anna's hips and bucked into her in response to her advances. If there was a kiss one place it was suddenly in a thousand other places at the same time. Changkyun couldn’t take it anymore – he began to grasp at the buttons on his pants to remove them underneath her. “I need you”, he breathed, not looking her in the eye. She stared into him for a moment as she couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Anna helped him throw off his pants and underwear and followed suit with hers as well. They were both locked in a sloppy, passionate kiss as she braced herself with his shoulders and lowered herself onto his erection. She gave a deep growl as his girth stretched and filled her cunt. He threw his head back and let out an exasperated cry at the sensation, grabbing onto her hips to dig himself deeper. Anna held Changkyun close to her chest as she grinded herself onto his dick. She dipped down and began to suck on his earlobe and leave gentle nibbles. “You’re mine now”, she whispered into his ear. She adopted quicker movements and clenched herself around his shaft, releasing quiet breaths with each down stroke. He leaned down and mouthed at her breasts, his tongue skillfully rounding her nipples. She began to push faster and harder for his release and he dug his face into her collar bone to mask his deep moans. Anna grabbed him by the sides of his throat and held him to the back of the couch as she rocked him in and out of her soaked pussy. Changkyun couldn’t take it anymore – she gave a surprised yelp as he suddenly pulled her to him by wrapping his arms under hers and held her by the shoulders so that his shaft was as deep as he could manage. He pumped himself furiously into her until there was a searing heat in the pit of his stomach like a fire he could no longer contain. “Fuck!” he grunted as he finally released his cum into her, filling her core. Changkyun clung to Anna for a short time attempting to catch his breath before falling back into the couch in a daze. She giggled and removed herself, looking back only to see him spaced completely out and breathing heavy. “Oh shit, I have to go… I’ll catch up with you later Changkyun”. She gathered her belongings and closed the door behind her.

Changkyun lingered on the couch in silence staring into space easing his breathing down before finally bursting into tears and withdrawing into himself. All he could think of in that moment was Kihyun and their quiet afternoons spent embraced with each other at home. Everything felt like him, smelled like him, tasted like him. He didn’t want anyone else.

Anna continued to coerce Changkyun to become intoxicated during their meetings and took advantage of him in an effort to gain his affection. She believed that eventually he would come around to see that he really cared for her, and what they had was unique – despite his ritualistic callouts for Kihyun during their moments of intimacy. A couple of weeks later, on the way towards his office for another of her scheduled sessions she walked by a group of gossiping orderlies. “There’s Anna! She really is such a kind soul for being there for Changkyun with what he’s been going through recently. I’ve never seen him so down, hopefully she can get him to turn himself around.” She smiled at herself because she didn’t realize that others were seeing everything she was doing for him too. Soon enough he’ll learn to move on and accept me, she thought to herself. He had been obsessed over Kihyun for far too long and it was in the past anyway, she was his future now. Anna knocked and opened the door to his office and closed the door behind her. For some reason the lights were out, so she flipped the switch and turned towards his desk. “I’m here for your check up!” She hummed, attempting to start a little game with him; but he wasn’t at his desk or anywhere in the room that she could see. She heard muffled noises coming from behind the desk. When she went to investigate her heart stopped the instant her gaze fell upon Changkyun. He was in the middle of the floor seizing and foaming at the mouth, pills scattered around his desk. “Oh my god” she whispered to herself. “I…I’m going to go get help, please don’t fall asleep.” Then ran out the door screaming for anyone to come and help. Changkyun’s convulsions slowed to a stop before finally shutting his eyes and dissolving deep into his subconscious before he was escorted to the emergency room.

After blacking out, Changkyun descended into another dreamscape of memories. He endlessly fell amongst a dark void where the silence was deafening. All he could reach out for in his mind was the desire to feel warmth. And yet here he fell for what seemed like an eternity, until finally opening his eyes where he was lying on the couch in his apartment living room – again. Kihyun was soundly resting on top of him locked in a tight embrace. As he drew a deep breath he had found the familiar scent that lingered with him all too vivid. Changkyun sat them both upwards and stared longingly into his eyes. With the most serious yet soothing voice he could muster he said, “Kihyun, I want to marry you.” With baited breath he pulled a small dark blue box from underneath the couch and revealed a black band with fire opals set into it. Kihyun’s face was paralyzed with shock and he hesitated from being unsure of the right words to say. Soon after he began to tear up and slowly nodded his head with a toothy smile holding back his tears. Before he could let out his sobs of joy Changkyun cupped his face in his hands and kissed him as deeply as possible, pulling him close. Changkyun pulled away with their foreheads still touching and in an almost sing song voice said “I love you so much, I’ve never known anyone that I could be so absolute with before. I can be myself around you and-”. Kihyun pressed his lips against Changkyun again and laughed “I love you too. You don’t have to get into an excited talking fit.”

Kihyun ran his hands fluid up Changkyun’s chest where they rested on the crook of his neck and held him there. He connected with Changkyun again, this time straddling him on the couch while they passionately kissed and melded into each other. He removed his shirt and bent down to whisper in Changkyun’s ear. “I want you like this for the rest of our lives” he giggled then began to trail light bites up and down his neck, to his ears, and kissed him deeply again. A light moan of appreciation escaped from Changkyun’s lips as his hand traveled downwards now and snaked under his pants to stroke his growing erection. Appreciation evolved to lust as Changkyun pulled Kihyun closer to return the biting, only harder and more feverish. “Mm, just like that baby” he continued to vocalize his pleasure into Kihyun’s ear while he was massaging his engorged shaft. Content with his work thus far, Kihyun began removing the rest of his clothes, pulling down his underwear and allowing his own erection to spring free. He then began to work on Changkyun’s pants, only then to bend down and take his length into his mouth. Pressing his tongue flush against the underside, Kihyun bobbed up and down the shaft and held the base with his free hand. He was massaging the rim of his own anus and moaned around the dick in his mouth. “Fuck.” Changkyun’s breathing had become raspy and labored from the stimulation and he ran his fingers through Kihyun’s hair, slightly pushing the base of his head to encourage more. Kihyun began to slow himself before finally stopping to trail kisses up Changkyun’s body. He lifted up to position himself just above his swollen cock and then with one hand keeping it steady slowly eased himself down onto it. “God, Changkyun” he groaned deeply as Changkyun entered him, letting him adjust to the size. Kihyun patiently worked into a rhythm while the two kissed each other. Their pace quickened now and he dipped down to whisper in Changkyun’s ear, “baby I want you to fuck me like it’s the last thing we do”. Changkyun groaned and slid his hands underneath Kihyun’s arms to lock onto his shoulders and then pushed him hard into his cock. “Fuck!” they both breathed and Changkyun continued pumping into him.

“Kihyun I’m close, ah” the pressure was building in his testicles he started to slow his pace as he felt about to explode but Kihyun grabbed his thigh and told him to keep going. Changkyun worked back into his former pace, obeying. He began to grunt as he could feel himself about to tip over the edge. Kihyun reached between the both of them to help relieve his own pressure when he felt Changkyun grow stiff and then incredible warmth enveloped inside him. He heard whimpers and whines as he slowly rode out Changkyun’s high until he reached his own peak and ejaculated all across Changkyun’s stomach and chest. They both lay there while trying to catch their breath in each other’s arms.

Warmth was exactly what Changkyun had felt in that moment, he closed his eyes and it crept into every corner of his being. He felt whole. Beginning to shift he opened his eyes to find a hospital bed and Anna hovering over him. She felt incredibly guilty for instigating his overdose, it was written all over her face. “I’m so sorry” she began crying to him. “I thought this would help you forget what had happened. I thought for sure once you felt better we could have a chance together.” She fought back tears and stroked his hand. “I’m sure once you’re out of this coma you’ll see just how much I care about you.”

Changkyun pulled back, and realized he was still lost in his mind wandering around in a dark hallway before coming across a door. He opened it to see Kihyun in a hospital bed like the one he had just been in and rushed towards him in an anxious fit. “Oh my god Kihyun, what happened to you? I got a call letting me know you were here and I came as quickly as I could. Are you ok?” he said, absolutely panicked. “I’m fine. I just got into a little car accident is all.” He smiled big at Changkyun to lighten his spirits. Changkyun forced a smile back but stared at his fiancé covered in bruises and cuts. Kihyun could see through his fake smile and tried reassuring him. “The car looks much worse than I do, love.” He winked at him with another huge smile and Changkyun wondered how he could be this calm. The doctor tending to Kihyun knocked at the door before stepping in. “Ah Changkyun, right on time. Don’t worry too much now, he may look banged up but we gave him some pain killers and he’ll pull through just fine. He’s going to need lots of rest though, and I know he’ll be in very capable hands when he’s cleared to leave.” Changkyun offered the doctor a smile of relief and thanked him. The attending checked all of his vitals and made notes on his files then excused himself. Changkyun went to Kihyun, grabbed his hand and gave him a tender kiss on his forehead. “I’ll be fine hun, I promise. I want you to go home and rest.” Kihyun tried relieving his stress but Changkyun argued. “No, I’m staying right here with you until you can leave. You wouldn’t be here anyway if I hadn’t gotten called to stay after my shift was up. Tonight, was supposed to be for us, remember? We’re celebrating after all” Changkyun lifted Kihyun’s hand to show him the ring he had given to him and wiggled it back and forth.

Kihyun gave a light giggle and replied, “Go home baby. I will be right here waiting to see you in the morning. We have the rest of forever to celebrate anyway you know.” Kihyun expressed a toothy wink and brought Changkyun’s hand to his face to give it a kiss. “I love you. I’ll be here waiting for you.”

“I love you too, and I promise that I will be back first thing in the morning to entertain you.” “I’ll hold you to that!” Changkyun bent down and gave him a kiss on his forehead and turned out the door, nearly smacking into a nurse coming in. “Oh Anna, it’s you. I’m sorry I wasn’t paying attention.” “No worries doll, just coming in to check on our special guest is all. Go get some rest he’s in good hands” She rushed him off and closed the door behind her. Changkyun reluctantly went home that night with the equivalent of what felt like a bowling ball sitting on top of his heart. He felt responsible for the accident and was going to do his best to make it up to Kihyun in the morning.

The following day he woke up as early as possible and nervously rushed down to the hospital. A group of nurses welcomed him at the desk, including Anna, who Changkyun felt was staring holes into him, but he brushed it off and continued on his way. He reached Kihyun’s room, flowers in hand, to greet him and see how he was doing. He carefully opened the door and realized that the room was silent. He walked over to the bed and saw that Kihyun was sleeping. Changkyun walked over slowly to wake him but he just wouldn’t budge. “Damn, I know you’re a heavy sleeper but even this is weird for you hun.” As he continued to try his best to rouse his fiancé it dawned on him that his skin was ice cold. Changkyun’s heart sank and began to race all at the same time. Smashing the panic button several times on Kihyun’s bed trying to keep his breath steady but no one came to his call. “What the fuck!” He ran out of the room and called for anyone to rush to his help. “Someone please! Get a doctor! Anyone! My fiancé isn’t waking up!” Soon after, one of the attending doctors rushed in with a nurse and raced to check his vitals. “Why are these damn machines off!” yelled the doctor. They asked Changkyun to wait outside while they attempted to resuscitate him. Changkyun tried his best to remain calm as he paced back and forth in front of the room Kihyun was in. Using exercises to keep his blood pressure and heart rate down and holding back tears as best he could. There was no way he could leave just like that, he was supposed to be fine. The doctor finally opened the door after what seemed like hours and asked him to step in. “I’m so sorry Changkyun.” He swallowed hard. “It was too late to do anything for him, and we tried everything we could. It looked like he suffered from organ failure overnight possibly... due to the trauma of the accident.”

“You told me he’d make a full recovery with rest… and now… he has organ failure from trauma?” All Changkyun could do is look down. He couldn’t face Kihyun or the doctor just yet.

“I know, and I’m sorry. It must have been something we missed during his initial testing. Unfortunately, it is something that can happen even with extensive tests. We’ll leave you with him for a while. When you’re ready you can review his charts, and let us know what you decide to… do.” Changkyun could tell he was using his words carefully to not upset him further, but what more could he say? His fiancé was just pronounced dead. Dead and gone and now Changkyun felt more alone than he ever had. The doctor and nurse left the room, leaving Changkyun finally staring at a lifeless Kihyun. A husk of the constant laughter that rang through his soul every day, now deafened. He walked over to him, stroked the hair from his face and began to sob quietly. “We were supposed to grow old together. Why would you leave me like this?” A few small tear drops fell onto Kihyun’s face, frozen in time. “I can’t do this on my own Kihyun. You are my everything. What am I supposed to do without you?” Changkyun completely broke down into tears at this point and rested his head in the crook of Kihyun’s arm to muffle his sobs.

The room suddenly began to dissolve and fade. It now resembled a funeral home complete with rows of flowers and grieving loved ones. Changkyun lifted his head from his arms to see a perfectly groomed, peaceful Kihyun, no... his husk resting in his coffin. He stood and walked over to where he lay. Wet, hot tears stung Changkyun’s face. Kihyun was forever frozen in time; it was him but not all in the same. There was no laughter in his face, no love in his eyes. Changkyun laid an arrangement of flowers next to him and squeezed his arm but immediately felt sick from how stiff it was. “I love you so much Kihyun.” He choked. “And I always will. We will be together again. Just keep waiting for me, please.” He bent down and gave him a light, lingering kiss on his cold forehead.

He lifted himself and opened his eyes to see another hospital room, only he was in bed this time. Anna was sitting in the corner playing on her phone when she looked up and screamed. “Oh my god Changkyun you’re finally awake!” She scrambled over to his bedside and looked him over. “Take it easy hun, you’ve been out cold for 3 days.” “What?!” Changkyun’s heart started racing. “How much have I missed? What happened?” His head felt clearer now than it had in months and it was absolutely awful. “Changkyun, you over did it a bit with your pills and overdosed in your office. I found you convulsing on the floor and after you had calmed down you just slept for a long time. The seizure was mild enough to just knock you out for a few days. The good news is that you already ran through most of your withdrawals in your sleep, so it should be smooth sailing from here. I've been here waiting for you this whole-time and...” Anna's words blurred to incoherent noise as Changkyun realized what was going on. He was sober? No wonder he had so many dreams. He then realized exactly what he had been dreaming about, it all came rushing back to him and he burst into tears then. Everything he had worked so hard to erase or dull was now prominent on his mind. Anna became alarmed. “Changkyun what’s wrong?!” She held him close to her and stroked his back. He took deep breaths in between sobs and just lay there motionless in her arms. “I…I had dreams – no…memories…of Kihyun.” Changkyun then felt her body grow rigid and looked up at her. He found a kind of anger in her eyes he had never seen before. She quickly changed her composition as she noticed his puzzled look and tried to reassure him. “Aw, Changkyun. I know you’re still beating yourself up about what happened, even after all this time, but there was nothing you or anyone could have done. It's best just to leave it in the past you know.” “I know, but the reason it eats at me is because he was perfectly fine just hours before I had left. I could see it all so clearly-” “No use in worrying about it now hun.” She cut him off before he could go any further. “You know mistakes are made and things can be overlooked. We are all human after all, and that includes unfortunate mortality. We just don't realize how fragile we can be until it's... too late.” Anna became physically uncomfortable and kept trying to get him off the subject but it was no use. Changkyun was lucid and fresh on the thoughts thanks to his memory dip. “I’m not denying that, but all of his machines were cut off and his panic button wasn’t even working either. That’s not normal Anna.” She got chills when he said her name in that tone, so she resolved to adopt a louder voice. “Maybe they were just getting ready to release him. Let’s not talk about this anymore Changkyun it’s just going to upset you and you only just woke up. What do you say you and I go back to your place for some relaxation, huh? Get your mind off things!” She started tugging at his shirt playfully but Changkyun wanted to fight back. “Who was in his room last?” More of a demand than a question, she pushed herself off him and started to gather her things. “Hmm…” she stalled. “You know, I’m not sure.” “You were the last one in there when I left.” He was being curt now. He felt she was hiding something. “Oh yeah? I’m sure someone else could have gone in to check on him after me.” She was trying to laugh his accusations off. Changkyun stared at her now, expressionless. “You weren’t even scheduled to work that night though, I remember you texting me asking to grab a drink with you.” “They called me in, just like they called you. It was busy that night. Listen, I’m going to go get you cleared for release ok? Wait just a minute.” She shot him a smile and rushed out the door before he could protest any longer. Changkyun sat in his bed starting to put pieces together. He suddenly felt sick. Something wasn’t right, and Anna was definitely hiding something. The bottom line was that he knew now that Kihyun certainly did not die on his own, and Changkyun was going to pull the truth.

They rode home in a taxi together in painful silence. Once they reached his apartment door she stopped in front of it before going in. “I have a surprise for you!” She swung it wide open and Changkyun’s heart dropped into his stomach then exploded into a million little pieces, horrified. The apartment was completely spotless. Nothing was how he had left it. It wasn’t home anymore, at least not their home. “Ta-da! Do you like it? I came to grab you a change of clothes while you were out and noticed how filthy this place was. So, I thought I’d surprise you by cleaning it up!” She scrunched her face and looked at him like a proud puppy, though he felt she was a proud puppy that had just taken a giant shit in the floor. He looked around the living room with everything absolutely pristine. Nothing on the floor, no papers, no coffee cups, no cologne bottles. No memories left, like he really was gone now. Changkyun felt his face grow hot with rage. “Why…” He struggled to find the right words; he didn’t know whether to be mean or just plain upset. He decided he didn’t want to be nice. “Why in the fuck would you do something like that? It was like that for a reason. These were mine and Kihyun’s things. I left it just the way he did. It wasn’t your place to-” Tears were stinging his eyes at this point and Anna looked as if she didn’t quite understand. “I mean a thank you would be nice you know. I went through all that just for you. Now you can start to move on- “ “I don’t want to fucking move on. It’s been two months Anna. Two. Months. We were going to get married. He is the love of my life.” “He’s your ex though, he’s gone.” She still didn’t understand what point he could be trying to reach, and it only served to make Changkyun more furious. “He’s not my fucking ex! He’s dead, Anna! He died! Two months ago!” “Oh please” She scoffed once again. “He wasn’t right for you anyway. I saw right through the both of you. I did you a favor, you know.” He stopped cold at this silent confession. His own heartbeat went silent in his ear and he just stared at her with wild eyes. “What favor was that?” She was fidgeting but regained her confidence “I told you, he wasn’t right for you.” “And what, you are?” He yelled, hoping that was a stupid question. She recoiled a bit but stood her ground, there was no turning back now. “Yes! Holy fuck, yes! I’ve seen the way you look at me Changkyun, don’t deny it. You can't. I saw how unhappy you were all the time so I had to do something. For you…for us! Fate just so happened to be on my side that night. I went drinking without you since you stood me up and I wrecked my car, it just so happened to be him. All you cared about was him though, you didn't even respond to my messages when I told you that I had gotten into an accident.” She began to giggle. “I knew it didn’t put him off though and that he’d end up at our hospital anyway so I just showed up in my uniform. At that point I’d been given a second chance and I wasn’t going to waste it.” Changkyun stared at her with his mouth wide open. There was a fire burning inside of him and the flames licked at his fingertips as he curled his fist tight. “You murderous bitch. We’re co-workers Anna.” He tried his best to speak calmly. “If you call me being polite secret code for wanting to fuck you then you’re more insane than I originally thought.” “You’re just in denial.” She laughed. “And if I recall correctly you did fuck me! It was so easy anyway, as soon as you left the room I just injected ricin into his IV and unplugged his machines. He slipped off into his sleep.” She looked to be reminiscing as she continued her montage. “You can’t tell me those nights of passion we shared weren’t love, Changkyun. Ugh, you wanted me so badly. Your beautiful cock was so welcoming.” She raised a finger to her mouth and giggled – her attempt at being seductive to assuage the situation. "Now that this is all out of the way and you're better, you should take me right here on the couch. Oh, that'd be fun!" “You drugged me you delusional bitch.” Changkyun felt there was no reasoning with her at this point. She was too far gone. “You could have convinced anyone to fuck you at that point.” “It was the only way I knew how to get close to you, though, and I’d say it certainly worked. If it gives you any closure he tried yelling your name a few times as he slipped off. Poor thing, I would imagine gradual cell death might be pretty painful. I didn’t really think about it too much. He really did love you though, but we can all move on now that everything is aired out!”

Changkyun had reached his breaking point, and, in a fit of rage, grabbed Anna by her throat and threw her to the floor of the apartment squeezing as tightly as he could around her esophagus. She looked at him with pleading eyes, grabbing at his hands trying to claw herself free. She started kicking at him and they both fell over in the struggle. Ana tried her best to push her body upright to escape but Changkyun crawled on top of her and wrapped his hands around her throat again with even more force than before. She gasped out with tears in her eyes and bloodshot cheeks searching for any sort of air to relieve the pressure, then finally went limp. He stood over her, arms still coiled around her throat, trying to catch his breath before finally realizing what he had done and fell back.

He began to panic and hyperventilate. He had lost everything, his fiancé, his life, now he was going to lose his job and his freedom. Death seemed to follow him and pluck from his basket everything he held dear. He searched around the room for the remains of the box Wonho had given him. It was hidden underneath a lap table and he consumed every last pill inside. He didn’t know what else to do, he needed relief. If death was going to follow him he would gladly walk alongside it. He just wanted to be as numb as absolutely possible. He decided to check Anna’s pockets in case she had anything on her and of course, she did. Changkyun could only wonder how she was going to take advantage of him using this goddamn bottle. A full bottle of Ketamine pills just like the ones Wonho had given to him with instructions inside.

Do not consume more than two in a 24-hour period.

He downed the entire container and forced them down his throat, then collapsed on the floor in a fit of tears. Nothing would ever be the same again, and he didn't want any part of it. Not if this was the way the world is. Not if he'd be constantly stripped of the only happiness in life he managed to grasp. His mind began to haze and he felt sharp warmth envelop him as what felt like hands gripped him tight. He stared off into space and a miasma of lemon and grapefruit seduced his senses.

Kihyun.

His entire body became paralyzed, frozen on the floor in front of the couch. He closed his eyes and couldn’t help but smile. Everything was so warm and weightless, just the way he always felt with Kihyun. Upon opening them again Kihyun himself was smiling back at him while humming a song and began to stroke Changkyun’s hair. He gave a soft chuckle and went to sit at Changkyun's side.

“Kihyun” Changkyun’s voice cracked. Kihyun kept singing while stroking his hair. His voice was soft like velvet and it was making him very sleepy. The world was so heavy now, pressing down on his whole body instead of his heart for once. Everything would be fine as long as Kihyun was with him, though. Changkyun wiped his mouth, wet with a white foam, and tried his best to keep his eyes open though they protested. How could he sleep when he finally had Kihyun back with him?

“Kihyun, I’m scared.” He whispered.

“Shh” Kihyun whispered back. He pushed the hair out of Changkyun’s face and gently stroked his arm. “I’m here for you. I always have been, and always will be.” He felt everything, he knew he was really there with him. Kihyun placed a soft kiss on Changkyun's cheek and hugged him tight.

Tears poured from Changkyun’s eyes. “I’m... s-so... sorry” He choked out. “I feel like I let you down. I… I just miss-ed you so much… and I- I didn’t know what else to do.” He tried his best to form the words he wanted to say, but his mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton and marshmallows.

“You have done no such thing. Just relax now.” Changkyun slowly broke into small convulsions in his limbs as his body began to shut down.

“You’re here with me now Changkyun. Everything will be ok, I promise.” His whole body was twisting itself now as Kihyun held tightly onto him. He couldn’t control it anymore. He felt himself slipping away as he lost all sense of physical being. His body didn't belong to him anymore, and it was as if it were fighting to contain Changkyun within.

“Just let go Changkyun.” Changkyun choked a laugh and began to violently seize. He pitifully twisted and writhed while Kihyun whispered sweet things into his ear still holding onto him tight until he finally went limp and one tiny sigh escaped his drenched lips.

The apartment was quiet now; Changkyun was lying lifeless in front of the living room couch when a breeze lazily swelled into the room from an open window. The sun had begun to set and it seemed the whole world stopped in this moment.

Just then, a knock from the door broke the silence. “Changkyun?” Wonho’s muffled voice echoed throughout the apartment and he knocked again. “Changkyun are you home? I’ve been trying to text you for days now and it isn’t like you not to answer. Hello?”

#mxnetwork #mxwriters #changkinet #dependence #changki angst #monsta x angst

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aye-fucking-aye · 7 years

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A Choice: Hamilton Fanfic (Fem!Reader x Alexander, John, Hercules, and Lafayette) Chapter 3: Karaoke Time

Summary: The boys were your best friends, you loved them. And they loved you. But what happens when their love runs deeper than friendship? Will they manage to suppress their feelings for you or will they be willing to sacrifice their friendship to be with you. Either way, you have to make a choice.

Disclaimer: I don’t own any Hamilton characters, those all belong to the great Lin-Manual Miranda. I don’t own any songs mentioned in this part. Also I obviously don’t live in New York so I don’t know how Karaoke One 7 actually looks like, I just thought of it as a karaoke booth rental kind of thing. sorry if that’s wrong.

Author’s note: Okay, I wanted this up a little earlier today, but alas, real life duties called. But it’s here now, so I hope you like it. I highly suggest listening to at least a little bit of the songs mentioned here to get more of an experience. Also, I’m working on a special chapter that you guys are gonna love. As usual, please don’t repost. Anyway here it is, chapter 3, hope you enjoy!! Edit: This has a cluster of foul language so, beware. I don’t really know ratings So I’m just gonna say Rated T, okay I’m done.

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You stood in your room for a minute thinking over the situation at hand. You didn’t want to cause a drama and confront them about this right now, they wanted to have fun and relax today. Yet, you couldn’t ignore the presence of this dilemma. Did you really have to choose?

‘Fuck, why is this happening now?’ You thought in frustration.

You pushed these thoughts to the back of your mind. You had a stressful week at work; you and the boys needed to relax. So with that you showered and changed into a nice pair of black jeans, a gray shirt, an oversized pink hoodie, an oversized jean jacket over, and finally slipped on some gray booties. You decided on light makeup today and blow dried your hair.

You heard a knock on your bedroom door and turned to see Alex poke his head in.

“Hey, Y/N, we’re ready to go. Are you ready?” Alex asked you, opening the door wider.

You nodded and grabbed your bag with all the things you needed. “Yeah let’s go,” You said as you left your room. You meet the guys at the door and headed out.

Your mind was still a bit dazed and you had a weird feeling in your stomach, but you tried to shake it off as best as you could.

“So, which karaoke place are we going to again?” You asked.

“We’re going to the one on 17th St,” John answered. He put his hand on your lower back, leaning into you slightly.

You visibly tensed at his touch. John took notice and he looked at you in confusion and mild hurt. You mentally cursed yourself for overthinking his gesture. You smiled at him and grabbed his arm in an attempt to cheer him up.

“Karaoke One 7, right? That’s my favorite one! Let’s go so we can get a booth,” you cheered.

John smiled again and let you lead him in front of the group. He looked behind him at the rest of the guys and wiggled his eyebrows. The other three gentlemen only scoffed and glared at the cocky, curly dipshit.

You didn’t noticed the interaction, too concentrated on scolding yourself for reacting so negatively. It was a normal gesture, somethings all the guys have done, it didn’t mean anything.

You loosened up a bit and started joking with the boys, talking and laughing all the way till you reached the karaoke place. It was a bit crowded, but not by much, since it was still a bit early.

You and Laf went up to the register and asked for a booth. After you ordered drinks and paid for two hours in the karaoke booth, you went inside and instantly started looking up songs to sing.

“I’m first! I already know which song I want to sing!” Alex yelled at the group.

Herc rolled his eyes playfully at him.”Fine, go ahead,” he said.

Alex grinned and looked up the song, he punched the number in and waited for it to pop up.

When the first beat rang out, everybody but Alexander groaned. He had put on Danza Kuduro by Don Omar. Alex had a strange obsession with this song, mostly because it was sung by a Puerto Rican. Also, it was a classic song to dance too.

Alex started dancing to the beat; a stupid grin on his face. You laughed and began to clap along to the beat. All the other boys watched in amusement at Alex’s ridiculous dancing.

Then he started singing, the words falling naturally out of his mouth. You laughed and saw the other boys cheering him on.

“Yeah, Alex! Sing it, baby!” Laurens shouted, tears in his eyes from laughing to much.

Alex winked and started moving his hips in a sensual way, looking at you the whole time. You blushed and snorted at his actions.

When it came to the rapping part, he went and pulled you out of your seat. Before you can protest, he was already twirling you and making you dance with him. You gave up and decided to dance.

You twirled and shook your hips, letting Alex lead you around. You’ll admit, you were a decent dancer and you weren’t afraid to shake what your mama gave you.

The song ended with Alex twirling you into his arms. You smiled up at him, before detaching yourself and giving a bow. You turned to Alex and he took a bow too.

The boys, although a bit peeved, smiled at the performance because you looked liked you had fun. You and Alex both sat down on the leather couch, a bit out of breathe.

“Alright, who’s next?” You asked, still slightly panting.

Lafayette stood up quickly and winked at the group. “Prepare to be amazed, mon amis.” He said with confidence.

Everyone waited in anticipation, wondering what Laf was gonna sing, however, no one was prepared to hear Rihanna’s Disturbia come on.

“What the fuck?” Alex exclaimed, surprise evident on his face.

Laf simply shushed him and started reciting the words on the screen. To be honest, it was a good match. Laf’s romantic accent complimented the seductive tone of the song. A wink in your direction proved that he knew it too, cheeky bastard.

Throughout the song, Lafayette danced suggestively and even unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt. Multiple times he leaned really close to your face, holding your chin, and singing as if you were the only one in the room.

‘This cheeky bastard is trying to seduce me/her,’ everyone thought as they watched Lafayette.

He sang his last note, still forcing you to look at him. You stayed in that position until Hercules moved Laf’s face away from yours.

“Okay, you had your fun, fuckboi, now let me show you how it’s really done,” Herc teased.

Lafayette sat down a bit annoyed, but still satisfied.

Herc typed in the numbers to his song and waited patiently. “This one goes out to a very special someone in this room,” Herc yelled out excitedly.

“Aw, that’s sweet Herc, thank you. But you’re not my type,” John teased, smirking.

Hercules flipped him off. “Not you, you asshat, Y/N.”

‘Aww, how sweet.’ You thought.

You almost screamed when you heard the opening of Beyonce’s Drunk in Love, then started cheering.

“Yess! Queen! Sing it, Herc!” You yelled out, clapping like a damn seal.

Hercules absolutely killed this song. He sang Beyonce’s part perfectly, his gruff and soft voice made it seem like this song was made for him. He even did the fucking giggle. Herc was already a great rapper, so when Jay Z’s part came on, it was no surprise that he killed that part too.

At one point, Hercules even pulled you up and you both did ridiculous dance moves, trying to imitate Beyonce’s dance moves, but failing miserably. When the song ended, you both decided to end in a dabbing pose. Because, why not?

Everyone clapped and laughed at you two. You sat down, Hercules sitting next to you.

“Johnny boy, you’re up.” Alex said to John.

John grinned and stood up. “Alright, for this song can I have a lovely assistant up here with me, please?” John asked, looking pointedly at you.

Lafayette stood up before you could even think. Everyone laughed, including John.

“Nice try, baguette, sit your ass down. Y/N?” John looked at you questionably.

You nodded and sat on the chair he put out in front of the room. You had a feeling you knew what he was gonna do, but you also knew it was gonna be hilarious.

John put his song on and the opening of Bruno Mars’ That’s What I Like started. John soon began to sing and dance. There was no doubt that John was the best dancer, his athletic background helping him be able to move his godlike body any way he likes. So there was also no doubt that John was gonna use his dancing as a way to seduce you. More specifically, he was give you a lap dance. Lucky girl.

He started off slow, not on your lap yet, just simply shaking his ass and thrusting the air a few times. On the words,”Jump in the cadillac”, he literally jumped on you and slowly started grinding against you. You blushed and squealed a bit, but you were laughing, trying not to think much about it.

He stayed on your lap the whole song, making your hands touch his body and tug his hair. John’s singing was phenomenal, but he purposely made his voice a bit huskier than normal, just to get more of a reaction out of you. He was tempted to take his shirt off, but didn’t want to get his ass kicked by his other friends, so he kept it on. You were a blushing mess when the song ended and he got off you.

John, noticing your red face, smiled in triumph and turned to see the rest of the guys. Their faces held forced smiles and threatening glares, but refrained from saying anything. Although it was obvious they did not enjoy the little show. John only stuck his tongue out at them.

‘Two points for me,’ John thought confidently.

“Babygirl, it’s your turn to pick a song.” John said, sitting back down next to Alexander.

You looked through the book of songs, unsure of which one you wanted. After a couple minutes, you still didn’t have a clue to what song you wanted to sing, until you found one of your favorite songs. It was a surprise they had it on here, since it wasn’t a very popular song, but you picked it nonetheless.

“I got it, let’s go!” You stood up confidently. Since you were in the music business, you did sing a lot. You weren’t the best singer, but you could belt out a couple good notes when you wanted too. You weren’t afraid to sing in front of the boys either, since they always hear you singing.

The vocals of Pentatonix came on and you started to sing their song Can’t Sleep Love ft. Tink. It was weird choice for karaoke, but you loved the song and wanted to sing your heart out.

As you sang, your voice came out soft and sweet, putting the boys in a trance. You poured your heart out into this one, singing and yearning for that love that won’t let you sleep. You did little dances as you sang, nothing too extravagant, just small moves that felt right.

The boys couldn’t keep their eyes off you, you looked like an angel in their eyes. You had a smile so bright on, your hair falling gently, your hips swinging in a subtle, sexy way, and you just looked like you didn’t have a care in the world. The song you were singing made their hearts go boom.

You got to the rapping part and, although you didn’t rap often, you felt too confident to back down now. Your voice smooth and flirtatious. Then you hit that high note perfectly.

The boys were hanging on to every word you sang, getting more dazed. As you finished singing that little “yeah” at the end, you opened your eyes and saw all the boys standing up and clapping like crazy.

You blushed and bowed several times, laughing at their silly antics. Then you sat down on your seat, waiting for the next person to go sing.

You were unaware of what the boys were all thinking after you finished singing. They were all thinking the same thing, ‘I want to be her can’t sleep love.’

*Time Skip brought to you by Anthony’s InstaStory (seriously go check it out)*

After two hours, you were all absolutely giddy and a bit buzzed, laughing at the funniest moments you shared there. Especially when all four of the boys decided to sing LMFAO's I’m Sexy and I Know It. You could not get over how into it all the boys were. It will forever be one of your favorite memories.

“Hey friends, let’s go get a quick bite at my cafe and then head to my place to change for the club later.” Lafayette suggested. You all nodded in agreement.

You all had some emergency clothes stashed somewhere in each other's apartments, since whenever you guys hanged out together, most likely you’ll all sleep over at one person’s space. Just like they did at your house yesterday.

You all started walking towards Lafayette’s cafe. Everything normal and fun. Your mind had completely forgotten the boy’s affections for you, letting you be in blissful denial. Soon enough, however, it’ll come back in full force.

#hamilton #hamiltrash #alexander hamilton #hamilton fanfics #john laurens #marquis de lafayette #hercules mulligun #alexander hamiliton x reader #john laurens x reader #marquis de lafayette x reader #hercules mulligun x reader #don't repost

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looselucy · 7 years

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Fine

51 “I didn’t speak with my parents, so you don’t need to bother ringing my mum.” I huffed, arms folded, sunk into the chair across from Dr Jackson. “Nice to see you too, Florence.” She chuckled somewhat.

“I couldn’t do it!” I sighed, tense and at ease all at the same time. “I tried… I-I sat them down. They were there, right in front of me, just waiting for me to say something… and I choked. I couldn’t do it.” For the first time since I’d started seeing her, she actually had this look of sympathy in her eyes. It made sense, I guess, because that was the first time I’d sat in the chair across from her with some kind of awareness that something wasn’t quite right. I wasn’t as reluctant as I had been in the past. “How was your Christmas break? As a whole?” It was the 11th of January, ten whole days since I’d gotten back to the city, and I was still feeling numb thanks to how things had ended between me and Harry. It hadn’t quite fully darkened our time together, but it had cast a shadow upon it, and I hated that. “It was… It was nice.” I swallowed. “I had a nice time… overall.” “Why do you think that is?” “I went with my… With my boyfriend. My then boyfriend. I mean… we’re not together anymore but… I dunno. He made it easier.” “How are you feeling about the breakup?” She quizzed me, making notes. “Fine. It’s fine. I mean… we broke up because we’re mates above anything else. It just wasn’t right. But I’m fine! It’s fine. I mean… It was me who ended it so, obviously I’m fine.” Her brows creased a little before she dropped her eyes and made a few more notes, possibly tallying how many times I’d said ‘fine’ in the last minute. For a split second I considered telling her the truth of what had happened over my Christmas break, but I quickly stopped myself. The whole thing was best left unspoken about, in all honesty. “Are you sure?” She questioned. “I… I’ve kind of gone full circle.” I brushed over it. “In terms of…” “Being here. These sessions. Um, if you can’t recall, I’ve been a little reluctant in the past-” “I recall.” “-but I think whilst I was at home… I did… It dawned on me that I do need to be here. Maybe. I couldn’t talk to them at all, and that can’t be good, can it?” She made a few notes, a smile on her face, because for once I was being open and honest with her. Of course, I was still keeping my sarcastic attitude intact, but I was finally accepting my place there in her office wasn’t by some stupid fault, or something that needed to stop. Something wasn’t right, and if I had someone there who could help, I needed to accept that. She waited until my breathing was relatively calm before she looked back up to me, her eyes squinted a little before she spoke. “Florence, do you mind telling me a little bit more about your breakup?” “But I’m not… I’m not affected by the break up.” “Then you won’t mind talking about it.” God damn. Her attitude that I had once despised was quickly becoming something I was warming to. She had this cocky little smile on her face and I couldn’t help but chuckle. I still didn’t like how she insisted on calling me Florence, but she wasn’t entirely unlikeable like I thought she was at one point. I decided to be as honest as I could be without divulging too much information. “He was… more invested than I was. I mean… I think I thought it was casual and to him… it wasn’t.” “You spent Christmas with your family, and took him with you, and you thought it was casual?” She gawped. I liked it when she spoke like that, like she was a friend gossiping with me over a cup of coffee rather than my therapist. Maybe we were both warming to one another, maybe she was realising that she’d get through to me more if she acted like that, and maybe I was realising she would be friendlier if I was friendlier too. It was weird, how quickly my entire attitude changed. “We both knew it was casual! We were very open about the fact it was casual.” I felt like I was swapping the word fake with casual. “And are you surprised, that he ended up feeling more deeply for you than you’d both originally intended?” “Well… Yeah!” “Why?” “I… I don’t know!” She made more notes, maybe the most notes she had ever made, jotting in silence for around five minutes and I just watched her, wondering what words she was printing into her notepad, what she was figuring out about me, what was confusing her. I don’t think I rolled my eyes once. “Florence, I want you to tell me three things that you like about yourself.” “Why?” “I’d just like to know.” “You’re always so bloody cryptic.” “Once you’ve given me three things, I’ll tell you.” “And you always strike up bargains with me. Fuck. I hate that you know how to work me.” “Three things.” She tried to conceal her smile. I moved so I was sat upright, putting my thinking head on as I tried to conjure up three facts about myself that I liked. I tucked one leg up towards my chest, looking into the top right corner of the room, biting my bottom lip, my mind a little blank. This was yet another occurrence where being at therapy made me feel like I was at school, when you’d be asked to think up some fun facts about yourself and your mind would just become completely void of anything you’d ever bloody done. “Um… I like… Um… I like being sarcastic. I’m usually quite good at it.” “Okay. That’s good. What else?” “Um… I… I’m drawing a blank.” “That’s it?” “Well there is other stuff, I just can’t think of anything right now.” I was confused whilst she made more notes, and I wondered if she was going to tell me the reason behind the exercise even though I hadn’t managed to complete it. It seemed like a waste of time to me. “Florence, I need you to do something for me. And if you could hold back on the sarcastic comments, and just open your mind a little bit, because I think I might be getting somewhere.” “I make no promises, but I’ll try.” “Will you please make yourself comfortable on the chaise?” I twisted the top half of my body to view the oblong chair she was speaking of, something I thought she had in her office merely for show, to be honest. I didn’t think anyone would actually enter her office and lay themselves down on that thing to talk about their issues. I thought she’d just bought it to accompany the rest of her pristine office, with the books and the bonsai trees and the gold name plate. I didn’t think any of it actually came of any use to her. It was all just for show. I turned back around to her, a sarcastic comment on the tip of my tongue, but I somehow managed to stop myself. “Should I be worried?” I raised my brows. “Not at all.” I diffidently raised to my feet, glancing over my shoulder to her one more time before I sat myself down on the very edge of the seat. She gave me a look. “Fine.” I complied, readjusting my body. I snuggled down, my eyes now facing towards the roof, feeling fairly breathless as Dr Jackson moved, sitting down in the short stool beside the chaise. I had no idea what was coming, and as much as I was intrigued, another part of me really didn’t want to know what was coming. For the first time, I was taking it seriously, and maybe it was the first time she was taking it seriously too. “I want you to close your eyes, and clear your head as much as you can.” “Oh bloody hell, I-” “Florence!” “Alright, alright.” I chuckled. “I’ll do it. I’m doing it.” I closed my eyes, wiggling my body a little bit so I was as comfortable as possible, and I could feel the smile drop off my face as I settled, trying my absolute best to empty my mind in the way she had asked me. I’m not sure how long we sat in silence, I’m not sure how long I lay there completely lifeless before she figured my mind was clear enough. I genuinely wasn’t thinking of much. A part of me had totally forgotten my whereabouts, I was genuinely relaxed. “Florence, I want you to try and recall, the first time you remember your mother making a negative comment about you.” Suddenly my head was no longer empty, a slurry of words and a harsh sting circled through my skull, almost like every single thing she had ever said to me was battling for my recollection, trying to push to the front of my mind. I could hear them all just begging to be heard, almost like she was there in the room with me, bent over my still body and screaming her dissatisfaction down to me. With a deep breath, I tried to drown out the noise, tried to recall the first time I felt her words plunge through my stomach. I’d tried to convince Dr Jackson, and myself, that she’d only started voicing her disappointments once I’d dropped out of university, but it hadn’t been like that. That had merely been her driving force, she just felt more comfortable voicing her contempt once she had a good enough reason to do so. “I remember,” I spoke, without fully realising I’d even opened my mouth. “I wanted to dance. I wanted to get dance lessons. Ballet. She told me that I didn’t have the coordination for it, that I shouldn’t bother. I think I was about six. I only wanted to do it because Matilda did it, but… I remember that made me sad. She wouldn’t even let me try.” As I told that story, it was almost like I could see myself as a child, trying to walk around in Matty’s ballet shoes even though they were two sizes too big for me, approaching my mother in the hope she would pay for my lessons like she paid for Matty’s, that I would get to wear a pink tutu and skip around onstage just like she did. And I remembered my mother’s snigger. Loud and clear. “You can sit up now, if you want.” I did, rather quickly, and as soon as I was upright it was like Beatrice Valentines words fell from my head again, and I went back to ignoring them to the best of my ability, like I always had done. “So what was that about?” I rushed. “I’m just trying to grasp… at how much she will have affected you and the way you view yourself. This isn’t a recent thing, this isn’t to do with university, I don’t believe. If she’s really been putting you down for as long as it seems, then it’s likely to have deep psychological repercussions. I think this is… I think it runs deeper than we originally thought.” A huge part of me wanted to roll my eyes, shrug her off, make some stupid comment and laugh about it and go into work the next day and bitch about how pointless the whole thing was. I was rejecting what she was saying. I couldn’t help myself. It wasn’t normal for me to sit back and accept what she was saying, because no matter how much I was trying to adapt my thought process, I was falling back on my usual routine. But I was really trying not to. I still felt sick about my failed chat with my parents, and I even felt sick when I thought about Harry’s voice. Something needed to change, and I needed to stop rejecting my one chance at figuring out why my nerve was non-existent when it came to her. “So… So what do you think?” I swallowed. “I think you find it difficult to like yourself.” “I don’t know.” I groaned. “I’m confident… I’m social and I’m… I’m happy with my life. My jobs okay, and I like my flat and I like my friends.” “Florence, this isn’t a case of what you like about your life, it’s what you like about yourself! I feel like your confidence could just be a cover for the way you really see yourself. Like a wall you’ve built.” “I like myself.” I barked. “And I want you to love yourself.” She bit back just as quick. “And to stop lying to yourself. I don’t know what happened over Christmas, but something is different here. I feel like we can make some real progress, if you just let me try.” I felt like crying. I didn’t even want to know why I felt like crying. I had been sure I liked myself, maybe even loved myself. I had been sure that I was fine and everything was fine and the only problem I was facing was my mother, and how I could go about telling her that I was absolutely fine. Dr Jackson was forcing me to face myself head on, to look at myself and see the truth. I didn’t like the view. 52 When I opened my front door and saw a figure sat on my sofa, I dropped the bottle of milk that I’d had clutched in my fingers alongside my keys, the weak thing bursting and spreading all over my dark wood floors in mere seconds. “JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, MO!” I yelped. “SHIT!” “I will keep doing this until you learn to lock your door.” “FOR FUCK SAKE. SHIT. FUCK. Okay. Alright. I’m just having a bloody breakdown over here. Good. This is good. This is great.” I panted. “You dropped your milk.” “No shit, Mo!” I screeched. “Will you get the bloody mop, please?” He jumped to his feet, turning his head in an attempt to hide the smile on his face, clearly very happy with himself and the fact he’d managed to make me jump out of my skin, yet again. He appeared with the mop a few moments later. “So you do use this for purposes other than banging on your roof to get my attention?” “Occasionally.” I reached to grab it from his hands, but he shook his head, getting to work. “So, are you just going to keep doing this until I eventually have a heart attack and die?” “No, I’m going to keep doing it until you learn to lock your door!” He scalded. “You know it’s easy to get in through the front door, and we’re not in the best area.” “I just forget!” “Well then remember!” It was hard to stay mad when his intentions were so pure, and he was mopping up the mess that I’d made. In fact, I think it was impossible to stay mad with Mohammad at all. He could have walked into my flat and punched me square in the face, and within ten seconds all would be forgotten. He was impossible to dislike. “How was work?” I asked him. “People are miserable in January. Do you get that vibe in your job too?” “Definitely.” I finally closed my door, then pressed my back to it. “I had a woman ring up and complain today because she didn’t like any of her Christmas presents, and none of the shops would take them back without a receipt.” “I had a guy come up to me, and ask me how it was possible for a person to be completely incapable of making a coffee. So I said, I don’t know sir, I’m not the one buying coffee. I’ve had a written warning.” I was cackling away to myself, liking that Mo didn’t look bothered about the fact he’d gotten another written warning from work. I liked Mo. He was kind and sweet but he didn’t stand for bullshit, from anyone! It didn’t matter if he was at work, if he came up with a quip he’d shoot it and he’d shoot it fast. He never felt the repercussions too harshly either. Like I said, Mo could literally do anything and you couldn’t stay mad. I imagined he’d gone into his manager’s office, batted his eyelashes and walked away with a written warning that would have been thrown in the bin within a week. “You’re my hero.” I smiled. “Marry me?” “You know my mum loves you, but if I don’t marry a nice Muslim girl she’ll have a breakdown.” “I don’t want that.” I pouted. “Me neither.” He stopped mopping up. “So, you wanna get some food in? I brought a film down because I refuse to watch Titanic.” “Well what if I refuse to watch whatever shit film you’ve brought?” “If you refuse to watch About A Boy, this friendship is over.” I gave him a look, one that clearly said that I would never say no to watching About A Boy, no person in their right mind would. With one last glance down to my floor, which still didn’t look quite right, the milk possibly making the wood even darker than it originally was, I followed Mo through into my living room area, ready to settle in for the evening. I’d only been back at work for just over a week, and I felt like I deserved another holiday. I wasn’t back into the swing of my reality. If I tried my best, ignoring everything that happened on the 1st of January, it became very easy to wish I was still at Harry’s home, with him and his family, totally relaxed, not worrying about a single thing. It had gotten like that around his family, at some point. Over the past week I’d had time to think, and I knew another reason that he had become so wrapped up in the idea of us, was because around his parents we were so natural. Nothing had really felt fake. We were so at ease there, it wasn’t like we were pretending. It wasn’t like I was always on edge, trying to keep up appearances. I’d really enjoyed my time there. The end of my December, up until the very final second, had been perfect. Mo scurried into the kitchen and grabbed a few takeaway menus that I had stuffed into a drawer after they’d been posted through my door, passing me a few, and scanning through a few himself. “So how was your first session back?” He asked me. “Yeah… Yeah, it was fine.” I sunk further into the sofa. We were quiet for a few seconds, and even though I was skimming over what appeared to be a very untrustworthy takeaway, I could tell he was looking at me. “Is that it?” He finally cried. “What?” “Well… you didn’t make a snarky comment or anything. It was fine?” “Yeah.” I giggled. “It was fine.” “What’s happened?” He sat up. “What changed? Are you okay?” “I’m fine!” “If you use the word fine one more time I’m going to kill you.” He huffed. “Ren, it’s me! You can talk to me about anything.” He genuinely seemed concerned, and I couldn’t exactly blame him. I’d quickly gone from ridiculing the sessions to accepting them, and I think Mo thought myself and Dr Jackson had stumbled across something truly terrible, something that would shut me up. “Mo, I’m fine!” I lay my hand on top of his. “We’ve just kind of turned a corner, y’know? It started out as something my mum was making me do, but now it’s like… Almost like we’re realising that… she’s put me there for different reasons.” “You think you need to be there?” “I think it can’t hurt.” “And… you think it’s because of your mum?” “Dr Jackson seems to think that years of bullshit from her might have left their mark. I dunno. We’re gunna work on it.” I shrugged. “So no more sarcastic comments?” He sulked. “Not right now,” I chuckled. “No.” He had this weird smile on his face, almost like he’d been waiting for this. He looked happy, baffled, reflective, all at once. I didn’t really question. “You feeling good about it?” “I dunno. I guess we’ll see how it goes.” “Do you speak about anything other than your mum?” “She asked me about me and Harry breaking up today, but I think she came to an alarming dead-end there. You wanna share a pizza?” He nodded, placing one of the takeaway menus he had in my hand, and pointing towards the vegetarian pizza he wanted, whereas I had been eyeing up the meat-feast option. I surrendered. I made the call quickly, Mo putting the DVD into the player, and I was hoping that would be the end of our serious conversation. I could only deal with so much. If I was finally going to start taking the sessions seriously, I didn’t really want that to run into my regular socialising with my friends. I’d go bloody insane. But Mo wasn’t quite done. Once I was off the phone and he was sat down again, he picked up the conversation where I had tried to end it. “How are you feeling about the breakup?” He questioned. “You haven’t spoken about it like, at all.” “It’s not a big deal.” I gulped, twiddling my fingers. “We both knew it would happen in the New Year. It was never gunna last.” “Why?” I almost snapped. I so nearly just told him, the whole truth, the whole bloody thing. The only thing that stopped me was the thought of his questions, what he’d think and how he’d never let me live it down, no matter what. It would have been insane to tell him originally, but after the complications myself and Harry had bumped into, it seemed even more ridiculous. Telling Mo the truth wouldn’t be simple. It would take a lifetime to try and explain what had happened between the two of us over Christmas, and I didn’t have a lifetime. I had a mere few seconds before Hugh Grant came onscreen. I decided to be honest in a kind of twisted way. “Y’know in films and stuff, where someone is just like, they’re too good for me.” “Yeah?” He lowered his brows. “I guess it was like that. Harry’s all sunshine compared to the fucking raincloud I am.” I sniggered. “We’re just not well suited. He needs to find another sun.” Mo flopped his head back on the sofa, a puzzled look twitching over his facial features, trying to concentrate on the film, yet his mind a little preoccupied with what I’d just told him. “I don’t get it.” He seemed perplexed. “Don’t get what?” “Why you’d break up with someone because you think they’re too good for you. If I found someone like that, I mean… I’d hold onto them. Very tightly. You don’t just give up something like that. You cherish it.” I liked that Mo didn’t bullshit me. He didn’t start spewing about how I was all sunshine and I shouldn’t think like that, because Mo knew I wasn’t like that. Where Harry was soft, I was sharp. Where Harry was warm, I was cold. Where Harry was sweet, I was bitter. I was positive it was nothing to do with disliking myself, not really, not in the way Dr Jackson had suggested, but just more to do with us, how unalike we were. Where Harry’s soul beamed, mine was bleak. “I just think I’m better on my own. I work better on my own. I like being independent. I don’t want to rely on anyone else.” “You don’t have to rely on someone just because you’re with them.” Yet I didn’t like how he was questioning me, almost like he didn’t think I should have broken up with Harry, even though he’d never seen us together. I think it was just easy to get caught on the thought of me taking him to meet my family, and him taking me to meet his. People thought it must have meant more than it actually did. But no one knew what actually happened. “I had a moment, right, on New Year’s Eve. They had a party and Harry was off socialising and I felt like I had to be with him. I felt like I wanted him there, and I got all nervous and jittery. I hated it! That’s not like me, to feel like I need to have someone there.” “And he was off socialising?” “Yeah.” “Well it’s not like he catered to it! It’s not like he stayed at your side and made sure you were okay. It’s not his fault you felt that way.” “I’m not saying it’s his fault, I just didn’t like it. Why do you even care?” “I’m just trying to wrap my head around it!” He squawked. “It just seemed like he was making you happy. I just… I still don’t really get why you ended it.” I stopped the conversation simply by not saying anything, because all I had left to say was that Harry did make me happy. He made me really happy. But if I explained that to Mo he’d only have more questions. Everything made sense in my head, but whenever I tried to voice it, my reasoning fell flat. Of course, being aware of the truth of the situation made it easier to validate my points, but Mo knew very little, and to him it didn’t make any sense. It all made sense to me. In my head, it was obviously the right thing, for me and Harry to part ways. It couldn’t have been any other way, it would have been too complicated. But he had made me happy. If only for a short while. 53 Awaking naturally on a work day was never a good thing. It only took a few seconds for it to dawn on me, that my eyes had flickered to welcome a new day without the aid of my alarm clock, and the moment I realised that my waking had been completely unassisted, I went into a state of panic. I twisted, grabbing my alarm clock and seeing that it was 36 minutes past 9, meaning I was already late for work. “For fuck sake.” I jumped out of bed, cursing to myself for once again setting my alarm to go off at 7:30pm rather than am, and I began my morning in a mad panic, throwing myself around my bedroom in an attempt to organise myself and get out the door as quickly possible. It was pure anarchy, and my panic was only slowing me down. I was falling over myself and pulling on random items of clothing in completely the wrong order and it was a mess, entirely. “Shit bastard fuck shit.” I seethed. With a jumper half on, I realised that I needed to actually ring work to let them know my whereabouts, not at all mentally prepared to feel the wrath of Dave once I eventually got there. He’d probably tell me I needed to work over the weekend to make up for it, and not that I had any plans whatsoever, but I really didn’t want to bloody do that. I bent down to grab at my phone, which was plugged in down on the floor, and as soon as I looked at the screen my stomach dropped. Three new texts. All from Harry. The mad rush I had been in disappeared as I stared at his name, dropping down to my knees and clutching my phone, definitely not breathing. It was like my entire world stopped. I had absolutely nothing in that moment other than my phone in my hand and his name in my vision, that was everything. The thought of him getting in touch with me for any reason left me feeling puzzled, sad, confused. Then I looked at the times I’d received his texts. 3:33am 3:34am 3:41am That was when it clicked. He had text me after waking from a dream. I just knew it. I locked my phone without opening the messages, starting to breathe again but it was erratic, harsh. I was attempting to calm myself down but I was failing miserably. I really thought our ties would cut, I thought he wouldn’t want anything to do with me again. My naivety head lead me to believe that my relationship with Harry was completely over, including things as mundane as texts. But he had reached out for me in the middle of the night. He had reached out for me during a struggle he experienced, one that I had helped him through. Not because I had to, not because of our deal, but I helped him because I had a need to help him running through me, something totally out of my control. I felt it again in that moment. I wished, wholeheartedly, that I could have been there for him. I placed my shaking hand over my mouth, closing my eyes and trying to steady my breathing. “Okay.” I whispered to myself. “Maybe it’s something else. Maybe he was drunk. C’mon. Just look at the texts.” My free hand was all over the place, moving from my mouth, then running over my eyes, then through my hair and then down my cheek and then I finally plucked up the courage, and unlocked my phone. There were tears in my eyes as I read over his words. Louis has blue eyes. I took your advice and let someone else see my dreams, but Louis has blue eyes. Please know I’m trying. Missing you.

#HAPPY SUNDAY #1dff #Harry Styles #TFA20 #The Three R's #always

117 notes · View notes

sour--strawberries · 7 years

Text

Meow Cafe, part 9

fandom: Stony (Steve x Tony)

universe: Figaro universe, cat cafe!au - Tony works as a barista in a cat cafe and Steve is totally smitten by him and Tony’s overly fluffy cat, Figaro

summary: Tony and Steve are a happy couple again, their friends are getting along and everything seems to be perfect. Yet, the past doesn’t want to leave them.

length: 7 613 words

warnings: this fic belongs to Figaro universe, not focused on tickling, but has some from time to time (this time it has!)

a/n: thanks for being patient with this series!! hope you will enjoy this part! (and the plot twist, because what is a fic without a plot twist, right?) likes, reblogs and feedback means love!

———–

Meow Cafe, part 9

(part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12)

Steve was looking at the closed door, with a metal number 12 on them. It was a nice door, solid and painted white, but he wasn't here to admire it.

"Tony?"

No answer. No sound on the other side.

"Tony, darling… Come on," Steve asked in a low voice. He knew that Tony could hear him. He gently knocked. Once, twice, three times. He could almost imagine his boyfriend curling in fear on the other side.

All that was left, was to sigh. Since the incident with the asshole-who-shall-not-be-named Tony developed a fear of opening the door to his apartment or walking outside alone. Steve had noticed it for the first time, when a couple days ago, Tony said that he would take out the trash. His hand froze midway, inches before the knob, and his face set in silent panic. They took out the trash together. Since then, Tony always waited for Steve or Rhodey, or really anyone, to let him out of his apartment, never going out alone. It became so bad, that Tony was nervously flinching and looking like a scared animal, each time he heard his neighbors coming back or out of their homes. Steve understood that it was a traumatic experience, but he didn't want fear to control the other man.

"Babe…" Steve pressed his cheek to the white wood. "I know you are there. It is me. You are safe."

Steve heard a soft sound, as someone walked to the door. His heart fluttered hopefully when he thought that it was the moment. The moment didn't come, and instead, he clearly heard as Tony took a step back, memories flooding back and paralyzing him again.

"Tony? It is me, Steve. Come on, babe, let me in."

A long, miserable sigh. "Do I have to?"

Steve smiled sadly. "No," he assured. If it was too difficult, he wouldn't force his boyfriend. "But it would be nice if you tried to."

That wasn't fair. It took another long moment before Tony reached for the knob, and slowly, inch by inch pushed the door open. Steve smiled at his boyfriend's suspicious face peering through the widening gap until they could see each other fully.

"Hi," Steve beamed, so very proud.

"Hi," Tony replied, sounding and looking in pain.

Steve took Tony's hand and pulled him to himself and into the corridor. "See? Everything is fine---"

"EEEEEEEEEEEAAAAH!!!"

Tony wheezed and yanked his hand away from the gentle hold, jumping back into the apartment. He didn't make it far, when he was pulled into a hug and someone danced around him, squealing more in wild excitement. Steve tensed and almost took a swing to knock down whoever assaulted his barista before he recognized the whirlwind of black and yellow clothes and twirling brown hair.

"TONY!!!" Janet shouted out, holding the shocked brunet close, pressing their cheeks together in an over friendly gesture. "I missed you!! And the cats missed you!! And I missed you!! And Bruce missed you!! And I missed you---!!"

"Jan," Tony croaked out, Jan's affectionate hold around his neck, choking him a bit. "Jan, air---"

"Sorry!" the girl laughed cheerfully, slightly loosening her hold. She was just too happy not to cuddle her long time no seen best friend to death.

Steve chuckled quietly at the heartwarming sight. That pointed Janet's attention to him.

"STEVE!" she called her expression brightening again. Jan was known for not hiding her negative feelings towards the asshole-who-shall-not-be-named and favoring Steve. She was happy to see them back together.

"Hi Jan," Steve greeted her, seeing Jan jumping in his direction with extended hands and getting ready for his own portion of affection. Instead, the air was knocked out of him when Janet put a headlock on him and pressed her forearm to his throat, keeping him bent and unable to move.

"You see those claws?!" she called in anger, putting a clawed hand in front of Steve's face. Steve blinked at the short trimmed, yellow painted nails. "Okay, they are short now, cafe policy," she rambled quickly, explaining her non-threatening look, "but, if you screw up with Tony again! I am going to hurt you!" she threatened, tightening her grasp for good measure.

"Yes, ma'am," Steve choked out, not in a position to argue. Still, it was endearing how very protective all of Tony's friends were and Steve was happy for his boyfriend.

"I am gonna give you a preview."

Steve's mouth dropped open when yellow nails got quickly and dangerously close to his face. Just when he thought that his eyeballs would be scratched out, the hand changed its direction and slid under him, digging into his muscled stomach.

"HEY!" was all Steve managed to cry out, before helpless laughter took over him, five fingers scribbling over his shirt in a chaotic pattern. "HAHAHAHAA!! JAN NO!!"

"Don't ever hurt Tony again, got it?!" Jan called, trying to yell louder than Steve was laughing, her face stretched in mischief and happiness.

"I GOT IT!! I GOT IT!! HAHAHA!!"

"I remember when she used to do that to me."

The tickling stopped and Steve sucked in a greedy breath. Janet looked over at Tony who was the one who said the earlier comment.

"Aww, did you miss it?" she called, abruptly letting go of her victim, and putting hands in the air, fingers wiggling.

Steve, massaging his neck from the earlier assault, exactly saw the moment Tony's whole body tensed in panic and his eyes widened.

"No, I didn't!" he shrilled out, but Jan already took a step in his direction. "NO, I DIDN'T!!" Tony continued to shriek, running back into his apartment, followed by roaring Janet.

Steve laughed to himself, hearing both brunets wrestling on the couch, before Tony's frantic laughter started to pour to the corridor. It was a beautiful sound.

"Hah, seems that Jan already found Tony."

"Hi!" Steve turned with a smile in the direction the voice come. He saw Rhodey, Pepper and, surprisingly, Natasha, coming in his direction, Rhodey already smiling at him, Natasha and Pepper engrossed in a conversation. It was high time for their guests to start to show up, as Tony and Steve decided to do a mini movie marathon for their friends. Their lives finally calmed down and got back on the right track, and it was a perfect weekend to hang out with friends.

"Hi, Steve, what's up?" Rhodey asked friendly, three of them stopping for a chat, seemingly oblivious to Tony's panicked laughter and Jan's malicious one coming out from the inside of the apartment.

"Everything's fine," Steve replied truthfully, knowing that Rhodey just had to check if everything was okay between him and his best friend. "Hi, Nat, glad you could come," he smiled at Natasha, unsure to the very last moment if his friend would show up.

"Sometimes grading has to wait," Natasha said in a pleasant voice, showing Steve a bag she brought with herself. "Bought some popcorn on my way here. Can't have a movie viewing without popcorn."

"Did you decide on the movie?" Rhodey asked Steve.

Steve didn't have an occasion to answer, as a call for help came from inside the apartment.

"RHOOHEHEDEY!! HEHEHELP!!"

Steve snorted and the girls shared an amused look. Rhodey looked dramatically at the ceiling.

"Fine, I will help," Rhodey grumbled, walking past Steve. There was some mischievous note in his voice and soon everything became clear.

"Heard you need help."

"Sure! Just hold him here and---"

"NO!! HELP ME NOT HEHEHEHER!! HAHAHA!!"

"That might take a while," Steve smiled at the girls, "come on in," he made room for them to enter. Natasha went in first, which was fortunate, as Steve stopped Pepper, keeping her in a hallway for a bit longer. "Pepper, can we talk?" he asked in a timid voice. It was his first encounter with the girl after the unfortunate events that took place in her cafe. He was nervous, but he had a feeling that it was the right thing to do.

Pepper stopped and send the nervously looking blond a calculating look. Then she sighed sadly. "I had a feeling you might ask about this."

"You did?"

"Yes. About Tony, right?" she continued, and Steve stared owlishly for a moment, not understanding. "I know you look out for him, but I already said it, when everything calms down, Tony will always have a spot in the cafe, just now I can't hire him back---"

"Wait, this isn't about this," Steve interrupted. Of course, he wanted his boyfriend to get his job back, but he also knew that that was solely Pepper's and Tony's decision, and an agreement between them. He had his own record to fix. "I wanted to apologize," he said, casting his eyes down.

Pepper didn't say anything, and he took it as a permission to continue.

"I am sorry that I let my emotions take over me and destroyed part of your cafe. I promise to repay you for the damage I did."

It took another long moment before Pepper spoke, not expecting to hear that. "Oh, Steve," she said, and her voice became a lot warmer, "you really don't have to worry about this. Insurance covered everything."

"Oh…" Steve rubbed the back of his neck. He should have expected that. "Still, I feel terrible. If there is anything I can do--- maybe you need a handyman? I am quite good at home repairs, not as good as Tony is though, but if there is anything I can do---"

"Cat litter."

"Sorry?" Steve finally looked up, his eyes meeting Pepper's face and a gentle smile.

"Cat litter," she repeated, "and new toys. We can always use more at the cafe," she hinted.

Steve smiled and nodded enthusiastically. It was a small price in comparison to the damage he had done. "Sure. Can I bring it on Monday?" he asked, planning to buy the biggest cat litter bag he could carry and the most colorful toys.

"Cats will be waiting," Pepper agreed.

There was one more thing Steve wanted to ask.

"Oh, and can --- umm," he faltered again. It was a painful topic and he wasn't sure if it was his place to ask. it probably wasn't.

Pepper put her hand on Steve's shoulder in a soothing gesture. "Yes, you and Tony can still come to the cafe," she said, lifting the ban unofficially imposed on Steve by Happy.

Steve smiled, bright and real. It was a relief to know that he was still welcomed in the cafe and that the day Tony would get his job back, he could still visit them. Exchanging last smiles, Pepper entered the apartment, where the laughter had already ended and was replaced with some conversation and friendly arguing over movies.

Steve looked at his wristwatch. They told their guests to come around 4 pm, and seemingly everyone showed up already, except one person. Just then, he heard frantic footsteps and saw someone in the distance.

"BUCK!!" Steve called, spotting his friend, crossing the corridor and going in a wrong direction, dark hair swooping behind him. There was a squeaky sound of rubber soles halting on the slippery floor, and Bucky peeked from around the corner.

"Oh, hey!" he called to Steve, retracing his steps. "Man, this place is huge! Your boyfriend must be loaded!" Bucky yelled, not caring to use an indoor voice.

There was some stunned silence in the apartment, and Steve heavily blushed. Bucky had to always embarrass him. The silence soon changed into collective laughter and teasing, with a background note of Tony's grumbling.

"Glad you could make it," Steve smiled at his friend in his trademark cap and red jacket. Tony often claimed that Bucky looked like a homeless person, and Steve never saw it until now, where his friend's intentional shabby look, painfully contrasted with the white walls and potted plants around them.

"You know I never say no to free food and movies," Bucky laughed.

"So, is he coming?" Steve asked, trying to sound nonchalant and not invasive.

"I was wondering when you will ask," Bucky teased, surprised that it wasn't Steve's first question after seeing him. "Nah, he is working today," he answered and entered the apartment, Steve closely following.

"Working?" Steve repeated. "Are you sure you don't have an imaginary boyfriend?" he asked in a teasing tone. He only heard about Sam, but never saw him.

"Who is imaginary?" Rhodey cut in from the couch, simultaneously waving to Bucky. He, Jan and Pepper were squeezed together on the couch, petting in unison Figaro, who had spread over their laps, having to be sure that every person got an equal amount of cat and enough cat fur on their clothes to remember him for long weeks. Natasha took an armchair for herself and by the fur on her pant legs, one could tell that she was on the receiving end of Figaro's complimentary zig zag around the ankles.

"My boyfriend, Sam," Bucky answered and introduced himself to Natasha and said hi to the rest of the gang he knew from the cafe.

"Oh, Sam. Yeah, never heard of the guy," Rhodey drew his eyebrows together, choosing to play along with Steve.

"What?! You know him, you work together! And you know Sam too, I bring him to the cafe all the time!" he said, turning to Jan for support.

Janet brightened, remembering the two love birds in a very romantic setting, over a coffee, surrounded by loving cats. Well, at least in her opinion it was a very romantic setting. "No, never saw him," she assured with a smile. "Pep, do we know any Sam?" she asked her friend.

Pepper laughed. "No, we don't. Bucky always comes alone."

"I can see you are Tony's friends," Bucky play grumbled to the general mirth of everyone gathered. Speaking of Tony, Steve scanned the living room and didn't see his boyfriend.

"Hey, where is Tony?" he called in the general direction of the chitchatting group.

"In the kitchen! He is making coffee for everyone," Jan answered, petting Figaro's furry head and scrubbing him under his chin, just at the small, white dot, that didn't fit with the rest of him but gave him a unique look.

Steve nodded his thanks and followed the smell of the freshly brewed coffee. He entered the kitchen and saw his boyfriend operating the huge express machine as the pro he was.

"Steve, can you take out the sandwiches from the fridge?" Tony asked, hearing the other man behind him.

"How did you know it was me?" Steve asked, making his way to the fridge and opening it with a quiet click.

Tony laughed to himself but didn't answer, not willing to share his secret away. He made a pleased sound when Steve wrapped his hands around him from behind in a loving hug.

"Are you done?" he asked, noticing the cups filled with Tony's favorite beverage.

"Almost. Do you want coffee too? Just get your blue mug."

"What? I can't drink from a white mug like everyone else?" he asked with a smirk, already reaching his hand to the cabinet above Tony's head to take out his mug with kittens painted on.

"Maybe when you get older you can drink from adult mugs," Tony teased. "Are we waiting for someone else?"

"My guests all are here," Steve smiled. "Yours?"

"Bruce couldn't make it. He studies on weekends in the evening school."

"What does he study?"

"He wants to be a veterinarian. Anyway, too bad he couldn't make it, I think he and your friend would be a perfect match."

"Who?" Steve asked, blinking in confusion. "Natasha?"

"No, Bucky," Tony answered sarcastically, and flicked Steve on the nose, "of course, that Natasha."

"You think so?" Steve frowned, not seeing them together. Natasha was fierce and strong and determined. Bruce seemed like a calm, shy type.

"You would be surprised."

"Hey! Is the coffee ready?" Jan peeked into the kitchen, brightening and not bothered by the sight of Steve and Tony wrapped in an embrace. If anything, she seemed pleased that they were affectionate with each other, and she would be the first to give Steve a hard time if he wouldn't appreciate her best friend. "Oh, by the way, Steve, is Nat taken? She would be perfect for Bruce," she said, almost buzzing with excitement, a plan for romance forming in her head.

"What?" Steve turned around to look at Jan, but Tony was already slapping him in the shoulder in a victory.

"Told you!!"

"Where is the food?!" Bucky bellowed, entering the kitchen. "Hey, Tony," he said granting the brunet with a half second of attention, before turning around. "Oh, there it is," he helped himself to a sandwich. "Hey, Steve, is Nat taken?" he asked around a mouthful of bread.

Steve blinked rapidly. Was Natasha emitting some pheromones or what? "Why do you ask?" he eyed his friend.

"She is my type," Bucky answered with a grin, somehow lucky enough that pesto didn't leave green traces on his teeth.

Janet and Tony exchanged quick looks. Oh, no he didn't.

"WE SAW HER FIRST!!" Jan shouted, pushing the sandwich deeper into Bucky's mouth, making him choke. It was a second of advantage she needed and she ran back into the living room, Tony following, abandoning his coffee station.

"You have a boyfriend!" Steve pointed out to Bucky, but it got lost in the screaming and running as Bucky, slapping his chest to get the crumbs out of his throat, went on a chase after both brunets. "Shit!" he cursed when he noticed that in the commotion Tony poured coffee into the same cup twice and as a result, hot liquid spilled all over the counter, forming majestic puddles.

When he managed to tame the chaos and entered the living room with a tray full of cups with coffee, a small group was already flocking around amused Natasha.

"As I am flattered by all this," she said calmly, keeping her hands in a soothing position, "I am already in a relationship."

The people surrounding Natasha clearly deflated after hearing the news.

"You have a boyfriend?!" Steve called, putting the tray down on the glass table in front of the TV. Seemed that he didn't know anything about his friends.

"Hey, don't act so surprised," Natasha narrowed her eyes, slightly offended. She was a hardass, but had a softer side.

"I am sorry I just---" Steve rambled, saved by Janet.

"Are you up for a threesome then?" she asked with a bright smile, determined to help Bruce met the woman of his dreams.

Turned out that Jan didn't save him at all.

Chaos started all over again, and it was loud and cheerful and good. Only Figaro, after donating enough of fur to his furless friends, trotted to the bedroom for a nap. Humans could be loud and annoying and he needed his beauty sleep.

***

It was near midnight, when Steve was in Tony's bathroom, steadily brushing his teeth. It was funny, how everything smelled of coffee, even in the bathroom, yet, the toothpaste was ordinary mint flavor. Steve was sure that if they made toothpaste that tasted like coffee, Tony would order truckloads of it.

The party was a success and their mixed groups of friends got along spectacularly well. After the rough month, it was a nice change to have everything be so nice and chaotic in a good way. Steve knew that Tony missed his job and being around cats and his friends, and he still didn't tell him the good news. He spat the foam out and wiped his face, getting ready for bed after a very happy, but exhausting day.

When Steve entered the bedroom, there was only a quiet sound of Tony clicking on the phone, clearly texting.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked, lifting the covers up to get to bed.

"Texting Rhodey," brunet replied with a yawn, not stopping his activity and yet somehow managing to cuddle into Steve's side perfectly. "He is sleeping at Jan's today. He really needs an apartment of his own," Tony giggled. Of course, Tony had offered Rhodey his couch, seeing that the bed was taken by him and Steve, but Rhodey politely declined the offer. He would have to share the couch with Figaro at some point, as the cat liked to change places, before finally setting in the master bedroom with Tony. Let the cat sleep on Tony's face, and not his. "Done," Tony smiled, sending the text and putting his phone away to cuddle properly to Steve's warm chest. He was sleepy and adorable, and Steve couldn't help but kiss the top of the brown hair. He hoped that meeting with his friends would calm down Tony's heart and help erase the bad memories.

"Hey, do we have any plans for tomorrow?" Steve asked, letting his fingertips travel over the bare curve of his boyfriend's arm.

"Hmmmm, nope. Although, you may need to go back to Brooklyn for a change of clothes," Tony laughed, his warm breath puffing on Steve's chest. Not that Steve was a slob, but he walked a day too long in the same creased t-shirt, and even if Tony wanted to lend him some clothes, all his shirts were too small for Steve's expansive chest.

"Can do that," Steve nodded, agreeing with the plan. "And you could come with me and we could go to a pet store."

"Pet store? Why?" Tony asked, and Steve felt lucky when his boyfriend look up at him, just so he could see the change in brunet's expressive eyes.

"I talked with Pepper and we are going to visits cats at the cafe on Monday. Just have to bring them treats," he said, leaving the part that toys and litter were, in fact, his apology gift. Tony was smart, he would figure it out on his own anyway.

As expected, Tony's big eyes widened even more and soon a happy shrill made its way out of his throat. "I am going to see my babies!!" Tony exclaimed, standing up on the bed, and bouncing in excitement. He missed the cafe, but it felt inappropriate to go there, without clear permission from Pepper.

"Hey, calm down!" Steve laughed as Tony in all his joy started to kick the pillows and covers down. "Tony!" he tried again, grabbing the over excited brunet by the waistband and, truthfully attempting to pull his boyfriend down, but instead almost pulled the briefs all the way down to Tony's knees.

Tony laughed, following his underwear and sinking on his knees, smiling from ear to ear. "We need to buy toy mice, fishes on a pole, and those rubbery balls cats can chase around---"

"Really?" Steve asked, interrupting the list. "This is what you think about after I pulled your pants down?" he complained, playfully offended.

With a nice purr, Tony crawled closer to Steve, eyes half lidded and dreamy. Steve understood and pulled his boyfriend closer. He turned the lights off, calling it a day, and hoping that Figaro could sleep on the couch for a bit longer.

***

Sunday quickly passed in a mix of visiting pet stores and a brief visit at Steve's apartment. When Monday came, Steve had kissed sleeping Tony goodbye and poured some cat nibbles into Figaro's bowl, hoping that the furry monster would allow his friend to sleep a bit longer, and left to work. When he came back early afternoon, Tony was already waiting and bouncing impatiently, ready to go out, barely allowing Steve to slurp down his soup and eat a sandwich for lunch.

"Are you sure you don't want to take Figaro?" Steve asked, locking the door behind them.

"I am sure," Tony smiled. A visit to the cafe would just confuse Figaro, who did miss his two legged and four legged friends. It was better if the first visit was only them. "Besides, I don't have any free hands," Tony laughed, lifting two bags, one in each hand, filled to the brim with various cat toys and packets of treats.

"Alright then," Steve said, putting the key in his pocket and with a grunt lifting up the biggest bag of cat litter he could find, followed by a bag of dry cat food. Altogether, he was carrying almost 60 pounds and spend more than his monthly salary, but he had a deed to repay. Tony's love-filled look was an added bonus.

Meow Cafe was just a few blocks from Tony's place. By foot, it was a thirty minute stroll. After five minutes, Steve's biceps started to ache. After ten minutes, there was some burning. Fifteen minutes later and halfway there and his back started to ache.

"Are you sure you don't want to order a taxi?" Tony asked in concern, carrying much less weight with himself and getting alarmed by the sweat forming on Steve's temple.

"No, I got this," the stubborn blond said through clenched teeth.

"At least let me help you---" Tony said gently, trying to grab a handle from the food bag, but Steve swerved away, almost knocking himself over and into the bushes under the weight.

"No, I am fine," Steve assured in a grunt.

Tony rolled his eyes dramatically. Ah, so it was a matter of honor. "You really don't have to punish yourself like that."

"I am fine," Steve repeated, his tone waging on snappy.

"Ohoho," Tony laughed sarcastically, "alright, you are fine, Hercules."

Steve didn't answer, deciding to conserve his energy and Tony smirked, taking his boyfriend's silence as a win. Just a few more blocks…

"Hey, what is that?" Tony asked with a frown, looking at the distance. Steve's eyes followed and he saw clouds of black smoke curling in the air, streaming from one point.

Then the air was cut with a harsh sound of a fire truck speeding on alarm and cars coming to a halt to clear the way. They both watched the red truck go past them, not thinking much about it until the truck turned into an alley and followed the road they both were meaning to take.

"Huh?" Steve heard a rattle when two bags with toys and treats meet the ground. The next second, he saw Tony, running as fast as he could, following the fire truck. "TONY!!" Steve yelled but was ignored. It was probably nothing. This was New York, what were the chances---

He couldn't take any chances. Regretfully, Steve chucked down the bags, knowing that it would be impossible to run with them, and went after Tony. Hopefully, when they come back, their belongings would still wait for them, and it was just all a huge mistake.

It wasn't, and when Steve crossed the street and stopped, his heart raced up to his throat.

It was a nightmare.

The Meow Cafe was on fire. It was a high flame, reaching its peak and consuming everything, crackling maliciously and filling the air with smoke. The firefighters were just setting up their equipment, but there was no telling if they could control the unfolding tragedy.

Steve looked frantically around, spotting Bruce and Jan far away from the flame on a patch of grass, Janet running from one cat carrier to another, checking on cats and calming them down, while Bruce was sitting at one carrier, checking cats' well-being and if they were not injured. Pepper was closer to the flame, but in a distance, firefighters had sent her to. Steve couldn't see her as she was turned around, facing the flame, while Tony was in front of her, with hands on her shoulders.

"What happened?!" he kept calling, trying to get an answer out of his former boss, but she was completely unresponsive, watching the flame consuming her life savings, her job, her dream. People started to gather and stop on the street, witnessing yet another tragedy of Meow Cafe in such short period of time.

Steve didn't know what to do, feeling lost among the horror. He looked from Jan and Bruce to Tony and Pepper, not knowing to who go first.

"STEVE!" Janet called, spotting the blond. He didn't hesitate and made his way to the girl.

"Jan! What happened?! Are the cats alright, do you need help?" he asked, looking from her to Bruce, who was completely focused on his task, attending the curling in fear cats.

"I don't know," Jan answered in a shaking voice, and Steve saw nail marks she imprinted into her own cheeks out of worry and some scratches on her hands and arms while she had to get all cats into carriers. "I don't know, Steve! We barely made it out and the cats were so scared, I was chasing them around trying to find them all----"

"It will be alright!" Steve assured Jan, trying to believe his own words, and pulling her into a short hug for even a bit of comfort. With Jan still in his arms, he looked around his shoulder, trying to find Tony.

"Tony, we have to help them!" he called before he could find Tony, letting his voice reach him first. He didn't know how, but he knew that they could not leave their friends. "Tony?!" he yelled again when he found his boyfriend and his heart clenched.

Tony was completely paralyzed. His eyes were focused on the tragedy in front of him, and his breath was uneven and ragged. His lips were moving quickly and he was saying something quietly and Steve quickly figured out the words.

'It's my fault.'

"Tony!"

Sensing another tragedy, Jan gently left Steve's embrace, allowing him to leap to Tony. Steve did just that and soon was in front of his shocked boyfriend.

"Tony! Tony, look at me!" Steve urged, putting his hands on brunet's arms, trying to get to him through the chanting and sound of fire.

"It's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault," Tony kept repeating, louder and louder, until he practically started to scream the words out, tears streaming down his face. "It is my fault, Steve!! He said he will make me regret!!"

First, Steve didn't understand. His blood turned cold when he realized what Tony meant.

'You whore!! You dirty whore!!'

Words echoed in his head, twisting his stomach.

'You will regret this, Tony!! I will make you regret this!!'

No one could be that cruel.

"TONY!" Steve yelled out, taking Tony's face in both hands and wiping the tears off, replacing the image of broken dreams with his own face. "It is NOT your fault," he said with all might. The heart-wrenching sob tumbling out from Tony's lips denied everything, and Steve pressed his boyfriend close and hid him away from the horror around them.

Just then a new horror started.

"One, two, three, four, five… One, two, three, four, five!! Oliver, Oliver, move, sweetheart, please, please, no, no NO NO!!" Janet cried, finding Pepper and yelling to her. "Tsuki is not here!!"

Steve's breath stopped and he could feel Tony's heart do the same. The fluffy Siamese cat. She was left in the flaming building.

It seemed that nothing could get a reaction out of Pepper, but after hearing the words, the seemingly fragile woman, darted forward, ready to leap into the flames, just to be stopped by a firefighter.

"Ma'am, you can't go there," the burly man replied, holding the struggling redhead, trying to claw her way out. "Ma'am, calm down! We have it under control!"

Steve heard his heart pounding in his ears. He looked from frantic Pepper trying to knock out a firefighter, to Jan who held a hand pressed to her mouth, tears shining in her eyes, to Bruce still busy with cats and ending on Tony who was pale and terrified.

Someone had to do something.

Steve let Tony out of his arms and turned around, facing the flame. It was a quick decision, and he was ready to barge into the flaming building, but he was stopped.

"No," Tony whispered, grabbing Steve by the back of his shirt to wrap arms around blond's waist tightly. "You can't!"

"Tony, let go of me!" Steve tried to pry Tony's hands away. He had to try. The firefighters were busy with taming the flame, and every second mattered.

"You can't go there!!" Tony cried, holding his boyfriend away with all strength he had, voice laced with true desperation. Steve's heart was breaking.

"But---" his breath became short, and he wasn't sure if it was panic or smoke making its way to his lungs, seemingly choking him. "HEY!!" he yelled in the firefighters' direction. "THERE IS A CAT LEFT INSIDE!!"

"WHAT?!"

It wasn't a firefighter. Steve saw someone running past by him and saw a homeless guy making his way between the firefighters and jumping into the flames---

Not homeless.

"Bucky," Steve whispered breathlessly, recognizing the red jacket and a mess of medium length brown hair sticking out from under a cap. Pepper slumped in firefighter's arms, strength leaving her at such turn of the events. Steve felt Tony's hold loosening around him. Tony was giving him a choice. Just like Bucky made his choice. Steve tightened Tony's hands back around himself and looked away from the flame, not daring to watch.

"JAMES!!" another person cried and Steve saw someone stopping next to him, out of breath after a long run. It was a medium built, dark skinned man with dark eyes, looking completely terrified.

Something clicked in Steve's brain. He eyed the man, trying to urge him to eye contact.

"Are you Sam?" he asked, fate choosing the worst possible time to make them meet.

Sam looked at the blond next to him, and the small, clinging brunet stuck to his back. He looked at Steve's face. "Nice to meet you, Steve," he breathed out, panic and worry clear in his voice.

The interaction came to a stop, when the fire crackled loudly and there was a sound of glass shattering. When Steve looked back at the cafe, he saw two firemen, holding Bucky and helping him to stand up after he had jumped out through a window and walking him away from the flame. His hair was smoking and he was coughing but held in his arms a small bundle, wrapped in his red jacket.

"Bruce!!" Janet called in a broken voice and both Bruce and Sam leaped to Bucky, Bruce taking the passed out cat from Bucky's arms, while Sam was trying to get to his boyfriend.

"Give him some room to breathe, son," a firefighter said, sitting Bucky down at the step to the firetruck. Bruce already trotted away to take care of Tsuki, while the fireman who were not attending the flame, took care of Bucky and Pepper.

"Hey," Bucky croaked out, smiling weakly at Sam, wrapped in a blanket handed to him by one of the firemen, "be happy, now I have to cut my hair," he tried to joke, meaning the burnt ends of his hair. Sam didn't reply, just slapped him at the side of his head and then pressed their foreheads together in a tender gesture.

***

The whole crew of Meow Cafe and their friends, stayed till the very end, till the last flame was gone. They were crowding on the grass, sitting together, surrounded by cat carriers. Pepper was holding in her arms awake Tsuki, the cat they nearly lost, cuddling her and not allowing anyone to take her out of her arms. She didn't say a word since the fire started and it didn't look like if she would speak anytime soon, the shock too big to handle at once. Steve talked to the fireman and found out that everything was lost in the flames. Pepper would have to start from a scratch, and even if insurance money would help, there was no quick recovery from such traumatic event.

"Is it bad?" Bucky asked Steve, when fireman drove away, securing what was left of the building.

Steve looked at the crowd on the grass. At the cats, still confined in the carriers, shaking Pepper and grieving Bruce, Tony and Janet. When everything managed to go so wrong? He nodded to his friend, not ready to break the news to Pepper yet. Just then, Tony stood up and walked to Bucky and Steve.

"We are going to our place, it is the closest," Tony decided for the whole group, trying to keep his voice strong, although it wavered at the last notes. There was no point in sitting on the grass until nightfall. "Are you by car?" he turned to Bucky, getting a confirming nod. "Can you take Pepper with you? I don't think she can walk now."

"Of course," Bucky agreed right away.

"Alright," Tony smiled weakly. "Thank you. For --- for everything," he said, making a gesture towards what was left of the building. Bucky only smiled, Tony's words meaning a lot to him.

They split, and Bucky and the girls and the cats took the car, while Bruce, Sam, Tony and Steve decided to walk the distance. Sam and Bruce went ahead, while Tony lingered in place for a bit longer, looking at what once was Meow Cafe.

"Babe?"

Tony sniffled, trying to keep it together. He should be happy that all cats made it and no one got injured. Yet, his heart was bleeding.

"Tony. Let's go," Steve urged gently, taking Tony's hand in his. Tony let himself be guided, sending a last, longing look at the place that wasn't only his job but was like a second home to him.

Miraculously, the earlier abandoned items were still there, maybe people were suspicious of them, and were afraid to pick them up. The guys split the items between themselves and it was much easier to carry them than earlier. They focused on that, not wanting to talk, knowing that the time for discussion would come soon enough.

***

Back at Tony's apartment, Figaro seemed pleased and intrigued with so many visitors. He was wary of his cat friends at first, smelling smoke and fear, but with time he walked from one cat to the other, hidden in various parts of Tony's apartment, comforting them with nuzzles and trying to invite them to play. Only inside, Pepper let go of Tsuki, knowing that she was safe.

"So, coffee?" Jan asked, unsure what they should do, and a warm beverage sounded nice and soothing.

"No coffee," Tony scoffed, draping a blanket over Pepper's back. "I have some chamomile tea," he said and noticed that everyone, except Pepper, was staring at him, clearly shocked. "Yes, I don't drink only coffee, jerks!"

The quiet, humorous laughter sounded inappropriate in such grim circumstances.

"Did anyone call Happy?" Bruce asked quietly, and Pepper flinched hearing her husband's name.

"I did," Jan raised her hand, "while we were in the car. He is on his way."

"We need to feed the cats," Tony said out loud, worrying how to solve the bowls problem. "And set bowls with water, they must be thirsty."

The next minutes passed on making the tea and making the cats comfortable. Tony's apartment wasn't small, but it was difficult to move around with such a mass of people and cats, constantly bumping into each other. When they settled and cats were quietly munching their portions of kibble, and humans sat down with cups of tea, someone knocked on the door. Steve was the one who stood up and let the newcomer in.

"I came as soon as I could," Happy panted out, flushed in the face and scanning the crowd until his eyes set on Pepper, curled between Tony and Janet. After hearing her husband's voice, all emotions Pepper hold in for so long finally burst. There was a loud wheeze and then the woman titled her head up and broke into a loud, hysterical cry that left humans and cats startled. No one could blame her, as Pepper remained remarkably strong for the whole day, and let her guard down only when her husband came.

"Oh, honey," Happy breathed out, his eyes filling with tears too, at the sight of his beloved woman crying her heart out. He was a huge guy, a former boxer, but had a gentle soul and kind eyes. He made his way to his wife and Jan started to chase everyone out to the kitchen, granting the married couple some privacy. While walking, Tony looked to the back, and saw wailing Pepper being cradled by Happy who kept whispering soothing things to her.

"It-it's goooneee…" Pepper sobbed out, big round tears rolling down her cheeks as he tugged on Happy's shirt.

"I know, I know. We will manage. We once did it, we can do it again, right?"

Tony looked away, trying to stop his own tears. God, how he wanted to believe Happy.

***

The remaining people crowded around the small table in the kitchen, not talking to each other, but all thinking about the same thing.

What would happen to the cats?

Tony decided to break the silence.

"Cats are staying with me," he said, drawing all attention to him.

Steve sighed, having a feeling that would happen and Tony would volunteer. Tony glanced at Steve, understanding the sigh. Having that many cats would get him kicked out.

"For a while," Tony swallowed, correcting himself. "For today for sure. There is no point in taking them apart, they need each other."

"And tomorrow?" Bruce asked sadly.

"Oh, I know!" Jan bounced, "Pepper has this notebook with contacts to people who wanted to adopt the cats. We just have to give them a little push for a quicker adoption," she brightened, finding a solution.

"Let's hope she has it, and it wasn't left in the flames," Sam added.

"Why are you so negative?" Jan huffed her cheeks out.

"Hey, I am just being real," Sam defended himself, but even Bucky shook his head. Usually, untactful remarks were his specialty.

"If we won't have the notebook, can any of you adopt some cats?" Steve asked.

"Welllll," Jan started, curling a strand of hair around her finger, "I already have Bee, but if there won't be any other solution, I will adopt one or two."

"Bee is a cat?" Bucky asked, raising his eyebrow.

"No, Bee is my parrot," Janet smiled brightly. Parrots and cats didn't match, so Janet's offer would be plan B.

"Bruce?" Tony asked, turning pleading eyes on his friend.

Bruce sighed. "Gamma and Beta won't like this."

"Those are cats, right?" Bucky asked again, looking at the brunet.

"Yeah, sphinxes."

"Those naked cats?" Bucky shuddered, thinking about the bare, wrinkly skin.

"They are so ugly that it makes them wonderful!" Janet praised enthusiastically.

"And Pepper has Daphne," Tony thought out loud, meaning Pepper's pearly white Persian.

"Maybe Natasha can adopt a one," Steve said.

"Oh, and I will ask at work! I think T'Challa wanted a cat," Sam added.

Seemed that they would find a solution after all.

"STAFF MEETING!" Happy called from the living room, the phrase the crew of the Meow Cafe heard so many times. This time, not only staff showed up.

It was getting late, and there was no point in keeping everyone in after an already exhausting day. Sam's grim guess came true, and Pepper's notebook was consumed by the flame, but Pepper, being the reasonable adult she was, kept an electric copy on her phone. Tony's proposition of keeping the cats for the night was met with approval and gratitude, and they all parted, saying goodbyes and thanks, and Pepper thanked for long minutes to a very flustered Bucky for his courage and kindness, while Steve talked with Happy, leaving their conflict behind. For tomorrow, owners of Meow Cafe would have to deal with all legal stuff, while Tony's apartment was called an official base for all things connected to cats, and they would meet again and Jan, after receiving the copy of the list, took it upon herself to call the potential adoptees.

Night came soon enough, and Steve found himself squeezed by Tony and Fig, as every night, and two other cats, Gizmo and Ramses, but it seemed that during the night, more cats would join them, Tsuki and Blondie already lurking around the bedroom, waiting for the lights to go out, while Oliver curled on the couch and Shandi fell to sleep on one of the cat shelves. Tony looked pleased, and Steve decided that he didn't have anything to complain about.

Until 3 am came and all cats collectively decided to chase each other and loudly demand food and attention from their humans.

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#stony #steve rogers #tony stark #tony stark is ticklish #steve rogers is ticklish #meow cafe #meow cafe fic #fanfic #fanfiction

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