#THIS IS ALL I WROTE TODAY GONNA GET A BUN FROM THE BAKERY AS A TREAT NOW

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

WHO UP AND READY TO CRY:

Kara doesn’t say anything even though she should—for a moment, she seems frozen as if in shock, not even her hair braying in the breeze of Jeremiah’s standing fan. As he looks at his sister, her curly brown hair that’s grown far past her shoulder blades, her eyes that are now fitted with contacts instead of boxy glasses, her nose that’s now pricked on the right by a cubic zirconia, he realizes he wasn’t just vague about his reasons for returning home, but cruel. What kind of brother calls his sister on a Sunday morning and explains his abrupt return is nothing to worry about, that all he needs is time, that in a week he’ll be better, clearer? What kind of brother says that if a week isn’t enough, then two certainly will be because he’ll quickly learn how to love the scent of coffee again and how to ask for a table for one and how to dance on his own and how to think fondly of a sunset and how to pray without feeling wrong and how to sleep alone? What kind of brother says that in any regard Madonna’s releasing Confessions on a Dance Floor in less than a month so he expects he’ll change by then and if that doesn’t fix him he’ll figure it out anyway? And what kind of brother looks at his sister now and thinks that in all this time he’s relieved she was never there to see him get into a bar for the first time, see him find himself in his houseplants and in Biyu’s laugh, see him fall in love with the wrong man? When Jeremiah was ten and his sister was sixteen, they’d promised each other they’d stay close, and maybe at that age, he didn’t know what that meant, to remain intwined in someone’s life till you were an intrinsic part of them—a lung and a breath, dog and a bone, a god and the son he creates. But here they are, so close, so far apart, Jeremiah’s mouth formed around a question he can’t bring himself to say out loud. What kind of brother leaves?

[kiss-inthekitchen]

of the jealous kind

summary: you and Harry are out at the local farmer’s market when a girl starts flirting with you and Harry gets jealous. only thing is, you don’t exactly realize she’s flirting with you. classic wlw vibes, am i right ladies? (please say yes)

my submission for @bopbopstyles and @harrysclementines bi-ficathon!

a/n: fun times with Harry calling you “his girl” and being just a bit pathetically jealous (his words!) also i might continue this...in a smut type of fashion... if y’all are interested

word count: 2.2k 

--

“Oh, let’s stop over there! I want to get one of those chocolate chip custard things,” you exclaimed, spotting your favorite bakery stand at the farmer’s market and dragging Harry along by your joined hands. 

“A’right, love, m’comin,” he laughed, trying to keep in step with your suddenly quickened pace. 

It was a Sunday morning, cloudy but not too cold, and you and Harry were visiting your favorite farmer’s market in town. You tried to come here at least twice a month if your schedules allowed it. Today, it just so happened, you both had the entire day free to spend with each other. 

Harry knew you had to look at everything the bakery had to offer before you inevitably bought the same items as usual (a good, crusty country loaf and the same danish you never remembered the name of). There was a produce stand across the way that immediately caught Harry’s eye, a “buy 2 get 1 free” sign atop a display of various berries calling out to him. You noticed his distraction, the two of you speaking at the same time.

“M’gonna-” 

“Go on, then.”

“Know me so well, don’t you?” He gave you a soft smile and pressed a kiss to your temple before heading off in pursuit of his beloved fruit. 

You took the last few steps over to the booth’s main table, which held a majority of the baked goods as well as this week’s free sample: a garlic rosemary bread, cut into bite size pieces. You picked one up, on instinct taking a sidelong glance at the basket of your favorite pastries by the register, when the woman behind the counter finished ringing up a customer and turned to you.   

“Can I help you with anything, hon?”

“Oh, um, I’m just looking,” you answered, looking up at her. She must’ve been new, you thought, not recognizing her from your previous visits. She had dark hair, twisted up into a bun at the back of her head, an oversized t-shirt with a phoenix decal on it. Her name tag informed you that her name was Allie. 

“Alright, well, I will say that’s the best flavor we’ve got,” she gestures to the small wedge still held between your fingers. 

“Really? That’s quite a bold statement,” you smile back at her, appreciating her friendliness.  

“You’re gonna want to trust me on this one,” she said, nodding at you to go ahead. 

You took a bite, blushing a bit at the knowledge you were being watched and that she was awaiting your response. “Mhm,” you agreed, around a mouthful of bread. “Okay, you’re right, that’s better.” 

“Thought so. I have been told I’ve got very good taste.” 

“Well, I’m not surprised.” 

She made eye contact with you, the hint of a smile playing on her lips. “So, will you be taking a loaf of the garlic rosemary then?” she asked. 

“Yes, please.” Why not try something new, you thought. And she was right, it was delicious. You’re sure Harry would like it too, and you could just imagine the playful ribbing he was going to give you when he noticed you’d deviated from your usual order. “Oh, could I also get that-” 

“The chocolate chip danish? I saw you eyeing it earlier,” she said, picking one up with a gloved hand and placing it in a small paper bag. “That one’s on the house.” 

“Oh, you’re so sweet! Thank you.” Allie was really on top of it with the customer service. 

“Anytime,” she said, “Anything else I can get you?” 

“No, that’s all for me! Thanks again.”

She rang up your order, handing you the bag before speaking. “You know, we also come out to the beachside farmer’s market on Wednesday’s, if you’re ever in the area. I’ll write it down for you,” she said, picking up a business card from a stack on the table and turning it over to write on the back. 

“Sounds great,” you replied, mostly to be polite. You probably wouldn’t make it out, Wednesdays being a busy day for you with classes. 

Just as she was handing it back to you, Harry appeared behind you, fruit in tow. 

“Thank you so much, have a good one!” you said cheerily, dropping the card into the bag with your goods. You’d look at it when you got home.

She waved back. “See you soon, hopefully.”

You smiled as you turned around to see Harry already standing there, startling a bit at his unexpected presence. He raised his eyebrows a bit, but didn’t say anything as he put his free arm around your shoulders. The two of you headed back to the main walkway, and he waited until your new friend was out of earshot before he spoke. 

“So, yeh just gonna let someone flirt with my girl like that?” 

“What?” That was not what you were expecting. “She wasn’t flirting with me, Harry.” 

“Oh, please, love. Saw the way she was lookin’ at you. Poor girl. I’m sure you led her on.” 

“Excuse me, I did no such thing,” you scoffed. “And she wasn’t even flirting with me, so I couldn’t have.” 

He breezed right past your denial, having already made up his mind. You weren’t going to be able to convince him otherwise, you knew that by now. “Told ya before love, you come off very flirtatious. Almost feel bad for her.” He was smirking down at you, the bastard. “Almost.” 

“Being a pest,” you grumbled, shoving against his shoulder with yours to throw him off balance. 

He stumbled a bit, but recovered quickly. “Oi! ‘S not very nice, is it?” 

You giggled in response, loving when he used that playful tone. He tried to keep a serious face on while looking back at you but failed almost immediately, looking at you with such adoration in his eyes that you forgot what you’d both been talking about. 

“Anyway,” you sang, reaching out for his free hand and threading your fingers through his. “What did you buy?” 

His face lights up at the memory of his purchase. “Got strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, plus some local clover honey.” 

“Such a sweet tooth, hm?” 

“S’pose I do,” he said with a slight smirk. “Ready to go home and eat, then?” 

“We’ve barely been here half an hour, H. Trying to get me home already?”

“Look too good today, love. Worried if we stick around I’ll have to beat the other vendors off with a stick.” 

“I thought we were done with this conversation,” you rolled your eyes at him playfully, but allowed him to steer you back toward the car park. You were getting kind of hungry anyway. 

--

You’re sat on your kitchen island at home, Harry placing the bags on the counter next to you. 

“Have a nice time, love?” He asks, moving over to you and situating his body between your knees at the edge of the counter. 

You drape your arms around his neck, thumb coming up to his cheek to rub back and forth as he leans into your touch. “Always have a good time when I’m with you,” you breathe. 

“That’s m’girl,” he speaks in a husky tone, before leaning in to press his lips to yours, slow and lazy at first. That is, until he lifts his hands to your thighs, sliding them around to your back and suddenly tugging you closer to the edge of the island, body flush with his. You gasp into his mouth at the action, and you can feel rather than see his resounding smirk. 

“Harry,” you pull back, attempting to admonish him but no one would know from the way your voice shakes. 

“Sorry, love. Know what they say, kitchen’s the most romantic room in the house.” 

“I don’t know anyone who says that.” 

“Y’do now,” he grins lopsidedly at you, and it’s all you can do to remember that the two of you still need to eat. 

You grin back at him. “You’re a dork, you know that?” 

“But you love me,” he responds, and you can’t argue with that. “A’right, I’ll take everything out and we can have a picnic in the backyard, how’s that sound?” 

Your smile nearly knocks him off his feet. “I’ll go get the picnic blanket!” 

He removes himself from between your legs and you slide off the counter and head towards the linen closet in the hallway. When you return, Harry’s taken out the loaf of bread and the danish, and is holding the business card in between two fingers. 

“What’s this, then?” He asks, holding up the bakery’s business card, logo facing you. 

“It’s just their card, the cashier told me they come out to another farmer’s market during the week and she was gonna write it down for me.” 

“Oh, she wrote it down, love.” In a second, he elegantly flips the card over in his fingers to show you the back. “But that’s not all she wrote.” Underneath the name of the other market is her name and, unmistakably, a phone number. 

“No!” you gasp, not believing he was right and you’d fucking missed it. 

“And you bought a new flavor bread?”

“Well, I-  Allie said it was the best one…” you trail off, trying to remember the details of your earlier interaction. Maybe Harry was right, you guess you did seem a bit flirtatious.

“Oh, Allie said, did she? That’s all it takes?” He’s kind of joking, kind of not, when it finally sinks in for you that you’ve, yet again, completely failed to notice when another woman was trying to flirt with you. 

“Oh, god damn it!” you exclaim, completely in your own head and you didn’t even hear what Harry had said to you. “I do this every time!” 

What’s left of Harry’s joking demeanor drops. “Every time? How often does this happen?!” 

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice again.” 

Your friends were gonna have a field day with this one. Three out of the four of you identified as bi or pan, though when you’d all become friends back in high school only one of you had actually been out. Now, you all joked that you had one “token straight” in the friend group. 

“Y/N?!”

“I know, H, can you give me just a moment, I’m trying to come to terms with the fact that I’m apparently a raging stereotype,” you reply, laughing at yourself a bit for being so predictable. 

“Oh, of course, don't mind me. I’ll just be here. Waiting. Very patiently.” It’s a wonder he doesn’t start tapping his foot, clearly the farthest thing from patient right now. 

You snap back to attention, realizing that if you don’t stop Harry he’s just going to keep spiraling. “You do know I’m dating you, right?”

“Do I?” 

“Oh, come on. You’re being such a baby about this!” 

“Oi! I am not!” He huffs, and you can just picture him as an indignant toddler, standing with his arms folded and a deep frown set on his face. 

You hold back a laugh at the image you’ve conjured, closing the distance between the two of you. “Baby, I love you,” you say, pressing a kiss to his cheek.“You know I do.” His jaw. “Why don’t we just throw that out, hm?” You kiss his lips this time, reaching for the card and plucking it from his fingers before tossing it away from you.  

“I guess,” he grumbles as you pull away, but you can tell he’s not quite over it. 

You rest your chin against his chest, looking up at him with your best puppy dog eyes. “You don’t believe me, gorgeous? Need me to prove it to you?” 

“Maybe,” he mumbles, and you know that you’ve brought him back from his little jealousy spiral at the mere suggestion, so you decide to make him wait for it. Just a little while.  

“More than happy to,” you murmur, tracing your fingertips over the back of his hand. “Only thing is, you’re gonna have to have this picnic with me first,” you reach behind him for the blanket, “and you have to stop pouting.” You step around him, laughing as you run toward the glass door that leads to the yard.

“M’not pouting,” he lies to the empty kitchen as he grabs the rest of the food and some utensils before following you outside. 

His mood is definitely lifted, though, when he comes outside to find you seated on the blanket already, grinning widely at him and holding your arms out for him to crawl into. 

Maybe he had been just a tad bit dramatic. 

--

About half the bread is gone now, a bowl of honeyed berries and a plate full of crumbs resting on the cloth-covered grass next to you. Harry’s shifted so he’s laying down with his head resting on your soft thighs, with you carding your fingers through his short curls, just enjoying each other’s company. 

“Wait a minute,” you break the comfortable silence, a thought suddenly popping into your mind. “Other people flirt with you all the time! Sometimes right in front of me!” 

“And?” he muses, reluctantly sitting up in order to face you. 

“And! I never get jealous like that!” 

“I know. Rather insulting, if you ask me. You can get possessive, love. I certainly won’t mind it.”

[sinswithpleasure]

Tonight (ft. TWICE’s Tzuyu) [Birthday Fluff]

In reference to this ask!

So umm would you mind if I requested a full on fluff with Tzuyu for Tzuyu's birthday?

I wrote in a lot of the songs I listened to while writing, just for fun! I’ll link them below: The 1975 - Robbers The 1975 - Chocolate The Weeknd - Blinding Lights

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

It goes without saying that you adored your girlfriend. While both of you hadn’t dated for long, you really wanted to do something amazing for her on her birthday.

You had racked your brain for a good month. This was the first birthday of her’s you were spending with her, and you really wanted to make the effort to give her a birthday to remember. How were you going to do that? You grabbed at any source of information you could find - the Internet, books, magazines, articles, whatever.

The thought of your girlfriend was always enough for you to break out in all smiles. You’d met her at a concert, after months of being friends online. Both of you were in a clique made up of fans of the band whose concert you were attending. That was your first time meeting up, and through the few days you spent together for the concert, both of you hit it off. The cherry on top was that both of you ended up finding out that your residences were only ten minutes away from the other, which meant that both of you could regularly met up every weekend for coffee, a movie, or just to hang out. Soon enough, these friendly meetups blossomed into dates, and your friendship blossomed into a relationship. The whole friends-to-lovers trope seemed less unrealistic now that you’d fallen under that category.

Back to her birthday though.  As you sat down to plan, you thought about a conversation you had with your girlfriend from a month back.

-----

“Yah, babe, babe, babe, look!”

Chou Tzuyu excitedly tapped your arm, shoving her phone in your face with an amazed smile on her face. A picture of the night sky was displayed on a photography account on Instagram, and you held her hand steady to grab a good look. Tzuyu seemed to vibrate with excitement, rushing to like and save the post. “I love shots like these! I really wanna see the night sky like that someday... Oh, how I want to lie under the stars, and be free of stress. Nothing but me and the stars, the wind, the peace and quiet...” She clasped her hands together, holding them close to her chest. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath, then exhaling with a smile. You just stared, moving to face her on the sofa both of you were sitting on. Tzuyu returned to viewing more photography on her phone, and you lay there thinking about how cute she was gushing about the night sky.

-----

You had your answer.

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

“Babe! What’re you doing here?” You gave her a wave, leaning against your truck parked outside her bakery.

Chou Tzuyu ran a bakery in the city center. Her bread was one of the best you’d ever tasted. Each bun was fluffier than the clouds overhead, the taste fresher than any other bread in the world. To you, when it came to bread, it was either hers, or nothing. She put her heart and soul into every single creation of hers. If you left her alone, there was no doubt she’d eat bread for all three meals of the day, and if you left her alone for even longer, she’d turn your kitchen into her laboratory to experiment with more pastries and how to make them.

Tzuyu ran to you, almost barreling you over with how hard she hugged you. She had the brightest grin on her face, nothing hiding her happiness at seeing you outside of her workplace. She looked just like the puppies she held so dearly in her heart, so pure, so unfiltered in her happiness. If she had a tail and puppy ears, you knew her ears would be soft and relaxed, and her tail would be wagging frantically.

“Hi baby.” Tzuyu smelled like bread and butter. Whenever you met her after work, she would smell just like that. You learnt to love the smell, as where she went, the fragrance would follow. Your arms wrapped around her tightly, as both of you swayed left and right in front of your truck, uncaring of whoever saw you on the street. “How was work?” You opened the door to your truck, letting her in, before shutting it and going over to the driver’s seat. 

“Good, I earned about 1.5K today, and tomorrow’s my off day!” Tzuyu closed her bakery one day a week to rest, and you loved how it fell nicely after her birthday today. You smiled, grabbing her hand, rubbing your thumb on the back of her hand. “Happy birthday, baby.” You leaned towards her, planting a kiss on her cheek. Tzuyu squealed in surprise. “Thank you, babe!”

“Come, let’s go for dinner. I have somewhere I want to take you.”

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

Dinner was relatively uneventful, though you went all out and took her to one of the best Chinese restaurants. You knew she missed home - there were days she would seem out of it, and would look at photographs of her family. Tzuyu had moved here for her studies years ago and stayed to start up her bakery. You wanted her to at least be able to taste home on her birthday. She was clearly enjoying the spread on the table, her hands moving quicker than you could imagine, grabbing tons of food off the plates. She really missed the food from Taiwan. You didn’t each much, just enough to fill you, and you let her have the rest of it. It wasn’t often she had the chance to enjoy herself like this, and you loved seeing her cut loose.

After a bit of bickering about the bill (”It’s your birthday, I’m paying!” “No, I ate so much, I should be paying!”), you led Tzuyu out, pulling her to your truck. “Let’s go, we have a lot to do tonight.” You could see Tzuyu’s curiosity, but you refused to sate it, instead pulling out of the parking lot towards your next destination. “It’ll be a long ride, let’s listen to some music.” As your speakers began to play a familiar guitar riff, Tzuyu gasped, before exclaiming, “Robbers!” Yes, both you and Tzuyu were fans of The 1975, and it was at their concert that you’d met each other. As you drove through the roads of the city at night, you could hear Tzuyu singing the song softly. You decided to join in, grabbing her hand once more, squeezing it, before beginning to sing with her.

‘She had a face straight out a magazine God only knows but you'll never leave her’

As both of you sang, you could feel Tzuyu rub your knuckles, her smile somehow audible. You knew how much she enjoyed drives at night, and cruising with her significant other was something she loved.

‘You've got a pretty kind of dirty face And when she's leaving your home she's begging you to stay, stay, stay, stay, stay’

You thought about how much you cherished her presence in your life. Since the concert, she had quickly grown from friend, to crush, to girlfriend relatively quickly, and it all stemmed from how much both of you enjoyed this song. As you let go of her hand to turn the steering wheel with both hands, you could hear Tzuyu whine at the loss of contact. Laughing, you let your hand return to hers after your truck moved towards the exit of the city. You were lucky that traffic was relatively light tonight. The truck neared the exit as the song built to the outro. Both of you fell to the emotion of the song, duetting it together as you left the city.

As you exited the city, another familiar guitar riff plays. This time, neither announced the title of the song; Tzuyu just begins singing again, and you spare a few glances at her as she vibed with the music. Under the illumination of the streetlights, she looks just as gorgeous as compared to when she was bathed in natural light. Every glance you spared her led to you gaining an epiphany - you wanted to spend more moments like this with her. While your relationship was still relatively new, you began to suspect that she might be “The One”.

“Join me!” Tzuyu taps your arm incessantly, and you snap out of your thoughts as you navigate the road. You are mostly the only vehicle on the road, with the occasional oncoming truck, or car on the other side. Discarding your train of thought, you let yourself fall to the chorus of the song.

‘Oh we go where nobody knows With guns hidden under our petticoats No we're never gonna quit it No we're never gonna quit it, no Yeah we're dressed in black from head to toe We've got guns hidden under our petticoats No we're never gonna quit it No we're never gonna quit it, no’

Both you and her cruise in the night, enjoying the songs playing from your phone connected to the speakers in your truck. The night was yours, and there were hours to burn.

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

“We’re here!”

The radio is turned down to silence, and you stop the engine of the truck. Tzuyu gets out and surveys the surroundings. You grab a mat, cushions, and some blankets from the backseat, laying them out on the back of the truck. Beside you, you hear Tzuyu’s scream of happiness as she looks up at the sky. Above you, the stars shine brighter than they ever had, the full glory of the night sky displayed in the expanse above the both of you. The wind blew around you, the night breeze chilly against your skin.

“Come, baby.” You helped Tzuyu onto the truck, passing her a small bottle of cider for her to warm herself up in the night chill. Both of you sat at the back of the truck in comfortable silence, her sipping from her bottle, while you stuck to juice, since you needed to drive. Both of you carried on gazing at the sky.

“Look, do you see the Big Dipper? That’s also called the Great Bear...”

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

‘Ring!’ A mobile phone ringtone broke the peace and quiet after your impromptu lesson. Tzuyu fished for her mobile phone, and from the screen, you could make out vague Chinese characters. Your questions were answered instantly when Tzuyu’s face lit up, and she answered with “Hello, Mama!”

You turned to your side, getting up to greet Tzuyu’s mother. After exchanging pleasantries, Tzuyu began to converse with her mother in Mandarin, which left you out of the conversation. However, you did not mind trading that for the view of your girlfriend with unbridled joy stemming from spending time with her family members. You lay back down on your side, looking up at the smile of pure happiness on Tzuyu’s face. You let your love for her show through your expressions. She was your world, your pearl, your home. She was your everything, and the flame of love in your heart was shocking, considering how strong it burnt for her. 

Somewhere along the line, Tzuyu began to laugh, covering her face in shyness, before turning to you, then giggling. Her mother began to laugh, saying something in rapid Mandarin. Moments later, Tzuyu hung up, turning to you and planting a kiss onto your lips. 

“What did your mother say?”

“She told me to marry you.”

“What?”

“She told me to get married to you. Her reasoning was that you looked at me like the sun shone out of my ass, and this time wasn’t the first. Every video call she’s seen it happen.”

“It’s true. I love you. Every part of you. Through your flaws, insecurities, everything. They make you who you are, and I love you.”

Tzuyu’s eyes glistened with tears. You drew her into a hug, holding on tightly to her. “Don’t cry, oh no, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m so happy. I love you so much. I really do.”

“I love you too. So much.” You broke the hug, wiping at her tears with a handkerchief you brought. “Let’s finish up before we go back.”

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

The drive back was just as fun as it was on the way there. Both Tzuyu and you were somewhat dancing while singing along to the song playing on the speakers.

‘And I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch I said, ooh, I'm drowning in the night Oh, when I'm like this, you're the one I trust‘

You wanted tonight to last forever. Driving back and viewing the skyline of the city with this song as accompaniment was magical, and the experience was brought to the next level with your girlfriend- no, your world next to you.

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

“Thank you for today, babe. I loved it so much. I love you so much. Thank you.”

“No problem, baby. I love you too. Happy birthday.”

Tzuyu rose to kiss you deeply on your lips, staring deeply into your eyes after the kiss ended. “This has been the best birthday ever.” You smiled, pushing her towards her house. “Go on, I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Tzuyu.”

“Goodnight, babe.”

As you drove off, you thought about that ring you saw back in that jeweler’s before you left to pick her up. Maybe...

[tales-of-spring]

morning siren | Chapter  1: The Bakery

Pairing / Ship: Steve Rogers x neutral reader

Featuring: Steve Rogers

Words: 1710

Category: Writing Challenge, Fic, Vanilla, Soft Fluff

Warning: Startled reader, baker!reader, being alone in a shop, reader POV, fluffy tension, blushing messes

Summary: You open up shop on a early Saturday morning, but you’re not prepared for who walks in..

Author’s Note: This is my first entry for @finleyjayne​‘s Rainbow Writing Challenge! I chose the prompt ‘’Apples and Oranges’’ paired with Steve Rogers, enjoy! Part two will follow soon, I promise! Divider credit; @finleyjayne​

You woke up by the sound of your alarm going off. You hastily roll over, grab your phone and disable it, then proceed to roll back so you were facing the window. It was five am on a Saturday morning but the sun was already softly dancing through your blinds. You smiled because you felt today was gonna be a great day. You had to be at the bakery in about an hour so you got up, put on your bathrobe and proceeded to go to your kitchen to make yourself some breakfast. 

You ended up at your breakfast table with a bowl of cereal and a hot cup of tea. You were slowly eating the morning cornflakes while turning the pages of the newspaper that was laid out on the table. Nothing unusual or strange has happened according to it, so you continued with your routine as calmly as ever. You showered, got dressed and packed your bag for your shift. You, as usual, went out the door at 6 am, just in time for the bus to take you to the bakery. 

The bakery was called ‘’The Mad Batter’’ and it was a cute and warm place tucked away on a busy street corner. Flowers grew outside, people could sit outside and still smell the scent of the kitchen, the inside was cozy but not in a suffocating kind of way. You have worked there for yours and through hard work and loyalty, you rose through the ranks all the way up till executive manager, while still maintaining the baking work on your own wishes. Baking was your life and you couldn’t imagine a world without it. 

You waved goodbye to the bus driver, stepped off of the bus and proceeded to cross the street. Traffic was almost non existent at this hour, which wasn't unusual. You unlocked the backdoor and stepped into the building, the scent of yesterday’s baking still lingered in the air; French orange tart with whipped cream, cinnamon buns and cherry pie. It was heavenly to you. Everything in this place was.. old and familiar to you. Comforting, you liked it that way. You smiled as you got ready to bake. The store wouldn’t be ‘’officially’’ open until eleven, which means you had a few hours to yourself which you always spend singing and baking. 

You followed your usual routine of turning on the shop lights, even though no one was there, you didn’t like working in a bright kitchen and looking out to a dark and grin shop plus, it didn’t look approachable from the street. You then proceeded to switch out yesterday’s meal plan for today’s which consisted of apple pie, raspberry and white chocolate cookies, blueberry muffins and coconut treats. 

You decided to put on some music, a vintage playlist one of your friends recommended to you. You recognized some songs, others you didn’t. But no matter, you sang along and swayed your hips to the beat of the music anyway. You decided to start baking the apple pie, and would later continue with the muffins. The recipe was already ready for you on your station so all you had to do was gather the ingredients. 

A few minutes in and you were working in the dough, kneading it on the flowered counter with your hands. God, you could already imagine how the kitchen will smell once the pie would be baking in the oven. Once the dough was done you started on the pie filling; mixing the diced up apples, cinnamon, sugar, raisins and salt in a bowl until it became a nice filling that would stick together. The hardest part about the pie, for you, was to make the top layer. You had to measure up and cute six long strokes of dough and carefully place and fold them over and under one another to create the classic apple pie look. You did this with great patience, using your experienced fingers to complete the job. The pie was done and ready to be put into the oven. You snapped out of your focused mindset and finished the last step. 

🎶’’Put your head on my shoulder..’’🎶 Hey, you knew this song. You heard it when you had put on the same playlist while you were cleaning your apartment and since then you loved it. So naturally, you started to sing a long. Swaying your hips while cleaning up your station.  🎶’’Whisper in my ear, baby..’’🎶 You were so caught up daydreaming and used to the quiet, lonesome, usual morning routine that you didn’t notice the front door of the shop opening, making the little bell ring, followed by a set of footsteps. Still, you kept on singing.  🎶’’Words I want to hear..’’🎶 The tall man was wearing a blue blouse tucked in his beige pants with a brown-ish leather jacket and classy shoes. His motorcycle was parked out front. For a second, he looked around confused. The shop was open, the light was on, but no one was there? He searched for an employee but stopped once he was right in front of the kitchen door, which was open, the counter blocking him from going in but he could still hear what was happening. That voice.. that beautiful voice.. 🎶’’Tell me, tell me that you love me too..’’🎶 You had finished cleaning and decided to go out to the front to see if there needed to be any work done. You threw the cleaning cloth in the sink and made your way to the front of the store, your voice still hanging onto the words you were singing. The second you walked in, you gasped and stopped in your tracks. Oh my god, there was a customer here and you were just out and about, singing and doing your thing? How embarrassing, you felt your cheeks flush red and you began to apologize to the customer, the man. ‘’I-I’m very sorry sir, usually no one comes in until 11 and I was so caught up in my routine that I-..’’ 

You broke off your apology the moment your eyes had a good look at who you were really talking to. This man was cute, as you would put it. Tall, with dirty blonde hair and gorgeous eyes. You could tell his frame was broad and muscular. The redness on your cheeks intensified. The man was smiling, one of those sexy half cooked smiles, damnit. He shook his head and told you it was okay ‘’It happens to the best of us, it’s really no problem.’’ You smiled and felt yourself staring at him, almost daydreaming. The both of you were actually, until you snapped out of it.

‘’Uh- uhm, can I- can I get you anything?’’ 

The man snapped out of the trance as well and fidgeted his wallet out of the pocket of his pants. ‘’Uhm, yeah, what’s your uh, your specialty?’’ You two were an awkward, blushing mess. You had to think for a second, usually you were quite sharp when talking to customers. ‘’Oh we uhm-’’ You walked over to the edge of the counter to point out what you were referring to. ‘’We still have yesterday’s which is a French orange tart with whipped cream, and the uhm, today’s apple pie is in the oven was we speak.’’ You chuckled nervously and put your hands in your back pocket. The man had a strange effect on you, but you liked it.  

He doubted for a few seconds, licking his lips, his eyes darting back and forth across the counter. God, was he really this sexy naturally or is he just trying to tease you? You swallowed, trying to ignore your attraction to him. You got curious for his name and tried to carefully examine his face, questioning if you have ever seen it somewhere; tv, movies, the news. Nothing came to mind though. 

‘’I can also- uhm, put down your name and reserve a piece of apple pie for you if you’d like.’’ His eyebrows jumped up in surprise and seemed to think about it for a moment. ‘’Uh- yes. Yeah, that would be great, thanks.’’ He chuckled to himself. ‘’In the mean time I think I’ll just get two of those..’’ He knelt down a little to see the cookies that were laying inside the glass counter. ‘’Chocolate chip cookies, please.’’ You nodded confirmingly and wrapped the cookies up for him, putting it on the counter. You felt your heart beating in your chest but you remained calm, you couldn’t wait to know his name. 

‘’That’ll be 2,50 please.’’ You opened the old fashioned register and immediately proceeded to grab a notepad and a pen, multitasking was a thing you had learned to do over the years. The man handed you a five dollar bill and said you could keep the change, to which you shyly looked at the ground and thanked him. He gaze lingered over you for just a moment when he thanked you for your service and turned around. 

‘’Wait, sir!’’ The dingus had forgotten to give you his name. ‘’I need your name for the- the apple pie.’’ He cut himself off from leaving the shop and walked back, almost an equal blushing mess as you were. ‘’Of course, my apologies, it’s uh..’’ There he did it again, licking his lips and looking up to you from the ground. ‘’My name’s Steve. Steve Rogers.’’ You wrote the name down with a note to hold back a piece of apple pie for him. ‘’I’ll come back later today for the piece, okay?’’ You nodded and put down the notepad, leaning on the counter. You didn’t give him your name, should you? He was already walking towards the door. He would come back anyway, maybe you could give it then. But what if he forgets? Oh what the hell-

‘’Steve.’’ He stopped again, turning halfway so he faced you. ‘’I’m Y/N.’’ Steve smiled at you and nodded. ‘’Gotcha, so you’re not just a pretty face?’’ You chuckled nervously and fidgeted with your apron, looking down at the ground. But when you looked up to answer back, Steve had already left the shop. You bit your lip and couldn't wait for when he returned. 

[zamoimagines]

Someone Else’s Baby

Word count: 1,807

Pairings: Venable x reader, Reader x OC

Chapters: 1, 2

Summary: Things between you and Venable had ended rocky. When Venable realizes that she’s still in love with you, she travels to find you to make things right. You’ve moved on with someone else. Mina is determined to win you back and give you the love you deserve. 

A/N: Here you guys go! It’s been a long wait, but here’s chapter two! Sorry that it’s short but I have a lot more to write up. Enjoy! I hope you guys like it!

A loud crack of thunder rumbled outside of the airport. Most of the other travelers looked nervous, but Wilhelmina wasn’t too worried about the weather. As long as she could get back to sunny Los Angeles and never come to this state again, she was happy to travel in any weather. She turned the page of the book she was reading before the intercom blared a voice from overhead.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing quite some severe weather up in the skies. All flights to Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles have been canceled until further notice. Please visit one of our customer service desks to reschedule your flight.”

Everyone around her began to groan and mumble. Wilhelmina’s eyes widened at the sudden news. There was absolutely no way that she was going to be stuck here. Frantically, she reached for her cell phone and called Jeff’s number. When the line connected, she could hear hooting and hollering in the background of the call.

“Miss Venable! What the fuck is up, man!” Jeff cried out.

Wilhelmina rolled her eyes. They must’ve gotten another shipment of coke while she was gone.

“Mr. Pfister, I need a private jet sent to me as soon as possible.”

“Hey! Mutt, Venable’s heading back!”

“YAY!” Mutt yelled into the phone. Venable took the phone away from her ear for a moment so she wouldn’t go deaf.

“Let us talk to Y/N! We wanna know how you wooed her back!” Jeff added.

“She isn’t with me-”

“That’s okay, we’ll talk to her when you guys get back!”

“No, that’s not what I meant-”

“We’ve got a whole wedding to plan, Jeff! We have to come up with a color scheme!” Mutt said with a slurred voice.

“Gentlemen!” Venable shouted into the phone. The people around her stared at her in confusion. All she could do was scowl and turn away from the looks she was being given.

“I’m coming back by myself. She’s moved on.”

The other end of the phone call was completely silent. Venable could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

“If you could just send the jet for me, it would be greatly appreciated. I would like to come home.”

“I thought you had a flight back?” Jeff muttered.

“My flight has been canceled, Mr. Pfister, and I need to be back in my office today.”

“CANCELED?! IT’S FATE!” Mutt yelled once again. She could hear Jeff excitedly laughing as well.

“Miss Venable! Don’t you see it! The universe is fucking telling you to go after her!”

“That’s definitely not what a canceled flight means.”

“Venable, I gotta give it to you straight; Before you met Y/N, you always had a stick up your ass. You never had any fun, you were always working, and I don’t think I ever saw you smile.”

“Yeah, you were a complete bitch!”

“Mutt, shut up!”

All their talk wasn’t making her feel any better. She only felt worse about herself. A single tear rolled down her cheek before she quickly wiped it away.

“What are you trying to say, Mr. Pfister?”

“I’m saying that Y/N completed you. You were so happy, and so in love! You can’t just let it all slip away because you guys had a falling out.”

“What does that have anything to do with my travel back home?”

“That’s the thing, Venable. You’re not coming back home.”

Venable’s heart raced in her chest. They were most definitely trying to torture her, in no way was this any helpful.

“You’re not serious,” Venable growled.

“Actually, I am! You have another two weeks in the Midwest, missy. I’ll call the hotel and tell them that you’re extending your stay.”

“Mr. Pfister, wait-”

“We’ll send some money to your account for food and shit.”

“GOOD LUCK VENABLE!!!” Mutt screamed into the phone. Before Venable could protest, the two hung up on her.

------

After the phone call, Venable had stopped by her hotel to drop off her things. She couldn’t stand the thought of sitting around her room and wallowing, so instead, she changed blouse and high waisted pants. Her hair was tied up in a bun; she could care less about the way she looked. Though, with the extra money, she figured it would be good to get out to the grocery store and get little things to eat while her bosses were tormenting her.

Midwestern grocery stores weren’t nearly as packed as the ones she’d gone to in Los Angeles. In fact, the little building she decided to go into barely had any customers. She could get used to staying here. Wilhelmina skimmed at the aisles and tried hard to find something to get her by. She mindlessly filled her cart with random items as she continued throughout the store. For a moment, she paused to look down at everything in the basket.

Raisin bran, a couple of cans of soup, and a bottle of red wine. She sighed heavily. Even her shopping cart was depressing. How was she even going to try to eat anything? Her heart was so broken that it was taking all of her energy to get out and even be here. What would Y/N say…

What was so much better about that blonde? Y/N had never mentioned finding a single blonde attractive as long as Mina had known her. Yes, the new woman was peppy… and positive, kind, and she had a very warm smile. But wasn’t that off-putting? Wilhelmina had never seen someone so happy. What the hell was wrong with her?

She was thrown from her thoughts as she felt her cart crash into something. Mina had run her cart into the wall of the bakery. She groaned in embarrassment. Her thoughts were getting the best of her.

“Oh! Hey there!” a familiar voice called out.

Why was that voice so recognizable? It was a little too bubbly. When Wilhelmina glanced up, she felt a fire brewing in the pit of her stomach.

There was the exact woman she’d been thinking about. She couldn’t even remember her name.

“Please don’t come over here, please don’t see me..” Mina thought to herself. It was too late, the blonde was already making her way over.

“Miss V! I didn’t think I’d see you here!” she exclaimed.

Wilhelmina gripped the handle of the cart so tight that her knuckles turned white.

“Hello… Kara.”

“It’s Keri!” she replied with a giggle. “You’re too funny! Y/N told me you were a hoot.”

“Did she now,” Venable replied in a short tone.

“Love the outfit, by the way. Not a lot of people can pull off that much purple, but you look great in it!”

She was so nice to her. What a fucking bitch.

“Thanks,” Mina replied. She didn’t really care if she sounded genuine. “If you’ll excuse me, I really have to get going-“

“Wait! What are you still doing here?” Keri cocked an eyebrow. “I thought you were leaving yesterday?”

So full of questions. What did Y/N see in her?

“My flight was canceled. Now, I really am a very busy woman-“

“What a coincidence! I cannot believe this, you have to come to the little get together we’re throwing tomorrow night! Here,” Keri had this glimmer in her eyes as if she was doing something good. She quickly pulled out a pen from her purse and yanked on Venable’s hand. The fire in her stomach was growing into a volcanic eruption.

“I’m gonna give you my number. Text me in an hour… Let’s make it a surprise for Y/N!” Keri exclaimed as she wrote into Mina’s skin. “Seriously, she would love to see you. Even if you can’t stay for long, it would mean the world to her if you came.”

As much as Keri was a villain in Mina’s eyes, this was an opportunity that quite frankly had been handed to her. So much could go wrong… What if Y/N didn’t want to see her? Venable couldn’t stand getting her heartbroken again. If she could just tell Y/N the way she felt… that would be all that mattered. At least she would know.

“I… I’ll have to see if I can make it.”

“For sure! Just let me know. It was good to see you, Miss V!”

Keri turned on her heel and was instantly gone. How the fuck did she walk that fast?

Wilhelmina gazed down at the phone number on her hand. She couldn’t find the nerve to be mad at Keri any longer. This was her chance. Perhaps the world was giving her a sign of hope. She never really believed in fate, but this felt different. Her chest felt tight with anxiety.

Venable picked up a few more snacks before heading to the checkout. She was so antsy that she threw random items that she didn’t even think about into her shopping basket. The redhead quickly purchased her things before making her way back to the rental car Mr. Pfister had gotten for her.

The rain pelted against the windshield, echoing loudly from inside. Wilhelmina couldn’t even turn on the car. She stared blankly out of the window. Was this even a good idea? What if she just got rejected once again?

But… What if she won Y/N back?”

“If there’s a god,” Mina began, closing her eyes and leaning her head toward the sky in the sunroof, “Tell me what to do.”

The winds roared outside as the rain came down even harder. Venable’s eyes opened softly. In front of her was Keri, walking out with her groceries. Something was stirring inside of Mina though she wasn’t sure what it was.

Almost without thinking, Mina picked up her phone and dialed the number on her hand. She stared at where Keri was to ensure that the woman was genuine about inviting her. To her surprise, the blonde answered.

“Hello?”

“Keri? This is Wilhelmina Venable.”

“Oh! Hey, what’s up?”

“I…” she hesitated. What else did she have to lose?

“I looked at my schedule… I believe I’ll be able to make it to your event.”

A squeal could be heard on the other end. Venable winced at such a high pitched sound.

“That’s amazing! Oh, Y/N is gonna be so excited! Keep your phone on you, I’ll send you the address and everything through text. This is gonna be great!”

“I’ll make sure to be there.”

“Ugh, you are too cool, Miss V! Oh! The party’s dressy, but casual! We can go shopping if you want-“

“That won’t be necessary, but I appreciate the offer.”

“Of course! See you tomorrow night!”

Venable could hear the sound of a click. There was no turning back now. And the most ironic thing?

She needed a damn dress.

REQUEST MORE FICS HERE!

[purrincess-chat]

Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s Spite Playlist: Original CH1

I’m finally posting that spite fic I’ve been talking about for like a week! Here are the first two chapters because I wrote them kind of at the same time!

Summary:  After her friends all abandon her for Lila, Marinette decides it's time for a fresh start and moves to a new school. How will she fare in a new environment? Will her friends even notice that she's gone, or will they fall victim to Lila's ploy to turn them all against her?

Edit 6/19/21: This story has been rewritten/remixed! This version is the original unedited version of the story which can only be read here on my tumblr. The Remix is on AO3, and you can follow the link below to read it! Otherwise, enjoy the original!

Next    Remix

Chapter 1

Marinette stood in front of the mirror smoothing her blazer, picking at loose threads, and adjusting her buns for the dozenth time as a worried crease set over her brows. Her stomach churned into a knot of nerves, but seeing as school, her new school that was, didn’t start for thirty more minutes, she was left to just wait; though waiting only ate at her more, so she fidgeted to pass the time.

She wondered if they would even notice she was gone. It was absurd of her to wonder really. Of course they would notice. She was their friend after all, or so she’d thought. Their ‘every day Ladybug’ as they’d said, but a fat lot of good that did her in the end. When push came to shove, they all turned on her in an instant, so maybe they weren’t even really her friends after all. None of it mattered now anyways. She had a new school, and she would make new friends - ones that didn’t abandon her for a liar.

“Why does your new school get to tell you what to wear?” Tikki asked, floating up from her small purse, and Marinette ripped her gaze away from the mirror, a small smile curling on her lips as they settled on her kwami.

“Because it’s a private school,” she explained, turning and pacing over to retrieve her shoes from the box on her desk. “Everyone wears the same thing

“I like your old clothes better,” Tikki remarked, watching with intrigue as Marinette slipped her feet into her plain, black boots.

“I can still wear them when I’m not at school. Besides, this isn’t so bad,” she said as if to convince herself.

Truthfully though, she agreed with Tikki. The uniform was drab and ugly, but she supposed it gave her peace of mind. After everything with Lila, she couldn’t go back to her old school. She’d almost gotten akumatized over everything, and if she ever allowed her negative emotions to overcome her then Paris would certainly fall. Letting Hawkmoth akumatize her was a luxury that Marinette couldn’t afford. She always had to be positive, so it was best for her to remove herself from stressful situations even if it meant leaving all of her friends behind. They hadn’t been very friendly to her the past few days anyway ever since Lila came back to school.

“Are you really sure about this, Marinette?” Tikki asked, placing a small hand over Marinette’s folded in her lap. “You’re leaving behind all of your friends. Alya, Nino, Adrien.”

“Well, you didn’t see the looks on their faces, Tikki. They all like Lila better than me, and I can’t really confront her without revealing that I’m Ladybug,” Marinette said, leaning against her fist glumly. “She’s too good at lying. Plus I almost got akumatized, so I think it’s for the best if I go somewhere else. Protecting Paris is more important than some other girl fooling the boy I like. Besides, he’s in love with Kagami anyway, so it never would have worked between us.”

“Marinette-”

“I’m fine.” She said with a shortness she hadn’t intended, so she took a deep breath and stood up. “Come on. We should go.”

Sabine and Tom were waiting down in the bakery, tending to customers and prepping more croissants when Marinette appeared in the back door. Tom set down his bread peel and scooped her into a tight hug, planting a kiss on her cheek, and Sabine followed suit, holding her close for a long moment.

“I know this is hard for you, sweetie, but you’re gonna make new friends. I just know you will,” she said before letting go. “Good luck.”

“Thanks, Mama, Papa,” Marinette said softly, leaning in to press a kiss to her mother’s cheek before heading out the door. “See you tonight!”

Marinette took a deep breath, nearly glancing over at the school across the street, but catching herself and turning the opposite direction. Squaring her shoulders, she swallowed down the lump in her throat and headed to the subway without looking back.

***

Things at Francoise-Dupont were pretty typical. Students chatted with their friends as they all shuffled off to class, and no one seemed to notice Marinette’s absence in Mlle. Bustier’s class. She often ran late, so most of her classmates didn’t bat an eye until their teacher entered the room with an unusually sad expression.

“Okay, class, settle down,” She said lacking her usual enthusiasm. “Before we get started, I have some sad news for everyone. Today we will be deciding on a new class representative because Marinette has transferred to a new school.”

The class erupted into shocked chatter, many adorned with equally horrified and confused expressions; even Chloe quirked a brow. Only one student wore a satisfied smirk at the news, and she pressed her lips together to mask her expression as the rest of the class exchanged uneasy looks.

“So she just left without saying good bye?” Alya asked aloud, shifting her gaze to her lock screen, a picture of the two of them smiling together.

“Are you sure, Mlle. Bustier?” Adrien asked, eyebrows knitted together. “That doesn’t seem very like her.”

“I received the news from Principal Damocles this morning. Her paperwork was finalized yesterday afternoon,” Mlle. Bustier said with a nod.

“But I was going to show her my latest scrapbook project,” Rose said, curling her shoulders.

“I wonder why she didn’t tell any of us,” Mylene added, and Alix shifted beside her.

“Maybe you all aren’t really her friends after all,” Lila spoke up from the back once she’d regained her composure. “If she really cared about any of you then she would have told you she was leaving.”

“Maybe there was a reason for her not to say anything. Maybe it happened so suddenly, and she didn’t have time to tell us,” Alya rationalized, shaking her head.

“Or maybe she just doesn’t like you.” Lila shrugged, and Alya’s expression fell. “I know it’s hard to hear, but given the facts, I think that she was just pretending to be your friend. She only wanted the attention which is why she was always being mean to me and questioning me ever since I came here. She couldn’t stand the competition, so she left.”

“Marinette isn’t like that,” Alya slammed her fists on the table, and Lila pursed her lips knowingly, clasping her hands together neatly on the desk.

“It’s also unlike her to leave without saying good-bye, isn’t it?” She said pointedly. “Maybe you all don’t know her as well as you thought you did.”

Several faces in the room fell, and Mlle. Bustier cleared her throat.

“Who would like to volunteer to run for class representative?” She asked though everyone could hear the reluctance in her voice.

Chloe shifted in her seat, puffing her chest out proudly. “Well, seeing as there is a need, I suppose I could reclaim my title that was so rudely stolen from me.”

“Maybe Lila should run,” Nino suggested, and everyone turned around to look at her expectantly.

“Yeah, you would make an awesome class representative,” Nathaniel echoed, and Lila suppressed an eye roll then plastered on a smile.

“I don’t know…my parents travel a lot, so I would hate to be elected and then not be able to fulfill my duties,” She said, curling her shoulders a little.

“I could be your deputy and take care of things while you’re gone,” Alya offered, and a sly grin crept over Lila’s lips that she quickly masked.

“That’s so nice of you, Alya, but are you sure you don’t want to run for representative yourself?” She asked, and Alya shrugged.

“I don’t really have time since I have to run my blog, but I’d be happy to help you out,” She said.

“Well, if it’s what everyone wants, I suppose I could run,” Lila said, turning to face the front once more.

“Wonderful! Thank you, Lila,” Mlle. Bustier said with a relieved sigh, pressing a hand over her heart. “We will vote tomorrow morning.”

Chloe sank down in her seat with a scowl, arms folded over her chest grumpily. Across the aisle, Adrien shook his head with a quiet sigh, glancing back at the empty desk at the behind him before focusing on the lecture, all the while his hands fiddled with a small pink charm in his lap.

[just-another-fangirl-16]

I'm so sorry this is so late @myladyladybug !! I literally waited till the last minute to post it, after writing this like 10 different times and reviewing them exhaustively. English is not my first language and even if I wrote a lot of fanfiction in the past, all of them were in Spanish and none of them were from the Miraculous fandom. This is my very first English One-Shot and my very first ML story so I'm super nervous to post it. But well, I wrote this for you: A Lukanette Aged Up AU without any character death and no mention of the characters you dislike. I tried to write it fluffy but you'll need to judge it yourself, I'm usually more on the drama boat so I think I failed miserably.

I wish you an awesome 2019! Hoped you had happy holidays this December 😊. @mlsecretsanta

At first sight

Word count: 1861

She knocked on the door twice and waited. Soon, she heard calm steps walking towards her and with a 'click' from the door's lock Juleka appeared in front of her.

"Thanks for coming, Mari. You are a life's saver", she let her in with a sigh of relief.

"Not a problem, Juleka. Hope I can help" she held up a big bag in front of her with confidence "Now, show me the poor victim".

Both girls walked together to Juleka's room, where she had a black dress with a big rip on one side.

"I helped Mom with a few things in her boat last Thursday and the dress got stuck in one of the wooden doors." Marinette inspected the fabric carefully, listening to Juleka's story without looking at her directly "Rose gave me this dress for my birthday, so it would mean a lot if you can do something to fix it."

Marinette left the dress on Juleka's desk and searched for something in her bag. "Don't worry Jule, I'll get this fixed for you. Can I work here?"

"Oh! Will you do it now? I thought you'll need to take the dress back home..."

"No need, it shouldn't take much time. This can be done in... twenty minutes? Tops. Maybe."

Juleka looked at the clock in her wall and bit a little her lower lip, looking guilty "Do you mind if I leave you alone here while I take a shower?" Marinette smiled at her and denied with her head "My brother is going to pick me up in around 30 minutes. There's a family dinner with Mom today. My place is between his and Mom's so..." She left the idea in the air and scratched her left arm, embarrassed.

"You should hurry up then, don't worry about me!" she was comparing two black spools of thread against the fabric. Ignorant of the girl's anguish.

"Sorry Mari, I made you come all the way here to work and I'm not even gonna make you company"

"Hey, I mean it, don't worry!" She laughed it off with her hand "We can go out one of these days to catch up"

"We must. Thanks Mari, you are the best. I'll hurry up" Marinette was soon alone in the room.

She started to hum a song, working happy to help a friend. Immersed in her thoughts and with the mix noise of water running in the next room, she didn't hear the knock on the main door. She didn't notice the keys that opened it and much less the steps in the corridor.

...

Luka woke up early that day. Ever since he moved on his own, when he was 21, her mother demanded a family dinner per month.

7 years now with the tradition and counting. Juleka also moved on her own last year so her mother became more emphatic on punctuality: "Every minute late is a minute of me without you."

So he didn't think Juleka would mind for him to arrive early this time. Although, he probably caught her in the shower because nobody was opening the door. Gladly, he had a duplicate of her keys so entering was not a problem. He walked to her room and was about to knock when a sound caught his attention.

It was a cute melody, so he stopped to pay attention. It was not a song he had heard before, but the happy humming inspired him. He took the guitar he was carrying at his back and slowly opened the door.

A young woman was sewing there, completely oblivious of his presence.

The strings of his guitar started to dance following Marinette's humming, which startled her and made her to suddenly stop. Luka kept moving his fingers and walked towards the bed, to give Marinette a little concert with the song she just inspired.

Amazed by the beautiful sound, she paid attention to the handsome boy that just appeared out of nowhere.

She didn't even notice when he stopped to play.

"Luka Couffaine, Juleka's brother" he said, extending his hand to her. "Should I assume you're my sister's girlfriend?" He winked at her, playing around. He knew whoever this girl was, she couldn't be Rose.

"Yes" she said stretching his hand, Luka couldn't hide his surprise. "I mean no" she denied quickly with her head "I'm a-a f-friend and I'm a girl but I'm not a g-girlfriend" she explained, moving her hands frantically.

Luka gave her a playful smile "Not a girlfriend for any girl or for any boy?"

"Not a g-girlfriend for anybody right now, single Marinette" she hit her forehead "I mean! Only Marinette!"

Luka gave her a soft laugh. "Well Only Marinette, where are you hiding my sister?"

The shower was not running anymore, so Juleka was probably going to appear anytime soon. She looked at the clock "She's getting ready. You got here early"

"I knocked at the door but nobody opened it"

She looked at him embarrassed. Why was he smiling that much? Was he mocking at her? "Sorry, I didn't hear it"

"It's not a problem, I have her keys" he played a little with his guitar "I also ignore everything else when I'm focused on something."

"I-Is just that I'm trying to finish this up quickly for her. I guess I really forgot about everything else." She said, giving him her back while returning her attention to the dress.

Bad move, though. She didn't know Juleka's brother had no respect for personal space. She jumped startled when he moved his head to look over her shoulder.

"Is that my sister's dress?"

"Y-Yes, I'm fixing it" she said, almost choking with her own saliva.

"Oh. It's looking good. She'll be happy, it was a gift."

"Thank you, I know how important this is for her." she said, geniuly happy with the compliment. Luka returned to his sit in the bed. She decided it was rude to give him her back anyway, so she forgot the dress behind her and tried to start a conversation.

"Is that a Jagged Stone t-shirt?"

Luka seemed surprised "You know him?"

"It's my favorite artist. He had a talent to match my mood with his songs all the time"

"What were you humming when I got in?"

Marinette cheeks went a bit red "Nothing, really... I'm happy to help, and sometimes I hum out of the blue"

Something moved inside Luka when he saw the color in her cheeks during her little confession, it was somehow adorable. If she were a little girl it would be cute but since the woman in front of him was a gorgeous one, it actually took his mind out for the not-so-inocent fantasy land "You know, I got inspired by your humming" she looked at him with wide eyes, "and since I write songs to make for a living, I would like to keep my inspiration close by"

Marinette tilted her head a little, not getting the full message. She didn't had time to process it though, Juleka interrupted the conversation.

"Luka, you came early today" she fist bumped him with a little smile "I see you met each other. Marinette, he's my older brother Luka. Luka, she's my friend from college, Marinette.

Juleka walked to get a sight of the dress "Were you able to work or did my brother interrupted you?"

He did interrupted her. But she wouldn't say that. "It is taking me a bit more than from what I expected" she said, standing up and putting back her things in her bag, including the dress "You two should go now, I'll continue at home and will call you when the dress is ready"

"Are you sure? We can wait" Luka spoke, looking a bit guilty, maybe also thinking he did interrupted her.

She wouldn't be able to finish the dress with him there anyway. That was a fact. Even without speaking his presence altered her guts somehow. "Don't, really, enjoy dinner guys. I'll call you when it is done, Jule"

"I did interrupted you. Let me at least walk you to the door" Luka left his guitar behind and took Marinette's bag with a smile.

Juleka sent him a funny look. Was he thinking clearly? He was about to help her carry her bag for like 10 steps until they reach the main door.

She was about to say something when Marinette's sweet and quiet "Thank you" interrupted her. The funny look quickly changed to a sweet one.

After seeing them disappear from the room, she decided that she would repay Marinette's help soon.

...

As a 25 year old woman who was finishing her career and without an official job yet, Marinette didn't move out like most of her friends and was still living in the bakery's second floor. Sometimes, she also helped her parents by attending the customers. That was one of those days.

With her hair carelessly held in a bun, she was counting the remaining croissants in order to tell her dad how many more he needed to bake for the day.

She was trying to not miss a single one so she was oblivious to the external world, as always. She didn't notice the so familiar ring from the main door and neither the foot steps approaching her.

"Anyone would say that you are sewing"

She would now recognize that voice anywhere.

"Luka! I thought Juleka would come for her dress"

"Nice to see you remembered my name, Only Marinette" he winked at her "She got busy with something, so she asked me to come in her place"

"Alright, here you go" she got a paper bag from under the counter and push it towards him across the table "Please let her know if something's wrong with it again to just tell me and I'll fix it"

"Sure, thank you." He was about to leave the bakery when a thought made him to stop. "Oh, by the way, can you stay still for a second?"

She looked at him with curiosity but stayed still while his hand approached her face. A finger caressed her cheek. She felt her face on fire when he licked it with a flirty smile.

"You had powdered sugar there." He winked again and she remained freeze in her place. "I'll see you around, Inspiration. One of these days I'll take you out for dinner."

With that, he exited the bakery humming her song.

She noticed her mother presence a little to late.

"Who was that handsome boy, sweetie?"

"Juleka's older brother"

"He seems to like you" Was her mother teasing her?

"M-Me? No! He's just... He's just..."

"Just what?"

"Just incredible hot" she hit her forehead with the counter, hiding her face from her mom. She heard her laugh. "Is that even legal?"

"I don't know, Inspiration" Marinette looked like a tomato after hearing the nickname from her mother's mouth. "But please count those croissants, your father needs the number." Her mother disappeared behind the kitchen's door.

Marinette sighed in embarrassment and got back to work. But she quickly overpassed the embarrassment with joy, and started to hum with a smile at the little croissants.

-----

Hope you like it!

[mystic-sky]

Hello! May I please request a Fem! Reader /Yuliy where the Reader is also a Sirius, having been gone from Dogville when the vampires attacked. Yuliy comes across her one day when he catches her scent, sees she is fighting a vampire, having lost control of the werewolf in her, and when Yuliy confronts her, she actually runs because she doesn't realize he is another Sirius. She thinks he is just a human who happened upon her. Maybe a fluffy ending where Yuliy and Reader meet up and talk? Thxs!

I’m sorry this took a while to get to! I’ve been coming back to it all week.

Disclaimer: our Fem reader’s eyes in this oneshot turn into a blue flame color when she’s in her Sirius form. When she’s in her normal form, they’re your e/c.

Also, I wrote this in third person cause I thought it’d be the best way to portray the two of them at the same time. It gradually turns into your POV as you read. I don’t even know what sense to call that lol

Enjoy!!

“Gahhh!” Y/N groaned in pain. The beast’s bladed fingernails seeped into the palms of her hands, gashing at her skin. She kicked the beast in the stomach, trying to create some space between them. She reached for her weapon that the beast knocked out of her hand and gripped it firmly, wincing in pain.

“I’ve always wanted to taste the blood of a Sirius.” The vampire hissed, licking it’s fingers. 

“Delicious.”

Y/N felt a rage boiling within her. The blood of her people, lost to these… these demons. So many lives lost because of their questionable hunger that has to be quenched at the expense of human lives. This very hunger, this very obsession these beasts had with her people left her all alone and she hated it. Her mother, her father, siblings and friends. All gone. And her rage? It was growing more and more each time she encountered a vampire.

“You disgusting, wretched, blood-sucking coward!” She yelled out. Her eyes ignited into blue flames and her hair grew streaks of white. Sharp canines grew from her gums and the girl growled at the demon.

“I’m glad you like it. It’ll be the last thing you taste before you die.” She dashed at the being, impaling the beast with lightning speed. It spat blood onto her hands and feet as she ripped her weapon from it’s flesh.

“You d-dirty Sirius!” The vampire disintegrated into glowing ash and crumpled to the ground. She was still growling, shaking almost. And even though her hands bled, she squeezed them tighter.

During her battle, a young were wolf caught wind of her scent while in town on a mission. He separated from his group of friends without much explanation.

“Yuliy!” Philip called out.

“Just let him go.” Willard sighed, holding the blonde boy’s shoulder.

“I’ll keep on eye on him.” Dorothea says, slowly trailing behind the boy, who was already blocks away.

Yuliy caught a scent so familiar but he couldn’t put a smell to a name. It was someone he’d smelt before, he knew that for sure. It was the scent of their blood, mixed with the scent of something corpse like. He knew it all too well. 

“A vampire.” He hissed. He climbed the nearest scaffolding, and hopped along the roofs. The scent got closer, heavier and more prominent. And then he saw it.

The Sirius girl stood there below him, hands soaked in blood, in her most vulnerable form.

A shadow of a person cascaded down upon her, and she looked up at him, blue orbs shining imminently. 

Yuliy saw a girl he identified with, or at least someone who looked a lot like him in his Sirius state.

“Who… Who are you?” He barely got out. She didn’t utter a word. 

When he jumped down from the roof top to try and close the gap, the girl shifted her feet, fear in her eyes. 

She didn’t give him much time to get close, bolting down the alleyway.

“Wait! Come back!” Yuliy began chasing after her. The girl tried to turn several corners but she couldn’t shake the boy. As long as he had her scent, he could follow her as long as he wanted.

“Pesky little human.” She muttered, dashing into the main street towards the train station.

“Could you please wait?! I just wanna talk to you!” He called out to her, but to no avail, the girl kept running. Heck, she got faster and she pulled her hood above her head, fading into the crowd of people. 

She pushed past the one of the conductors asking for tickets to board the train, and forced her way onto the cart. The boy followed her, pushing past the same conductor as well.

She shifted through the passengers in the aisle, hopping from cart to cart until finally, she reached the front of the train where all the cargo and coal was stored. She accidentally knocked one of tins of coal over, and it splashed into the flame. Smoke began to crowd the cart and when Yuliy opened the door right behind her, heaps of smoke hit his face. More specifically, his nose.

He smacked a hand over his face and coughed. Her scent, now cloudy to him, made it difficult to keep up with her though the smoke. The girl however was now long gone from the stationary train, which officers had boarded in search of the “two alleged hijackers.”

They grabbed Yuliy by the arm before dragging him off the train.

“You’re coming with us.” One of the officers said.

“You’re gonna be in a lot of trouble, kid.” They said, attempting to handcuff him as soon as they exited the train.

“That won’t be necessary.” Dorothea said, waving her hand. “I’m his guardian.” 

“You are?” The officer said, examining the attractive tan skinned woman.

“Yes, I’ll be sure he doesn’t do it again. Please don’t press charges!” She said, taking Yuliy by his shoulders.

“That shouldn’t be a problem.” The officer said nervously, slight blush on his face. His eyes trailed to her breasts before speaking again. “Just keep an eye on him. Since he’s still a kid.” 

“Thanks.” Dorothea said, trying to put distance between them and the officers.

“Yuliy, care to explain to me why you ran off like that and caused a ruckus in the station?” She asked, rubbing her temples.

“I found a Sirius.” He answered, clenching his fists.

“You what? Are you sure?” Dorothea asked.

“I know scent of a Sirius when I smell one. I saw her.” He said.

“And her eyes… they looked like mine.”

“Where’d she go?” Dorothea asked, scanning the public square.

“That’s the thing. She ran from me.”

“You probably scared her off with that intense look you’ve always got on your face.” Dorothea said, patting him on the shoulder. “You really are bad with girls, aren’t you?”

“You think so?” He asked obliviously, looking at his reflection in a store front window.

“That’s not what I meant.” Dorothea shook her head at the boy.

Y/N, now being out of sight, stopped to rest in an alley way.

“I think I finally lost him.” She panted. “I won’t be someone’s science experiment today.” 

Her canines shrunk and her blue eye color faded to her normal e/c ones. Her white streaks of hair faded as well as she slid onto the concrete. “But I have to say…” She breathed. “He’s the fastest human I’ve ever seen.” 

***

It had been days since the werewolf boy saw the mysterious girl. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. 

Why did she run from me? He thought constantly as the days passed.

He sat in the car amongst his peers, nipping at his thumb in frustration. Dorothea looked up through the rear view mirror as Philip poked fun at the boy.

“I’ve never seen you so perplexed. Dog got your tongue?” 

Yuliy barely exchanged a glance at the blonde, panning his gaze out the window. But Philip knew he struck a nerve.

“I really wish you both would get along.” Fallon sighed, eyes looking into the rear view mirror as well.

“Leave him be, Philip. He’s been through a lot this week.” Dorothea said, crossing her arms.

“What and I haven’t? I’ll have you know that this sprained wrist of mine is no joke.” Philip rolled his eyes. 

“And can you roll your window down, it’s hot in here.” Phillip added an inaudible ‘mutt’ to the end of that sentence that Dorothea saw him mouth through the mirror.

“Behave.” She scorned, and the restless blonde rolled his window down.

The werewolf boy rolled his window down as well and leaned against it, looking out the window. As soon as he did, that same unforgettable scent touched his nose, and he perked up almost immediately.

His hunched form sat up abruptly, and looked out the rear window. 

“That scent…” He said. 

“Yuliy, pull yourself back in the car!” Dorothea warned.

“It’s her.” He said, open the moving car door.

“What the-“ Philip shouted, as the balance of the car shifted when Yuliy barrel-rolled out of the vehicle.

“Yuliy!” Dorothea yelled out, “Jesus Christ, Fallon stop the car!” 

The car stopped in the middle of the street, causing traffic and some close road accidents.

Yuliy ran in search of the scent, your scent, that he knew pretty well now even if it was just the second time.

His nose brought him to a bakery, a moderately crowded one that was also a cafe. 

There she sat, sweet bun in her mouth and indulging into a newspaper. A familiar scent on her nose as well, she looked up, pastry hanging from her lips.

There stood a pale werewolf boy, shadowing over her frame.

“You’re the girl…” He said, a little too close for comfort.

“Can I help you with something?” You said, removing the bun from your mouth and adjusting your gaze on the being in front of you.

“You’re a Sirius. You’re the Sirius girl I saw from the other night.” He said, leaning on the table, shaking the cup of tea in the process.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You got up, and began to gather your things.

“I know it’s you! You had white hair and the blue flame in your eyes, I saw it…”

“I need you to leave me alone. I’m not the person you’re looking for.” You tucked some hair behind your ear, trying your best to remain calm. How did he find me? I made such a clean getaway, you thought. 

You quickly brushed past the youth, taking that familiar scent in. A part of you wanted to look back but you couldn’t jeopardize your safety, not after this long. You wanted to live, and no human would get in the way of that.

But is he even human? He doesn’t smell like one, you think to yourself.

“Wait,” the boy tries to grab your wrist.

“Don’t touch me.” You say harshly, snatching your hand away. This surely earned the attention of some other people in the bakery.

You continue forward, reaching for the door handle.

“I’m from Dog-Ville!” The boy blurted.

“From Dog…ville?” You stopped, feet heavy at the sound of your homeland.

“I’m from Dog-Ville. Well, I was…” The werewolf boy trailed. You turned to look at him.

“And I don’t know if you’re from Mongolia either but… I’ve never seen you before.”

He finally caught your attention, and you walked towards him.

“Sit.” You said, sitting down at the table again. You crossed you legs as the boy sat across from you.

“How did you know I was a Sirius? And what did you chase me for the other night anyway?” You say, searching your bags your sweet bun.

“I can smell you.”

A red flare splashed against your cheeks and you think he realized it before he spoke again.

“No I mean, you have a scent. It’s not bad one, I just smelled someone who smelled like me… a werewolf. I haven’t smelled one since… well I don’t know if you know-

“Everyone died that night.” You say bluntly, setting your bun down on the napkin. “My family did too. So you’re a Sirius, that explains it.” You rubbed at your nose, understanding his scent now too.

“Oh… you are from Dog-Ville. I knew it. Why did you run away when I chased you?”

“You chased me. In the dead of night. And I was scared, I thought you were some mental human scientist. Guess my sense of smell could use some work.”

“Who were your parents? There weren’t a lot of children on the village aside from me and my brother. I’m sure I would’ve recognized you by now.”

“(Blank) and (Blank).” You say simply, “And you don’t know me because I’m not from Dog-Ville. Well, barely in my opinion. My parents traveled a lot and we visited Dog-Ville from time to time to see my late-grandparents. I think I was born there, but my parents were nomads, and so was I.” You bit your lip,

“And the one time we come back to visit happens to be the day I lost everything.”

Your eyes looked into your now cold cup of tea. The werewolf boy’s eyes soften at you.

“We both did.” He says, empathetically. The girl manages to smile at having someone to relate to after all these years. Yuliy takes a good look at her, realizing how pretty she actually was. Her sparkling e/c eyes and her soft lips. Even her h/l h/c hair was something he never thought he’d have a preference in. He didn’t even know he had a preference until he laid eyes on you.

A slight hue sat on his cheeks, and hoped the poor lighting on his side of the room would prevent you from noticing.

“So, how did you make it out exactly?” He managed to say.

“I ran, like I always do.” You say, taking a sip from your cup and immediately placing it back down, grimacing at the taste. “I’m pretty good at it, if you couldn’t tell.”

“Oh yeah… I should apologize for chasing you like that. It probably was pretty scary.” He says nervously, looking down at the sweet bun on the table.

“It’s fine.” You shake your head. “I’ve been running to survive as long as I can remember now. I left the village and wandered across a town until someone took me in. But that’s not important. What about you? How’d you manage to find your way out of all that chaos?” 

“My brother sacrificed himself to save me. And then I was taken in by a professor.” Yuliy said, reminiscing about Mikhail.

“He sounds brave.” You say, reaching for your sweet bun. 

“He was.” Yuliy said, small smile on his lips. You knew exactly where he was coming from and wished you could make it better for him as well. But you couldn’t, and the both of you had to live with that.

You looked at the extra sweet bun in your bag.

“Here.” You say, opening the wrapping on the bun and handing it to him. “A peace offering. Since you chased me down like a hawk or whatever. I forgive you.” You say, small tint in your cheeks.

“Oh, um… thank you.” Yuliy says, taking the gift from you.

“It tastes better with tea. On me, okay?” You smile, calling the waitress over.

“You don’t have to-“

“I’ll take two peppermint teas, please! And this one is cold.” You say, handing the waitress the cup.

“Coming right up.” The waitress said, shimmying her way back behind the counter.

Yuliy blushed a bit at the girl’s forwardness, but he still enjoyed her company nonetheless.

“So, what do you do?” You ask.

“I’m… I work for the Jaegers. I don’t know if you’ve heard of them or what they do.”

“I know of them. My parents told me about them when I was a little girl. I’ve always thought it was admirable- the work they do, I mean.” You say, fiddling with the bun’s wrapping paper.

“I don’t do it for the admiration.” Yuliy clarified.

“It’s a vengeance thing then?” You ask. The boy nodded before you spoke again.

“I was like that. At least before I decided that I am not my past.” You say, as the waitress approaches you with your tea. You lift your bun to your lips to take a bite.

“Here’s your tea!” She said, setting both cups down on the table. “I’m glad you two made up. Couples come in here and argue all the time. Breaks my heart.”

You nearly choke on the pastry, cheeks reddened to the max.

“We aren’t a couple.” You say, finally gasping for air.

“Oh, sorry for the mix up.” The waitress waves her hand and apologizes. 

“The youth are so shy these days.” She says, walking back to her station.

“Sorry about that.” You say, “I didn’t know the staff here were so… well, it doesn’t matter.”

You grip the fabric of your dress, before looking up at the youth. You’re now realizing how attractive he was, but you were sure he didn’t know it. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy to pick up on social cues well, or when he was the one making a girl flustered. At least that’s what you got from how unbothered he seemed when that lady said you both looked like a couple.

“It’s alright. It was just a simple misunderstanding.” He said, taking a sip of tea. You watched him tear a small piece of the bun off and pop it into his mouth.

“It’s good.” He says, biting into it whole.

“I-I’m glad you like it.” You look away, nervously playing with a piece of your hair.

The two of you finish your tea and sweets and leave the cafe.

“I guess this is where we part ways.” You say, adjusting your jacket.

“Oh…” Yuliy says, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Unless you wanted to be friends.” You work up the courage to say. “That is, only if you want to. I enjoyed your company.”

Yuliy pans down at the shy girls face before speaking.

“Definitely,” He smiles.

[ecotone99]

The Other Side Of Summer Ch 1 [RF] [TH] [RO]

Authors note:

Hey all ! This is actually part of a much larger 12 chapter short story I wrote about a year ago. It was never meant to see the light of the day and may never outside of Reddit. While it begins as a slice of life style piece I assure you it does not remain as such forever. If you are a fan of modern thrillers this may be the story to you. If there is an interest in the rest of the chapters going forward I would love to hear from you all! And please, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, just keep it civil. Dm's are open to any and all who have things to say! Thank you to anyone that takes the time to read this questionably rough piece. (formatting is likely awful on account of lack of Reddit knowledge. apologies in advance.)

Chapter 1 - Samuel Cooper: Sex God

By all accounts the summer of 94’ was a god damn roller-coaster, and not one of the sturdy ones either. Just picture the old, shitty, wooden roller coasters that used to have a good chance of decapitating random passengers and you should begin to get a general sense of how things went. You see my hometown of Summer, PA had undergone the same unchanging cycle of existence since its founding back in 1927. For the majority of the year the town was no more exciting then an old decrepit graveyard, filled with a variety of skeletons, closeted or otherwise. Though as the slow heat of May began to grow more oppressive, and the ring of boat horns echoed their shrill cries across the murky waters of Lake Watauga, An unstable sense of freedom made itself known. it was the children who noticed first, taking flight from the old brick and mortar school buildings with untied shoes and false promises of “don't worry, I won't talk to strangers” which usually lasted until the jingle of the ice cream truck could be heard vibrating through the potholes that riddled twisting roads thrice paved over and then finally given up on.

As June rolled around the heat settled in, finding its place amongst the house parties that stood as beacons of debauchery against the inky backdrop of passionate summer nights. Drugs, Alcohol, Sex; anyone who grew up in Summer was familiar with at least one of the three personally or otherwise. Parents ignored it, teenagers craved it and so the twisted dynamic of life myself and the rest of my peers reveled in was left to continue on.

I had just finished my Junior year of highschool and the prospect of nearing what many viewed as “the beginning of the end” of my current chapter in life hadn't quite hooked its adult sized claws into my juvenile mind just yet. The oppressive rays of the summer sun kept me young and stupid, leaving me and my best friend Samuel Cooper more focused on the prospect of which party we were going to get smashed at that night instead of on things that actually mattered like college applications.

Sam was a tall, lanky boy of 17 who’s greatest aspiration at that point in his life was “getting ass” more so than anything else. This prospect being doubled each summer we spent together roaming the venues that the streets of our town had to offer. I met Sam way back in the first grade and, after a short disagreement over a yellow tonka dump truck which involved the throwing of various sized lego blocks at one another until our teacher Mrs. Lambert, had to forcibly intervene, we became inseparable.

And while I myself was not as personally preoccupied with the prospect of “getting ass” as Sam was, the idea of women was still new and exciting enough for me to play along with his bullshit.

So it was that we found ourselves pacing the charred blacktop of one of Summer's pockmarked back-roads, throwing errant stones and shooting the shit as we usually did

“ No dude I swear!” Sam exclaimed as the gumball sized pebble left his hand and collided with an old maple tree to our left “They're putting in a Wawa right next to Mrs. Thompson's bakery”

“Yea…..no, I'm calling bullshit on that one man” I retorted, casting him a sidelong glance as I leaned down to retrieve my own palmful of ammunition “Mrs. Thompson is like 900 years old, you really think that old hag is gonna let them move in next door without cursing them or something?” I heard his exasperated sigh before I felt the punch connect with my shoulder.

“What?!” My voice broke the momentary silence as I stared at him incredulously. His deadpan look transitioned into one of a cynical glee as our eyes met and a smile curved its way across his cracked lips

“ you’re just jealous i'll be closer to Wawa then you shithead” Silence filled the space between us as I fought to stifle my laughter,

“Have you ever even been to a Wawa before? it's just an over-hyped gas station that has super big hot dogs” Sam was silent for about thirty seconds before a forlorn noise escaped his mouth and a simple drudging “No” flopped out after it.

Our path carried the two of us to rest under a set of twin oak trees settled just a ways into the field that marked the edge of Summers western Border. By this point in the afternoon we had forgotten all about our previous topic of contention and had instead moved on to complaining about the ever present heat.

“If it's like this all summer I honestly may just drown myself in the lake” I groaned

“eh, not the worst idea you've ever had not gonna lie, might have to join you in that endeavor” The sound of Sams words were nearly drowned out by the buzzing of cicadas making their presence known to virtually anyone with ears.

The shade cast by the twin oaks above us did little to stifle the sun and as time crawled on I found myself nearly driven to the brink of insanity by the droplets of sweat that had begun to cascade down my back and puddle at the waistband of my shorts

“Okay, fuck this, What do you say we head down to the lake and try to cool off?” I offered, hoping that Sam would bite. His response came without hesitation as he struggled to stand up, using the trunk of our temporary shelter as support.

“Given that the prospect of getting ass is pretty high, count me in.”

By the time we had trudged our way through the backstreets of town and hopped the necessary fences to reach one of the many banks of lake Watauga, Summers typical brand of debauchery had already begun in earnest. The screams and squeals of intoxicated teenagers filtered through our ears long before we had pushed through the treeline that stood as the verdant gateway to brown sugar beach. This particular stretch of sand was known for being one of the best kept secrets in town, so naturally, everyone knew about.

Before my feet had even touched the sand Sam was wriggling out of his sweat drenched shirt, cherry red rays painting his pale, pock marked skin the color of what was shaping up to be a night well spent.

“C'mon loser, salvation awaits!” Sam made a grand sweeping gesture with his hand towards the waters of the lake and held the position for a full ten seconds before taking off, kicking course sand into my down turned face as he went.

It took me a while to find a place to settle our personal belongings, but after the hollowed out hole of a tree stump had been stuffed with our two sweaty shirts and a fair amount of loose dollar bills I set out to find Sam. It had only been a few minutes since he had taken off but the steadily growing crowd on both the beach and in the water was making it hard to find him. So, as is the case with most teenage boys worried about drawing attention to themselves in a crowd of people, I wandered around eyes cast downwards, praying that I wouldn't bump into anyone better looking than me. As luck would have it, I managed to find Sam relatively early on. He had a red solo cup in his left hand whilst his right was draped over the shoulder of a smaller boy who I recognized as Ben Wenninger.

Ben was a couple years younger than us and judging by the white t shirt stretched tightly over his gut, was about as self conscious as a kid who hadn’t gone through puberty yet on a beach filled with half naked teenage girls would be. I was about to tell Sam to let go of him but before I could get the words out I was greeted to a hand in my face

“Listen Ben..” Sams words were packed full with starry eyed enthusiasm “Today may very well end up being the best you've experienced in your short life, I mean just look around!” a number of people had to jump out of the way as Sam spun the pair so that they were facing the crowded waters a couple of feet down the sandy embankment, The hand that was holding the red solo cup with god knows what in it spilling a few drops of dark brown liquid onto my chest as it whirled by, miraculously held in Sams grip

“You see that down there?” Sam half shouted half whispered.

“Uhh yeah?” Ben's timid voice was nearly imperceptible over the bustle of the crowd.

“That's Infinite possibility my man! Ass for miles!” This time the red solo cup did go flying, as Sam threw both his arms up in a triumphant gesture. Causing whoever I presumed to be the one hit by Sams unintentional projectile to yell out in surprise.

“Ew! What the Fuck!?” the voice was female and resonated from somewhere to the left of us, deeper in the crowd. I made eye contact with Ben, matching his furrowed brow and pleading eyes with a shoulder shrug of my own. Peering through the crowd, I could barely make out the disgruntled features of none other than Megan Kelly, Summers self proclaimed “most popular girl” and Sam's hopeless crush since the Sixth grade. Somehow the red solo cup had managed to land on the messy bun she had her hair tied up in, staining her usual fiery red a dark shade of sewage brown, the cups contents stopping only momentarily to drip down her nose and onto her chest before continuing to the ground below. Grabbing a random towel from the ground, and shaking the sand that clung to it with a flourish, Sam began to strut his way over to Megan.

“My bad babe, let me clean you up!” Sam's voice echoed high above the crowd and caught the attention of everyone within the general vicinity causing curious heads to turn towards the source of the commotion. All I could do was watch and hope that whatever was about to happen ended with minimal damage to Sam and whatever dignity he had left. By this point Sam had nearly made it to Megan, parting the crowd as he went and Ben had made his way to my side, our gazes breaking from the ensuing chaos for just a second to exchange mutual glances of “holy shit”. Wiping the liquid out of her eyes with the back of her hand and fixing her face with a scowl that would have sent Summers resident Creepers running for the hills, Megan turned to face Sam who seemed oblivious to the hush that had now fallen over the crowd.

“Your Knight in shining armor has arri-” Sam's proclamation was cut short as the whip crack of skin on skin contact broke the bated stillness of the balmy twilight air.

“No, no, no! Don't you even think about saying another word!” Megan withdrew her hand and placed it on her hip, a wild look in her eyes.

“Who the hell does a loser like you even think you are? I'm not your “babe” I barely fucking know you!” I could see Sam struggling to find the appropriate words to remedy the situation but Megan was already too far gone. Taking a red solo cup from the hand of a random girl standing next to her, she marched up to Sam and tossed its contents into his face without a moment's hesitation. The crowd erupted in laughter as Megan turned on her sand caked heal and stormed off, her possy of friends flocking behind her, each one of them shooting a sneer in Sams direction before disappearing into the rippling line of onlookers.

I waited until I heard the drone of conversation pick back up before approaching Sam, Ben keeping his place beside me as we struggled to push our way through the crowd.

“I have to say, not one of your brightest moves. E for effort though.” I let my hand fall to rest on his sticky shoulder and shot him a shit eating grin. Sam said nothing as he turned to face me and for a moment I was worried I had said too much, though as I watched a small knowing smirk creep its way across his lips any doubts faded into the background, lost behind the heavy bass of scattered boomboxes that littered the beach.

“She's just playing hard to get, I am irresistible after all.” Sam flexed his nearly non existent bicep and kissed it for effect causing a groan of disgust to tear its way from my throat.

“If by irresistible you mean unbearable, then sure” Ben teased. I had nearly forgotten that he was right beside me.

“ You better be careful there, Wenninger. or I may have to Motorboat those sweet little boy titties of yours.” I watched as a look of fear wash over Ben's previously triumphant features, only to immediately be replaced by one of sheer relief at Sams next words

“Don't worry kid i'm only fucking with you” his gaze drifted from the now dried liquor stains on his chest towards the Choppy waters of the lake only a couple feet from us “ On a more serious note though… last one to the water is a little bitch” and with that he was gone, leaving Ben and I struggling to catch up.

The sun was no more than a bloody, quarter circle on the horizon, by the time we had convinced Ben to tell us about a secret piece of information he had heard while working a recent afternoon shift at his father's butchery.

“You promise that you guys won't say anything right? I don't want Ryan Green and his band of assholes to beat me up again.” Sam and I shared a look with one another before turning back to Ben's shadowed form and extending our hands respectively

“I Promise” Ben's pruney hand met my own, nearly disappearing within the palm of my grasp.

“This had better be good kid” Sam repeated the gesture in kind sealing our deal. Ben looked around nervously for a moment, Waiting till a random group of splashing teenagers had passed before lowering his voice to just above a whisper and beginning his story.

“Okay, So last week, like right after school got out for the summer, I heard some noise outside the back of my dad's shop. I know I probably should have just minded my own business but we have been having problems with raccoons getting into our trash recently an-” Ben paused and adjusted his sopping t-shirt

“Anyways, as I got closer to the back door I started hearing voices, like lots of them. Some were familiar and some weren’t, but the one that stood out the most was Ryan Greens.” I watched as a shiver ran down Ben's spine causing him to sink a little deeper into the inky waters of the lake.

“They were talking about all sorts of things, you know? bouncing from one topic to the next, but then Ryan got all quiet and made everyone gather closer around. He started talking about the new family that moved to Summer recently, mostly about the daughter though. Apparently she's done all this crazy shit and has slept with a bunch of boys.”

“Sounds like my kind of girl” Sam chimed in

“Haven't you already done enough damage today? Fucks sake man give it a rest.” I snapped, shaking my head in his direction.

Ignoring my outburst, Sam continued on.

“So,what's her name Wenninger ? or did you bitch out and run away before you could hear?” Ben just rolled his eyes and splashed a handful of water towards Sam,

**“**I don't know..I mean that's pretty much all I heard, or all they said anyways, despite the usual shit.” I tried not to make my interest in the story too noticeable but nerves got the best of me.

“Oh c'mon you don't know anything else, not even what she looks like, or where she hangs out?” I questioned. Ben just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head in a kind of “Sorry to say” motion before standing up straighter and tightening his face

“Just..She sounds like a piece of work guys, Be careful… please? You really are the only people in this town who treat me halfway decent so it would suck having you get killed or some crazy shit like that.”

“Killed?” Sam asked, raising an eyebrow

“Well we don't know anything about her family, and her dad is creepy as hell. I've only seen him once when he came in to buy something from the store and trust me, once is enough.” Ben look flustered and I could tell our constant questions were starting to get to him.

“Hey, look man” I placed a hand on his shoulder and shot him a smile “Thanks for looking out, Your pretty cool you know that?”

“R-really?” His eyes lit up as he struggled to contain his excitement

“For sure kid, you got some balls standing up to a sex god like me” Sam teased, throwing his arms to rest behind his head. Ben and I shot each other a look and burst out laughing.

“What's so funny, huh?! The both of you are total dick heads.” Sam's voice wobbled as he struggled to contain his own laughter, the absurdness of the situation seemingly far too much for even the sex god himself.

“Nothing Nothing, it's just, you should go tell Megan that, i'm sure she'd love it” My stomach was beginning to hurt and tears were pooling at the corner of my eyes.

“Oh oh! and make sure you call her babe a bunch” Ben piped in finding himself in a similar predicament as myself.

“Yea yea yea laugh it up, the both of you” By this point we were all lost to the slowly developing nature of each other's company and found it difficult to regain our composure for the better part of fifteen minutes, taking turns ripping on one another as twilight slowly suffocated the last remnants of the setting sun.

“Alright guys I think I'm gonna get going for the night” my eyes drifted back towards the darkened tree line and then to the dim lights of the town just beyond that.

“Same time tomorrow?” Sam's voice followed me as I moved to turn around.

“I wish but I got work tomorrow man, maybe you and Ben could stop by while im on shift, Keep me from dying of boredom?” I heard both of them laugh from behind me as my toes worked their way through the damp sand

“You got it boss, have a good night!” Sam shouted. I threw my hand up in half assed acknowledgement and began the trek back towards the tree stump that sheltered mine and Sam's belongings.

The walk back into town was a short one, My mind far too preoccupied with the days events to worry about the darkness of the woods surrounding me. As the orange glow of Mainstreet came into view my stomach made its proclamation of hunger well known. The only place still open was Gumbo’s, Summers Local ice cream parlor. Its red neon sign had stood as a calling card to children and teenagers alike for as long as anyone who called Summer home could remember. Unsurprisingly the outdoor veranda was packed full of people, a majority of whom I recognized from the beach earlier that day as well as a few new faces. Megan Kelly stood surrounded by a flock of her friends complaining loudly about “Some creepy loser on the beach” with one hand on her hip and the other holding a chocolate soft serve ice cream cone. I did my best to avoid drawing her attention and swung a wide circle around the group, eventually making my way through the tightly packed crowd of people and towards the back of the line. One of the reasons Gumbo’s was so renowned was partly due to its quick service and tonight was no different, Within five minutes I had received my strawberry soft serve cone and was making my way towards home desperately trying to lick it faster then the timid heat of the evening was melting it. The golden glow of the streetlights offset the cool purples and blacks that swirled in the night sky overhead and I found my mind beginning to wander once more.

“Hey, You.” I nearly dropped my ice cream cone as a voice ahead of me broke my stupor. Casting my gaze upwards I could just barely make out a shadowed figure just a few feet away from me.

“U-uh yea?” I found it hard to find my voice, the words creaking out like a rusty hinge on a hundred year old door.

“Was hoping you could point me towards Gumbo’s, awfully hot out tonight.”

“Oh, uh yea its just back that way” I jammed my thumb over my shoulder and tried not to sound as nervous as I felt.

“You mind?” my jaw nearly hit the ground as she stepped out of the light and whisked the ice cream cone out of my hand, Eyes never breaking contact with mine as she ran her tongue up the side of the cone and towards the drooping swirl at the top of the sugary pink confection. I had no idea what to do so I simply stood dumbfounded, wrestling with intense emotions of confusion and what I thought logically to be arousal, though fear also seemed applicable given the brazenly bizarre nature of the situation.

“Thanks” such a simple phrase, though in her case it was anything but. “Just wanted to know what I was getting myself into”

“Um sure, n- no problem” I was frozen in place, barely able to turn around as she walked past me letting the ice cream cone fall to the concrete below, Red, high top converse carrying her with a confidence that scared the hell out of me in the way only a teenage girl could. I desperately wanted to say something but as she turned back around to face me, glossed lips curling up into a teasing smile, My brain blanked.

“What's your name?” Fuck, for the life of me I couldn't remember. The look that she was giving me not making it any easier to recollect.

“Noah!” It sounded right coming out of my mouth, though In the moment I had no way of being sure. She paused for a second as if weighing its worth, slender fingers errantly twirling their way through curly blonde hair.

“Nice.”

I had no time to question what the hell she meant as the next second she was turned back around, sauntering in the direction of the Gumbo’s, whisking away any chance at an answer into the night.

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