#Work was way busier than I expected today

[shyvioletcat]

ROWAELIN MONTH: DAY EIGHT

~ Single Parent ~ Ah yes, this is always one of my favourite days. This is part two to my Fish are Friends fic, so please enjoy. @rowaelinscourt

~~~~~

“This guy is loaded.”

Aelin snorted at her friend's awed exclamation as she eased off on the accelerator coming up the long, paved driveway. The house wasn’t obnoxiously large, but it was well beyond decent with a pretty facade and well kept gardens. And if the price he had offered initially for her services today was anything to go by, yes Rowan did have money to burn. 

She had waited until she got home to text him back and to say yes to the offer of Ivy’s birthday party, claiming that now she had turned back into a mermaid she could talk mermaid business. With how the girl was so enamoured by the whole mermaid performance Aelin couldn’t even think of saying no. Rowan had immediately come back with a price just under what her gig at the aquarium paid in a fortnight and she stared at it wide eyed for a full minute. She knocked it back, then there was a mildly heated discussion over what the price should be. Rowan was overly generous, and Aelin helped equate the cost by saying she needed to bring a friend along to help her with her costume and they would split it. That had been fine, of course, and why Lysandra was sitting in the passenger seat. 

The car stopped and Lysandra was still peering out the windows trying to get a better look. “His wife, slash girlfriend, slash whatever must be living the life.”

“He’s divorced,” Aelin said, pushing the gear stick into park. 

“That’s an awfully weird thing to find out in a conversation that went for two minutes,” Lysandra added.

Aelin shrugged, seatbelt clicking as it undid. “Well his daughter did demand he kiss me.”

Lysandra paused from where she was checking over her make-up in the sun visor mirror, head turning sharply. “She what?”

“I had to keep the magic alive and I may have told her that I needed a kiss from my true love to stay a mermaid. There was something about a sea witch curse in there too.”

The mirror closed with a snap. “That’s real dedication.”

“Yes it is and that’s why I need you to go knock on the door and suss out where I need to go so Ivy doesn’t know I’m here until I’m dressed. I’m only human between three and six to her knowledge,” Aelin explained, gesturing to the dark wood door.

“I feel like there was an easier way to do this,” Lysandra said.

Aelin shooed her with a gesture of her hand. “I was under pressure, now go.”

Lysandra didn’t answer, just did what she was asked, hopping out of the car and making a show of knocking on the front door. Aelin sunk in her chair a little, ready to hide completely if anyone little appeared at the door. She managed to see an older woman with greying auburn hair look her way as Lysandra pointed to the car. There was some more conversing and then some nodding, and then Lysandra was coming back over to the car. 

She opened the car door and lent in. “So, that lady was Iris and she’s the grandmother. She said all the littlies are inside making bracelets or something so you are all clear to sneak in using the side gate and use the pool house to get ready.” 

“Fantastic,” Aelin replied and didn’t waste any time. Children were unpredictable, who knows when they might choose to stampede outside. “Let’s go.”

The two of them unloaded the gear, managing to get it all gathered together in one load. Tail and accessories in hand, the side gate was easy enough to spot. Aelin led the way, listening out for an excitable little girl who’s birthday she did not want to ruin. Sounds of laughter and music came from inside the house, but Aelin ignored it all and headed straight to the pool house. Luckily, the blinds were down on the floor to ceiling windows saving them the trouble. It was a tidy space, besides the child’s toys stacked in a corner. There were a few lounges, a small kitchenette and a door Aelin assumed led to a bathroom. 

The gear was dumped on one of the lounges and Aelin started to strip off. “Alright. Let’s do this.”

~~~~~

Rowan tried to keep his hand steady even as the little girl in front of him was determined not to stay still. Ivy had begged him to do face painting at her party, and of course he was going to say yes. He had spent the last month practising on paper, his daughter and even his friends when they let him. Rowan had been good to start with, and now he was considering making it a weekend job. Not really, being a deputy principal during the week and being a full time dad was more than enough work for him. But at least it was therapeutic. 

“Hold still for just one more second,” Rowan told the brown haired girl sitting in front of him. She huffed, but listened, the lure of a unicorn horn and ears overriding the need to see what was going on. Adding a few last details on the horn to really give it some sparkle and then he was done. “There.”

Rowan didn’t need to say more than that and the girl was off. He wiped his hands on an old tea towel and was about to refill some of the snack bowls when his mother approached him looking like she was holding in a secret. 

She sidled up close, beckoning him a little closer so Rowan had to lean in as she whispered. “Your mermaid is here.”

“Oh,” Rowan said, taking a look around. “Where?”

“I sent her and her friend to the pool house,” Iris said. “After Ivy’s rave reviews I’m excited to see her myself.”

Because Aelin was all Ivy could talk about and she already fawned over her to anyone who would listen in her select circle of people she chose to talk to. Rowan had kept the mermaid appearance under wraps and he was glad to see his surprise hadn’t been ruined. His daughter was going to lose her mind. 

“Pool time!” Rowan announced to the room, excited squeals drowning out his chance to say anything else. 

Ivy was by his side in a second, pulling at her dress so she could get to the swimsuit she had insisted on wearing underneath. Rowan helped her before he could do some damage, revealing the mermaid scale patterned one piece with a frilly little tutu skirt around her waist.  

“Come on, Dad!” Ivy said, pulling on his hand  and trying to drag him towards the pool.

Rowan smiled at her eagerness. “Hold up, we gotta wait for everyone else to be ready.”

That didn’t take long at all and it was only about 10 minutes later that everyone was crowded around the new location for gathering. To help ease the minds of the parents he’d paid a couple of his friends to be honorary lifeguards. In the end he had chosen Connall and Vaughan, and it had taken some heavy consideration. Lorcan was out because his lack of care and observation might just end in disaster. Fenrys’ sole purpose would be showing off shirtless in front of the mums and anyone else who found themselves interested, and Rowan needed the children in the water to be the priority. And even though Vaughan had similar motives, he would at least include the supervision of the children in his displays. Connall was the easy decision because, besides Rowan himself, he was the most level headed and had more than an ounce of common sense. 

“Excuse me.”

Rowan turned at the unfamiliar voice behind him. A stunning brunette who he did not recognise stood there. She didn’t have the look of one of the parents and she wasn’t a caterer—she was dressed too casually for that. It had him wondering who she was.

“Hi, I’m sorry but…”

“Oh, Lysandra,” she said, a hand on her chest. “Friend of Aelin.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Rowan extended his hand for a handshake which was returned. 

“Likewise,” Lysandra said. “Aelin is ready but we’ve hit a bit of a snag.”

“How so?” Trying not to sound too panicked at the potential flow in his party plans.

“Um, she can’t exactly walk out of there.”

Rowan felt the confusion on his face as he tried to figure it out. 

Lysandra smiled. “She doesn’t have legs.”

“Oh, right,” Rowan said, laughing a little. “What do you need me to do?”

“It’s a good thing you at least look strong,” Lysandra said, beckoning Rowan to follow. 

“Mam, can you watch Ivy and the pool,” Rowan threw over his shoulder—her affirmative answer sounding as he headed towards the pool house. 

The blinds were closed and Rowan did one last check of the pool before he ducked into the building right behind Lysandra. Aelin sat on one of the lounges in her full get-up, tail and seashells and the make-up that had her face sparkling. Once again, he was struck by how beautiful this woman was, it was an impossible thing not to notice.

“Nice to see you again,” she said with a little wave. 

“You too,” Rowan said, then hastily added. “And thank you. For doing this.”

“Anything for the kids, right?” Aelin said. 

“Speaking of, should we get to it?” Rowan asked.

Aelin gave a flourish of her hands down the length of her body. “By all means.”

Rowan tried not to be awkward as he bent down and scooped Aelin up bridal style, she even draped her arms around his neck. The tail made her stiffer than other women he’d carried like this, but he managed. 

“If you could get the door?” Rowan asked Lysandra. 

“Of course.”

Rowan was concentrating so hard as he stepped through the doorway, trying his best not to knock Aelin’s head or tail. She must have been concerned as well because her grip tightened and she hugged herself closer to him. He managed it all without incident and brought them safely into the sun. 

“Look who I found in the bathtub!” Rowan announced, drawing the attention of the party. Ivy’s exclamation of Aelin rang out over all of it. He lowered his voice so only Aelin could hear. “Where do you want me to set you down?”

“Shallow end, by the steps,” Aelin replied quietly before turning her attention to the party. “I heard it was someone’s birthday.”

Rowan set Aelin down and Ivy was there a heartbeat later. 

“It’s me, Aelin. It’s my birthday,” Ivy said nearly climbing onto the mermaid. 

Aelin graciously took it all in her stride, wrapping her arm around the girl. “I couldn’t miss that.”

Within moments Aelin had control of the party, all the kids flocking to her and her magnetic energy. Rowan left her to it, heading outside the pool fence to grab himself a drink. He grabbed a beer from the cooler in the kitchen before returning to the back patio to watch the show. There was no doubt in his mind that Aelin would be putting on a performance if her work at the aquarium was anything to go by. 

“Dude, you got a mermaid?” That overly question came from Fenrys, who had appeared next to Rowan, face still decorated with a large rainbow and a collection of stars. Ivy had insisted her uncle get his face painted and like everyone else in her life, he hadn’t refused. “She looks legit. Where’d you find her?”

“The aquarium,” Rowan answered before taking a sip from the beer bottle in his hand. 

“I don’t know if you’re kidding or not,” Fenrys said. 

That made Rowan laugh. “I’m being serious. She works at the aquarium, and Ivy fell in love with her the other day. I asked her if she did private functions and she said yes.”

“Private functions? That sounds shifty as hell,” Fenrys added. 

Rowan thought for a moment, recalling how Aelin had stalled and the awkwardness had skyrocketed. It was nearly enough to make him flush with embarrassment again. 

“Yeah, I realised my error in wording pretty quickly,” Rowan admitted. 

“How much did she cost?”

That voice was female and accusatory, it made Fenrys grimace sympathetically before he left Rowan to deal with answering. He turned around, finding his ex-wife just behind him, glaring in the direction of the pool before her eyes darted back to him. Waiting. 

Strained was an apt description to describe the relationship between him and Lyria. They had been high school sweethearts that decided to get married before they knew anything of the world. They’d stuck it out years longer than they should have, divorce had been up for discussion when they’d found out Lyria was pregnant. It hadn’t helped the already precarious relationship and by the time Ivy was two Rowan found himself a first year teacher and a single father with majority custody. He had been ready to fight for Ivy but it was an obvious choice considering the stability and flexibility of his job. Rowan was guaranteed a job with manageable hours, he’d have school breaks off, and with the money he made plus what he had from his family to back him, allocating him as primary carer was an easy choice. It just left him open to continual criticism over the choices he made about raising his daughter, especially when it came to money. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Rowan said. “She’s made Ivy’s day, what’s more important than that?”

Lyria hummed her objection, her gaze darting over to their daughter again at a bright burst of laughter. “You need to stop throwing money at things just to make her happy. She’ll grow up with a skewed view of the world, not knowing what the real world is like.”

Rowan resisted rolling his eyes. They’d had this discussion before, and they’d have it again. She always accused him of spoiling their daughter in the worst way. And maybe he did, to an extent, but Rowan was also sensible to a fault as his friend’s like to point out. 

“We figured it out, and so will she,” Rowan said. “Hopefully sooner than we did, hmm?”

He left Lyria to muse over that, not wanting to have this fight and potentially ruin the party. Rowan decided his time was better spent refilling the snack bowls and checking the cake hadn’t been damaged in the fridge. Once those menial tasks were done and his beer finished, Rowan wandered to the poolside again. 

Aelin was in the water now, showing the kids how she swam from one end to the other with her tail. It wasn’t just the kids watching either, like at the aquarium she had the whole crowd entranced. Rowan took up a spot on the transparent fence waiting to see what Aelin might be up to next. She’d stopped swimming and sat on one of the pool steps, from her hips down in the water. Bubble bottles had been conjured from somewhere and all the kids sat in a row having a competition to see who could blow the biggest one. Aelin pursed her lips, bubble wand poised in her hands. He was again struck by how beautiful she was, and just as he had been that day at the aquarium Rowan found it hard to look away. 

The makeup she wore still remained intact depite he time in the water, the gold shimmer around her eyes highlighting their unusual colour. What had him damn near entranced was her smile, it seemed to brighten her entire being. Rowan felt like he was getting dangerously close to leering—respectfully—when he was interrupted.

“Not, bad Ro. Not bad at all,” Fenrys said, his only reply was an eye roll. “You don’t have to dent it, mermaids are hot.”

“I didn’t know you had that much experience,” Rowan quipped back. 

“I’ve been chatting to her friend. Did you know she’s a mermaid too?” Fenrys asked.

“I did not,” Rowan replied flatly. 

“Well, she is. And just like your friend here, she’s smoking. You did me a solid favour,” Fenrys went on to say. 

Rowan sent his friend a questioning look. “What does that mean?”

Fenrys backed away, shrugging his shoulders and giving Rowan a conspiratorial wink to an unknown conspiracy.    

Ivy saved him from being made to suffer through more idiocy, her damp hand patting his forearm where it rested on the top of the fence. “Daddy, I need to ask you something.”

Rowan stepped back so that he could lean down a little closer. “What is it, love?”

“Um, can I… wait. No, can you—“

Ivy’s rambling had him confused but half a second later it was all made clear. A wave of water hit him, drenching his head and arms, the rest of him saved by the protection of the fence. Ivy was caught in it too, but she just cheered and laughed, trying to clap but the floaties on her arms stopped her hands from meeting fully. Rowan wiped the water from his face and saw Aelin swimming away, smiling and sending him a wink. Rowan let out a chuckle at the antics, grinning broadly at the uncontrollable giggles bubbling out of Ivy. 

“We got him!” Ivy squealed and then launched herself back in the pool. 

He saw on Aelin’s face the mirror of his own lurching gut as Ivy hit the water. She knew how to swim of course, he wasn’t stupid enough to throw her a pool party if she didn’t, but most confidently with assistance. The concern for her safety was hard to shake, and luckily Aelin was right there, arms out to keep the girl’s head well and truly above water. 

Rowan had no idea how Aelin was able to do everything she did without sinking to the bottom of the pool. If he had his legs bound together he would not be doing so well. His shirt was clinging to him uncomfortably and decided to change. So he left his daughter to the mermaid, knowing that she was in safe hands. Or maybe that was fins.

~~~~~

Aelin hadn’t expected to have this much fun at a kids birthday party. It might have been because Ivy was just so stinking cute and enthralled by the whole mermaid thing that it was hard not to be infected by it as well. Or it might have been because the pay was just that good it was an immediate mood booster. Aelin had expected it to be the latter, when in fact it was the former. 

She had been in the pool for a good two hours, playing around and telling stories. When the kids started to shiver the parents had dutifully begun to dry them off. With the afternoon sun fading behind the clouds it was hard to keep warm, and that included Aelin. Her tail offered no insulation and just made the situation worse. Even though the kids begged for more entertainment while drying off or returning to the poolside, Aelin could feel the goosebumps on her skin even when she tried to ignore them. Soon she would start shivering and she was sure her lips would start turning blue. There was a lull in the activity around her and Aelin looked around for Lysandra or at least Rowan, hoping to flag either one of them down to get some help getting out of the pool. 

Neither was within Aelin’s sight, and a shudder went from head to hip, everything lower down completely immobile. She needed to get out of her tail, and fast. Looking around again Aelin spied Ivy talking to a woman sitting on one of the pool chairs. Her brown hair was wavy and her gentle face seemed to hang on every work Ivy said. If Aelin were to hazard a guess, she would say that woman was the girl’s mother. 

“Ivy,” Aelin called, her voice catching because she was just that cold. “Hey, Ivy.”

That time Ivy heard her, quickly walking over because she had announced more than once that her father said there was no running around the pool. “Hi, Aelin.”

“Sweetie, I wonder if you could find your dad for me,” Aelin said. 

“Yeah, I can.” The little girl was excited and easy to please. 

But on the way past the woman stopped Ivy, catching her by the hand. “We should get you dried off for cake.”

Aelin nearly groaned, because that was enough to divert Ivy attention completely. Watching Ivy being led away Aelin started cursing her friend who had somehow entirely disappeared without a trace. She kept looking over the various adults milling around and moving into the semi alfresco dining area readying for cake. Never spotting Lysandra, Aelin eyed the cement around the pool and contemplated the damage to her skin and tail if she had to crawl her way back to the pool house. The children might just die from shock if she stripped off her tail here. 

The chorus of ‘happy birthday’ sang out from the house and Aelin peered through the crowd to see Ivy beaming at her expertly mermaid themed decorated cake. This was now ridiculous. Lysandra knew the kid even less than Aelin did, if she was in there singing along and hoping for a slice of cake while she was freezing her tits off out here.

“Where is she?” Aelin muttered as she wrapped her arm around herself. 

This silicone tail might be the death of her. All she could do was be resigned to her fate. Aelin zoned out, keeping her body distracted and warm as she could by flicking her tail through the water. The sound of the pool gate creaking had her looking over and found Rowan approaching, a plate in hand. 

“I brought you some cake,” he said.

“Thanks,” Aelin replied, voice unsteady. 

That was enough to stop Rowan in his tracks, and Aelin watched his eyes dart over her. “You’re blue.”

“It’s turquoise, actually,” Aelin said, pushing a lock of damp hair out of the way. 

Rowan put the cake on one of the pool chairs. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. What didn’t you tell me?”

“I tried to send Ivy to you but she got distracted,” she nodded over at the cake. “By cake.”

Rowan just shook his head, motioning for her to get ready to be picked up. Aelin bent her knees the best she could now that her legs were stiff and cold, and let herself be scooped up. He carried her back to the pool house, Aelin holding on tight while there was some awkward manoeuvring around the door handle. 

“Where’s best?” Her saviour asked. 

Aelin couldn’t stop the whole body shiver. “Uhh, here. I just need to get this tail off.”

Rowan obliged, easing her down onto the couch. It was difficult and awkward but Aelin rolled to the side and started battling with her zipper. Her cold and numb fingers were completely useless, all they did was slip and fumble. When she swore viciously she heard Rowan halt in his exit. 

“Are you okay?” He asked. 

Aelin gave up and flopped onto her stomach, she had never felt more like a fish in her whole career as a mermaid. “I can’t get out of my godsdamned tail.”

“Oh. Should I go see if I can find your friend?”

“No.” Aelin blurted out, quite loudly and on the wrong side of desperation. She was ready to start begging. “I need it off, now. Can you help me?”

~~~~~

Rowan just stood there, blinking down at the mermaid sprawled out on his couch. He could see goosebumps raised on her exposed skin, she was obviously freezing. The smartest option was to go and find her friend because he had never once in his life removed anything close to this tail. He didn’t know how, didn’t know where to begin. 

“I feel like this isn’t a job for me,” Rowan said. 

“I feel like a literal popsicle, and I’m not beyond begging right now,” Aelin said, and he swore that her teeth were chattering. 

“If you insist,” Rowan said, leaning down and finding the top of the zipper. 

It might have been the most impressive zipper he had ever seen, sturdy and strong, it had to be to hold the silicone together. Awkwardly unfortunate for him, it sat tight over her ass and it was hard not to touch it in the process. At least the materials were thick and Rowan told himself that was the firmness he was feeling. He tugged the tail down, but everything came to a rushing stop when he caught sight of what Aelin wore underneath. Peeking through the gap between the zipper sides near the top of her hips was a dark blue thong.

“Is it stuck?” Aelin asked with a glance over her shoulder.

Rowan felt his face flush, only deepening his embarrassment. “Ah, no.”

She laughed, maybe at him, maybe it was the situation. “I’m not shy.”

And by the gods did he believe that. Rowan ignored the flaming in his cheeks and the hint of a broad grin on Aelin’s face as she turned back around. “I’ll, uh… close my eyes then.”

Like he said he would, Rowan kept his eyes closed and let the zipper run its natural course. And then he didn’t know where else he was supposed to try and extract it. 

“You have to pull at the hips and then work your way down, then do it all again until it comes all the way off,” she explained. 

“Right,” Rowan said. That would be mighty hard to do with his eyes closed. 

But Rowan gave it his best effort, fumbling between closed eyes and squinting. When there was a tug that gave way more than he was expecting on instinct his eyes opened, a hand flying out to stop himself from falling right on top of Aelin. His hand was lucky, his eyes not so much. He copped an eyeful. 

Just as quickly he shut them, but the damage was done. He wouldn’t be forgetting that sight any time soon. Rowan went back to his task and in the end when she was free enough Aelin ended up kicking the tail off herself. Respectfully he kept his eyes down, rubbing at the back of his neck. 

“There’s a shower you can use, it’ll get you warmed up,” he offered. “There’s clean towels and everything in there.”

“Thank you,” Aelin said. 

Rowan left her to it, and even though she’d undoubtedly take a shower he was still concerned. Back inside the party had died down, mainly just family remaining, so he went to the kitchen and turned the kettle on. While that boiled he went upstairs and retrieved a hoodie. The day had started out fairly warm but without the sun the atmosphere had begun to chill. If she didn’t bring anything with her she’d just catch te cold again. 

By the time he got back down to the kitchen the kettle was done and he filled a mug with water, along with grabbing a few selections of teas. No one noticed him leave and head back to the pool house. Most thankfully Ivy remained oblivious. She was better off not knowing Aelin was out there un-mermaidified and the magic be ruined at the end of such a perfect day. 

Rowan knocked and heard a faint Come in. Aelin was sitting on the couch, dressed in leggings and a loose shirt. She was drying her hair with a towel, looking much better than she had a few minutes before. 

“I brought you some tea,” Rowan said, gesturing to the mug. “And a jumper if you needed it.”

“Thank you.” Aelin took both and slipped the hoodie right over her head. The hood caught on her head and the rest of the fabric drowned her. But she at least looked warm and content. 

Rowan offered the teabags and Aelin took a few moments to decide. She picked and dropped the bag into the awaiting water. 

“You did a great job today,” Rowan offered. “Although you didn’t have to go as one as you did.” 

Aelin picked up the string and bobbed the tea bag up and down. “How could I not? Ivy was having such a good time.”

“Still, it wasn’t something to risk your health over.”

“Not the worst situation I’ve been in,’ Aelin said, taking a sip of her tea and sighed. 

The door opened suddenly and for one sickening moment Rwan thought Ivy might have tracked him down. But instead it was Lysandra, turning up from who knew where to finally help out her friend. 

“Where have you been?” Aelin demanded, putting down her tea. 

Lysandra gave a noncommittal twist of her shoulders. “Here and there.”

“I nearly died,” Aelin said drastically. 

Lysandra actually shot Rowan before looking back at Aelin. “I am sure that’s not what happened.”

“You know what?” Rowan said, cutting through the building tension. “Why don’t I keep an eye out and you guys can head off?”

“Great idea,” Aelin said, putting her mug on the low table and pointing a damning finger at her friend. “If you think you’re getting a cut of the money you’re severely mistaken. You did nothing for me today.”

Lysandra actually laughed at her friend’s theatrics and Rowan decided this would be the best time to leave. He went and stood by the corner of the pool fence where he had a good view of anyone who might be coming outside. It wasn’t long before Aelin and Lysandra left the pool house, a hissed conversation passing between them as they headed for the side gate. Just before disappearing around the side of the house aelin stopped, giving him a broad smile and a wave. Waving back, he had to admit that he was sorry they hadn;t had more time to chat. 

As Rowan watched her disappear from sight he was disappointed that he didn’t have another excuse to see Aelin again. Maybe he would have to take another trip to the aquarium just to see what might happen next if he by pure chance she was there too. 

~~~~~

I’m currently in a quirky hotel room and posting from my iPad so I’m not even going to attempt the disaster that is tagging at the moment.

[back2bluesidex]

Oh So Reluctant - PJM (18+)

Pairing: Husband!Jimin X Wife!Reader

Theme: Angst, Arrange marriage au.

Summary: For the past eleven months that you have been married to Park Jimin, he has not looked at you the way he has been doing today. And there is sinister in his eyes.

Word count: 1819

Warnings: Angst, unhappy married life, Jimin is cold, reader is lonely, mentions of alcohol consumption, sexual tension but no smut for this part (yes there is a second part, it's a twoshot), brief Taehyung X Reader.

Minors are NOT welcomed in this blog!!

A/N: This story was requested by lovely @chimmy-licious.

As mentioned before, this is a twoshot, so there will be a second part, I just don't know when haha!

Part 2

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

You check yourself out in the elevator mirror. 

You look perfect tonight. Just as you always wanted to look for an event so important to you. Saving a month-worth of your paycheque, you customized this cherry red dress for yourself. The wrap pattern of the dress gives an alluring view of your collarbone and cleavage while the dangerous slit ends in the middle of your right thigh. You decided to let your hair loose and matched your lip shade with your dress.

You look sexy, you look hot, you look beautiful and you look lonely. 

You know what’s waiting for you ahead. The worst part is not people bombarding you with questions about your husband’s absence, it is how pathetic you are gonna look while you accept the best employee award and there will be no one of your own to clap for you. The worst part is also how you are going to hopelessly stare at your colleagues as they dance with their partners tonight. 

You braced yourself up for all of it in advance but somehow tonight you feel less confident than you thought you would. Not having someone to share your special night with, is certainly painful but having someone and not mattering enough to them, hits on a different level. You are a victim of the latter situation. 

Your husband, Park Jimin, is always busy. Well, you can’t really expect anything else from the CEO of one of the leading entertainment companies of South Korea, making him the youngest person ever to gain that position. The responsibilities he has makes him even busier and you understand it all. You understand, that is why he is so reluctant towards your presence in his life. Even though you are his wife, it is still an arranged marriage, held against Jimin’s consent. 

When you met him once before your marriage he clearly told you not to expect anything from him as he is marrying you only for his mother’s wish. There was no malice in his voice, it was just cold. And he has been cold to you ever since. Not that he has any business being any warm to you. 

He didn’t marry you for any business-related convenience. He married you because his mother thought her golden son will end up marrying some girl from the industry and she read news on famous people getting divorced almost every other day. She met your mother at the church, they became friends and worked their ways on being relatives. 

You, a perfectly contained human being with a stressful but nice job, had to cave in to your mother’s wishes because she was worried that her overly-independent daughter may just end up alone, which certainly wasn’t your plan. 

You always wanted to settle down in your career first and then look for a partner, make a home and then kids etc etc. so, when your mother approached you about Jimin, you saw no reason to revolt. But you were disappointed when Jimin told you he wasn’t ready for this marriage and it’s only his mother's wish not his. 

You tried to talk to your mother about it but it all went in vain. 

Both of the ladies were too adamant to get you two married, they threatened to go for a hunger strike otherwise. 

And now you are here. After exactly eleven months and two days of your marriage, you are unhappy and you feel alone more than ever. Jimin never pays you much attention. For the first couple of months you tried to be friends. You cooked dinner, planned dates, gave him gifts but never received anything more than a “thanks” with a tightlipped smile in return. Rather he appeared to be quite uncomfortable about it all, so you stopped trying and stayed away. 

A week ago, you handed him the invitation card of your company’s annual day celebration. You told him it would be nice if he attends, since you are going to be awarded as the employee of the year. He only nodded and said, “I have a press conference that day. I don’t think I can make it. But…” a pause, “congratulations anyway.” 

Your heart broke, tears threatened to spill but you gave him a smile.

For the first time in your married life, you realized that you like your husband and not having him beside you on your special day not only made you feel lonely but also destroyed you. But then again, you can’t make someone love you if they don’t. 

The elevator dinged, signaling you have reached your floor and you prepare yourself for faking excuses and smiles. 

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

You take a sip of your red wine as you stare at the trophy, which has made itself quite comfortable on the bar-top. 

You should have been on cloud-nine by now, you should have been drowning yourself in drinks, getting wasted and being happy but you are doing none of it. You are definitely happy but not as much as you should be, not as much as you thought you would be. 

You take another sip and that is when someone places a hand on your shoulder,

“Congratulations, milady” says a voice right beside your right ear. It’s Taehyung.  

“Hey. Thanks.” you whisper, without even caring if your voice is audible to him or not. 

“Oh? What is it? Why do you look so down when you should be twerking in the middle of the dance floor?” Tae pouts. His remark makes you laugh. 

“I am happy, Tae. Just a little tired.” you reply wearily. 

“I don’t think so, draling. What is it? Is it your husband?” Tae asks, scooting closer. 

You don’t say anything, choosing to stay silent. 

“That’s why you should have accepted me when I asked you out for like five times in two years.” Taehyung warps a hand around your shoulder in an attempt to comfort you. You let yourself relax in his touch. 

Taehyung is incredibly handsome, he is nice, funny, charming and rich. And he is very much interested in you. However, you never saw him as anything more than a friend and colleague. So, you kept on declining his advances. Moreover, you aren’t brave enough to date the CEO’s son and then let people talk behind your back saying that you slept your way up. But today you let your mind wander, today you give it a thought. Maybe if you chose him instead of giving into your mother’s wish, you would have been happy? Maybe you would fall in love with Taehyung eventually? Maybe Jimin would be with someone he actually liked, instead of getting stuck in this relationship with you? Maybe? Just maybe? 

Your mouth runs before you could think it through, “will you accept me now? If I were to divorce my husband and come to you?” 

You catch Taehyung off guard with your question but he quickly gains his sanity back and smiles, “I will.” 

“Will you mind staying a bit away from my wife?” the voice comes from beside you. You know the voice, you know the owner. It’s your husband, it’s Jimin. 

You twist your head at the speed of light and see him standing right beside your barstool. There he stands like the Greek God he is. His perfectly sculpted body is draped in a purple suit accompanied by a purple silk dress-shirt that has its first few buttons opened. His dark hair falls on his eyes, making him look much more appealing than he already is.

You catch him glaring at Tae’s arm, which is encircled around your shoulder. Is he jealous? But why? 

You suppose Tae noticed that too, as he unwraps his hand from your form. 

Jimin now looks directly into your eyes. There is a darkness in his eyes that you never perceived before. Something that makes chill run through your spine. You try to comprehend the situation. You try to think if you are hallucinating or not because there is no way Jimin would actually be here. 

“Sure man. She’s all yours.” says Tae as he gets up from his bar stool and proceeds to leave you two alone. No, you are not hallucinating. Both you and Tae can’t hallucinate at the same time. 

You part your lips to say something but you are immediately interrupted by your co-worker. 

“Y/N! Why won’t you receive your calls? Mr. Park was looking for you like a lost puppy.” says Hyun Mi. 

“Oh? I was… ah distracted.” You reply somehow, avoiding the ice-cold glare that your husband is giving you now. Thanks to your misery, you completely forgot you carried a purse and that had your phone inside it. 

“Very sad. Mr. Park you could have watched your wife receiving her trophy if you came thirty minutes earlier. Anyway, enjoy.” she says again before getting lost into the crowd. 

Jimin walks towards the seat Taehyung was sitting previously and sits down. 

“Congratulations” he says, you nod. You don’t look at him even when he sits closer than he ever had. 

“I thought you had a press conference to attend today?” You ask quietly. 

“It ended early so I came.” Jimin says while waving to the bartender and placing his order. 

“You didn’t have to.” 

“Why? Are you annoyed that your plan of divorcing me got interrupted?” Jimin chuckles. It’s probably the third time in eleven months that you are hearing him chuckling. But this time it’s because of you, and it’s dark, filled with malice. 

You don’t say anything. 

“Who was that guy? Your ex?” he asks again. 

“No. He can be my future though.” You reply calmly, as if you are suggesting something as casual as dinner menu. 

“What makes you think I will let you go so easily?” Jimin places his next question. 

“Your reluctance towards my existence?”

“I am not reluctant towrdas you, Y/N. I am rather very much aware.” Jimin raises his voice a bit.  

“Aware of how much you don’t want me in your life?” 

“No! Quite the opposite actually.” 

That makes you take a look at him, finding him already staring at you. You cock your eyebrow as if to ask for an explanation.   

If you expected him to say something then you are wrong because he changes the topic right away. 

“You look very… beautiful tonight.” Jimin rakes his eyes through your body, which seem to come to a halt when they reach to your chest and then drop down to your exposed thigh. You cross your legs and expose more of your skin as you catch him staring shamelessly. 

He smirks. One of his hands reaches to grab the supple flesh of your thigh harshly. You almost spit your drink out. 

“Don’t tease me, Y/N. I have been having a tough time controlling myself for these eleven months already.” Jimin’s voice drops down a few octaves as his thumb draws invisible circles on your thigh. 

Your eyes widen but you try to play innocent, “What do you mean?” 

Jimin’s fingers glide higher on your smooth skin and it reaches where you have only imagined his fingers before. 

His digits hover above your mound as he mouths, “Let me show you what I mean.” 

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

Taglist:

@phenomenalgirl9 @variety-is-the-joy-of-life @soraviie

[nicoline1998enilocin]

A night to never forget

PAIRING || Boyfriend!Tony Stark x Girlfriend!Fem!Reader

WORDCOUNT || 5.3K

SUMMARY || Tony has been busier than ever with his combined duties as Iron Man and the CEO of Stark Industries, and it’s starting to take it’s toll on him. Because of this, you have decided that he will be the one to be spoiled for an entire weekend, starting with a movie night with the two of you and your little kitten, Moon.

RATING || Explicit (E)

TAGS || Sugar Daddy AU. Everyone lives AU. Semi-canon compliant. Established relationship. CEO!Tony Stark. Sugar Daddy!Tony Stark. Sugar Baby!Reader.

WARNINGS || Large age gap. Talk about loss of a parent. Talk about pregnancy and conceiving. Explicit sexual content.

SMUT || Teasing. Discipline. Begging. Oral (M receiving). Deepthroating. Gagging. Cum swallowing. Praise. Unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it!). Cream pie. Cockwarming.

A/N || This story is written as a little treat to celebrate my 26th birthday today! I couldn't let my birthday go by without writing a story for one of my favorite AU's, so I hope you will all enjoy this. I want to give all my love and thanks to @ccbsrmsf1 because this story wouldn't have existed without your support! I love you, bestie, and thank you for making my life so special! 🩷

EVENTS Masterlist || @kinky-things-happen || Deepthroating Masterlist || @multifandom-flash 1st Birthday Celebration || You Said You Couldn't Dance

GIF: @ccbsrmsf1 || All other graphics are made by @nicoline1998enilocin

Main Masterlist || Tony Stark Masterlist || AU Masterlist

For the last few weeks, Tony has been busier than ever. Between his work as CEO of Stark Industries and his duties as Iron Man, he's been away a lot, and it's taking its toll on him. Because of this, you have discussed with Pepper about having him go home early on Friday, giving the two of you a long, relaxing weekend together.

You have been planning several things for the past few days, starting with a much-deserved movie night. While you usually have movie nights with all the other Avengers, you now opt to have one at home with Tony and your black kitten, Moon, for ultimate relaxation. The excitement in your body is building with every passing second.

Now, it's only a matter of getting the last few things ready, starting with baking Tony's favorite cookies while you're waiting for a package to arrive because you have ordered a matching set of pajamas that still has to get here, and then everything is all set.

As you gather all the ingredients to make the cookies, you're being watched by your now four-month-old black kitten, Moon, as he's seated on the kitchen counter in the little bed you put there. He prefers to be close to you both wherever you are, and this way, you can also keep a close eye on him while you're there.

"Aren't you the cutest little thing today, Moon?" you say as you look at him in his usual rolled-up sleeping position, though his bright blue eyes are looking at you with a curious look as he meows at you. A smile forms on your face as you scratch him behind his ears, and he purrs in enjoyment.

"Alright, let's make some cookies before Daddy's home!" you tell Moon before telling JARVIS to play some of your favorite music, which fills the penthouse as you're practically floating through the kitchen, dancing and singing along to the music as you keep working.

It doesn't take long for you to be ready to put the cookies in the oven. When you straighten back up, you're scared by a sudden presence in the kitchen with you that definitely wasn't there earlier. You're now wondering how long they have been standing there and looking at you while holding Moon, the package you were expecting tucked under his arm.

"Tony? What are you doing home already?" you ask as you walk towards your boyfriend, who's scratching Moon while smiling at you. Tiredness is visible on his face, and you feel a bit of a lump forming in your throat at the sight, your brows knitting together in worry.

"Well, it turns out someone didn't put the right address on the package they ordered, so it was sent straight to my office instead of here," Tony tells you with a mischievous smirk and a raised brow, instantly making you feel a little more relaxed.

"And I figured since my agenda was already empty for most of the day, I'd cancel the last few meetings I had left as well to go and spend some much-needed quality time with my girl," your boyfriend tells you before putting Moon down on the counter together with the package.

Tony gently cups your face without saying another word before capturing your lips in a loving, slow kiss. Your eyes slip shut as you let the feeling of Tony take over your entire being, the scent of him filling your senses as your hands slide into his cropped, dark brown hair. A soft moan escapes your lips as he slips his tongue into your mouth, stepping impossibly closer as he does so.

The taste of coffee still lingers on his tongue as he takes his time to explore your mouth with his before he allows one of his hands to glide down your neck and towards your waist, pulling your soft curves to his firm, muscled body until they move in sync with one another.

Much too soon for your liking, he pulls back and smiles down at you, his chocolate brown eyes looking into yours with a fond look. "I love you, Sugar," Tony whispers when the music changes from the kind you were listening to earlier to Heaven by Bryan Adams, so you take the opportunity to dance with him.

Slowly swaying from left to right, your hands are lying on his neck, his hands gently squeezing your hips as you two move effortlessly throughout the kitchen.

"I thought you said you couldn't dance," you ask with a raised brow, and Tony chuckles at your remark as he shakes his head.

"I meant that I can't dance at parties, Sugar. And I much prefer dancing here with you, in the privacy of our home," your boyfriend says, making your heartbeat rise at the words' our home.' Ever since you moved in, he hasn't been able to stop telling you how happy he is that you two have permanently moved in with him.

You lean in to lay your head against Tony's shoulder, and he happily envelops you in a hug as you two sway back and forth in place. The words flowing out of the speakers ring more true than ever.

And love is all that I need

And I found it there in your heart

It isn't too hard to see

We're in heaven

The moment the song ends, you hear a meow coming from the kitchen counter, and your attention is immediately pulled towards Moon, who's sitting there looking at you both while asking for some attention.

"It looks like our Baby wants some attention too, Angel," you tell Tony as you let go of him and walk towards Moon, allowing him to jump in your arms.

"Do you want to dance with Mommy and Daddy?" you ask. Moon answers with another meow before getting comfortable. You feel Tony pressing against your back and looking over your shoulder at the little black kitten you're raising.

Now it's time for all three of you to dance together, and you're feeling nothing but pure love for the two of them. The man who's holding you, who has saved you from a horrible situation, and the kitten you're carrying, who you, in turn, saved from a potential early death if you hadn't found him that day.

"What do you think of having babies of our own one day, Sugar? Like, human babies?" Tony asks, catching you off-guard as you step away and turn around. You scan his face for signs that he's joking, but when you find none, you immediately get a huge smile.

"Really, Tony? You want to have babies with me?" you ask excitedly, and he can't help but smile at your enthusiasm as he nods.

"Did you hear that, Moon? Daddy wants to give you a little human brother or sister! Would you like that, too?" you ask Moon, who looks up at you, his bright blue eyes beaming as he does. Your heart melts at the sight.

"I- It's been my dream to become a Mom for as long as I can remember, Tony. But especially since I lost my own Mom, it's been on my mind even more. Even though she won't be around to see them grow up, I know she would love seeing me raise my babies, too," you say to him, and the tears are already brimming on your waterline at the thought of your Mom.

"And I know she would have been the proudest Mom there is, Sugar. Seeing you when you graduate and start your career, when you get pregnant and give birth, I'm sure she would have been front and center for all of it," Tony says as he caresses your cheeks with his thumbs, wiping away the tears that have escaped.

"Oh, you bet she would have been," you tell Tony through the tears, a laugh escaping too at the thought of your Mom being in the same room as you when giving birth. No one would've been prouder of you than her, that's for sure.

"Thank you for being by my side through it all, Tony. Now that it's just you and me, I know it isn't easy, but I wouldn't be able to do it without you," you whisper to him while clutching Moon carefully to your chest at the same time.

His thumbs caress your cheeks again before he kisses you lovingly, and he can't help but let a few tears of his escape at your words.

"There's nowhere else I would rather be than right here by your side, my sweet Sugar. Because by your side is the only place I want to be."

However, before you can answer him, the oven timer goes off, and you both laugh at its horrible timing. Despite this, you give him one more peck on his lips before putting Moon on the counter and pulling out the cookies, filling the entire penthouse with a delicious smell.

You've been seated on the couch with Tony as you're getting some schoolwork done, and he's cuddling with Moon while watching TV until the boredom kicks in for him, and he suddenly gets an entirely different idea as he puts Moon down and gets up from the couch.

"I've been thinking of having some fun before dinner, Sugar," Tony tells you with a raised brow and a mischievous smirk, leaving you wondering what he could be planning this close to dinner time. He's never disappointed you with his ideas, so you're eager to learn.

You put your laptop down on the couch when Tony extends his hand for you to take, and you do so, only to find him leading you to the large bathroom attached to the main bedroom.

"We might need to get some dinner before you fuck my brains out, Tony," you say jokingly, but he just chuckles before turning around, halting you in your place. The height difference between you is noticeable when you're barefoot in front of him, and you have to crane your neck to meet his gaze, which only spurs your boyfriend on more.

"Believe me, my sweet Sugar, when I say I will definitely do that later, but that's not the plan I have right now," he says in a low tone, his voice almost dropping an octave near the end. Goosebumps appear on your skin as your breath hitches at his words, your thighs clenching at his words.

"I'm planning on having a shower together, and I was hoping to see you on your knees for me like a good girl. You are a good girl for me, right?" Tony asks, and it's like you're nailed to the floor, your mouth suddenly becoming dry as the words sink in, but you're unable to respond. You want nothing more than to do what he asks, and you try to swallow the lump in your throat as you nod.

"Words, Sugar. Big girls use their words to get what they want," Tony orders as he steps even closer, and you can feel his rapidly hardening cock pressing against the soft flesh of your stomach, your underwear now completely ruined as your arousal is threatening to drip down your thighs.

"Y-yes, Daddy," you manage to say, and he smiles approvingly.

"There she is, there's my good girl," Tony says as he softly kisses your cheek, your eyes slipping shut at the feeling of his lips against the heated skin. Tony's lips curl into a smile as he pulls back, his hands wandering over your body to shed the layers of clothing you're wearing. Before you know it, you're entirely bare in front of your boyfriend, who's still fully clothed.

He doesn't need to tell you what to do, as you already know he wants you to undress him, which is precisely what you do. From swiftly untying his tie to opening up every button on his shirt before slipping it off his shoulders and then sinking on your knees to open his pants, which are already tented from the erection he's gotten from the thought of what's about to happen.

"So big, Daddy, wanna have a taste," you say as you nuzzle his cock through his pants, but he laces his fingers in your hair before pulling back softly.

"Later, Sugar. Your job is to free it so we can shower," he says with a wink, and you whine softly in disapproval. The fact that the treat you've been longing for is right in front of you, yet you can't have a taste, is unfair in your opinion. Despite this, you do as he says, moaning as you clench around nothing when his giant, veiny cock springs free from his pants - not a single scrap of underwear in sight.

Your gaze drags over the large, fleshy member as you look at the adorning veins. They lead to the pink tip you want to wrap your lips around and suckle on, a bead of pre-cum already escaping. Before you can stop yourself, you lick it up as you hum at the salty taste of him, and Tony hisses at the feeling of his sensitive cock being licked like that.

"No." he suddenly says, and you look up at him with a shocked expression despite knowing you did something against his orders.

"And here I thought you were a good girl," Tony tells you, and you nod, but he shakes his head.

"Good girls don't disobey orders from their Daddy, do they? Maybe I should go shower alone and leave you here to think about what you did," he says, but that doesn't sound like a good idea.

"N-No, Daddy! Please, let me come with you! I'm sorry; I promise I will be a good girl! Want to be Daddy's good girl," you beg your boyfriend, and he raises his eyebrow, but he's not entirely convinced yet. He wants you to beg just a bit more.

"Please, Daddy, I want to make you feel good! I swear to make you feel so good and listen to you. Please-" is all you say before he gives in, hauling you up by your arms before capturing your lips in a passionate kiss. There's only so much he can take before giving in to you when you're begging him so sweetly.

"Alright, Babygirl, let's go shower," he says as he pulls away, and you practically run into the large bathroom, earning yourself a chuckle from Tony at your eagerness. While the water heats up, Tony sets you down on the counter so you're at the perfect height to drape your arms around his neck, pulling him close as your lips collide in another kiss.

His thick fingers are digging into your hips as he pulls you to the edge of it, the tip of his cock teasing your dripping pussy as he ruts his hips forward, and you moan into his mouth. However, you know better than to go against what he wants, and you let him tease you as much as he needs; you don't want to be left outside the shower.

"I think the water's warm enough, so let's go in, hmm?" Tony asks, and you nod eagerly before getting off the counter and following him into the large shower, ready for what's to come. Lucky for you, you don't have to wait long because Tony guides you onto your knees as soon as the water cascades down on you both.

"Are you comfortable, Sugar?" he asks softly, and you smile.

"Yes, Daddy. 'M very comfortable," you answer him as you follow the water droplets down his body, over his arc reactor, and down the planes of muscle to your goal: Tony's large, hard and enticing cock.

"Good," he says as he wraps his hand around the bottom of his cock, and you lean in before opening your mouth, earning yourself an approving hum from your boyfriend. He slowly feeds his cock to you, and you happily wrap your lips around every single inch he's feeding you, your mind quieting down immediately as he does.

Your hands are lying on his thighs while his hands are now both laced into your hair, not to set the pace but so he can ground himself as he's looking at you, expertly swallowing down his cock into your throat. A groan escapes as your nose presses against his pelvic bone while you gag around him, and it makes you feel like you're floating.

"That's it, taking Daddy's cock so fucking well," Tony groans through gritted teeth as he throws his head back, trying his hardest not to fuck into your throat, knowing full well he won't last long if he does. Meanwhile, you pull back to suckle on his tip, your hand working the parts of him that are now uncovered while looking up at him.

The mascara you were wearing is running down your face as the shower's water rains down on you, but that doesn't stop you from going in again, tears trickling down your cheeks as you swallow him down again without warning, which is Tony's undoing. Without warning, he cums into your throat and moan, forcing you to swallow every last drop as your eyes are locked on his.

"Fuckin' fuck! Jesus- Oh god, Sugar!" is all he can say as he fucks your mouth while working himself through his orgasm, and you let him go with a pop when he's becoming too sensitive. With Tony's help, you get up again, and he immediately pulls you against him for a kiss, moaning at the taste of himself on your tongue.

"How did I get so lucky, hm? To have such a good girl like you?" Tony asks you, and your cheeks heat up, making him smile as his heart beats faster.

"I'm the lucky one, Daddy," you whisper before tucking your face into his neck, and Tony wraps his arms around you to pull you against his body, needing you close to him as you're both enjoying the warmth of the shower before it's time to get ready for dinner.

You're standing in the bedroom in nothing more than a pair of panties when you suddenly remember the package left on the kitchen counter, so without saying a word, you run out there, and Tony looks at you with wide eyes as he tries his hardest not to drool over the way your body looks as you run.

You quickly grab it before walking back to Tony, who's still speechless at your sudden departure, and you laugh as you show him the package he brought home.

"I got something for us to wear tonight! To make it even more special, I bought a matching pair of pajamas, but if you don't like it, we don't-"

"You did... what? Oh my god, I've never had anyone do that for me before!" Tony says before you can finish your sentence, and his enthusiasm works wonders for you. You put them on when they're out of the package, and Tony can't stop smiling.

"Why did you think I wouldn't like them, Sugar? They're perfect and comfortable, too! And I love that you're now officially wearing your title of the Queen, too," he says before kissing you, leaving you flustered.

"I- Sorry," you whisper before looking away from him, suddenly feeling insecure. However, he doesn't allow you to get too far into your thoughts because he lifts your face with his index finger until his soft gaze meets yours.

"Don't apologize, my sweet girl. There's nothing you need to apologize for. I was just surprised because no one has ever considered getting me a matching pair of pajamas, but I love that you did. Because it seems nothing short of fitting," he tells you before gently grabbing and squeezing your hands.

A smile tugs at the corners of your mouth as you look up at him before nodding. Then, you grab your phone from the bed to look at the time, and you are immediately greeted by a photo of Moon wearing batwings as you unlock your phone.

"Shall I tell Happy to get some dinner for us while you set up our movie night?" Tony asks when he sees the time as well, and you nod.

"I think Moon might enjoy getting a bottle while we're waiting for dinner, too; that way, he doesn't have to wait as long for his last feeding tonight," you tell your boyfriend, who agrees as he follows you into the large living room.

It doesn't take long before the oversized couch is prepared with your favorite blankets and many pillows, so you happily let yourself sink into it as you look at Tony holding Moon as he drinks his bottle. Even though he technically doesn't need it anymore, he still enjoys it, and it has become a part of your routine, so you'll happily do it as long as he accepts his bottles.

"How's he doing today?" you ask Tony as he sits down, and you coo over Moon with your head lying on your boyfriend's shoulder. Tony tells you how he's doing before starting the first Harry Potter movie because you have decided to watch all of them during your weekend together.

Dinner arrives shortly after the first part of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and you find out that Tony has ordered your favorite: Italian. It doesn't take long for every last bit of pasta and tiramisu to be gone, and now, you can relax for the rest of the evening.

During the movie, you grab the cookies you made for Tony before breaking off a piece and feeding it to him, earning yourself an approving moan at the taste.

"How did I ever get so lucky with you, Sugar? You're taking amazing care of me, and you make me feel so loved, too," he tells you as he tucks a piece of your hair behind your ear. A warm feeling spreads through your belly as the butterflies go wild, and he makes you feel just as love as you make him feel.

Without saying anything, you lean in for a few small, soft kisses, which he happily reciprocates, and you pull away with a giant smile adorning your face.

"I love you, Tony," you tell him when you're getting comfortable with Moon in your lap, who's quickly sleeping as you pet him during the rest of the first movie.

By the time the first Harry Potter movie is finished, you are already starting to get a little sleepy from all the food you've had. Still, you're determined to watch one more movie, and when you stretch out for a moment, Moon wakes up before going over to Tony and getting comfortable on his arc reactor - one of his favorite places to sleep.

"Look at that, you two are so cute together!" you say before snapping a few photos of them, and Tony can't stop smiling as you show them to him. Right now, he's feeling more loved than ever, and he cannot thank you enough for that.

All three of you stay like that for almost the entire duration of the second movie, and when that one's finished, you're curled into his side while Moon is sleeping on his cat tree, and Tony's arm is wrapped around your shoulders to pull you closer.

"I love you so much, Sugar, more than I could ever explain to you," he tells you before kissing the crown of your head, and you lay your hand over his arc reactor, which always calms your mind and body down. Before you know it, the second movie is over, too, and it's time to go to bed.

"Do you want to walk to the bedroom, or does my Queen prefer to be carried there?" Tony asks with a smirk, and you tell him you want to be carried there, just as he suspected. Once you're in the bedroom, your boyfriend carefully places you on the bed.

"God, you're so beautiful, Sugar. I doubt I'll ever get enough of you," Tony says as he crawls over you once you're comfortable and your hair splayed out over the pillows like a halo. Once he hovers over you, he leans down to kiss your lips softly, and you drape your arms over his neck to pull him closer.

You will never get enough of the way he feels when he's this close, but you also know it would feel even better when you're both completely bare. As if he can read your mind, Tony slowly undresses before peeling off your layers of clothing, too, not wanting anything to be between you.

"So beautiful," he whispers again as his gaze wanders over your body, and a blush creeps onto your cheeks as he does. However, You don't get to think about it for too long because Tony has never been known for his patience.

"God, I missed this sweet, tight pussy so much, Sugar," he says in a breathy voice as he pushes in, your legs wrapped around his hips as he does. The moment he bottoms out, he makes eye contact with you, which causes him to almost cum on the spot.

"We will have such beautiful babies, Sugar. I just know it," Tony whispers in your ear as he sets a slow, comfortable pace. You moan softly at his words, which only spurred him on more.

"Having little versions of you running around, it would be perfect," he tells you as he makes love to you while telling you all about his fantasies about having your babies. And you carrying them, too.

"Can you imagine it, Sugar? This beautiful belly all round with my babies, these beautiful breasts swelling with milk for me," Tony says as he increases his pace, his cock twitching inside you as you clench at the thought of him drinking from you.

"Yeah? You want to drink my milk?" you ask him, and he nods. There's nothing else he'd rather want than to drink from you when you're producing it, the thought turning him into a moaning mess as his pace starts to falter.

"God, 'm so close, Sugar, cum with me," he pleads, and you nod.

"I'm there, Tony, 'm there with you," you tell him, and with a few more strokes, both you and Tony cum at the same time. The way you milk him has him quickly becoming sensitive, but he doesn't dare pull out, not when you're making him feel this good.

"Wanna stay inside you, fuck! Never want to leave this sweet pussy," he groans, and you caress his face before telling him you don't want him to leave, either. With those words, Tony carefully turns both of you over until you're lying on top of him, his cock still buried deep inside you.

"Sleep well, my beautiful Sugar. I love you," Tony whispers when your face is tucked against his neck, the comforter lying over you both as you drift off to sleep.

"I love you" is all you whisper before sleep officially pulls you under. The warmth of your boyfriend combined with the soft hum of his arc reactor and the way he just tuckered you out has you falling asleep in no time, and you already know you want to fall asleep like this way more often if you get the chance.

The next morning, you're awake as soon as the sun starts to rise, a golden hue cast over Tony's bedroom as you're pulled out of your dreamy state. For a moment, you revel in your boyfriend's closeness as he pulls you against his chest, a soft rumble leaving his chest.

"Hmmm... few more minutes, Sugar," he says in a deep morning voice, and you couldn't resist him even if you wanted to. Your eyes slip shut again as you revel in the soft feeling of Tony's lips placing soft kisses on your neck, and a soft moan slips out his fingers trail over your stomach.

"So responsive for me today, Sugar," he whispers. You can practically hear him smirk as he says it, which gives goosebumps all over your body. Your body's response to him will never fail to make him amazing.

You two stay like this for a few more minutes before you really have to get up. Your full bladder is now starting to make its presence known, so you turn around to face him, immediately greeted by his lips on yours as you do.

"How about this? You can stay in bed this morning while I make you breakfast. This weekend is all about you, my Angel, and you can do nothing but relax," you tell him, and he smiles at the idea of you bringing him breakfast in bed.

"I think that's the perfect way to start my morning," Tony tells you, and you give him a few more kisses before making your way out of the bed, still bare and a little sore from the intimacy you two shared last night. As soon as you spot Tony's shirt he wore to the office yesterday on the floor, you bend down to pick it up, giving Tony a perfect view of your butt and pussy as you do.

"Don't fuckin' tease me like that, Sugar," he growls, and you quickly run out of the bedroom as you laugh, putting on his shirt as you do. After a quick stop in the bathroom, you get ready to make Tony the perfect breakfast, but not without giving some love to Moon first.

"Good morning, sweet baby, how did you sleep?" you ask your kitten as he's headbutting your hand for love, meowing in response to your question.

"Do you want to come with me to the kitchen and help make breakfast for Daddy? I think you do!" you coo to him before scooping him up, and he happily purrs as he gets comfortable in your hand.

Once you're in the kitchen, you're once again dancing around to the music as you prepare scrambled eggs, French toast with extra cinnamon, and Tony's favorite coffee. However, you're quickly halted when you feel a pair of hands on your waist, and you smile as you melt into the touch.

"I thought I told you to stay in bed, my Angel," you say as you sway in place, but he chuckles at your words.

"I had every intention to, but even geniuses like myself have to use the bathroom every now and again. And besides, you know I can't stay away from you for too long, especially when you're dancing around in nothing but my shirt," he says as he squeezes your hips lovingly.

"Well... I think you should still go to bed. Otherwise, I made breakfast in bed for nothing," you say with a pout as you turn to face him, and he swiftly kisses it away, making the butterflies in your stomach go wild.

"Okay, but only because you asked nicely," he says with a wink, and it's when he lets you go and walks towards the bedroom that you see he's also completely bare, making you gasp softly.

"Don't stare for too long, Sugar!" he jokes before turning the corner and leaving you alone with your thoughts. After that, breakfast is quickly finished, and you set Moon down on your shoulder before grabbing the large tray, ready to bring your boyfriend his much-deserved breakfast.

"Hmm, it's looking delicious today, Sugar. And I don't mean the food," Tony says with a wink as you set the food down, and Moon jumps onto the bed from your shoulder, ready to settle on your lap once you're seated on the bed again.

"Thank you for everything, Sugar. I don't know what I would do without you or Moon," Tony tells you as he caresses your cheek with his thumb and leans in for one more kiss before diving into the food you've made.

You can get used to sharing your Saturday mornings like this and having a little one running around one day would ultimately finish the dream for you both, but for now, you will happily cuddle with Moon until that dream becomes a reality.

[chaichaiiskai]

Need male reader smut asap pls maybe dubcon

hero hunter! garou x hero! male! reader x hero! stinger

notes: started rewatching opm with my lil' brother and got a cold, cold reminder of just how hot the characters are so y'know I had to write something...

warnings: dubcon, forced cuckolding, mlm, male reader, amab reader, garou is so mean and condescending, violence, mention of harming the reader, humiliation, public sex, degradation, alleys are dirty, quid pro quo. you're responsible for the shit you read so don't come and fuckin' bitch at me 'cause you're bein' stupid. this is meant for those who will enjoy readin' this, not you. move along.

STINGER never had a day off, but that was simply the life of a hero, especially during the recent rise of the monster association and monsters in general. The same thing went for you, never did you expect to be in the same profession as your future partner, but here you were. Despite your differences in ranking, you could care less, you weren't interested in the combat parts of hero work, you were a healer and restorer which proved to be useful in its own way. The hero association often called on you for healing other heroes, civilians, etc. You were also called for restoring destruction in the city, proving you to be quite a valuable being, but you never allowed yourself to do anything you didn't deem fair.

With the recent rise of the so-called 'hero hunter' you've been busier than ever, patrolling, restoring, healing, and all the fix-ins, nothing out of the ordinary. Though, today, the last thing you'd expected was to run into your boyfriend while out on your job. Funny, I know, since you're both heroes but this didn't happen as commonly as one would think.

"Hey good looking, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be back at home?" Stinger asked as he approached you. You were both smack dab in a neighborhood that still had a bit of people roaming around, it looked relatively safe. Rolling your eyes at his comment, you waved his words off while responding. "Same as you, the association wanted me to patrol around to heal and restore if necessary, they called me as soon as you left. So far nothing's needed much fixing."

The Class A hero grinned and rested his weapon on his shoulder as he continued to engage in comfortable conversation with you, occasionally waving at a few fans here and there who acknowledged him. You talked more like friends than lovers when you were out in public, well, except for Stinger's blatant flirting.

And then it happened.

You'd both made the mistake of letting your guards down and you would be forced to pay the price.

One second you were laughing and joking, and the next second you watch as Stinger is swatted away from you and into a nearby building like a mere mosquito, followed by the panicked screaming of the citizens around you. Everything moves slowly around you as you're frozen in place, a look of fear mingled with shock spread across your features.

"Two heroes standing leisurely around, speaking to one another like there's no immediate danger around them. Tch."

The assaulter speaks from directly in front of you, looking down at you with a grin on his face. The surrounding citizens run away from the scene, eager to preserve their lives. And in no time, it's just you, the hero hunter, and Stinger, who's just peeled himself from the dent in the building, his injuries were obvious but he wasn't Class A for no reason. He shouts at you. "Y/N! Hurry up and run!" He screams in urgency at you, knowing you did not like physical confrontation. His sudden shout seemed to trigger you into moving again as you speedily jumped back away from the one they called Garou, staring at him as you put distance between the two of you.

Immediately, Stinger gets between the two of you and holds up his spear, giving Garou a grin of his own as he gets into position for battle. "So you're the hero hunter, huh? I'll admit, you did catch me off guard but that won't happen again! I'll take you down in a pinch!" He exclaimed and charged forward at superhuman speed, using his Bamboo Shoot with great efficiency despite the bleeding heavily from his head. You watched as the two of them engaged in battle, your heart racing, egging your boyfriend on in your mind.

You should have run away like he said, but you couldn't, not with him injured like this, you would just remain in the area and heal him when you were given the chance. For now, you took to running away, ducking down into a nearby alley to watch the fight, crossing your fingers in hopes that this would end quickly in Stinger's favor.

It looked that way for a while, you could feel yourself becoming more and more relieved by the second, watching as Garou struggled against Stinger's attack, the human who called himself a monster didn't seem to be doing too well, having injuries of his own.

Stinger soon had Garou cornered, ready to further injure him to keep him from doing anymore damage, his signature grin still in place as blood continued to steadily run from his head and into his eyes.

"It's over now. Hurry up and surrender, hero hunter. You've lost."

He said, continuing to hold eye contact with Garou. The hero hunter held no smile, clearly injured as well but also seemed to be thinking deeply about something. It looked like he would be losing this battle, however, you knew that Stinger had the flaw of celebrating too early, and that was the case in this scenario.

"Oh? I'm not so sure."

Garou's words, despite him being yards away from you, sent a chill down your spine and you almost yelled for Stinger to watch out, but it was too late. The hero hunter moved even faster than before and you can't stop yourself from crying out in worry as he knocks Stinger unconscious with just a singular move, strong enough to send him barreling towards you. It was almost like Garou had planned this.

Stinger hit the ground, his body rolling across the concrete until he skidded to a stop in front of you, looking lifeless and mangled, his spear laying somewhere unknown. His eyes were closed and he laid on his stomach in front of you. With a shaken hand, you stared to reach out for him. You could heal him, he'd be okay. He HAD to be okay!

But that was too easy.

You were just mere centimeters from touching his back and activating your healing but you were dragged away, feeling as the back of your head was grabbed and your face was slammed into the ground with enough force to make you dizzy. You nearly vomited from the pain alone but were able to quickly heal yourself. The position you were in was humiliating, hunched over on your knees, hands pressed on the dirty alley in an attempt to support your body to keep it from having too much contact with the uncertainies of grossness. Garou continued to hold the back of your head, and you were unable to see him but he seemed pleased, grinning from ear to ear.

"Who knew the association had just a weak hero in their ranks, Restore." He said, saying your hero name with nothing but venom. This was how you were going to die, this was how you were going to die.

You couldn't even stop yourself from trembling in fear, droplets of tears escaping your eyes as the fell onto the ground beneath you. Biting back a sniffle, you decided to plea the best you could, your voice trembling with each word.

"Plea... please. You can do whatever- whatever you want with me. Just... just let me heal him, please." You begged, not even concerned about yourself at this point, you just wanted Stinger to be okay.

There was silence behind you, too long, too quiet. It was starting to eat you alive, you wanted him to say something. And before you could plead again, you heard him chuckle dryly before he spoke.

"So. It is true. The hero Stinger and hero Restore are 'loving' boyfriends. How comedic. Almost brings tears to my eyes." He paused, seeming to think of what could possibly done next. And the next time he spoke, you could hear the smile in his tone of voice.

"Okay. I'll let you heal him, but you've gotta do something for me in return, yeah?" You then felt a presence lean over you, slender fingers moving from your head to around your neck and gripping at your chin. Soon, his breath was felt on the side of your face, devilish eyes peering at you as he continued to grin, forcing you to crane your neck to look him in the eye as he continued offering his 'deal'. Looking into his eyes was proving to be difficult, his gaze shook you to your core with how cold he looked at you. But before he added onto the deal, he couldn't help but to laugh and insult you.

"Wow. Look at you! You're seriously cryin'? That's cute. Almost makes me feel bad about what's gonna happen next, but that power of yours will help you so I won't feel too bad. We gotta deal or not, Restore?" His eyes looked from yours and then to Stinger's unconscious body, observing the hero.

"Better hurry up. He might not make it."

He then turned your face, allowing you to see what he was seeing. Stinger looked to be breathing shallowly, further solidifying your growing fear. You had no time to refuse or hesitate. What was the worse thing he could do? You still had your powers, you were practically indestructible despite not having much strength.

"Okay! Okay! Do whatever you want!" You exclaimed, shutting your eyes, not wanting to look at your injured boyfriend any longer. Everything would be okay, you can handle this, you've been beaten up before, this was nothing new.

Garou didn't move from where he was for a few seconds but then he did, moving his hand from your face. You were expecting him to move you into a better position to beat your ass but that was far from the truth.

A yelp of surprise came from you when he suddenly used one of his hands to express his brute strength, ripping through the ass of your hero costume and your underwear. The sudden cold air hit your exposed rear and the underside of your sack, your eyes widening when you were starting to come to a realization about what was about to occur. But you couldn't move.

No.

You agreed to this.

Just like before, you were frozen, unable to move. The only thing that moved was Garou's hand, rustling with something, obviously his belt and loose-fitting pants. You had ample time to escape him when he suddenly let go of you to spit in his hand and wet his cock, but no, you didn't move an inch. How could you? He was faster than you, and who was to say that if you had disobeyed him he'd let you or Stinger live.

You weren't allowed to ponder for long when he suddenly pushed the head into you. You'd already been stretched out from the earlier morning's escapade with Stinger. He was able to push into you with both ease and just a little of bullying, he was thicker than Stinger but you somehow managed to keep taking him with ease. It was embarrassing, and of course he had to comment on it.

"I already knew I'd be getting sloppy seconds, but not to this extent. You two must fuck like animals."

His words cause you to shudder and he pushes into you further, stretching you out in a way that makes you confused. As he's burying himself into you, you bite your tongue until it bleeds to stop from moaning in pleasure and pain, closing your eyes as you drop your head in indignity.

Garou doesn't give you the chance to hide from your embarassment, his arm wrapping around your neck, forcing it against his bicep as he puts you in a loose headlock, forcing your face up as he remains buried deep inside you. His head moves back to beside yours and the intimate position your in fills you with a fresh sense of shame, almost as much as his cock was filling you.

"Ever since I read about you and your powers, I wondered just how indestructible you are. I wondered what would happen if I beat you over and over and over again. Would your powers be able to keep up? How fast can you heal? And then, I started noticing other things about you. I hate heroes and everything that they stand for but you're not a hero, are you? Just some overpowered nurse. I prefer that title instead of 'hero' for you." His words made your brows furrow, thoroughly confused by what he was getting at, though you did feel a sting of hurt from his belittling. Suddenly, he pulled out of you about halfway and then slammed back in, catching you off guard for the umpteenth time as you were lurched forward, choking when your windwipe hit against his muscled bicep, an involuntary whimper soon following.

"You're attractive, no doubt. But you're so weak—" He pulled back his hips and then pistoned them forward, fucking into you with animosity, emphasizing his insulting words with each thrust.

"Fragile."

"Useless."

"Breakable."

"Cowardly."

Each hit has you further confused, unable to keep your soft moans underwraps.

His words hurt, but why were you squeezing around him with each word? Why was your dick harder than a rock? Why didn't you want him to stop?

Easily, Garou catches on but nothing can prepare you when he suddenly turns his head to whisper in your ear, his warm breath causing goosebumps to blossom all over you, cock twitching in delirium.

"Oh? You like that, huh? You like hearing the truth about how useless you are? You should be ashamed of yourself. What if your poor boyfriend woke up and saw you gettin' off to this? Bet you'd like that too, huh?"

Apparently you did, seeing how you immediately clenched around him as soon as he finished speaking. Was this just your body's natural response?

You hear yourself moaning as he pounds into you from behind, skin slapping against skin at such an insane speed that you're starting to see specks of light in your vision. Your freehand moves to grip onto Garou's forearm, mainly to ground yourself, and you can barely breathe from the sheer pleasure of being fucked with such hatred and disdain. The dick is so good that you can't even keep your powers under control, healing the human who calls himself a monster without even realizing. You've healed someone during sex before many times, mostly Stinger, but not to this extent.

Eyes fluttering and rolling into the back of your head with each delicious stroke that makes direct contact with the button inside you that makes you forget your own name, you fail to notice the slight stir of the unconscious man in front of you. Garou doesn't though, in fact, he only goes faster, grinning at the realization. You should consider yourself lucky that he's still holding you in place with his arm, the headlock was saving your life in more than a few ways.

As you're getting your back blown out by the infamous hero hunter, Stinger, whom you were trying to heal just a few minutes ago, opened his eyes. Ableit he did so slowly, he blinked, attempting to have his vision adjust as familiar noises graced his ears. The sight that soon appears in front of him has him in pure shock, he hasn't an idea on how he should react. He wasn't prepared for it.

"Pleasure for you to join us, Stinger. Like whatcha see?" Garou questioned, not faltering in a single thrust. "

This must be a nightmare. That's what Stinger forces himself to think, watching in horror as his enemy has his way with you, and you seem to be enjoying yourself. But no, that can't be, this is just how the body naturally responds to sex. You didn't want this— you couldn't want this. Stinger wanted to move, but he couldn't, he was completely paralyzed, forced to watch you be repeatedly deflowered by a maniac with an insatiable need to cut down each and every hero.

Noticing his struggle, Garou only becomes more smug, but you still haven't seemed to caught onto the mess being created, more focused on creating a mess in your pants. "Aye, Restore, look who's joined the party? He doesn't look too happy. Aww, I think he's hurt." You can barely understand English right now, let alone whatever he was talking about, how could anyone have such power? But against better judgement, you blinked, trying to recollect your fuzzy brain as his words sunk in. And to your mortification, when you managed to fully open your eyes without them rolling around in your skull, you met the hurt gaze of Stinger.

Immediately, you attempted to speak, wanting to tell him why you were doing this, but you were cut off by the sound of your own moan when Garou pulled back and slammed into you with more force than before. Your mouth hung open, unable to keep itself closed, and you started to drool, eyes closing yet again as you forgot yourself.

Stinger watched and listened to everything in front of him, no words coming from him as he tried to take this all in in strides. Was he dreaming?

"Hah— think I'll use you... as a dumpster." Garou murmured, giving you no option when he suddenly started to speed up even faster, turning your poor brain into mush, drool dribbling onto the sleeve of his shirt. A few more seconds of this and you were forced to take his sticky, hot load, copious amounts of the human monster's cum spilling into you as he pushes as deeply as possible into you as he can manage, completely stopping his movements.

Once he's done, he releases you and pulls back, you fall forward, realizing that he'd been holding you up the entire time with his strength alone. And what you'd feared previously came true as you laid on your belly amongst the filth of the alley.

The hero hunter stands, pulling up his pants and redoing his belt, afterwards, he wipes his forehead of sweat. "Thanks for healin' me, Restore. I'll have to come back and find you when I get injured again. But don't worry, I'll pay you again. Later, 'heroes.'"

Garou then chuckled before seemingly disappearing with speed you'd never seen before.

Seconds, no— minutes later, what had happened sunk in and you felt shame like no other. His cum was still dribbling out of your ass when you finally regained the strength to lift yourself onto your hands and knees, avoiding Stinger's watchful gaze all together as you stared at the ground in disbelief. You'd done the unthinkable.. but, you quickly remembered your goal, slowly crawling forward to where your boyfriend remained laying. Shakily, you reached out and pressed your knuckles against his face, not wanting your dirty palms to come in contact with his skin, and activated your powers, healing him instantaneously.

Once he could feel his body again, Stinger immediately moved to sit on his knees in front of you. He spoke, but you couldn't hear a word he said as you leaned forward, the crown of your skull pressing against his chest. He stopped speaking and slowly started to rub your back in comfort as you sniffled, hoping that he could forgive you..but, then you noticed something strange.

Your eyes widened.

To your complete shock, Stinger's suit of bandages did a horrendous job of hiding how he truly felt about what happened to you.

Was he... hard?

[sister-lucifer]

Question. Would you do a version of that 'Can I ride you till I feel better' fic but with bottom/sub Obey Me boys? Because that's some tasty writing but I'm not big on me or my MC being on the receiving end.

“Can I ride you until I feel better?” (Part 2)

Read part 1 here

Demon brothers x Reader (Separately)

This time, it’s the brothers’ turn to have a bad day, and they can think of one thing that will make them feel better.

Reader is male

Content/Warnings: Riding, pre established relationships, implied dom/top reader 

like my writing? I take requests! NSFW or SFW for any fandoms in my bio 

Also, please reblog! it’s free, takes two seconds, and it really helps me out 

*Asmodeus is AFAB and uses he/she pronouns 

Notes: Dear god nonny i am so glad you suggested this. muah i love your brain 

Lucifer 

He was used to being swamped with paperwork, but this past week had been even worse than usual 

Today in particular had brought him to his limit 

He stomped into your shared bedroom, letting the door slam behind him before sitting on the bed next to you and cradling his head in his hands 

“Lucifer, love? What’s wrong, honey?” You asked softly, reaching out to rub his shoulder 

“Busy day…Busier than usual, I mean,” Is all the explanation he offers, but his voice carries more than enough of his exasperation for you to see how tired he is

You sighed and opened your arms to him, and he gladly accepted your offer for a hug. He pushed you down onto your back, and you expected him to lay next to you, but instead he hovered over you

“…Luci?”

Suddenly his hands were on you, tugging at your clothes and pulling off anything he could 

“I need to ride you until I feel better.” 

The request was unusual, but how could you say no when he was so eager? 

Besides, he deserved it for working so hard 

Be aware though, he’s not going to “feel better” until veeeeery late into the night (maybe even early morning)

Mammon 

You could hear Mammon whining your name all the way down the hallway before he reached your room 

He threw the door open and groaned loudly, drawing it out until he flopped face first onto the bed

“Mammon?” You called, but got no response 

At least not until he sat up, groaning even louder and practically tackling you into the bed. You couldn’t help but giggle a bit at how dramatic he was. 

“Oh Mams, what’s wrong, huh?” 

“Everything! Everything about today sucks. And I didn’t even get to see you all day…”

He snuggled into you with a childish whine as you pat his head, whispering apologies and soft assurances. Apparently this wasn’t enough, though. 

“I’ve missed you so bad…” He muttered into your neck, “…Can I ride you until I feel better?” 

Of course you agreed, who would say no to the Great Mammon?!

Especially when he was offering to do all the work, which rarely happened 

Be prepared for him to rant to you after (and maybe even during), though 

On the bright side, the anger will make him go faster 

Leviathan 

He was so quiet, you didn’t even notice him until you heard the click of your door and looked up to see a teary Leviathan 

“Oh baby, what’s wrong?” You cooed, keeping your voice soft and gentle. Levi often had trouble regulating his emotions, but luckily you knew just how to help him 

He sniffled as he crawled into bed, settling between your legs as he wrapped his arms around you and pressed his cheek to your chest 

“B…Bad day, i-is all…” He stuttered, “I-It’s really not even that big of a deal, I just…it was too much…” 

You stroked his hair gently, assuring him that it was okay to be upset at the little things sometimes

You stayed this way for a long while, until Leviathan gazed up at you with an odd look; the look he gives you when he wants something but doesn’t want to ask 

“Levi? Do you need something?” 

“I…I know what’ll make me feel better…”

“Oh?”

You could see how flushed he was, how his face contorted in embarrassment as the next words left his mouth 

“Would…would you let me ride you ‘til I feel better? P-Please?” 

He deserves it, so of course you do! Besides, you wouldn’t even consider denying him when he’s asking so politely

Make sure you praise him a lot, though, and tell him how good he looks with those pretty tears streaming down his face

That’ll really make him feel better 

Satan 

You could tell Satan was pissy the second he walked in from the way he huffed and puffed all the way over to you 

He sat down with his chin in his hand, looking awfully annoyed 

“Ugh, today could not have ended soon enough.”

“That bad, huh?” You asked as you wrapped him in a hug from behind. 

“Even worse. God, I hate all those idiots…”

“Well being a mean Mr. Grumpy Pants about it isn’t gonna help.” 

Satan sighed, turning to you to return the hug. 

“I know, I know, sorry…but I know what can.” 

“Hm?”

When you looked up he was smirking down at you, and the next thing you knew he had planted himself firmly on your lap

“How about I ride you until I feel better? We can call it…stress relief.” 

Well that was more than enough persuasion for you 

Satan isn’t very fast or rough, but god is he thorough 

You’ll both forget all your worries 

Asmodeus 

Ever the drama queen, Asmo practically fainted onto your bed 

Even if his dramatics were charming, you couldn’t help but scoff a bit under your breath 

“Asmo…? Is something wrong?” 

“Oh, my love!” She drawled, “You’ve no idea! Today was absolutely abysmal, abysmal I tell you! I could just cry…Or, I could if my makeup wasn’t so perfect.” 

Priorities. 

Being as affectionate as she is, it was no surprise when she pulled you down into the bed and into a hug 

He gave you a brief outline of the days terrible events, though with plenty of sidetracks about how unfair the world is to him and how fragile he is 

When she was finally done, she sighed loudly and cupped your face in her hand 

“I could really use a pick-me-up…” He began, a sensual undertone clear in his voice 

You already knew what he was going to ask; there was always one thing that made Asmo cheer up:

“Yes, Asmo, you can ride me until you feel better.” 

He squealed with excitement, mood already improving and he tugged off your pants and threw them to the floor 

“Oh thank you, thank you my sweet baby! Oh, I’ll make sure you feel as good as I do, don’t worry…ah, I’ve got butterflies already! Hurry, hurry!”

Beelzebub

Beel creaked open your door, calling your name quietly to see if you were in there 

He was never ever sad when he had food in his hand, so the fact that he looked so down while stuffing his face with a burger was worrying 

“Why the long face, Beel? Did something happen?” 

“Just a crummy day…y’know, they happen sometimes…” 

“Aw, I’m sorry, Beel. Wanna come sit down and talk to me?” 

He’s quick to oblige, shoving the rest of the burger into his mouth and wiping his hands before sitting with you on the bed 

You peck his cheek with a loving smile that he gladly returns 

You cant help but notice the way he pauses and looks you up and down, and you can almost see the gears turning in his head 

“Beel? Do you need something?”

“Well, uh…I know this is a weird request, but…Aw, forget it—“

“No, no,” You reply, taking his hand in yours. “Whatever you need, Beel.” 

You could see the faint blush on his cheeks now 

“Okay, well…I-I was gonna ask if maybe I could, um…ride you? Until I feel better?” 

He was expecting to be shot down, but he lit up when you agreed 

He didn’t stop kissing you for a long while; on your lips, face, neck, but he couldn’t help it! You’re the tastiest treat of all 

Belphegor 

In an odd role reversal, you were the one asleep when Belphie came into your room 

You were roused from your slumber when he called your name, yawning and stretching as you greeted him 

He stood there awkwardly for a few moments, gaze casted towards the floor 

“I know this is gonna sound kinda dumb, but…I had a bad day, could I maybe hang with you for bit?”

You smile and move the blankets, gesturing for him to come lay down 

He happily snuggles up against you, basking in the lovely warmth you bring 

He seems a bit restless though, which is especially odd for Belphie 

“Whats wrong, Belphie? Can’t get comfy?”

“Well, no…I-I want something…” 

You tilted your head to the side in confusion, waiting for him to continue 

“I kinda wanna ride you…maybe it’ll make me feel better?” 

Belphie never wanted to be the one doing the work, of course you said yes! 

You had to make the most of this ultra rare opportunity 

Although, his favorite part is getting to cuddle after 

[axl-rose-lover-1987]

“You Don’t Really Hate Me”

Axl Rose x reader

90s Axl

Warning: some smut

y/b/n = your bands name

You were exhausted literally two days ago you had finally made it home to your apartment after touring for what felt like eternity. You and your band had been on tour with Guns N’ Roses and Metallica. It was one of the greatest and worst experiences of your life. You had planned on spending this whole week recovering and sleeping alone in your apartment but your manager had scheduled lots of press for after the tour. So here you sat half awake in a stupid MTV interview answering question after question. They were all boring questions too the same old same old what’s it like being the lead singer? Was it hard to be the only female singer on tour? Did you enjoy it? And blah blah blah.

“So what did you think of that Axl Rose guy is he a jerk like they say?” The interviewer asked. Shit you thought yes he was he really was. Well to clarify to you Axl was. You had seen Axl be perfectly nice to other people on tour including your other band mates but you he was always a real dick to you. He would make rude comments about you and he would talk to your lead guitarist instead of you. He was always late to shows which messed up when you would preform and one time you went backstage to confront him only to find him eating out some stupid groupie. Damn did that guy piss you off. “Y/n you didn’t respond did you hear me?” The interviewer asked. You didn’t realize you spaced out thinking about how much you hated that guy. “Sorry sorry um” “We just well hes kinda a dick” you said. The interviewer seemed very intrigued now. “Really care to elaborate” the interviewer said grinning. “Well Axls got a huge ego, he was very rude to me, and he’s dramatic that’s all .” You said smirking. “I guess the rumors are true than” the interviewer said. “Yeah something like that” you said. You could tell the interviewer wanted more drama but you were so over doing press. Finally the interview ended and you decided you needed a drink so you made your way to the bar.

Axls POV:

I’m finally done with touring for now I need a day to fucking relax. I was channel surfing when I landed on MTV. And there she was that girl from y/b/n she had been a real bitch to me the whole tour. “So what do you think of that Axl Rose guy?” The interviewer on the tv asked. This made my ears peek up. And sure enough she dragged my name threw the mud what a pussy I know why she doesn’t like me, and I don’t like her that’s just how it was the whole tour. Her interview ended with that I was done with tv I needed a drink.

~time skip~

You sat at the bar counter taking shots and trying to unwind. It had been working so far and no one recognized you so you were enjoying yourself. Then that’s when he came in. He was wearing a t shirt and some basketball shorts and sunglasses covered his eyes. But you knew. You knew it was him he took a seat farther down on the counter away from you. You wanted to leave the last thing you needed today was confrontation with Axl. You waited until the bar got a little busier and now more people were standing around. You made a break for it and kept your head low. Then you ran into someone. “Sorry” the voice said. You knew that husky voice it was Axls “it’s fine” you said trying to get away before he realized it was you. “Hey wait a damn minute” Axls voice said. Then a hand grabbed your arm pulling you back in front of Axl. “You really thought I’d let you get away with saying all that shit about me sweetheart?” Axl said in a very snooty voice. “Shut up Axl” you said trying to walk away. He stuck his arm out. “No,no sweetie if you’ve got something to say about me say it my face” Axl said smirking. “Fine your a dick” you said crossing your arms and looking him dead in the eye.

Axls POV:

I really didn’t expect y/n to say that to me I thought she’d chicken out. But now I didn’t know what to do. I was half pissed and half turned on to be honest. I was also a little drunk but messing with y/n was one of my favorite things “Really well your a bitch” I said back at her. She blew me off and started to walk away again “No no your coming with me I’ll show you how much of a dick I am” I said grabbing her arm and leading her out of the bar.

You didn’t know what to do. Everything stopped your brain knew it wasn’t a good idea to go with Axl but somehow every rational thought you had didn’t matter at all you were going with Axl. Axl took you to his apartment he never exchanged a word with you the whole walk there. Then when he got in the apartment he sat right on his couch and didn’t even look at you. This went on for at least 10 mins before you had enough. “What the fuck Axl you drag me to your apartment you won’t fucking leave me alone at the bar, you treated me like actual shit on the tour and now you’re giving me the silent treatment.” You said you were so enraged at him. He sat quiet for another few mins. You were done. “I’m leaving” you said making your way to the door. “Fuck you” you said about to leave. “Wait” Axl said. “You don’t really hate me y/n” Axl said smirking. You walked back over to the couch. “You hate that I won’t give you the time of day, I give it to everyone else, I give it to all these other girls.” Axl paused and stood up his face now inches from yours. “You want my full attention you want me” his breath fanned over your neck and his voice was heavy with lust. “You want me to make you feel special you’ve seen me do it to other people you want my validation but I won’t give it to you and that pisses you off doesn’t it sweetheart.” Axl said in your ear. You were frozen he was right. He read you like an open book. “I bet you wished you were that groupie you saw me with don’t you?” Axl said in a heavy whisper. Fuck was all your brain could think you needed Axl and he knew it he had you all vulnerable for him. You couldn’t look him in the eyes you stared down at the carpet. “Y-yes” you said quietly. “Look at me baby” Axl said lifting up your chin. Your eyes met his. “Y-yes” you said a little bit louder. “You want me to give you all my attention sweetheart you want me to make you feel all special?” Axl asked. “Yes” you said in a weak voice. “Ok baby” Axl said.

He lead you to his bedroom. You both were now naked. Axl laid down on the bed. “Come here sugar” he said to you. You came over to him. His hands guided your hips and soon his cock found your entrance. “Oh-Axl” you moaned taking him in. “Shhh ride me baby” Axls hands guided your hips up and down on his cock he started out nice and slow. “I’ll kiss you threw it” Axl said. He kept kissing you as you rode his cock. He would whisper things into your hair but one time he said loud enough for you to hear. “Your so beautiful you know that right your so fucking beautiful.” He really was making you feel special, extremely special. As Axl sped up his pace your cum began to spill onto his dick. He then pulled out and you both rode out your orgasms. “I knew you never really hated me” Axl said. “Shut up dick” you said now sorta using it as a pet name for him. Axl laughed. “You know I always kinda like you” Axl said. “I always liked you too” you said. Axl leaned over and started to kiss you. “Remember this the next time you try to drag my name threw the mud though ok sugar” Axl said pulling away from the kiss and winking at you. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget tonight” you said. “Yeah this’ll be something we tell our kids” Axl said. “Our kids?” You said. Axl laughed. And then it was quiet. Axl then broke the silence “I really am sorry for being a dick to you I didn’t mean to do that but I can be difficult.” Axl said in a sincere tone. “It’s ok thanks for apologizing” you said. Axl smiled. “Damn the press will go wild if they find this out” Axl said laughing. “Yeah they will” you said. You and Axl were now cuddling in the bed watching tv when Axl flipped it to MTV news. “A recent source has turned in photos of Axl Rose and y/n l/n holding hands and leaving a bar together.” “Y/n was just recently saying how she hated Rose, was it a cover up? Or are they enemies to lovers?” Axl flipped off the tv after that and you both looked at each other wide eyed. You both were in for a lot of shit that’s for sure.

[thyme-in-a-bubble]

orchid

a/n: thought about splitting this one up into multiple parts, but no, you're just getting one big fic. yet again, just a daydream I had that I scribbled down, just vibes, nothing fancy. also the tiny apartment she lives in, that's just where I lived a year ago. like a ghost in the attic (also also also, I almost exclusively worked on this in the middle of the night, so if it’s not up to par with the rest of my works, I do sincerely apologise)

update: i will not write a part 2 for this story so please stop asking me! you are giving me a stomach ache 

summary: “Alright, so even though I’m not, why is it that it would be such a bad thing if I theoretically had a thing for him?”

warnings: Sirius Black x reader, modern!au, college!au, starving artist!reader, posh boy Sirius, very light enemies to lovers energy, probably extremely inaccurate country club, reader works at the country club, playing 20 questions, kissing, sexual comments and references but no actual smut in this one, alcohol consumption, a little bit of light B & E as a cute date, small tolkien reference, open ending (kinda)

word count: 6023

∼ gentle reminder that feedback, but especially reblogs are the way you support writers on here ∽

masterlist | join my taglist

“All right, listen up folks,” bellowed the short snappy figure of your boss, “it’s gonna get a lot busier starting today since a lot of the member's kids are coming home on break from boarding school and university and whatnot, so that means not only will there be more people to keep happy but also a lot of stressed-out parents who await the luxury that they are paying for. I expect you all to be on you’re A-game, is that clear?” 

“Yes, Mr Barrett,” echoed throughout the room like a choir.

“Good. Now get back to work everyone!” 

Just as the herd started to thin, Mr Barrett waved you over before you had a chance to slip out, “Y/l/n!”

Watching your work friends duck out before he could call upon them as well, you gave in to the newly formed reflex and said, “yes sir?”

Not lifting his eyes as you stepped closer, he kept them glued to the clipboard in his hand and ordered, “go restock all the bars.”

“Um, why? Didn’t Tim just do it last Monday?” 

“He did,” Mr Barrett finally glance up at you and explained sternly, clearly already being over this conversation, “and now I’m telling you to go do it again. Look, these folks' kids are coming home. So, trust me when I tell you that it needs to be fully stocked.” 

“Alright,” you exhaled and scurried out at the irked wave of his hand. 

You hadn’t been working here at the Millington club for that long, but even when you consider the fact that you had to mosey up to a bunch of insufferable rich folk, the paycheck was still a lot better than any other place you’d ever worked at, consequently making it tolerable.

Now balancing a heavy cardboard box jam-packed with various clanking liquor bottles, you made your way through the glamorous halls of the club, first making your way down towards the east side lounge. Glancing down at the clinking flasks, you couldn’t even begin to calculate how many months of rent you would have to give for even just one of these lavish drinks. 

As you entered the posh sitting room and made your way over towards the bar, a collection of rowdy voices caught your ear.

“No way, I don’t believe it.” 

“No, I’m telling you, mate,” you sat the box down on the marble countertop and glanced over to spot the young raven-haired man answering his friends, “it’s true, right there in the library.”

“What genre was it in?” one of the two young men asked. They were all three spread out on a few small queen Anne couches, clustered in the corner, as if they owned the whole establishment, “biography? That corner’s pretty private…”

“Um, I was a little too preoccupied to notice,” the cocky boy scoffed, “you know, with my head being all the way under her skirt and all.”

Kicking his feet up onto the mahogany coffee table in the middle, the bespeckled one in the group chuckled, “only you mister I lost my virginity in a threesome could just casually have that happen to him on a Tuesday afternoon.”

“Who was it with anyway?” the other one asked. 

Furrowing his brows, the man in the centre of the story genuinely didn’t seem to remember, “I think her name was Emma? Something like that.”

“Didn't your mother tell you it’s creepy to stare?” you flinched at the sudden and sneaky arrival of your co-worker’s familiar voice, uttering directly into your ear.

“Jesus fuck, Lucy! Don’t scare a girl like that! I could have dropped one of these,” you held up the expensive bottles in hand, then swiftly went back to putting them away. 

“Please don’t tell me you have a thing for him,” she ignored your annoyance, crossing her arms. 

“What?” was she referring to the brash handsome man you couldn’t rip your eyes away from just a second ago? “No! I don’t even know who he is.”

“Wait, you don’t know who that is? 

“No.”

“Seriously?”

“Nope.”

“That’s Sirius Black,” she told you as if the name alone was common knowledge, but then continued as the lightbulb over your head clearly didn’t turn on, “Orion Black’s oldest son?” still nothing, she tried one last time, “as in the Black automobile company? That super old posh one?”

“…the one that the royal family drives around in?”

“Ding, ding, ding!” she threw up her arms and continued to look at you as if you were an idiot. 

“Alright, so even though I’m not, why is it that it would be such a bad thing if I theoretically had a thing for him?”

“Because that man right there, gorgeous as he might be, is the biggest playboy on the planet. He doesn’t even know what the definition of a relationship is, let alone love. Y/n, I know you. You, my wonderful friend, is a relationship type of girl, not a casual sleep-around like it’s nothing type of girl. So, trust me when I say, don’t go there.”

“I wasn’t gonna!” you said defensively as she finally turned around and left you to your work. 

Bending down to open up a small cabinet, you kneeled on the polished hardwood floor and scurried to finish your work of restocking the bar.  

“Hey love,” you heard after only a minute had passed. Glancing up, you saw the very same man you had been so fixated upon earlier, casually leaning his forearm against the counter. He looked like he could have just stepped out of a ralph lauren ad with how impeccable his clothes were. 

Shooting up, nearly bumping your head on the way, you felt your heartbeat pick up as his dark eyes bored into you, “hi! Can I help you with anything?”

“Me and my mates over there were just about to go do something a little more fun than what this snooze fest has to offer,” he gesticulated, then added rather smoothly, “you look like you could use some fun, you should join us.”

“Sir, I can’t just leave,” you cocked your head, “I’m in the middle of my shift.”

“So, when do you get off?” he asked, but then as you simply averted your gaze, scrambling for a polite way to untangle yourself from this mess, he pushed, “oh, come on, I know you want to.”

Keeping your eyes low, you shook your head, “I’m not really supposed to socialise with members.”

“Ah,” he leaned in a little closer, lowering himself to your eye level, “you’re a real good girl, aren’t you?”

Eyes growing wide at his suggestive word choice, you blushed, “e-excuse me, sir?”

“I noticed the way you were looking at me,” his studying gaze didn’t waver for a second. 

“Oh, that wasn’t-“

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell if you won’t.” He then leaned in even closer, “hey,” nearly whispering into your ear and effectively sending shivers down your spine, “if it fits your schedule better, we could just go into the billiard room right now…”

“Why would we-“

“My friends can stand by the door if you’re nervous,” he interrupted once more, reaching up to push a lock of your hair behind your ear, “no one will bother us, promise.”

Completely stunned by his bold proposal, it took you a few seconds to decline, “sir. I-… I’m gonna go back to work now…” then slowly picked up the now empty cardboard box and exited the room, leaving Sirius alone to pick up the pieces. 

“She’s new… I want her.” 

That was all Sirius had uttered to his friends before making his way over to hit on the new girl, occupied restocking the bar. 

Now standing there, alone and blinking hard, not understanding why his usual charm hadn’t worked on you, he heard his friends come up behind him.

“How did it go? You meeting her in the bathroom or what?” 

“She turned me down…” he was still frozen, staring out the door you’d disappeared through, with a stunned smile on his lips and a determent glint in his eyes. His words didn’t sound unhappy, simply surprised and even a little amused. 

“That’s nice, good for your health to be turned down by a pretty face such as hers. Also means you are in fact human after all,” Remus pulled out his box of cigarettes and swiftly tugged one into the corner of his lips to lite it, “so, that’s nice to know…” noticing the look in Sirius’s eye, “come on,” he wrapped an arm around his neck, “we’ll just go out tonight. Get you nice and pussy drunk. That’ll make you forget her in no time, promise.” 

“Funny seeing you here,” you didn’t even bother to look up as the slightly familiar voice found your ears. 

“Yeah,” you kept your eyes on the list in your hand just a little longer, “it’s almost like I work here or something.”

Finally glancing up, you met the intoxicatingly dark eyes of none other than Sirius Black, “you’re funny…”

“So,” you started moving along, not letting his bugging hold you back from executing your work, “is there anything I can do for you, sir?”

His long legs made it a piece of cake for him to follow along with you, “go out with me.”

Stopping your stride, you sighed, “Mr Black-”

“Please, call me Sirius,” he interrupted you with all the charm in the world.

“Mr Black, excuse me for being blunt but when will you get the hint?”

“Y/n, hey!”

This dude really doesn’t quit. 

“You know my name now,” you couldn’t stop your eyes from rolling even if you wanted to. 

“Yeah, well I asked around a bit about you. That was just one of the many tantalising facts I learned about you,” he winked, and you tried your best to ignore the butterflies that cheap trick had successfully sent fluttering throughout your stomach. 

Moving to leave the room, he swiftly blocked the door, making you see nothing but his annoying smirk, “seriously dude, what will it take for you to just leave me alone?”

“Go out with me,” he shrugged lightly and crossed his arms. 

“No.”

“Why not?”

Feeling like you might explode if he didn’t get out of the way, you exclaimed, “because I’m not I’m not gonna sleep with you!” your eyes grew a bit wider at the proclamation you’d let slip out.

“Oh really?” he simply smiled, clearly just taking it as another challenge. 

Squeezing your eyes shut, you hoped that the conversation would get less uncomfortable if you couldn’t see his jaw-dropping visage anymore, “yeah, I’ve heard what people say about you.”

Completely loving it, he clearly took that as a good thing, “really?”

“Yeah, well it’s like a fucking ghost story around here, so I didn’t have much of a choice. You’re just that kind of guy and that’s fine! But you just need to know, all that charm, it won’t work on me, so you might as well just turn around now. I am not just gonna be another notch in your belt, another hot new little thing for you to pass the time with, okay?”

Eyes still shut, you thought for a second he had left with how long he took to answer you, “okay, fine.” 

“Fine?” you finally blinked your eyes open.

“Fine,” he smiled, “I won’t sleep with you.” 

“Great!” you threw up your arms and moved to exit the room, though he stepped in front of you again, leaning down to be at your height.  

“I mean, it’s probably gonna be really hard for you to resist after the date I’ve got planned out, but sure, if you don’t want to.” 

Gnawing the corner of your bottom lip for but a moment, you gave out, “if I say yes to go on a date with you, one date, will you leave me alone?” 

Face only inches from your own, his smile grew wider as he agreed, “deal.”

“Mr Black! Welcome back, sir,” not only the security guard but also an older gentleman in a crisp suit had greeted you both at the entrance of the unusually vacated museum, “enjoy your evening.”

“Thank you, Henderson,” Sirius politely shook his hand before planting it on the small of your back, guiding you further inside. 

Glaring up at him as if he was an alien, he finally questioned your gaze, “what?”

“What are we doing in here?” you spoke in a near whisper, “the museum closed like 2 hours ago.”

“Yeah, well,” he shrugged, climbing the big stone steps that lead up towards the first exhibit, “my family’s a big donator to this place, so I just pulled a few strings.”

Fighting the urge to roll your eyes, you simply followed him into the first breathtaking room and breathed out, “okay…”

Even if the company was somewhat challenging, you couldn’t deny how the beauty hung up all around you made the evening at least tolerable. Your little art heart was too weak not to swoon at the sight of all the impressionistic pieces that were on display in this season's unique exhibit. Iconic pieces you could have only dreamed about studying this close. 

After a surprisingly long while where Sirius miraculously shut up and simply let you roam and relish in the paintings, you took a deep breath and decided to actually make the smallest of efforts to test if your companion did in fact have any more depth than a teaspoon. 

“So,” you started as he settled in beside you, his dark eyes washing over the landscape in front of you, “you’re home from uni for a bit?”

“Yep,” he buried his hands in the pockets of his black trousers, “oxford.”

You felt so strong for not just bolting in the opposite direction. “You’re an oxford man?” you scoffed, “should have figured…”

“Like my father was and his father before him,” he added rather coldly, sounding like this was a rehearsed reply that pained him to recite. 

“What do you study?”

“Business,” he kept his answer short. 

“Oh yeah?” you glanced over, trying to break through and see if his outsides matched his insides, “is it fun?” 

Brows furrowing, he turned to meet your gaze, “what does that have to do with it?”

“You don’t enjoy your major?”

“It’s just,” he inhaled deeply, uncomfortably trying to end this specific chat, “school, you know?”

“No, I actually don’t,” you informed him, slowly moving towards the next painting. 

“No?” he followed. 

“I don’t go to school,” you informed. 

“You don’t?” 

“No.”

“Oh, okay…” he averted his gaze, but still felt the need to explain his confusion, “I knew you liked art, so I just kinda assumed that you went to school for that or something…”

“Why bother paying a ridiculous amount of money in order to learn about something that I’m already really good at? No one is gonna deny me the right to create art just because I don’t have some fancy degree in it. If it’s a masterpiece, then it’s a masterpiece.”

“Yeah, I guess so…” you could tell how foreign your words were to him, “so that’s what you do for a living? You paint?” 

“It doesn’t pay the bills, but that’s not really the point now is it?” you reflected with a small smile, “just because it’s what I do doesn’t mean I earn a large profit from it, if any at all.”

For a moment, he just went quiet, staring at the many paintings with a slightly glossed-over look in his eyes. You were trying to catch his glances, read what it was that was going on inside that head of his, but your timid attempt at finding a new topic to blossom suddenly became the most effortless task in the world the second that he casually rolled his sleeves all the way up to his elbows.

“Wait, you have tattoos?” tumbled out of you as soon as you spotted the ink. 

“Yeah,” he gave a small shrug. 

“How did I not know that?” you asked, sounding genuinely interested. 

“Guess my pretty face was just a bit too distracting for you to notice,” he winked, regaining a bit of his usual confidence, “do you have any?”

“Yeah, a few. Though they’re just some stick-and-poke ones one of my friends gave me.”

“Aw, my first tattoo was a stick-and-poke one! I was 15 and it was at boarding school in the bathroom,” he remembered fondly. 

“Oh yeah? Your parents must have loved that,” you chuckled. 

“Oh, they don’t know.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, well, clothing can hide a lot and they only really see me a handful of days out of the year anyways, so… what they don’t know won’t hurt them.” 

Maybe he wasn’t so terrible after all… After finding a sliver of common ground, the rest of the conversation just flowed after that, making the remainder of the evening not just tolerable, but even enjoyable. 

Nearing the end of the tour, you felt his shoulder lightly bump yours, “you like it?” ripping you out of the trance the art piece in front of you had induced. 

“I mean, it’s a Monet,” you gestured towards it, finding his question a bit silly, “I think it’s physically impossible not to like it.”

“Darling, I wasn’t talking about the painting,” he clarified, smiling warmly down at you.

“Oh,” you looked up at him and couldn’t help but be blatantly honest, even if it meant that you had been wrong, “yeah, I guess it wasn’t half bad…” then cast your vision back on the painted pond and added as casually as you could muster, “but we are so not doing anything like this next time.”

“Next time?” 

“I swear to god,” you sighed, shutting your eyes, “if you don’t shut up in less than two seconds, I won’t hesitate to change my mind. You were just starting to grow on me.”

“Yes, ma’am, wouldn’t dream of it, I’m just standing here, looking at the art,” you heard him smile and peeped your eyes open to find him boldly still staring at you. 

“You sure we’re allowed to be up here?” Sirius asked, following you up the last bit of the clinking metal staircase in the seemingly abandoned factory you’d without context dragged him into. 

“Oh, don’t tell me that you're scared,” you playfully glanced over your shoulder at him, “doesn’t your daddy’s lawyer always bail you out of all the shady fun you and your friends get into?”

“Who exactly do you think we are?” he scoffed lightly, though didn’t deny your claim.  

“So, you’ve never committed a petty crime before? A party animal like you?”

“I have never done anything wrong in my entire life,” he shot back sarcastically. 

“Right you haven’t,” you chuckled, trying without success to bust open the rusty door, putting all your weight into it, “give me a hand, would you?” you requested breathlessly, his frame quickly following your command, stepping right up beside you, readying his shoulder and waiting for your go, “okay, one, two, three!” you both gave it a big shove, making it fly open and reveal not only the factory’s small, flat rooftop but also the most breathtaking view of the city’s skyline and the rabidly disappearing sun. 

Seemingly not impressed by the dingy surroundings, Sirius grumbled, “now do I get to know what we are doing tonight?”

“No sense of adventure…” you sighed teasingly, “I’m not telling you, you’ll have to find out yourself,” you sauntered over towards the small ledge by the section of the roof that sunk down a bit and had a bunch of vents and things. Taking a seat, you gestured to the cold concrete beside you and said, “now, sit.”

“You want me to sit?” he eyed the dirty surface mistrustingly. 

“Yeah,” you smiled, patting the spot with your fingers, “come on, you can sit on my jacket if you’re such a wuss.”

“Oh my god, fine, I’ll sit down,” he moved towards you, “just keep your jacket. Don’t want you to freeze to death.”

“You don’t? That’s reassuring to know,” you jested as he carefully took a seat beside you, dangling his long legs over the edge. 

“So… this is your big plan?” he asked, completely unimpressed, “sit on a filthy rooftop together?”

“Don’t mock when you don’t even know what it is yet,” you raised a defensive hand and then proposed confidently, “now, ask me a question.”

Furrowing his dark brows, he bit his lip in order not to stifle a laugh, “a question?”

“Yeah, you’ve got 20, so use them wisely,” you explained the childish game. 

“Oh my god…” he groaned as he caught on, although still played along, “okay, is it a thing?”

“Yes.”

His pristine hair blew in the wind as his eyes scanned the city below for clues, “is it big?”

“No.”

“Am I physically close to it?”

“Yes.”

“Can I see it?”

“No.”

“Okay, so it’s small and close by, but I can’t see it…” he recited underneath his breath, “is it, fuck, I don’t know,” he grumbled, both completely over the game yet also way too invested to just quit immediately, “your phone in your pocket?”

“Good one, but no!”

“Fuck, I don’t know! Am I even close?”

“You are closer than you might think.”

“Can I just get a little bit more of a hint?” he pouted in your direction. 

“Fine, it is within a meter of you.”

Head whipping around confused, “um, that’s literally just you. Is it you? Are you really calling yourself a thing right now?”

“No!” you snapped, slightly offended that he’d even think that, “just use your imagination for fuck sake. Don’t they teach you that at boarding school and fancy universities?”

Letting out a long exhale, he just kinda zones out a moment, genially scrambling for the answer and scanning every visible inch of you. “…I truly don’t know,” he then squinted his eyes at you, “was this some sort of test? Did I fail it?”

“No, calm down,” you pulled your backpack around to the front, ripping the biggest compartment open and fishing out a bottle of bargain beer for the both of you, “here,” you handed him one.

“What is this, a price for losing?” 

“No, that was the thing,” you placed the corner of the bottle’s cap up against the hard edge below you and gave it a swift tap, effectively popping it off and sending a lava flow of bubbles soaring down the dark glass and soaking your hand. 

“This was it?” he hesitated, but eventually mimicked your manoeuvre to open the lacklustre beverage. 

“Yep,” making the last letter pop as you raised the bottle up towards your lips. 

“You’re terrible at twenty questions,” he chuckled, taking a small sip. 

“You’re the one who couldn’t figure the answer out!”

“Yeah, because there was no way I was ever going to be able to figure that out! You can’t just be like Bilbo and ask for a person to guess what’s in your pocket, it has to be something the other person would be able to figure out.”

“That’s never how I played it, but if you wanna go again, play by your rules, then go right ahead, I’ll guess this time.” 

After the last of the beers, you’d brought with you were a thing of the past, after several rounds of that child-like play had flown by, the harsh chime of his phone interrupted your guessing of what you were pretty sure was the small spire visible in the horizon before you. 

Like a reflex, he fished it out of his pocket, and you watched as the soft smile quietly vanished from his features as if it had never been there to begin with, snuffed out and forgotten like last season’s fashion. It hadn’t been the first time you’d witnessed his phone be a mood killer, it happened at least once whenever he had been in your presence. 

“What is it?” you asked, tossing the game to the side to make room for the growing concern you simply couldn’t ignore any longer. 

“It’s nothing,” you watched his face twitch slightly as he read the message that plainly bothered him. Taking a deep breath, he tugged it away in his jacket and circled back to the quickly forgotten game, “you, um, still have 4 more questions till you run out-”

“Sirius,” you cut him off, determined to figure out what was troubling him, “who was that?” not giving you an answer, he simply averted his gaze. “I’m not gonna tell anyone, if that’s what you’re worried about. Who do you think I know that I could spill all of your deep dark secrets to? My neighbour Mary who’s about 90? Oh yeah, she would have a field day, if she actually remembers to put her hearing aid in,” you joked, in an effort to get him to relax and open up, “come on, you can tell me.”

After a good long moment of him thoroughly biting his inner cheek, he finally spoke, “it was my dad. He wanted to remind me that I’m supposed to start sitting in on meetings beginning by tomorrow. Start doing my part for the family business and finally grow up. He wants me to follow in his footsteps. And I know that it must sound fascinating, running a huge company like that, but it truly isn’t. It’s just a bunch of long boring meetings with boring money-hungry people talking about boring numbers. It has absolutely nothing to do with the cars themself.”

“And that’s not what you want?” you asked softly. 

“That’s not the point,” he uttered, sounding downright exhausted. 

“Isn’t it? Do you want to follow in his footsteps?”

Staring out into nothing, he slowly let the truth slip out past his lips, “no...” the tiny word instantly hitting him like a truck, “fuck. I’ve never actually said that out loud before… I don’t wanna do that… I don’t know what it is that I want to do, but I sure as hell know it isn’t that. I don’t wanna become another soulless businessman like my father.”

“Can I ask you something?” you asked him gently. 

“Sure.”

“Why are you still studying business if you know that’s not what you wanna do?”

Exhaling heavily, “because I think what scares me even more than this future they’ve got all mapped out for me is the unknown. I don’t know what will happen if I hop off the train, but at least I know what it looks like inside and I know where it’s headed.”

Without giving it a second thought, you reached out and took his hand in yours. 

“You’ll get off. Might not be today, but someday you will.”

A soft smile spread across his lips as the stressful thoughts slowly melted away with the aid of your touch and he turned his attention back to the date. “I gotta admit, this wasn’t at all what I expected.”

“What did you think? That I was gonna take you to dinner at a michelin restaurant? Some day you will learn that money can’t buy you everything. I mean, just look at that view,” you nodded towards the blushing skies above, the sun now nearly disappeared down behind the many roofs of the city. 

“Yeah,” he breathed, not taking his eyes off of you for a second, “it’s beautiful.”

Not soon thereafter, when the dark night started to bloom and the date was due to end, you took him up on his adorably chivalrous offer and let him walk you back home. However, when you reached the outside of your building, he wasn’t the only one anymore that wasn’t ready to part ways yet. When you fumbled with the keys and he eagerly asked, “could I maybe walk you all the way in to your front door?” all you did was nod, because right now in this very moment, just one more minute of his charm was all you desired. 

“Just what floor did you say you lived on?” he puffed from behind you once you’d reached the third floor of the old apartment building. 

“I didn’t,” if you’d told him that you lived on the fifth floor, right underneath the roof in a tiny shoebox of an apartment, he properly wouldn’t have dared to climb the steep stairs with you. “And just because you're walking me to my door doesn’t mean you get to come inside, okay?”

“Got it.”

Even though he looked to be in phenomenal shape, you still noticed his attempt to hide how much of a tole this trek really was for him.

Once you finally reached the small dark door to your home, out of sight and out of mind down a narrow hallway, creaking it open, his eyes widened at the sight of your tiny apartment, “oh my god, that’s your apartment?” he didn’t even have to poke his head inside to be able to view every single millimetre, seeing as the whole flat in its entirety was probably the size of his bathroom. 

“That’s my apartment,” you confirmed, not finding the size as jarring as he did. 

“Is it even legal to live up here? Aren’t these attic rooms for storage or something?”

“They used to be, but now I promise it's totally above board.”

After letting out a small chuckle, he then took one last long look at you standing in the doorway, smiling warmly down at you, “I had a lot of fun tonight.”

“Yeah, me too,” you smiled, and when he then turned to take his leave, you stopped him, “hey Sirius?” still close, he turned around, “can I-, could I maybe-…”

Taking a step closer to you, he stared down at you and uttered, “what?”

“…can I kiss you?”

Not hesitating for even a second, probably just in case you would change your mind, Sirius bent down and boldly kissed you. The feel of his soft lips pressed against yours and his tongue confidently asking for entrance surprisingly didn’t increase your nerves, it minimised them. It felt oddly comfortable. Like you’d already done it a thousand times before. 

“Goodnight,” he breathed out, lingering just a little longer.

“Night.”

The persistent knocks at your door finally came to a screeching halt as you swung it open and revealed the unexpected figure of Sirius. 

“I need to talk to you,” he insisted, sounding out of breath, probably having sprinted up the stairs. 

Furrowing your brows at the less-than-warm greeting, you asked, “Sirius? What are you doing here? It’s 11 o'clock at night,” pushing past you, the small stumble he took as he crossed over the threshold didn’t manage to escape your perception, “hey, what’s going on?”

“Everything’s going on!” he bellowed, making you quickly close the door behind him and cross your fingers that the walls in your building weren’t as thin as you feared if he was going to continue at this dramatic volume. 

Whirling around to plant his unfocused eyes on you, you saw right through him and asked, “are you seriously drunk right now?”

Fully ignoring your question, he sank down onto your small couch and spoke wearily, staring out into your dimly lit home, “you messed everything up.”

“Excuse me,” you crossed your arms and closed your light robe a bit more to cover your less then modest pyjamas up, on the verge of just ripping the door open again so that you could kick him out, “I haven't done anything-”

“You messed up everything!” his unsteady eyes finally met your glare, “everything was just fine before I met you, there was a plan, a good plan,” he gesticulated with his right hand, “I didn’t see any problem with the plan till you had to show up and turn it all upside down,” you felt your heart start to sink as his intoxicated words impacted, “you ruined it all. You ruined me. For the first time in my life, the world is a truly terrifying place. It’s never been that way till you showed up,” you noticed his clenched jaw begin to quiver, “you are like a bright light, showing me just how dark my life actually is. I didn't ask for that perspective! I was perfectly fine just wandering around in the dark!”

“Sirius,” you reeled back, completely stunned by the tornado that had just interrupted your evening routine, “what are you-”

“You scare the shit out of me, Y/n,” he exclaimed, cutting your question off before it could fully form, “no girl has ever done that, except for you. Fuck, I love you! That terrifies me!” he sank down even further, nearly laying down at this point, overwhelmed by the storm brewing between his ears, “but what scares me even more is the thought of losing you.”

Completely stunned, you found your body slowly dropping down upon the mattress of your bed, sitting there at a complete loss for words, flabbergasted as you watched his low groans and curses gradually fade away until you picked up on how his breaths had slowed, and his lids had grown heavy, exhaustion snuffing him out like a flame.

Curled up on the windowsill, backlit by the morning sun, you raised your eyes from the sketchbook balanced on your bent knees, to reference the dark-haired man still passed out on your tiny couch. 

Even after you’d not so silently riffled through your pantry this morning, checking to see if you had any resemblance of a hangover cure hidden away in there, he still slept like a baby, through all the crinkly bags and accidentally dropped containers. 

Though now, as you weren’t really making any noise at all, simply emanating the silent scratching of your pen against paper, you saw him stir, inhaling sharply as he awoke.

“Morning sleepy head,” you tried to be mindful of your volume, the light wince your tone evoked from him clearly affirmed your suspicion of the horrible state the night before had put him in. 

Craning his neck to look at you, he sat up, squinting in confusion as the bright morning light washed over him, “Y/n, what, um,” his voice sounded like it had been through a meatgrinder, “what am I doing here?” 

“You don’t remember?” you sat the sketchbook down beside you but kept your seat in the window, merely shifted a bit. 

“I-… Did something happen?” his palm lifted up to shield his mouth in worry, “did we-”

“Oh my god, no,” you got what he was hinting at and quickly cut in to correct him before your cheeks had a chance to turn an even brighter shade of red, “you showed up here last night, completely wasted.”

“Oh…”

“Yelled at me for a little bit and then you kinda just passed out.”

“Fuck…” he sighed, jaw clenching from guilt, “Y/n, I’m really sorry.”

“Yeah, you should be,” you crossed your arms tightly across your chest, “what even happened last night? Were you just at some club and randomly decided to come and shout at me a bit?”

“I wasn’t out,” he shook his head, still not meeting your eye, “I was at this stupid party with my family, some fundraiser I think, and became maybe a bit too pissed and got into an argument with my dad,” taking a deep breath in, he spoke, “I told him that I’m dropping out of school and that I don’t want to take over the company.”

“Oh…” it nearly came out as a whisper. 

Taking shelter behind his hands, he lightly ran them down his face, “I’m really sorry,” he said earnestly, “I shouldn’t have bombarded you like that. I don’t remember what I said, but you don’t deserve any of it.”

Every word he had uttered the night before still played on a loop inside your mind, “…none of it?”

“No,” he finally met your gaze, “not one.”

Your churning stomach tried to prevent the words from flowing out, but your now fully bloomed feelings eventually prevailed as you found yourself asking him softly, “not even the part where you told me you love me?” 

© 2023 thyme-in-a-bubble 

[chloecherrysip]

all the pain will change into a memory of when we were amazing (mario & luigi-centric post-movie fic, part 1!)

(My weekend got a little busier than I was expecting, but I was still DETERMINED to get this up today and hey, I succeeded!!! I will eventually post an AO3 version as well, so if you'd like to wait for that, you can (and I will of course link it here), but sharing on tumblr is just a little easier for me to start out with. :)

Remember that this is just the first part and there will be at least two or three more coming soon!! Like I've already said in other posts, this fic has become SO LONG that it needs to be split up a little just for ease of reading. The title comes from the song Casey by Darren Hayes, which for the record, is a song about siblings and really fits movie!verse Mario & Luigi's relationship, in my eyes. Also, just so you know, this part (and only this part) has some Mario/Peach moments as well! I hope you enjoy!)

+

It took roughly eleven hours to put Brooklyn back together. 

Not to how it was before, just to be clear. Not even close. Just enough that you could no longer tell right away that it had been subjected to a catastrophic tear between dimensions or alternate realities or whatever the two worlds were in relation to one another — who even knew? Instead, it looked more like it had suffered a few earthquakes in quick succession, or a hurricane closely followed by a tornado for good measure. Y’know, normal disasters.

It would no doubt require weeks of work to fix the cracked roads, replace all the crushed cars, reassemble the shopfronts enough to reopen and finally, finally get rid of all the black chunks of molten rock and huge mushroom stalks that were still being found in the strangest crevices and alleyways. But there was a lot to be extremely grateful for too. It was an outright miracle that Bowser’s airship had happened to crash down into the empty construction site mere minutes before the workers were scheduled to get started, somehow missing all occupied buildings. Everyone on the block was unhurt and accounted for, and they all still had a mostly-intact place to sleep that night. That, Mario reasoned, was more than good enough for now.

He’d jumped headfirst into helping with the emergency cleanup efforts as best he could, of course. It was the very least he could do after unintentionally causing the whole mess to begin with, and Luigi had jumped right in alongside him, ready to go. The star had worn off  — even if Mario was still seeing glimmering afterimages of rainbows in the corners of his eyes every time he blinked — but it seemed like there were some lingering aftereffects. They felt better than ever, every injury down to the slightest bruise or cut completely healed, an overflow of joyful energy humming pleasantly all through his core. Mario guessed it was some kinda mixture of leftover magic and his own adrenaline and relief, which probably could have kept him going strong for a long time all on its own. They’d actually made it home. They’d seen their parents and family again. His brother was back within arm's reach, smiling and solidly warm and safe. How could he not feel like he was on top of the world?

So they’d spent the rest of the day working with neighbors to clear debris and shattered glass, move cars safely out of the way that were too crushed to move on their own any longer, nail up boards to cover gaps where windows once were. There were various damaged water fixtures and pipes that desperately needed some TLC before they came entirely undone and caused more damage (thankfully, Mario knew two talented plumbers who were more than up to the task). And of course, there was the not-so-small matter of rounding up all of Bowser’s minions and stuffing them back through the pipe before they snuck further into the city and started causing mass chaos. Most of that went smoothly, thankfully (other than one notable incident of some Koopas messing around at a bowling alley and accidentally getting stuck in the ball return). The magician in the blue robe, the one with the wand, had vanished entirely, though. Luigi had been the first one to notice, nervously mentioning that he’d seemed important, like a second-in-command to Bowser. Mario didn’t like that one bit, but Peach reassured him that they would stay vigilant.

Speaking of Peach, she’d taken charge of the chaotic situation right away, her leadership skills shining bright in a way that left Mario quietly in awe. She’d personally overseen Bowser’s transfer and imprisonment back in the Mushroom Kingdom while also coordinating efforts on both sides of the warp pipe, DK and Toad providing support as they all passed back and forth between worlds several times throughout the day, transporting as much of Bowser’s broken-up airship back to where it came from as possible. Toad Town was still a mess from the invasion as well, and many of the Toads who’d evacuated needed to be helped back from the forests. Mario had only spent a little time there, but thinking about such a lively, cheerful place in abandoned disarray troubled him. He considered going back for a little while to help out there too, just to make sure everyone got home safe.

But the familiar warp pipe loomed before them, and Luigi’s smile strained. Mario, hand lightly pressed to his brother’s back, registered the sudden, new tenseness, the way his breathing became shallower, despite his best efforts to not let it show. And there was Mario’s answer. He wouldn’t put Luigi through that again, not so soon, and if Luigi wasn’t going, Mario wasn’t going — end of story. The thought of being an entire world away from him after everything they’d just struggled through, even briefly, was too much to handle. All day, that uneasiness had hung around him, the one wrinkle in his light-as-air happiness and boundless energy. He hadn’t even liked Luigi being out of his sight for too long as they worked on the cleanup, which he fully knew was silly and unreasonable. That was why he'd never breathed a word of the feeling outload, even when the discomfort settled in heavily like a bad stomachache.

It'll get better once a little more time goes by, Mario kept insisting to himself with a sure, stubborn forcefulness. What's there to be worried about? We made it, both of us. We're together. Everything's gonna be okay. It really is.

“Don’t worry! We’ve got it all under control,” Peach reassured him. “I promise. The Kongs are helping, and so are the penguins from the Ice Kingdom. We’re going to work with them to rebuild their castle as well. On the bright side, I think our alliances will be much, much stronger after this mess.” 

“Are ya sure?” Mario couldn’t help but press, interlacing his fingers tightly. “I dunno, I just feel like I need to do something. If it wasn’t for you, all of you, I wouldn’t have gotten to Luigi in time.”

“Oh, and like you didn’t do even more to help us?” She gave the brim of his cap a flick that was somehow both playful and graceful. “Mario, you and your brother stopped Bowser in his tracks. Both of our worlds are safe from him now because of you two. If anything, we owe you! Toad was already talking about organizing a parade, or giving you both a chest of gold coins!”

“What? No, no, who needs all that?” Mario insisted, his face flushing a little. “Besides, those coins won’t even fit in my wallet! There probably isn’t an exchange rate or anything here for ‘em. Just my luck.”

“I thought as much.” She placed a fingertip to her pursed lips, tapping lightly as she pondered. “What about a house?” 

“A whole house!?” Mario nearly choked on the air. “For free?”

Peach gave him an odd look and a shrug, as though it was perfectly reasonable in her world to offer someone she’d just met a few days ago real estate with absolutely no strings attached. “Why not? You and Luigi are always going to be known as heroes in the Mushroom Kingdom, you do realize. It's the least we could do. But…” She thought in silence for a moment longer and then smiled, the curve of it a little heavier, more subdued. “A house doesn’t do much if no one will be living in it, huh?”

Mario considered that. Across the sewer room, the black of the warp pipe’s insides spread out behind Peach, vast and unending. “That’s…yeah, that’s true,” he said, his shoulders sinking a bit. “For now, don’t worry about doing anything for us, all right?” He swallowed around a strange, new lump in his throat. “Before anything else happens, I just really need to make sure my family’s all right.”

Peach nodded. “And I need to make sure mine is too,” she said, voice warm with understanding.

She shot a meaningful glance over Mario’s head, and he followed her gaze to where Toad and Luigi were sitting off to the side. Toad was excitedly talking, making big, bombastic gestures with his pan as though he was reenacting something. Luigi, for his part, looked a little bewildered but interested, following along as best as he could manage with lots of nodding. The strain in Mario’s chest eased.

“But you’ll both visit before too long, right?” Peach brought his attention back to her, her tone pointed. “There’s still plenty of beautiful places to see in our world. We barely scratched the surface! But we can start with a nice cup of tea in the castle, of course.”

Mario couldn’t help but smile widely. “Definitely,” he said. “And besides, I already made a promise to DK before he headed back. Me and my “stupid overalls” have to give him a rematch at some point. C’mon, how can I pass up a chance to kick his furry butt all over again?”

“And I want to come back and visit this world again too!” She added excitedly. “I want to know more about the bowling we saw, and video games, and — what did you call that one thing? A calzone? — and well, everything!”

Mario laughed outright. “Sure, come back anytime! Luigi and me know allll the best spots in Brooklyn like the backs of our hands. With us, you’ll never have a bad time, guaranteed.”

Some bright, delighted mischief flashed in Peach’s eyes. “And besides,” she said, “your mom said she would show me some of your baby pictures next time. I have to see that because I can’t imagine you without a mustache, honestly. It just doesn’t seem possible.” 

Mario’s laughter got less boisterous and much more strained in a big hurry. “Right, right,” he said, voice cracking. “Gotta remember to, heh, burn some of those before then.”

“Don’t you dare!” 

With more than a little reluctance, she waved over at Toad, signaling that it was time for them to say goodbye. 

“I’ve got to get out of this wedding dress already,” she joked, holding up the skirt so Mario could clearly see all the tears and scorch-marks and dark staining, all intermingled with white and glittering pink. On the top, she was wearing a new, light pink “I LOVE NY” shirt from a cheap souvenir store; Luigi had actually been the one to get it for her, having noticed that she was spending a lot of time standing out in the sun with her shoulders uncovered. At some point along the way, she'd also tied up her blonde hair in a messy ponytail to keep it out of the way. “What a disaster, huh?”

Mario honestly thought that she looked beautiful. But there was no way he could say that, and he also didn’t want to agree because that sounded rude. Thankfully, he had only had a few more seconds of mounting internal panic left to go on that subject before Toad and Luigi came over.

“Your brother’s just as cool as you are, Mario!” Toad brightly announced out of the blue, which in turn made Luigi jolt and blush behind him. “But I should have guessed! You guys are the SUPER Mario Brothers, after all!” 

“Hey, I coulda told you that a lot sooner!” Mario grabbed Luigi around the middle with one arm and squeezed tight, enough to make his brother wriggle with a hoarse, surprised laugh. “He’s always got my back!”

“Hey, hey, I’m flattered, but there’s no way I’m as cool as Mario,” Luigi insisted, grabbing and squeezing Mario right back, playfully poking at his stomach. “Are ya kidding? This is the best guy in the world, c’mon! No contest!”

"You c'mon! Who came up with using a manhole cover as a shield out of the blue, huh?” 

Luigi blinked a few times and then ducked his head down with a big, bashful grin. “Okay, maybe that was me.”

“Exactly.” He smushed his brother’s cap, ruffling his hair underneath. “What were you guys talking about, anyway?”

“Ohohoho, wouldn’t you like to know,” Toad insisted right away with a thick air of secrecy. He mimed locking his mouth with a key and then tossing it away, winking in Luigi's direction. “No need to be jealous, Mario. I can have two best friends.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Mario replied dryly.

“It was no big deal, r-really!” Luigi backed Toad up, a little too loudly. His eyes looked somewhat glassy, as though he was teetering on the verge of tears, but when Mario met his gaze full-on, worried all of a sudden, his brother smiled back, big and sincere and seemingly very happy. “We’re all good! Better than good! We’re great!”

Peach stepped forward, then. “You really made a difference when it counted most, Luigi,” she said warmly, taking one of his hands in her own and patting it. “Thank you again for that. I know you didn’t see the best our world has to offer, but I hope you’ll give us another chance soon enough.” 

Luigi, having stiffened a little at her touch out of sheer surprise, relaxed again. “Of course, Peach — I mean, Princess Peach. Your highness? Ma’am!” He gave her a salute with the other hand, for some reason. “I, uh, definitely appreciate it.” 

She let go of him and reached for Mario’s hand in turn. Out of the blue, he thought about kissing the back of it — she was a princess, right? Wasn’t that what people did in all the fairytale books? — but that was a silly idea, stupid enough to make the back of his neck burn from embarrassment. Instead, he simply held onto her tight for a long moment, reflecting her sweet smile back at her, his heart pleasantly fluttering.

Further down, Toad grabbed one of Mario’s legs and one of Luigi’s legs in both arms and hugged them fiercely at the same time, sniffling a little. They gave his head a few soft pats in return (and winced when he loudly blew his nose into their overalls). 

“See you around, Mustache,” Peach said softly. She took a small step backwards towards the pipe but didn’t let go of him, their arms stretching out further. “And don’t forget what we talked about,” she added after a beat, delicate, maybe even the tiniest bit hopeful. “What I offered…it’s always on the table, if you ever do decide you want it.” 

“I won’t forget,” he said in return, softer too. “Stay safe.” 

She squeezed his hand one last time, and then she and Toad were gone. The warp pipe’s signature sound bounced off the impossibly high walls of the room they were in until it was just a tiny echo. Mario took a deep breath. He turned to find Luigi beaming at him, eyebrows raised high and wiggling a little at the ends.

"Shut up," he sighed.

“What!? I didn’t even say anything!” Luigi insisted, even as he continued to grin.

“Yes, you did. I can read your mind.” Even Mario’s sternest do NOT go there, I’m serious look could never do much when Luigi was ready to do some ruthless teasing, but he tried it anyway as they started to trudge towards the stairwell at a much slower pace then when they’d first come down it. When had he started to feel so tired? A big yawn fought its way up his throat before he could continue. “I just met her! We’re friends. That’s all there is to it, thank you and goodnight.”

“Look, you can't prove a thing, but if I was saying something, well, I'd start with the way she was looking at you.” Luigi whistled. Mario pulled down the brim of his cap, if only to hide the sudden warmth creeping into his face a little better.  “She certainly seems like a princess with good taste, y’know?”

“All right, all right. Ya done?”

“As a matter of fact, I’m not! She’s already got a dress too, which is really convenient. After all, weddings are expensive—”

“Stop, Lu. You better not breathe a word of this back home! Cause you’re gonna get Ma and Dad all riled up too and then I’ll never hear the end of it."

“Are ya serious!? Oh, my poor, sweet, naïve Mario. They already smelled the blood in the water at least five hours back. They were talking about little blonde grandkids when you were in the bathroom and everything.” 

At least the long trek ahead of them out of the sewers would give Mario time for his face to cool down to a normal temperature again. “Great, great, just what I need,” he grumbled. “Now I gotta find a princess for you to get the heat off me.”

“W-What!?” Luigi sputtered. “I mean, I wish. But a kingdom only has one princess, right? And you’re the lucky guy.” 

“There wasn’t just one kingdom,” Mario mused. He was climbing the stairs by then, metal clanging with each step. “I betcha all the money I have that if I went looking around long enough over there, I could find a real cute royal out there who has a thing for the color green.”

He reached behind him to give Luigi’s shoulder a playful shove, only for his hand to meet nothing but air. Turning fully, he saw that his brother was moving a lot slower than he’d expected. He was still at the bottom of the stairs, clinging to the railing and blinking furiously, his gaze focused on nothing in particular. 

“Luigi?” Mario asked hesitantly. “You good?”

Luigi perked up at that and gave a thumbs-up. “A-okay!” He chirped, starting to climb. “I just — whew. I’m a little, uh, dizzy. It feels like that crazy star hung around for a while, eh? Like, we weren’t super-powered anymore, but nothing hurt, and I still had tons of energy to do whatever I wanted. But now…”

“Yeah, I’m definitely feeling that too.” Mario realized it more clearly, his breathing already labored after only climbing one flight of stairs. The injuries weren’t back, thankfully, but he was aching all over, a new heaviness creeping into his bones more and more. Luigi was hurrying to catch up with him, moving unsteadily. 

“Just go slow,” Mario called. “We’re not in a hurry. Be careful.”

It didn’t seem like Luigi heard him, still trying to talk as he climbed, huffing and puffing. “I mean, wow! We were running all over the place! We were fixing things! We were saving Brooklyn! But…huh. Something’s kinda weird.” His voice had dropped down into a mumble, so quiet and fast that Mario almost couldn’t understand him. “I’m having that pins-and-needles feeling, like my legs are asleep, but I’m still walking just fine. Right? Do I look normal walking? Be honest. I…I can’t tell.” He looked sleepy, and then he suddenly looked frightened, unfocused, as though he wasn’t even sure where he was at all. “Wait. Am I upside down? Mario…”

It happened so fast. With one last shuddery breath, Luigi’s eyes rolled back into his head. He started to fall backwards, about to topple down a nearly full flight of stairs. 

Mario’s heart seized. “Luigi!”

He covered several steps in one desperate jump. Somehow, he managed to get one arm around his brother and pull him back with every last scrap of strength he had left, crushing their bodies together. The other arm, he wrenched over and around the railing blindly, worn metal scratching and squeaking against him painfully as he struggled to hold onto it. For a long, agonizing moment, the fight against gravity seemed like it was going to be too much to overcome, and Mario, teeth gritted, mentally prepared himself to turn them around in the air so he would take the brunt of the long fall. But miraculously, his shoes found enough purchase on the steps, and his aching grip lasted just long enough for Mario to pull their combined weight back in the other direction. The two collapsed in a heap against the ascending stairs instead. 

Mario’s gasping breaths seemed like the only sound in the world, the echoes bouncing wildly all around.

“Luigi,” he finally managed to wheeze — quiet at first, then again, much louder. As gently and carefully as he could manage, he scooted up into a sitting position and turned his brother over onto his back, cradling him. He was still out cold. Mario patted his face. “Hey, Luigi. Come on, Lu, wake up for me, all right? I’m here. I’ve gotcha.” He patted a little harder, steadfastly ignoring the way his hands were trembling at that point. Every second passing with no change stretched on, an eternity and then some. “You’re all right, everything’s all right. Come on, Luigi, snap out of it…” 

Up close, Luigi looked extremely pale, sweat beaded along the line of his cap. How had Mario not noticed that before? He’d been too caught up with all the cleanup efforts, too distracted by Peach and Toad and the thought of that hypothetical house. How could he not see that Luigi was starting to struggle? What kind of brother was he? 

The kind that does something really, REALLY stupid because of pride or "destiny" or whatever you wanna call it. The kind that not only drags his brother down with him to do the stupid thing, but almost gets him killed because of it. 

Mario's shoulders sagged. He gripped Luigi tighter, pressing his little brother's face close to the crook of his neck, if only to try and desperately ground himself in the knowledge that he could feel him breathing still, at least. Their injuries were gone, it was true, but for Mario, it was suddenly like the star had just shifted the pain around instead. He could feel it pressing up from under his skin, a deep well that was ready to split him open all the way through if he let it.

It no longer seemed like he'd just been in a magical world on a whirlwind adventure, or that he'd defeated a spiked turtle monster with anger issues and saved Brooklyn in a glorious, technicolor blur. Now, he was just a small, ordinary man in a dark sewer room underground, exhausted and terrified and unable to help the person he loved most.

All of a sudden, Luigi jolted under his hands. “Noooo more flambé for me, thankyouverymuch, I’m-a good!” He shouted, the words slurred together to the point of being nearly unintelligible. With a handful of slow, very confused blinks, he finally managed to focus on Mario’s extremely relieved face overhead. “Waaaaaaait. Whuh happen?”

Mario bundled up all those sharp, aching feelings behind a new wall and regathered himself. No matter what, he was going to stay strong, stay in control. He needed to do that for Luigi’s sake. There was no other choice. “You went down like a big sack of bricks, ya lug,” he tried to joke, even as his voice cracked badly on the last word. “Nearly gave me a heart attack! Are you okay?”

Luigi considered this information, eyes unclouding bit by bit. “I’m sorry,” he finally said, soft, a little embarrassed. “Y-Yeah, I think I’m good. I, uh, don’t really know what happened there! It was like…it all just hit me at once, I guess.” 

“Yeah, no kidding.” Mario worried his bottom lip between his teeth. “When’s the last time you slept, bro?”

Discomfort crept into Luigi’s expression at that. He looked away from Mario, not able to meet his gaze for more than a few seconds at a time. “Well, I dunno if I — I was wandering around for a while, and then I couldn’t really sleep in that cage, y’know? All that lava made the metal real hot, so I had to keep moving to not get burned, and you have no idea how hard it is to nod off when there’s a creepy star laughing its head — body? — head off in the next cage over, and, and...well, I’m sure I got an hour here and there,” he scoffed lightheartedly, waving off the thought with a wobbly sweep of his hand through the air. “Nothing worse than those all-nighters in high school!”

“You almost had a nervous breakdown because of those all-nighters,” Mario said. His grip on Luigi’s shoulder tightened, fingers winding snug in the green material. “And…what about food? Water? We’ve been go-go-go all day. I didn’t even think about…”

A brand-new sense of dawning horror came over Mario, sudden enough that he trailed off. He couldn't remember them ever taking a break, even sitting down in the shade for a few minutes. There'd just been so much to do, so many people in need of help, and the two of them had felt so good, laughing and joking and keeping up with no problems whatsoever. The time had flown by. But now...

“Pfft, who needs it?” Luigi said, extremely casually and extremely unconvincingly. He coughed, closing his eyes again for a long moment, resting his cheek sleepily against Mario’s chest. “Hmm. A guard gave me some sips a couple of times? And there was some weird bread. I think it was bread. Who even knows? It was stale like croutons. Not like the really good garlic ones Ma makes, though. These were like…like erasers or something. Blech.” 

A few sips of water and some "bread." A couple of hours of sleep, if that. Luigi was on his own, scared and struggling and eventually imprisoned in a maniac’s floating lava airship, for over two full days.

“Well, no wonder you passed out,” Mario sighed, rough and very quiet. He had to talk like that — any louder, and his voice was going to become too unwieldy. It already felt like someone had promptly stuffed his heart into a blender and cranked it up to the highest setting. “Speaking of Ma, she’s probably got a full spread out by now. I’m gonna get you home, you’re gonna eat until you pop, and,” he had to pause for a moment to swallow, his throat hurting, “and then you’re gonna sleep until you can’t anymore, okay? That’s what we’re doing.”

Luigi sighed too, his smile resurfacing. “Man, that sounds like heaven. What are we waiting for?” He started to sit up with newfound determination, only for the dizzying sight of the stairs descending down into the dark beneath them to make his motions distinctly more rubbery again in a hurry. He sunk back into Mario’s arms, breathing faster, eyes closed again.

“Just, uh, one more minute," he half-wheezed. "Nothing to worry about, I’m getting up right now, I swear, but…is it just me or is it really, really hot down here? Those burns I had, they’re all gone, which is great, but I can still kindaaaa feel them? Is that a medical thing? Or am I freaking out? Because, heh, it’s starting to feel like I might be freaking out, and not to toot my own horn but some might consider me an expert when it comes to the signs of freaking out—”

“Just breathe, Lu,” Mario interjected, gently but firmly, the way he always did when Luigi got lost in a thought process that wasn’t going to lead him anywhere good in a hurry. “We can wait as long as ya need. No rush at all.”

Mario pressed back the brim of Luigi’s cap so he could brush his hairline soothingly, wipe away the sweat. He leaned down, gathering Luigi close enough to bump their foreheads together so they could breathe in slow, deep unison. He’d done that little motion to Luigi their whole lives, an unspoken shorthand that only they understood. When his little brother was scared or anxious, touching foreheads was a way to make the world smaller, less overwhelming, if only for a few seconds. It was an easy way to say: who cares about any of that? Focus on me instead. It’s just the two of us. I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you.

(And he’d tried, hadn’t he? He tried, and he hadn’t been good enough this time, when it mattered most. Luigi had suffered because he couldn’t hold on tightly enough. Because he hadn’t fought harder, been smarter, pushed to move faster throughout every part of the trip. And at the end when he’d finally found his brother? It had just been dumb luck, really. He’d squinted up at all the cages at the right time through the haze of the lava heat, breathless from the climb and still half-focused on trying to stay in the air without plummeting, and he’d seen his brother fall, and his body had just reacted without any thought, desperation and adrenaline screaming in his veins, the only word in his head echoing out as faster, faster, FASTER. And if one little thing had gone differently — if he hadn’t found that specific powerup, if he hadn’t figured out how to use it properly, if he'd been looking anywhere else, if he’d misjudged the speed or simply missed his grab entirely — then that would have been it, and it would have been all his fault. The sight felt seared into Mario’s head, something he could see whether his eyes were open or closed. He saw Luigi tumbling in the air, terrified and yelling and out of control, hurtling towards the lava at full speed. Only this time, he couldn’t reach him, he couldn’t move at all, he could only watch helplessly and in horror as he—)

“Mario?” Luigi asked quietly. “Are you okay?”

Mario jolted back into the moment. He was breathing too hard, too fast; a tremor ran through him, bone-deep. Luigi was holding one of his arms, his eyes big and shining with newfound worry.

Mario smiled reassuringly for him, as easy and unthinking as a reflex. He took Luigi’s hand and wedged his fingers through his with a tight squeeze, resolving not to let go again until they were safely at home. That awful drowning feeling was rippling all through him, but he could keep his head above it if he focused hard enough, if he refused to let it sneak up on him again. He could do that. He would do that, no matter what it took.

With a slew of careful, slow-going movements, the two brothers finally stood up together on the stairs. 

“Don’t worry about me,” Mario said, and turned to lead the way. “C’mon. Let’s get out of here."

[yuyu1024]

Secret dating

Pairings: Scoup / cheolie × y/n

Genre/tags: Idol and non-idol dating. been friends with cheolie before becoming an idol but have secret crush to each other

Warning: (none) just something sweet and short only.

~~~ [lmk if i miss anything]

Words: 2.6k

Disclaimer:

- this story is just made up

- english is not my first language, please be nice 😊

Note: reposting all my stories one by one again as I deleted my acct by mistake. All of the stories I will be posting is all mine.

(All of my fanfics/oneshots are also available wattpad @/shinestar1024)

Every concert you have been present. You had jumped and screamed for every hard hitting songs and then sing along and cry every now and then for every slow and ballad songs. You have been there since the beginning. You had been and will be supporting your best friend's career.

Cheolie's career together with his group soared so high that they got busier and more focused on their careers than ever. You respected it and understood it. It's normal for his job.

But then, one day, something shifted between you two.

"What's with the long face?" Ace, asks while she hands me the cup of hot chocolate drink I ordered

I smile and continued to stare outside the window of the coffee shop.

"Wow! A new endoresment for SVT." She gasps as she looks at the huge TV screen across the street. The one I'm looking at. "They've been busy..."

"Yeah, they have been."

"They had an event too right? A fanmeeting... something... and they went on a festival as the main event?"

"Yes. They did."

"And... you didn't go?"

"Yeaah, I can't." I take a sip of my drink

"That's a first. How come? You always makes time for his things..."

"I do. I want to support my best friend... but..."

"But what?"

"Things at work got hectic so I need to do somethings and..."

I can't tell Ace that I'm starting to feel something off. Not that Cheolie and I had a fight or what. It's just that, my heart feels weird lately. And I need to control it.

"The last event was weekend... so did you went out? Coz I'm sure you weren't home. I called you and it sounded like you were outside."

"I was." I press my lips together. "I was on this date thingy that my friend at work set up."

"What?" Ace got all excited. "Spill the tea! How is it?"

"Hmm... it's okay... he's seems nice and sweet."

"So... a potential second date?"

"Well..."

"C'mon! Do it! You don't have time to date because all you do for your free time is sleep or on a svt event."

It's true. That's the only life you had outside work. It looks like you are obsessed from a third person perspective but it doesn't bother you. One you are a fan and two, Cheolie is important for you.

"He actually asked me out for next friday night...I told him, I'll let him know my sched at work next week."

Ace claps and cheers for me, "finally!"

*********

After getting home, I did some cleaning in the house, especially my room and then took a nice shower. I feel refreshed and calm now. What a nice way to end my friday night after a long week of work.

I was towel drying my hair in the living room while I'm watching a kdrama on the TV, when I suddenly heard the lock on my door beeps. I panicked a little as I am not expecting anyone but then a familiar figure appears.

"What are you doing?" He asks

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" I remove the towel on my head. "What are you doing here Cheolie?"

He's wearing all black from pants, hoodie and beanie

"It's late." I glance at the time on my phone and then saw a bunch of missed calls from him.

"How long did you shower that you missed all my calls?" He finally makes his way where I am and throws off.

"I have it on silent mode. I cleaned and showered." I explain

He sits down beside me and throws his head back.

"You look tired..."

"A little."

"Where you guys practicing today?"

"We had a photoshoot today."

"Oh... I see..."

Then his eyes darts straight at me, " oh, I see?" He repeats

"What?"

"Are you not a fan of ours now?"

"What? I am!"

"Then, why aren't you present on my last two events?"

I'm a little surprised that he noticed it. He barely had time now to meet me personally and event call me so, how did he know?

"Where were you?" He asks

"Hmm... first event... I'm at work. Overtime."

"This weekend?"

"I was on a date."

"A date?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?"

"Why... like, why didn't you told me? Shouldn't I know this? And since when did you had time to meet anyone and have a boyfriend?"

"Whoa! Hold up!" I laugh, "boyfriend? No... it's just a date. My friend at work set me up to meet this guy. And, why would I tell you?"

"I am your bestfriend."

"Okay... but... you are busy... I'm sure my dating life is none on the top list of your concern." I tease

He suddenly became serious, "so you like him?"

"Hmm?"

"I am asking you, y/n. You like him?"

I scratch the back of my neck, "He's cute... and nice..."

"I asked, do you like him?"

"I don't know! I just met him once."

"Will you meet him again?"

"Ahm... maybe... Not sure yet."

"No."

"No?"

"I don't want you to meet him again."

"Why?"

"Because I said so!" He stands up, walking away and goes to my kitchen and opens the fridge to grab a water bottle.

"What's wrong with you?" I ask

"Don't." He says again after chugging the whole bottle. "Don't see that person again."

"What's wrong? Did you even know the guy I met?"

"No. But I don't care. You can't meet anyone." He throws the bottle water in the trash and comesback to sit beside me.

"You're being weird." I mumble. I throw the towel I have around my neck to the side and start to finger comb my damp dear.

We both became quiet for a while. I thought he was just focused on the show I was watching before he arrived.

"You smell different." He suddenly asks

I put my long hair to the side, still combing it with my fingers. "What does that mean?"

He pushes he's hood off, staring at me "Did you changed your shampoo?"

I scrunch my nose as I try to recall, "Not shampoo... I think it's the body lotion... My friend at work gave me one. She said she bought 2 bottles of it coz she liked the scent but I guess his husband and son didn't... so she gave me the other bottle.. then she can just finished the used one."

He then moves closers and gently reaches for my neck to smell. "It smells sweet." He mumbles. His breathe onto my skin tickled, making me jerk a little.

"It's vanilla, I think and some flower." I move a little away from him, which he notices.

"Why?" He asks

"It tickles." I run my fingers one last time through my hair. "You could've just asked me if you want to smell it. I can give you my hand..."

He smiles, "But you already touched you hair... so it will smell like your shampoo or conditioner too..."

"So does my neck! My hair touches my neck."

His smile grows. "Or maybe I just like to smell your neck."

"Weirdo." I shake my head, rolling my eyes at him.

"I missed you." He suddenly says and then proceeds to lay his whole body to me.

"Hey!" I protest. "You're heavy!"

"You're a strong woman. You can handle me."

"I'm not buff like you!" I try to push him away, with all my might but I fail. "Ugh! I give up."

"Just... let me..." he squirms more to get comfy until he reaches to the idea to actually embrace me. "I miss you..."

Crap! Why is he so clingy like this. Oh dear lord. My heart is beating out of my chest!

"Do I make you nervous?"

Should I answer him honestly? If I do, would it make things between us... awkward?

"N-no..."

"You're lying..." he nuzzles his face closer to my neck. "I can feel it..."

"Then why ask then..."

He chuckles, "you're so sassy..."

I suddenly became quiet after that. I just continued watching the show that is on right now. I just let him be. I slowly relaxed after a few more heart beats.

It's Seungcheol. It's not like a stranger is hugging me. Besides this is what he is, clingy and very affectionate. It does not mean anything.

For him.

But for me, as a weak girl, the things we used to do as young kids, now makes my heart flutter. I'm not sure if its because of him or I'm just that needy for affection since I haven't really had a boyfriend for quite awhile now.

"Cheolie... why are you here?" I ask, breaking the silence. "It's almost midnight... the members or your manager would be worried."

"I'm an adult." He mumbles, he's eyes were closed all this time. Though he's not technically sleeping coz he moves a lot.

"Of course I know that. What I meant is---"

He abruptly moves, raising his head up. We are eyes to eye. "Do you?"

"Huh?"

"Do you really know... that I am an adult?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I know. We are the same age. 27 years old."

His gaze slowly goes down from my eyes down to my lips. "When I say, I miss you.. what do you feel?" He asks

"I don't understand..."

"I said earlier... I missed you."

"I heard."

"So...?"

"Ahm... so?"

He sighs and move back away. "Y/n, you promised me to be present in every performance and event I have."

"Hey... I only missed two."

"You did. I understand. But... you didn't told me ahead of time. You couls've texted me and said, 'hey, I'll not be at this and that because this and that.' So... I will not look like a fool going around the stage, searching for you if you are in your seat."

"I ahm..."

"I always save you a seat. In case you didn't get a chance to buy your own ticket. You always text me if you got a ticket... these two times you didn't so I asked my manager to save you a seat. For those two events, I looked at that seat and you weren't there."

"Sorry..."

"I asked my manager if you arrived... and when he said no..."

"Hey... I'm sorry okay? I got busy and I didn't know that---"

"Busy? You went on a date."

"Hey. Cheolie, you are being---"

"Being what?" He snaps.

"Are we seriously will fight over a date I had? One date?"

"We will... if that date means something to you."

"W-wait. What do you mean? I'm not following where is this going..."

"It's simple."

I look at him and waited for him to say anything but he just kept looking at me. He's eyes shows a different side of Cheolie that I haven't seen before.

"I'm jealous."

What did he say?

"y/n. I am... jealous..."

But why though?

I can't speak. I'm too stunned to even react.

"It means, I like you. No, actually... not like... but.. I...love you... Y/n."

I finally blinked and breathe when I hear my wall clock strike 12 midnight.

"W-what...?"

"You heard me."

I take a deep breath, hand on my chest and look away. I think I'm experiencing a heart attack. My heart is faster than normal and I can feel my veins in head beating. Is this normal?

"Look at me..." he takes my hand and pulls me closer back to him. "Y/n, relax..."

"H-how can I relax.. y-you said..."

"I said I love you... yes..."

"H-how can you say that s-so casually... oh my gosh..."

"Because it's true... I can say it a hundred times more now just for you to believe it."

"Are you drunk? Or are you sleepy? Or... are you pranking me? Because I didn't go ... or... or..."

"Y/n... I will kiss you if you don't stop..."

And so, I stop. I tried my best to recollect my thoughts and not let my sleepy head confuse me.

Then, I look at him. He looks so cute. He looks a bit disappointed that I did stop rambling. I guess he really did want to kiss me.

I am not prepared for this situation. Yes, I am a little out of order but I am not welcoming this.

"Do you want to kiss me?"

His eyes widens. "What did you say?"

"You heard me..." I now bravely move closer. Closer to the point that I am sitting on his lap.

He eyes follows my every move, smiling. "Y/n..."

"So...?"

His takes me in, his behind my neck and pull me into THE kiss.

OUR kiss started slow, eyes looking at each other, testing the water. But when he felt that I am into it, he begins to deepen the kiss. More need and more thirst.

"I've never imagine us... kissing." I say as we both catch our breathes

"You didn't?" He tilts his head on the side, one brow arched.

"Like... duh... you are s.coups... the leader of SVT."

"So?"

"So? Hello... look at me and then you."

He smiles and kisses me on my cheek. "You are Y/n....my y/n.... without you... there is no me... remember that."

I can feel my cheeks burning. I try to hide it by looking away

"Hey..." he cups my face and asks me to look back. "Don't hide... I haven't seen you this long for quite some time... let me see your face..."

"You're busy... you guys are rocking it lately..."

"Yeah... we are.. " he smiles.

I look down at my knotted fingers, "so... we kissed.. "

"We did." He kisses me on my cheek again. "Are you going to ask me what will be our relationship after the kiss?"

I nod.

"Simple. You are mine and I am yours now. Exclusively...." he bites his lowerlip, trying to supress his smile.

I snort a laugh.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing... it's just that..." I look at his pouting face. "I just can't believe this...us... we've been friends for a long time and... now... we're making out. On my couch. In my apartment. And at midnight. "

"Why not?"

"Well...." then my phone dings.

I bet it's either his manager or one of his members.

"Look... Joshua texted me... they are looking for you... you didn't told them that you're coming here?"

"I told no one."

"You sneaked out?!?!" I slap him on his chest lightly, "Cheolie! You will be in trouble!"

"So?"

"What you mean so? Your career. What if a fan saw you or anyone from the news?"

"So, my career is important than us? Like... hello we are discussing our relationship!"

And we are back to our bickering relationship. We always do this. But we're not actually fighting, this is just how we talk. We nag each other.

"Cheolie..." I get up and try to pull him off my couch. "Go... I don't want you to get in trouble." I try my very might to pull him but he's strong. "Get up!"

"Let me sleep over."

"No!"

"Why not? I always do... when I visit you."

"Well... this time its different." I let his hand go and sit on the chair across him.

"Don't worry, Y/N... I will not do anything..." he smiles, reassuring me.

"Okay... but atleast inform your members and manager..." he nods "and sleep in the couch...."

"Okay." He smiles and then spreads both his arms wide open. "A kiss and a hug before you grab me a pillow and blanket."

"Fine." I kiss and hug him tightly before I went into my room to grab pillows and blanket for him.

"I love you." He whispers as I walk back out.

Its a whisper. But I heard it. And my heart felt it.

"I... love you too." I answer

[that-traveling-banjo]

Good afternoon, everybody!!

I hope you're all having an exciting and wonderful day!

Sylvia and I are doing FANTASTIC ourselves!! Here we are, on a beautiful tropical island, enjoying our little picnic. It's always a treat to settle down and catch our breaths after a busy day of lending even busier folks a hand. Sylvia worked super hard today, so I bought her favorite snacks on the way here! That includes jellyfish pies... it's not my cup of tea, no, but Sylvia deserves it!

I admit that there was so much more to do than we expected today, but that only means MORE people have been assisted!! That in itself (aside from the snack stuffed basket) is the reward.

[neu-tronstar]

Japanese JLPT N3 Study Post #3

Welcome to my third study post, everyone! Today, I'll be making notes on the grammar point 合う to mean "Do something together." So, let's get into it!

Grammar Point 合う/あう (au)

Meaning: "Do something together."

How to use it

Verb ます stem + 合う/あう

For those wondering what "Verb Stem" means, essentially, it's the conjugation of a verb into ます form, where you then remove ます。I'll make this clear, when I write out the examples. I will strike through ます where I remove it, to assist others with understanding how "Verb Stems" in Japanese work.

Examples

私達はその件について話します合いましょう。

私達はその件について話し合いましょう。

Let's discuss together regarding that matter.

2人は愛します合っている。

2人は愛し合っている。

Those two are in love with each other.

その2人はいつも競います合っている。

その2人はいつも競い合っている。

Those 2 are always competing with each other.

合うｖｓ会う

Now, this isn't explicitly related to this grammar point, but I know this is something I always used to have confusion over, so I thought I'd include a point on it. These two words are both spelt and pronounced the same way, but their meaning is different. I'll explain this down below.

会う (au)

Commonly used to mean "to meet" or "to see someone."

This word uses the kanji 会, which conveys the idea of "coming together."

It means to physically meet someone/a group of people.

Example

友達に会う。

To meet a friend.

合う (au)

合う means "to match", "to fit", or "to go well together".

This word uses the kanji 合, which conveys the idea of harmony or agreement.

合う is used when talking about things that are compatible, or people who get along well together.

Example

この靴は私の服に合う。

These shoes match my clothes.

彼と彼女は気が合う。

They get along well together.

I hope this helps clarify the difference between the two!

Twisted Wonderland Notes

Unfortunately, I haven't got much done on the translation of Volume 1 of the Light Novel. I ended up being far busier over the weekend than I had anticipated. I'm hoping to get started on it this week, so if you're looking forward to that, stay tuned!

References

I am unable to embed this link, but hopefully you can just copy and paste it, if you want to read more on 会うｖｓ合う。

Previous Posts

If you want to take a look at my previous grammar posts, here they are!

Conclusion

Thank you for reading, and I hope this was helpful! As always, feel free to write any suggestions down in the comments, or any other grammar points you would like me to break down!

[lightlycareless]

OMGGGGGG PLEASE WRITE NAOMI MEETING NANAMI!!!!

Heya anon!

No need to tell me twice!! I hope you enjoy this little piece of fluff I wrote about Nanami meeting Naomi :> or his general thoughts about the whole ordeal.

warnings: none. fluff. nanami worries for you, as always.

Happy reading!

Nanami guessed right when saying he wouldn’t be able to keep track of you after the wedding.

As soon as you went onto your honeymoon, you’ve completely disappeared from the world. Asides from the few rumors here and there of the places yournow husband had taken you to celebrate this union… he didn’t hear anything from you.

And that, alongside his new civilian job, Kento didn’t have much time to personally inquiry with your family (or you directly for that matter) about your whereabouts.

But, well, even after all this, he still supposes you’ve been doing well. After all, bad news always spread like wildfire, and if something of that nature happened, he has no doubt he would’ve known by now.

…

Still, would it be too much to ask of the universe to have good news work the same way?

Probably.

For now, he’ll do with what he heard, which unfortunately, didn’t pertain to you in its majority.

Apparently Naoya had been promoted to 1st grade. Good for him and his thriving career, which he assumes just got busier and busier.

What about you, though? What have you been up to these days? Last thing he knew about your career was that you were planning on retiring to focus on your new life as Naoya’s wife—but what exactly did that entail? And did you end up doing so?

He’ll find the answer soon enough, on one of his unwanted visits to his alma mater.

Nanami never thought he’d be back in this place ever again, certainly not with the way he openly denounced his relationship with the community and made a run for it.

But, as much as he would’ve loved to leave everything behind and dive into his new life, his previous one would always find its way back to him one way or the other, today, it was through some unfinished paperwork he urgently needed to deal with if he was to be promoted into a higher position.

As he walked through the once familiar campus grounds, Nanami toyed with the idea that this was perhaps the higher up’s attempt to rope him back into sorcery work.

It has to be—because there’s no way a school that prided themselves to be amongst the best equipped and prepared in the community could’ve messed up something as silly as missing a copy of his birth certificate; rendering him unable to get his diploma, and thus, impeding his growth on the professional field.

Or maybe they were, and at that point, there’s nothing he can do but give them the benefit of the doubt and go fix whatever issues they’ve unwittingly entangled themselves in, all while hoping he wouldn’t bump into any familiar faces, for he didn’t particularly feel in the mood to entertain either his old classmates, or teachers.

And talking about teachers… Nanami still can’t believe Gojo had decided to become one.

Of all the people the faculty could’ve chosen to guide the next generation, they went with the most irresponsible, arrogant, selfish, childish, immature one they could find.

He hates to think that was the best option, before agreeing that if you had continued to pursue your dream of becoming a teacher, you would’ve been an excellent one, far more than Satoru. Maybe.

Either way, Nanami still hoped for a lot of things.

Hoped that he wouldn’t meet familiar faces.

Hoped that he would be able to fix his mundane issue as quickly as possible…

And hoped that he wouldn’t find much traffic on his way back home.

But if there’s one thing he did not expect—nor thought it possible, not even in the most audacious realms of his imagination…

Was to see you again, here, today.

“Y/N?” He breathes. The sight of you might’ve been from a distant perspective, and not exactly from the best angle either, but even then, he was still able to recognize the figure of one of his closest friends during his time as a student.

And after a few more seconds of careful observation, he comes to the accurate conclusion that it was you, right there, before him—as if pulled right out of the confines of his thoughts!

Without time to waste, combined with his excitement of seeing you again after months of absence, Nanami swiftly rushes to your side, stopping just by the entrance of one of the many administrative offices, giving him the impression you were there for the same motive as him (perhaps the faculty was incompetent after all.) if not more.

Although with an additional companion, carefully strapped to your chest…

“Huh? Wha—Kento?!” You gasp, initially distraught by the noise of footsteps rapidly approaching your direction, only to relax when seeing it was your long-lost friend in the flesh! A sight that felt like a breath of fresh air against what was an uneventfully boring day up to that point. “Is that really you, Kento? I can’t—I can’t believe it!”

“I can say the same thing.” He responds, the corners of his lips slightly tugging upwards. “It’s nice to see you again, Y/N.”

“Oh, I missed you so much!” You bubbled, hurrying to hug him—until the reason of your prolonged absence, and now the happiness of your everyday life, stops you from it with a soft coo. As if suddenly remembering she was there, you mouth a small oh before giggling, excitedly looking up to him again. “Well, now you know what kept me so busy this past year!”

The reason why you hadn’t been able to contact him as frequently as you’ve done in the past presented itself as clear as day, dressed up in their cozy pink onesie and a knitted warm hat: a baby.

You and Naoya had become parents.

Consider him surprised.

But not because the two had a family—no, it was well-known that this is what you wanted—but rather… because it happened so soon after the wedding. It suddenly made sense why both were so eager to get married.

“I suppose introductions are overdue.” You say, a smile on your face as you look down to your baby, giving her a kiss on the top of her head before gesturing her to look over to Nanami—her golden eyes quickly following your lead. “Kento, this is my daughter, Naomi. Naomi, this is one of my best friends, Kento.”

He hesitates for a moment when it comes to responding, still taken aback by the presence of this small child… but after a few seconds of coming to terms with his thoughts, he takes a step closer to her, lowering to her level before giving her a soft smile.

“Nice to meet you, Naomi.” He greets, reaching for her small hand and greeting her. “I hope you’ve been good to your mom.”

The baby girl stares at him with such an intense curious look that makes Nanami wonder if perhaps he had something in his face, or if he should’ve been a bit tenderer in his approach… before his thoughts are abruptly interrupted by her suddenly turning her head back to you, resting against your chest and promptly hiding from him.

Almost as if she were… embarrassed.

«Cute» Nanami thinks, and you chuckle, finding her actions equally adorable—as you always did whenever she did as much as breathe— before leaning down to kiss her head once more and place your hand on her back, gently comforting her.

“I’m sorry about that, she’s quite shy with new people” you explain. “But once she’s used to you, she’s nothing but clingy.”

“That’s ok.” Nanami responds, currently far more amused with the fact that everything about her screamed she was Naoya’s daughter—from the small batch of dark hair seen underneath her warm hat, her golden big round eyes, to her name. And yet, even with all those things, he still capable of nothing that… “She has your nose.”

“I knew I she had something of me!” you gasp, ecstatic. “Everyone keeps telling me how she looks so much like Naoya, but she’s my daughter too, you know? I carried her for 9 months! She has to look like me somehow!! But still… I’m very happy she takes after my husband; I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“How old is she?”

“Just a few weeks, 13 to be precise.”

“So around… 3 months.” Meaning Naomi was born around January.

“And I still can’t believe it.” You swoon.

To think that just a few weeks ago she was still in your belly, patiently waiting for the day she’d be able to be in your arms…  and now, she was there, with you, turning your reality into what you always dreamed of: a family conformed by those you loved the most.

You wished to say that overcoming this sentiment was only a matter of time, that it wouldn’t take much before you freed yourself of this nostalgia. But truth to be told, you knew that to be impossible—for as long as Naomi continues to grow, you’d feel as if time was nothing but fleeting.

But while you where basking in the blessings the presence of your daughter brought into your and Naoya’s life… Nanami was drowning in an overwhelming sense of regret for having missed what was an important milestone in your life.

More than would’ve—he should’ve been there with you, celebrating the birth of your daughter, as he suspected everyone important for you had done. How he knows you would’ve loved him to.

Just… what else did he miss?

“Congratulations.” He adds, offering a glimpse into his burdening feelings. “I wish I had told you before, but I didn’t know of your daughter until now.”

And then, the happiness radiating from your actions, if only briefly, disappears. Yet enough for him to notice.

“Oh, well… no one was supposed to.” You explain, he frowns.

“…Why?” Nanami naturally cautioned, for he couldn’t imagine a reason someone like you, whose dream was to start a family, indisputably happy that your wish was granted, would’ve kept this a secret.

You remain quiet, as if debating whether you should dive deeper into the matter or not… before accepting you at least owed Nanami an explanation to your absence.

Thus, you begin.

“There’s a reason why I essentially disappeared for a while. I wanted nothing more than to let you know of my pregnancy, but… let’s say that my role as Naoya’s wife came with some heavy… precautions.” You sigh. “I mean, I still do things as I always do, it’s not like I’m locked at the estate or anything, I just… have to be more careful about how I go on with my day—or who I talk to.

Because Naoya’s the heir of such prestigious family, he naturally becomes a target to anyone that might want to… get a benefit out of him. Obviously, that extends to me, and now…”

“Your daughter.”

You press your lips together, nodding.

“I really, really wanted to let you know, but after that day—I didn’t know if I should.”

“What do you mean?” Nanami frowns, concern in its highest. “Did… something happen?”

“No! I mean—they tried, but nothing came out of it., really. I’m fine now.”

“What do you mean they tried—Y/N, did someone hurt you? Or the baby?”

“No, I’m telling you—we’re fine! It was just a scare, nothing more.”

“That didn’t sound like a scare to me, Y/N. What happened? And more importantly, where was Naoya during all this?!”

“Nanami, it was just an accident— Naoya would’ve never allowed harm to befall me or Nao—”

And as if sensing your and Nanami’s growing distress, or perhaps remembering this experience throughout whatever little conscience she had at that moment, Naomi begins to wail, effectively snapping both out of trance.

“Oh, no, no, baby—did we scare you?” You coo, quick to rock her up and down while wrapping your arms around her, hoping that she’ll find comfort in the motion while you continue to reassure her. “It's ok, it was nothing but a disagreement, pumpkin. My friend is just worried for me—but Papa made sure that nothing ever happens to us again! So don’t worry your pretty little head about anything, ok?”

You lean your face gently against her head and then, start humming a lullaby.

The moment you spend comforting Naomi is brief, for it doesn’t take longer after that for her to begin to calm down, cries slowly quieting down as you continue to hum her what Nanami figured to be her favorite song— but as short as that instance was, it’s all that he needed to understand you genuinely enjoyed being a mother.

From the way you gently coo at her, give her little pats in the back, grow nothing but attentive to any need she may have… your joy was clear.

This is perhaps the happiest he has ever seen you in his whole life—probably even more than when you got married—and while his absence is something he’ll never be able to take back, he was ultimately glad that you were content.

And regretful that he had underestimated your safety, or Naoya’s efforts.

He just couldn’t help it—amongst those he called his friends, you were the only one left to protect. And such, he had to make sure you wouldn’t succumb to a horrible fate.

“Are you hungry, pumpkin? Oh, or maybe it’s time for you to take a nap?” you ask, looking at your bag.

“Is there something I can help you with?” he immediately asks upon seeing your brief struggle.

“Well, I could take you up on that lunch you told me about a while ago.” You tease, Nanami chuckles. “We have lots to catch up to do! Like telling me what you were doing here??”

“I was referring to Naomi, but sure, I’ll take you—if there isn’t any problem with her.”

“I think she’s just hungry and a bit sleepy—nothing a stroller can’t fix.” You say. “Everything’s on the car so I just need to make my way there.”

“Let me help you with the bag, then.” Nanami says, and without resistance, you let him take the bag from you as you sigh in relief.

“Ah, now that’s something I needed.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, Nanami… it’s ok.” You add. “I get it—if anything your reaction was lighthearted to what my family did… but I swear, we’re fine now. As safe as ever.”

“That’s good to know.” He smiles, and the two begin to walk towards the parking lot. “Why were you here for anyways? I can’t imagine visiting a place like this could be thrilling, less with a baby—especially if you’ve come all the way from Kyoto.”

“Oh, I just came here to do some registrations for Naomi. You know, with her being part of the Zen’in clan and all that sorcerer stuff, it’s something I needed to do as soon as she was born—but I just kept procrastinating on it.”  You explain. “I could’ve done all that in Kyoto, but since I’m also staying with my dad a bit, I’ve decided to do it here. Ever since Naoya got promoted to grade 1, he’s been nothing but busy, and I didn’t want to be alone while Naomi is still this young…”

“I’ve heard, congratulate him for me.” Nanami says. “I’m glad your family is keeping you company.”

“Maybe you can visit sometime too! I’m sure my dad would love to see you again—or maybe we can even go out more often? I have to make the most out of the fact Naoya doesn’t have me surrounded by bodyguards essentially all the time, or my siblings for that matter…”

He laughs.

“Hey! It’s not funny—I mean, he’s attentive… but do you know how annoying it is to have to tell everyone your every move all the time?” you cry. “Seriously, I sometimes even feel like a celebrity.”

Even if it’s a bit exaggerated, Nanami is glad to confirm he truly never had anything to worry. For Naoya not only remained caring, but very protective of you, and now, your baby daughter.

…

He still can’t believe it.

You and Naoya became parents during this last year.

Parents.

A family, from a relationship he once thought wouldn’t last long thanks to the preconceived notions he had of Naoya.

But he’s changed—stepped up to the role of your partner, and now, father.

It almost felt surreal, like it had been a way for his mind to explain what happened during the time of his absence.

But it wasn’t his imagination, it was there, right before him, in the form of a small, chubby looking baby that was named and looked after her father, as well as your beaming smile.

“—And obviously I want you to carry her!” you said, what little he managed to recover from the ongoing conversation after stepping out of his dwelling thoughts.

“Carry her…? If it’s too much problem, I’d rather not.” Nanami says, remembering her initial disapproval, you shake your head.

“Don’t be silly—it’s no problem. Besides, it is mandatory for me to take a picture of you two to add to the collection!”

“Collection?”

“Yep! I made Naomi an Instagram account where I’ll be posting pictures of her! I want to document everything—from her cute outfits, spending time with her grandpa, to when she’s opening her papa’s gifts, you know? I will not allow my memory to erase these precious moments from my conscience!” you firmly say. “Just send me a request and I’ll add you.”

When you once thought your parent’s photo album to be embarrassing, you are now openly replicating their behavior—although in your own style, of course. But the bottom line remained the same: it really was a parenting thing. At that, Nanami can only chuckle.

“Fine, I’ll make an account.”

“You won’t regret it! Just be sure to block Satoru though—the moment he finds out you have an account he will not leave you alone.”

And you were right, for as soon as he registered, requested to follow Naomi’s pseudo-account and saw you’ve already posted the picture you’ve taken of him and your daughter, the comment section did not waste any time to reflect the opinions Naomi’s admirers had about him: from his sudden reappearance to his “questionable influence” …

It was a circus. All starting from Satoru’s delusions.

hinata_please_unblock_me: You need to get him away from Naomi-chan. He’s going to make her boring and scary like him!!

l/n_hinata: Ha! That’s some bs if I’ve ever read one! He’s a much better influence than you’ll ever be! Also, did you make another account?! What the hell Satoru?? And @zenin_y/n why did you add him again??

zenin_y/n: Language, Hinata… also, wasn’t that Shoko’s account??

zenin_naoya: Get off my daughter’s page before I block both of you.

hinata_please_unblock_me: you wouldn’t dare. And if you do, I’ll just make another account!

l/n_hinata: I’m this close to filing a restraining order if you don’t behave!

hinata_please_unblock_me: @nanami_kento @nanami_kento @nanami_kento look what you’ve done!! Take responsibility of your actions 😡😡

hinata_please_unblock_me: Hey, why isn’t he getting tagged?! I know he has an account!! Wait, did he block me already?!?!  😭😭😭

zenin_naoya: That’s it. You’re getting blocked.

l/n_hinata: NO! @zenin_y/n  please don’t let your husband do this to me!!!

naomis_grandpa: What a lovely picture. Can’t wait to have Naomi over this weekend! 😊

Neither you nor Nanami could’ve foreseen his presence instigating such behavior from your friends and family, but as messy as it was, it was also heartwarming, realizing he missed a bit of the chaos from his life—maybe he’ll try to keep up with everyone a bit more.

Or at least with Naomi, who after warming up to his presence, was completely enthralled by him—specifically his blonde hair, which she tried to touch whenever possible, eyes widening when her small fingers finally graced his strands before giggling at its softness.

Well, it wouldn’t be the first time he intrigued one of the Zen’in with his hair. Now it’s just a matter of time to see if she’ll also follow in her father’s footsteps.

the thing y/n was referring to is this other oneshot. because why not!! let's connect them.

The last part is referencing a hc I posted a while ago: the reason why Naoya dyed his hair is because he heard you complimenting Nanami's a while ago, and wanting to impress you, he did the same thing. Although it stuck with him because he ended up liking it. 🤭

Also, I love how Eiichi is completely oblivious to the argument happening thanks to Nanami's picture with Naomi lol. He would be the epitome of this thing happening in mexico where aunties love sending tweety pictures to whatsapp group chats lol (very niche, I know 😂 that man is getting old I'm telling ya)

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this small interaction :> Nanami is one of the characters I consider to be... quite awkward when it comes to meeting kids, and probably wouldn't be all too affective, but he'll try for yours 🥺 specially for cute Naomi. believe me, he opens up a bit more, but he's overall happy for you 😭❤️

Thank you so much for sending in this ask!! it was a treat to write :3 ❤️

Take care, and hope to see you soon!

[daughterofcain-67]

𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 (pt.2)

(Beau Arlen x Female Reader)

(masterlist)

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Beau has a break in his kidnapping case and both he and Jenny have to see where this goes, while you find yourself getting drawn towards the new guy in town.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Mentions of kidnapping, nothing other than that as far as I know.

It was yet another morning in Helena, Montana.

You finished up the first few orders of the day for people heading into work. Made sure any breakfast items were warm and ready for your customers. It was a little busier for a weekday but you didn’t mind since it kept you busy. Especially since the anniversary was coming up. You needed the work to stay out of your head.

Today was a little different. This time you decided to play the news to see if anything about Beau’s case was on the screen, but you weren’t sure if they’ve gone public yet. Although they might have since it’s been almost a week.

The front door opened up and you heard the bell ringing. You looked over expecting to see Beau but instead, you saw the new customer from yesterday.

“Morning! Y/N, right?” The handsome stranger asked and you smiled kindly.

“Andre, right? Good morning.” You greeted as you stepped up to the register.

“What can I get started for you? Did you want another cold brew?”

“You remembered what I ordered yesterday?”

“When it’s a customer’s first time I try to remember what they like unless they want to try something new instead.” Andre smiled at the response and you had to admit, that smile was sort of growing on you.

“Is that so? Well… I was thinking of trying something a little different. Maybe a different type of cold foam.”

“So still cold brew?” You asked and tilted your head a little with a grin.

“Why differ from something that’s already perfect?” Andre winked at you, causing butterflies to form in the pit of your stomach.

You cleared your throat and looked back at the screen so you could make his order, “What flavor were you wanting?”

“I think I’ll go with hazelnut this time around and see how that works out.” Andre said and you gave him the total.

“Let me get started on that for you.” You replied after he payed for it. Then you gave him his card back.

Your sister, Cadence must’ve noticed things were a little busier because she stepped out to help with some other orders as well.

Cadence grabbed a cup to get started on another order that was behind Andre’s and you could practically sense the way she was smirking.

“What?” You asked.

“Oh nothin’. Just that it’s interesting that our newest customer decided to swing by two days in a row. You should invite him to movie night! It’s at your place anyway isn’t it. And Beau needs another guy around to talk to.” Cadence said and you started to think about it.

“If you don’t invite him, then I will.”

You rolled your eyes and grinned before you finished up Andre’s drink. You placed a lid on it and you wrote his name in your neat handwriting. When you walked over to the counter and you called his name you could hear the door opening up again but you didn’t see who it was.

Andre came over to get his drink.

“So, you where are you off to?” You asked.

“I start my first day at my new job.” He answered and he thanked you for the drink.

“Oh yeah? What do you do?”

“I have to keep something as a mystery. What would we talk about the next time I come in?” You snickered a little but then you thought about it.

“Hey, um… I’ve got a movie night planned and it’ll be at my place tonight if you want to swing by after your first day. Think of it as some kind of celebration for completing day one at your new job.” You smiled.

“Really? I’d like that.” Andre nodded.

“I’ll meet you here at the end of the day.” You insisted.

“I’ll see you then.”

With that, Andre left and you saw Beau in the corner with a bit of a puzzled look on his face. But when the other man left, the sheriff smirked at you before walking over to the counter.

“So I’m gonna need to grab snacks for more people?” Beau asked as he broke out his wallet while you already started to put his usual order in the system.

“Just the one. Cadence thought I should invite him over. He’s new around here and both of us thought he could make some friends.” You admitted.

“Uh huh. And you weren’t at all some kind of giggly when he said he’d come back and tell you what kind of job he starts today.”

“Are you jealous or something?” You asked with a teasing tone as you made his coffee.

“You wish.” You heard Beau chuckle.

Honestly you weren’t sure how to take that comment. He sounded like he was joking and that he could be jealous- that’s only if your sister was right about Beau having feelings for you too. But maybe he really was joking and didn’t care who you invited. It was your house that movie night was going to be in this time after all.

“So um,” You cleared your throat for a moment, “how’s the case going? Got anymore leads on your kidnapping situation?”

“Well, yesterday an eye witness saw one of our girls coming out of a green SUV at a gas station. When we asked the friends and family members about whether or not they knew anyone that drove that vehicle and well. Unfortunately they didn’t. So Poppernack is looking into how many of those vehicles are in the area. We’re gonna see what we can do to get those ladies back as soon as possible.”

“A green SUV, huh? I don’t know anyone around here that has one of those off the top of my head. So you may want to check some of the outskirts of Helena too just to be on the safe side.” You spoke, trying to be somewhat helpful.

Beau arched a brow, but he nodded a little. “We’ll look into that. Thanks, Sweetheart.”

You handed him his coffee and you looked up at him, noticing now that his hair wasn’t combed like it normally was. He must’ve been tired and he was probably working late last night on this kidnapping case.

“Be safe out there, okay? Try not to overexert yourself on the field. Your station needs you healthy you know.” You said and Beau grinned at you.

“You worried?”

“You wish.” You joked.

Beau playfully rolled his eyes at you before sipping his coffee then he looked at you again, “Hopefully I’ll see you tonight if this case doesn’t get more complicated.”

“Alright. If not, let me know if there’s anything I can do. I can always stay late and make some coffee to take to the station while you guys are working on the case.”

“Thanks, Sweetheart. I’ll let you know how things are lookin’ later today. Don’t work too hard though.” He smiled at you.

You grinned as you watched the sheriff turn around and walk out your door. Then you turned to handle the drinks Cadence was ringing up.

“You two drive me nuts, you know that?” Cadence asked, you rolled your eyes and smiled since you knew what she was referring to.

“Wait, so you really think that this Andre guy is coming to movie night?” Jenny asked, suddenly interested in the coffee shop drama.

“I guess so. I don’t think Y/N knows for sure if he’s gonna be there or not.” Beau replied as he kept his gaze out on the road. They were on their way to a few houses that happened to own a green SUV.

“Are you gonna go even if he’s there?”

“Uh, duh? Who else is gonna bring the snacks? I think Y/N is just trying to be friendly.”

“Ah, I see. So you won’t be monitoring this new guy the whole time to make sure he’s not suspicious.” Beau could hear the teasing tone in Hoyt’s voice and he shrugged a little.

“Well we do have an ongoing case. Two kidnappings and suddenly this new guy rolls into town? Come on, there’s gotta be some kind of connection, right?”

“Well, maybe not. You know you were knew around here once remember? None of us were really that suspicious of you.”

“That’s different. I’m in law enforcement and there’s not really a reason to suspect me of kidnapping somebody.”

Jenny shrugged a little, “We could have had a reason,” she began. “Before you came around, there was another individual named Rick Legarski in law enforcement. He was a state trooper that was involved in selling slaves to the Syndicate.”

“Damn… What happened to that guy?”

“Cassie shot him. It was a bit of a complicated situation and miraculously he didn’t die when she shot him. His wife ended up finishing him off.” Beau’s eyes widened as he listened. He didn’t think that would be the way things would turn out but he continued to listen.

“My point is that even though you were new in town you weren’t under surveillance. So maybe you should cut this guy some slack too. Not everyone has bad in them. There is some good in the world even though you and I deal with a lot of the bad.”

Beau thought about it as he continued to drive to the certain address. Maybe Jenny was right and he could cut Andre a little bit of slack, but at the same time he was cautious. There was something about this Andre character that he didn’t like.

“I still want to at least double check and see if he is one of the ones that has a green SUV.”

“Beau, trust me, he doesn’t. His name didn’t show up in the list Poppernack gave us.”

Beau tightened his jaw for a moment and soon enough they made it the third address on the list. He just wanted to get these two girls back to their families. Sidney’s little sister, Lidia, had come in earlier that morning and asked if there were anymore leads. Mr. James O’Riley, Ember’s husband had come in too desperate for answers.

A teenaged girl and an expectant mother missing for nearly a week and it feels like they’ve gotten nowhere. Beau felt like he was grasping at straws and he wasn’t even sure if he should go to your little movie night despite you not wanting him to overwork or whatever. Lives were on the line and Beau couldn’t let other families go through what he did when Emily went missing.

When the two officers got out of Beau’s beat up, red vehicle. Beau walked up to the green SUV to see if there was anything suspicious inside. Unfortunately he found nothing but he and Hoyt went up to the front door.

Jenny knocked on the door and after a few moments the door opened up.

On the other side of the door was a younger adult, couldn’t be older than 22, maybe 23 at best. He was a kid really but he had dark brown, curly hair, a freckled face and a slit in one of his brows.

“Can I help you?”

“Hi there. I’m Deputy Hoyt and this is Sheriff Arlen. We’d like to come in and ask you a few questions if that’s alright.” Jenny asked.

“Am I in trouble?” He asked, Beau lifted a brow. Of course it was a normal question to ask, especially if you’re a kid and you’re trying to stay out of trouble.

“No, not in trouble. We’ve just got to ask you a few routine questions about that car of yours Mr….?”

“Hayes… and the car?”

“Green SUV specifically.”

“Oh that. That’s my mom’s car. She borrowed mine because the battery’s shot right now. She’s at the shop to get it charged up. We just got it inspected if you’re here about the sticker being out of date.” The kid said.

“No, that’s fine. We’re looking into a separate matter. You mind if we have a look?” Beau asked.

Even Jenny had to admit he looked a little nervous. But inevitably this kid nodded and he grabbed the keys and walked out with the two officers. He held out his hand and pressed the button to unlock the car so they could get in.

When the doors were unlocked, Beau opened up the driver’s seat to open the hood. After all, they didn’t have a warrant to search the car itself. He cringed at the smell on the inside and when he looked, there was a stain from where someone got sick. Was it their expectant mother?

“Sorry about some of the mess back there. Turns out my little sister gets car sick and blew a bunch of her cheerios.” Beau heard Hayes point out. It was plausible, he supposed, but he had to keep an opened mind as Jenny would say.

“No worries. My daughter tended to get car sick when she was younger.” Beau reassured before he got out of the car and he opened up the hood.

Jenny opened it up and sure enough, there was in fact a missing battery.

“How long has it been since you were able to drive this?” Jenny asked.

“Well the car wouldn’t start yesterday. Mom and Dad ended up carpooling together since they work in the same place. Mom was off work today so like I said, she took my car to go take care of the battery while I babysit.” He said.

Beau looked over at Jenny who shrugged. Then the sheriff watched Jenny walk over to the kid and she handed him her card.

“Thanks for your help, Hayes. If you could get a hold of your mom and tell her we’d like to talk to her, that would be great.” She said Hayes agreed.

When the two got back into Beau’s car, the sheriff drove off with a grumble.

“Well that went well…” Beau commented.

“I’d consider it a lead. If the car was out of commission yesterday, it could have been in use at the gas station two days ago. I wouldn’t knock it yet. But we do need to find those other two vehicle owners and fast.” Jenny said.

“Call Poppernack to see how many members of that family there are. This Hayes kid may not have a sister at all and we know one of our captives is in her first trimester.”

Even if this wasn’t a legitimate lead, they still had to be thorough.

The next house they went to was the McCallum residence. A couple named Erica and Laine claimed that they just bought their SUV a week ago and they used it to go on a trip to see their family members this week and had just returned today. Naturally Beau and Hoyt would end someone to supply that kind of alibi but if they were cleared then this couple couldn’t have been the one at the gas station.

The third and final house that ended up being closer to the outskirts of Helena was the last known owner of a green SUV in the area. The resident in the house was a woman in her mid sixties named Irene Landry. She’s had the same vehicle for several years and her grandson had been known to drive it every once in a while. But when Beau and Jenny got there, there was no sight of the vehicle and Irene didn’t know where her grandson was.

That was their new lead.

It wasn’t busy in your coffee shop anymore so you had some time to clean up the lobby and wipe down some tables. The housekeeping part of your work, or some of it at least.

You were in the middle of wiping down some tables when you heard your door open again and when you looked up, there was the familiar face of the man with dark brown hair and those hazel eyes.

“Andre? What are you doing here? I thought you were working.” You said.

“I’ve got an hour for my lunch break. And well.. I was wondering if you’d go to lunch with me. Anywhere you want.” He smiled.

You were a little stunned that he would ask you to lunch with him, but you supposed it couldn’t be harmful. You looked over and saw your sister behind the counter.

Cadence grinned and shooed you odd, “Get out of here. I’ve got this covered. I’ll even take your apron for you.”

You held back a chuckle at how eager your sister seemed to be for you to meet someone, even if it was just a simple lunch outing. You untied your apron and handed it to her, “I’ll be back in about an hour.”

“Take your time, now go before Andre’s lunch is wasted!”

You glanced up at Andre and he held out an arm, “Shall we?” he asked and you smiled bashfully. You didn’t expect him to be a gentlemanly type. But you took his arm nonetheless and he escorted you out of your coffee shop.

“So, what are you in the mood for?” Andre asked and you hummed.

“Shouldn’t I ask you that? You said you were new around here so where are some of the places you’ve been?”

“Well I’ve been to the cafe that’s run by this bigger guy. I think the name tag said like Donno or something.” He said and you nodded.

“Tonya and Donno’s place is pretty good. He’s a really good culinary artist. Makes the best sandwiches.” You said, not knowing that from when Beau rambled about Poppernack making him try one of the sandwiches.

“So where else have you been?”

“Well, I’ve been to your cafe. Been to the Chinese takeout place that’s around here. But that’s about it. I haven’t really explored too much.” Andre admitted.

“Well… I’ll take you to another place. I go there once in a while especially after a long week.” You said and Andre took you to his silver truck.

He followed your directions to the bar and when you guys made it and went inside, it was fairly quiet. Not too busy and they had some classic rock playing in the background.

The two of you sat down in a booth and the hostess handed each of you a menu. You both ordered the drinks you wanted and she wrote them down for the waitress to get for both of you.

As you gazed down at the different options on the menu, you tried to think of what you could talk about. Lifting your head up, you started to speak, hoping to get some kind of ball rolling, “So… why Montana? Of all the places you decide to move to, why here?”

Andre looked up at you and he smirked, “Too impatient to talk about that tomorrow?”

“Well yeah, plus I’m sure we’ll find something else to talk abut if or when you come back to the cafe.” You chuckled, his grin grew wider.

“Well, if you must know, my job needed me to relocate. They had me come to Montana to start up a new branch of our business.”

“Our’ business? Who do you work with?”

“My family owns this jewelry business. It’s been a small business but during these past few years we’ve been expanding. The base is in Washington but we’ve opened some stores in California, Idaho, and we even have one in Canada. Montana was next, so here I am.” Andre spoke and you tilted your head a little.

“Jewelry? That wasn’t what I thought.” You admitted and he chuckled.

“So what was your best guess?”

“I don’t know. You just seemed like an outdoors-y kind of guy. Especially with driving a truck, and when I first met you yesterday, you wore more denim than suits. I thought you could have been somewhere in the construction business or maybe some kind of contractor. Maybe one of those people that buys houses and flips them like Property Brothers.” Andre just laughed.

“The truck felt practical for me since I didn’t have enough to pack with me to need a whole trailer or a UHaul, a car’s too small. The outdoors-y look, well… I like to do some hiking and rock climbing once in a while so that’s another reason why Montana seemed to call my name. No, I don’t have any experience with construction or contracting work or anything like that. Yesterday I was just exploring so that’s why I wasn’t really in business attire.” He explained. Then the waitress came with your drinks. Naturally you and Andre had been talking the whole time and you hadn’t really thought about what you wanted to eat so the waitress said she’d give you a few minutes.

“So why the jewelry business?” You asked as you took a sip of whatever you had ordered. You liked to keep things varied and when you came here you tried not to order the same thing twice.

“Well, like I said. Kind of a family business. I thought about getting out of it and start up a different business of my own. But I have a brother who’s in law school, so he’s not exactly wanting this gig. My little sister wants the business but she hasn’t even graduated high school yet. She’s been taking a lot of business extra curriculars though to kind of get her started. I guess I’m sort of the placeholder until then.”

“So if you’re kind of working on your own time, why’d you say you only had an hour break?” You asked curiously.

“To give you a sense of urgency when I asked you to lunch.” Andre winked and you smiled.

That was when you heard your phone going off. Your first thought was that it was Cadence and there was something wrong at the cafe. When you pulled out your device, you saw that it was the sheriff calling you.

“I’m sorry, is it alright if I get this right quick? It’s the sheriff.” You said and Andre nodded.

“Yeah, go for it.” He insisted and you got up and went outside for a few moments.

“Beau? Is everything okay?” You asked.

“Hey, Darlin. It looks like Jenny and I won’t be able to make it to movie night. We’ve got a lead on the case and we don’t know how this’ll turn out. We’re gonna have to rain check.”

You could feel your heart sinking but you knew that this was right. You wanted those women to be safe and you hoped that Beau would be able to find them.

“I understand. You and Jenny be safe, alright? If there’s anything I can do just let me know. I hope you catch the guy soon.”

“Me too Darlin. Be careful and keep a look out for that SUV and stay away from it.” He told you. When you assured him you’d keep an eye out for it, you hung up. Although you weren’t necessarily worried that anyone would come after you or Cadence.

You sighed, putting the phone in your pocket again and you walked back over to your seat in front of Andre, “Everything alright?”

“Yeah. I thought it was something about the shop but it turns out he and his deputy won’t be coming to the movie night I was telling you about this morning. They’re working on this case and they’re getting their hands full.” You admitted.

“You’re friends with the cops?”

“Yeah. I’ve known Jenny since we were teens. I’ve only met the sheriff shortly after our previous one got wounded in action. That was several months ago.”

“You’ve got some friends in pretty height places, huh?” Andre snickered and you shrugged.

“Anyways, if you still wanted to come over tonight, it’ll be my sister and I. I’m not sure if Cassie will be there. She’s a private detective that used to work with Jenny. They still work together once in a while, but Jenny has to do things legally since she’s in the sheriff’s department.”

“Sure, I’d love to come over if you’d still have me.” He smiled.

“Well, do you have any movie preferences?” You asked curiously and Andre hummed.

“I think I tend to watch more action films. Maybe horror once in a while. But I’ll watch a little of everything.” He said and you tried to think of some ideas.

“How does The Shining sound?” You asked.

“Is that one of the Stephen King movies? The one about the hotel and the family inside?”

“Yep, that’s the one! It’s got Jack Nicholson in it too.”

“Man, I haven’t seen that movie in years. Psychological thriller, and he played that part really well.” You nodded in agreement.

“So The Shining?” You asked and he grinned beautifully.

“Works for me.”

When the waitress came back, the two of you placed your orders and you had a really nice outing. You didn’t know where this would go with Andre, but he seemed pretty interesting and you were starting to become glad he rolled into town and came into your cafe.

Hey guys! I know it’s been a little while. I’ve been gathering some ideas for not only this series but for future short stories as well. I hope you enjoy this second part! There will be more to come very soon~

Tag List:

@roseblue373 @deans-spinster-witch @chriszgirl92

[klausinamarink]

Prompt: “new beginnings” (discord drabble from STWG) | ao3 link

a day late since I’ve been working on other stuff but also a gift to the amazing @pearynice! hope your birthday was awesome

-

Despite being a Tuesday, the tavern’s gotten busier as the hours inches towards the evening. Eddie feels the headache coming as more patrons demand beers their way. The strong stuff, they always request, even though Eddie’s been serving in this place for nearly five years and he still has no fucking clue what that’s supposed to mean.

There’s some prep shuffling onstage but Eddie doesn’t turn around to check. Very few so-called musicians in this place make him peek over his shoulder. The ones that do turn out to be disappointing.

Turns out that playing Master of Puppets to distract a horde of interdimensional demobats that would later chew out half of your body can set up high standards in music. 

“Hey, Quinn,” Jessie, one of the other servers, calls him, “clean up the tables, would ya?” 

Eddie nods, grabs an empty container, and goes over to collect the abandoned drinks. When he rounds to the third table, Eddir hears the mic being tapped before the mediocre singer of the night speaks.

“Hello, folks, my name’s Joey and I’m happy to share some of my original songs with you.” 

Eddie pauses. His brain is rattling with recognition. But for some reason, he cannot place where or why that voice sounds so familiar.

“Hopefully, someone I’m searching for is here today.”

They clear their throat. Starts playing on the keyboard. It’s slow and melancholic like a lullaby. Then-

“I can’t stand the storms when it flashes red. It just shows how much they hate the sun.”

Eddie slowly turns around, hands gripping the container’s edges so tight that it probably cuts his fingers. 

But none of it matters more than the sight of Steve Harrington onstage.

It doesn’t look like him. But it sure as hell sounds like him. But Eddie can’t be sure of that either because he had heard Steve talk, not sing like an angel. 

“I grab my bat and run to your side. Like an avenging angel, but all I earned was the loss of my wings. And maybe my tears too because I sure can’t cry anymore.”

For once, the tavern has fallen silent. Everyone is captivated by the long-haired stranger exposing his broken heart so casually. All the while, Eddie is stunned.

The longer he listens to Steve’s song, the more difficult it becomes to hold back the tears in his eyes. It brings him back to the day when the government suits told Eddie and the entire Upside Down crew that not only Hawkins will be scrubbed off the Indiana map, but they would be given new identities and homes somewhere in the country. On any other day, Eddie would’ve been avid. But instead, he stared at nothing and nobody as everyone’s cries of protest and outrage faded into static in his brain. 

Eddie had looked up once. His gaze had landed on Steve, who looked like he was either seconds away from snapping the closest suit’s neck or seconds away from bursting into tears. Eddie had wanted to follow the internal plea to walk over to Steve and hug him. Maybe whisper some comfort in his ear that the Party would still find contact. But he hadn’t - he was still too shocked and tired from his healing injuries to even get up.

That was the last time anyone had seen or spoken to each other.

“The storm continues. I keep walking, the bat in my hands. Hoping to-” Steve brings his gaze up, eyes flickering through the crowd. 

And, like a magnet, they land directly on Eddie.

Eddie is half a room away from the stage but he sees the exact second of Steve’s expression changing from painful reminiscence to disbelieved shock. Eddie himself feels his heart stopping mid-beat, unable to move or even try a silly wave back. 

The crowd applauds, mistaking Steve’s silence as the end of his song. It’s by then that Eddie hurries outside. 

-

Eddie’s on his second cigarette when the side doors swing open. He expects the manager Ripley to give him shit again, but it’s only Steve with his keyboard slung over his back. 

Steve stares at him again. When the door closes with a click, he says hoarsely, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Eddie greets back.

They both stare at each other, taking in the sights. Eddie had long cut his hair short and kept his curls trimmed behind the ears. Steve’s hair had grown (as if it wasn’t already long when Eddie last saw him) and appears to be sun-bleached. Even their clothes got reversed; with Eddie wearing polos (as per tavern guidelines) while Steve’s clearly taking denim vests and a darker palette. 

Eddie expects the change. But it still hurts him somewhere that yeah, it’s been six years. 

“Sorry, it’s weird to see you without long hair.” Steve breaks the silence, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. 

Eddie laughs, “Well, when you got a name like Joseph Quinn, you gotta try and look like the guy.”

Steve raises his eyebrows, “That’s what they renamed you?”

“Yep,” Eddie nods solemnly, “But I’m still Eddie Munson at heart. What’s yours?”

Steve looks away, a blush rising on his cheeks. “It’s terrible.”

“Dude, you literally introduced yourself as Joey just now.”

“That’s how terrible my government-mandated name is!”

“Tell meeee!” Eddie starts poking at Steve’s ribs, making the other man burst into laughter. Steve grabs onto Eddie’s wrists, stopping him just inches from his face. Eddie catches his breath, unable to stop himself from briefly glancing down at Steve’s lips. He sees Steve doing the same, even licking his lips.

“I got a trailer parked in one of the lots nearby.” Steve says softly. “If you want-”

“Yeah.” Eddie’s voice catches in his throat. He swallows and says again, “Yeah. Of course.”

They walk together, forcing themselves to keep their hands at their respective sides. Eddie’s heart pounds in his chest as they arrive at Steve’s trailer, a Winnebago that’s smaller than the one Eddie had hotwired for him years ago. The moment they step inside, Eddie lurches forward and pulls Steve into a sheering kiss. Steve moans and grips his hands on Eddie’s hips while Eddie tangles his fingers into Steve’s hair.

Eddie lets Steve take him apart first, squeezing his hand tight as Steve whispers sweet nothings to his skin. Then Eddie flips them over and does the same to Steve, telling himself to go slow even though Steve is urging him the opposite. After they’re both spent, they stay in each other’s arms, gulping down air and tears. 

“I never thought I would see you again.” Eddie confesses quietly, tracing nonsense patterns between the tiny moles and rough scars on Steve’s arms. 

“I couldn’t just live this new staleass life without seeing everyone again. Even if it would take me decades to find them again.” Steve’s eyes are soft and sad as he stares into Eddie. He has a finger circling around the puckered scar on Eddie’s cheek. 

“So you go around the fifty states singing on the keys hoping to see one of them at a bar?” Eddie asks.

Steve huffs, “This is my side gig. But yeah, I guess you can call that wishful thinking.”

“Where did they send you?”

“Oregon. Too wet there.”

“That’s what he said.” Eddie can’t resist saying, earning a playful flick on the cheek. He hears himself turn somber when he asks, “Did you find anyone from the Party?”

“Robin in ‘88. She was in New York.” Steve smiles, undoubtedly proud to reunite with his platonic soulmate. “She refused to let me leave for a whole year.”

“Good for her. Who else?”

Steve falls silent and shifts his gaze up to the ceiling. “I haven’t found anyone since. Probably because I’m too dumb-”

“Don’t even say that.” Eddie cradles a hand on Steve’s cheek, tilting him to face him again. “You’re not an idiot, Steve. You should give yourself credit for actually finding Robin and me, even if it was dumb luck with me.” He wipes a thumb underneath Steve’s eye as a tear trails out. “Besides, it’s the government’s fault for thinking they can separate us all forever.” 

Steve gives a wet laugh. “So much for new beginnings, right?”

Eddie presses another kiss on him. One on his lips, then two more where the twin moles lay on Steve’s cheek. “Not if we keep searching together.”

Steve stares at him. His eyes go wide before they soften. “Together?” 

“And ever.” Eddie confirms. Steve makes a small disbelieving voice before leaning in to kiss Eddie, holding them together as long as they can.

It tastes like a vow.

[cardinal-copia-popia]

You and Only You

I know I'm late for Valentine's Day (today was busier than expected), but I finally got this one-shot done that I've been working on for months now at this point. Enjoy!

Summary: Copia is ready to take things to the next level with you, but his insecurities get in the way.

Mirrored here on AO3

NSFW under the cut

Copia nervously checked his appearance again, passing a hand over his hair to smooth down an errant strand. He then cleared his throat and set his shoulders.

“Hello, cara mia,” he said to himself in the mirror and held out the bouquet of roses clutched in his hand. “These, uh… These are for you. I picked them myself.” Copia sighed, shook his head, and straightened again. “Hello, cara mia. You look lovely tonight. For you.” He held out the roses again. “Better,” he said with a nod and headed out the door.

He had been looking forward to his date with you for over a week now, having big plans in mind. Primo had been kind enough to let him use a part of the garden for this evening, as well as allowing him to pick some roses. 

Copia was beyond nervous, but he was also excited. He had every intention of finally telling you that he loved you, mostly confident that you felt the same. And if things went according to plan, well, then he would let things progress naturally from there. He would finally let it happen. 

He was on his way now to pick you up, his pace quick and a skip in his step. He just wanted to see you again, to be near you again, even if he chickened out and did not confess. 

Copia came upon the place he knew you would be waiting, but the bench was empty. Instead, he found you in the room at the end of the hall — the room typically used by Primo, Secondo, and Terzo to play UNO. He heard your laugh before he saw you. It made him smile.

But then you came into view, and his smile fell. There you were, seated between Secondo and Terzo, cards in one hand and your other on Terzo’s arm as you laughed at whatever he had said. Terzo leaned close, a lascivious smirk on his lips, and said something else, making you laugh even harder before swatting at him to get him away.

Copia’s shoulders dropped, an ache forming in his chest. He never got you to laugh like that… He knew he was not like Terzo, or Secondo for that matter, but how could he compete with them? Especially when you seemed to enjoy their company so much. Dejectedly, with tears stinging his eyes, Copia turned away, dropping the roses into the trash bin in the hallway.

Meanwhile, you shoved Terzo away. “You’re terrible!” you exclaimed.

Terzo chuckled. “Am I wrong?”

“Doesn’t matter! Don’t talk about Copia like that! So what if he is? That just makes me like him even more.” Terzo had been teasing you about your relationship with Copia, but now he was beginning to get a little too personal. You had to defend your boyfriend.

Secondo shook his head. “You won’t change her mind, Fratellino. She is too smitten with the cardinale.”

“Hmph, well, perhaps this will be good for him,” Terzo said, sniffing dismissively. “Give him a boost of confidence.” 

You shook your head, glancing toward the door. Copia was late, which was why you started playing UNO with Terzo and Secondo in the first place. You had been waiting in the hallway at first, but Terzo had seen you and invited you to sit and talk with him and his brother. You were enjoying yourself, but you were more impatient for Copia to arrive. 

Terzo noticed your distraction. “He will be here, Sorella.”

“This is Copia we’re talking about, Papa. He’s rarely ever late.”

“Well, then,” Secondo said, laying his cards down. “Why don’t we go look for him, hm?” He stood and then pinned Terzo with a severe look. “Do not look at my cards. I will know.”

Terzo smiled innocently at him, or as innocent as Terzo could look. You chuckled and shook your head. This was why you liked hanging out with them. And you appreciated Secondo’s offer, so you quickly followed him.

You walked a little way down the hallway, half expecting to see Copia round the corner. Your shoulders dropped, disappointed. Where was he? You just turned back toward Terzo, who called your name.

He was standing by the bench you had been sitting on earlier, lifting a bouquet of roses out of the trash bin next to it. “These are freshly picked. I, uh… think these might have been meant for you.”

Now, your hopes dropped even more. Copia had been here but left. “Why would he have thrown them away?”

Terzo frowned and looked at Secondo, who was staring at the roses thoughtfully. 

“Perhaps he saw you with us and got the wrong impression,” Secondo offered.

“But I—” you began, but as you looked at Terzo, you realized Secondo was probably right. It was no secret that you and Terzo were close, but you were only friends. At least, to you and Terzo, that was the case. You understood how others might think there might be more, especially with how comfortable the two of you were around each other. That was likely what Copia saw and chickened out. You knew he had been dubious about you returning his feelings at first, so this made sense. And it hurt. You loved him; why could he not see it?

You grabbed the roses from Terzo and hurried back down the hallway.

“Sorella?” Terzo called after you.

“I’ve got to find him!” you called back.

You knew Copia well enough to know he was likely in his office, which turned out to be the case. You knocked, but you did not wait for his answer. He was seated at his desk, obviously trying to look busy, but you could tell by the set of his shoulders and the furrow in his brow that he was distracted. Still, you kept your expression neutral, wanting to find out the truth first.

You slowly approached his desk, holding the roses behind your back, noting that he glanced up at you and tensed. “Copia?”

“Sì, Sorella?” You winced. He never called you ‘Sorella’ nowadays. “What can I do for you?”

“I was waiting for you. I thought we had plans.”

“Something came up,” Copia replied simply, still not looking at you. He was nervously sifting through some papers, the only thing that betrayed his unease. “I am sorry; I should have sent word to you.”

Now you felt angry. You revealed the roses and dropped them onto his desk. Copia cringed and ceased his movements, sitting back in his chair, knowing he could not get out of this so easily.

“You left these,” you said, willing your voice to remain level. You were hurt, more so because he would think, after all this time, that you might be… cheating on him. “In a trashcan.”

He looked away, now more obviously upset. “You were busy. You seemed to be having a much better time with Terzo.”

“I was waiting for you, and Terzo invited me to play UNO to pass the time,” you replied evenly. "That's all."

Copia stood slowly, tensely. "I see. Well… Perhaps it would be best if we, uh… Postponed."

His hands were clenched at his side as if he was trying to hold it together, but you could see his expression begin to crumple. You quickly stepped around the desk, putting yourself between it and him.

"Copia, please talk to me. This is more than just about Terzo, isn't it?"

Now you could see tears fill his eyes though he was refusing to look at you. He shook his head. "It's nothing."

"This isn't nothing," you said gently, reaching up to touch his cheek. He immediately turned his face into your touch.

"I think too much sometimes," he admitted quietly. “I think that… That I am not good enough for you. I mean, how could you—” He broke off, swallowing hard.

You tried to meet his eyes, but he refused. “How could I what?”

"How could you love someone like me?"

Your heart broke at the quiet, pain-filled question. Tears welled in your eyes. “Oh, Copia,” you whispered, taking his face in your hands and kissing him on the cheek. “Sweetheart… I do love you. And I was hoping to tell you tonight. I love you, Copia, and I hope you feel the same.”

Copia looked up at you, his eyes shining. He looked almost scared but mostly unbelieving. “You love me?”

“Yes, I do,” you responded, smiling and stroking his cheeks with your thumbs. “I have for some time.”

“I love you, too, cara mia,” he whispered.

You closed the distance between the two of you and kissed him gently. Copia whimpered slightly, pressing closer to you, his hands coming to rest on your hips. You smiled into the kiss, still lightly stroking his cheeks.

“My sweet Copia, I love you so much.”

He pulled you closer, resting his forehead against yours. “I love you so much, too, tesoro mio. So much it hurts sometimes. And I am sorry I have ruined this evening.”

“You haven’t,” you assured, shaking your head. “The night’s still young.”

“I had so much planned… A picnic out in the garden, dancing under the stars….”

“We can still do that.”

Copia pulled away from you, looking ashamed. “I am sorry, cara mia, I… I gave away our picnic to a couple of siblings I passed by on my way here, thinking I would not need it anymore...”

You pulled him back to you and tilted his head up to look at you. You hated seeing him look so sad. “We can still dance. We can dance right here if you want. I don’t care what we do, Copia, so long as I get to spend time with you.”

He gazed at you for a long moment, hope now glimmering in his eyes, before nodding. “Sì. Sì, we will dance.”

He led you away from the desk and hesitantly took you into his arms. You smiled warmly at him, hoping to ease his nerves. There was no music, but you did not need any. The only thing that mattered was being in each other's arms, gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes.

You eventually ended up resting your head against his chest, where you could hear his heart beating. Copia rested his head against yours, his arms snug around you, keeping you as close as possible while still being able to sway back and forth.

After several long moments of this, you felt him take a deep breath. "I had other plans for this evening as well, amore," he said quietly, hesitantly. "But this is perfect enough… More than perfect."

"What were they?" you asked, lifting your head to look at him.

There was a deep blush on his cheeks as he continued to hesitate. "I, uh… Well, since we were to be outside under the stars, after dinner and dancing, I had hoped…" He cleared his throat and closed his eyes. "I had hoped, perhaps, we… might make love."

You stared at him for a long moment, the love you felt for him making your chest feel tight and his admission sending a thrill through you.

"We could still do that, too," you whispered. Copia's eyes shot open, obviously not expecting your response. You smiled. "Maybe not outside under the stars, but right here. We can save the other for another time."

Copia swallowed hard. "You want to do it here? Now?"

"Only if you want to," you said, lifting your hand to his cheek again. Copia practically melted into your touch.

"I want to, amore. Satana, I want to, more than anything. I want to finally become one with you."

You kissed him gently before steering him toward the couch near the window of his office. You would not even think about locking the door until later, but it was late enough in the evening that no one should be coming by.

You climbed onto Copia's lap once he was seated and took a moment to admire him. He was looking up at you, wide-eyed, waiting to see what you would do.

"Above all else, Copia," you murmured, your fingers tracing over his face, memorizing everything about his features, "know that I love you and only you. You are who I want, who I crave, who I love. I love you because you're you and all that entails. Never forget that."

Copia whispered your name, and fresh tears filled his eyes. You had not meant to make him cry again, even if they were happy tears. But no more tears tonight, you decided. Tonight, the pair of you were going to bed together, to sleep tucked safely and securely in each other's arms, how it should be. How it should always have been.

But right now, you needed to help him forget what had transpired earlier, to forget that he had seen you talking and laughing with Terzo. To forget that he had ever felt heartache at the thought of you not loving him.

You would prove to him that you did, even if it took a lifetime. And that was what you wanted with him. You wanted forever.

You kissed Copia gently at first, but with his hands tentatively caressing you, the kiss became passionate quickly. Fortunately, you could tell it was working in distracting him. He seemed to lose himself and got bolder with his hands, even going so far as to move them between you to knead your breasts. You both broke the kiss simultaneously, letting out shaky breaths.

He whispered your name again, this time heatedly, lustfully. It sent fire through your veins, the heat settling between your legs that made you ache for him.

You kissed him hard now, making him hum and pull you tighter to him by your hips. The movement pressed your core against his crotch, letting you feel him begin to harden within the confines of his pants under his cassock. You kissed and nipped at his lips before sweeping your tongue into his mouth, tangling it with his. Copia moaned more loudly this time, his body reacting immediately. The heat between you two was becoming nearly unbearable with your clothes on.

You pulled away by sucking on his bottom lip, drawing out a whimper from him, and then glanced down between the two of you at where he was helplessly grinding against you.

"I want you, Copia," you breathed, meeting the movements of his hips with your own. You also moaned, just as desperate as him for more. "I need you."

Copia's head fell back against the couch as he nodded jerkily, his eyes squeezed closed. "Sì! Sì, per favore, amore mio. Ho bisogno di essere dentro di te. Per favore, l'ho desiderato per così tanto tempo.” 

You dipped your head, pressing your lips over his pulse point to feel the blood racing through his veins. "Too long," you whispered. You grabbed his chin, getting him to look at you. The look of unadulterated want and desire in his half-lidded, mismatched gaze thrilled you even more. "Fuck me, Copia. Please."

His eyes widened as he stared at you for a moment before nodding. "Sì, sì. Let me…"

He pushed you back on his lap enough to begin fumbling with the buttons on his cassock. You could see his hands trembling, so you quickly covered them and smiled sweetly at him. Oh, how you loved this man…

"Let me help," you said, pulling him to his feet.

Both of you now a tad calmer, you set about undressing each other, though as each layer disappeared, the desperateness and nervousness returned. Copia had you mostly undressed first. He moaned softly at the sight of you clad in only your underwear.

"Caro Satana, sei bellissima. Come può una persona così bella essere attratta da me?"

"Because you're you, my love," you told him as you pushed his shirt off his shoulders. With a shaky breath, you lightly ran your hands over his bare chest, your fingers tangling in the hair there. "You're gorgeous and perfect, and Satan, look at you…"

Copia gasped and pushed his hips into your touch as you cupped him through his pants. You kissed him again.

"And I want you to take me," you murmured. "Make love to me."

You stepped away from him and laid down on the couch, stretched out in invitation. Copia's ravenous gaze was glued to you as he drank in the sight. He quickly removed the rest of his clothes, finally leaving him standing before you, naked. Your desire for him grew, and your fingers itched to touch him as your gaze dropped to his heavy, erect, and leaking cock that betrayed just how desperate he was for you; you ached to be filled by him.

"Wait," you said quickly, sitting up and stopping him before he could climb on top of you. 

He let out a shaky breath as your attention focused on his cock. You wrapped your hand around his hard, heated flesh, using the precum that had gathered at the tip to help slick your movements as you stroked him. 

"Cazzo, amore, non troppo. Non durerò," he gasped.

You wanted to taste him, to make him come totally undone by your mouth, but that would have to wait. Still, you leaned forward and kissed the tip of his cock, drawing out a pitiful whine from him. He wanted it, too.

"Another time," you said, releasing him and laying back again. You pulled your underwear off and tossed them away. You could not help but smile at Copia's groan as you parted your legs, baring yourself entirely to his gaze. "Come here, my love."

Copia knelt on the couch between your legs, his eyes never leaving your glistening core. He reached out tentatively to touch you. You both moaned. 

"Ti ho davvero fatto così bagnato?" he whispered, easily slipping a finger into you.

"Yes," you gasped. "You have. Please, Copia, I'm ready. I need you."

All he could do was nod, his breath now coming faster as he grasped his shaft and shuffled close enough to drag the head of his cock down from your clit to your entrance and back up again. He did this a few times until he could not take it anymore. Your hands tightly gripped the couch as he lined himself up and began to ease himself into you. Both of you moaned as he slowly filled you, overwhelmed by the feeling of finally becoming one. Why had it taken you so long?

“I will not last long, amore; I am sorry,” he said through gritted teeth as he began moving, his thrusts slow and deliberate.

Each drag and push of his cock within you had you gasping for breath. “Neither will I,” you managed to respond and pulled him down to kiss him again. Copia clutched at the cushion beneath you as his thrusts sped up. “Copia,” you whined. “I love you so much. And you feel so good.”

He whimpered and began muttering broken phrases of praise and love in his native tongue. Knowing he was so close — that you had overwhelmed him to enough to have him already on the edge — and likely holding on for your sake thrilled you and pushed you closer that much faster. You clung to his shoulders.

"Copia," you gasped. "You can let go."

His hips stuttered, and he sucked in a sharp breath. "But—"

"It's okay. Let. Go."

Copia moaned, his thrusts becoming frantic. In the next few moments, you felt him tense and begin to cum. You followed him over a second later, crying out his name in your pleasure as your walls squeezed and milked him for all he was worth. You held onto each other tightly, sighing and gasping for breath as the last waves of pleasure ebbed away, leaving you a panting, sweaty mess of tangled limbs on the narrow couch. Copia pressed close to you, breathing you in while you stroked your fingers through his hair, basking in all that was him. Your dear, sweet Copia, who meant the world to you.

“I had never done that before,” he whispered into your neck after several long moments.

You kissed his forehead. “I know.”

Copia lifted up, his brow furrowed and his expression concerned. “You did?”

“Yes.” You caressed his cheek. “And thank you.”

“For what?”

“Trusting me.”

His cheeks flushed, and he looked away. “I am sorry I did not last longer…”

“Copia, look at me,” you whispered. He lifted his gaze back to yours. “It was perfect. You were perfect. And besides, there’s always next time.”

He seemed to perk up at that, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. “Next time?”

“Don’t think I’m done with you yet, Cardinal. I’m not even done with you tonight.”

Now, his smirk widened. “Sì? I have more to look forward to then?”

“Oh, absolutely. I hope you’re ready.”

He kissed you briefly. “For you, amore, always.”

You suddenly heard what sounded like snickering coming from the other side of the door, followed by a muffled slap and an insistent shushing. You and Copia gave each other a knowing look and heard the hasty retreat of your eavesdroppers.

"Terzo," you said.

"And Secondo," Copia added. Then you both started chuckling. "Perhaps now Terzo will stop teasing me."

You raised an eyebrow. "That'll be the day. He'll likely only tease you more now. And me."

"Hmph… Only because he is jealous that he does not have what I have."

You draped your arms around his neck and drew him back down to you. "Oh? And what is that?"

Copia smiled a true, genuine, happy, and content smile. "You, amore mio."

END

Translations:

Ho bisogno di essere dentro di te. Per favore, l'ho desiderato per così tanto tempo - I need to be inside you. Please, I've wanted it for so long.

Caro Satana, sei bellissima. Come può una persona così bella essere attratta da me? - Dear Satan, you're beautiful. How could someone so beautiful be attracted to me?

Non troppo. non durerò - Not too much. I won't last

Ti ho davvero fatto così bagnato? - Have I really made you this wet?

[makeste]

You still planning to catch up with the rest of the chapters?

thanks for checking in, anon. yes of course I am going to finish reading all of the other chapters. that's a huge part of the story I'm not just going to skip out on, lol. and I'll also be posting individual chapter reaction posts for 342-402 (plus the elusive chapter 321 reaction which I never did finish editing and posting) once I'm done catching up. all of the reactions in my volume recap posts are just excerpts; there's a lot more I haven't posted yet.

I think I'm going to try and make Fridays a general update day, regardless of whether that takes the form of a new chapter recap, an old chapter recap, or just a quick, generic "hey, still alive and working on getting my shit together" update. so with that said, I've unfortunately been busier than expected the past couple weeks, so I haven't read past chapter 374. my energy to do recaps tends to ebb and flow and is generally either all or nothing, so when the next burst comes I'll probably marathon another 5-10 chapters in one go. I also haven't read this week's chapter yet so I don't know if it will be up today or tomorrow, but either way it will be posted this weekend.

a few people have also sent me asks encouraging me to catch up at my own pace and not to feel pressured to write down long reactions if it's getting too stressful, and I just wanted to say thank you for the concern and reassurance. <3 but also, I want to clarify that doing these reaction posts really is my preferred way to read this particular series, even if it takes longer. I genuinely get a lot more out of the manga this way. I notice more details and it forces me to pay attention to things I might gloss over otherwise. and I'd be sitting here making jokes in my head and gushing over the characters nonstop either way, so it's nice to have the additional outlet for it, lol. and of course it goes without saying that I love the fandom interaction that comes from making these posts. that alone is more than worth the extra effort.

anyway so yeah, that's my update for the week! chapter 408 recap will be forthcoming within the next 24-48 hours, and maybe some more ask replies as well depending on how much work I feel like putting off lol.