#also the little bit in the shelter ❤️❤️❤️ | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

soundspeachytome · 7 months

Text

dusty and fraulein (shohei ohtani au)

summary: your asshole cat falls in love with your new next-door neighbor and takes shelter in his front porch while displacing his poor dog, dusty, and a whole lot of chaos in between ensues.

tropes: enemies to lovers, next door neighbor dynamics, dog parent x cat parent, fake dating, small town romance, pure, pure fluff and romance only.

word count: 11.2k

this is far from my original writing style but i hope you have fun reading as much as i had writing this! (if there are any inconsistencies, sorry in advance!)

other notes: i had patterned the two characters loosely after lorelai and luke and stars hollow as the town. *swoon!*

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

=================================

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

You squint through the harsh back light of your phone and see the time: 8:47 AM. It is barely brunch and you hear loud music and conversation from outside your bedroom window. You pull the covers over your head and try to go back to sleep but the sound of a hammer being pounded on wood disrupts your journey back to dreamland.

It also doesn’t help that your head also feels like someone is drilling it into concrete. For a split second, you wonder why you even let that much alcohol enter your system on a Friday night, and why no one stopped you when you were such a lightweight. You try to remember the events from the night before and then it hits you: you caught your boyfriend–now ex!--sexting with an intern at his office through the messages on his phone. You were not the type to scour through your boyfriends’ phones but it was supposed to be dinner date night with pasta and Sauvignon Blanc when Jack’s phone lit up from the kitchen counter. You were busy preparing cutlery when the phone dinged again. You thought it was important from work and since you had been very open and comfortable with each after a year of dating, taking a peek would not hurt.

Nothing could have prepared you for what you saw.

Jack, despite being a successful finance analyst, the smart, bookish type, the one who can compute numbers in his head in about 5 seconds or less, apparently was not smart enough to keep his notifications hidden or at least try and cover them up like a serial cheater would. Not that you wanted him hiding anything from you, but at that moment, seeing the thirst traps and the disgusting follow-up sexts from his notifications bar were enough for you to hurl his precious PS5 from the fifth floor of his apartment building and leave the crime scene with the wine and pasta in tow.

You don’t know what happened after because you left while he was still in the shower, his apartment thrashed, with a note which you left that says, “For the record, I faked all my orgasms during our sexy time. Veronica ❤️ seems to love your *mini* performance though! PS. If you’re looking for your PS5, try looking down from the balcony, asshole.”

Love is a lie, you scoffed. You let the remnants of last night’s hurt consume you for a little bit more and cry under the covers. You cried until your eyes tired, until the weight of your head felt heavier than a bowling ball. You thought about staying in bed for a few more minutes when a boisterous laughter interrupted your thoughts. The laugh was followed by incomprehensible sentences. The voice came from a man probably in his late twenties, deep, jovial and friendly. You couldn’t make out the words from this distance but he sounded like he was giving instructions, volume fading in and out every now and then. Then more manly laughter. You didn’t know why but this person had a distinct laugh that you found very pleasant. You wonder somberly if you could laugh like that again.

You jolted upright and went for the door. You will definitely be happy again soon but first, coffee.

The best hangover fix is a steaming cup of coffee with a plate of bacon and pancakes. You poured yourself a hot mug of coffee and suddenly felt unstoppable, like you’re actually happy, at least temporarily. The pounding in your head has subsided but the drilling from nextdoor hasn’t. You must have new neighbors, the way you’re seeing movers coming in and out of the moving truck parked outside. You tried to catch a glimpse of this neighbor causing all the ruckus but were unsuccessful as the trees lined beside your porch were covering your line of vision. From behind you, you felt your cat, Fraulein, bump her head on your ankles, purring audibly.

“Looks like the new neighbors woke you up too, huh?” She yawned and continued looking up at you.

Fraulein, a female American shorthair of three years, stood around nine pounds with her stocky legs and long, proportioned tail. Her fur was a thick orange coat with faint white stripes covering most of her body. She was nameless when you picked her up from the animal shelter. She was barely five months old at that time and despite being smaller than the other cats, she had snuggled up to you when you reached for a pet. When you scratched her head and heard her purr loudly, you knew right then and there that she was the one for you. She was the friendliest, clingiest and most loveable thing you have in your life, and despite her “orange cat personality” as most people had dubbed, you wouldn’t replace her with anything in the world, not even for your hound dog-looking ex, Jack.

She did a big stretch as you picked her up while you stood idly by the window. As you stared outside, Fraulein’s purring sending you in a trance, you suddenly notice a pair of eyes looking up at you from the front lawn. Those eyes should not be there, and more importantly, the pair of eyes belonged to a dog standing just mere inches from your flowering shrubs, tail wagging. If this dog takes another step, they could ruin the gardenias you’ve been trying to grow.

You step outside and try to shoo the dog away when it suddenly jumps and barks.

“Hey! Get away from my garden!” You try to stay calm as the dog continues to bark and come playfully near the shrubs. Your heart sinks when his paw accidentally steps on the stems of your peonies. You’ve been meaning to pluck them this week so you can replace the wilted ones from your vase.

“Oh my god… Please go away! Shoo!” You desperately waved the dog away but it continued to jump excitedly and roll around, probably thinking you were out there to play. Fraulein, who was still in your arms the entire time, started getting restless and was hissing at the dog’s direction, her untucked claws boring into your skin. That’s when you saw a man, probably over six feet tall, rushing towards the dog. He had thick black hair and the widest shoulders you’ve ever seen.

“Oh my god, Dusty! What are you doing here…” He put a leash on the dog, whose name was probably Dusty, as you have heard, and carried him with one arm.

“I’m so so sorry! I was inside the house and I didn’t realize Dusty escaped from his leash.” His big brown eyes complemented well against his slightly tanned skin. With your obvious height difference, you had to look up at him from a distance without hurting your neck.

“He almost ruined my flowers,” You started to say, eyes still locked in his. If you hadn’t forced yourself to look towards your garden, you would have been sucked into his creamy brown orbs.

You assessed the garden from the mini scuffle. There was a bit of overturned soil from some of the shrubs, especially from the peonies getting the most damage. The stems have been slightly bent, almost breaking from where it stood.

“Oh my gosh, I’m sosososorry! I didn’t mean to–I mean, Dusty’s still young, he’s very playful and…”

“I was planning on cutting them this week, anyway. Your dog has to stay away from my garden, though.” I pointed at the lopsided peonies, almost looking like they have their hands up in the air, waving sideways.

He looked so apologetic that he almost looked like it was his fault. He tightened his grip on his dog, Dusty, who looked so small and well-behaved being cradled by a big-bodied man. Meanwhile, Fraulein has not relaxed one bit after that quick garden mess and had her claws out, clinging to my threadbare sweater.

“Yes ma’am, I’ll keep a tight leash on her. I’m Shohei Ohtani, by the way. We just moved next door, so I guess we’re neighbors now. I’d offer my hand right now, but I’m afraid Dusty would jump out of my grip. ”

Now that you are able to look at his face carefully, you realize that he was fairly handsome. Correctly proportioned face, dreamy brown eyes, and a smile that invited first love butterflies kind of vibe. He was also tall and definitely bulky over that black long-sleeved sweater that was folded up to his elbows. You could tell he dedicates a good amount of time to his body.

“So that explains all this noise so early in the morning.” You say with an almost sarcastic tone of voice. You didn’t mean it and you were willing to forgive them for the morning ruckus but the garden mishap and the mini-heart attack you had for your plants had somehow added to the list of how-to-piss-your-neighbor-on-the-first-day. And you’re really bad at moving past your first impressions of other people.

“Are all cat people always this cranky in the morning?” He commented cheekily, displaying a playful expression in his eyes. This man named Shohei is trying to get to you and it’s definitely working. For a first conversation, it surely is getting on your nerves to be read so openly, and in your own premises, at that.

“Excuse me?”

“It’s just an observation. Cat people seemed to be more emotionally charged than dog people.” He said matter-of-factly and continued to smile. He’s handsome but he’s also starting to be annoying as hell. What does he mean by that? Does he want to show off that dog people are better than cat people?

“Well. If we’re going to talk about stereotypes here then I must say dog people are careless people-pleasers who hogs the attention and only cares about being liked and do not give a rat’s ass on taking up other people’s space and boundaries. I’d also offer to shake my hand but I’m afraid my cat right here might scratch your dog’s face for ruining our morning.” You stared hard at him and slowly backed away, returning to your porch steps.

“Nice to meet you, too, I guess! I would suggest chamomile tea and tone down on coffee!” He waved cheerfully, as he exited the lawn and walked towards his home. You turned your heel and slammed the door shut loud enough for him to hear. Fraulein jumped out of your grip and mewed almost as angrily. She darted toward the kitchen and went out of sight.

“What a weirdo… If Fraulein doesn’t like him then I don’t have to like him, too.” You muttered to yourself and moved to the bathroom to take a shower.

You spent your afternoon in the garden, watering and cutting the flowers in full bloom. You wore your oldest t-shirts with a print that says “I Wet My Plants” under your pink square overalls and a sun hat to protect you from the sun. You were listening to your beloved Birdy mix on your headphones as you tended the prettiest flowers in your garden, muting the noise of the world.

I know I was stupid to let what we had go to waste

Why does everything I love always get taken away?

Ghost in the wind calling you to take me home

Ghost in the wind crying, where do I belong?

Can anyone hear me now?

“Can you hear me, Y/N?”

“Agh!”

You almost jumped out of your skin when a hand touched you lightly in the arm. It was Patrick Sandoval, your high school best friend, and sometimes main supplier of Fraulein’s flea medicine. You forgot that he was visiting today.

“Whoa! Extra jumpy today?” he smiled his Colgate-white smile and cocked his head to the side. “Coffee overload, again?”

Suddenly you remembered what your new neighbor had said during your first encounter this morning. Naturally cranky… Tone down on the coffee… He had no idea to be assuming things like that, not when you had just literally met.

“Jack cheated on me and I was hungover, okay?” You grit your teeth through the mention of your ex. Like the stench of his name made the bile climb up your throat. “I decimated his PS5 into tiny cracked pieces.”

“Oh, shit, man.. I’m proud of you.” He put you in a half-embrace and patted your head. “Do you need me to break his legs for you?”

You giggled, arm still locked around his waist. “No, but I took one of his expensive wines so that evens that out for me, I think. I don’t care.”

Patrick looks at you and wonders if he arrived too late today. He notices the dark bags under your eyes and your puffy face, probably a result of crying all night. He wondered if you had been crying all morning, too. He couldn’t help but lean in and give you a full, bear hug.

“Just let me know if you need us to file a restraining order, babygirl.” You snorted and buried your face under his embrace, thankful for the assurance. Patrick has always been your rock since high school. When your first boyfriend ditched you in prom, Patrick was there to rescue you when he wasn’t initially supposed to go; you ended the night with stomachs full of pizza, sparkling soda and belly laughter.

You and Patrick had been for each other’s rarest moments throughout adulthood: gushing about your first times, your first heartbreaks, getting into college, graduation… you even wondered if both of you are just teetering from the sidelines, waiting for each other to do the first move. You always brush the thought away because to do that means risking your friendship with him. You don’t want to lose him, not even as a friend.

“By the way, I’m just here to drop these medicines for dear ol’ Frau that you asked.” He lifted a paper bag with a cute animal picture and his pet shop name printed across it. Paw and Order.

“Thanks, Patrick. I could’ve picked them up if you called.” Patrick has been the sole pet doctor in town which contributed solely to his success. Seeing how much people nowadays prefer taking pets instead of bearing children, he took the opportunity to put up his own pet shop and clinic; you and Fraulein have been number one customers ever since.

“It’s my pleasure, milady.” He did an elegant bow, to which I returned a curtsy, and giggled. “I’m also here to let you know that I’ll be on a business trip for two weeks. So this will be sort of my goodbye.”

“What kind of business trip takes two weeks long?” You don’t really want him to leave, especially with the holidays approaching, you had planned to spend it all with him.

“The kind where your father wants you to venture to a new business spot and spend the holidays with him and his new family.” He shrugged and looked at you, hoping you’d stop him from the impending family mess he’s about to go to, but you only scrunched your nose.

“That sucks, man. You’ll miss all the fruitcakes.”

“I know, dude.” He pouted. “How are Frau's fleas, by the way? Did the medicine work last time?”

“Sure did, she’s better now. Speaking of which, where is that old hag?” You haven’t seen her since early morning’s commotion. The last time you saw her she was napping by the window of your bedroom.

“Just call me if you notice anything weird. The medicines should be enough while I’m gone.”

“Leaving already?”

“First thing in the morning, bub.” He said. “I’ll miss you.”

“Frau and I will miss you, too!” And the two of you embraced in another warm hug. When you both pulled back, he helped you pick up the basket of freshly bloomed flowers you had collected for the day and went back inside the house. You had given him the extra jar of lemon iced tea you’ve been saving for a particularly warm day like this.

~~~

It’s been a whole day that you haven’t seen Fraulein. She usually wanders off hours in a day but she always returns by dinner time. You were starting to worry as the sky slowly turned pitch black. The lampposts turn on, illuminating the streets. You turn the porch lights on, too, and leave her bowl of food and water by the doorstep, in case she decides to come home late into the night.

~~~~

You wake up to a high-pitched yowling outside. You’re not exactly sure where but you know that sound from anywhere. You bolted down the stairs with your sleeping robe undone and ran towards the lawn. You can’t see anything until you hear it again.

“Nyreooow!”

Soon, a dog howls and you run towards Shohei Ohtani’s house.

You see Fraulein perched on top of Shohei’s porch, her entire back arched defensively, ears twitching backwards. She was hissing at Dusty, who was whimpering loudly below the porch steps and looking terrified. In your panic, you run to the lawn to pick Fraulein up.

“Fraulein! What are you doing here?”

Dusty continued to bark loudly, trying to come near the door where Fraulein stood. She hissed menacingly at him.

At that exact moment, Shohei Ohtani emerged from the front door, yawning and trying to get sleep out of his eyes.

“Whazhapeninhere?” He yawned, looking clearly disoriented from suddenly waking up.

“Your dog is trying to attack my cat!” I yelled, trying to go near Fraulein but stepped back as Dusty blocked your way.

Shohei popped awake as soon as he heard Fraulein hiss at Dusty once more; Fraulein arched her back more and raised her claws in defense.

“Whoa, hey!” Shohei ran up to Dusty and cradled him in his arms like a baby. Poor dog was shaking and whimpering.

“Are you sure it’s not your cat trying to attack my baby?” He raised his voice. He was standing a few feet away from you and looked you up and down, noticing your loose sleeping robe and looking away.

“Poor baby getting scared by a cat,” He cooed silently, helping Dusty relax.

You walked up the porch when Fraulein hissed and scratched your arms when you picked her up. She wriggled from your grasp but conceded defeat when you scruffed her by the neck, immobilizing her.

“I don’t know what’s happening here, but please stay away from my cat.” You looked at both Shohei and Dusty sternly. He noticed the scratches on your hands.

“You’re bleeding.” He started.

You looked down on your hands and saw visible red scratch marks. They started from the middle of your arm all the way to the back of your hand.

“I’m fine.” You huffed, trying to walk away as fast as possible. You don’t know what time it was, but it could easily be past midnight.

“No, wait. Please, I have antiseptic soap inside…” He rushed towards the house, when he looked back and saw you frozen on the steps, he beckoned you and disappeared inside. “Come on.”

You stood there for a moment and contemplated if you should follow Shohei inside. You barely know the guy and every encounter you’ve had with him always ended in a screaming match or a passive-aggressive exchange. He might even be an ax murderer for all you know. A very handsome one, at that.

“Frau, if something happens to me, please know that I love you.” You held her near your face. “Third drawer by the sink is where I kept all your catnip”. You whispered to her ear and walked towards Shohei Ohtani’s home.

~~~

Shohei Ohtani’s home was, first of all, very clean. It did not reek of anything a dog owner normally would smell like. It had the occasional puppy toys around the living room, but much to your surprise, it was spotless. It also smelled like sweet rose and laundry detergent. You also discovered that just like you, he lives alone.

Shohei had put Dusty inside a retractable gate to keep him safe from Fraulein as you put her down on the floor. He busied himself looking for his first aid kit. You don’t notice any other pictures on display except him and Dusty and one with his complete family on the refrigerator door.

His tall frame reappears and he pulls you towards the kitchen sink. You soak your arms under the water and he hands you the antiseptic soap.

“Thanks,” You mumbled. He never left your side and waited until you finished rinsing off, then took your arm and put cream on the scratch marks. He was standing unbelievably close, you could almost see his long eyelashes as he had his head down, concentrating on his self-appointed task.

He also had his other hand holding you tight, as if to make sure you won’t run off suddenly.

“I have these at home, you know.” You trained your eyes on his fingers dabbing cream. Don’t look at his arm veins, Y/N. Don’t look at them. Don’t look. Don’t.

“Oh, gee. Why didn’t I think of that?” He mused to which you rolled your eyes. Once again, the magic had worn off.

“Do you really have to sound sarcastic all the time?”

“C’mon, lighten up. Besides, it happened on my property so I feel partially responsible–even if it was your cat’s fault.” He shrugged.

You coughed at his accusation. “Fraulein does not instigate fights. She is well-mannered and prim all the time, thank you very much.” You pulled your cream-covered arm away from him. Just then, you notice Fraulein bumping her head on Shohei’s legs, mewling softly.

“How would you then explain the fact where your cat steals Dusty’s bed from the front porch?” He said, crossing his arm, Fraulein on the other hand, was still headbutting Shohei on the legs.

“Oh, she did not.” You retorted. Why would she steal someone’s fray-looking bed when she has her beautiful beige 2-condo tree tower with a capsule nest and dangling balls and a charming basket-weave style oval bed at home? It didn’t make sense. “She only sleeps in the beds I bought her.”

Shohei gives you a funny look and fishes his phone from his pocket. “Well, you’re in for quite a shock, I guess.”

He shoves the phone to you after tinkering with it for a while. “That’s your cat at 30:56 right?”

You look closely, a bit disoriented at what he was trying to show you. CCTV recorded footage of his porch outside where his dog, Dusty, was sitting in his dog bed, playing with his puppy chew ball, when suddenly, you saw Fraulein enter the frame from the left.

“It doesn’t show anything.” You impatiently looked on, disbelief and denial dripping from you.

“Oh just you wait.”

Fraulein was moving slowly, watching Dusty and his toy. A few minutes pass by, the video captures Shohei exiting the front door and Dusty follows him playfully, at which, the dog bed was obviously vacated, and Fraulein took the opportunity to lay on it.

Shohei cops the phone away and crosses his arms across his chest. “The court finds the defendant guilty.”

It took you a moment but gasped dramatically at the realization. “Was she here the entire day yesterday? Napping on your dog’s bed?” You looked at Fraulein with sheer disapproval. “Fraulein von Hammersmark, that is not how female felines behave.”

Shohei stifled a laugh. He was leaning over his stomach and ears red. “Relax. I don’t mind at all. I think Dusty does, though.” He picks up Fraulein calmly and gives her scratches on her head. Fraulein purrs loudly.

“She has been napping here all day since morning and seems to enjoy watching her new neighbor work out in the front lawn.”

You grimaced, making sure you showed him your disgust. “Ew, weird flex but okay.”

Dusty whimpers as he looks at the scene from outside his gate. You walk over and give him a light pat on the head. “Dusty, blink once if you need help.”

“Oh, please.” He giggles. “I’m not the weird one for naming my cat Fraulein von Hammersomething.” Shohei returns Fraulein to you, your arms touching, his head closer to yours momentarily.

“Y/N. I wonder what the weather is on your side. You want to wear something warmer than that?” He pointed at your loose sleeping gown, your legs showing a little bit of your thigh. A little more movement and the knots would dangerously slip out of your waist and reveal your lingerie.

“Pervert.” You instinctively covered your chest and ran back home, arms carrying Fraulein and the weight of shame for being almost half-naked inside a strange man’s house.

~~~~

The next few days after that incident were spent with writing articles for an obscure lifestyle website and your part-time work at the bookstore in town, Novel Nook. You ride a 30 minute bus ride to the town square everyday for work and wait 15 minutes in line to grab a cup of coffee from the coffee shop beside it. It doesn’t feel like work at all because you are always surrounded by the books that you love. It took you a long time to realize that working 9-5 in an office cubicle with ugly fluorescent lighting was deteriorating your mental headspace and when your mom passed, you jumped the gun and submitted your intent to resign.

You removed all the baggage you kept from the city and only brought the ones that mattered to you: your cat, your big books, some pretty clothes you never wore in the city but are wearing freely and confidently now, and your memories of your mom. You flew seven thousand miles back home to the place you were meant to be all this time, and you couldn’t be happier and more content.

You were walking sluggishly back home from a tiring day at work at Novel Nook where two teenagers fought for the last copy of The Hurricane Wars and it took all your energy to de-escalate before they could start pulling each other’s hair. You can’t wait to kick your boots back, hug Fraulein and maybe continue reading a book.

Your house is on the opposite side of the bus stop so you always (almost begrudgingly) have to pass by Shohei’s house every time. Sometimes it would be quiet with Dusty playing alone on the porch, or Shohei having a barbecue and would always cheerfully waving at you while you just give him a brief nod. Recently, you’ve grown accustomed to seeing Fraulein hanging out in his place more often than you have imagined. She’s like a teenage girl rebelling against her overbearing mother, hanging out with the wrong crowd. After that incident with Dusty, she has claimed dominance on his bed, Shohei had no choice but to buy a new one for his poor dog, while Fraulein smugly walks around in her new territory.

You had developed some sort of weird neighbor-dynamic with Shohei after that. On days Fraulein had to take her medicine shots that Patrick had given you, you’d walk towards his house and pick her up like some sort of pet daycare. Shohei likes to call it “daddy daycare” as if you’re two divorced parents and he is the cool dad that all the kids love hanging with while you’re the uptight, overbearing mother with full custody and all, that the kids hate.

“Fraulein, your mom’s here.” Shohei said one day, looking up from his laptop which was perched on the table he had set up on his porch, sitting adjacent to Fraulein. Dusty was chewing on his toy, as usual, and perked up a welcome upon seeing you.

Fraulein stands and stretches her back and sits back again resting on Shohei’s foot, to which Shohei smirks almost smugly. “She loves her dad more, it seems.”

You roll your eyes and pick up Fraulein. “Stop calling yourself her dad before I burn your house down.”

“Ooh, an arsonist for a neighbor. That’s so sexy, Y/N.” He looked you up and down and wiggled his eyebrows. “You’re too cute to go to jail, though. How about going out with me instead?”

“Piss off. C’mon, Fraulein, time for medicine.” You turned and walked back to your home, trying to keep a straight face at the being called cute with Shohei. You’re too cute. You made the mistake of looking back as you turned to your corner and saw Shohei grinning at you.

This day would be no different as you passed by Shohei’s house today and saw Fraulein napping at the exact same place on his porch. He was working out doing ab crunches on the ground. You decided today, you wouldn’t dare to go on another episode of sarcasm battle with Shohei and go straight home. He was wearing workout clothes of course, with his gym shorts and sleeveless shirt, for all the temptations in the world, this one, you had proudly resisted and warded off like the devil.

You found Dusty on your lawn, sitting by the patch of grass far from your flowers, thankfully, and staring far ahead into the direction of your home. You patted him and tried to get his attention. Ever since being displaced by Fraulein, he had been giving you frequent visits and play in your yard and you’d give him treats from your secret stash.

“Hey, bud. Were you waiting for me?” He ignored you and continued to look on.

By the door, you can see a tall black figure standing, unmoving. It was a man in a black suit with hands in his pockets. When he turns around, you see a familiar face.

“No,” You whispered. Jack smiles at you and waves, as if nothing had happened almost a month ago. As if he was just returning from a business trip. Like cheating on you was nothing.

You started panicking and heaving heavily. Dusty senses your fear and barks at Jack when he slowly walks over to you.

Dusty continued to growl and bark at Jack while you tried to move backward, feet heavy like lead.

“Stop, don’t come near me, Jack.” you struggled.

“Y/N, I’m here to apologize, for whatever happened, for whatever it made you feel.” He was still slowly walking towards you, eyeing Dusty carefully.

“We have nothing to talk about anymore, Jack. It’s over, in case you forgot.”

“I said come here, you bitch.” He growled.

At this point, you only realized you were shaking terribly when a hand wrapped on your shoulder, calming you down.

“Are you okay?” It was Shohei’s voice and you have never felt so relieved to hear his voice. You weakly put your arm around his waist and leaned on him. You were still shaking badly, from the exhaustion, or the fear, you couldn’t tell.

“Is everything okay?” Shohei acknowledges Jack who stopped at around five feet from where you were.

“We were just discussing something… private.” Jack shifts his eyes between you and Shohei, who was sizing him up and down. Between Shohei, who stood over six feet tall, bulky, and ripped, and Jack, just around five foot nine, body somewhat lean and lanky, Jack didn’t stand a chance.

Realizing this, you found more comfort and confidence in your plan. You looked up to see Shohei still trying to converse with Jack while keeping a firm arm around you.

“Shohei.” He looked at you cautiously and tightened his grip on your shoulder.

Please promise me that you won’t get mad at what I’m about to do.

“What is it, Y/N? Who is this guy?” he said.

“He’s my ex who I want nothing to do with.” He straightened his back but you pulled him by the neck so you could whisper in his ear.

“I’m so sorry, Shohei.”

“I’m not sure I understand–” He tilted his head in confusion. Jack starts moving forward again, looking almost pissed by just looking at you and Shohei.

With Shohei still leaning forward, you desperately grabbed his cheeks and pecked him square on the lips.

Shock induces both Shohei’s and Jack’s faces when you pull back, eyes focused on Jack and hoping to God he’d get the message. Wild red alarms blared and rang loudly in your head, you just kissed Shohei, your hot and annoying neighbor! You just kissed him! You ignored this and focused on the problem at hand.

“He’s my boyfriend, Jack. Please leave now–”

Shohei recovers from his shock and kisses you back in bigger, wider and longer strokes of his tongue. The tremors in your body shook harder and you felt your limbs melt into a puddle of water. Shohei’s big warm hands were there to catch you as your knees unbuckled.

You kissed back and forgot everything that was happening in the background. Dusty barking, Jack’s shell-shocked face, the vehicles passing by the street witnessing your spectacle. You ignored all of this and focused on the way Shohei holds on to your body from your neck, to your back until it rests to the back of your waist, gripping tight, his firm and taut body pressing hard onto you, and his lips sliding over yours so smoothly, stimulating all the senses in your tongue and mouth.

You don’t know how many seconds passed when you stayed inside that bubble but when you both pulled back for air, Jack was no longer there and Dusty had stopped barking. Instead, he just sat quietly on the ground, waiting for you to finish.

You stared at Shohei and you stared back at him. Your hand was still on his neck, half-gripping the nape. You slowly let go and pull away. It’s always after the sin that you feel the shame and guilt.

He doesn’t let go and instead takes you by the shoulder. “Come inside first and we’ll talk.”

You nod wordlessly and follow his lead. You couldn’t walk properly anyway, so you didn’t want to fight back. Your knees felt like jelly and your brain full of fog. That was hot, you thought, but also very wrong.

You sat at Shohei’s dining table chugging a glass of water. By the time you finished, he sat there in front of you and continued looking at you intensely.

In your post-kiss and post-Jack clarity, you’re now too embarrassed to admit the way you handled that situation. But Shohei, being Shohei, seemed unfazed. For the most part, he found it amusing to be part of your ex-boyfriend escape plan, of all the people.

“A man never listens to a no,” You were too focused on the rim of the glass. You want to look anywhere but Shohei’s mouth. “And I was desperate for him to get away… so I did.. That.”

“Y/N, you were trembling out there. What exactly has he done to you?” He removed the glass from your grip and made you focus on him.

“He… I… He’s an asshole when he gets angry. And I was just scared I wouldn't be able to refuse him. I don’t want him anymore.”

“For someone as arrogant and snappish as you, that’s pretty hard to believe.” You rolled your eyes at him and smirked, lips looking luscious and fuller than the last time.

“Look, I was probably having a panic attack back there, and I’m okay now, see?” You spread your arms widely, faking a smile at him. You’d like this conversation to end so you could run back to your house and ram your head to the wall. The more you stay in Shohei’s presence, the more embarrassed you feel about wanting and enjoying that kiss. You did. You do. And you want more.

“I wanted an easy way out, you happened to be there and I grabbed the moment.” You rambled on. “And that kiss, it was just a one-time thing.”

“A one-time thing?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, it was a mistake. We don’t even like each other to kiss, so we can forget about it.”

“Is that right?” His lips curled into a smirk.

“Yes, tomorrow, we act like it never happened, okay?” You stood up and started collecting yourself. You hang by the door and look back, Shohei had his arms crossed against his chest, staring at you.

“I don’t know, Y/N. That seems pretty unforgettable to me.”

~~~~~

The following morning, you woke up early to visit the farmer's market to replenish your cupboard. You wore black tights over your long beige dress and a gray cardigan. You put your hair down in loose waves today and replaced your contacts with your old prescription eyeglasses.

Sprawled in front of you were tents and tables of farmers and sellers of freshly harvested fruits and vegetables to your heart’s content. Almost everyone you knew from town was there on a bright day like this. You said your hellos and some, who were avid customers of Novel Nook, asked about the new book releases. Since it is a fairly small town, it is inevitable to spot the ones that you direly wanted to avoid. For example, your ex-boyfriend Jack.

He was standing one tent away and seemed to just idly window-shopping. You put your head down and try not to meet his gaze or look at his direction as you busy yourself looking through a good bunch of tomatoes.

“Hey, Y/N.” You put your guard down and suddenly he is in front of you.

“What are you doing here?”

“Trying to… buy some tomatoes?” He sneered, holding a tomato in his hand. “I don’t see your boyfriend around.”

“I…He’s… Can you please stop following me?” Cold sweat ran through your spine as he noticed you fumble, noticing your lie.

“Lest you forget, I live here, too.”

“Not in this side of town, you don’t.” You walked away with the bag of tomatoes you purchased. You moved quickly and avoided the throng of people that was starting to build up.

“I just want us to talk… Y/N. You didn’t give me a chance to explain yesterday.” He continued to follow you, hands behind his back. He was obviously not there to buy tomatoes.

“I don’t want to see you anymore. Leave me alone or I’ll call the police.” You looked at him sternly, hand gripping tightly on the basket you were holding. One false move and you just might smash his head with a whole pineapple.

“No boyfriend to come save you now?” Jack chuckled.

“There you are.” A familiar voice sprung up from behind, and a hand snaked around your waist. Shohei was suddenly beside you, holding on to his own basket of shopping bags. “I was looking all over for you. Look, I got you blueberries for the cake you were planning to bake. ”

Shohei pinched your sides and smiled, nodding at you to play along with his little act. You forced a wide smile and said, “Wow, yes. You remembered, love? Thank you.”

You both turned to Jack who had a repulsed expression on his face. He coughed up and tried to get back his composure, but it was too late as both of you were already walking away. Shohei did not let go of you even until you turned a corner. You couldn’t care less about shopping anymore as you worried about running into Jack again.

��It looks like your ex is adamant on following you around.” He whispered to your ear, looking back and seeing Jack following far behind. “Care to give him a show, love?”

You widen your eyes as you realized what was about to happen.

He moves his head closer to yours and locks you in a wet kiss. He pushed deeper into the kiss when you unconsciously opened your mouth and let him in, mouth and tongue. The smell of clean detergent mixed with a little bit of vanilla filled your lungs, slapping you drunk. The second kiss was just as good as the first.

Shohei suddenly pulls back from the kiss and offers his hand, and continues walking along like he hadn’t sucked the air out of your body.

For a few more tents, you and Shohei walked around hand in hand in the cold morning, picking fruits and vegetables like your typical neighborhood couple. Many onlookers saw the two of you eating from the free taste section, or arguing about the right vegetable size to buy, or just happily chatting with his hand not letting you go.

“Shohei, I think Jack’s no longer around.” You motion for him to let go of your hand.

“Aw, I thought we weren’t acting anymore, the way you were kissing me back there.” He smirks and lets go of your hand, missing his warmth already.

“I’m only letting your hand go because you look like you’re going to topple over with how heavy this basket is.” He took your groceries from you and led the way. Since you’re practically almost living together, you have no choice but to walk with him awkwardly.

“Thank you, Shohei.” You said quietly, walking feebly behind him.

“Didn’t catch that, love. What–” He wheels around and stops himself after realizing what he said, the tips of his ears turning red. You tried to keep a straight face but failed as both of you got caught in the moment.

“Don’t get used to it.” You giggled and skipped your steps, leaving him to carry all the shopping bags he refused to let you carry.

~~~

You were slowly settling down for the night with a movie on and a bowl of buttered popcorn when you heard a faint knock on the door.

Shohei was standing outside with his hands in the pockets of his checkered pajama pants. On his feet seems to be a brand new pet backpack carrier.

“Special delivery for one order of queen of meowtown, clingy and fuzzball Fraulein!” He beamed and pointed at the carrier. Fraulein was sitting relaxedly inside.

“Don’t be shocked or anything but I accidentally bought two of these.” He pointed at the carrier. “I-I thought you’d like to have one for Fraulein. You don’t have to accept it i-if you…”

You smiled as he stammered on. “This looks really cute, I love it.”

Shohei smiled widely and helped push the carrier to your living room. “Then I'll give this as a gift!”

“It would be improper to receive a gift like this...”

“I refuse to accept no, Y/N. Take it please.”

You wanted to mull over it, let it marinate in your head and see what happens but ever since the first two kisses you shared with him, Shohei has been… extra friendly recently. And you were not that kind of “friend”. Whenever you pass his house, he’d go out of his way and talk to you before you walk away. Asking you questions if you’re on the way to the farmer's market, or if you’re on your way to work, if you want to join him for a run. He’s been attentive and you’re not sure what exactly this dynamic has evolved into. You feel uncomfortable about the attention you’re receiving but at the same time, you feel it in your chest and in your stomach and at the tips of your fingers. The fluttering. The tremors and the shakiness of breaths. It’s always there when he’s there.

“Okay, fine. I’ll take it. But no more other gifts, okay!” You opened the carrier to let Fraulein out who walked idly away and climbed into her tree tower.

Shohei smiled, nodding. He was about to leave the door when you pulled the sleeve of his shirt.

“Wait. Um.”

He stepped back and looked inquiringly. You held up a photo from your phone to his face: it was you and Shohei on the day you went to the farmer’s market, holding hands while looking at freshly picked flowers. Shohei’s eyes squinted with laughter, looking intently at you while you were captured trying to explain something trivial. It was quite a beautiful shot sent to you by a cousin who was good at photography. More than that, if you were a stranger looking at a random photo like this, you’d think you were happily in love, and the thought made your chest flutter.

“It’s quite a small town so it didn’t come as a shock to me when people started noticing whatever this was.” Shohei was still looking at the photo, a small smile drawn on his lips.

“My mom’s side of the family is setting up a brunch this weekend. I usually bring Patrick to this but they wanted to meet you so…” You trailed.

You coughed and took the phone away. “It’s just a small group of people. And we can always say we broke up after three months or something.”

He cocked his head, looking confused. “Are we still doing the pretending thing with your family?”

“Yeah, I mean. We don’t like each other like that, right? We can just say it didn’t work out after three or four months. They usually move on pretty quickly from the guys I date.”

“Let me get this straight, Y/N.” He said slowly, the Adam’s apple on his throat went up and down as he swallowed. “You want to introduce me to your family as your fake boyfriend on your family brunch.”

You affirmed. “Yes.”

“And we’re going to cook up a reason to break up.”

“Yes.”

“And you said we don’t really like each other that much.”

“Not one bit”

“When we already had two kisses.”

“Yeah.”

“And went on a date in the farmer’s market walking around while holding hands. We kissed twice.”

“It wasn’t a date.”

“It was to me.” He muttered.

“It was because you were helping me with Jack, remember?”

Shohei sighed exasperatedly, his mood darkened. “Pssh, yeah, whatever. Text me the details. G’night.” He scooted to leave and just like that you were left all alone in a confused daze in your living room.

~~~

You spent too much time tossing and turning on your bed that night. The voices in your head and the whispers in your heart having an ongoing debate about what had happened a few hours before.

Shohei was extremely happy, almost beaming like a kid when he brought you his gift but his expression changed after you had the conversation about your family brunch. Maybe you can sit it out this year and make up an excuse that both you and Shohei couldn’t attend? Seasonal allergies? Car getting mauled? Someone’s pet dying? Gods, no. You internally smack yourself for even being near to the thought of either your pets dying, not when they’re the closest thing you have as your best friend and family. You believe Shohei believes that, too.

And why would Shohei become upset when you proposed the idea of a fake relationship with your family? You started this whole mess and it’s slowly getting out of hand, you want to nip it in the bud so it won’t have to hurt that much later on. It was just a one-time thing, an escape plan until Jack gets out of your hair, then both of you can live as freely as you had before.

Besides, Shohei doesn’t like you to be that upset. Does he? He’s just a neighbor who likes joking around and annoying you whenever he gets the chance. He also just so happens to be a neighbor that Fraulein spends a lot of time on, he’s just someone to you until recently.

You touch your fingers on your lips. That kiss shouldn’t mean anything to you because maybe Shohei doesn’t think about it that much either. He’s probably had a good number of girls that he’s kissed with that mouth. Given how good those kisses were, his expertise was undeniably top notch. You’ve never had anything like that before. A kiss that makes your insides tremble with need, almost fairytale like. Something close to what Mia Thermopolis had fantasized before her royal engagement with Nick Devereaux, a kiss that makes your leg pop. That’s what it was. A leg-popping, heart-fluttering, soul-defining kind of a kiss that you’ll ask for more.

But as much as you want this all for yourself like the next person, you just had your heart broken by Jack. Jack who had promised you the moon and the stars, and a beautiful, dreamy, family with your pets. He had you swooning and dreaming about forever. It was all perfect until that fateful date and the cheating. It hurts to realize that no matter how much you love and do better for a person, they will always look for ways to look at other people. The idea of getting into a relationship right away after what happened with Jack is preposterous at this point. The trust and self-confidence Jack broke is something you want to piece together yourself first. Even if it meant being alone for a couple of months, or years. Who knows.

You tossed to your side once again, feeling the sleep finally get to you. You dozed off soaking under the thoughts of kittens and kissing a tall man with contagious laughter.

~~~~

Shohei was filling Fraulein’s food and water bowl dutifully as you had asked, waiting for you to finish preparing for the family brunch in the living room. He had finally succumbed and agreed to go with you as your fake boyfriend, despite his initial feelings towards the arrangement. He still doesn’t understand what was going through your head but he nevertheless had stopped bringing it up. He realized that the more he asked, the more you pushed back and retreated into the dark. He decided that he’d wait for you to soften up. You always do.

And that’s how the two of you went back to being friendly with each other.

He was sitting on your living room couch with Fraulein, brushing her fur with his fingers. Just another territory she had claimed: Shohei’s lap.

“Shohei, help please!” You ran down the stairs, all dolled up. You put your hair down again, this time, you kept it naturally soft and straight. You also donned a yellow sundress that hugged your body, showing off your natural curves. The hems of the skirt go loose from the thighs down.

“Can you help me zip this up, please?” You said so casually. When you turned around and showed Shohei your bare, unzipped back, he swallowed hard.

He held your waist lightly and zipped your back slowly, as if taking his time to gape at the bareness of your skin exposed for him. When his breath touched your neck, you felt goosebumps pop.

“Let’s go.” You smiled too widely for him, trying to act like the oxygen in your house has not depleted.

Shohei was a hit with your cousins during brunch. Turns out that all of them share the same interests in baseball and baseball teams. They were passionately chatting on one side of the garden area while you helped your Aunt Olivia set up the table.

“He’s quite the personality, Y/N.” She mused.

“Wherever did you find a man like that, Y/N?” Your cousin Evelyn commented, staring back. “Woot, what a view.”

You smiled and looked at Shohei socializing with your family. The moment the two of you entered Aunt Olivia’s home, everyone stared in awe. After introductions were made, Shohei made connections pretty quickly with his bubbly personality. You can also hear his occasional booming laughter from their group.

You were on your way to the kitchen when a hand on your waist suddenly pulled you from behind. Shohei led you to the empty pantry and pushed you back to the wall, his hands up on the wall and caging you.

“Hi?”

“Hi.” He looked deep into your eyes, like he was looking for something. “Anyplace in this house, we are pretending, yes?”

“Yes, the moment we stepped out of the car. We are boyfriend and girlfriend.” You confirmed.

“Even here?” His lips shadowed lightly on yours, nose grazing yours.

“Uhm. Yes.” You breathed and that would be your last breath for a while as Shohei kissed you full on the mouth.

He kissed you frantically, with need and fervor. You put your hands over his shoulders and his hands reached the back of your leg, putting it over his waist. You stifled a moan as he bit your neck and peppered your chest with small kisses. You can’t help but push your hips forward and roll it against his.

You broke apart like a deer in headlights when you heard footsteps nearby. You pushed Shohei and straightened your clothes. You wiped Shohei’s lipstick-stained mouth and ran away as fast as you could. Shohei, who was as kiss-hungry and love drunk as you were, could only smirk at your retreating form.

During brunch, you sat with Aunt Olivia on your right and Shohei, by default, on your left side. You were trying to make conversation about the current weather news report while eating your plate of mashed potatoes, all while trying to avoid any contact with Shohei.

He noticed you have been avoidant after the hot makeout session in the pantry. He put a hand on your thigh under the table, pinching it with reassurance.

“Are we good, Y/N?”

You nodded wordlessly and smiled at him. Something about the way Shohei’s attentiveness always hits you to your core. You’ve never felt this so cared for before that it’s almost bewitching.

The party started getting up and divided: your aunts and uncles dancing happily on one side, your cousins taking selfies on the other. Meanwhile you and Shohei were left sitting comfortably by the dining table, enjoying the sweet ambiance of everyone around you.

You held his arm gingerly, almost seductively when you felt his hard muscles from his shirt. A few moments ago, you had almost stripped him naked in the pantry with all of your aunt’s condiments as your audience.

“Why are you so toned? What are you working out for?” You said jokingly, pressing on his biceps in amazement.

“I’m preparing for the next man who tries to steal you.” He leaned in and whispered in your ear. You giggled.

“No one can take me away from you!” You whispered back, resting your head on his shoulder. You were on your third glass of wine and it isn’t noon yet. You feel tipsy and giggly in the comfort of Shohei’s strong arms.

“And this is a toast to our new couple, Y/N and Shohei, may this relationship be longer than the last one.” Uncle Ben bellowed, attracting laughter from the rest of the family. They clinked their glasses and toasted for the nth time today.

You raised your own glass and sipped your wine.

“Don’t mind them, they’re always like that when I bring a guy to brunch.”

He caressed your thigh and wanted to push the button. “Which guys?”

“Hm? Oh just Jack and Patrick. Although Patrick doesn’t count, because he’s my bestie.” Shohei looked at you and wondered who Patrick may be. He felt a bubbling feeling at the pit of his stomach. Is he jealous? Angry? That he wasn’t the first person you introduced to your family. He shrugged it off. This is just all an act, anyway. Get your shit together, man.

“This may be my favorite brunch ever.” You concluded, finishing the last few drops of your wine. Shohei stole the glass from your hand and replaced it with his.

“The weather is perfect, the food is great, all of my mom’s family is here. And I don’t feel alone… thanks to you.” You traced circles on the back of Shohei’s palm with your thumb.

“Why don’t we end this with a bang, Y/N?”

Shohei’s smile invites you to a peck on the lips. He held the back of your head and gently kissed you deeply, slowly this time. You don’t resist and he doesn’t let go. You hear cheers from the background as you kiss softly. Shohei kisses you for the last time today with the hopes that it removes the uncertainty in your mind. That when he kisses you better this time, it would change your mind. He prays to all the gods that would listen.

You melt into the moment and hope it never ceases, because you go back to normal after it ends. After today, you and Shohei will be two separate people once again. And that hurts the deeper parts of you without you realizing it.

~~~~

Shohei escorted you back home after the brunch. You rode in complete silence all the way. You really really didn’t want it to end but you also didn’t want to drag Shohei into a life that you’re not a hundred percent sure of yet.

“Thank you for the ride.” You hung back at the entrance and Shohei waited, hoping you’d say something more. “Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

He sighed. “Wait, Y/N. Is that it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are we just gonna go back to the way it was now that you’re done pretending?” He said almost angrily.

“Well, that’s the plan, isn’t it?”

“That’s your plan. I don’t want this to end. Did you ever wonder why I had agreed to it without asking anything in return? Because I didn’t need to pretend at all. It was all real to me.”

You stood there dumbfounded at the sudden outburst of confession from him. You thought Shohei would be more than willing to go back to his old, uninvolved life with you. But he was right. You never once stopped to think why he was more than willing to help you get away from Jack, or to help you lie in front of your family.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking properly when I asked you this…” You blink back tears forming.

Shohei walks up to you and rests his hands on your shoulders. “I don’t want this to end. Do you?”

“I’m not sure I’m ready for all of this, Shohei.” You squeaked, finally finding your voice.

“You’re the most attentive, thoughtful, and sincerest man I’ve ever been blessed to meet. Even I get breathless thinking how lucky I’d be if I let you in…

“This whole fake dating thing was a mess. I shouldn’t have dragged you into my problems.”

“Y/N. Please don’t shut me out. Let me in, I’d go to the trouble of warding off your ex-boyfriend if I need to. I’ll be here for whatever.” Shohei begged. You shook your head firmly.

“I’m not ready yet, Shohei. I loved every moment I have spent with you, but I need to be with myself for now.”

Shohei dropped his hands to his sides and stepped back, his eyes glistening with tears.

“See you around, then.”

You watched him walk away until he disappeared into his home. You closed your door and plopped down on the floor. The tears that you were holding back came gushing out, and finally you were bawling. You didn’t cry this hard when Jack cheated on you but when you saw Shohei walking away because of your own doing, you felt like your world had collapsed. You wept until there were no tears left to cry, until the only pain you have left to bear was the hollowness of what Shohei left. You crawled into a ball by the door, clothes unchanged, makeup running down your face. Fraulein snuggles up to you minutes after, sharing her warmth.

Looks like it's just you and me again, Fraulein.

In the next couple of weeks, you would rise early to tend to your plants, volunteer additional hours in Novel Nook so you could get home later than usual, and avoid the farmer’s market. You added wearing a baseball cap or large hats as a new fashion ensemble to steer away from eye contact at the risk of bumping into Shohei. The thing is, your efforts to avoid him were reduced to nil as you bumped into him everywhere you went. When you throw out the trash as early as five o'clock in the morning, he’d be there, warming up or jogging on your path. When you went to the farmer's market later than usual, he was also there doing after-rush hour shopping. Even administering Fraulein’s medicine time was an arduous task seeing that she still hangs around Shohei’s porch, not understanding your human conflict and emotions towards each other.

There are days when you feel better and the sun is shining, but there are also moments when you catch yourself at the brink of a breakdown. It takes a while for the loneliness to settle in like an unwanted guest, creeping over your shoulder, sometimes hugging you at night. It wasn’t this hard before you met Shohei, so how was it different now?

“All good, Y/N?” You lost your train of thought at the voice of Aunt Olivia. You couldn’t bear the loneliness and the quiet of your home that you packed your stuff and stayed for a week’s worth of vacation. She joined you in the indoor kitchen table, where you were having your mid-afternoon coffee.

“Boy problems?” she suggested. One look from you and she already knew.

“Aunt Liv, how do you know if you’re ready to love again?” You said after a moment of silence.

“You don’t.” She smiled and cupped your hands. “You fuck around then find out.”

She chuckled to herself. “You remind me so much of your mom. She was always scared of trivial matters, like falling in love.

“But when she had a good taste in it, she never looked back.”

Aunt Liv has always been fond of her little sister. Your mom. And hearing these words from her, reminiscent of how she had been when she was your age, twinged at your heart a little bit.

“I’m not the one who’d pry on your relationships, Y/N. But he’s a keeper, that boy. I thought he was joking at first, but he seems to be serious about it.”

You knitted your eyebrows together. “What do you mean by that?”

“He said something when I got him alone that day. He’d said, you were tougher than a potato under hot water. But he’s willing to wait for you to soften up no matter how hot it gets.”

Leave it to Shohei to drop potato metaphors to your relatives on their first meeting.

“When a man like that comes around, I won’t ever let him go. You’re lucky if you ever meet the same kind of man twice.”

You pondered on about Aunt Liv’s advice for the rest of the day; by nighttime, you felt an epiphany dawn upon you. The next day, you packed up and went home earlier than you had planned.

“Go get him, bubba.” Aunt Liv wished you luck. You’ll need all the luck you can get and hope it wasn’t too late.

It took you approximately an hour to get home by taxi, the car zigzagging across the street.

You don’t know why you were rushing. He wasn’t going anywhere, not to your knowledge. He will always be right where you left him but something inside you was telling you that a second more that you’re away from home, and you’d lose him.

You were trying to catch your breath as you ran on your side of the street when you bumped into Shohei leaving your front lawn, a pail and shovel over his shoulders.

“Y/N? What are you doing here?” He was covered in dirt from the knee up, his white shirt sticking to his body and full of sweat. He looked a little shocked and panicked at being caught mid-exit from your garden.

“I should ask you the same question. What were you doing in my lawn?” You tried to take a peek but Shohei covered your path with his wide body. “Did you bury a body there?”

“I think that’s a good idea for your fertilizer, Y/N!” He seemed a little agitated and making offbeat jokes to distract you.

“Step away. What did you do to my garden?” You pushed him with all the adrenaline coursing through you and jogged towards your front lawn, expecting a murder crime scene or worse, a decaying garden.

Instead, you saw hundreds of tulips in different shades and colors spread all throughout your garden. Purple and yellow tulips lined up the path towards your home. Red and pink tulips danced in the background, swaying every time a soft breeze brushed through.

“You’re not supposed to see it yet. I thought you’d be back tomorrow night.” Shohei said, rubbing the nape of his head, embarrassed at being caught.

“You remembered when I said… At the farmer’s market…” You stammered.

“Yes, you went on and on about how much you love tulips.” You suddenly remembered the photo before the brunch party. How Shohei was looking fondly at you as he listened to you rambling on about something trivial. It wasn’t trivial to him because it was important to you. And he remembered.

You turned around and faced him. You held out a hand and wiped a bit of sweat off of his face. “Did you do all of this… on your own?”

He nodded shyly. “That’s not all, though.” He whistled and called Dusty.

“You’re the most stubborn and one hell of a fiery woman. But you’re also the sweetest, softest, clingiest woman I’ve lucked out on. You’re so beautiful sometimes it hurts. After that second kiss, I knew right away that I’d have to fight tooth and nail for you to keep needing and wanting me."

Dusty bursted out of Shohei’s garden stringing along a reluctant Fraulein scruffed by the neck. Both of them were wearing cute red bow ties on their neck each laced with individual messages.

You pulled Dusty’s message and read, “I want to call you “mom” so will you be my dad’s girlfriend?

You squealed in delight as you unraveled the next message pinned on Fraulein’s bow tie: “I loved him first but can you keep him forever?”

You swooned and laughed at the corniness and the teeth-rotting sweetness. You can’t help but jump into Shohei’s arms and give him a big hug despite all the sweat and grime on his body.

“Ew, you got all your sweat on me.” You playfully joked at the parting.

“Hmm, you have no choice but to shower with me now.” He lifted you by the waist and carried you on top of his shoulders, both of you laughing and shrieking like newly weds on honeymoon, Dusty and Fraulein at your tails.

.This place, this scene, and this warmth spreading through your chest up to your fingertips, all of it and the familiarity of it, you realized, is the only thing you need to live a lifetime of love and happiness. You were wondering where it was all this time and you understand now that it had been right beside you all along.

#shohei ohtani au #shohei ohtani imagines #shohei ohtani pov #shohei ohtani fluff #it's giving autumn girl red taylor's version color grading

128 notes · View notes

pacifymebby · 2 years

Note

May I request the peaky boys with a shy reader please<3

Bestie this is a whole vibe of course u can ❤️❤️❤️

Tommy

🌿 Everyone knows Tommy is drawn to outspoken, fierce women, which is why nobody can understand it when he seems to take a liking to you...

🌿You're so quiet and withdrawn that most people don't even notice you, so absolutely no one can understand what Tommy sees in you, least of all you. But actually that's what fascinates him so much. He's a man who can't go anywhere without causing a scene, without being noticed, whereas you seem to be able to slip around like a little waif, hardly there at all, and he finds that mystifying.

🌿Makes him want to hold you tight in his hands so he can be sure you're real. Makes him want to own you so you can't slip away.

🌿 The first few times he addresses you he doesn't get a response, you just look at him like a little deer in the headlights, you blink and blush and he can see that your breath has caught in your throat... that makes his desire for you burn even harsher

🌿 Because you won't speak to him and you seem to run away whenever he tries to speak to you, he doesnt even know what your voice sounds like... He becomes obsessed with the thought of finally hearing his name on your lips.

🌿 He's very careful with you, he likes making you blush but not too much, he doesn't want to scare you away. So he flirts delicately and quietly, he won't try to embarrass you in front of other people.

🌿 "You know love, all those bad things you've heard about me... Well they're not all true. For example, I don't bite."

🌿 He likes the way you look at him from under your lashes, makes him want to hold your cheek in his palm and force those pretty little eyes to meet his.

🌿He sees you one night in the Garrisson, you're standing at the back of the room not far from your friends, but you look lost and overwhelmed... When he stands behind you and slips his hand into yours he makes you jump.

🌿 "You're alright sweetheart, just looked a bit lost... Thought you might need a friend,"

🌿 You bite your lip and look at the ground, you're trying to hide your smile and hoping he can't see how badly you're blushing...

🌿 But you don't let go of his hand, you link your fingers with his. This is how he knows he's won.

🌿 Absolutely won't let anyone tease you, he's extra protective over you because youre so shy. One glance of his steely "I'll fuck you up" glare and anyone who was even thinking about using you for a quick laugh, quickly rethinks their remark.

🌿Doesn't let you hide from him when you're having sex, makes you sit in his lap and holds your face in both his hands so that he can make sure you keep looking at him. Makes you say his name over and over again. Finally he gets to hear you say his name.

🌿 Has a habbit of getting up close to you whenever he talks to you, he'll almost always hold your face in his hands or your chin between his thumb and forefinger to control your gaze and make sure he has your full attention.

🌿 On the rare occassion he sees you shock everyone by standing up for yourself or shooting one of his brothers down with a witty remark he feels a huge swell of pride. He'll watch you with this proud little smirk on his lips and raise his glass to you, "Atta girl..."

🌿 Never lets you stray too far from him, he tells himself its because you need him, youll be scared and lost without him... But its also because he needs you too, he needs to have someone to protect, someone who needs him and looks up to him the way you do.

Alfie

🐻 Adores how shy you are, is actually a little overwhelmed by how endeared he is to you and how quickly he's gone soft for you.

🐻 His first instinct is to protect you, to take you under his wing and shelter you from the big bad world... And also the lustful eyes of other men he knows like how shy you are for the wrong reasons.

🐻 "must be somethin wrong with me like, going soft for a little mouse like you, but you sre a very pretty little mouse right, i reckon right, i reckon i could just eat you up, what do you think y/n, would you like that?"

🐻 You're such a timid little creature that when he says things like that to you all you can do is tremble and nod your head.

🐻 "am afraid youre going to have to use your words little mouse,"

🐻 Loves to get right up in your personal space, likes to touch your face when he's talking to you always stroking your cheek and chin and lips with his thumb, likes the way you only seem to be able to whisper when you speak to him.

🐻 "uhuh..." "see now thats not really a real word is it little mouse," "s.. Sorry i mean yes mr solomans..." "thats a bit formal int it eh Mr Solomans, bit formal between you and me like treacle... How about Aflie to you, or... How about papa,"

🐻 He really only said it to tease you, to see you blush and catch your breath, to watch you chew your cheek or hide behind your hands... So when you oblige he's stunned... He'd be lying if he said he wasn't feeling pretty pleased with himself too.

🐻 Actually makes you feel comfortable around him really quickly and revels in being able to see snippets of the real you when you begin to grow in confidence around him.

🐻 But what he loves most is being your protector, letting you hide behind him, or holding you with your back against his chest and closing his coat around you so that youre wrapped up and snug against him. That's where you feel safest and he loves keeping you tucked away, his precious, shy girl.

🐻 Holds your hand in his, keeps you by his side at all times, tucks you under his arm and lets you wrap your arms around his waist.

🐻 Is always really soft and coaxing with you, never raises his voice in front of you, even when he isn't speaking to you. Actually tries not to swear in front of you too but thats quite hard for him lets be honest.

🐻 "now see the only reason i aint shouting bloody murder at you right now treacle is cause there are delicate young women present and i, being a considerate and well mannered gentleman, wouldn't want to upset them you see.... now i know you too, are a considerate and well mannered gentleman at heart so i know you are going to conduct yourself with the highest level of respect... Aren't you treacle... That's it thats it nice and calm and *sighs* ahh yes, quiet..."

🐻 Really enjoys coaxing you out of your shell, especially in the bedroom. When you first sleep together you are so shy and he can tell youre nervous to go on top, he can tell you're self concious too, so he guides you through everything gently, giving you instructions. He loves how pliable you are.

🐻 Brings you out of your shell by showering on the praise thick, especially during sex.

🐻 Has you sit on his lap in his office where he can have a hold on you at all times. He's working on your self confidence slowly, he doesn't want you to lose your sweetness, or the way you blush whenever hes near, but he does want you to be able to stand your ground when it comes to other people.

🐻 Not him though, he always wants to be in charge of his shy little mouse.

🐻 Answers for you when other people who youre too shy to talk to try and speak for you. Orders for you in restsurants/bakeries/bars and cafes.

🐻 Likes it when you read to him, to begin with your voice is quiet and shakey, which although he finds adorable, he wants to help you get more confident.

🐻 You suck your thumb when your nervous, which Alfie adores. When youre alone together and he can see that youre feeling self concious and timid he will slip his own thumb between your lips and cup your face in his hand whilst you suck on it. Sometimes its the only way to get you to hold his gaze.

Arthur

🍂 The idea that Arthur would ever even notice you seems absurd to you. He's always roaring around on one hellbent snow spree after another

🍂 And the women he likes well, lets face it, theyre hardly what you'd call shy

🍂 But youve always been attracted to him, whenever hes in the room you get nervous, you get stuck caught between wanting to gaze at him all night and being scared to meet his eyes.

🍂 And actually, until the night you meet for the first time, Arthur has never noticed you before.

🍂 The first time he sees you he's struck by how pretty you are, by the way you smile so shyly and avert your gaze to the floor whenever someone speaks to you.

🍂 He especially likes the way you twirl with your hair nervously. He cant help but want to cut across the room straight to you, tuck your hair behind your ear and take your little hand in his. He'd say "that's quite enough of that now sweetheart," and you'd do as you were told.

🍂 He'd use his finger beneath your chin to push your gaze up to his.

🍂 What actually happens however is this...

🍂 From across the room he hears a squeal he knows came from you, he'd looked away from you for no more than a second but when he hears the cry he knows instinctively that its you.

🍂 His eyes dart around the room to find you among the crowd and he sees you, your cheeks burning red, hes even concerned he might see the gleen of tears in your eyes as he watches you try to back away from to young lads. He forgets what he was doing immediately and storms through the room to be by your side.

🍂 Completely forgets he doesn't know you and you don't know him, is only interested in making sure those boys know to leave you well alone. Only man who's going to be making you squeal from now on his him.

🍂 When he sends them on their way you turn to him and squeak out a little "thank you mr shelby," and then you try to apologise for ruining his night. As you speak he notices you twisting that lock of hair around your finger and without thinking he takes the strands of hair and tucks them carefully behind your ear before taking your little hand in his.

🍂 "No need to apologise love, you've not ruined anything at all," hes doing his best to be a gentleman. He notices how you can't hold his gaze for very long, how you keep swallowing down nervously, it warms his heart and makes him want to pick you up right then and never put you back down.

🍂 "You pay no mind to little boys like them sweetheart... And no more of that Mr Shelby business, you call me Arthur alright..." what he wants to say is "your arthur"

🍂 Hes not used to delicate, shy girls, youre like a little baby bird to him and hes ever so careful with you. Is on his best behaviour around you because he doesnt want you to be scared of him.

🍂 When people see you together they're so shocked they can't help but stare. It makes you feel self concious but all Arthur will ever say about it is this: "probably wondering what such a good little girl is doing with a bad old man like me... You know what sweetheart I think im going to tell them..."

🍂 Walks down the street with you, one arm around you, the other held out to address the whole world, sometimes he sings it, sometimes he just shouts it but every time he says the same thing "I arthur Shelby am the luckiest man in the world..."

🍂 You blush and get so embarassed but no ammount of telling him to whshht will shut him up and you end up giggling and hiding your face in his shirt.

🍂 Fucks you in front of the mirror and makes you watch yourself so you can see how gorgeous you are. Bends you over and moans all kinds of filth and praise into your ear as he fucks you in front of the mirror. Holds your chin up so that you can't look down.

🍂 "open your eyes y/n want you to see how fucking gorgeous you are... Open your eyes and look at yourself darlin,"

John

🌼 Is too much of a naive little rascal to notice how shy you are at first. Hes a bit too boisterous, flirts too openly and definitely does scare you off at first.

🌼 Well its not that youre scared, its that you are completely and utterly convinced hes taking the piss out of you. You dont believe for s second that he really thinks youre pretty. You think he's just trying to make his friends laugh.

🌼 So you start trying to avoid him. You hope he won't notice that he'll just forget about you but he doesn't. He takes it to heart that youre rejecting him and becomes twice as determined to make you his.

🌼 So he carries on, relentlessly flirting and teasing you. You dont understand how he cant see what hes doing to you.

🌼 It gets so bad that whenever hes near you you become so nervous you think you might faint.

🌼 And then one day you do and of course hes first to sweep in and catch you. Hes so confused, he'd begun to think you might be a little nervous around him but surely not that much? Not enough that you would actually faint?

🌼 When you come round he's still holding you, but now he's carried you somewhere a little quieter and its just the two of you.

🌼 At first you don't realise where you are but when you do you panic. This is so embarrassing!! He's still holding you carefully in his arms so when you try to scramble away he only has to tighten his grip a little to trap you there.

🌼 "eh what're you doin flower calm down... Where are you rushin off to?"

🌼 Youre too shy to speak, absolutely mortified to have wound up in such a situation. You try to scramble free again without answering him and this time he eases up but doesnt let you go.

🌼 You actually beg him to let you go, your face tinged a humiliating shade of pink. You squeeze your eyes shut, your hands balled into fists, its the most embarrassing moment of your life asking him to just let you go already and, when he asks you, "why would i want to do that flower?" and you respond with "so you and your friends can laugh about me obviously..." his jaw hits the floor.

🌼 "you... You think i laugh about you?" he genuinely cant believe what hes hearing, cant believe how stupid hes been and when he looks at you again he realises just how delicate you really are. All this time hes been enjoying teasing you, making you blush and smile shyly, not realising that he was torturing you.

🌼 For a whole minute he is humble, has to explain he was just trying to get your attention, that he just likes seeing your cute little blush.

🌼 From then on he makes sure none of his mates, or in fact anyone gets away with making any kind of remark which might embarrass you or make you feel like youre being laughed at. If anyone tries it theh get a firm reminder about how they are and arent allowed to talk to his girl.

🌼 He will refer to you as "my girl" all the time because no matter how many times he says it your reaction is always the same, you squirm a little awkward because youre desperately trying to hide how happy it makes you, and because it gives you major butterflies.

🌼 Tries to be gentle with you but struggles because he just loves making you squirm, its adorable. Still ends up making flirtacious comments which embarrass you.

🌼 Is always trying to reassure you that hes not winding you up when he calls you beautiful, that he really does think those things about you.

🌼 Holds your hand when youre out with his friends. Is proud to show you off and protective of you too.

🌼 Once a man catcalled you and John forced his head down onto the table and dug the barrel of his gun into his temple daring him to repeat himself. Honestly? No one has said a word to you since and you like it that way.

Bonnie

🍀 For all that he is confident in the ring, Bonnies never been particularly confident when it comes to women.

🍀 However, theres something about how timid and quiet you are which brings out his own confidence. It makes him step up to be everything you need him to be.

🍀 He has a sense of duty to look out for you, to protect you from literally everyone. He notices how you barely say a word to anybody, how you hardly even laugh when people make jokes because youre so adverse to drawing any kind of attention to yourself...

🍀 It makes him a little bit sad to see and so he dedicates all his time outside of Peaky Business and Fighting Business to getting to know you

🍀 Its tricky though, whenever he throws himself down beside you in front of the fire in the evening, you get up and leave. Whenever he tries to sit beside you on the bank of the river, you get up and leave. When he wants to walk with you through the forest you speed up... He almost questions whether its something wrong with him?

🍀 Asks his dad for advice but all his dad really tells him is to be persistent. Reminds him about how you have to wait all summer for an evening primrose to bloom and how even when it does, if you blink youll probably miss it... Tells him to be patient so patient Bonnie is.

🍀 He keeps sitting down beside you, trying to walk with you, talking to you at every opportunity.

🍀 When the other lads tease you he acts as your fierce protector, even though you never once asked him to be.

🍀 Brings you wildflowers every day. Actually serenades you which reallyyy embarrasses you but also makes you blush and giggle, which bonnie finds to be too sweet to ignore, and so is encouraged to sing to you again and again.

🍀 Sits with you by the fire and talks to you about things but doesn't force you to talk back. One night he asks if he can brush your hair for you and you nod, you only manage the word "please" but that's enough for him. He beams back at you and then brushes your hair so carefully. Hes so gentle with you.

🍀 You were always intimidated by him because youd seen his fights and youd seen how cocky he could be, but the more time he spends with you the more you begin to realise hes really quite sweet and gentle.

🍀When you realise just how much you like him you lose your confidence all over again, you cant look at him without blushing, you shake when youre near him.

🍀 "You're cold aren't you, here flower have my jacket..." "No m'fine really don't..." "You're shivering y/n, look," he draws a line along your wrist and his touch gives you goosebumps.

🍀 The first time you kiss youre both really shy, he's blushing almost as much as you are. Its one of those sweet, yearning moments.

🍀 But after that, once he knows youre his, he's always stealing little kisses, always making excuses to touch you.

🍀 Has a habbit of running up behind you and tackling you, bundling you up in his arms so you can't escape. He loves how you laugh and bury your face in his shirt to hide away because hes making you go all shy again.

🍀 Does take great boyish pleasure in torturing you, making you get flustered, sometimes teasing you relentlessly until you very nearly almost cry and he has to wrap you up in his arms and soothe you apogising for taking his joke too far. He doesnt do it often, mostly its just gentle teasing, and you usually get all the cuddles and kisses and sweet things whispered in your ear anyway.

🍀 "Don't go shy on me again little dove, you know you don't need to be nervous with me..."

🍀 When youre so shy youre talking in that whispered barely there voice, he'll hold both your hands and whisper back, he'll talk really soft and quiet with you and then after a little while he'll lean in even closer and say something like "hey y/n... Why are we whispering?" always trying to make you giggle.

🍀 Loves taking care of you, loves to make you laugh so that you feel care free and lose your self conciousness every once in a little while. Always calling you beautiful, always reminding you youre the prettiest girl in the world. Tells you how precious you are ten times a day because he cant stand the thought that you might doubt yourself for even a second.

🍀 You being so shy and delicate brings out his possesive side in the sheets. He likes to go on top, pin you down and fuck you firm and gentle. Pushes his forhead to yours and tells you to look at him, wants to see your eyes when he makes you cum, wants you to hold his gaze when youre cumming together so he can tell you all about how precious and good you are. How youre his sweet girl. Loves that you really flush when he undresses you, loves the self concious flutter of your lashes. Youre like a little doe.

🍀 He has 100% socked numerous boys who have flirted with you and made you uncomfortable, or teased you and embarassed you before. Bonnie is one possesive boy when it comes to his precious girl.

Isaiah

🐀Like John he enjoys teasing you far too much and the more shy you get the worse it gets.

🐀Finds it both funny and adorable how you clam up whenever hes near, how you cant speak. Sometimes hes noticed you actually holding your breath when hes been near you which has quite honestly delighted him.

🐀 He likes how much power he has over you. Enjoys how tortured you seem to be in his presence.

🐀 So he'll purposefully invade your personal space just to admire you struggle. Youre so pretty when you blush and shiver nervously. He thinks its cute that your hands tremble when hes in your proximity.

🐀 And he really, really loves telling you to speak up when youre talking to him. He asks you questions just so he can tell you to speak up. He'll pretend he hasnt heard you even when he has just to torture you...

🐀But its all for a good cause and whenever he gets you alone he turns his charm offensive up to the max. You can't refuse him.. How could you? Youre so attracted to him its embarrassing but its especially embarrassing because youre not just shy, youre naive... You don't actually know what he wants from you

🐀So he has to tell you, plain and simple, he has to spell it out for you

🐀And your face when he does, well, its such a pretty picture he wants to remember it forever, the flush in your cheeks, scarlet, torn between scandalised and curious.

🐀You let him take you under his wing, he calls you his little girl and you are through and through. He won't let anyone else flirt with you, will answer for you... Unless hes trying to torture you, in which case he'll fix you with a mischievous little smile and tease an answer out of you, "well speak up lovely, we're all waiting for your answer..."

🐀In the bedroom hes just as bad, he likes forcing you to tell him what you want, even though its torturous for you, even though it makes you unbearably shy and awkward. He loves watching you struggle and he adores the way your voice trembles when you finally start confessing to him.

🐀And hes not cruel, once you ask him nicely he always gives you what you want.

🐀Always has an arm around your waist, his hand holding your hip when youre in public. People know you're his and that they should be very careful when they talk to you. Because even though he likes to torture you, only hes allowed to.

Michael

☘️ Feels an instinctive need to protect you from Isaiah because that man is relentless when it comes to teasing pretty girls like you who get so flustered and speechless in the presence of men like him.

☘️ Tries to force you out of your shell by being commanding with you.

☘️ "Remember what we agreed love, you look at me when youre talking to me and..." waiting patient but stern for you to finish his sentence like hes already made you repeat for him. "And..." you trail off raising your thumb to your lips to bite the tip nervously.

☘️ Michael taking your hand in his and returning it down to your side. Him holding it there whilst you look up at him wide eyed and still struggling with your words...

☘️ "Come on love I'm getting impatient..." he's so stern with you but only because he wants to help you grow more confident... And also a little bit because he secretly likes to watch you shrink away and shiver at his more demanding ways, "finish your sentence..."

☘️ Rewards you when you finally manage to speak, youre always being smothered in affection when you do well for him.

☘️ "Thats my girl, well done love,"

☘️ Flirts with you in public but only occasionally, most of the time hes too busy playing the protective hero to try and tease you himself... Besides, he likes to think hes a gentleman, the place for that kind of play is in private.

☘️ Speaks on your behalf, orders on your behalf, won't even leave you to say your name to someone who asks for it. He will always talk for you, always step up to cover for you in conversation. Hes loyal like that both because he cares about you and also because he sees you as his delicate little possession who needs preserving.

☘️ Spoils you with gifts, especially dresses, jewelery and lingerie because he enjoys watching you try them on, enjoys making you model them for him because you usually get shy and try to hide yourself from him... And he usually manages to flirt his way into undressing you and exposing you completely.

☘️ Its a vicious cycle which ends with you being completely naked and vulnerable, which makes you all the more shy which makes you all the more vulnerable. Which Michael really fucking loves.

☘️ Will lean in and whisper lewd questions to you in public just to watch you choke on your drink.

☘️ Youre so innocent and he wants to corrupt you bad. He really likes to turn his shy little sweetheart into a needy mess. He too loves to command you in the bedroom, make you perform for him.

☘️ But he also likes to be careful with you, make sure you really do feel comfortable with him and in the end this ends up empowering you to be really vulnerable with him without being scared of him.

☘️ Which leads to some life changing events between the sheets.

#peaky blinders headcanon #peaky blinders imagine #Tommy shelby x reader #Arthur shelby x reader #Bonnie gold x reader #Isaiah jesus x reader #John shelby x reader #Alfie solomans x reader

887 notes · View notes

drabblesandimagines · 2 months

Note

Cidolfus x fem reader fluff with either sick day or opposites attract 👻🐕

Also just wanted to say your fics are amazing and I'm basically stalking your account almost every day now. With you being one of the only ones making fluffy content for my favourite boys, please keep going. Lots of love, and you deserve all the followers ❤️.

Thank you, lovely! I hope you enjoy <3 Petal Cidolfus Telamon x female (Branded) reader

You’re too hot – a particularly odd sensation as you struggle to recall the last time when you’d felt anything but cold. Spending so many nights sleeping in a drafty chocobo barn had left a permanent chill in your bones.

There’d been a heavy storm a day or so ago when you were on the road to the market – your master took shelter in the carriage and had left you shivering outside on the saturated ground, shackled to one of the large wheels for good measure.

You had made it to Northreach somehow, but hardly the picture of a healthy Bearer who would make good coin. A chesty cough, pale skin, unable to keep focus. Your master was in a foul mood – there hadn’t been an ounce of interest in you at the auction and he was loathed to drag you all the way back without anything to show for it. The market had shut for the evening and so he had moved to the outskirts the opposite side of the town – the mothercrystal of Orinflamme shining in the distance, your arms shackled above your head once more on the carriage’s great wheel in the hopes of flogging you to traders making their way in and out of the town in the early evening.

You no longer had the strength to keep your head held up, your mind fuzzy, so it’s not a surprise that you don’t hear the approaching footsteps until a new, deep voice booms from a few metres away.

“Well, well, what do we have here?”

“You look like a man who appreciates a good deal.” Your master chuckles. “Got a Bearer for sale.”

There’s a gloriously cool, gloved hand placed upon your forehead for what turns out to be too short a moment before it is removed.

“Oh, petal.” A velvety voice tuts sympathetically at you in a murmur – too low for your master’s ears. “She’s burning up with a fever.”

“These Branded always run hot,” is his scoffed response. “She’s good stock, mind. Only a little bit of stiffness about her.” He grabs a fistful of your hair in a harsh grip and yanks your head up, and you blearily take in the stranger who is crouched in front of you.

He reminds you of a lord the way he is dressed - his shirt somewhat open with a large collar, two sword hilts jutting out from his hip, clean shaven and looking remarkably unimpressed at the sight before him. “And you really think you’re going to be able to sell her in this condition?”

“If you’re not interested, I kindly ask you to fuck off.” He shoves your head forward to emphasise his point as he relinquishes the grip on your hair.

“Now, now, no need to be rude - I didn’t say I wasn’t interested.” The stranger gets back up to his feet. “Why are you selling her?”

“Honestly, I could buy a new Branded that won’t give me any lip for farming work. I’m too old for that.”

“Oh, she’s spirited, is she?”

“That’s a word for it. So, are you interested?”

“Hm.” The man reaches for the gil pouch by his side, as if to check its weight. “What’s the price?”

“10,000 gil.”

He whistles. “For a sick, stubborn Bearer?”

“She’s not sick. And I’m sure a young gentleman like yourself would be able to knock the stubbornness out of her. I paid 15,000 for her originally – it’s a bargain.”

If your head wasn’t pounding, your mouth completely dry, you would’ve had something to say about being described as a bargain… but all your energy is focused on breathing.

“Fine.” The mysterious man agrees, pulling off one of his leather gloves and offering his hand.

Your master grabs hold of it eagerly, beaming. “Pleasure doing busi…” But the sentence is cut off as sparks of lightning crackle in the air, blue bolts shooting from the stranger’s hand and up your master’s arm before sparking all over his body.

Your master grunts, drops to the ground, twitching, eyes wide open in your direction.

He’s alive, breathing, but he won’t be getting up again anytime soon.

The mysterious man puts his glove back on and, using his leather boot, gently rolls your master over. He bends down and grabs a bundle of keys that had been attached to his belt before crouching down in front of you once more. You wonder if you’re next.

You tense as a gentle hand cups your cheek, bracing yourself for pain, but it only tilts your head up to meet his eyes. He smiles – sympathetic and kind. “Hello, petal. Name’s Cid. I’d ask you yours, but something tells me you’re not up for much talking right now. I’m going to get you out of these shackles and we’ll find somewhere comfy to rest up for the night. You’re safe with me – you have my word.”

He removes his hand and you manage to keep your head upright, a little in disbelief as he places the key in the lock of one of the shackles and undoes the mechanism, careful to lay your arm down in your lap before repeating the action with the other.

“There we go. I’m going to pick you up now, petal. You just rest.”

He places an arm around your back, another under your knees and gets to his feet with a slight grunt, mumbling about his own knees. The upward motion seems too much to bear, however, and unconsciousness takes over.

Isabelle raises an eyebrow at the sight of Cid at her door, you cradled against his chest. She puts her hands on her hips and tuts.

“Cid, it’s not bring your own.”

“Not what it looks like.” He lifts you up, causing your head to lull back and reveal the Brand on your cheek. “Petal’s not well. Any chance of a bed for the evening and we’ll be out of your hair after dawn?”

“Of course.” Isabelle steps back, widening the door to permit Cid entry. “What happened?”

“Some git trying to sell her on the outskirts. He’s taking a little nap. Poor thing’s absolutely frozen.”

“Did anyone see?”

Cid shakes his head. “No. I’d be surprised if he even remembers.”

“Girls,” the Dame calls to a couple of the women hanging by the door – Cid isn’t a stranger to partaking in the delights the Veil has to offer, after all. “Prepare a fire in Cid’s usual room. Extra blankets.”

Cid nods in thanks, heading towards the staircase to a room he knows well.

You don’t know what’s real or what is a dream over the next few hours. Fleeting moments of consciousness - a cold compress against your forehead, a rough voice coaxing you to drink something that feels soothing on your throat and warming in your stomach.

You wake up feeling… comfortable? It’s an odd sensation. What would you be on that’s so soft? You open your eyes, confused at the fact that you’re covered in a soft knitted blanket. The room is strange – a bed, a chair and a man standing over the fireplace, rousing the flames higher with a fire poker.

He turns and his eyes widen as he sees you awake and you panic and begin fumbling with the blanket, stuttering out an apology as you try to get up. How did you end up in a bed of all things?

“Easy now,” he holds up his hands in surrender as he takes a cautious step forward. “I meant what I said – you’re safe with me.”

You’ve just managed to disentangle yourself from the blankets, getting up on legs that just about to collapse underneath you. The man is quick to your side, a hand on the small of your back and another around your shoulder, guiding you back down upon the bed.

“Master, I-”

“None of that, petal.” He cuts off your protest. “I am not your master, and, from this day forward, you will never have one again. Pop your legs back up.”

You do so, automatically – an order is an order, no matter how confusing it may be – and he tucks the discarded blanket around you with a satisfied smirk.

“Allow me to introduce myself. Name’s Cid,” he grins, bowing with mock flourish. “May I have the pleasure of yours?”

“I don’t… Where are we?” You ignore his question.

“We’re at The Veil, in Northreach.” The Veil rings a bell in your head and the colour must drain from your cheeks as Cid is quick to try and set your mind at ease. “Not like that - the Dame is a friend of mine, just set us up for the night. You were too ill to travel.”

“Travel?”

Cid nods, sitting down heavily in the chair by your bedside. “Mm-hm. You see, I have a place that’s safe for people like you, where we can live on own own terms…”

Your eyes flicker to his Brandless cheek. “We?”

He smiles.

-------

“Here we go, petal.” Cid smiles as he enters the solar, holding the bottle aloft in triumph. “Tarja thinks you’re over the worst of it, but she’d rather you keep up with the tonics for another few days.”

You shuffle upright, aided by the multitude of pillows Cid had set up at the headboard of the bed, and frown at the prospect – the tonics are horribly bitter due to one of the plants that make up its components. “Really? But I’m feeling so much better…” Your protest falls flat at how hoarse your voice remains.

“Ah-ah,” he chides as he takes a seat on the edge of the bed and proceeds to pop the cork out of the bottle, holding it out in offering. “Good girls take their medicine.”

It is a battle you know you won’t win. With a sigh, you take it from his hand, closing your eyes tightly and down the tonic with a grimace. It’s silly, but sometimes you think you’d rather go through having the Brand removed again that drinking another one of these foul things. “Thank you.” Cid plucks the now empty bottle from your hand and places it down on the side, smiling wistfully at you – it still makes your scalp tingle, even after all these years.

“What’s that smile for?”

“Just a bit of déjà vu, love.” He wraps his fingers around your hand, rubbing his thumb across your knuckles. “This reminds me of that first wonderful night we spent together.” “How?” Your brow furrows in confusion, thinking back to the night he'd first kissed you in the solar after a successful mission and a glass or two of wine. He laughs. “Not that one.”

“If you’re thinking of the one at The Veil, we have a very different opinion of what counts as wonderful.”

“How can it not have been wonderful, the night you came into this old man’s life? Only difference is, now I can do this,” he leans in to meet your lips in a chaste kiss, withdrawing quickly with a wink at your pout. “There’ll be more when you’re better.”

“But I am be-”

There’s a frantic knock upon the solar door and Cid turns, keeping your hand held in his.

“Come in.”

The door is flung open by an out of breath Gav, face red with exertion. “It’s… time.” He wheezes, leaning on her knees. “Shiva’s on the… field, like.”

“Right…” Cid nods, and you don’t miss the subtle frown as his eyes flick from Gav to you in thought. You squeeze his fingers in unspoken affirmation. “Are you sure?”

“Go. You don’t know when you’ll get another chance.”

He doesn’t need to hear it again. “Gav, tell Goetz to get ready. We’re heading out.”

“On it!” Gav turns and sprints back down the hall towards the staircase, and you squeeze Cid’s fingers once more to gain his attention.

“You’ll be careful, won’t you?” You ask, timidly. His forearms are mottled with petrification now, no matter how much he tries to hide his discomfort from you.

He smirks, patting your thigh through the blanket. “Don’t you worry about me, love. You just concentrate on making sure you’re fully recovered when I return, hm?”

You nod as he gets to his feet with a final squeeze of your hand. He double-checks the belts that sit ever present at his hip and adjusts his gloves ever so slightly – a nervous habit, but not one he’d ever confess. Once satisfied, Cid leans down and presses a lingering kiss to your forehead.

“Behave. I don’t need to tell you that both Charon and Tarja will have no qualms in dragging you back to bed if they see you wandering around.”

You roll your eyes and nod, knowing it’s true - you had remained spirited - and watch as he walks over to the door. He hesitates a moment, leaning his head against the doorframe as he takes one final look.

“I love you, petal.”

You smile, gripping the blankets in absence of his hand. “I love you too, Cid.” --

Masterlist . Requests welcome . Commissions/Ko-Fi

Comments, follows, likes and reblogs make my day!

#ghostdogwrites #cid telamon x reader #cidolfus telamon x you #cidolfus telamon x reader #cid x reader #ff16 x reader

48 notes · View notes

sebastiansluts · 5 months

Text

Anon Ask - Sebastian Stan

Anon Ask: naked scooter ride- reader is nervous bc she's been sheltered her whole life and it's her first big movie. seb goes to see her in dressing room, notices she's on edge. never had a man see her before so she's self conscious; not a creepy way Seb offers if she wants just him to see her first before they start filming instead of a whole film crew; fluffy and smutty- vaginal cockwarming

I hope you like this love!! It got kinda long haha ❤️

Sebastian Stan x Reader; everyone is above age; first time, virgin!reader, vaginal cockwarming, handjob, aftercare

ANY HATE WILL BE DELETED THIS IS A JUDGEMENT FREE ZONE DON'T LIKE, DON'T INTERACT; MINORS DO NOT INTERACT 18+

You were sitting in your dressing trailer, wearing only a thin, silky robe, something you had been given to wear until it was time to shoot. You still couldn’t believe you were really here- not only were you in Greece, far away from home, you were on the set of your first real movie, and you still couldn’t believe you had agreed to this. You were about to be naked, fully nude, in front of god knows how many people, and you could barely stand to look at yourself in the mirror.

‘Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad,’ you reasoned with yourself, glancing down at the robe covering your breasts. ‘Maybe no one will notice how your one breast is larger than the other, and one nipple doesn’t quite point straight, and how there’s that lumpy skin of a stomach, and-’

A knock on your door startled you out of your self-conscious thoughts, and you quickly stood, making sure the robe covered you completely, and opened the door. Your costar, Sebastian stood opposite you, also wearing a robe, nearly identical to yours, which relaxed you a little. Then you met his eyes and all that tension was back as you were stunned by that brilliant blue.

“Hey, they’re nearly ready for us, you wanna head on over?” Sebastian asked, and you bit your lip, hesitating.

“Um, yeah…just let me check my hair?” you said, reaching up to tug on it nervously, your other arm crossed in front of your chest. You quickly turned around, walking back to the bathroom in your trailer, and breathing quickly. You sat down on the closed toilet, hearing Sebastian take a breath in like he was going to say something, then nothing. You didn’t think he had left, but you couldn’t ask him to go either.

“Everything alright?” Sebastian finally did ask, and you sighed, putting your face in your hands, elbows on your knees.

“No,” you groaned, and there was the sound of footsteps then you were looking through your fingers at Sebastian in the mirror.

“Can I come in?” Sebastian asked gently, and you nodded, huffing another sigh when he knelt down in front of you, staring at you with concern in his eyes. “Are you okay?”

You nodded, then shook your head, then nodded again, laughing pathetically. “I’m fine, I just- no one’s ever seen me naked before, let alone thousands. I don’t know what I was doing thinking I could do this! No one’s going to think I’m beautiful, everyone’s going to know how ugly I am, and-”

“Whoa! Hold on, you agreed to do a movie with a nude scooter ride through Greece and no one’s seen you naked before? That’s a lot of strength and courage right there,” Sebastian said, and you paused, feeling warm at his admiration.

“I- I just, I didn’t quite realize how much we were going to be nude,” you said quietly, and Sebastian shook his head.

“Damn first agents never tell you the whole story,” he muttered, looking at you with soft eyes, and you felt a flutter stirring in your belly, that you tried to quell. “I’m sorry hon, they really should’ve told you everything. Are you sure you still want to do this movie? It’s not too late to find someone else-”

“No!” you cried, putting your hands on Sebastian’s shoulders, as if you could keep yourself there with him. His eyes widened, and so did yours, and you quickly pulled your hands back into your lap, realizing how close you were to him. You sat back, your cheeks dark red in embarrassment. “I mean, I want to do this.”

Sebastian grinned, nodding and standing up. “Then let’s go do this,” he said, holding his hand out to you. You took it, nodding as you stood up.

“Yeah, I can do this, it’s not that big a deal, just jump in the deep end…and drown!” You let go of Sebastian’s hand, having walked out into the main area of your trailer and gotten too close to the door. “I can’t do it, I can’t have hundreds of people see me naked for the first time, all at once, I just can’t do it!”

“Hey, hey, angel, you’re doing great okay? We made it out of the bathroom, that’s progress. And, at the risk of sounding like a total creep- would it help if I saw you naked first? Just one person as opposed to the hundreds in downtown Athens?”

“I- um, maybe? I think, I think yeah, maybe that would help. Like you said, just one person first. Um…do you think you could maybe like, close your eyes?” Sebastian nodded, closing his eyes immediately. You breathed out a sigh of relief, before taking a deep breath, trying to steel your nerves. You slowly undid the tie at your waist, letting the robe fall open, exposing yourself.

Your heart was beating wildly and you desperately wanted to cover up, but you grit your teeth and dropped your robe to the ground, whispering, “Okay.”

Sebastian’s eyes didn’t open immediately, but slowly, starting at your eyes, smiling gently, before his gaze traveled down. Down to your collarbones, and then he was staring at your chest, and your cheeks were hot because you could feel your nipples hardening in the chill. His eyes kept moving, down to your tummy, that you tried not to suck in, desperate to look appealing but also be honest, down to your mound, over your thighs, before coming back up.

“Angel…” Sebastian whispered, something like awe in his tone, as his eyes trailed down your body again. You flushed, shivering as you saw that his gaze was full of- something, you weren’t sure what, but it wasn’t disgust.

“Sweetheart, the world’ll have no trouble falling in love with you,” Sebastian muttered, hand raising like he wanted to reach out and touch you, before falling back to his side. You realized you were longing for that touch, aching when you didn’t get it. “Anyways, I don’t think you’ll have any problems, but if anyone so much as looks at you wrong, I want you to tell me. I’ll keep you safe, won’t let anything happen. If you’re uncomfortable with something, say so, and we’ll see if we can’t change that.”

You smiled at Sebastian, feeling better about your decision to do this by the minute. So much so that you had forgotten you were still naked, until Sebastian glanced down and cleared his throat.

“You uh, might wanna put that back on before we go out there.” You weren’t sure why he seemed so awkward, until you bent down without warning to grab your robe, and saw that Sebastian’s was tenting partially. You swallowed hard as you stood up, your cheeks hot again as you couldn’t look him in the eye.

“Sorry angel, I just- you’re so fucking beautiful, just standing here in front of me…No, I’m sorry, it’s not professional-” Sebastian said, but cut off as you continued to stand in front of him, holding your robe. “You gonna put that back on?”

“Do you want me to?” you asked quietly, biting your lip as you tried to read the situation. You hoped you weren’t wrong, because Sebastian was everything you’d been waiting for.

“Aw sweetheart, that’s not- I shouldn’t- we shouldn’t- Oh hell,” Sebastian swore, stepping forwards and cupping your face in his hands. You dropped your robe, startled, and he leaned in slowly, giving you time to pull away, before he kissed you.

You moaned into the kiss, embarrassment hitting you but before you could pull away, Sebastian was groaning in response, his hands sliding down your neck, over your shoulders and down your arms to grab onto your waist.

You gasped and Sebastian moved his lips to your neck, sucking lightly before moving on. “Wanna sit down?” he murmured against your skin and you nodded desperately, stumbling along with him as he guided you to the couch. He pulled you down with him, straddling his lap, his dick pressing into your stomach through his robe.

“I want-” You glanced down, hands pulling at his robe, uncovering his dick, and biting your lip again at the size of it.

“Don’t have to do anything angel,” Sebastian reminded you, and you nodded, but you couldn’t look away. It was big, thick and heavy in your hands, warmer than you expected.

“I want you in me,” you whispered, and Sebastian breathed heavily, nodding slowly.

“Okay baby, we can do that. Here, you just- you just sit and slide down, there you go, now slide…” His dick was positioned at your entrance and you paused before sinking down onto him. You pressed your face into his shoulder as you were stretched, the feeling more foreign than you expected.

“Atta girl, that’s it, just like that,” Sebastian encouraged you, his hands on your hips, helping ease you down onto his dick. Your breaths came faster as you were impaled, until it felt like something gave way and you were suddenly full, almost uncomfortably so, and Sebastian was swearing.

“Fuck, angel, that’s so good, you’re such a good girl, fucking took all of me,” he groaned, his hands flexing on your hips. You whimpered, aching and full, until Sebastian brought his lips back to yours, kissing you deeply and making you shift forwards, his dick suddenly pressing a spot inside you that had you keening.

“S-Seb! Oh!” You cried, hips shaking slightly, before settling, your body relaxing on top of Sebastian’s, your head on his chest, feeling comfortable and strangely safe. “There we go sweetheart, you just sit here for a bit, take some deep breaths. Don’t worry about anything, I’m here. I’ll take care of you, angel,” Sebastian murmured into the top of your head, pressing kisses there as he spoke.

You could feel him inside you, weighted and huge, but the more you breathed, the more you relaxed, and the more you could feel little twitches and throbs from his dick. Sebastian’s hands were soft against your waist, stroking your hips and back as you laid against him. You were aching again, but in a different way now, your hips trying to shift minutely but Sebastian still noticed.

“Need something, angel?” he asked, and you nodded, forehead pressed to his bare chest, kissing it before tucking your chin over his shoulder. “I gotcha sweetheart, you just hang on there okay?”

Sebastian began lifting your hips slightly, then he dropped you back down just as slow. You buried your face in his neck, trying to muffle the moan that came out of you.

“Yeah, that’s a girl, we’ll be nice and gentle, hm? Keep it slow and steady, mhm,” Sebastian murmured in your ear, as he kept raising and lowering you on his dick, your walls clamping down every time.

“I- S-Sebastian, I think- I think I’m gonna-” you cut off with a cry, spasming around his cock as you came, sitting on Sebastian’s lap again, his fingers between you, rubbing at your clit until you were whimpering. He stopped, lifting his fingers to his mouth and tasting you on them, his eyes getting darker.

You slumped against his chest again as Sebastian gripped your hips a bit tighter, lifting you up and off of his dick, but keeping you close. He brought his hand to his dick, between the two of you, and began jacking it, his knuckles bumping against your tummy but he didn’t seem to care. You mouthed at his neck and his one hand tightened on your hips, cum splashing up between you, coating your breasts and his pecs, dripping down your torsos.

Sebastian was breathing heavily through his nose, kissing your temple, and holding you close. After a few moments, he gently started to shift you off his lap and onto the couch cushion, your mind a little hazy and confused.

“Where…?” you tried to ask, but couldn’t finish the question.

“Just cleaning up angel, I’ll be right back,” Sebastian muttered quietly, before walking off. You floated for a bit, as he wiped between your legs gently, and cleaned off your breasts and stomach. Then he was back, murmuring in your ear, “Hey angel, think you can sit up for me? Drink a little water?”

You nodded, sighing happily as you opened your eyes, Sebastian helping you sit up, before sitting next to you, handing you a bottle of water. You sipped at it, realizing you didn’t care about your state of undress anymore, you felt safe with him.

“I’m ready to do the scene,” you said, and Sebastian looked into your eyes deeply, as if making sure he believed you. He nodded slowly, then leaned in, kissing you languidly before pulling back.

“Alright angel, let’s go film us a movie!”

As you walked out to the set, you felt more comfortable than ever, in large part due to the fact that Sebastian was holding your hand. You felt warm all over, and when he let go, to take his robe off, he looked at you with encouragement. You took yours off too, and climbed onto the scooter behind him.

Sebastian held your thigh as you listened to the director tell you exactly what he wanted. Sebastian's thumb stroked your skin when your breath hitched, and you nodded, reassuring yourself and him that you were okay.

The trailer that the two of you were hooked up to started, and Sebastian moved his hand to the handlebars. You wrapped your arms around his waist and leaned in.

"Thank you," you whispered as everyone was getting ready.

"For what?" Sebastian whispered back.

"Helping me believe I can do this."

Sebastian turned his head and quickly kissed your cheek, before turning back to the camera crew. You buried your face in his neck, flushing bright red, but loving it.

"And in 3...2...1...Action!"

#rose answers #anon ask #smut #no y/n #sebastian stan #sebastian stan smut #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan x y/n #sebastian stan x you

62 notes · View notes

khaire-traveler · 2 months

Text

💥 Subtle Eris Worship ⚔️

Stand up for yourself and others

Assert your boundaries; learn what your boundaries are; not all boundaries need to be spoken

Do not needlessly sacrifice yourself for others (it takes time to unlearn this behavior, it'll be ok ❤️)

Have a candle that reminds you of her (no altar needed)

Wear jewelry that reminds you of her

Keep a picture of her in your wallet

Engage in activities you're passionate about

Share your passions with others

Support abuse survivor, homeless, or humanitarian organizations

Practice healthy conflict resolution skills; learn about what those might look like

Have imagery black wings, apples (particularly golden), black feathers, or whatever you associate with rivalry/discord around

Have a stuffed animal of any animal you associate with discord or rivalry; have a stuffed animal of an animal you consider to be bold, passionate, or powerful (maybe a predator)

Take risks; do things that you need/want to; if you're scared, do it scared

Learn to speak up when you disagree with someone; don't always hold your tongue

Get comfortable with the idea of change; try to look at positive outcomes rather than focusing on negative ones

Change something within your daily routine if it starts to feel mundane, even something small

Join a supportive community where you feel comfortable expressing yourself; LGBT groups, D&D, survivor therapeutic groups, etc.

Dance/sing to music that makes you feel empowered, badass, or expressive

Find healthy outlets for your emotions; boxing, dancing, drawing, building, crafting, etc.

Allow yourself to feel your feelings; cry, scream, shake - whatever your body needs to do

Make your space reflect parts of yourself; make it your own!

Exercise; get some movement throughout the day, even just stretching

Create a positive change in the life of someone else; cook a meal for someone in need, donate blankets to a homeless shelter, support your friend through a difficult time, etc.

Prioritize your own well-being; learn to be comfortable with being a bit selfish; it's not a bad thing to look out for yourself

Wear outfits that make you feel bold or expressive

Express yourself in little ways if you're unable to be fully open; a bracelet to represent your gender, pride flag colored shoelaces, etc.

Play with pets; get active alongside them!

Listen to stories of people who have gone through major life changes; try to learn from them

Make a list of your personal strengths; acknowledge and honor them

Work hard, but remember that rest is also productive

Practice patience and restraint around people who annoy or bother you a lot; a difficult lesson, believe me, I know

Try to be understanding of the fact that people have their own struggles as well; this doesn't mean you have to forgive transgressions against you

Don't feel obligated to forgive people; you do not owe anyone anything just because they apologized to you

Celebrate your accomplishments, even the small ones!

I'll likely add more later! It was a bit tough for me to come up with ideas for Eris because I don't worship her directly and couldn't find many sources discussing her worship, unfortunately. I'm open to ideas! For now, this is my list of discreet Eris worship. I hope someone finds it helpful. ❤️

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

#helpol #hellenic polytheism #hellenic pagan #eris deity #eris #eris worship #paganblr #deity worship #pagan tips

41 notes · View notes

my-writings-and-musings · 1 year

Note

Can you write an Earthspark Tarantulas x human reader fluff thing please? ❤️

Indeed I can, dear anon! I hope you like it! This spider has been living rent free in my head...

For those who don't know; if you like my writing style you can always commission me!

The dilapidated paths you hauled your old pickup over were "roads" more in name than practice, but considering how important it was for you to remain undetected, you accepted the bumpy ride as a fair price to pay for secrecy. Granted, that fact didn't do your poor back many favors, and the fresh snow on the ground had made for more than a few unnerving slips over the terrain, but you didn't allow yourself to complain. It wasn't like you'd been invited out here. No, you'd decided to head up the mountains after a snowstorm completely of your own volition.

Pulling off to park once you got to the fallen tree that marked your stop, you zipped up your coat and bundled up completely before hopping out, having long since learned the cold was far more intense high up in the mountains. Frigid air bit at what little skin you had exposed, but you ignored it as you pushed through the knee high snow to round your truck. Reaching beneath the cover and into the bed to pull out a heavy duffel bag, you cast one last paranoid glance about to ensure you weren't followed. The only movement for miles around came from the snowflakes drifting on the mountain air all around you.

Shouldering your bag and ignoring how the cold burned your lungs, you left the road to hike into the woods, hoping you'd have enough thermal mass to keep from freezing on the way there. The walk ahead wasn't long, but it did take you through some difficult terrain, and the increasing number of snowflakes fluttering through the trees promised to make the journey that much harder. Refusing to let that dissuade you, you abandoned what little reason you had remaining to tuck your head down and march.

By the time you caught sight of the cave you had lost feeling in your toes and were coughing from the strain of so much frigid air cycling through your lungs, but you ignored it as well as the exhaustion dragging down your limbs. Forcing yourself over the last rugged hill and telling your aching legs you had only a few steps left, you cupped a shivering hand by your mouth to magnify your failing voice.

"Tarantulas!" you croaked as loudly as you could, stumbling down the final hill to the mouth of the cave. Nearly face planting into the snow, you just managed to overhear a distant scuttling echoing from the depths that quickly grew louder, and you looked up right as the source stepped into view.

"No need to be so loud, I heard your approach." Tarantulas chided with a tired sigh, chelicera twitching in irritation as he stepped out into the snow. Ignoring him to stagger the last few feet to the entrance, you were stopped when the arachnabot took your bag from your exhausted shoulders, his huffy demeanor doing little to hide the concern behind his actions. "I also told you to skip this supply drop. It's far too cold for organics in these mountains. That is why I chose them."

Ignoring him to haul your heavy body under the sheltered overhang, you collapsed onto a convenient rock, shivering but still able to speak clearly enough to sass the spider. "Last I checked, you don't just stop needing energon because it's cold… or any other supplies, for that matter."

He grumbled something you couldn't hear as he opened the bag, carefully turning over the contents with his claws before the three measly energon patches you'd secured dropped into his palm. Disappointment showed freely on your features as you tossed back your hood, and while his visor was impossible to read you still felt compelled to apologize for having so little to give. It wasn't like he had anyone else to help him out. "On that note, sorry it's such a small amount. I couldn't risk grabbing anything else."

"This will more than meet my needs for the time being." he replied quickly, taking the supplies and returning your bag to you. Upon beholding how your hands shivered when you took it, he hesitated, and you took the straps to secure over your shoulder as you tried to hype yourself up for the walk back. It would be easier without the weight, but you were still not looking forward to plowing through the snow that was starting to fall in greater quantities. Just thinking of what the drive would be like on the trip back down the mountain made you wince more than the ache in your frozen limbs.

Before you could take a step towards the exit or even offer your goodbye, Tarantulas held out a claw to stop you, something that caught you quite off guard. Though he never pushed you out the door, the arachnabot had never been one for hosting guests, which only made the concern on his expression all the more surprising. "You should come in and rest, it is much warmer in the main chamber."

"I just need a minute here." you replied to ease his worries, not wanting to risk the greater headache you'd have to face later if you delayed your departure. "I can't risk the truck getting stuck in the snow. If I move now, I can beat the blizzard."

To your continued surprise, Tarantulas didn't back down, and instead gave you a quick scan from head to toe. "Your body temperature is well below what is recommended for a mammal of your size." he concluded from the results, angling his many limbs further to discourage you from leaving. You were too tired and baffled to reply, but remained unconvinced, fears of a hefty vehicle repair bill leaving you with little patience for his sudden protective streak. "If you are concerned about your mode of transportation, I can assist with repairs once the storm is finished. I would be remiss to send you back into the elements."

"You're not sending me anywhere, you're just letting me leave." you argued back, though there wasn't enough fire in you to even raise your voice. It was hard to be anything more than frustrated by someone stepping so far out of their comfort zone for your sake, but the last thing you wanted was to inconvenience someone who you'd sacrificed so much just to keep safe. Accepting help, it seemed, wasn't something either one of you did well. Though to his credit the spider was quickly wearing you down.

"Then I will not be doing that either." Tarantulas said firmly, moving completely in front of you to block the exit. There was nothing threatening about his body language, which more resembled a mildly frustrated guardian whose lack of patience was born entirely from fear for your sake. "If I must, I will use my webs to detain you. Do not push me to that."

Still unable to feel your extremities and admittedly uncertain you'd make it back to your truck without freezing, you sighed with a heavy slump of your shoulders, looking back up at him to find the spider unyielding. "I'm not going to talk you out of this, am I?"

"It would be… disadvantageous, to lose an ally of your caliber." he replied, skirting your question with an answer that sounded more rational than sentimental. For the first time you allowed yourself to smile, and a fresh rush of winter air heavy with snowflakes cemented the rationale of your decision. Noticing the increasing snowfall, Tarantulas doubled down on his promise before any doubts could be raised. "I have a limited supply of human rations for you to utilize if the blizzard sets in, and I will ensure your vehicle is functional once it thaws."

"Do you have a bed?" you asked as you stood up, letting him know he had no further need to convince you. The spider relaxed and beckoned for you to head down the passage, a deeply inclined tunnel that led to the well insulated and comfortably upgraded series of rooms he called home. Though you'd spent little time there, you were admittedly looking forward to the idea of getting a bit of sleep under eight watchful optics, and happily followed his instructions as he led you back.

"I'm certain I can find something suitable. Please, follow me."

A collection of bot sized cushions created from synthetic fibers and held together by his webs proved more comfortable than you could have ever imagined, even with nothing more than a cleaning cloth for a blanket. For his sake, you pretended not to stir all through the night, even for the brief interval where you woke to find him adjusting your makeshift blankets and fretting over the temperature.

#transformers #maccadam #earthspark #transformers earthspark #tf earthspark #transformers: earthspark #tfe #tfes #earthspark tarantulas #tf tarantulas #tarantulas #tarantulas x reader #x reader #transformers x reader #tf imagines #human reader #self insert #fluff

235 notes · View notes

thelikesoffinn · 6 months

Note

hello - hope you're doing great! I love your analysis, and I wanted to ask about something I've been thinking fanfic wise but also applicable to real life (I think).

So Astarion gets paired a lot with Tavs who also have tragic past experiences (hard to be at his level of tragedy, but some get close). Which is all well and good, cause I see how writing these characters and reading about them is cathartic to many, but I also see plot-wise, it makes it "easier" for him to connect with Tav in a way, kindred souls and all that.

My Tav's background is one of someone who either had a fairly good and regular life, and, if trauma occured, it's been healthily overcome. So at the beginning of the BG3 story she's actually at the end of her own initial "character" arc.

Now my issue is, can Astarion connect with someone who has no idea at all of what he went through? My idea is that's he'd infantilize her, or openly antagonise her (in his charming way) because she's got no right to understand (especially with how he thinks it's fine to be racist and hurt the weak in the first act).

And she'd be understanding and wanting to help and all, but how can people with no/little traumatic experiences connect with those who went through hell, even with the best intentions? It's a dynamic I'd like to explore, because I've seen it played in real life a few times.

Sorry for the poem!

Hello, flower! Thank you so much, I'm glad that you enjoyed the analysis ❤️

As for your question: Eh, I do see why that dynamic is a rather difficult one. People who've survived through a lot of traumata tend to be somewhat hesitant and guarded in front of those who had normal lives at the best of times, and we all know that Astarion rarely has a "best of times", especially early in the game.

Infantilising them is something I definitely see with him. He's the type to do that with anyone anyway, but especially so with those he considers "sheltered". And sheltered is likely something he inevitably will consider Tav, as that is often the case with those who experienced trauma.

Trauma tends to age and harden you, in a way, so oftentimes people who simply grew up normally, with normal ups and downs, are viewed as "sheltered" or "spoiled" by those who didn't, even if that wasn't necessarily the case. That label isn't used or assigned maliciously, and it's simply based on the fact that other people's "normal" seems like the very best to someone who had it worse.

I can also see a huge amount of antagonism, yes, but how it shows will depend on when your story is set.

Is it while he's still dependent on Tav? Then I think he'd try to refrain from being more antagonistic towards them than necessary, since he needs to stay on their good side. So, he'd likely stick with his base-line arseholeishness, if a bit more intense at times. You know, in a sense that you side eye him and wonder if he just actually insulted you or if he's still joking around.

But if he's not dependent on them? Oh boy. Yeah, very likely that he'd be extremely mean and Tav would definitely 100% know that he means everything he says, even when it's uttered with a smile. Think how he talks to the Gur hunter in act 1 because let's be honest…that was far from subtle.

Astarion as a whole doesn't take kindly to anyone prodding his weak spots, albeit he mellows a bit towards Tav over the course of the story, and if would be even worse with "sheltered" Tav. He would likely flip his shit really hard and become extremely cruel with them, staying on their good side be damned because how dare they prod where they have no business being?

It's something I've seen at work before, and let me tell you: It's never a pretty sight. Many people who experienced trauma usually don't want to hurt others - quite the contrary, a lot of them would rather sacrifice themselves before watching anyone else get hurt like they were - but that doesn't mean they're not good at it. Precisely because they're often so hypervigilant, they have a talent in picking out your weak spots and if you test them enough, oh boy. They'll hit them with such aim and grace, you'll find yourself reeling. And that's the super sweet and kind clients, not the Astarions.

Here it's important to mention that the things people say in those situations are rarely what they really believe. It's mostly is just a well aimed assassination of your soft spots to get you to back off and leave them be.

So "sheltered" Tav will have to be extremely careful regarding any sore spots if they don't want to be hit by the full force of protective-malice.

Does that mean Astarion and your Tav won't be able to bond? Aabsolutely not, but it will be a tad bit difficult because he'll likely take a lot longer to open up and their bond will have to be built entirely from scratch. The shared understanding of their trauma can’t function as a temporary foundation – temporary because a bond entirely based on [shared] trauma will eventually become instable, if not fortified by other things – so they’ll have to put in a lot of work to even get to having a solid foundation to build on.

I'll give you a bit of a general rundown on how I was taught to tackle clients like that, maybe any of that will be helpful for you!

So, firstly: "Sheltered" Tav will need to be careful and understanding and they'll have to be able to take a blow and live with it if they accidentally step to close too early.

Important to note: They'll have to be able to take a blow but they can't be too lenient either.

Astarion seems like a person who's attached to 'respect'. Not in the 'respect your elders' way, but in the sense that he treats those he respects a lot better than those he doesn't. It's the nobility’s definition of respect - some "deserve" it and some don't and who is who is entirely based on personal understanding - so it's very in line with his background.

So, while your Tav will need to be able to take a hit, they'll need to know when to call him out on his bullshit. If you let Astarion walk all over you, he will eventually lose all respect and then this is a lost cause. Don't let him push you around.

If he's being too cruel, don't be cruel back, but definitely call him out on it and let him know that he can always ask you to stop prodding but you will not stand around and let him insult you.

Be understanding, but don't be a doormat.

Then, in order to get someone to open up, you'll have to have a lot of patience. Don't demand anything, don't force anything. Every question you ask has to be careful and phrased in a way that won't corner them, which can be really difficult in casual conversation. So, mishaps can and will likely happen, which is great material for a story anyway, so that's great! (Not so great at work though, haha.)

In case of "sheltered" Tav, it's probably best if they wait for him to come to them. Listen when he rants, listen to the tiny things he mentions and if you ask questions, make sure they directly relate to what he's told you just then.

So, if he talks about Cazador essentially making him choose between eating putrid rats or getting beaten, a question like: "Did he do that a lot?" or "Was it always those two options?" could potentially be alright because the red string is easily visible for both parties. Astarion can tell why you would ask something like that and he can follow your line of thought easily.

But a question like: "What else did he do to you?" or "Did he do other things as well?" would probably have his defences going up. It's too broad, too unspecific, and how is that any of your business anyway? What is this, an interrogation? An interview so that you can ghost write his sad memoirs? Back off.

While a question like: "How exactly did those dinners go?" or "Beaten? How?" is too specific. You're practically asking him to relive a painful moment in great detail for your own "enjoyment". Why else would you want to know? Why else would you ask how exactly he'd been hurt and humiliated, if not for that? Maybe you were planning to do the same to him. He won't let you. The past is the past. Let. It. Rest.

So, as you can tell, it's basically playing question-hot-foot!

But even if your Tav should cross the lines in that regard every once in a while - it happens, every question is a gamble - it'll eventually be fine. The closer they get, the easier it will be to ask questions, because he'll realise that he can actually trust them.

The one word I would really really avoid - and I cannot stress this enough - is 'understand'. God never use it. Tav, omit it from your vocabulary, you'll never "understand" anything ever again!

"I understand what you went though was horrible, but/and/however…" - No, you really do not. You can't understand, can't even imagine what he's faced over the years so never pretend that you do.

"I won't pretend to understand what you went through, but I want to/you can trust me/I can still listen." - Always said with kindness, but that one really is nothing but an empty platitude, at best. Hearing someone say that they don't understand you so directly is never really encouraging either.

"I just want to understand you." - Great, but you don't need to know the barest parts of a person's soul to be able to understand them. If you can't do it without that, maybe you shouldn't. And, all in all, this phrasing of the last one feels really iffy anyway, personally speaking, because it has a very manipulative edge to it. 'Hey I'm just overstepping your boundaries because I want to know you and understand you better. It's all for you..." and blegh. I hate that one, but that might be totally personal so please feel entirely free to ignore this paragraph.

Anyway, as you can see…never "understand", even if it’s just meant to encourage him. Just don't. I've seen clients who asked to be transferred to a different social worker or ended up leaving completely because someone used one of those lines, so I'd really strongly advise against them.

Instead, opt for things like "I'll listen to whatever you want to say." or "Can you explain it to me?" because that way you're not lying to his face and you're leaving everything up to him. He gets to decide where this conversation goes and, more importantly, how far it goes. Not an interview, not an interrogation, but a conversation that he controls.

And well then, flower, that’s it! Of course, there’s a lot more to it, but we’d still be here by the time Baldur’s Gate 8 is released if I went over every tiny thing, but I hope this was enough of an overview to help you build your story 😊 If you end up sharing it, don’t be shy to let me know, I’d be excited to check it out because, as you said, it’s a really interesting dynamic that isn’t explored as much as it should be. It’s a difficult dynamic, but it is so rewarding to write, read and experience. I wish you all the best ♥

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldurs gate 3 #baldurs gate #baldur's gate #bg3 tav #tav #astarion x tav #baldurs gate tav #astarion #astarion ancunin #astarion romance #bg3 astarion #bg3 asks #astarion x reader #ascended astarion

46 notes · View notes

fungalinfectionbiohazard · 14 days

Text

frankie pics for engagement

Hey guys I need help

I'm so sorry to do this but I'm currently living in a really shit situation where I am constantly walking on eggshells, yelled at, berated, financially abused/scammed, discriminated against and more. I've hopefully got a place that I can move into for July 1st if all goes well, and I might have a place where I can couch surf for a month while I wait. But I have a bunch of shit coming up that I need to pay for, my cat needs to get her shots, my roommates are trying to scam me out of even More Money as I'm trying to escape, and I can't stay at a nearby shelter for june and just keep paying rent here because I couldn't bring my ESA, Frankie. I need to buy litter, a mini fridge for my new place, a deep freezer, food, supplies, boxes, and hopefully have some money set aside for things like backup money, transportation, ordering out if I need to, etc etc. I am also physically and mentally disabled, and the new place is far from bus routes so I need money to get back and forth (I really hurt myself the other day walking there even with my walker), and I may be required next month even if I DO couch surf at my old roommates to pay rent both there AND here + utilities. (About 850 to 950$ CAD.) I'm only on disability and can't afford much. Any little bit helps. If you can't donate that's perfectly fine! Please just consider reblogging ❤️🫶

I also do commissions if you want something in return! I do both written coms and art coms, and I'll write or draw pretty much anything you like, including n s f t, gore/horror, etc etc. I won't do anything illegal or paranoia inducing for my own safety, but you can pretty much rq anything. Just feel free to donate and then message me and we'll work out what I can do for that cost!

Thank you so much in advance. I know everyone is going through it right now but this will really help me and my babygirl (Frankie) a lot. Cheers!

P*ypal: p*ypal.me/sunnyshined

(Note: if youre able, because of conversion rates sending your d*nation in usd works out to be a lot more for me, so please consider it as a possibility if you can!)

#boost #tommy talks #queer #nonbinary #disabled #neurodivergent #please rb!!!!!#commissions #pay what you want

28 notes · View notes

aloysiavirgata · 2 months

Text

Thanks to @numinousmysteries for tagging me! I had never checked these stats before!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

484,620

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I’ve written for Hannibal, Battlestar Galactica, The Fall, and The X-Files, but only The X-Files at this point.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Parting Glass (smut)

Animus Possidendi (dark smut)

The Common Fate of All Things Rare (casefile, cowritten)

Lacuna (casefile)

This Her Fever (cancer arc)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes and no. Not like I should. I am so deeply, truly grateful for every single one.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Well, I killed William in Inhaling the Different Dawn, but that wasn’t at the end.

Maybe Where The Vines Cling Crimson? Scully’s cancer comes back and her fate is ambiguous. And I had Scully kill Emily in Alabaster Stones. But I think that was the right ending for both of them.

As a mother? A Basket of Reeds, where Scully gives William away. I can’t even reread it without a lump in my throat, man.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Tent of Shelter is fluffy and lovely gets a lot of love, and was inspired by a STUNNING manip by @avocadoave but I personally think In The Gale. It’s the one that, to me, feels the most like a grownup relationship of two people processing some trauma. I think that’s an ending that’s happy and also real - like “I don’t love being broken, but I can survive being broken with you.” Two abeyances that lean…

Foxfire for similar reasons. I real love that little story, which I wrote thanks to @perplexistan

I’m 43. I’ve been married for well over two decades and let me tell you that young love is a gift and mature love is a craft.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Some! And that’s really great too, that people read words I wrote and felt so passionately that they left me words about those feelings. What a strange but profound compliment!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do. PWP isn’t my personal taste so even though I wrote a LOT of smut for the old pornbattles at LJ I wanted the smut to still tell a story.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I can’t say it’s especially crazy, but Fern Hill is a Mulder/Stella Gibson crossover. There are a few little ficlets with XF/Silence of the Lambs crossovers in my Inbox Prompts series.

Oh fuck! Wait! I wrote a Fall/Hannibal/XF crossover called Anthemoessa where Stella, Scully, and Bedelia all meet. Okay that’s it. That wins.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Years ago. God, isn’t that sad? To need positive reinforcement that much?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! It was SUCH a compliment!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have - The Common Fate of All Things Rare

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Mr. Virgata and me. Followed by Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, who literally invented the word. ❤️

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

The Fisher King

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I do pretty good banter and my education makes me pretty good at the sciencey bits.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I get too lost in descriptions and I try too hard to be clever. I do my best to self edit but sometimes I reread things and I’m like oh my GOD SHUT YOUR PRETENTIOUS ASS UP.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I’ve done it for Bedelia and Hannibal in Italian. I’m not sure I understand the question?

19. First fandom you wrote for?

TXF, my one true love.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I don’t know that I have a favorite per se. I am most proud of the ones that challenged me to do something outside my comfort zone. Samson is one of mytop fives even though it’s Mulder/Diana. I think I did a nice job. I also wrote Pair of Aces/Double or Nothing which is Scully/Byers.

But I do really love the world of Petrichor and Singing of Mount Abora, and I like the cases.

#tags #ao3 #writing memes

24 notes · View notes

scrambled-eggs-y · 2 years

Text

Puppy Love

Austin Butler x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 4146

Warnings: none, lots of fluff

A/N: This is the longest fic I’ve ever written! So proud you guys, so proud! 😭😭

ALSO: MAJOR creds to my editor and bestie @i-talk-too-much for helping me!! Love you babes ❤️😘

Summary: From somewhere around you, you heard Lights, Camera, Action! and then Austin began talking. You saw his face light up with excitement - his eagerness to play with the puppies almost rivaled with the little ones in question as they tugged at their leashes, waiting to be let go.

“Bring in the puppies!” Austin declared, his hands reaching out to welcome the first boisterous puppy. Not long after, the others followed and he found himself holding and becoming acquainted with all three. You watched as he used the toys to direct their attention and made them comfortable with him. Unknowingly focusing solely on him and how natural he was with the dogs, you couldn't help but think that he looked cute with a small puppy to dote on.

___________________

“Let’s go, people! We got a lot of equipment to set up here! Does anyone know where the dog lady is?!”

The set crew rushed around you, making sure the set was ready for their recording to start. There you stood with three squirming puppies - all of whom were excited to sniff around the new area.

The day prior, a spokesperson for Buzzfeed had called and notified you that they were doing a puppy video with another celebrity. You were their go-to for a selection of puppies. Being a worker at a shelter, you sometimes provided Buzzfeed with puppies for their videos. This time, they asked for a different breed than last time to add a hint of variety to their videos.

You periodically took in new puppies to train and took care of them. Unfortunately, the puppies from past videos got older and the only ones left were the ones you were currently fostering. You had told the PR executive the situation and they agreed to use them.

Walking into the studio with your three friendly adorable little pups, you saw the light pink background setup. Standing there taking in the scene, you didn’t notice the man coming up behind you.

“Excuse me darlin’.” The deep baritone voice held an air of calm that made you swirl your head to face him.

“Oh, sorry!” You moved aside - noticing that you were in his way standing with the three puppies. Making his way past you, he brushed your side with his, but turned back when one of the puppies trotted over to sniff his shoes.

“Oh my gosh, are these the little pups I’m gonna be playing with today?” His voice held a note of awe as he bent down to pet them. The puppy in front of him licked his palm and nuzzled his head for rubs.

“Yes, they are. They’re adorable aren’t they?” You bent down to his height and took some treats out of your fanny pack for him to give.

The sweet, handsome man became distracted before turning around to a loud voice calling him not two minutes later.

“Austin, we’re ready for you on set!" The man - Austin, it seems - raised his hand to the producer in acknowledgment and stood up.

“Alright, well, I’ll see you little guys in a bit," he spoke, his hands on his waist. Before long, he made his way to the pink background set up and sat down in front of the cameras.

From somewhere around you, you heard Lights, Camera, Action! and then Austin began talking. You saw his face light up with excitement - his eagerness to play with the puppies almost rivaled with the little ones in question as they tugged at their leashes, waiting to be let go.

Austin let out a chuckle as he tried his best to answer the questions without getting distracted by the squirming little pups. You found yourself smiling at the scene unfolding in front of you.

His eyes roamed around the studio as his mind thought through each question and multiple times, you made eye contact. The corner of his mouth quirked upwards after the third time, and he laughed to himself slightly as he gazed down at the puppy in his lap. You’re pushed back into the present when you hear one of the puppies growling at another, trying to pick a fight with his counterpart. Before you can step in, it's quickly broken up by Austin, shushing and separating the two.

As the playtime and questions went on, you quietly threw treats to get the puppies to stay near him. Realizing a few minutes into the interview, you understood that he was answering questions about his new movie and himself. You had heard about the movie Elvis from endless trailers and posts everywhere and you were going to check it out eventually, but you hadn't had the time - bouncing between sets and the shelter. Now, though, thanks to meeting the main actor, you were way more determined to see it.

Once the shooting was all wrapped up, you went over to where Austin sat and picked up the strewn toys and any leftover treats. Sitting down next to him, you took each puppy individually as you attached a leash to their collars.

“Thank you so much for letting me spend time with these little rascals.” His raspy voice once again grabbed your attention as he spoke. You sheepishly smiled while shifting your eyes away to grab more treats to give your little babies.

“It’s not a problem,” you began with a slight wobble to your voice. “They loved the attention and you were so good with them - I’d say it was well deserved and you’re more than welcome to see them anytime.” With his eyes on you as you spoke, you continued rambling. “Even though I'm the current foster for them, they’ll be brought back to the shelter to be adopted. Most of the dogs after these videos tend to get adopted fast because who wouldn’t want a dog that a celebrity has played with?” You stopped talking and you looked up to see him staring at you, fully engaged and listening to every word you were saying.

A few seconds passed as you both wordlessly looked at each other. The moment was broken after you heard his name being called from somewhere behind the cameras. Both of you turned to look at where the voice was coming from, only to see a woman walking up to the setup.

“Austin, you have some press to do in about 30 minutes. We need to get going.” The assistant’s voice was urgent while she motioned with her hands for him to get up. He nodded at her and opened his mouth in response.

“Uh- yeah, be right there. Just need a minute.” He stood from the ground and looked down at you, holding out a hand. You stared at it for a second before realizing he wanted to help you up. You clasped his hand, letting him lift you from the ground and muttering a quick ‘thank you.’ With you both standing, he turned to you about to say something, but you spoke first.

“Looks like you have to get going, don’t want to be in your way,” you spoke with an upbeat tone, portraying a false sense of ease. “I’m really glad you had fun with the pups.” A short-lived smile graced your face as you spoke those words, the nerves getting the best of you. You waved to him as you walked away, slightly tripping over the leashes. Scurrying away, a chuckle was heard behind you from across the room along with receding footsteps.

That night, you were filled with both embarrassment and giddiness as you thought back on the day. The whole day replayed in your brain on loop - unable to break from your consciousness as it pestered you about this man you had only met briefly. You weren’t usually like this with all the celebrities you’ve interacted with, but he was somehow different. With your brain tormenting you, you were most definitely going to need coffee in the morning. No way you were sleeping a wink tonight.

It was around nine in the morning that you had woken up to your blaring alarm. The puppies jumped on your bed and licked your face awake, waiting to be walked and fed. With a groan, you stood up and groggily shuffled to the bathroom to get ready for the day. The outside had nice, hot, but breezy weather, oh the puppies were gonna have the walk of their lifetime today - after you get your coffee, of course.

With your coffee in hand, you took in the scenery of the park while you walked, leashes in hand. People talking, sitting, playing, cars blaring in the distance, the sun shining, and your dogs peeing. It’s beautiful. Before you could take another sip of your coffee, your puppies pulled on their leash, almost making you spill the drink on your clothes as they forcefully dragged you to an unsuspecting individual sitting on a bench. Your heart dropped as they jumped onto his lap.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t think they’d recognize you.” You quickly apologized to the familiar man in front of you. Your eyes caught on the way his face shone in the sun, with his golden hair and beautiful ocean eyes, you had to admit he was a sight to behold. “Wow, but I mean who couldn’t forget you,” you flustered as the puppies attacked the poor guy’s face.

He laughed as they licked his nose and cheeks. “It’s all good. Missed these little guys, anyway.” He turned his head to where you stood and grinned at you.

Turning away to avoid his eyes, you spoke, “So Austin, how did everything go yesterday?” You tried filling in the quiet air to not make it awkward by just standing there.

“Ah, you remembered! Yeah, press went well. Just the usual answering of questions for the film,” he replied while rubbing the puppy’s belly.

“Must get tiring I assume, it’s gotta be the same old routine.”

“Yeah, but it’s worth it,” he shrugged. “I want people to see the art that came out of this movie, including the fact that Baz, the crew, and I put a lot of work into it.” His eyes crinkled as he spoke, you could see the adoration he held for the crew and castmates. The way he spoke about it warmed your heart.

“You must love what you do, don’t you?” A little smile played on your lips as you spoke, your eyes landing on one of the puppies pulling at the bottom hem of his pants. “I’ve heard you’ve got quite the talent, Mr. Butler.” The both of you chuckled at your remark. You knelt down to gently pull away the mischievous pup.

“Well, have you seen it yet? The movie that is.” He looked at you as he asked, moving his leg away to prevent the second puppy from attempting the same trick.

“No, but I really want to. It seems phenomenal just based on all the trailers I’ve seen.” You picked up the third pup and held him like a baby - he always relaxed in your hold.

“If you’d like, can we go see it together?” He got up from the bench, placing the puppy he lavished his attention on, on the ground.

“Really? Isn’t it your movie, though?” You tilted your head as you stared up at him. “Wouldn’t it be a little strange to see you act in your own movie?” He let out a breath at your amusing words, his mouth slightly curling upwards.

“Nah,” you watched as he put his hands in his pockets and rolled on the balls of his feet. “Plus, I wanna know your thoughts on the movie and get to know you better.”

“So you’re asking me out on a date. Is that right, Butler?” You give him a mischievous smirk with a hint of hope hidden in your eyes.

“A most definite one at that.” He returns your smirk with a question. “Will you allow me to accompany you home?”

“Why, yes, thank you. You are too kind,” you jest. Austin stood beside you while you sorted the tangled leashes. “You know I realized I never even properly introduced myself. I’m Y/N L/N by the way.” You looked at him beguiled and with one free hand extended for him to shake.

“A pleasure, Ms. Y/N.” He bent down to kiss the top of your hand. A chortle left you at his over-the-top display of grace.

As you walked home, you spoke more and more about your own respective careers and interests. By his side, the day had become one of the best and you had your puppies to thank for that. You were so giving them some well-deserved treats once you got home.

He walked you all the way to the entrance of your building and you both exchanged phone numbers.

“I’ll pick you up at 8 tonight and we’ll head over to the cinema, if that works for you?” At your approval, he bid you farewell and walked backward, giving you a little wave and with a dopey smile on his face.

You slowly closed the door making sure to see if he walked all the way down the block. Ducking into your building and hearing the main door click shut, you turned around slowly before squealing like a child, jumping up and down.

“I got a date, I got a date, I got a date!” You clumsily danced and sang off-tune around the hallway in your glee. Luckily no neighbors were out to witness your embarrassing display of human joy. You leaned down and picked up one of your harmless, unassuming little puppies.

“Did you hear that, fluffers? This girl has a date! And it’s all thanks to you, so treats on me boys!” You rushed into your apartment and straight into the kitchen to grab some dog biscuits to give to your adorable matchmakers. After giving them their treats, you immediately began preparing your outfit.

Before you knew it, it was already 7:55 and you heard a knock at your door. You had texted Austin your address beforehand so you had no doubt it was him. Rushing over to the door while hopping trying to get your shoes on, you flung the door open just as your foot slid in and you quickly straightened up.

“Hi! Welcome to my humble abode.” You moved aside and let him in. As soon as he stepped inside, the puppies came running and he knelt down, letting them once again lick his cheeks.

“Haha, I think they like me.” He looked up at you smiling as they pestered him to play tug-of-war. His childlike joy at seeing the puppies made your heart flutter.

“They sure do, we’ll be going in just a sec. I need to refill their food and water bowls.” You called out as you walked to the kitchen.

Walking back, you found him and the puppies sprawled on the floor, playing with toys. You swore you could faint at the sight. If you could you would have stayed right there, but you had a date to get to.

“Adorable,” you whispered as you bent down to pet one of the puppies.

He stared at you in adoration. “You look beautiful by the way.” You looked up at his words. “Right when I think you can’t get any more beautiful, you prove me wrong.” His words sounded so genuine, as if straight from the heart. You bit your lip and looked back down at your puppies.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” you began. “I mean it, you’re handsome. Just look at you: a model - a sculpture from the gods.” You laughed as he flipped imaginary hair over his shoulders and jovially posed. After a moment, he checked his watch and stood up.

“Wow, we gotta get goin’.” You once again accepted his outstretched hand and he helped you up. You both dusted off your clothes, then moved towards the door. Opening it for you, he stepped aside and let you exit first. You quickly shut and locked the door and you were off to the theater.

Once there, he insisted on buying the tickets, but you returned the favor by paying for the popcorn. Sitting in your seats, you dug out from your bag some water bottles and a bunch of candy, earning an amused look from your date.

“You never fail to surprise me,” he says, reaching for some of your sweets.

The movie starts and it's beautiful: the cinematography, the music, the storytelling - you were sucked in and you didn’t even know it.

Scene after scene, you were more and more invested. The popcorn was being munched on furiously as the drama unfolded in front of you. You were so enthralled by Austin’s acting that you couldn’t tell it was him, but rather that it was Elvis. He was incredible.

At first, when you saw the girls hollering for him, you laughed and slightly cringed at the sight, but when it got to the Trouble scene, you ate your words. That scene awoke something you didn’t know you had in you. Just like those girls, you understood what they were feeling. You were squirming a little in your chair, squeezing your hands tight against the edge of the armrest…you were horny.

What you didn’t realize was that Austin was watching your every move. He wasn’t expecting your reaction, but when he saw it, he smiled and brought his lips close to your ear.

“You okay?” He whispered in a sultry hushed voice, almost teasing you.

You whipped your head to look at him. “Yeah, I’m fine - great! The movie is amazing, and damn I’m gonna regret saying this later, but you are fucking hot.”

He took in what you just said to him and chuckled lowly.

“And so are you.” He wrapped his arm around your shoulders and kissed lightly under your ear.

Your cheeks warmed up at the gesture and you continued watching the movie in bliss. That was, until the ending.

It was the scene where Elvis is saying goodbye to his daughter and Priscilla for the last time. A beautiful rendition of Can’t Help Falling In Love is playing in the background and it’s just so heartbreaking. You found yourself crying as the sky fades to Elvis singing Unchained Melody for the last time. What an ending. You had never felt such a strong emotion or attachment to a movie before, but this took the cake.

He heard your sniffles and looked at you with concern. “You alright there, sweetheart?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to cry. It’s just- it's so sad, the life he lived.” You brought your hands up to rub at your eyes, scrubbing the tears away. “This movie was something else, Austin. You and everyone there altogether have a talent I’ve never seen before. You’re incredible.” You spoke from deep down in your heart.

He cradled your face in his hands, wiping the stubborn tears away. “Thank you, truly. It meant a lot to me that you can see that.” He smiled at you.

“You’re amazing, Y/N. Like no one I’ve ever seen or met. I could kiss you.” He looked at you in adoration as he held your puffy face.

You didn’t hold back and went for the kiss. You grabbed onto the collar of his jacket, putting every emotion you felt into it and he did just the same. Your lips melded with his, moving in such a swift motion that you thought you could stay like this forever.

After a few moments, you pulled away from the kiss catching your breath. Leaning your foreheads against each other, you both grinned from ear to ear.

“Come on, it’s about time I walked you home,” he said to you as he leaned in for a quick peck.

The both of you got up and walked out the theater giddy and holding hands - like two teenagers who just started dating. It was the best feeling in the world. You had never felt this much comfort and happiness in any of your relationships before, more importantly on the first date. They were always awkward, but Austin made you feel okay to just be yourself.

As you walked around the streets of the city on the beautiful summer night, there were people and music playing all around. A woman was playing the violin on the corner of the street so Austin turned to you and asked for your hand. Coincidentally, she switched to playing Love Me Tender by the one and only Mr. Elvis Presley.

You started to slow dance with him on that street corner lit up by fairy lights hanging around. Maybe it was too early to think this way, but looking into his eyes shining in the light and the atmosphere around you, you felt safe. You felt frozen in a state of pure joy. This was love - you knew it and he did too.

Austin took your hand and twirled you around, catching your waist. He leaned down to plant a soft kiss on your lips. The sight of the moment unfolding in front of you left you breathless.

“Wow, Austin, you are something else.” You smiled.

He shyly grinned at your comment, lifting you back up to your feet. Wrapping an arm around your waist, he turned to the violinist and gave her a 20 in thanks.

It wasn’t long before you made it back to your apartment. You were leaning against your door in the hallway, hands wrapped around his neck, fingers tangled in his hair, kissing him as if your life depended on it. His hands were on your waist once more and he was getting more and more comfortable with your lips against his - you didn't think he’d ever stop.

You released yourself from the kiss, mouth slightly open and lips swollen. His lips were glistening in the poorly lit hallway. He was oh so beautiful.

“This date was like nothing I’ve ever been on before. Thank you, Austin,” you told him truthfully, your hands resting on his shoulders.

“I’m glad you feel that way because I’d like to take you on another one. I really like you, Y/N.” Your cheeks hurt from how wide your grin was from his confession.

“I would love to go on another date with you and hopefully many more. I really like you too.” You sighed softly into the humid air and kissed him good night. You waited for him to get into the elevator and blew him a quick little kiss. He smiled lovingly and caught it like the loveable dork he was.

A couple of months passed and you’d gone on plenty more dates with Austin since you’d met him. Everything had been going just swimmingly, but unfortunately, today was the day you had to part with your little pups, who weren’t exactly little anymore.

When you went to work at the shelter that day and brought your cherished babies, you teared up a little at the thought of parting with them. You had been through so much with these little guys and they had brought you the best boyfriend in the world. This was definitely going to be tough.

After getting them settled, a bell rang signifying a customer had entered. Finishing up with the last pup, you yelled out, “just a minute!”

You walked over to the counter, dusting off your clothes, and looked up at the new arrival. Your eyes lit up at the sight of your boyfriend.

“Oh, hey, baby. What are you doing here? You didn’t tell me you were coming by,” you said to him a little surprised.

“Yeah, I’m just here to pick up-” He walked over to your puppies. “-these guys.”

“What?” You looked at him, taken aback.

“Yeah, I’m adopting them,” he spoke nonchalantly, smiling an impish grin.

“You are!” You replied, jumping for joy. “No way! Really? Oh my gosh! I love you, I love you, I love you!” You ran into his arms, attacking his face in kisses.

“I’ll come by your place all the time, then,” you said, your tone full of mirth.

“Well, you won’t have to, since…” His voice dropped into a smooth rumble as he slightly pulled back and looked at you. “Y/N, will you move in with me?” He looked nervous, as if uncertain of your answer, but still held a hopeful look in his eyes.

“Oh, Austin! I would love to live with you!” You moved your hands up, holding his face in your palms and brought him in for a soft kiss, still engulfed in his arms. After a moment, he pulled away and lightly tapped his forehead against yours.

“Great, I’ll have movers come by to help you bring your stuff to my place.”

You got the adoption papers ready to be signed and quickly walked to the back to return with the three dogs. Walking out of the shelter while smiling happily, with the dogs pulling you both was more than anything you could have ever wished for. And it was all thanks to those puppies.

#austin butler x reader #austin butler fanfiction #austin butler #austin butler x y/n #austin butler x you #austin butler fic #elvis #elvis movie #elvis 2022

744 notes · View notes